Page 31 - 1RHA 2023

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
1 RHA AGC SPS Det LCpl Williams AGC (SPS)
2023 has been another busy period in the life of the 1 RHA AGC (SPS) detachment. With much change in both person- nel within the dept and much going on within the Regiment,
the detachment has not been able to rest on its laurels.
Moving to and from postings, is by nature, the life that AGC per- sonnel live so, this year the detachment has seen changes from both the higher echelons of the detachment to the junior ranks. The detachment has welcomed a new regimental administrative officer in the form of Captain Coxon, who has arrived from the 22 Royal Engineers Regiment, a new systems co-ordinator in Sergeant Warner and junior MPAs in Lance Corporal Williams, a re-trader from the 1st Coldstream Guards and Lance Corporal Sankey, who has arrived from the 1st Battalion Duke of Lanca- shire regiment. These welcomed additions have brought an array of distinct experience and expertise to the detachment of which will be beneficial for the future.
Operationally, the detachment has remained at the forefront of all the current deployments of the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artil- lery, with members of the detachment deploying to assist with all the administrative needs on Op Cabrit, Estonia. Private Moses, deployed with E Battery for a six-month stint in March and is now being replaced by Corporal Klass, who is deploying with B Bat- tery for a nine-month tour.
With members of the detachment representing the regiment operationally, members of the detachment have also been busy representing the regiment in different forms, such as inter Royal Artillery sports and adventure training. Private Hendy, in July of this year, planned and organised a five a-side football team to represent the regiment at the Royal Artillery five-a-side cham- pionships. Along with Lance Corporal Sankey and Private Rai, Hendy and his team contested the championships with gusto, and were unlucky in not progressing to the latter stages.
Private Shapland has benefitted from what the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery and indeed the wider army has to offer by deploying on Exercise Bavarian Cypher. Exercise Bavar-
ian Cypher was an adventure training exercise of which private Shapland, and a select few gunners, experienced an entire range of activities, pushing themselves to their limits and conquering fears in the process. The activities included, kayaking, rock climb- ing, hill walking and lastly, Klettersteig.
Klettersteig translated to English means, “protection” that aids travellers in moving safely through the mountains, this activity was a test of your fear of heights and to put it mildly, a test in your faith of the equipment in your possession. Clambering from one rocky mountain face to another using minimalistic equipment, is as you would agree yourself, a test of anyone’s Mettle!
Lance Corporal Williams, newly re-traded and newly moved across from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, has been busy utilising the experience from his previous trade to effective use. To assist with the operational readiness of the regiment, Lance Cor- poral Williams has been using his range of qualifications and more directly, assisted junior gunners and MPAs alike, with their green skills during leadership week. What Lance Corporal Williams has brought to the detachment in terms of his previous field experi- ence has been invaluable as for some of the junior members of the detachment, this is their first experience of patrolling and working through a stand by stand basis to complete objectives.
Lance Corporal Williams, not just busy learning his trade, provid- ing valuable insight to previous experiences, has also been busy representing the Regiment in what sports he can, contesting in the Royal Artillery championships and attending British Army warrior fitness sessions, with his eye on competing at the right time.
As I write, the Regiment is currently deployed on Exercise Scor- pion Cyclone, a divisional exercise which is evaluating the Regi- ments operational readiness, command and control and combat skills from the junior to senior ranks. Although a combat capabil- ity testing exercise, the AGC SPS detachment is still playing an active role within the command centre via Lance Corporal San- key and Private Hendy, helping distribute vital information and keep a tab on all staff and personnel’s movements.
Pte Moses learning about the Warrior AFV Pte Shapland Pte Moses during Op CABRIT 12 cultural day
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