9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2005 - Page 0006
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2005 |
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4 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) Foreword by the Commanding Officer his has been a tough year for the Regiment and I have been delighted to see the exceptional standards that have been achieved and the real grittiness of officers, soldiers and families alike. The time has been dominated by a return to Iraq, as a Formation Reconnaissance Battlegroup; A Squadron was reroled to become the Brigade Surveillance Company and put under direct command of 7th Armoured Brigade, the remaining Battlegroup was made up from B & C Squadrons, C Squadron Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (equipped with CR2) and A Squadron Queen’s Royal Lancers (equipped with WARRIOR). The Regiment deployed as a powerful force within 7th Armoured Brigade and had many successes 7 the most impressive will not be able to be explained in these pages. The threat from the IED was omnipresent, however with many hours of painstaking patrolling the rate at which we found these devices steadily increased. We did not find them all and sadly Cpl Gordon Pritchard SCOTS DG was killed near UmQasar, later one ofour newest recruits Tpr Carl Smith died when his SNATCH overturned whilst on patrol. These were difficult deaths to take but I was immensely proud to see the stoically and tenacious manner in which the entire Battlegroup reacted. We belong to an ancient warrior caste, which the general public finds it increasingly difficult to understand or interpret. The simplest answer that I would have is that soldiers do their duty, and sometimes die, so that others may live. I and the entire Regiment send our condolences to the families of both men and reiterate that we will never forget their sacrifice. There is much more about Iraq elsewhere in this journal, so I will not linger. The filture is verybright for the Regiment and on return from Iraq the Regiment reformed in its post FAS organisation. This includes many additional skills to be learnt; the surveillance troop retaining it’s recently learnt proficiency, enhancements with snipers and TACPs. The new formation reconnaissance regiments in Germany have one less sabre squadron than those in UK. Therefore in order to keep our manpower up we will also post half a squadron with the Queen’s Royal Lancers, who are based in Catterick. The first Troop will be there by October 2006 and we expect the entire Regiment to unit move, with the QRL, to Catterick around 2009. This is all great news and allows for those who want to return to UK earlier than the Regiment to do so. Some have interpreted these moves as some sly amalgamation 7 it is nothing of the sort, we are two proud Regiments who share the common heritage of the lance, we share the same role and it is therefore sensible at times to share manpower. Notwithstanding we are still two different capbadges and will remain so. The rest of 2006 is spent converting to BOWMAN on individual courses, adventure training and having fun. 2007 will be dominat- ed by a number of months in BATUS as the OPFOR, which will really allow the Regiment to hone its reconnaissance skills. So the next eighteen months will be dominated by excellent training opportunities and testing sport and adventure training. We already have RAC and Army standard Judo players, downhill skiers, rugby players and shots and through the next year we will strive for more acco- lades. Soldiering is nothing if it cannot be fun and we must remember that. One man who was always ‘looking on the bright side of life’ was Cpl Mark Payne who died in a road accident as the Regiment prepared to train for Iraq and again our sympathies are with his family - his sense of fun will remain with us all for a long time. The people I want to remember most this year are the families; they have faced a year of constant uncertainty and immense pressures. They have withstood our funny moods and inability to understand their pressures. The strength of our families is the strength of the Regiment 7 and this must never be forgotten. |
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