Page 99 - QDG Volume 9 No. 2 2021

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 97
Sgt Steven Panks left Caerphilly at the age of 16 to begin Phase 1 Training at AFC Harrogate in Sept 2006, the rumour is this was his very first time leaving Caerphilly! On comple- tion of his training in Harrogate he moved to the other side of the country to start specific to arm training at Bovington where he trained as a CVRT Driver and Crewman.
Steve arrived at the Regiment in 2008 where he was fortunate enough to be shipped to Salisbury Plain to join 1st Troop C Sqn on the first day of Ex Druid’s Dance. Steve struck lucky as his first role was to be Tp Sgt’s driver for the now QM(T), Capt Jason “Butch” Davies. Steve took that much of a shining to his new Tp Sgt that he earned the nickname “Baby Butch”, probably for their shared love of a brew.
In November 2008 Steve deployed on his first oper- ational deployment to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 9. He was still part of 1st Tp, C Sqn and deployed to the Garmsir District which was given the pleasant nickname of “The Snake’s Head”. Steve was originally the Tp Leader’s Driver but after hitting a couple of IEDs he was soon reunited with his Tp Sgt, Butch. It soon became clear that Steve thrived when deployed on operations, he was always calm, collected and had a unique ability to just “get it done”. In November 2011 Steve returned to Afghan- istan on Op HERRICK 15. This time he was deployed in his most exciting role yet, he was an LMG Gunner for C Sqn within the Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF). Steve had now switched to 2nd Tp and was surrounded by members of 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment. On returning from Op HERRICK 15 Steve was promoted to LCpl and attended JCC Part 1 & 2. He then fully resub- merged himself with life in Germany and became a very familiar face in the C Sqn Bar, ensuring all who attended enjoyed their night.
It wasn’t long before Steve was back on operations in Afghanistan. This time as a Tp Cpl in 3rd Troop C Sqn, the BRF. When not out with the Tp, Steve led a small team of ANSF. Calm, friendly and very capable, these were all skills which helped him to get the best of the small team
he worked in. His in-depth knowledge of local customs helped massively, and these qualities would serve him well for later posts.
In November 2017 Steve finally managed to get on an operational tour that wasn’t in Afghanistan and deployed to Nigeria. He was part of the Long-range Support Team (LST) that was deployed on Op TURUS. Steve pushed hard to go on Op TURUS and accepted a J6 Signals role to ensure that he could deploy. This was ironic because at the time he didn’t even own a mobile phone! He was basi- cally in charge of topping up the pay-as-you-go internet!
Shortly after returning from Nigeria, Steve was chosen to become an instructor at the Reconnaissance and Armoured Tactics Division (RATD) in Warminster. He was well suited to this role as he was a top-quality commander and thrived whilst teaching what he loved. After a solid 2 years at RATD Steve returned to the Regiment and joined the Training Wing where his expertise acquired as a tactics instructor were put to good use.
Steve played centre back for the football team throughout his time in the Regiment and spent stints as the Team Captain. He proclaims that he is “The best Central Defender the Regiment has ever seen and the backbone of the team.” He is a keen golfer and won a Regimental golf competition shortly before leaving. He was a social member of the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess and a popular character in the Regiment. In 2021 after 14 years in the Army Steve had decided to leave the Regiment so that he could be closer to his two sons, Joel and Noah. He secured a role as a Surveillance Operative after coming top of his course. Steve’s laid back and fun attitude will be missed by all. He now spends all his free time on the golf course
and if you’re around the Caerphilly area you should look him up for a game.
GG
Sgt Panks
“Cheers Boys!”
Miss you Butch!