Page 11 - RSDG Year of 2013

Artillery who operate the camp surveillance systems, The Royal Signals (running operational communica- tions and information systems) and The Intelligence Corps (providing security, counter intelligence and operational intelligence advice and support). The use of surveillance equipment was not always well under- stood. Trooper Polson approached Mr Freddie Rider to be excused ‘balloon sentry’ duties, pleading vertigo. The crueler members of second troop had persuaded him that a guard was required aboard the zeppelin like Permanent Threat Detection System and he had spent a sleepless night in anticipation. New Zealand provides support in intelligence, operations and logis- tics. Combat Service Support comes from the Royal Army Medical Corps, The Queen Alexandra Royal Army Nursing Corps, The Royal Logistics Corps (the vital postman) and our own Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. Each of these has representa- tion from their Australian equivalents.
Much entertainment was provided by the presence of our dog section. They comprised three handlers and four dogs from the Theatre Military Working Dog Support Unit on six week rotations from Camp Bastion. Some were definite characters. Willie the inappropriately affectionate vehicle search dog was banned from the operations room after scrambling atop the bird table and eating an indeterminate num- ber of map marking symbols. He had previously dis- graced himself with a romantic attachment to Corporal Mitchell’s leg and so was banished to the kennels for a period of reflection. He was kept company, quite literally in the doghouse, by Sonny the vehicle search spaniel with an alarming talent for disengaging the hand-brakes of heavy goods vehicles.
Merging these disparate elements into an effective sub unit was not just through training. We named ourselves Alamein Squadron to recognize the last
occasion when the antecedent regiments had oper- ated together during the North African Campaign. We also attempted some unusual hybrid social occa- sions. The Squadron held a dinner to celebrate both Burn’s Night and Australia day, which fall in the same twenty-four hour period. The Australian contingent took the absence of lager, sunshine and bikinis (staples of a good Australia Day) and settled into an evening of offal, potatoes and unintelligible poetry with remark- ably good grace. Mr Olli von der Heyde’s approxima- tion of auld Scots seemed strongly and strangely influ- enced by the accent of the Caribbean and split sides on both sides of the cultural divide. Elsewhere Australian slang, particularly the ubiquitous phrase, ‘too easy’ (translation – that’s no problem) crept its way into the vocabulary of those originating from the Northern hemisphere. Thankfully for every time Australia humiliated England’s cricket team over the course of the tour their Rugby team were reliably thrashed by the All Blacks. This kept national sporting gloat- ing confined the New Zealand contingent who were silenced with a couple of jokes about their national economy being based on sheep and the filming of sob- bing hobbits.
Our ability to operate with other nationalities was important. There were thirteen partner ISAF nations based at Camp Qargha. Sometimes this meant sacri- fices on our part. The news had come shortly before our final exercise that the Australian platoon attached to the squadron was to increase in size and that the numbers in our own multiples would decrease accord- ingly. This meant a reorganisation during the final exercise and for some the sad news that despite their hard work there would not be a space for them with the deploying squadron. Mr Fred Roberts decided to take our unity with American allies rather too literally by uniting his FOXHOUND at speed with the vehicle
Lance Corporal Ramsamy and Trooper Lee
EAGLE AND CARBINE 9