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Having spent 3 years in Catterick I found myself back in Stafford with 22 Signal Regiment. A somewhat
bizarre experience as they had moved into facilities vacated by one of my previous Units, déjà vu springs to mind, albeit with a different Regiment and personalities. That said, I was pleased to be back in Stafford on my old ‘stomping’ ground.
Prepare and, at readiness, Generate, Project, and Redeploy Comd Sp to HQ ARRC FEs to ensure success on current and future operations is the Regimental mission in addition to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps HQ High Readiness Signal Regiment. The Regiment enable COMARRC and his staff to exercise command and control over assigned forces, 24/7, at home and on deployment.
Inheriting my previous facilities with the bonus of improvements ensured a smooth return, however with still scope to enhance further. A dynamic and adaptable Regiment of over 500 personnel has adopted a new robust PD programme catering for individual Sqn outputs and needs. It was clear that AAPTI recruitment needed to be the initial priority due to Regimental commitments, postings and availability.
A busy year has seen the Regiment deployed across the globe encompassing various roles. Operations in Poland, Afghanistan, Somalia (Op SCORPIUS, INTERLINK, SHADER, ALUMINIUM) portrays the diverse spread showcasing skills within the communication arena. A large proportion of the Regiment have been committed to Ex STEADFAST
22 SIGNAL REGIMENT
SSgt (SSI) C Carter RAPTC
JUPITER (Romania) in addition to a large support of Op GOLDEN ORB (HM King Charles’ Coronation).
A personal highlight for me was being part of the King’s Coronation and ultimately a special part of history – I am now in the Museum! A proud day both professionally and personally which will never be forgotten. Rehearsal after rehearsal came to fruition on the day resulting in an amazing spectacle, unbelievable memories and experiences shared with fellow RAPTCIs.
The Regiment has had a successful year on the sporting front. The Regimental Badminton Team has continued its run of success, winning the Sport Midlands Badminton Championships hosted on home soil.
The Basketball Team had another successful year managing to win the Army Inter Unit Basketball Championships in Aldershot beating 4 Regt AAC in the final, the first time the Regiment has won the competition. The Regiment also managed to retain the Royal Signals Inter Unit Basketball competition and were crowned Battle of the Centre winners. Success was also achieved in Cross-Country as Sport Midlands Male Champions 2023/24 which went down to the final race of the season. Some would say the ‘Big Guns’ were deployed, and the best was saved until last! The monthly Commanding Officer’s Cup continues to be a hit, now alternating between PT and Sporting events.
Sporting opportunities are readily available with a large amount of talent
on display which has been showcased at both team and individual level including football, orienteering, squash, mountain biking, taekwondo (National level), Gymnastics (GB level/ future potential Olympic star) and Volleyball.
Looking forward, the Royal Signals ‘Race the Sun,’ Athletics ‘Morrison Cup’ and Battle for Centre is just around the corner. It is a privilege to be surrounded and share sporting disciplines with such motivated sportsmen and women - Well done to all!
I am grateful to be back serving in Stafford flying the RAPTC flag with 22 Signal Regiment looking forward to what the future holds both professionally and personally driving forward in all areas of PD. Always remember “some will, some won’t, some do, some don’t”.
SSgt ‘Coach’ Carter RAPTC – proud to serve
New ‘Recruits’ including top academic student