Page 23 - Mercian Eagle 2013

Headquarter Company
OC Maj K Fletcher CSM WO2 W Budworth
Whilst the Battalion prepared itself to take some well-earned pre-deployment leave, the Company began to reorganise itself in order to form both the nucleus of the Rear Operations Group (ROG), and ensure that those individuals who would be supporting Op HERRICK 17 were ready to deploy
and support the Company groups. This transition went extremely smoothly and
the ROG was fully operational as the first coaches travelled to take those deploying to the respective departure airports. Once deployment was complete the ROG settled into a tried and tested battle rhythm and started preparing itself for the onslaught
Headquarters (BHQ) together with his unmatched efficiency as the Adjutant and did a tremendous job keeping the various plates spinning from Welfare to Warfare! Special thanks must also go to Capt Vince Gough and CSgt Den Hughes who oversaw the welfare of our soldiers and families and both provided an incredible level of support both in Catterick and across the Counties. We wish them both well during their transitions to civilian life and their experience and dedication will be sorely missed. Equipments and infrastructure were overseen by a very small team under the watchful eye of WO2 Dickie Page (when he wasn’t acting as Assisting Officer in Court!) and assisted by Sgt John Baker,who must
of ‘Assurance Inspections’ that would continue throughout the nine months that the ROG was stood up.
The ROG was drawn
from across the unit and
initially numbered over
130 personnel which
included the Battle
Casualty Replacement
(BCR) Platoon, however
towards the end of its
tenure it numbered less
than 40 as individuals were either sent to Afghanistan as replacements or ended their service.
The mainstay of ROG came in the forms of WO2 Mike Buckley and CSgt Tony Griffiths both of whom had a vast amount of experience with Rear Party management. They have both now sadly left after a total of 46 years service between them and
we wish them and their families every success in the future. The then Lt now Capt James ‘Claims’ Trehane kept Battalion
now hold the record
for the quantity of job roles and accounts
held by one individual. Everyone involved in the manning of the ROG did tremendous jobs and, contrary to popular belief, worked some extremely long hours
supporting those in Afghanistan. We are now preparing for the
reorganisation of The Mercian Regiment and wait with baited breath to find out where
our futures lie. Tranche 3 redundancy
has reduced our numbers a little and removed a large chunk of experience from the Company and we wish all those leaving the best of luck in the future. On a brighter note the Company have just achieved a commendable 4th position in an Inter Coy sports week and are looking forward to
Quartermaster’s Department
Everyone involved in the manning of the ROG did tremendous jobs...
WO2 ‘Billy’ Budworth (OPSWO) takes a break between briefings during RSOI in MOB Bastion
providing individuals to support the various overseas exercises and training support tasks planned for the next 12 months.
This article would not be complete without wishing a fond farewell to Major Ronnie Goodwin who saw the company through all its deployment training and then deployed with them as the voice of reason, we all wish him and his family the best of luck for the future in his new role as OC A Company at AFC Harrogate. Finally I would like to welcome WO2 Billy Budworth who has recently assumed the appointment of CSM and CSgt Norm Bate who is due to replace CSgt Graeme McMillan in the post of CQMS (our fourth in as many months) and am sure HQ Company will grow in stature under their expert guidance.
This was a very busy period and not helped by the that fact it was during the heat of summer and it was taking much longer to acclimatise 80per cent of the department because ... they were ginger. We eventually settled into the battle rhythm and part of
The Rear JOC enjoy a sports morning BASTION style
Op Herrick 17 was a difficult tour for the Quartermaster’s department working to the Rear Joint Operations Cell (JOC) in Camp Bastion. Prior to arriving in theatre it was widely accepted that the J4 task for this tour would be significant, and the reality certainly lived up to the hype. The early reductions in troop numbers, the size of
our Transitional Support Unit (TSU) and the additional task of bringing into order the accounts from previous tours all contributed to a demanding and challenging time.
Arriving early into theatre with the QM were WO2 (RQMS) Page, Sgt Rob Stokes and Cpl ‘Donny’ Donohue. Unable to maintain the pace, and first to fall, was
the RQMS who short-toured after a little over 30 days! He was replaced by WO2 (RQMS) ‘Dava’ Davison, fresh from his RQMS course which had clearly sapped his humour. The rest of the team arrived over the next few days and we were bolstered by additional members from outside the QM’s department in order to fulfil our role.
QM (M): QM (T): RQMS (M): RQMS (T):
Maj K Taylor Capt M Bard WO2 W Glynn WO2 S Davison
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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