4 MERCIAN Foreword
by the Commanding Officer Lt Col M W Forgrave QGM
A lot of ground has been covered since the last Eagle submission and the Battalion has managed a foothold, or toehold, in the South Atlantic, Caribbean, Africa, the former Soviet Union, Western Europe (France & Holland) and central Asia. The main focus has been supporting current operations either through FTRS or with the deployment of the Independent Company on Herrick 10 in the Force Protection rôle for Camp Bastion. This year, 4 MERCIAN will have approximately 25% of its trained strength on operations. As a consequence, the “rump” effort will now turn to regeneration of numbers and capabilities. The TA Review, which potentially had a de-stabilising risk to our laydown, ran into the sands. The Battalion retains a footprint in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire as well as the West Midlands.
The force generation and preparation for Herrick posed a number of challenges. First, our real estate with its ten locations spread over 100 square miles inhibited collective training. Second, the mobilisation window meant that there was an “arrow slit” for pre-operation training to cover the myriad of individual courses and collective training packages. Finally, this window did not map across to the parent Brigade’s pre-deployment training. Despite the roof structure of the global economy falling in at the time we were mobilising, we experienced only a couple of employer “red cards” (the Mobilisation Cell at APC is reassuringly robust on this issue). The Battalion did not enjoy the traditional “summer camp” this year. Instead, we sent 85 soldiers to Kazakhstan on Steppe Eagle, a NATO-sponsored PFP exercise. The exercise presented a number of opportunities, including basing and operating from an austere and rudimentary location in
Lt Col Forgrave
climatic extremes, instructing a Kazakh airborne battalion in COIN and crowd control techniques as well as taking advantage of some former Soviet culture. As well as the normal run-of-the-mill training activities, the Battalion focussed on FIBUA at Longmoor which stimulated a lot of interest as well as generating a useful baseline of expertise amongst the Companies. Shooting continues to retain a prominent “grid” position and we hope to repeat our success in the Brigade SAAM this year.
The Battalion has fluctuated between 85 and 90 percent of its Establishment with a drive to remove the “dead wood”. Although there is not such a clear correlation between a downward economy and recruiting in the Territorial Army, we have started to see a perceptible rise in the number of applicants. We continue to recruit heavily from the heartlands of the West Midlands but have experienced steady growth in Widnes and Mansfield. A concerted recruiting effort will be the main activity for the remainder of 2009.
Although the jam is now spread thinly (one Battalion effectively now covering the area once covered by five TA Infantry Regiments a decade ago), the Battalion endeavours to keep the county flames alive. The Battalion encourages strong linkages with her regular counterparts and would like to see greater integration and stronger communication in the coming years. The Regimental Adjutant has bedded in and we are now seeing some green shoots of recovery in terms of manning. In sum, we are in rude health with our colourful palette of cap badges and regional diversity which enriches the Battalion.
A (Fusilier) Company
by Maj Carter OC:
PSAO: 2ic:
CSM (V): QPSI: SPSI:
Maj C Carter
Capt S Hopkinson Capt T Carpenter WO2 Wilkes
CSgt S McGarr WO2 Smith
Pl Comd
1 Platoon 2Lt T Middleton 2 Platoon 2Lt R Whittle
86 October 2009 TA Normandy Company Neil Clowes
It has been a busy year for A “Fusilier” Company with the main focus, in line with the rest of 4 MERCIAN, being Op Herrick. We have twenty one soldiers mobilised with Normandy Company and ten on FTRS with 2 MERCIAN, all on Herrick. Also, another three Fusiliers based at Bn HQ have deployed. A Company has deployed a full range of ranks and positions, from Fusiliers who passed out of basic training last year up to the OC. Amongst those deployed are the
The Mercian Eagle
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