Page 58 - Chronicle Vol 17

OPERATION CABRIT 12: ESTONIA.
A Company deployed with the Queen’s Royal Hussars (QRH) Battlegroup, as a specialist Anti-Tank Company from March to late-October. They were mounted on Mastiffs, a heavily armoured wheeled vehicle. The first half of the tour con- tained most of the activity with plenty of Battlegroup exercises along the Estonian border mirroring the annual Russian mobilisation exercises held each sum- mer. A Company worked hard to develop new Anti-Tank tactics, incorporating unmanned aerial systems (drones) into their platoons to aid in the finding of tar- gets onto which waiting anti-tank teams can strike. Very sadly Rfn Delanimati, who only joined the battalion in November 22, died whilst deployed in Estonia. A Coy naturally continue to mourn his loss. The RSM and ten of the battalion’s Fijian community led a fitting funeral for him in Fiji.
EXERCISE ORION: FRANCE.
In April the majority of the battalion deployed to the Champagne region of France in the mechanised infantry role, taking part in a Corps-level NATO exercise as part of a French Brigade. Unusually the exercise took place across the “vasty field of France” rather than on training areas, which gave the experience an extraordi- nary realism. We all felt as though we were in a movie, waving at passing civil- ians, defending real villages, hiding our vehicles in working barns and grabbing a café au lait during lulls in the battle while still with camouflaged faces. The REME Light Aid Detachment (LAD) and Quarter Master (Technical) team put in a notable effort in preparing and maintaining over 60 armoured vehicles for this exercise. Only three vehicles were not in running order by the end of it despite having driven more that 1000km. To top off an excellent trip, a lucky few toured Pol Rogers’s cellars and every member of the Battalion paid their respects to the Regiment’s fallen at either Bois-des-Buttes, Bligny1 or Verdun.
ADVENTUROUS TRAINING AND SPORT
An impressive 318 soldiers (54%) of the battalion have deployed on various Adventurous Training (AT) trips this year. Multi-activity trips to Scotland and Germany and a skiing trip to France have accounted for the majority of these numbers. Exercise SNOW BADGER 11, the eleventh ski trip run by Maj Jonty Kennon (OC B Company) will see another 70 soldiers from the battalion gain a foundation ski qualification in Val-d’Isere this December. Quite understandably the scale of operational tasks this year has scuppered the chance to repeat last year’s sporting success. The football team still put in a valiant effort, placing sec- ond of 11 teams in the UK Challenge Cup Scotland region whilst the fledgling Officers’ Mess rowing eight enjoyed only limited success at the Rifles Regatta on the Thames. In addition 18 members of the Battalion played sport at Infantry or Army level this year.
1 The Regiment’s forebears won a Croix de Guerre with Palme at both of these 1918 battles.
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