9th-12th-Lancers - Year 1987 - Page 0005
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1987 |
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THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS REGIMENTAL JOURNAL 1 Foreword by the Commanding Officer i United Kingdom commenced. sance had been forgotten. + ears and guides of lst British Corps. This year's Delhi Spearmint covers the year leading up to the lst May 1987. On that Friday in May this year dis- embarkation leave ended and the Regi- d ment's four year tour of duty in the Our eight year tour in the British Army of the Rhine was highly success- ful, not just for the Regiment but for * armoured reconnaissance at the nadir of its fortunes. consigned on exercise mainly to the rear areas and to traffic control; the importance of reconnais- By 1987 this had all changed. Through constant persuasion, by producing excellent intelligence for our command— ers on exercises and through our success in NATO competitions, reconnaissance is back on the map. We are once again at the sharp end of the battle as the eyes. As we start our tour in the United Kingdom we have good reason to be pleased with ourselves. but we must not he complacent. The future of armoured reconnaissance was recently discussed in a Ministry of Defence paper written by Lieutenant Colonel Dickens. Its critics who believe that the trained eye can be replaced by 'cyes in the sky' and underground sensors were muted but not silenced. We must all use every opportunity to promote reconnaissance and to dispel ignorance. To be convincing we must demonstrate excellence. The bedrock of excellence is provided by sound battlefield discipline, tactics and standard operating procedures. These we can get right on our United Kingdom training areas even if they are not large enough for the grand sweep of reconnaissance. Nothing can be achieved without people. Our young soldiers and NCOs aretodayasgoodifnotbetterthanever before. They still join for excitement. challenge and variety. We must provide this through interesting training, sport, adventurous training and operational tours with the United Nations Peace- keeping Force in Cyprus. There is also the possibility of the unexpected. The unexpected happened to our predeces~ sors in Wimbish. The Queen's Dragoon Guards, when they were deployed to Bdrut. Although our primary operation- al role is with the 3rd Armoured Division in Germany it has been said that the only certainty in the Army is that the unexpected always happens. We will be ready. A visit to the Regiment by the Mayor of Derby — Councillor Keene. wimbish 1987 |
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