9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2004 - Page 0031
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Transcription |
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) Z9 HQSHQ We said farewell to SSM Buckley on his promotion to V101 and posting to QLMY in Telford and welcomed SSM Keeney fresh off Op Telic 3 in January. April of this year saw the reconstruc- tion of SHQ troop with Sgt Swift being the only survivor from the troop prior to Op Telic 3. A busy period then ensued with vehicle preparation for Ex Swabian Lance 04. This Ex saw SHQ troop deploy into the field carrying out its various roles respec- tively. Al and A2 were split for most of the exercise which increased the pressure on the newly formed troop. In field training was carried out to bring the troop up to speed, these ranged from ITDs to on the job signals training. Tpr Smith joined the troop in Al for the last week of the exercise having completed his advanced signals course. The RAP was also deployed with Cpl Meadows and LCpl Herbert in the ambu- lance and they were tested as never before with the NOTICAS system being practiced to the full and the RAP working alone with a full med section attached. Cpl Broomfield (days to do getting few) catered for all of Maj Reid’s (BGLogO) needs as his driver. In July LCpl Simmons rejoined the troop again after spending 2 years away with B Sqn. September saw Cpl Johnson posted into the troop to replace Cpl Broomfield. A holiday in Thailand saved him deploying on Ex Rhino Charge/Replen, (Div level exercise around Hameln and Sennelager). Tpr Pincott joined the troop as part of A2 for this exercise and was given the nickname “The Slarf Monster” from the QM(T), because if he wasn’t working , there one only one place you were going to find him! Gunnery camp was November’s main effort which saw SHQ run the GW and variants ranges, including the COs shoot. This busy period was followed closely with the nor- mal Christmas fun and games before a well earned Christmas leave period. ng Swift The deck/mg WW be here W/th the Water feature over there... HQSQMS This has been a year of crew turbulence for the Troop to quote a gunnery phrase. With the departure in May of SSgt Chris Hatton, on a 2-year posting playing golf in St Andrews and pre- viously Cpl (Brad Pitt) Fleetwood and his trusty ginger side- kick, Cpl (Queenie) Hale both leaving for C Sqn. This left the Troop in the lonely but capable hands of SSgt (Strength & Honour) Clarke on return from the RRT. After a couple of weeks of isolation the Troop finally received fresh manpower with Cpl (Egor) Richardson and LCpl Raymond Nyambira from their OP TELIC 3 POTL with C Sqn. In June the Troop now bolstered up to filll establishment with Cpl (Terry) Coles, Cpl Daz Thomas and an accompaniment of chefs departed for Ex SWABIAN LANCE, which was both demanding and extremely enjoyable. In addition to supporting the CSS needs for the Sqn the Troop had to supply 136 OPFOR personnel from a variety of Units. Although the exercise start- ed in a cosy camp like location this was to be short lived and we soon found ourselves attempting to place three trucks, four trail- ers, a land rover and an 18 x 24 up a hill in a firebreak. This ini- tially seemed an impossible task, until divine inspiration from the SSM along the lines of “just do it Q and hurry up” made everything either fall or be forced into place. From there thank- fully the locations became more accessible and as long as we met the challenge ofproviding a clear and audible TV picture for the nightly coverage of EURO 2004, our popularity remained high, at least with the DOMINATOR. The exercise proved to be very enjoyable and involved spending hours driving hundreds of miles offering our timely services through the beautiful land- scape in the foothills of the Alps. On return, a quick clean up was followed by preparation for the Royal visit, this involved the SQMS dusting off his pace stick and turning a select few from the Sqn into a smart, soldier like and uniformed body of men. November saw Tpr (Pikey) Smith join the Troop fresh back from his rehabilitation pro- gramme in MCTC and the now well-manned Troop provided admin support to the Regimental Firing Period. Apart from culi- nary delights of Cpl Scott (Tentage) Meadows and LCpl Ray (Ainsley) Nyambira the most memorable moment was the almost successful attempt at the 9/12L Burger Challenge by Tpr Smith and as the photos clearly show it was a harrowing sight that immediately scared off any other contenders. IM C Q burger f/rpp/rjg,’ |
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