Page 85 - Journal Compilation

EAGLE AND CARBINE 9
2nd Troop Leaguer on Battle Camp
mounted round-robin haring across open German elds (and even brie y on to a German live template – Mr Dawson) and through buzzing woods. Included were enjoyable battle eld study trips around the area of Paderborn and Wewelsberg Castle – the squadron out seeing the ground. Few things cheer up a group of soldiers more then reminiscing about total war with some handy beers. The end result, a con rmation from the Commanding Of cer that all the conversion training to that date had paid off and the troops were ready to progress towards CT2 (squadron level) and beyond.
Getting in the way of that was of course the North Sea (or German Ocean as referred to by many a German). Rebasing was necessarily centralised and prescriptive in its direction and having completed the Sennelager exercise the squadron fragmented for a four month period – many moving on to Waterloo Squadron for the period of the move. Soldiers took part in many different types of activity, some described more fully elsewhere in the journal, but to name a few of the main ones: the Operational Shooting Competition – con- gratulations to Sergeant Jarret for his best shot award; Adventurous Training in Morocco, Wales, the German Ocean; the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo; the Waterloo cycle ride from Fallingbostel to Leuchars; the Waterloo marches in Scotland; and all this amongst the usual churn of individual courses. It has been an epic feat of individual coordination to ensure this ran smoothly whilst moving the Regiment.
In amongst this the individual soldier has been com- mitted to a massive array of activities; often in ones and twos. There are too many to mention, but to give an idea of the range of activities: Sergeant Hallam ran a Jordanian Mounted Recce Cadre; Sergeant Degei is now a quali ed BSM; Corporal Williams came top in his Crew Commander Course – a massive achieve-
Cpl Brown mentoring on ranges
ment; Corporal Brown acted as an Observer/Mentor in Spain on Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE; Corporal Lowden and Lance Corporal Bhim Thapa won a sil- ver medal on the Cambrian Patrol; Corporal Glasgow completed Section Commanders Battle Course in Brecon – quite an achievement for a Cavalryman; Lance Corporal Bhim Thapa and Troopers Milne and Gaughan participated in the 3 SCOTS Sniper Cadre; LCpl Thapa Magar completed his Groundsign Awareness course ; Lance Corporal Smith grizzed it out in the Belize jungle as part of a Sniper pair with the Coldstream Guards; Trooper Currie showed utter sel ess commitment at the scene of a serious accident on Salisbury Plain whilst attached to 2 RIFLES as a driver; sterling work on the Recruiting Support Team from Corporal McInnes, Lance Corporal Sim, and Trooper Paterson; Trooper Crowe passed the Potential Non-Commissioned Of cer Cadre and Staff Sergeant Khoo looked ne as part of the Waterloo marches Standard Bearer Party. Trooper McCullough also enjoyed a successful attachment to 2 MERCIANS in Kenya as a radio operator – apparently they now want him to transfer.
Having helped to enable so much of the above, the squadron gives a particular thank you to Captain Pyman and Squadron Sergeant Major Rigby who have in large part enabled a successful and varied year up to their time of moving on. They always strove to bring out the best possible outcome for each individual sol- dier. Captain Pyman moves to Regimental Signals Of cer and WO2 Rigby becomes RQMS(Technical), with them replaced by Captain Rider and Sergeant Major Barclay respectively.
On arrival in Leuchars with a partly new command team the pace did not slackened as we looked to best understand our new home and work place. A Squadron now has a hangar for its squadron lines together with