Page 56 - Mercian Eagle 2016

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QM’s Dept 2016
I have been asked to write a few lines about what the QM’s Department have been up to over the last year. Well a few words just cannot do justice to the monumental effort that G4 have put into the last years forecast of events – but I’ll give it my best shot!
Things were going quite well, the unit deployed on ASKARI STORM in Kenya where, as expected, the QM’s Department, led by the QM (Maj Lincoln), sustained the unit admirably displaying extreme agility and flexibility. All of this despite serious provocation by the exercise ConOps and extreme weather conditions including flash floods which turned roads into rivers!
The QM(T) (Capt Clayton) remained behind in the UK, with a small band of G4 heroes to oversee the equipment uplift ready for the unit to take on its role as part of the VJTF. Points to note: to the DE officer VJTF seems like a ‘jolly good outing and quite a lot of fun’ – to a QM(T) it means something ‘else’ entirely. Once the unit received and administrated this modest uplift of 1612 BOWMAN items, 1191 weapons & optics and 192 Vehicles and
associated equipment, 2 MERCIAN were ready.
The Commanding Officer has told me
the correct term for this type of effort is ‘challenging’, in LE speak I would say it was ‘brutal’ and bloody frustrating and not to
be repeated any time soon, if at all possible – Sir!
Now we have returned and had some leave we are refreshed and ready to continue on the ‘G4 rollercoaster’, planning to give away the VJTF uplift to 1 Gren Guards and supporting a very busy forecast of events. Sadly we have had to say farewell to Maj Lincoln (The Legend!) as he has
moved onto pastures new and now finds himself as QM OPTAG, some people will never learn – good luck with that Keith! On the bright side Maj Julian Clayton moves from QM(T) as the new QM (Cesar is
dead – long live Cesar!) and Capt ‘Dave’ Travis moves from MTO to be the new QM(T), with the MTO’s desk being taken up by Capt Jase Peach, which is proving quite a change from Welfare Officer.
In the words of our beloved CO – ‘it’s been challenging’, for the rest of us in G4 ‘it’s been emotional’!!!
Clearly the VJTF
uplift did not happen in
isolation, as a unit we
were subjected to an
ECI, Fire Inspection,
SHE Audit, Dangerous
Goods inspection, Fuel
Safety Assurance Audit,
while supporting Ex VALLIANT WARRIOR
& Ex AZOR LINEAGE in Spain and concurrently planning and conducting the recces for the unit deployment to Poland in the Summer. We conducted the deployment and from a G4 point of view it went pretty ‘darn’ well, however Maj Lincoln still gets angry if we talk about Polish portaloo’s, so we don’t discuss that – ever!
...in LE speak I would say it was ‘brutal’ and bloody frustrating...
A2 Echelon (Kamp Karliki – Poland) Ex ANACONDA
Camp Karliki 2 MERCIAN Cookhouse – QM (Maj Lincoln & RQMS(M) Vezza complaining about the challenges of G4 again!
RQMS(M) Vezza & Pte Boothe (RLC) with Cpl Paul Varley (out of shot) conditioning ammunition during Ex ANACONDA in Poland (Kamp Karliki)
THE MERCIAN EAGLE