Page 45 - Journal Compilation

Command Troop: Capping bad guys, chasing tail and building tents. But mostly building tents.
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
HQ Squadron
HQ Sqn as ever has been extremely busy since the last Journal entry, consistently providing support for the Regiment in the numerous high tempo commitments that continually appear in this non-operational
deployment era we are in! The added joys of a unit move were to further test the departments and staff. As expected in all areas the Squadron has come through with ying colours, although there have been some close shaves en route!
Often it’s not until you have worked in an HQ department that you fully understand the level of hard work, often in the shadows, which is required to ensure the Regiment can function effectively. Over the past 12 months we have deployed several times on major Regimental and NATO exercises, managed an ever changing BUF, which in itself is a major challenge, which the QM(T) and his team have now mastered, becoming Annex B ninjas! WFM has / does present signi cant problems, an ever increasing fact of receiving vehicles below the standard has necessitated the span- ner stranglers from the LAD and signal geeks from Comd Tp to grapple for many additional hours to ensure the vehicles are good to go: never was this more evident than prior to Ex TRIDENT JUNCTURE. Safe to say the band of brothers from HQ have worked together well and achieved greatness....according to the EME’s stats (even though only funded to 80%, nice one Ed)!
WESSEX STORM was the Regiment’s CT3 showpiece, with the majority if the Regiment deploying across the UK from STANTA in the East to Caerwent in the West and culminating on SPTA during a chilly and rather damp February and March. As a Lt
Cav test exercise it was a new beast to FTU, which required a great deal of priming from the RHQ staff, particularly the Training Of cer, Capt Davidson, and RGSS, SSgt Buchan, during the ini- tial live re phases. Despite being a rehearsal for an op deploy- ment legal legislations (including formal accounting and H&S) were ever present, WO2 Johnson (MTWno!) was ruthless with drivers’ hours; RQMS Stone and his understudy, WO2 Simpson, were meticulous with bullet counting and keeping the Combat Pantec on the road. The Squadron transits between their vari- ous locations across the country to SPTA prompted many further additional complications for HQ. ES, including recovery support was testing and dif cult, but achieved with the added assistance of the AA on a couple of occasions! BOWMAN is the bees’ knees, according to the RWSO. However he and the Regiment were very glad of an Airwave and Mobile comms network during this period! Food for thought?
Exercise over and we switched re to the unit move. With Major Jordan heading up the team, planning was advanced, pity the infrastructure alterations couldn’t match their pace. The UWO and Training Of cer led the forward team whilst the Squadron Leader, QM and many others began the bi-weekly transits to / from Norfolk / Catterick, a journey that many grew to loathe one way or another. The churn of trips passed without incident... well almost: the Pantec did have a prang and was written off but there were no injuries thank goodness. The worry was the cargo of historic, ancient Mess property; well that’s what Major Jordan said it was! Thankfully all was salvageable and now sits proudly somewhere in the North.
Sgt Rix managed the Norfolk welfare front, providing excellent liaison, with some additional story telling in genuine Rixy style for both outgoing and incoming families. He became a go to man
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