Page 102 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

102 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
Captain Jack Harcourt
Captain Jack Harcourt commissioned in December 2016 as one of a triumvirate of new, charming young officers. After a strong showing on the Troop Leaders course in Bovington, in which Jack showed a natural affinity for Gunnery, he was posted to C Sqn during a busy period of exercises and range packages.
A natural and charismatic leader, Jack was immediately popu- lar with his fellow officers and soldiers in C Sqn, often seen enjoying a cigarette while spinning Sandhurst dits. As a formi- dable rugby player, Jack took every opportunity to represent the Regimental Rugby Team and was usually the key to the team’s success in close-fought fixtures. A source of persistent social energy, Jack was often the beating heart of the Officer’s Mess with his immaculate hosting etiquette and unique ability to consume 75cl of Champagne at pace.
In the autumn of 2018, Jack deployed on Op CABRIT 3. A bit- terly cold winter tour of eight months saw him prove himself as a first-rate troop leader. Never shy about getting stuck in on the tank park, he routinely caused great angst to his Tp Sgt when seen in his coveralls.
On his return to the UK, Jack was posted to ATR Pirbright as a Tp Ldr training the next generation of the Army’s soldiers. Naturally, Jack excelled and, upon the outbreak of COVID- 19, delivered in spades to ensure the training outputs were maintained, earning himself a GOC Commendation for his remarkable efforts. After an outstanding stint at Pirbright, Jack returned to Regimental duty and C Sqn as the Squadron Second in Command. Much of this period was spent on socially distanced exercises on Salisbury Plain and coordinating Kent’s truck freight COVID testing response.
Following his heroic stint as C Sqn 2IC in the battle against COVID-19, Jack was a natural fit to be selected to return to ATR Pirbright as the Regimental Adjt. To no one’s surprise, Jack had an outstanding couple of years in post while exploring options for a future career away from the Army. Now happily married to Tash, Jack leaves the Regiment to pursue a career in London, where he will undoubtedly thrive. We wish Jack the very best of luck for the future. TB
Captain Alex Danvers
Captain Alex Danvers commissioned in December 2016 from the sovereign’s platoon, a fact one couldn’t miss upon entering his room in the Officer’s mess thanks to his Sandhurst platoon photo hanging in perfect view of any guest entering. Upon arriving at Bovington on the Troop Leaders course, Alex found he was a natural in the commander’s hatch, offering direction to his driver and gunner with panache. In Lulworth, during the gunnery phase of the course, Alex came off second best to the turret trainer, and it was a miracle that he arrived at A Sqn with all his fingers still intact.
Within a few weeks of his arrival, Alex and the rest of A Sqn deployed onto Salisbury Plain for a two-week exercise during a particularly wet autumn. His first opportunity to command his tank and troop after completing the tactics course, Alex was naturally keen to impress. So, upon losing his night vision, he thought it best to crack on regardless. With the Squadron Sergeant Major now bouncing around the plain retracing
T10A’s tracks, the situation deteriorated when Alex’s tank broke down, meaning he never made it to the Sqn Photo. Upon finally RV’ing with the Sqn later that evening, Alex’s operator made a miraculous discovery: not only had Alex not lost his night vision, but he had just been sitting on them the whole time.
Alex redeemed himself quickly after a strong showing on his first Regimental range package before deploying to BATUS as part of the KRH Battle Group. During the live fire phase of the exercise, Alex’s troops were performing well. Alex was particu- larly impressed by the realistic targets used in BATUS. It was only when his gunner pointed out that what he had seen was not a target but an ammo truck ever so slightly lost on its way to resupply the Sqn. On his return from a hot two months on the prairie, Alex headed off to colder climates and the arduous Ex WHITE KNIGHT, the Armoured Corps Ski Championships in Verbier, leading the Regimental Ski Team.
2019 saw Alex deploy to Estonia on Op CABRIT 4 with the remainder of the KRH Battle Group. After eight months of exercising and ranges, Alex led the UK’s contribution to the NATO Gunnery competition. The second half of the tour saw Alex remain in the theatre as the BG visits officer contributing to HRH The Princess Royal’s visit, a significant highlight for the Regiment. On his return from Estonia and on promotion to Capt, Alex took over as D Sqn 2IC, a tenure characterised by taking the fight to COVID-19 and light role infanteering across Brecon. Alex later posted away from RD to ARMCEN as SO3 O&D, where he helped coordinate the training of Ukrainian Tank Crews. He received a 2* commendation for his effort, an award now hanging proudly alongside his Sandhurst platoon photo.
Alex leaves the Army to follow the proven route of a cavalry officer as he pursues a career in the city while settling down in Hampshire with his wife Maddie and cocker-spaniel Louis. We wish Alex the best of luck; his charm and sense of humour will be greatly missed.
TB
Captain Alisdair Tew
Capt Alisdair Tew reported for duty at the King’s Royal Hussars in November 2016. Joining 1st Tp B Sqn he slotted into the Royal Welsh Battlegroup which saw deployments on one of the last PRAIRIE STORMs and on Op CABRIT 2, for a Winter tour of Estonia. Alasdair holds a rare feat in today’s bureau- cratic Army of satisfying a risk assessment that saw private sol- diers deploy on a PNCO Cadre where temperatures regularly drop below -30 degrees Celsius, reaching a low of -36 degrees Celsius.
Alasdair proved to be a perfect fit for a dry Op tour. During pre-deployment training in CATT(UK)’s virtual environment, he was snapped back into the real world by a sharp phone call from the then PMC. The Mess cleaner had contacted Falcon Squadron RTR to deploy into an hostile environment (Rm 138) to conduct a 5C’s operation, as Alisdair had evacu- ated all his bodily fluids, from every orifice available, after a particularly heavy night in the Mess. While he was duly berated, it must be noted that the training value gained by the UK’s C-CBRN force paid out incalculable dividends a year later in Salisbury.
Valetes