Page 8 - 1RHA 2024

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Battery was dispersed for Christmas leave, to return in January for the new year.
As the Tac Group were away finishing their MRT, the Gun Group began its preparation for a series of exercises over the coming months. The Battery was reunified on Foundation Day, an annual event on the 2nd of February, this year held in Larkhill. It saw members participate in a day of team building activities includ- ing paintball and the annual Chestnut Troop football tournament from which Ross Troop emerged victorious. It was also a time for reflection, as the traditional church service provided Maj Gen N Marshall OBE an opportunity to explain the reasons for which we hold the Chris Manley football competition each year. It con- cluded with past and present members of the Troop gathering in the Officers’ Mess for dinner. Lt Gen Sir Andrew Gregory KBE CB DL was the guest of honour and addressed the Chestnut Troop on both its past and its future. Foundation Day was a great suc- cess and set the conditions for the Tac and Gun Groups to sepa- rate before reuniting later in the year.
In February the Gun Group deployed on Ex CHESTNUT STRIKE, a 10-day exercise focused on conceptual development and per- petual motion. The Gun Group was the primary training audience for the duration of the exercise, which offered a unique oppor- tunity to train based on the lessons learned from current con- flicts, and train as we would fight. We achieved a wide array of deployment types, with stress testing the newly developed Gun Raid SOC of particular note. This live fire Gun Raid was the first of its type and set the conditions for a Regimental Gun Raid on Ex CYPHER WARRIOR. We also achieved perpetual motion in AMAs, increasing our survivability and testing our command and control. We also took the opportunity to conduct direct fire and modified indirect training which was a great opportunity to execute some relatively unique training types. The Gun Group
performed well and set a benchmark for the expected standard of operating moving forward.
In March the Tac Group deployed on Op CABRIT 14. The initial stages of the deployment saw the usual amount of business as they received the handover from B Bty, but the process was executed by the continued presence of B’s Gun Group for the first three months of the tour. After the handover was complete, the Tac Gp deployed on Ex BOLD BUGLE, integrating the Battle Group into the 1st Estonian Brigade, and learning invaluable les- sons through hard fighting against a determined Estonian OpFor. Following a short turnaround, the Battle Group then deployed on Ex BOLD MONSOON and Ex SPRING STORM. The former saw the HQ deploy to the Russian border at Narva to conduct a CP Ex, playing through the National Defence Plan with LOCONs on the ground. This was swiftly followed by SPRING STORM, the premier training event for the Estonian Army. The opportunity for a brigade level force-on-force exercise, held on public land, was not lost on anyone and was a truly unique exercise. This also rep- resented the final hurrah for B Bty’s Gun Gp, who after 9 months had lost none of their enthusiasm for unique training opportuni- ties available on CABRIT.
In April the Gun Group deployed on the Regimental exercise, Ex CYPHER WARRIOR which expanded on the good work on Ex CHESTNUT STRIKE. A huge amount of experimentation was done on this exercise, including dispersed gun positions, data missions and confirmation of Gun Raids. All of these deploy- ments were in a Regimental context and achieved using data, a difficult feat which was extremely successful. The exercise culmi- nated in the final firing of AS90 in the UK, these rounds were fired by the Chestnut Troop. It was a special way to mark the end of an era. It was fitting that The Chestnut Troop had the honour, as it will also be the last Battery to use and fire the AS90 operationally in the British Army.
In June the Gun Group deployed into theatre, relieving B Battery and reunifying The Chestnut Troop. The first few weeks of the tour saw an intense period of equipment care in order to prepare the Guns and vehicles for the first live fire exercise of the tour in late July.
In a welcome break from the gun garages, early July saw the Arty Group deploy on Ex CHESTNUT SIEGE, a dismounted urban skills exercise. This was the first opportunity for the Gun Group to integrate into the Arty Group alongside the Tac Group and T Bty, 12RA with the addition of a Pl of our French counterparts and an RMP detachment. The exercise was conducted in Rabasaare Training Village. It was a JNCO developed and lead exercise, giv- ing them the opportunity to develop their teaching skills, as well
6