9th-12th-Lancers - Year 1985 - Page 0086
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1985 |
| Transcription |
llll «rm IITH Rm \l l-‘tNCl ks ttt=(;l\tt»,NI/\t IDL'RNAI SNOW QUEEN Exercise Snow Queen is traditionally seen as rather a jolly skive by those young officers despatched to supervise it. Endless skiing. freedom from the irksome moments of Regimental duty and a chance to catch up on university habits reluctantly forsworn on that awful first day at Sandhurst. For officers Roskelly and Pritchard that is precisely what it transpired to be; where there was snow it was ski‘d upon. memories of Orderly Officer duties were allowed to fade and uniforms took on that curious sheen that they acquire when hung in dark cupboards and forgotten. That is not to say that all Hut Com- manders felt the same; petspiring junior officers in ragged uniforms were frequently seen driving anxiously about because their heating oil had run out. or their Bedford had broken down, or the Fire and Hygiene Team was object- ing to their landlord‘s quaint habit of holding indoor cockroach barbecues. We were saved from all of this by the excellence of the administrative team. whose only concern appeared to be to give us a life of ease. whose efficiency matched only their professional skill and experience; in short they worked well; more on them later. The one stunning advantage of our but. the Gosthaus Bockhttusle. is that it is a very long way away from the Exercise Headquarters at Sonthofen. this meaning that we were permitted to go about our duty of taking soldiers skiing without either being constantly surrounded by other soldiers or, being constantly under the intense scrutiny of the many visitors to the Exercise. The instructors had an entirely free hand. and Lance Corporals Gobey, Lester and Controy responded well. producing a high standard of training, downhill and cross country. They were assisted by Lance Corporal Williams. Most of the soldiers who attempted it achieved a pass at Bronze level. a very good start to greater things. The instructors had 1m» "llttltitug lump" to work particularly hard in the face of some very poor snow conditions during the second half of the exercise. battling hard to ensure that the exercise did not become known as Mud King. Those who took part in the skiing had to thank not only the instructors but also the administrative team head~ ed by Sergeant Hudson and Sergeant Rowland, backed up by Privates Jones. Ludford and Barrett and by Lance Corporal Luther respectively from the ACC and the REME, all of whom worked extremely hard and contributed in no small measure to the running of the hut, cooking the food. purchased on generous terms by Her Majesty and. maintaining the vehicles. not least the vehicles owned by the permanent staff. The substantial sums of money lavished on the exercise by the Treasury meant that. this year it will prove possible to re—equip in large measure. So the older Snow Queen skis will be available to members of the Regiment who wish to ski next year in the Harz. Enabling those poor slopes to be filled to capacity with highly trained and well-motivated ex Snow Queen Banzai merchants. It may seen to be a terrible thing to do to Anglo-German relations in Lower Saxony, but there is always a purpose . . . Next year we return to Boekhttusle under new management. and I hope that it remains a “jolly skive" for all concerned, DRP I he tut-r popular umm tum \torhtttg hunt. Lt anma and Sgt Ron [and |
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