Cpl Amanda Buckley defending her latest stationery supply whilst on operations!
plan before she handed over to LCpl Gemma Colley. With the return of Sgt Dean Atkinson to cover G3, the Detachment was now back to full manning on operations.
Rear Party continued to support the families and ensure that those left behind, including newly arrived members from training, were well supported and ready for deployment themselves should they be called forward. With all families qualifying for two family passages for the duration of the tour, Movements, supported by Brenda Mcilmail and Jennifer Tallon, were once again as busy as ever not only with this but also learning JPA for the first time. Not to be left out, Gail Willis, our trusted Typist, volunteered to stand in as the Battalion Courses Clerk for the duration of the deployment. Half way through the tour, the SPS Detachment Commander, Capt Kirk Reynolds, left to attend his Late Entry Officers’ Commissioning Course at RMAS. Having completed that four week course, he deployed forward allowing the RAO, Capt Ellie Guest, to return to Rear Party. SSgt Buzz Fanning, the FSA, and Sgt Scotty McCallum were in the meantime taking control of a heavily pressurised Rear Party to ensure its smooth running until the return of the RAO. Cpl Maria King had got to grips with life as the Rear Party SSA and she ensured that the continuity of the post with its enormous disciplinary workload was maintained to the full.
Even with a busy operational deployment, the Det have had their fair share of postings both into and out of the Battalion. From the top, we said goodbye to the RAO, Capt Ellie Guest, to become Adjutant of SPSTS in Worthy Down and, in her place, we welcomed Capt Kate Goodall from SPSTS. Other changes have included the RAWO, who has managed to wangle a secondment on Ex Long Look from January to July 2010; he will then move on posting and, in the interim, SSgt Buzz Fanning will stand in as RAWO whilst continuing his own job of FSA. Sgt Gail Evans has moved on promotion to Germany and we welcomed Sgt Kim Ablett-Hill in her place. For a brief period, we welcomed Cpl Victoria Scott to the Detachment before she herself found motherhood calling once again and she moved off to full time civilian life, later giving birth to little Daniel Elliott. Also
The Mercian Eagle
finding motherhood calling, Jennifer Tallon gave birth to Ruby Grace and Jennifer left with her husband on posting to Colchester. We welcomed Cpl Loiusa Ratu to fill one of our gapped posts and two of our Detachment took advantage of their Christmas and New Year leave to get married: LCpl Spencer (née Colley) and LCpl Webb (née Bell) both married serving members of 2 MERCIAN. Maybe it is too soon to expect the tiny patter of little feet from them but Cpl Jenny Powell gave birth to Darcy Rose and LCpl Shirley MacLeod gave birth to Heather Margaret. Most recent arrivals of a trained soldier type have been Pte Emma Ford and LCpl Lee Sandbach both direct from training at SPSTS.
Finally, 2009 and deployment on Op Herrick 10 has been a long and arduous time for all involved, both for those deployed forward and those supporting on rear operations. Not a day goes by without the SPS Detachment’s thoughts and prayers going out to the families of those who have had loved ones taken from them early in life and those who find themselves injured. To all the brave Battalion members, it has been a pleasure to work with you both in support on Rear Party and deployed alongside you on operations. Stand Firm Strike Hard.
Unit Welfare Office UWO:
UWO 2ic:
UWO Clerk: UWO Staff:
Capt Magill
CSgt B Knowles MBE Mrs Joanne Hewitt
Cpl D Lawton Cpl A Mabbutt Cpl N Cope LCpl J Corey
Since the return of the Battalion, the Welfare Office has been a hotbed of activity: we are still carrying on with a programme of entertainment for the families that was such a big hit during the tour although we do not have the finances that DWP afforded us on deployment. We make do with what we have and, remarkably, manage to stretch our imagination to find new events for Mums and tots and wives and children to go to. This has been aided recently with the addition of some new Community Development Workers within Holywood station.
In early January 2010, we closed the Battalion Welfare forward team, based out of Parsons Barracks in Donnington, Shropshire. The Team was run by Cpl Lawton, Cpl Mabbutt and LCpl Corey who rotated from Northern Ireland. Being able to carry out hospital visits to Selly Oak within a 40 minute drive and geographically well placed to carry out visits to soldiers who were WIA or injured living within the recruiting areas, they were an essential first line Welfare support tool. During the deployment, the team carried out more than one hundred visits, aided in the repatriation and funerals of our fallen comrades, assisted the CVOs in
the delicate tasks involved with the loss of a comrade and the aftercare of the casualties. All members of the team carried out these duties representing the Battalion to the highest standard in what was a very stressful and emotional time for all concerned. They are to be commended for their unstinting devotion to the soldiers and families of the Battalion. We would also like to thank the staff at Parsons Barracks and, in particular, Maj Neil Anderson OC DSU and WO2 (RQMS) Graham Dawson whose support was pivotal to the success of the team.
Back in Northern Ireland, we manage still to carry out a lot of external visits to open farms, playgrounds and soft play areas that give a bit of diversity for the families on camp; the families’ take up on all the events and attendance is very good from across the Holywood station community. We will continue with a programme of events for the families as these have become an integral part of relationship building for the families and have certainly helped to make us a closer knit unit to offer support to one another; we are encouraging this beyond operational deployments to maintain that “Family ethos” within the Regiment: it is working extremely well. We have not had a chance until now really to thank a huge number of people in Northern Ireland and on the mainland who helped maintain Welfare support to the Regiment. We would like to thank the North Down Fire Brigade, the PSNI, Council officials from North Down, Quilts for Valour, Regimental Associations, schools from the recruiting areas and the vast array of people who helped support the families of the Battalion whilst the soldiers were deployed.
Other events were aimed at the wives of the soldiers. On 24th April was the wives’ Military day: swap Gucci for issue DPM and Revlon for cam cream and let loose the puppies of War, help us all! Plans were finalised and the ladies enjoyed a tiring but exciting day, followed by a sit down silver service meal in the WOs’ & Sgts’ Mess that night: more to follow on this event. We planned, also, a Battalion spectacular on the Glorious 1st of June with a busy schedule of
Rear row l to r: Cpl Dean Lawton, LCpl Jo Corey, Cpl Nick Cope Front row l to r: Capt Noel Magill UWO, Mrs Joanne Hewitt, CSgt Bryn Knowles MBE
Ladies’ night out: L to r: Mrs Susan Perrott, Mrs Pamela Smith, Mrs Fiona Lewis, Mrs Katie Cadmore, Mrs Nichola Gavan, Mrs Mercy Mlanagani, Mrs Jacqueline Duggan
October 2010 49
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