D Company
by Maj Walkley OC:
PSAO: 2ic:
SPSI: PSI:
CSM (V): QPSI:
CQMS:
Pl Comd: Pl Comd: Pl Comd: Pl Sgt:
Maj P J Walkley Capt J Tyson Capt R Oakes WO2 B Cox
CSgt Johnson S Burgess
CSgt D Roberts Sgt J Griffiths Lt R Arthern
2Lt T Constable Lt J Dean
Sgt S Smith
D Company is divided between two locations - Crewe where Company HQ and a Rifle Platoon is based and Stoke-on-Trent where an additional two Rifle Platoons are based. The Company is a fusion of two proud regimental traditions from the former 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (later The Kings and Cheshire Regiment) in Crewe and from the former 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (later the West Midlands Regiment) at Stoke. When the formation of 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment was announced in 2007, a number of eyebrows were raised at the prospect of a sub-unit being formed from two staunchly proud regiments. However, the merger has been a resounding success which has been reflected across the 4th Battalion as a whole; the emphasis is clearly on the fact that we are all Mercians and exist to support all three of our regular sister battalions. One of D Company’s greatest advantages is that it is a Rifle Company with no specialist Platoons and this has greatly eased the training burden and helped to better foster a truly pan- Mercian sense of identity and purpose.
The training year 2009/10 has produced a number of challenges for D Company, most notable amongst them being a requirement to provide soldiers for service with Normandy Company on Op Herrick in Afghanistan. The rôle of Normandy Company initially was to act as the Force Protection Company at Camp Bastion but this was expanded to include elements of the Company being deployed to Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and Patrol Bases (PBs). In addition to this requirement, a number of soldiers from D Company served with the 2nd Battalion on long FTRS engagements whilst others were mobilised as Individual Replacements to serve as part
82 October 2010
of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs). The following soldiers were deployed on Op Herrick during the training year: WO2 Morrison (SPSI), WO2 Rodgers (CSM), CSgt Fleet, Cpl Vaughan, LCpl Williams, LCpl Furbur, Pte Mathews, Pte Lightfoot, Pte Britton, Pte Bishop, Pte Boffey, Pte Hinett, Pte Clarke, Pte Barks, Pte Appleton, Pte Davies and Pte Crimes. All of the D Company soldiers returned to UK by October 2009 although a number stayed on with the 2nd Battalion in Belfast until April 2010. In addition to these, the following soldiers are currently serving on FTRS engagements with the Regular Army: Lt Dean, Cpl Morrissey, LCpl Purdy and Pte Hughes. The combined experience of these soldiers during the last twelve months has added greatly to the operational knowledge base within D Company and stand us in very good stead for future mobilisation.
As well as supporting the Battalion on operations, soldiers from D Company have made a significant contribution to Battalion life by participating in several operational shooting competitions as part of the Battalion shooting team. The team was involved initially in a protracted training programme prior to the 143 (WM) Brigade Operational Shooting Competition: this resulted in the team’s winning the competition with an almost clean sweep of the silverware for a second year running. We won the Army 100 Match, the LMG match, APWT, Best Young Shot, Best Officer Shot, The Whitehead Cup, Pool Bull and overall Unit winners. Sadly, the team claimed only second place in the Section Match but we stand poised to avenge this slight blemish at next year’s Brigade OSC. Following on from this success, the Battalion shooting team entered the CENTSAAM 2010 at Bisley for the first time in a number of years and finished in a highly credible fourth position in the Unit championship table. The team won also the LMG match and came second in the Section Match and two team members finished in the TA top fifty: given the strength of the field from across the TA and the Commonwealth, this was no mean feat. The following soldiers from D
Company were members of the Battalion shooting team: Maj Walkley, LCpl Rawji, LCpl Leigh, LCpl Stonier, Pte Tidyman and Pte Nelhams.
Training this year has rightly focussed on the Contemporary Operating Environment (COE) with Counter Insurgency (COIN) operations being at the forefront of this focus. A number of challenging training activities have taken place during the year focussing on low level drills and skills such as Vehicle Check Points (VCPs), Multiple Patrolling Skills, Reaction to Contacts, Counter IED Drills, Base Security and Vehicle and Person Search. The training weekends were designed to be more and more demanding and they continued to both develop and stretch the soldiers as they progressed. The intense focus under Op Entirety on the COE has led to the development of highly relevant training from which all ranks within D Company have benefitted greatly.
In addition to the enhanced knowledge gleaned from recent operational deployments and training, D Company has continued to strengthen its current ORBAT with the recruitment and training of Officers, NCOs and soldiers such that all of the officer and senior NCO positions within the Company are either filled or about to be filled shortly subject to promotions boards. This situation is replicated at the LCpl level with all eleven LCpl positions being filled. Key appointments include the recruitment of Lt Richard Arthern as Platoon Commander at Crewe, the appointment of WO2 Burgess (former SPSI B Company) as CSM and the pending promotions of Cpls Poole and Minor to Platoon Sgt at Crewe and Stoke respectively. The latter two soldiers will be joined shortly by Officer Cadets Rawji and Styles who are attending TACC at the time of writing with the aim of commissioning into the Battalion shortly.
The rest of the year looks set to be equally challenging and exciting and I have no doubt that my successor as Officer Commanding D Company will have many more tales to tell.
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