Page 20 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

18 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
The world’s worst Oasis tribute act
was sent to Zelensky to stand easy: the Crimson Trouser Band was ready. Predictably, A Sqn towered above the rest of the bat- tlegroup and only had to leave behind a small rear-guard under the 2IC and LCpl (now Cpl – testament to his performance over this period) Mate to carry out some unfinished business helping coach & mentor the Senior Squadron through what is now known as ‘that range package.’ The xHx regrouped back in Tidworth and the 2IC closed the door to CMR firmly behind them. We waved an incredibly fond farewell to WO2 Calland as he departed us for the greener pastures of Lulworth and the Gunnery School, taking with him Cpl Brown who had been deservedly selected for pro- motion to Sgt as a gunnery instructor.
The Regiment’s gaze was now firmly fixed East. A truncated BCS package on the plain soon gave way to Easter leave. The sabres stopped rattling and thoughts turned to higher things; the Pentecost, the Last Supper, the Ascension and the barmaids of Val Thorens. Several of the Squadron, including all its offic- ers, selflessly volunteered to spend a portion of their leave on the snow-capped peaks of the Alps. The merriment was matched with sporting professionalism. Tprs Sharpe and Finch mastered the snow plough with the same level of tenacity as Shaolin monks, gliding rigidly in a flawless snake across slopes of varying incline.
On the other side of the coin were the Tp Leaders and their 2ic, who quite frankly descended into squalor. Their room soon became a nightmarish blend of Col Kurtz’s jungle camp and the final scene from Requiem for a Dream. Heads were shaven, semi- raw chicken consumed and a cult dedicated to the worship of a sizeable piece of gruyere gained worrying traction. The less we know, the better: the OC is still being TRiM’ed as a result. The advent of summer brought forward the next great adventure for
LCpl Nuamah practicing mounted navigation
A Squadron, as they boarded planes, trains and HETs, headed for the Polish heartlands. Ex DEFENDER 22 was set to be the final test before the BG deployed to Estonia on OP CABRIT 11. The exercise was a fascinating blend of tactical challenge and a behind-the-scenes insight into the filming of District 9: the Sqn arrived in pitch blackness and driving rain to find BGHQ in full retreat from Moscow, evacuating from the forest as sizeable trees were crashing down around them in the storm. Notable moments included the squadron falling in love with the Danish OC’s man bun and designer stubble, Cpl Stancombe’s exotic interpretation of North and South live over the Sqn net as he gallantly perished in a notional CAS strike whilst still insisting that he was right and the OC was wrong, and Sgt Barnett desperately burning and syphoning off a full CR2’s worth of fuel before a leaking solenoid deposited the entire contents onto the training area. The Danish Sqn, downwind of this activity, could be forgiven in thinking that the apocalypse was indeed nigh, as endless clouds of diesel smoke enveloped their daily coffee and cake break. Morale remained astonishingly high throughout, despite G4 frictions and life in the jungle. Nothing screams ‘this is belonging’ like a cold pindy- loo against a fence line basha, in the driving rain. Thankfully Gorgeous George aka MFP aka Mr Plant, aka our second SSM this year, ran a tight ship, and if he wasn’t rehearsing lines for his next Guy Ritchie cameo in response to entrepreneurial JNCOs finding novel ways to breach the force protection rules, he was keeping the troops up to date with boxing tips and the Arsenal scores. Eventually the BG managed to extricate itself from the dusty jaws of TAA Alligator and reached the land of milk and honey via a short stop in Germany. However, not all of the 20th were headed home. The OC, in what can only be described as a valiant attempt to reclaim his youth, lead a regimental team south to the French Alps to take part in exercise CENTAURE
LCpl Thompson setting the range on fire