Page 19 - The Light Dragoon 2024

deployed to Sennelager for two weeks of CATT. Conveniently timed to coincide with the Libori religious festival in Paderborn, although I’m not sure many can tell you the origin of Saint Liborius, other than he must have liked German beer. They can however tell you about the custom-built timber beer hall that provided excellent weekend enter- tainment or perhaps about the Irish bar that allowed for a display of vocal talents. Amongst the German lager there was a purpose, and the hot and humid CATT booths allowed some more senior LCpls to hop in the commander’s seat in preparation for crew commander’s later in the year. Clearly it worked as Cpl Howlett and LCpl Clothier performed extremely well on their crew commanders’ course, gaining first and second place respectively. Cpl Howlett thus became the second winner of the binos in B Sqn this year, after 2Lt Tom Greaves – the newest subaltern to join the squadron, claimed his earlier in the summer.
As summer leave loomed, the all-ranks brief for Operation PYSMA set the tone for the next term – driving, driving, and more driving. However, September’s pre-deployment training was not all behind the wheel. Lt Erskine headed up a testing and exciting range package that put more 9mm rounds in Fig. 11s than previ- ously thought possible. Vehicle contact drills and road traffic incident training provided the backdrop to hours on the road practicing convoy moves. Indeed, the nights in Edinburgh provided an excellent opportunity for Tprs to find out that the seats in a Ford Ranger do indeed go all the way down. The operational focus was sharp, flanked by yet more significant achievements across all ranks. Cpl Burnett became the first Light Dragoon soldier to pass the Army Officer Selection Board to become a direct entry officer, followed a matter of weeks later by Tpr Bellfield. 2 from 2 for B squadron, and a truly fantastic effort by both. They began their commis- sioning course in Sept 2023 and may well be commissioned officers by the time you are reading this (pending editorial team timelines). I was also privileged enough to hand out another promotion in the form of LCpl-Cpl Clothier- richly deserved indeed.
The clocks went back, and the rain set in. B squadron was now in place as the reserve squadron for Op PSYMA, with the intent of filling the time with fun and meaningful activity. November’s remembrance parades across Newcastle and Durham saw ample opportunity to chat with association members and set up the squadron for a Christmas reunion in the Toon in early December. Lt Ferguson led a five-person stalking team to the Victorian hunting lodge at Kinloch Hourn, immaculately hosted by former Light Dragoon Josh Osborne, with LCpl Keaton and Tpr Gough ticking off a ‘mega bucket list’ activity. 8 people got away on summer mountain foundation courses and the squadron was put through ‘Waters week’- pitched as a week of learning how to navigate, but in reality we all got thrashed around Yorkshire by Sgt Waters, culminating in a squadron effort around the Yorkshire 3 Peaks- you guessed it, in the howling rain- a genuine highlight. Alongside the Catterick festivities Capt Ellis led Cpl Appleton, Cpl Biggins, LCpl Porter-Nash, Tpr Bradley, and Tpr Houston out to Norway as part of the Nordic ski team. In the steeper hills, Lt Ferguson, LCpl Robinson, Tpr Godwin, Tpr Bulmer,
and Tpr Smith were also enjoying the fresh powder of Verbier. Back in the reality of the UK, LCpls Darby and Tose completed the 2 Scots recce cadre, which stretched the students across Northern Ireland and Otterburn, testing them in everything from urban OPs to CTRs over 6 weeks. Nothing that could phase LCpl Darby as he walked away with top student, with LCpl Tose snapping at his heels in third position. A herculean effort and a fantastic achievement to end the year. The Guards flag was flying high.
It goes without saying that 2023 has been an incredible year for the Guards. Morale is as high as our reputation is strong. I sign this off as my final article as OC and I could not be more proud of what the men and women of B squadron have achieved during my tenure- they are a credit to our cap badge and remain the reason for our collective pride in the Regiment. 2024 looks promising too, with a majority of the squadron deploying on operations and a squadron deployment to Kenya in the Autumn- I know they will knock it out the park and wish them all the best.
RPG
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
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