Page 83 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

C (Kohima) Company
OC VACANT
2IC Capt Lloyd Watts PSAO Capt Jim Stewart CSM WO2 Jay Hill
SPSI WO2 Dave Lovell CQMS Sgt Glenn Woodward QPSI CSgt Ian Brown Alma Platoon
Pl Comd 2Lt Nat Newman
Pl Sgt Sgt Stuart Laurie Badajoz Platoon
Pl Comd 2Lt Seb Sansom
Pl Sgt Sgt Adam Leverton Gheluvelt Platoon
Pl Comd Lt Seb Moulding Pioneer WO WO2 Steve Mee
Commanding Officer’s Foreword
Capt Lloyd Watts, Company 2IC
Another year has gone by, with lots of events taking place and yet more changes at C (Kohima) Company. After moving into our new Reserve Centre in Nottingham back in April 2014, work has steadily progressed to modernise and update the old 1930’s building.
New carpets have been laid and a fresh lick of paint has given the centre some much-needed TLC. We have had new curtains, in
the regimental colours, put up in the Drill Hall and an attempt to ‘Mercianise’ the centre has all added to making it feel much more like home. More improvements are looking to be done in the coming year, including a £90,000 grant from RFCA to overhaul and upgrade our on camp gymnasium, with new equipment, changing rooms, showers and lockers making it a fantastic in house fitness facility.
The efforts made to spruce up our Reserve Centre to one side (which even saw our Platoon Commanders getting into the spirit and painting their office), training and supporting our Regular counterparts has always been the priority. September 2014 saw Maj Massingham, Capt Polglase, Cpl Henshaw & Pte Giddings mobilise for 6 months to deploy with 2 MERCIAN’s battle group on Op TOSCA. Not content with his second tour of Cyprus,
Capt Polglase on his return to C Company in June 15 mobilised again, this time on Op TORAL to Kabul, supporting the Officer Academy training team. We are expecting the cadets there to develop a taste for ‘Brandy Sours’ and
have a refined English accent upon his return. September 2014 also saw several members of the Company deploy
on Exercise Braced Eagle, the Battalion’s annual training exercise to Brecon working for the first time alongside the remaining members of 2 MERCIAN, our paired regular Battalion. An extremely tough exercise but it saw the start of the long road ahead to integrate regular and reserve training.
October 2014 saw the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Gheluvelt and a memorial stone in the Gheluvelt Memorial Gardens of Worcester being unveiled. This gave the opportunity for the 4th Battalion’s Colours to be paraded by an all C Company line up of Lt Watts, 2Lt Moulding, CSgt Coulson, CSgt Hill and CSgt Walker alongside the Colours and 2 Honour Guards of the 1st Battalion.
Remembrance Parade 2014 saw more ceremonial duties, this time a march for C Company through the streets of Mansfield, as, with the move to our new Reserve Centre in Nottingham complete, the Company’s efforts for 2015 would be focused in Nottingham. 42 soldiers from C Company
paraded in Mansfield and where well received by the public lining the streets; an excellent showing from the Company despite having a further 5 soldiers away in Brecon
at the time on
their respective command cadres.
Christmas was soon upon us and after conducting a combined survival weekend for C, D & F Companies on Leek Training area it was time to hold our Company Xmas Dinner, which this year took the shape of a Regimental Dinner honouring the 3 MERCIAN battle honour of Ferozeshah. The 4th Battalion’s Colours were paraded
by Capt Watts & 2Lt Sansom who entrusted them to the Company’s WO’s & Sgt’s Mess for the evening; remembering the act of CSgt Kirkland at the Battle of Ferozeshah in 1845 who captured the Sikh Standard. A fantastic evening was had by all of the Company and
its invited guests; included some early morning ‘mine sweeping’ from WO2 Lovell and CSgt Hill as well as some horrendous nightclub action had by the subalterns – once the Colours had been safely recovered and secured of course!
The Christmas Dinner was also a sad occasion as
we said some farewells to long-standing members of
the Company, firstly, Mr Peter Winfield who retired as
our Company Admin Officer (AO) after 10 years of service. We also said goodbye to Cpl Liz Simcox and Cpl Mandy Hume who both moved to 104 Battalion REME based in Derby. The final farewell was to our own WO2 (CSM) Martin Simcox, who after 2 years served as Company Sergeant Major and over 100 years served in the Reserves dating back to before records began, hung up his boots and retired. A huge thank you has to go to them all for their contributions made to the Company and best wishes go to them for the future.
Crich Memorial Tower / 05 Jul 2015
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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