Page 22 - Mercian Eagle Year of 2023

4 Platoon
Pl Comd Pl Sgt WR Sgt
Lt Alex Salter
Sgt John Wood
Cpl Rudolph Williams
A year of travel and deployment for
4 Platoon, B (Malta) Company has given
us the opportunity to relish time in the field training and improving both our dismounted soldiering and armoured infantry skills. Numerous trips away would also allow the platoon time to really get to know each other, learning what motivates individuals, how to push both mentally and physically and really build the team cohesion needed to become the best fighting platoon we have in B Company. This would become clear when receiving the statistics from
Ex AURORA 23 in Sweden with LCpl Morris and Pte Adams being the most lethal commander and gunner pairing across the whole of B Company.
Ex AURORA 23 was just one of three major exercises that 4 Platoon would
be part of this year. In the early part
of the year the platoon deployed to Germany to take part in Ex IRON FIRE playing Task Force Hannibal for the RTR Battlegroup. This exercise would show the interoperability across B Company with LCpl Lance attaching himself to 4 Platoon and completely obliterating Dreadnaught Squadron almost single-handedly. However, it would not be long before 4 Platoon were again proving their prowess, this time on
Ex IRON STORM 1/23, back in Germany in the summer playing Task Force Hannibal for the Royal Welsh Battlegroup. Both exercises would give the platoon an opportunity to get precious time out on exercise working with the Warrior and really work on combining both their dismounted and their mounted expertise.
Sgt Doyle’s WARRIOR, callsign 21W flying the flag for the UK in Sweden
4 Platoon were also
deployed alongside
the rest of B Company
on Ex AURORA 23, a
multinational exercise,
involving armies from
the USA, Sweden, and
Finland to name just a
few. Ex AURORA would allow B Company the freedom to work on the deployment from start to finish: getting the required fleet from Monchengladbach to Bulford, carrying out over 1200 hours of maintenance needed within 3 weeks and deploying the fleet via Roll On Roll Off (RORO) ferries. A huge effort from all crews involved; the amount of time and effort the crews from the platoon put in to ensure we had as good a working fleet as possible did not go unnoticed when we were out on the ground.
of scissors and cut the blades of grass
in front of his rifle to allow the muzzle to poke through and his sight picture be unobstructed, whilst allowing the remainder of his body to remain below the grass
level. Ex AURORA 23 gave 4 Platoon, and
B Company some valuable experience in learning how other armed forces operate and to be a small yet significant part of a huge exercise which really allowed them to show off how a well-trained and practised company can perform.
4 Platoon has had a huge swell in numbers this year and would like to congratulate LCpl Gilligan on his promotion
Their competent but somewhat quirky commander, callsign MONKEY10, would make Lt Salter work hard to keep up and ensure they were both singing off the same song sheet. Their impressive ability to dismount from their vehicles and form a recce screen 200m+ through thick woodblocks in front of their vehicles was a sight to behold. A 150 strong company of soldiers running in all directions would make the task to locate MONKEY10 like trying to find a needle in a haystack. However once found it was clear that
his ability to command his soldiers was admirable. When asked to complete any
Lt Salter, Sgt Cox and Monkey10 keep a watchful eye over their soldiers in the heat of battle
from Pte to LCpl. The platoon has also had several Pte soldiers pass the JNCO Cadre and will hopefully see them promote to
LCpl soon. The platoon would also like to welcome Sgt Wood who has joined us on promotion to Sgt from ITC. He will bring something different to the platoon. However, with new soldiers arriving it does mean
the platoon say farewell to a soldier who personifies 4 Platoon. Sgt Doyle finishes his time in the army with 4 Platoon, having served for 22 years and been Pl Sgt for
the platoon for many years. His biggest achievement being the mentorship he has given to the fledgling Pl Commander he welcomed back in May 2022. 4 Platoon
will miss his firm but fair leadership and
his infectious personality - we wish him all the best in the future. The platoon would also like to wish Sgt Cox good luck in his new posting as Pl Sgt in the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancasters’ Regiment – he is
a soldier who worked tirelessly to ensure the running of 4 Platoon when he was asked to step up as Pl Sgt when needed. We have also lost some members of the platoon to ITC and upon leaving the service and wish everyone that has left 4 Platoon this past year the best of luck in their future endeavours.
In between striking fear into the hearts and minds of other armoured units,
A big highlight for
4 Platoon was being tasked to co-locate and work with elements of the Finnish Recce Battalion
task by the 4 Platoon Commander, an order was given, and troops would be moving in
no time. Lt Salter also witnessed first-hand the professionalism of the Finnish conscript soldiers, he watched one soldier in particular get into the prone behind some thick grass, pull out a pair
A big highlight for 4 Platoon was being tasked to co-locate and work with elements of the Finnish Recce Battalion.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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