Page 35 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

Mortar platoon by Captain Duncan Hadland
I start, as always, stating what a busy year this has been for the Mortar Platoon of 2 Mercian (before you say it I know you are all busy as well). We have, since the last Mercian Eagle, deployed on Ex ASKARI THUNDER 3 in Kenya with the rest of the Battalion, completed our MST ahead of Op HERRICK 15 including providing a fully trained and manned Mortar Platoon for that tour; brought back the Messiah (WO2 Barnett is standing over my shoulder as I write this) and – whisper it quietly – found some new best friends
with some style and I think we can take some pride that the partnerships we formed in Kenya within the FSTs have become evident with good reports for the MFCs and indeed the whole FSTs during the Mission Specific Training (MST) period.
Moving on to the MST period we have as always, whilst contributing to the whole Battalion’s package, also found ourselves on a lot of different exercises which the rest of the Battalion have not been lucky enough to participate in. The two main
action, these exercises have once again showed us that we are progressing well through our pre-deployment training and I am confident that we will start Op HERRICK 15 in September in the best possible position.
I will finish, as is traditional, with a number of congratulations, goodbyes and hellos. First we have had a number of promotions during the last year with now LCpls
Baker and Donnelly and Sgts Sheridan, Smith and Thomas all having moved
up a rank. We have also, as mentioned above, welcomed back a former 2IC
into his old role; marking WO2 Barnett’s second coming to the mortar platoon. Sgt Thomas is also welcomed back after his posting to Harrogate. Furthermore on the congratulations it would seem inappropriate not to mention how virile the Mortar Platoon are this year with no fewer than nine of the platoon managing to find girls to reproduce with them – well done to all of them.
in 137 Battery Royal Artillery.
Starting with Ex
ASKARI THUNDER
which was exactly the
exercise we needed.
We managed to fire
more rounds than we
had fired for the rest of the year and with us based as we were away from the rest of the Battalion in Forward Operating Base (FOB) TWIGA, we could train hard by ourselves ahead of the Combined Arms Live Firing Exercise. This was essential training for us as we had a number of newly trained MFCs who needed to practice their new skills and we also needed the MFCs to integrate with their Fire Support Teams (FSTs) ahead of Mission Specific Training. This was done
exercises here being Ex MOUNTAIN DRAGON 1 and 2 and Ex PASTUN SABRE. The first of these, Ex MOUNTAIN DRAGON, has been described as “the jewel in the crown of MST”, admittedly that was by
some gunners and the RAF, but we still put in a very fine performance on that exercise with the quality of our MFCs being noted by several of the DS. We have also managed to march to our own beat on the Mounted and Dismounted Combined Arms Live Firing Exercises. Mortar Platoon has often deployed at very different times and been required, as you would imagine, to achieve different things compared to our rifle Coy comrades. With good reports following our
LCpl Donnelly makes a smooth getaway
Ptes Whelan and Wakefield ‘enjoy’ the live
Ex MOUNTAIN DRAGON has been described as “the jewel in the crown of MST”
OC Capt DSW Hadland
2IC WO2 PA Barnett
Sect Comds Sgt Slingsby, Sgt Smith MFC A Sgt Sheridan,
Sgt Weaver, Sgt Thomas
MFB B Cpl Jones, Cpl Prasad, Cpl Ridgway
Pte Clarke’s profile pic for his dating webs
LCpl Jones in MFC Training at Archers Post
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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