Page 30 - 103RA 2018-20

103 Regiment Royal Artillery
The Reserve Soldier
By SSgt Talbot
After a long deliberation I decided to re-join 216 Bty. The advice from some members was don’t do it, it’s all changed, it’s not what it used to be! Nonetheless, I decided to give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained I thought
Warrant Officer (BTWO) and Battery Quartermaster Sergeant (BQMS), in addition to my main deployed role in the Bty Command Post (CP)... so I was confident I had the experience to take on
that role for over 10 years! What fun! Racking my brains on how everything worked again, and with the help of the Permanent Staff Instructors, I set off to do the first recce and orders. All went well and a good weekend was had by all which certainly blew away the cobwebs!
Annual Camp came along in September and I remembered I was not as fit or young as I once was! Neverthe- less, I got stuck in to both the Infantry Phase of the exercise and the live firing.
I have settled back in, yes. Lots has changed, but I embraced the change and was certainly welcomed back to the fold. I still put in 110% and hope to encourage the new candidates and recruits to do the same as well, as the other members of the battery and regiment. I’ll keep striving within the Bty and look forward to continuing serving as long as I can.
Once a Gunner always a Gunner.
and in the worst case I could leave again.
My first deployment was a dry firing Exercise where I was asked to do BSM role in his absence - easy on I thought!
any role I was given!
Upon returning, I was
asked to take up Recruiting & Range Safety for live firing (Another job I had done before). The Recruiting Team was made easy having just re-under- gone some of the process and following on from the excellent work and huge presence of the late Sgt Pye!
The road in was not an
easy one and took nearly
6 months but I kept going
by remembering ‘the old
days. With my age clock
ticking I chased the civilian
contractors managing
recruitment at the time to
be told there was no space
in the Regiment! I happily
informed them that I had
already had a BC’s interview and been allocated a place in the Bty...
My first deployment was a dry firing exercise where I was asked to do the BSM role in his absence - easy on I thought! By Saturday morning in the usual ‘all change’ I became the ARO, without warning and having not done
Previously, I had undertaken various roles on Air Defence and Light Gun equipment, including Battery Training
By Sgt Jenkins
Since joining The Army Reserves in 2012 I had always been a regular attender and looked forward to the training package set over the year. Enjoying weekly Tuesday drill nights, live firing, adventure training and courses I got places on. Over the next few years, I gained experience on the guns, picked up rank and joined the recruiting team.
2016 I had my first child and wasn’t expecting things to change, but it did due to my son being diagnosed with a health
condition. This saw my
attendance drop but with
the support of the Battery
and the Regiment I was
able to attend training as
and when I could. Since
then, I have been able to
complete a level 2 Mathe-
matics course, participate
in Battery and Regimental
training weekends, go on a Regimental
snowboarding trip and support the there are still opportunities for me to do so.
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It isn’t easy juggling family, work, university and The Army Reserves
Battery at Remembrance and Armed Forces Days.
It isn’t easy juggling family, work, university and The Army Reserves and I have had to be realistic on what I can and can’t do. In time I hope to be able to attend as much as I was previously able to
before my son was born, but it’s great that
By Sgt Bulley
I joined the Army Reserve in 2005, doing my Basic Training at Bassingbourn, where there was also a Gnr Stephens in the same intake from 216 Bty who, following an injury and subsequently retraining to be a medic, became LCpl Bulley! We were the first, and as far as I’m aware, only instance of two serving soldiers in the Bty having a baby. Oli was nickednamed the ‘Bty Baby’ by the Battery Commander at the time.
Since being in the Bty, I have competed in the Derby Trophy military skills competitions and represented the Regiment on the Regimental Shooting
Team, as well as firing on numerous artillery ranges including Warcop, Otterburn, Salisbury Plain, Sennybridge and Cape Wrath whilst attached to 7Bty, 29 Cdo Regt. RA.
Beyond the UK, I have
also deployed on exercise
to Cyprus, Germany,
Denmark and the
Falklands twice. In 2008 I
mobilised with 7 Battery, 29 Commando Regiment RA, where I did a winter tour
of Afghanistan in FOB Inkerman. There were 5 of us from 103RA.
I haven’t just served with 216 Bty or 103 Regt RA, having passed Leadership courses with 101 Regt RA, and my Mod 3 (Layer’s Course), Guns Level 3 (Coverer ’s Course) and Guns Lvl 4 (Detach- ment Commander’s
course) all with 105 Regt RA.
We were the first and as far as I’m aware only instance of two serving soldiers in the Bty having a baby