Page 36 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

THE
COMPANY
HAS BEEN
SPREAD TO
THE FOUR
WINDS, WITH
RFN, CHEFS,
CLERKS,
AND MEDICS
DEPLOYING
ON EVERY
EXERCISE
AND
SUPPORT
TASK THAT
1 RIFLES
HAS BEEN
ENGAGED
WITH THIS
YEAR
HQ Company
The 12 months in which this article covers has witnessed another very different period for HQ Company. The return of many of our Rfn from the long Op SHADER commitment and fresh focus on what next has been quite refreshing if not frenetic. Outside of Coy HQ we have changed many of the lead appointments including CO, QM, Adjt, Ops, Padre, MTO, UWO, RSO, and RAPTC SSI, with another cohort of senior appointments about to change at the time of writing (July 17). The HQ Company departments have all gone about their business of supporting the Company groups, 160X and wider organisations with a seemingly endless stream of support that identi es us. The multi cap-badged cosmopolitan bunch of merry men and women (collectively the Ri emen) have ful lled the commitments in the usual and expected professional, no-fuss can-do attitude that I have come to expect in my two years as OC. The Company has been spread to the four winds, with Rfn, Chefs, Clerks, and medics deploying on every exercise and support task that 1 RIFLES has been engaged with this year.
Our Rfn have often excelled outside their day jobs, I thought it pertinent to point out a few such achievements below.
Cross- t A relatively new form of all over tness, the Company’s PTI LCpl Cropp entered a worldwide competition, where for 5 consecutive weeks in February, at midnight on a Friday a gruelling work-out regime would be posted online, with competitors having 72 hours to record a result and post it, all results requiring to be recorded and authenticated at a X-Fit club. Each regime was enough to bring tears to your eyes just thinking about it. Regimes would target every muscle group and energy system deliberately to target the complete athletes and elicit total failure. LCpl Cropp nished in the top 14% of over 130,000 competitors.
Interservices Rugby Cpl Mullen (AGC SPS) and LCpl Silcox were selected to represent the Ladies’ Army Rugby team on several occasions throughout the 16-17 season.
Ice Maiden Maj Taylor (RAMC) RMO 1 RIFLES, was selected on the nal cut to be one of six female soldiers and of cers to take on the epic challenge that will be Ex ICE MAIDEN, a 75-90 day self-sustained expedition to cross Antarctica unsupported.
The Company has already turned its attention to 2018 and what is set to be a busy, challenging and professionally rewarding year. We raise our sights in preparation to command, and support the BG on Ex ASKARI STORM in January 2018, and then a period of very high readiness which will hopefully see at least elements of the Company deploy on, or in support of operations. A focus on readiness, tness and deployability has had a very positive impact on our statistics across the board. HQ Company is leaner, tter and more ready than the Company that rolled off Salisbury Plain two years ago.
Maj R J Hunt, OC HQ Coy
LCpl Cropp shows what he can lift
Training for Ex ICE MAIDEN
34 FIRST BATTALION
THE RIFLES