Page 30 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

28 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
...Targets will not stop
the Cypriot coast. SSgt Rymer ensured our simple digs were brought up to standard and SSM Green made us earn it through a rigorous PT programme before the sun came up... in a last-ditch effort to bring the Sqn’s beach bodies up to his own standard of bronze (orange?) adonis.
Accommodation up to standard; our days were filled with all sorts of good training including rifle ranges, navigation and patrolling skills, which all culminated in a patrols competition around the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area and the defeat of sniper Cpl Tom “Longshot” Longshaw on the rifle range by LCpl Bryant. The heat meant that training would usually have to finish in the early afternoon allowing the Sqn to unwind and cool down on one of the many local beaches. Due to some creative accounting of points D Sqn were defeated in a sports competition against the SNIY, but made up for it with outstanding performances in Ayia Napa followed by a Junior Officers’ romantic getaway into the Trudos mountains!
Away from the military side of things there was plenty of oppor- tunity to explore the island, which included a historical and cul- tural tour delivered by the Troop Leaders with the assistance of a local tour guide and her very particular views of those north of the UN Buffer Zone. The reputation of D Sqn in Cyprus is likely to remain for some time thanks to the incredibly tight, bright yel- low swimming trunk donned by Cpl Walker of the LAD at every opportunity.
Very reluctantly the Sqn got on a RAF Voyager at the end of September and returned home to a much quieter camp in Tidworth, having missed the deployment of the wider Regiment
The Officers – ‘Did you know there was sea down here?
to Estonia. Our focus now turned to furthering what we had achieved in Cyprus as well as running career courses in support of our core warfighting role. The run up to Christmas also allowed a large contingent of the Sqn to join A Company, 3 Ranger Battalion on exercise in Brecon where they were able to conduct live firing at Troop level before moving onto Close Quarter Battle training in the second week.
SHQ bravely abandoned the Sqn to their dismounted training and instead took themselves to California for a recce for a planned and sadly cancelled Ex DIAMONDBACK in the desert. Braving “Crack Den” accommodation complete with spent 9mm rounds in the car park the tour culminated with dragging a reluctant QM Capt Chris Pople to Las Vegas before heading to LA for the flight home.
The year came to an end with the usual week of fun and games allowing us to let our hair down before spending some much- needed time with our families. It would also prove to be a chance to send off a mix of our soldiers, NCOs and an Officer who were “by the Regiment in Estonia requiring some D Sqn quality”. Looking forward to 2023 the Sqn will be focussing on taking all it has done this year and making ourselves even better as both indi- viduals and as a group of King’s Royal Hussars. The situation in Eastern Europe means we must, like the rest of Defence, remain agile and prepared for whatever may come our way. The one thing we can say for certain is that the Sqn is well placed to deploy and operate wherever we may be sent and will do so with all the charm and professionalism that ‘Dirty D’ is known for.
JSPW / ROW
BCS – Right, who’s first?
There’s a decent view from the new Range 2 tower