Page 124 - QDG Year of 2022 CREST

122 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Valetes
Brigadier Jasper de Quincey-Adams OBE
Jasper joined the Regiment in August 1991 as a young fresh- faced non-graduate officer whose potential had been identified at Sandhurst where he was a JUO. Arriving at the Officers’ Mess just as a PO visit commenced he caused some consternation and surprise two days later when he did not leave with the others! He joined a Regiment and Army that was flush from the success of Gulf War 1, but now lacking its Cold War purpose and broke, unable to fund training or any real activity so he spent most of his first six months playing polo. Then, once the outcome of Options for Change was known and the Regiment reluctantly forced to convert to the Challenger Main Battle Tank (MBT), he was the first officer to attend the MBT Troop Leaders’ course. As one of the few remaining non-graduate officers, he had the time as a Troop Leader to learn from those experienced soldiers around him, not least SSgts Bennett and McHale, who were largely responsible for turning him into a professional officer who could actually map read at pace – after a number of false starts!
The Balkan Wars of the 1990s kept him busy during his form- ative years and he completed five tours to Bosnia and Kosovo. Initially, in 1995, this was as a UN Sector Liaison Officer to the Warring Factions (accompanied by the prettiest interpreter in the country) running humanitarian aid into Sarajevo over Mount Igman. Returning in 1996 with NATO as B Squadron’s Second- in-Command with a hybrid Squadron of QDG and Royal Green Jackets, he managed the daily culture clash between the infantry and cavalry and was then a hugely effective Battlegroup Oper- ations Officer in Kosovo in 1999/2000. His final Balkan tour was in Bosnia with the Division in Banja-Luka.
Like so many Germany-based soldiers, Jasper was sent back to Staff College with the express task of finding a wife, which he did most successfully in the form of Jill, who subsequently acted as his rock for the remainder of his career, fully embraced military life and was a passionate supporter of the
Regimental family – on the condition that a veritable
menagerie of animals would accompany them from
quarter to quarter.
relied on the exceptional prowess and initiative of the individual crew commanders who inevitably rose to the challenge. A passionate believer in the Welsh Cavalry concept, not the least as the key to avoiding amalgamation, he was outspoken in the media about the standard of the Welsh education system, much to the chagrin of Army! The Regiment deployed as the ISTAR Battlegroup to Helmand for Op HERRICK 15, for which he was
As B Squadron Leader, Jasper deployed to
Iraq twice with the Regiment, which included Op
BRACKEN the UK contribution in support of the
USMC assault on Fallujah. This involved integrating
into the Black Watch Battlegroup and moving to
Camp DOGWOOD in the so-called Triangle of
Death. It was a very demanding and dangerous
operation for which he was most deservedly
awarded the QCVS. It was here that his mantra
of ‘Orders, Rehearsals and ROC Drills’ was born, commanding a formation reconnaissance squadron doing exactly what it was designed for – operating in depth across the desert – and recognized as the best and fittest in the Division! A third Iraq tour almost immediately followed working for PJHQ in Basra, which was a rather pedestrian experience following the excitement of serving on operations with the Regiment.
On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, Jasper deployed for a 9-month tour in Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 10/11 as the mentor to the Helmand Chief of Police. This tour was quite punchy, involving frequent contacts and fights alongside the Afghan Police and with an eclectic mentoring group largely consisting of Gurkhas and the US National Guard.
On assuming command of the Regiment in Dempsey Barracks Sennelager in April 2010, the Battlegroup deployed to BATUS Canada for three back-to-back exercises as the Opposition Force (OPFOR) and quietly took the remainder of the Brigade apart having developed ‘swarm tactics,’ the success of which
A passionate believer in the Welsh Cavalry concept
appointed OBE in recognition of the momentum the Battlegroup generated in challenging the insurgents in their so-called safe havens. Three of his squadron leaders (Coombes, Bond, Stenhouse) subsequently became Commanding Officers, a statistic he was hugely proud of, and the Late Entry officers were widely recognised as the best in the Brigade – by some way.
Following Regimental Command and an enforced stint in the MoD, which convinced him of the disconnect with the ambitions of the Army and the resources available, he elected to focus on building a career within NATO. Initially he deployed to head up Task Force Ukraine immediately following the
invasion of Crimea in 2014 and then followed by a tour in Brussels as Special Advisor to the Chairman of the Military Committee. After a brief return to UK for HCSC, he returned to Belgium as the head of strategic operations at SHAPE (Director CCOMC) for which he was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal.
Finally, forced to return to the UK and by now firmly on a stellar trajectory, Jasper was posted to Army HQ for the first time in his career, as ACOS Operations, a role that quickly became dominated by the Army’s response to COVID 19. He assumed command of 7 Infantry Brigade (The Desert Rats) in 2018 and during his tenure he worked the Brigade up for its commitment as the Joint Expeditionary Force Light Brigade. This he accom- plished in his energetic way and forged the Brigade into a highly capable and effective formation. Following command, he retired from the Army and is now pursuing other opportunities. We thank him for his contribution to the Regiment and wish him, Jill and Arabella all the best for the future.