Page 34 - MERCIAN Eagle 2017

Officers’ Mess Update
As has been described elsewhere in the journal, 2017 was a fairly fragmented year for 1 MERCIAN, with the drumbeat of life in the Officers’ Mess and key social events providing a much needed constant. The Badajoz Dinner Night in April proved to
be an early highlight of the year, as the neoclassical account of the battle provided a heady mix of historical accuracy, as well as a dose of light relief. Maj Keith Page reluctantly handed over the role of PMC, as he prepared to deploy to Donovia and assume his role as the Red Baron.
In late spring the, Officers’ Mess split physically and spiritually, as various groups deployed to the plains of Canada and
the hinterland that is London in pursuit
of their specific tasks, with the ROG stoutly propping up the Mess in Bulford. Suffice to say, St James’s Palace provided an acceptable home away from home
for those on Public Duties in which to entertain regimental and personal guests; the latter often at some expense!
After a frenetic summer, it was not until October that the next function took place.
With the Battalion tasked to lead on urban warfighting, it was entirely appropriate
to hold a similarly themed dinner night. With a range of mega-city styled cuisines, served in a room of deliberately minimalist, rubbleized décor and with multiple projections of whirring cityscapes played onto the walls, vivid vignettes of urban conflicts were read to blend emotion into the immersive experience. The event served as a useful binding experience to bring everyone back together and the PMC kindly bought everyone champagne following the tappers cup.
The winter party took the Mess on a
trip through the ages, as each Company was responsible for sponsoring a different room, covering a distinct point in history and covering the globe. It was really positive to see everyone getting involved in the decorations and the themes provided much amusement throughout the night. The Commanding Officer was particularly impressed by the rich and mysterious atmosphere of the Conquistador themed bar area, but it was probably the 1980s
style silver-foil wrapped space aged ante room that saw the biggest transformation.
Throughout the year, the steady and welcome arrival of a number of new Officers was matched only by the sad departure of a number of its members: Majs Adrian Garrett; Keith Page; Adie Thompson; Toby Williams; Capts Terry Williams; Alex Kersey; Neil Jones; Fred Priggs; Dickie Page; Ryan Lavercome; Luke Riordan; Rich Peacock; Josh Cartwright; Mssrs Luke Mead; Jack England and Jake Berridge.
2017 was indeed a year of fragmentation, but it is positive to see that the time spent doing different things has only served to strengthen the Mess as its collective experience continues to grow. It is with that sentiment that it is fair to reflect as the year closed with another victory
for the Officers’ Mess in the real battle for the Khyber Key, it could not have been achieved without the cunning borne of the prairie, the swagger borne of the London parade ground or the steadfastness borne of the ROG.
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rejuvenated a fleet that had seen continuous action since the inception of BATUS. Although our intention had been to train every man up as an FST, a by-product of the intensive work undertaken on Landrovers, Warriors, Bulldogs and – perennially – CVRT, saw every man become a rudimentary Mechanic by Endex. This fundamental Armoured Infantry skill-set has transferred directly into our subsequent SSET (RAAT) taskings and will continue to be at the core of all those who deployed as part of the BATUS OPFOR throughout their careers.
Step up utilising the local camouflage Summary
The Sqn ready for a night move
ES chain from crew, through Sub-Unit to REME detachment and beyond are now essential components of our corporate frame-work. Notably, the opportunity
for Sub-Units to operate with complete freedom to experiment is a rare opportunity, and the deployed component of the
1 MERCIAN BG used their time to create an effect on the exercise that completely belied the size of the OPFOR commitment and achieved the aim of testing both the BLUEFOR BGs to the point of failure and beyond. As we now prepare ourselves for the steady climb to excellence for Ex SAIF SAREEA 3, we will apply our lessons with a surly Donovian pride.
But hard work
demands hard play
and all personnel
were granted an
unprecedented two
weeks’ stand-down
to explore Canada
at their leisure.
Everyone in the BG
seized the opportunity
and dispersed across
the Rockies, Calgary
and even as far as Vancouver. Some of the more experienced managed to disappear to Cuba for a stretch, thankfully returning reinvigorated for the new challenge of a beefed-up YORKS BG on PS 2.
The extended deployment to Exercise PRAIRIE STORM 1 and 2 was a valuable and intense period of training
for the 1 MERCIAN BG. All key lessons have been taken forward into the
training programme throughout SSET and into 2018 and the pertinent principles of a ‘True OPFOR’, namely: the ability to operate effectively at night, the utility of OS and the requirement to continually develop the EC/
‘Hard work demands hard play and all personnel were granted an unprecedented two weeks’ stand-down’
THE MERCIAN EAGLE