Page 65 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

D (Dragon) Company
OC Maj Lee Hosford CSM WO2 (CSM) Mark
‘Bugsy’ Malone CQMS CSgt Liam Varley
Anti-Tank Platoon
Pl Comd Capt Maddock
Pl 2IC CSgt Lennon PATROLS PLATOON
Pl Comd Capt Sam Vause
2 MERCIAN Mortar Platoon
Pl Comd Lt Benedict Griffiths Pl 2IC WO2 Lee Hollingworth AMFCs Sgt Carl Woodley
Sgt Darren Lightfoot
Sgt Martyn Jones Sect Comds Sgt Waine Bolger
Sgt Phillip Hornsby
OC Foreword Maj Lee Hosford
It is a privilege to pen my first
Dragon Company article as Officer Commanding, having taken over command from Maj Rob Johnson this summer. The shock of capture has already begun to wane, largely due to the warm welcome I have received (even as an interloper!) and the good order that the company has worked itself into.
Dragon has only been a single entity
for just under a year but it isn’t apparent, this is down to a lot of hard work from
all concerned. It started in 2014 with disparate elements closing in from Belfast, Catterick and Germany to be forged at the platoon level by a selection of specialist weapon cadres on Salisbury Plain.
2015 maintained the momentum with a company deployment as COEFOR for
Ex ASKARI STORM 1. Re-organising into a Rifle Company ORBAT, the Dragons demonstrated their flexibility as they rampaged across the scrub to put 2 SCOTS to the test. In what could best be described as a cross between ‘Wild Geese’ and ‘Inglorious B******ds,’ the company employed cunning, dirty tricks and an astonishing repertoire of fake Scottish accents in order to infiltrate Scottish defences, and deliver an enemy to put fear into the hardiest of Jocks. President Julius Limbani would have been proud!
With the company now functioning smoothly as a sub-unit entity, we focus our efforts forwards: first, to delivering quality ISTAR and Manoeuvre Support to the battle group in Kenya. Second,
bringing ourselves to full readiness in order to face whatever challenge the VHR Joint Taskforce role throws at us in 2016.
Anti-Tank Platoon Capt Maddock & CSgt Lennon
Since forming the new battalions in 2014,
2 MERCIAN’s Anti-Tank Platoon has invested significant time and effort in gaining the necessary experience and training to be able to call ourselves an Anti-Tank Platoon, with many of the platoon’s key members attending Javelin Specific Commanders Courses at the Direct Fire Support Group in Warminster.
The majority of the platoon deployed
to Kenya after Christmas stand-down,
with the remainder of Dragon Company
to support Ex ASKARI STORM 1. The platoon successfully fulfilled roles as part of COEFOR and the command team provided safety and advice to the exercising troops as PRT. For some this was the first of three excursions to Kenya this year, and although demanding the platoon enjoyed the deployment.
Since returning from Kenya the platoon has focused its efforts on preparing for
our own Battlegroup Exercise in Kenya,
Ex ASKARI STORM 6 coming up in late 2015. This has included running an internal Javelin Cadre to qualify new members of the platoon and ensuring current members are current and competent on Javelin.
It was also good to have members of
4 MERCIAN join the platoon and qualify as Javelin Gunners. Unfortunately, during one of the map reading exercises Cpl Coote not only managed to lose his cool and his phone, but also his map reading integrity and almost his boots as he fell in a bog.
The Platoon has enjoyed a visit to Bovington Tank Museum getting to see enemy and friendly armour up close, taking AFV recognition to the next level. In
addition to the visit to the tank museum the platoon has also visited the SASC weapons collection to get hands on and an introduction to historic and contemporary Anti-Tank weapons of all nations. The Clywddian Mountains have been put
to good use; fine tuning the soldiers’ navigational skills, conducting mobile and static navigational exercises as well as using the topography to conduct low level detachment TEWTs. The platoon have conducted ranges, both static and live firing in order to reach the start standards for Ex ASKARI STORM 6. Now that Quad Bikes are integral to the platoon as part of Army 2020, concentrtaed effort has been
Please don’t stand on the tank...the Fury display’ Bovington Tank Museum visit
Quad Patrol Skills Dale Barracks Trg Area
placed into qualifying personnel to drive them and also integrating them into the carriage of kit, contact drills and patrol skills SOPs.
There have been a few faces come and go within the platoon but most notable
is Sgt Chris Wightman who is leaving to pursue a new career with 4 MERCIAN. We wish him the best of luck and I’m sure we will cross paths again in the near future.
Clywddian Mountains
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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