9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2008 - Page 0018
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
| Transcription |
16 REGIMENTj’IL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) Four months into the tour the handover of the BULLDOGS once more reared its ugly head. In October seven vehicles were back loaded to the UK. In return the Squadron received VEC- TOR, a six wheeled up armoured PINZGAUER. The similari- ty to the scooby doo mystery machine is uncanny. In total the Squadron received 7 VECTOR adding a sizeable work load to LCpl Heighton who was still having palpitations about the den- tist. The Troop finally waved goodbye to the last eight BULLDOGs in November. They were handed over to 20 Brigade for use during their Reception Staging and Onward Integration. LCpl Heighton was again on the scene, taking over two LR Discoveries for use around the port. Over the year the Squadron conducted around 300 vehicle transactions. Fleet management at its best! With the handover to B Squadron Queen’s Royal Hussars com- plete and Operation TELIC 12 at an end I would just like to thank my merry band of brothers. In January 2008 they joined A Squadron Administration Troop with little or no administra- tion training or experience. Throughout the training year they carried out their tasks until ungodly hours on many days when the remainder of the Squadron were either tucked up in bed or out on the town enjoying a well-deserved drink. They have endured a sometimes mundane and thankless task in keeping the Squadron on its feet with little wanting and in the end helped underpin the considerable success the Squadron enjoyed. NG Fitter Section A Squadron Fitter Section began 2008 knowing there was a lot in store for them, first with the pre-deployment training and all of its briefings, firing camps and exercises then with the RSOI and finally the deployment on Operation TELIC 12. Not to mention the numerous equipment courses that needed to be fit- ted into an already tight schedule. Hohne ranges were first on the list of training activities that the guys had to deal with. This is where they were all trained on the numerous weapon systems that would be used on deployment including the 0.50 cal and the Remote Weapon System. This is also where the ‘illustrious’ leader SSgt Ward became the first casualty after he somehow got the notion into his head that his fist was harder than a plastic car bumper. The LAD{S}, Just before Easter leave the Section found itself in Sennelager for more weapons and skills training consisting of various shoots from sangers and top cover to Squadron size attacks. In April we followed the Squadron on yet another adventure, this time to the South of Germany in Hohenfels. Here we con- ducted an exercise as part of a Battle Group. This was no easy exercise with a tight schedule and plenty of work resulting in some seriously late nights or in fact some very early mornings. The guys handled this well, most vehicles left camp every time they were needed. On top of the job of trying to keep the vehi- cles moving and firing the Section were also trying to get them- selves through the various training exercises. The Fitter Section was told that it put on the best show ofa house clearance that the safety staff had seen all day, and managed to get them themselves on the front cover of the Sixth Sense. A Squadron Fitter Section arrived in Umm Qasr and the hard work began once again. Within a few weeks, more than a few engine lifts had been completed, including four in one night. LCpl Blount also managed to strip a Remote Weapon System in to about as many pieces as you possibly can. Two weeks into the tour and already the signs of fatigue were set- ting in. It was then that Cpl Smith and LCpl Thomson decided they had had enough and got themselves selected to attend a VECTOR Course in the UK; useful at the time as the Squadron didn’t even have any VECTOR to look after, but all became apparent later in the tour. Half way through the tour, Cfn Walker decided he didn’t want to play anymore and got himself sent back to Hohne on medical grounds. He was sorely missed and we had to struggle on with the rest of the tour without him. Once everyone had finally got themselves into a routine and everyone knew almost everything there is to know about BULL- DOG, it was decided that they were no longer needed and the rest of the tour continued with VECTORs. After massive amounts of hard work the BULLDOGs were sent away in pris- tine, near factory like condition. For this the section gained much praise. As the tour drew to a close, work became thin on the ground with only a handful of wheeled vehicles to contend with. This allowed the Fitter Section to take on the tasks ofbuilding a bas- |
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