Page 16 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

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sense approach. The ECI Team found no L1 jobs and praise has to go to LCpl Wilson and his team. Pte Goodie, the Green Fleet Manager was singled out by the inspection team and praised for his high standard of work. The LSI Team arrived on the second day. The Divisional Master Driver and the Brigade Master Driver were briefed by the MTO (primed with lots of tea and chocolate biscuits) and then set about the inspection. The remainder of the day was spent going through the question set and producing evidence of competencies for the team.
At the end of the inspection the MT had produced the goods and was awarded a Green. Thanks to all in the Platoon and
the LAD for their efforts in preparing for the inspection week.
During Easter leave a bike safety day was organised in the Welfare Office. A local bike shop in conjunction with the RMP spent
the day educating families on road safety and marking bikes with UV pens as a crime reduction measure. A worthwhile day which will be run again.
A number of changes in personnel within the MT Platoon have occurred since the last edition. Capt Bard has left the MT and moved to Chilwell to work at the RMTC. Capt Dermott has arrived and has taken over as the MTO. Sgt Hughes has moved to the Officers’ Mess. Cpl Hockerday has
RMP – Families bike safety day
left the Army as have Ptes Badley and Brereton. LCpl McKeown has moved to the Sgts’ Mess and LCpl Godkin, LCpl Kilby, Ptes Birkett, Camara, Crawford, Deller and Fitzpatrick have all joined the MT.
Quartermasters Department By Major K Fletcher
To describe 2010/11 as a busy time would, I believe, be an appropriate statement, and as we reflect on the previous 12 months, encompassing our deployment on OP HERRICK 12 and our subsequent return
to our families and friends, we are at the same time beginning the preparations to ready ourselves to begin the cycle once again. Preparations for deployments of any kind have always been time consuming and have involved a great deal of effort by all those involved and I believe very little has changed in that respect over the past 20 years. Once we were out of the gates, the pace of life always seemed to reduce a little and become more settled, but I feel that this is now not the case and that the tempo remains constant throughout modern deployments and for some time after the boys have returned.
The QM’s Dept has definitely been put through its paces recently and we have all learned a great deal from our experiences in Kenya, Otterburn, Salisbury Plain and Helmand. We were fortunate enough to be working alongside a Danish Battle Group on HERRICK 12 and although it took a
QM’s Dept in Bastion
RQMS (M) Ed Waring and to WO2 RQMS (T) Tony Blackshaw who have both moved on and been promoted to WO1. They kept a tight ship and will be sorely missed. They have been replaced by WO2 Rob Bartley and WO2 Dickie Page who are already well established in post. We have also said farewell to CSgt Si and Sgt Bob Jackson whom along with Sgt Chris Thorpe have all completed over 22 years’ service. To see all 3 of them leave at almost the same time was comparable to the end of a dynasty and we wish them all well for the future. We have also wished a fond farewell to
of the tour. We wish him well in his new appointment as OC HQ Coy.
As well as two new RQMS’s we welcome Capt Kim Taylor into the role of QM (T)
and thank him as well as Sgt Jase Wild
for their work in preparing the Marne accounts for our return from HERRICK.
We welcome Cpl Jamie Elliott who has taken over the ammunition account and Cpl Jaya Pun who enjoyed working with the department so much on operations
that he decided to transfer and take on the role of accommodation NCO. Sgt’s Den Hughes and Paul Mitchell have assumed appointments as Officers’ and Sgts’ Mess Managers respectively and are both making excellent starts. We also welcome Pte
Tiny Littler who has recently taken over
the Stationary Account and is constantly being reminded by the RQMS that being stationary accountant and remaining a Private soldier for 22 years is not justifiable in the current climate of our modern army. I must include a special thanks to LCpl Mark Donohue who has been finding it difficult
to step down to his new role of a mere Expense Accountant having spent 6 months as NCO IC Camp 251 whilst in Afghanistan. No write up would be complete without mentioning our well-deserved promotions and we take this opportunity to congratulate Terry Finlay on his promotion to Sgt whilst
in Afghanistan, and Rob Stokes on his promotion to Sgt more recently. The department has undergone a large overhaul of appointments and I believe that this has provided us with plenty of new energy and enthusiasm in order to prepare for our next and fast approaching “busy time”!
little time to appreciate
how they conducted
their business we
learned a great deal
from them and always
achieved our aim. We
were fortunate to be
assisted throughout
HERRICK 12 by a RLC
Logistic Support Team
(LST) commanded by
Capt Rob Howard and
consisting of SSgt Danny Rumney, Cpl Sean Beck and LCpl Zak Brennan, and I did at times wonder how we would have managed without their technical expertise and superb work ethic assisting us with
the supply and management of equipment. They were very good at acquisition but I must admit that they never got anywhere near as efficient as RQMS (T) Tony Blackshaw at this black art of making things appear from nowhere.
On our return from HERRICK 12 it was time for a raft of ORBAT changes and we have had to say our farewells to WO2
CSgt Steve Pinches who has moved to CQMS CIS Pl, and Cpl’s Scooby Doolan and John Baker who have gone for a break from the ammunition account to spend time with the Div Trg Team and at ITC Catterick respectively. Some say that we should always
save the very best until last and a mention
is deserved for Pte Tom Jones who has just completed 22 years’ service as a Private soldier, and having spent most of the time within either the MT Pl or QM Dept deserves a mention and a thank you (if not a medal) from us all. Finally, we would all like to convey our gratitude to Major Ron Goodwin who as Quartermaster saw us through all the trial and tribulation prior to HERRICK
12. He deployed before us with his ‘Surge Team’ to ensure a professional take over was conducted, and then had to return
to Marne as OC ROG for the remainder
Pte “Tom” Jones who has just completed 22 years’ service deserves a mention and a thank you (if not a medal) from us all
THE MERCIAN EAGLE