Page 40 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

This has been another very busy year for the Welfare department, with the rst half having the Bn still deployed on Op SHADER. There were again more changes to the welfare team, with CSjt (Dinger) Bell moving to Northern Ireland, to take over as CSM HQ in 2 RIFLES. I have welcomed Sjt (Rob) Bason and CSjt (Tomo) Thompson to the welfare team.
During the year the welfare team have arranged and supported 84 different events and activities whilst husbands, wives and partners have been deployed. From pamper days to trips to the zoo and everything in between. One of the key events in the New Year was the Ri emen’s Homecoming parade, which included a families’ event held at Beachley. The bumper cars, in particular, were a great hit, especially with the Of cers’ Mess (the MTO is looking at revoking a number of FMTs). Even with some very cold weather the day was enjoyed by all. The chefs cooked a number of fantastic curries that were free to members and families of 1 RIFLES. The Of cers’ Mess also hosted the annual end of year Partners’ Dinner, which was attended by over 35 wives and one husband (very brave!).
I am pleased to say that the Beachley Wives Choir has been re-formed, with over 15 members. The choir showed how far they had come after only a few weeks, with a performance in front of a large crowd which included His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. I must give a huge thank you to Mr Mitchell at St John’s School, for all of his
musical expertise and time.
The team have been engaged in several local
money raising events. These have included SSAFA, Care for Casualties and The Poppy Appeal. The total raised for SSAFA was £1860. This was from collections made in and around the Chepstow area. Over £600 was also raised for Care for Casualties. The team also assisted with the 2016 poppy appeal collection. These efforts again saw a great result for 1 RIFLES, with £4119 being raised over the week.
The youth club has continued to develop and we are hoping that Beachley will be allocated a full time CSDW in the near future. The team will continue the development of the programme, linking all the local schools with the Battalion; to ensure the military children are given all the assis- tance they require. Engagement is an area that we wish to develop over the coming months. The youth club had a very successful annual camp based at Brecon. The children took part in a number of exciting activities including climbing, kayaking and caving.
Most recently the welfare team facilitated a trip for 15 members of the Battalion to Sandown races, courtesy of “The Guild of the Nineteen Lubricators”. We were fed, watered and even allocated a small betting allowance. It was a great day, thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. Capt Owen Mitchell,
Unit Welfare Of cer
Ugandan Army Training
From May to August 2017 1 RIFLES deployed a number of personnel of all ranks to train, advise and mentor a BattleGroup from the Ugandan People’s Defence Force (UPDF) who were going through their PDT cycle prior to a year long deployment to Somalia. The deployment was split into multiple phases. First, a six man team completed a 2 week Train the Trainer course to instructors at the Army Training Camp in Singo. Following this the UK contingent was reduced to two who spent 8 weeks working with the French, US and Dutch Armies, as well as US military contractors ACOTA.
An anti-poaching and leadership course in Murchison Falls was squeezed in prior to the Main Body arriving to mentor and run the UPDF Battle- Group’s nal exercise; a week long con rmatory exercise designed to test all levels, from BG and Bn planning to Platoon level tactics and junior leadership.
THE BATTLEGROUP WAS COMPREHENSIVELY TRAINED BY THE MULTI-NATIONAL TEAM IN A VARIETY OF SKILLS THEY WILL REQUIRE IN SOMALIA
The BattleGroup was comprehensively trained by the multi-national team in a variety of skills they will require in Somalia. Areas such as CQM, convoy and route clearance, deliberate and hasty attacks, FOB Defence, Rules of Engagement, C-IED and Med to name but a few. The troops have rehearsed both live ring and blank training to increase their con - dence and pro ciency, with training evolving rotation by rotation to meet the needs of troops in theatre.
During down time the team had the opportunity to explore some of the country and weekends were spent watching the Lions’ tour, exploring Kampala or getting to the source of the Nile in Jinja for a cruise and some white-water rafting which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The BattleGroup contained 2 Light Role Infantry Battalions as well as a plethora of Atts and Dets, all aiming to reduce loss of life and limb in Somalia, further African Union interests in the country and Defeat terrorist organisation Al Shabaab. This is the 23rd BattleGroup to have been trained in this manner and it is anticipated that in under 2 years, training will be completely handed over to UPDF mentors. The Defence Force is professional, eager to learn and thanks to the efforts of many nations, as well as the UPDF itself, is enjoying a burgeoning reputation both regionally and internationally.
Capt Si Reed,
OC Mortar Platoon
38 FIRST BATTALION
THE RIFLES
Welfare