Page 25 - RSDG Year of 2021 CREST

April, our Pipes and Drums took a leading part in the Ceremony of the Keys at Holyrood Palace, the inspec- tion conducted by HRH Prince William.
May saw deployment of the Squadron onto Ex WESSEX STORM. The first part of which took in Battle Group concentration and MCC and DCC ranges at STANTA Norfolk. This initial period offered our personnel the time to build up to Salisbury Plain. Each element of the Squadron took time to rehearse and refine SOPs: A1 and A2 Echleons practiced ambush drills, whilst also providing the G4 ‘wrap’ for the Sabre Squadrons. Of particular note was the work put in by the LAD; the EME, Captain Billy Shaw, ASM Dolan and the whole team put in a serious shift to keep the fleet on the road and available. Cpl Dance and Cfn Jackson were amongst those who never seemed to sleep and were always covered head to toe in mud and oil - standard for VMs!! It is a remarkable achieve- ment to note that, for the entirety of the deployment, the fleet availability never dropped below 95% - testa- ment indeed to an LAD that thrives on work ethic and excellence. BGHQ took time to refine SOIs, the Sqn Leader spent days and days unpacking and restowing his bergan and vehicle, and we also welcomed LCpl Keicher into the HQ, working under the mentorship of the Detachment Commander, 2Lt Donbavand, she quickly proved to be a valued addition to the team.
Special mention must also go to SSgt Guthrie and the Regimental Catering Team; the field kitchen they set up at STANTA was absolutely first-rate, the quality of food impeccable. We are blessed to have a cater- ing team so well led and very evidently at the top of their game. STANTA also allowed us space to social- ise as a Squadron, so we took the time to have a few ‘sociables’ and reconnect the team bonds that had become stretched due to the pandemic. The period in the field in Norfolk was invaluable for team build- ing and relearning old lessons, and HQ Sqn personnel came through with plenty of added value. As I close the chapter on STANTA, it must be mentioned that at this time SSgt Eddie Mitchell moved to C Sqn as their Squadron Sergeant Major, in HQ Sqn he had been an SME in the Training Wing prior to a spell as Ops SSgt in RHQ, he was the obvious choice for the short notice appointment and has proved hugely successful.
The strands of work and the phenomenal effort to pull together such a significant exercise cannot be under- estimated, and HQ Sqn departments and personnel are at the forefront of that effort, doing unseen work that too often goes unnoticed. The reality of Whole Fleet Management means that vehicles for training are sourced from all over the UK and, in this context, the QM(T) Department team are critical to meeting
the demands of the Squadrons. As a Regiment, there- fore, we are very fortunate to have two of the best RQs the Army has to offer, both RQMS Scotty McCall and RQMS(T) Cha Lang worked tirelessly to ensure we were able to train without hindrance. The RQMS(T) was exceptional in ensuring our fleet was ready to go, his work rate is incredible; the command team at Land Training Fleet commented that the QM(T), RQMS(T) and the team were amongst the best they had worked with, praise indeed.
Under the watchful eye of MTO, Captain Tam McCann, and MTWO, WO2 Paddy Kelly, the A1 Echelon - the thirty truck ‘beast’ of a convoy - proved itself integral to the Battlegroup plan. The BGLO’s creation of Light Echelon Groups, or LEGs, was at first controversial, then gradually accepted as a concept. With the echelon now moving in close support of missions, enabling rapid casualty extraction and resupply, there were a lot of sleepless nights for the A1 team and Sqn SQMSs!! The RAP is a major element of the support echelon and, as the RMO, Major Andrew Christie, had bagged himself a few months in Mali, Captain Hannah Clancy joined the team and quickly established herself as a go to person for all things med and COVID; her assis- tance and advice was always first rate and we thank her and the RAP team for their efforts during what was, due to COVID 19 restrictions, a sometimes frustrating exercise from a med perspective.
The management of the home base when deployed is of critical importance; when troops are away, families must know they have a great team supporting them. This task fell to the RAO, Captain Darren Stevenson, and the Rear Operations Group, with the Welfare team, led by UWO Captain Jamsie McAleese and Sgt Brooke, at the forefront of the effort. The work and professionalism undertaken in Leuchars meant that our deployed troops could train hard, confident in the knowledge that their families were well looked after. An outstanding effort.
Finally, we must pay tribute to Command Troop. I can say with confidence that, under the guidance of RSO Captain Andrew Pring and RSWO WO2 Jock Degei, the troop met every challenge and excelled through- out. Sgt Barret led by example, BSM SSgt Mullan tire- lessly worked to maintain communications networks and the low-level leadership witnessed was quite hum- bling. LCpl Lynch most notably impressed, as he was not fazed by the additional responsibility when asked to step up to troop corporal at short notice.
Ex WESSEX STORM from beginning to end was challenging, rewarding, at times frustrating but ulti- mately a significant success. Whether in barracks or
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