9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2001 - Page 0025
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2001 |
| Transcription |
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) 25 I ‘9 » I , _ j I.‘ Tp/s Wyatt, Beaumont & McDonald, amaZ/ng/y, none of them oou/d prowde a oapt/on On our return, and after a spate of leave, opportunities were taken for adventurous training, and for some, to deploy to Oman, on loan to other Squadrons. Once reunited in November, a number of GW personnel briefly moved into 30mm turrets for the Squadron’s Gunnery camp. Our frozen few days in Germany prepared us well for the cold winter of Kosovo. Starting in the Police station in the centre of Podujevo, we were fully involved in the in’s and out’s of the area, including the events surrounding and resulting from the Medare bus bombing. We were also joined by Tpr Dorn, attached as a reserve. Later, as spring set in, Sgt Payne deployed with half of the Troop to the Presevo valley in Serbia, expecting to witness an explosive reentry of the Serbian army up to the boundary with Kosovo. It transpired that the local Russian members of KFOR proved more erratic than the Serbs, showing a sometimes overly keen interest in their new NATO neigh- bours. In the north, Capt L-P, LCpl Kusbish, Tpr Stephens and Tpr Dorn provided the first meeting with the Serbs in the Squadron’s area, on a blustery hill in the North East corner. A short yet surprisingly friendly exchange was had, after which we watched their move back towards Kosovo, and a visible relax- ation on the part of our interpreter. The end of the tour provid- ed the greatest challenge, with the entire troop moving down to the border of Macedonia and Albania in an attempt to stem the flow of fighters into an increasingly unstable Tetevo. Deployed Cp/ Edwards on patrol /eawng n/s fan o/ub ben/nd p. by helicopter into two observation points at some 7500 feet up a mountain, the troop interdicted all 18 terrorist suspects cap- tured by the entire Battle Group over its 10 day deployment. A fitting and successful end to the tour. After some well deserved leave, some of the troop were loaned out to other Squadrons for Ex SAIF SAREEA 2. Cpl Pumford, LCpl Kusbish, and Tprs Stephens, Beaumont and Bissitt got to experience the desert, which they nearly all found entirely unpleasant! Those left behind enjoyed a whistle stop tour of the Baltic on Goering’s 60ft yacht ‘Flamingo’. Cpl Edwards, Cpl Horsley, Tpr Wyatt, and Tpr McDonald all gained their Competent Crew qualification as a result of an exhausting and enjoyably inebriated trip. Tpr Dorn also moved in to Germany, having enjoyed the troop enough to rejoin the Army. With Gunnery Camp beginning, the troop changed in content. Cpl Edwards moved to Leicester as recruiting Sgt, Tpr Wyatt gained his promotion to LCpl, and Tpr Illife completed his ini- tial training achieving “top gun” status in recruit firing. We were also joined by Tpr Lander and rejoined by Cpl Blunt, and Capt L-P departs for Brunei and beyond after an eye-opening few years of troop leading. GW faces the challenges of the year ahead with a successful year full of experiences under its belt. Headed up by the solid pedigree of ‘GW regulars’ that it has, long may this success continue. Support Troop The year 2001 has been a very busy, varied and somewhat unkind year to Support Troop, witnessing Op AGRICOLA 5, a host of augmentees from A Sqn, the troop being disbanded, and its reformation under Sgt Millar. In January, Tprs Byrd, Herbert, Parker and Slater had joined the troop for pre-tour training in Fallingbostel and the OPTAG training in Sennelager; LCpl Knowles finally took time off ski- ing to join us. During early February, the troop deployed to Kosovo to undergo the four-month sleep deprivation training that some may recall as Op AGRICOLA 5. The routine duties of driving into potholes, losing dohbie and getting lost (all at LCp/ Know/es, Feb 2007, OP AGE/COLA ”So/d/enng , /ts my/Me” |
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