Page 47 - MERCIAN Eagle 2018

CO’s Foreword
Lt Col Mark Davis
I am not the first CO to say it and I will not be
the last; it has been another frenetic year for the Battalion. 2018 began with the Battalion returning from much deserved leave from operational tours in Iraq, South Sudan and the Falkland Islands. The Battalion conducted an impressive Freedom Parade through Chester on Meeanee Day which also marked the handover of Commanding Officers. Col Ben Wilde MBE should be rightly proud of his, and the Battalion’s achievements during his tenure. We were rightly seen as the barometer of how busy life can be in the 1st (United Kingdom) Division.
The Battalion began the year preparing to
be the Regional Standby Battalion in Cyprus.
First stop was a trip to CAST(North) where the Headquarters was drilled hard before completing an outstanding Public Order package in Lydd. Maj James Ballard and B (Malta) Company deployed to Lithuania as part of a NATO Exercise where they found themselves under the command of a tough Lithuanian Motorised Infantry Battalion. Maj Mike Brigham MBE took A (Grenadier) Company to the more familiar Salisbury Plain to operate under 1
R IRISH on Ex WESSEX STORM. They were the standout company in an excellent Battlegroup. Behind the scenes it was a Platoon Commander and CSM’s battle completing check after check to ensure every soldier was genuinely at Extremely High Readiness. Little did we know how important that attention to detail would be.
The unit move to Cyprus was a herculean effort by the Quarter Master and Welfare Officer’s Teams; just as we thought we had everything in order,
the Prime Minister announced an uplift to British Forces in Afghanistan. We were asked to provide two companies of soldiers for disparate tasks across Kabul. Maj Paul Goddard and D (Dragon) Company were the Lead Company Group and provided the deployed HQ whilst the Grenadiers and some individuals from across the Battalion were attached to meet the multitude of tasks. The
war stories will feature heavily in these pages, but a huge debt of gratitude is owed to the teams of Maj Rob Agnew, Maj Julian Clayton and Capt Tony Mason in moving the Battalion and our families so seamlessly whilst this deployment was being force generated.
We must also say a huge thank you and farewell to Chester, where we spent four happy years. We could not have had a better home. Whilst there are too many to thank, a special thank you must go to Kath Curruthers and her amazing team at Upton Westlea Primary School who looked after so many of our children and to Cllr Jill Houlbrook for being such a close friend to the Battalion.
We are now settled into a routine that, while busy, allows us to focus on sports and AT whilst delivering the next challenge by taking over the role as Cyprus Ops Battalion for 2019. Guarding strategically important sites is not the most exciting role, but we will never have a more important tactical task in our careers. The protection of the sites can never be compromised.
Lastly, it would be remiss not to name check
a few individuals who have played a huge part in the success of the last twelve months. We say goodbye to Maj Rob Agnew who completed his stint as 2IC last summer departing to become DCOS 20 Armd Inf Bde. Maj Julian Clayton and ‘Trapper’ Travis were the G4 foundations beneath all the success in the last 24 months and we wish them well in their new roles. We sadly saw the end of Colour service for the irrepressible and supremely capable Capts Sam Vause and Russ Jones and wish them well in their new careers. I would also like to congratulate RQMS (now Capt) Lee Jones, RSM Kennedy and WO2 Leach on their commissioning into the Regiment: a worthy reflflection of their talent and dedication. Lastly a huge thank you to everyone in the Battalion for your hard work in the last year. As always, STAND FIRM and STRIKE HARD.
Meeanee Day Bayonet Range
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
2MERCIAN
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