Fally.
As the hot summer gave way to a more familiar autumn climate, Lt Chris Groves led a successful adventure training week to the Hartz Mountains. This involved various activities such as mountain biking and hiking and a high ropes course. It gave the soldiers of the Company time to practise their navigation and some of the new soldiers time to bond. The highlight of the week involved a gentle walk (aka forced march) up the Brocken, Northern Germany’s highest peak courtesy of WO2 (CSM) “Jungle” Dave Illsley. The conditions at the summit were fairly adverse resulting in one or two members of the Company nearly being blown away and a certain cocker spaniel being converted into a kite. As down time, the Company had a chance to explore German culture in the medieval town of Goslar, with everybody converging on the Christmas Market for a mouthful of German sausage. Pte Tansley dispelled the myth that officers with maps are the most dangerous things in the world by insisting that he knew the way to the cash point five minutes away and leading half the platoon on a two hour minibus magical mystery tour..!
For the remainder of 2009, A Company conducted CT1 and CT2 training, BCIP5 conversion, some really enjoyable range weeks and, most significantly, we started Battlegroup training with the SCOTS DG BG with Company Group CATT and BG CAST. Christmas saw a series of festivities (and the arrival of the German winter), the highlight being the A Company Dinner Night. Much food, wine and some brilliant skits made for an entertaining night and a fitting send off for the WO2 (CSM) Shaun Evans who moves to the fresh challenges of the QM’s Platoon and we wish him well as RQMS(T) – it’s always good to have friends in the butts!
2010 began in earnest with Ex Iron Eagle, or as it became known “Ex Arctic Eagle”! The exercise followed the long tradition of the SCOTS DG BG by being named after the eagle on its cap badge, celebrating the capture of the French Imperial Eagle at Waterloo by Sgt Ewart of the Scots Greys. Of course, the eagle also holds significance with The Mercian Regiment, featuring its own Double-headed Eagle resembling the much older device of Leofric, Earl of Mercia prior to the Norman Conquest and husband to the famous Lady Godiva.
As the Eagle unifies the two units, so did the harsh conditions of exercise; it was the first time that the two units had worked together in the field for nearly two decades. The first morning highlighted the challenging conditions as the A Company vehicles took the best part of it getting up a small incline into the Forward Operating Base (FOB) which was thick with snow and ice, providing much hilarity as the gunners and drivers watched various members of Company
56 October 2010
and Platoon Head Quarters slipping and sliding as they tried to direct the vehicles forward. A particular cheer went up as Capt Shergold, who had come to the conclusion that a Company Second in Command was the only one capable of organising Warriors to drive up a slope, managed to align himself horizontally in the air before attempting to do an impression of a dying swan, crashing back down to earth.
Ex Iron Eagle was adapted to fit in with the adverse climate and many training objectives which had been initially attempted were modified to retain a realistic, challenging, yet safe environment in which to train. As many of the soldiers were still relatively new and inexperienced, the exercise built up from a slow start, teaching, confirming, and then testing in a series of Company group strike operations and then a BG advance to contact. We were lucky enough to have the following who had returned recently from the Section Commander’s Battle Course: Cpl Orton (1 Platoon), Cpl Cheshire (3 Platoon) and, from the Platoon Sergeant’s Battle Course, Cpl Dale (3 Platoon). Their recent expertise was exploited particularly in the Advanced Close Quarter Marksmanship, house entry and assault, compound clearance and contemporary operations training which they gave to the Company. Also essential to this learning process was Sgt Davies, recently returned from diplomatic duties in Saudi Arabia. This resulted in changing A Company Standard Operating Procedures and increasing and updating the range of skills with which the Company can now operate.
The exercise was useful for a number of new vehicle commanders who had never commanded vehicles tactically before. We all benefited from time in the turret and on our feet and operating around two Squadrons of Challenger 2 MBT meant that we always seemed to be in demand. A very steep learning curve but, with over two weeks of well- resourced dry training covering MCO and COIN operations, the Company made huge leaps forward and felt by the end of the dry phase very much at home with the officers and soldiers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Having experienced some waist deep snow and temperatures that averaged around -10ºC, the exercise ended fittingly with a celebratory snowball fight in which 1 Platoon and 2 Platoon battled it out across a non tactical leaguer until, that was, Capt Shergold, again proving that he is the most popular man in the Company, joined in. He had to batten down immediately as an avalanche of snowballs headed his direction.
Following the dry training, the Company remained in Sennelager for the vital Warrior Live Fire Range Package achieving an ACT level 5 across the board with Pte (now LCpl) Willis winning the coveted “Top Gun” title for this year. Concurrently, the dismounted troops conducted an in-camp (and warmer!) training
package including ROE, C-IED, medical and navigation theory. On return from Sennelager, morale in the Company was high even if temperatures were not and all the soldiers had a “Bastogne-like attitude” with heads held high after a job well done. The exercise had seen some good progress amongst the new Private soldiers who had moulded well into their new Platoons. It also gave the senior Private Soldiers who had done well on the recent PJNCO Course but had not yet picked up the chance to earn their spurs.
Spring 2010 also saw the departure of a number of key personalities. At very short notice, WO2 (CSM) “Jungle” Dave Illsley was posted to B Company making way for WO2 (CSM) “Chappie” Chapelle. WO2 Illsley was an inspirational CSM and brilliant trainer - he will be missed by all ranks of A Company. Capt Tom “Can’t I go sailing again?” Causer of 2 Platoon has moved on to command the Javelin Platoon where he will doubtless continue to do very well: he has been replaced by 2Lt Martin Burgess. Finally, Sergeant Rob Garner of 1 Platoon has decided to start a civilian career and will leave the army in early summer 2010. Sgt Garner is a very popular member of the Battalion, a Boxing coach and an exceptional soldier - he will be dearly missed. He has been replaced by Corporal Wez Dale. To all the fine men departing A Company, we wish you all the very best for the future.
With Company and BG manoeuvre confirmed on BG CATT, the Company conducted a week long LFTT package in March this year. This gave an opportunity to confirm Advanced Close Quarter Battle, live compound clearance including Explosive Method of Entry and to hammer the basic building blocks of Fire Team and Section Battle Drills live by day and night. We were all fairly confident that Lt Chris “big bang” Groves had the charge size and distance correct on his demolitions but even the OC and CO were a little taken aback by the airborne debris as we followed an assault Section through a live compound clearance drill! Great fun and as much realism as the safety manual would allow us to provide. Thus, A Company is well set and looking forward to some well- earned Easter Leave.
The next chapter is a 3 month BATUS deployment during which we will exercise on the prairie with the SCOTS DG BG on Ex Prairie Thunder 1 before what looks to be an awesome adventure training package, R & R in Vegas and Calgary before supporting the 3 MERCIAN BG with COEFOR and Live Fire Safety teams. The Company is in high spirits. It has established through hard work and imaginative play a warrior ethos and strong reputation. BATUS and summer leave are very much needed but, beyond that, the focus of all ranks is upon operational capability for future operations.
The Mercian Eagle
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164