Page 16 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

14 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Exercise LONG LOOK
A Strathcona on exchange with The Royal Lancers
Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) first came across the 17L during the Second Boer War in South Africa, and then again in World War One where Strathcona’s and Lancers
served in the Cavalry Corps together. In 1925, the Strathcona’s were officially affiliated with the newly amalgamated 17/21L. From 1957 to 1997 our two units regularly exchanged officers, only stopping when the number of Canadian
posts abroad were reduced. Now, Lancers and Strathcona’s honour this tradition with shorter exchanges whenever possible. I was lucky enough to be invited to fly to the UK in September 2017 for a four-month exchange, serving as a Troop Sergeant in B Squadron.
Throughout the exchange, I felt absolutely
spoilt and thoroughly well looked after. I was
incredibly warmly welcomed into the War-
rant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess, and inte-
grated into B Squadron in no time at all. During September I was able to deploy onto Exercise NORTHERN LANCER as a Troop Sergeant. The exercise was a great way to see the North of England and the Borders, as well as an interesting insight into how the Lancers are adapting their training in innovative ways.
Post exercise, I had several opportunities to travel and visit other units in the UK. I visited the Armour Centre, ATDU (Armoured Trials and Development Unit), and the Bovington Tank Museum. I also enjoyed visiting the Queen’s Royal Lancers’ Museum and the Tower of London with the Regiment’s Warrant Officers.
One of the most exciting weeks I experienced in the UK was when I was asked to travel down to attend the Public Order Ex- ercise Conductor course in Lydd. We rarely get the opportunity to take part in this kind of training in Canada, and it really was eye opening! I was also fortunate to have been invited to take part in live-fire ranges, a day of ‘rough shooting’ on the Cat-
terick Training Area, compete in the Regi- mental Orienteering Team and be part of the Squadron Water Polo team. Throughout my exchange, I found myself surrounded by both enthusiastic professionals, eager to share their knowledge and friends, willing to share their time.
I truly enjoyed my time with The Royal Lancers and have learnt from them more than I could possibly include in this article. I believe that this ‘cross-pollination’ of ideas,
tactics and, dare I say it ,cultures between our two units is price- less. Uniquely, it provides experiences and perspectives from both sides of the Atlantic that can only improve our respective Regiments. I will be interested to see what comes of future ex- changes, particularly once The Royal Lancers receive the new AJAX vehicle and the Strathcona’s receive the new recce variant LAV 6. Until then, I look forward to seeing elements of the Regi- ment visit us in Canada during their time in BATUS.
Perseverance.
TAU
لويه :The term Loya Jirga is an anglicisation of the pashto meaning ‘grand assembly’. Although not strictly an ,هګجر Afghan-only affair, it has become synonomous with the Pash- tun people who use it, along with other ethnic groups in Af- ghanistan, to gather elders (think Commanding Officer and Regimental Sergeant Major), tribal chiefs (think department heads) and key leaders (think Squadron Sergeant Majors) to discuss and decide on important matters of the day, or points of principal.
On 22nd June 2017, in an attempt to not throw the baby out with the bathwater, the great and the good (self-professed) of The Royal Lancers gathered in a sterile hut in Foxglove Cov- ert and, away from distractions but fuelled by biscuits, dis- cussed some of the thornier issues facing the Regiment. Some of these issues have been around as long as memory: Regimen- tal structure, productivity, and internal communications; they were discussed in great detail and various solutions proposed and debated – sometimes vehemently.
The hardest to argue was a change in regimental structures; to make all four sabre squadrons homogenous and make them equal in terms of command and capability would also involve the removal of surveillance troop. Surveillance Troop seemed to have morphed from an old Recce Troop, been up-gunned for Operation HERRICK, but had been underpowered since. It was emotive, but eventually the decision was taken to turn it into a normal-sized and equipped support troop, allowing the new structure to be imposed.
After that it all seemed easy, although the issues were no less knotty. Soldiers and officers alike have always complained about a lack of information; this has become more acute with a generation who are used to having access to the most obscure information from their mobile phones in a heartbeat (except on the signal black spot that is Salisbury Plain or Warminster Barracks). There is no easy answer, but the Army is slowly catching up with online hosting of Part 1 Orders, amongst other things, which should save the queue outside the squad- ron offices each evening, waiting for details of first parade. It is getting better, although it won’t stop the grumbling!
Productivity is equally difficult, as no man is popular for sug- gesting that Monday mornings and Friday afternoons should involve some work, but a solution was reached that eats into those times and tries to recalibrate regular training practises after 10 years of campaigning where, arguably, training was laid on for us. There have been incremental improvements, but things tend to take time. As the Regiment feels its way into being Squadrons they are beginning to develop their own style.
At the same time, the Troop Leaders – in their own enigmatic style – held their own ‘Loya Jirga’. The rest of the Regiment left a little drained after all the self-criticism and trench war- fare - but also with a sense of achievement and hope. That said, a lingering sense that we might have created some work for ourselves hung over the usual cohort. Fortunately, we had also created some time in which to do it. Friday afternoon anyone?
TCIP
The Regimental ‘Loya Jirga’