Page 80 - QDG Year of 2020

78 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
was going to drive the Snatch, clearly winning on a few occa- sions. Towards the end of his time with A Sqn he was called into
as part of the Brigade Advisory Group (BAG) Managing a split Sqn due to them being split into smaller advisory training teams around the province. Post tour he took over the role of the Assistant Regimental Careers Management Officer (ARCMO)
ensuring the JNCOs within the regiment’s careers were managed correctly. Rob covered the role of Training Officer (TO) for the Regiment during a very busy period – preparing the regiment for OP HERRICK 20. For his hard work and efforts working 2Up, he was awarded CLF Commendation. OP HERRICK 20 arrived, and he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 as HQ Sqn Sergeant Major (SSM) and subsequently became the PMC of the Warrant Officers’ & Sergeants’ Mess. He played an active role in the planning of the Regimental move to Swanton Morley. On Return to Swanton Morley he promoted to Warrant Officer Class 1 (WO1) and moved to Bovington as the AJAX RSMI. After 22 years he was recommended to the SSCP board and became the Station RSM at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS). During his time at the Academy he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) for outstanding distinguished service as a Non-Commissioned Officer.
Rob will settle with his family in Wrexham, North Wales and finished his regular service at the RMAS in April 20. Having been successful on the Senior Soldiers Conti- nuity Post (SSCP) he is now the Regimental Operations Support Officer (ROSO) for 207 Field Hospital in Manchester. He would like to thank everyone who has supported him through this epic journey especially his wife and family. He would also like to pay a special tribute to his brother Paul who is currently HQ Sqn Ldr, for making his time in the Armed Forces a true pleasure to be a part of – we are both very proud and loyal people and have
enjoyed working alongside each other over the last 22 years.
Maj Parry’s office giving him the good news he was the new OCs driver Maj Anthony (Spook) Pitman.
The Sabre Squadrons underwent a total refor- mation as the regiment re-rolled in 2000 from Challenger 1 to CVRT – The regiment was back in its recognised role as ‘Formation Reconnaissance’. During his time working with Maj (Spook) Pitman he gained the reconnaissance experience that was required to become a Recce Crew Commander on CVR(T). However, it was known that ‘Jones’ was the only soldier that could cool the OC down during a heated moment – (not to be underestimated). Another Sqn re-orbat took place which saw him become Troop leader’s operator for Lt Nick Brown in Bosnia learning how to look after a Cavalry Troop leader. Having been selected for Army Rugby he was moved to Command troop as a LCpl- to this date he believes it was to cool the new Regt 2IC (Spook) down when the steam was coming out of his ears.
going to be
However, it was known that ‘Jones’ was the only soldier that could cool the OC down during a heated moment
TELIC 1 took place in 2003 where he was an
operator on 0D, quickly moving on to Sigs Instructor
and Recce Crew Commanders course. TELIC 5
came around and he was troop Cpl for B Sqn 2nd
Troop under Lt Hugo Lloyd and Maj DQA. This soon led to yet another operational tour on TELIC 8 as SHQ as a Cpl – on return from TELIC 8 he picked up Sgt and was posted to QOY, D Sqn, Fenham Barracks, Newcastle as the Signals PSI. After 2 years out of the Field Army he returned to Sennelager as B Sqn Troop Sgt working for Maj Paddy Bond. A very successful BATUS which saw him gain credit for looking after Maj Dom Coombes as the recce company on OPFOR. He soon promoted to SSgt as A Sqn SQMS in preparation for OP HERRICK 15.
During OP HERRICK15 – A Sqn were attached to 2RIFLES
WO2 Martin “Dinger” Bell joined the army in March 1990 aged twenty and was originally badged to the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. He completed both his phase one and trade training on Chieftain tanks in Cambrai Barrack, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.
department as Trooper Bell, not knowing then he would become the MTWO of the Regiment for the 200th Anniversary of the Regiment, his proudest achievement to date.
1996 saw Tpr Bell join B SQN QDG for their deployment to Gornji Vakuf Bosnia with the Royal Green Jackets. During this tour it was soon noticed that he had a deep liking for Equipment Care and his beloved JSP 800, soon replacing the infantry’s fleet Corporal to look after the aging Saxon fleet. This was the starting point in his career for a long and distinguished service in the world of transport, service support and support to the Regiment. Throughout his career he served around the
world in Canada, Poland, Germany to the Gulf with opera- tional deployments to Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dinger’s career in the Army ended on the 6th June 2020 having completed 30 years of service, he now looks forward to settling into civilian life with his wife Claire and children, Sarah, Amy, Daniel, Justine, Katrina, Shaun and his numerous grandchildren that will no doubt keep him active for many more years to come.
WO2 Martin ‘Dinger’ Bell
August 1990 saw him joining B SQN the
Skins when he was sent back to Bovington
to convert to the Challenger 1 MBT in prepa-
ration for a deployment on Op Granby 1, this
however was delayed due to a rapid ending
of the war in Jan 1991. March 1991 saw B
SQN the Skins deploy for seven months on Op
Granby 1.1 to relieve the fighting forces and
assist the Kuwaitis with the security of Kuwait,
known affectionally as Op Fag Butt or the tour that never was.
On returning from Op Granby he was posted to 2 Armoured Delivery SQN in Athlone Barracks Sennelager, Germany where he maintained the armoured vehicles held as part of the War Maintenance Reserve equipment for the army’s rapid deployments. Whilst in Athlone he worked alongside the Regiment of his future, 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards. In 1994, seeing the light, he transferred regiments and joining infamous Manny Burnham’s MT
the tour now