Page 19 - Mercian Eagle 2013

Support Company
Support Coy OC CSM
Anti Tank Comd Anti Tank 2IC Fire Support Pl Fire Support 2IC Mortar Pl Comd Mortar Pl 2IC Recce Pl Comd Recce Pl 2IC
Maj Harry Porteous, Vickery, Neil WO2 March, Ryan 2Lt Hough, John Cpl Brierley, Jack Lt Billows, Richard CPL Nicholls, Geoffrey Lt Burgess, David Sgt Fisher, Timothy Lt Evans, Peter CSgt
Introduction
The last twelve months have been a very varied period for the Support Company, but, despite being stretched by the operational demands of Op HERRICK 17, the Coy (Sp Coy) has still been able to
play high level sport, conduct challenging adventure training and recover well from the deployment.
The Sp Coy is currently preparing to conduct its own numbers cadre training whilst supporting the Battalion’s wider exercises from now and on into 2014, enabling high quality training in Scotland, Cyprus and the Falkland Islands at the very least.
We have to say farewell to Maj Russ Atherton, who leaves us to command
Recce Platoon
As we now emerge out of an extremely busy and, at times, pressured period
for 1 MERCIAN we can take stock of
what was a highly successful period for both the Recce and Sniper Platoons. Having completed a comprehensive MST package, the platoons deployed as one
on to operations in Afghanistan to provide the Battle-group’s reconnaissance and manoeuvre capability; a role that presented many challenges and truly tested the ability and versatility of some of the Battalion’s best soldiers.
MST, as always, built into a crescendo
of rapid information assimilation. On top
of the usual box ticking requirements, the Platoon was tasked by the Commanding Officer to develop a target-development capability and prepare for reconnaissance in the traditional sense. The issue presented was that there were few bespoke training opportunities during the pre-deployment training window. By calling in favours, exploiting the ‘mates-rates’ network and some imaginative thinking by the command team, the Platoon managed to weave
a company of (better behaved)
officer cadets at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. We wish him
good luck and the very best for the
future. Additional farewells must go
to Capt Mal Wheeler, CSgt ‘Bugsy’ Malone and Sgt Coulter; good luck in your future endeavours to all of them.
We welcome Maj Harry Porteous in as the new OC, CSgt ‘Reg’ Varley as the CQMS, fortunately coming in from the FSG so with a head start on Support Coy ways, and three new Platoon Commanders (Pl Cdrs): Captains Tim Fisher (Recce) and Jack Brierley (FSG) and Lt, very nearly Captain, Geoff Nicholls (Mortars).
Already in the run-up to unit moves in 2014, the Coy looks forward to whatever the future holds, both within the MERCIAN fold and for the British Army in the near term. Wherever we may end up in the coming year, the Coy’s hard won reputation from HERRICK 17, and our training now, will ensure every man in the Support Coy
is ready to ‘Stand Firm and Strike Hard’ whenever our skills are called for.
they were fitted with trackers; and they knew exactly where we had been.
The Platoon were amongst the first to be deployed onto Op HERRICK 17, and moved to theatre thoroughly prepared and ready for the challenges ahead. At this stage, being
a senior platoon was both a benefit and a drawback. The huge amount of experience that ran through the Platoon gave us comfort but at the same time previous memories
of Afghanistan, from
our last deployment in 2010, sat heavily on our shoulders. Thankfully everyone in the Platoon rallied together and
our transition into an operational environment was made seamless with the aid of that most British of characteristics: banter.
1 MERCIAN were deployed as the Transition Support Unit (battle-group in conventional sense) to Nad Ali. The Nad Ali AO has seen much change in the last two
some tailored serials into the various MST exercises. This allowed us some opportunity to understand the problems and challenges associated with conventional reconnaissance in the contemporary operating environment. In addition to this, the Platoon also had
to come to terms with mobility; vehicles remaining a novelty to a light-role unit. Our first opportunity to get to grips with the Jackal and Husky platforms came during the Final Training Exercise
(FTX), three weeks
before we deployed. In
reality we had little scope
to really get to grips with
vehicle tactics, aside
from understanding
recovery drills when Cpl
Yeates decided to see
whether a Jackal could
‘jump’ over a mound of
sand. On the plus side
the Jackals provided excellent utility during the Platoon’s nightly pizza run into the nearby villages, cruelly cut short halfway through
the exercise when the DS advised us that
In reality we had little scope to really get to grips with vehicle tactics, aside from understanding recovery drills...
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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