9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2002 - Page 0020
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
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| Year | 2002 |
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18 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 3 Troop 002 has been a busy year for B Squadron and 3rd Troop has been no exception. The year got off to a busy start with the annual firing period in late January, the Command line up of Clitheroe, Payne and Swain performed well even in the absence of the ever watchful Sgt Pegg. Sgt Pegg unfortunately was unable to take part due to a close encounter with a lamppost earlier in the year, he did however, manage to inspire the firers with frequent visits to the ranges as well as keeping the Troop on its toes. Level 6’s were achieved right across the board in both the Annual Crew Tests as well as the Section Tests, which is a credit to the crews as well as the ability of the fairly new gunners. Even call sign 30 managed to achieve straight 6’s in all the shoots after some very solid gunning by LCpl Hollis and a mix of drivers due to crew turbulence, we some how managed to choose in the loosest sense Tpr Smith 059, who’s driving always seemed to add some humour to the proceedings, even if it is mostly in retrospect. February was mostly taken up with Squadron training for the Regimental commitment to BATUS as OPFOR this involved var- ious class room lessons interspersed with mock battles on the bird table and TEWT’s. Tank Coy l, Platoon 1, also known as 3rd Troop soon got up to speed on the tactics required and looked in good stead to start the in theatre beat up training. Some of the Troop attended LCpl Hollis’s marriage on the 30th March to Carly, we wish them all the best for the future. The Squadron deployed to BATUS in April in time for beat up training and to acclimatise to the subzero temperatures. The beat up training was very useful as the last time the Troop deployed was in Oman, a slight climatic shock to the system! The Troop was split slightly into Tank Platoon’s, however the notable char- acters and core remained the same. The MED MANs were busy and rewarding, involving TES battles using Salamander and Sturgeons and less we forget the adventurous driving of Messer’s Done and Hollis in the Pinzgauers. The commitment in BATUS came with a new country to explore which all took full advantage of. Banff was a popular destination as the ski season was still in full swing. Most of the Troop man- aged to get away on the week of skiing organised by the Regiment, which was most enjoyable in the fantastic surroundings of Lake Louise. Others took epic road trips to Vancouver, Calagry and Jasper with various tales to tell and life long memories to bring away with them. 3rd Troop returned with the Squadron in June after completing two MED MANs, giving a good account of themselves in both. The Troop Leader stayed in Canada and commanded a platoon from A Squadron along with Tpr Lander who opted to stay out for the season managing to further his experience on the prairie as well as on the ski slopes. The rest of the Troop took their leave, with Tpr Done getting married on the 17th August to Carolyn, we wish them every success for the future. The end of September saw the wives taking up arms and donning cam cream on Exercise STILETTO LANCER in some typical Hohne weather. After drying out and defrosting around the camp fire the wives all seamed in very high sprits, having enjoyed their snippet of Army exercise life. The end of September also saw the Troop deploy on the B Squadron foot exercise in the Elm feature. The Troop varied slightly from the main stay with a notable addition. Sgt Major took the place of Tp Sgt in the absence of Sgt Pegg who was away on course in the UK. Sgt Pegg was promoted to SSgt and has now left the Troop to become A Sqn SQMS, with LCpl Hollis recently leaving the Troop as well, it leaves the Troop Leader and Tpr Done as the longest serving members of 3rd Troopll The end of the year was mostly taking up with the training to pre- pare us for B Sqn’s deployment to Bosnia in March 03. This revolved around a series of exercises in Hohne and most notably the riot training involving a petrol bomb initiation. The final training package will involve a visit down to Sennelager in early 03 another busy start to the year. The Troop has changed hugely since the start of the year with a new troop Sgt, Sgt Wick after his recent promotion and also two new crew commanders Cpls Saul and Minto as well as LCpl Whitby as the Troop Leaders gunner. With a new year brings new challenges and experiences, the Troop looks forward to 2003 and an operational tour in Bosnia. GW Troop part from the old stalwarts of Sgt Leigh “DDI” Feltham and Cpl Matty Noone, the year has seen some turbulence within the Troop. First to go was LCpl “Razor” Revill to Fallingbostal on Provo duty, an irony not lost on those who know him well. Moving swiftly into his slot came LCpl Jamie “Snake” Webb who lost no time in getting himself buried in the signals equipment. Following Gunnery Camp and the infamous Ex PLUNGER’s CLAW, the Troop began preparation for a tour to BATUS wel- coming back the errant LCpl Revill on the way to forming the backbone of the Recce Company. Getting to grips with the Pinzgauers proved no problem for the specialist troop and the Recce boys were credited with some outstanding kills and an excellent record overall, with Commander BATUS giving a per- sonal word of congratulations. Returning from Canada saw the Troop bid farewell to Lt Guy Simpson who departed for ATR Winchester after an incident involving a horse, a bog, and a spleen. Say no more. His slot was filled by Lt Tim “I’ve never met a nice South African” Willis who took one look at what he had taken over and promptly disap- peared to the icy wastes of Norway for 5 weeks. Also welcomed to the fold were Cpl “Foxy” Fox, Tprs “Ozzy” Osbourne, “Brother of Fleetwood” Harold, “C Sqn retread” Stephens and “Dicko” Dickinson. Of course all this new blood meant some had to go, and LCpl Al “Trixie” Davies moved over to 2nd Troop where he will doubtless provide valuable guidance to Nig Troop Leader SSgt Ian Clarke. At the same time, LCpls Revill and Webb departed to Lulworth where they both achieved decent passes on their GW Instructor’s Courses. A final Squadron Parade before Christmas proved the high stan- dards of the Troop, winning the turret competition (again) as well as winning best vehicle. We’re sure it won’t be long before the Zic coughs up for the beer due to come our way for these feats of excellence. This was followed by Sgt DDI Feltham’s amazing Disco Dancing Instruction at the Squadron Christmas party, proving again the adage that white men have no rhythm. Returning from leave saw the Squadron and Troop promptlyback to the grindstone, with build up training for Gunnery Camp, and Bosnia Training at Sennelager. Both went extremely well with the Troop again proving it’s mettle achieving first time passes on ACT and a good series of missile flights from LCpl “Training aid” Webb and Tpr Stevens, LCpl “Where’s that gone and what’s all that dust?” Revill and Tpr “Am I in control of this thing?” Osbourne. With most of the ground work now having been com- pleted, the Troop looks forward to six months in Prjinavor in Bosnia where doubtless the fine reputation of this amazing col- lection of individuals will be further enhanced. |
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