Page 46 - RSDG Year of 2023

44 EAGLE AND CARBINE
QM(T) DEPT
WO2 Messenger RQMS(T)
Ultracrepidarian – one who is presumptuous and offers advice or opinions beyond one’s sphere of knowledge.
We started 2023 as 2022 had ended; continuing with drawdown, and receipting in the TDU (Theatre Drawdown Unit). I must mention though, spending Christmas and New Year in 30 plus degrees heat is a different change of pace, there was not one snowman to be seen! The TDU were a great bunch of people with a wealth of experience who helped he team massively. As the days and weeks ticked down, we kept sending equipment back by the fragile air bridge, something we had come very custom to. We had also been given a deadline date by which all the VaME (Vehicles and Major Equipment), ISO containers & infra had to be finalised however, this turned into a creeping date; back and forth due to the nature of the politics in Mali, TDU set a deadline of around mid-Mar, this would see all hands to the pumps from the team, everything and I mean EVERYTHING had to go through SSgt Humphries and SSgt Shanks for MJDI action & sentencing. Much praise must be given to them, as tens of thousands of transactions had to be laboriously entered day and night. The weeks passed and Camp Bagnold started to empty as elements of Sqn/ Coy, NSE & HQ started to be sent home, no queuing for meals
anymore!! The end of March was upon us and the team was about to go home. The only remaining elements were from the TDU, who had to remain for the convoys to leave for Benin. In Summary, Op NEWCOMBE for the QM(T) dept was like a tour no other. Having the responsibility of getting so much kit, worth so much money back to the UK for Defence to use was a huge task, and a huge achievement the team should be proud of. For that tour, the NSE punched above its weight and were the main players for ROTO 5.
The bulk of the dept returned from post tour leave around May, this does not mean tech slept idle. The tech ROG had been continuing with supporting wider regt activities. The first of which was Ex PILGRIMS PROGRESS, which a sub-unit was deployed for over a week to Galloway Forest. The second was a more tech heavy focused OTX to Germany with 7X, Ex ARRCADE LEDGER. This Ex had been allocated to A Sqn plus BGHQ, who were going to use some familiar training areas as years gone by; Hohne, Fallingbostel and Sennelager. SSgt Hallam was key in this deployment, most of work was carried out prior to the Op