Page 144 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

I HAVE BEEN PROUD OF THE SENSE OF UNITY AS WE HAVE DEVELOPED
• Engagement. We continue to play a signi cant part in civic and community engagement events around the City of London and Westminster, with a few examples of note. Exercise Sharp- shooter saw our Mortar Platoon support London Employer Engagement, F Company’s standing honour guard at Lloyds of London and the Lord Mayors Banquet fosters our ties with the City of London as does the F Company versus Haber- dashers Cricket event bring F Company closer on a social level with our Livery company. We have also worked closely with the Just RIFLES charity and fostered ties with the Chelsea Pensioners and our Cadets.
Summary
F Company has managed the risks associated with Op MOLTON and AR2020(R) by focussing on retaining and providing capability. Ex BALTIC STAR in ESTONIA (Op CABRIT) and our ongoing commitment to Op FORTIFY have been our point of
aim. We consistently deliver quality Ri emen that win competitions, to a quantity that also enables wider tasks. We have an optimised recruitment process, recruiting from a diverse applicant base and are delivering through the roof on our Op FORTIFY targets. Training delivered supports the retention of our soldiers and we are at readiness to deploy on STTTs and deployed mobilisations. We maintain appropriate civic engagements to enable us to connect with and deliver positively for the Cities of Westminster and London, and other key stake- holders. I have been proud of the sense of unity as we have developed the Company to become bigger and better. I am pleased that hard-work of all ranks has been rewarded by our recent coronation as Champion Company after the BALTIC Series of training exercises, and that F Company has been able to offer up a Company HQ and a full Ri e Platoon as part of the deploying Company to ESTONIA.
Major Peter Bull, OC F Company
Waterloo Band & Bugles
The Waterloo Band & Bugles is one of the busiest (and one of the largest) Reserve bands, ful lling over 70 engagements last year. We work hard on achieving good morale; consequently our retention rate is high resulting in a gradually ageing membership. The last couple of years have therefore seen a drive towards recruiting young, high-calibre musicians, mainly from universities and through social media.
Part of this recruitment drive included reviewing the band’s activities to sell things that will particu- larly attract a keen, talented next generation of musicians. Overseas travel is always popular and the band and bugles have been fortunate, travelling to Switzerland and Bermuda. This year has been no different with the opportunity to musically support the British Contingent at the 59th International Military Pilgrimage to Lourdes in May, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. The daytime involved improving our competences at hymns, whilst the evening involved improving our partying numbers. We also played in Sonderburg in Denmark for the Ringreiterfest, a traditional festival involving galloping horses, and parading of winning teams around the town led by the Band & Bugles.
Parades are our bread and butter engagements, and this year involved supporting a Reserve Passing Out Parade at Winchester, Freedom Parades
in Taunton, Bromyard, Christchurch, Dorchester, and the Vale of the White Horse in Faringdon, memorial parades in Kempston and Ross-on-Wye, and Remem- brance Sunday and Armed Forces Day both in Reading.
Most members of the band are also involved with playing in ensembles for smaller events with upwards of 40 of these types of engagements in the last 12 months which most of our musicians enjoy. As there is no conductor, it involves
using different musical skills, listening more and sometimes telepathy! The venues can be quite interesting, and as there are generally only 4 or 5 of you, there is a real party atmosphere.
Another of our of cial roles is supporting Regular Bands where required. This year our musicians have supplemented The Ri es Band including the Edinburgh Tattoo, the Royal Artillery Band for a Gun Salute in Green Park and the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra.
Many of our new musicians also are keen to be involved in other things the Army Reserve can offer besides music. In particular, Musn Hicks is working through her Dayskipper sailing quali - cations including a VHF Radio Quali cation, and Musn Gould succeeded in getting onto the Army Triathlon team representing
The Ri es.
Sjt Jackie Mann,
Waterloo Band
& Bugles
MANY OF OUR NEW MUSICIANS ALSO ARE KEEN TO BE INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS THE ARMY RESERVE CAN OFFER BESIDES MUSIC
142 SEVENTH BATTALION THE RIFLES