Page 42 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

MTO Capt K Lincoln MTWO Sgt B Burgess
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WO2 (AQMS) Fishwick getting his hands dirty for a change 2nd Line repair in the field - LAD in FOB EAGLE, Lykipia Gam
and covering all the Battalion’s exercises and range packages and we’ve had members travelling between all four corners of the country and beyond to Germany. Easter saw some of the more junior members travel over to help support the CTS Germany, run by 20 Bde, where they were able to get some serious ‘spanner time’ on equipments we are likely to be dealing with in theatre, and get to grips with important lessons regarding ‘in field’ faults.”
No year would be complete without a social event – this year we spent a weekend up on the north coast. Cfn Grice-Lowe had the following to say about his experience: “The LAD embarked on a weekend of adventure & culture to Portrush, or the ‘The Blackpool of Northern Ireland’ as the locals describe it, for which Cpl Gaz Evans had planned down the to the nearest second. There is no better way of starting a bonding weekend than by visiting Northern Ireland’s premier whisky distillery ‘Bushmills’. We were shown the history of Bushmills and how the whisky is made, however the highlight was the tasting, especially the 22
MT Platoon
The MT Pl has had a very busy period
since the last Mercian Eagle was released, starting with Ex ASKARI THUNDER in Kenya. This proved to be a challenging period but, under the capable guidance of Sgt Burgess, the takeover of the ageing battle-worn fleet went very well and the
Bn was deployed
into the field in good
order and meeting the
strict timelines set. A
demanding exercise
ensued with the
Platoon working long
hours in a very tough
environment. The first
run out of A1 Echelon in
several years produced
a steep learning curve for both old and new members of MT. Capt Lincoln proved to
be as normal, able to work effectively, with only 2 hours sleep a night and 1 meal a day. ‘T1000’ as he was known, seemed to be
year old & special edition vintage, however I’m still a JD man, sorry Mr Bushmills. There are only 2 things that is guaranteed in Northern Ireland, outstanding scenery and rain, we had both as we travelled along the Causeway road, which has some of the best views in the UK,
cliffs this seemed a crazy idea, however all was forgiven. We started jumping from about 1 meter and as confidence grew we progressed to more jumps out of our comfort zone and by the end I jumped
of a 12m cliff, which was brilliant. Overall
the highlight being a
visit to Giant Causeway,
even though it was
chucking it down. That
evening we headed
for the Royal British
Legion to meet up with
some old comrades
and talked about how
the Army has changed
over the years. After
the Legion we were free
to roam around Portrush, the Karaoke bar proved a hit; the bouncers thanked us for the clearing the bar before closing time with some of the worse singing that Portrush has ever heard. The following morning was 2 hours of coast steering. With a rough night’s sleep, cold water and jumping of
seen with a smile on occasions but this was not confirmed by more than one witness.
The weather in Kenya proved to be challenging to say the least; sun, heat and rain that proved that a vehicle could get stuck in Turraco Farm when a slight down pour turned it into a mud bath. The MT
the whole weekend was eventful and leaves me with fun memories, besides
the fun and enjoyment there was a purpose which was achieved
as the LAD gelled together and leave us in a better position prior to deploying on Op HERRICK 15.”
So now just the final steps to get through before the rapidly
approaching deployment date. The year has been busy but has passed quickly. As a subunit we have started to gel as a team and build those ever so important relationships and friendships.
harbour.
As the exercise drew to an end, a down
pour left the battalion stranded in Archers Post. The MT Platoon were on task extracting the soldiers when the down pour hit, turning roads in to rivers, and gullies in to impassable features. This was experienced first hand by Captain Lincoln who got the chance to see whether his Landrover could float when he had to
be dragged across a raging wadi by Cpl Kennedy. The remainder of the Platoon were all on hand, to see whether he could swim as well as he could shout instructions to the shore! Fortunately for the MTO the MT platoon came through and he made it across, unlike WO2 (RQMS) Muckle who tried the same thing and found that his 4x4 doubled as a boat – he was rescued by locals some miles downstream.
The LAD embarked on a weekend of adventure & culture to Portrush, or the ‘The Blackpool of Northern Ireland’ as the locals describe it
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Cpl Hill found, and proved he could show Steven Seagal a thing or two about jumping out of moving vehicles
drivers proved that skid pan training had been worthwhile, ensuring that normal routine could still be carried out. The final exercise then tested the MT with tight deadlines and long hours and a fleet that was on self destruct. As Cpl Hill he could show Steven
found, and proved,
Seagal a thing or two about jumping out of moving vehicles and rolling like a true pro as his handbrake failed, sending the truck backwards through the middle of the