Page 17 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 15
A burning monk? No, RIP Staff Sergeant Quinn Oi oi
Operation TOSCA Pre-Deployment Training
As I write, the Regiment is deep in the excitement and sweat which comes with preparing for an operational tour. TOSCA is set to be a very different experience from which the Regiment has become accustom to over the last ten years of campaigning in both Iraq and Afghanistan. However, more the fool who under- estimates the requirements of the task and, while the OPTAG sausage machine no longer exists, pre-deployment training is still a comprehensive affair. The training for Cyprus is focussed on three key areas; public order operations, liaison and conflict resolution, and low-level framework patrolling.
Public order preparation started in earnest in October with 25 Officers and NCOs attending the Public Order Safety Staff course in Lydd run by the Missiton Training and Mount- ing Centre (MTMC – think OPTAG with a new abbreviation to keep you on your toes). The comprehensive and demand- ing course took students from the very basics of public order instruction through to the planning and execution of full scale battle exercises, incorporating petrol bombs, vehicles and a healthy amount of projectiles. The Coldstream Guards excelled in their role as the ‘civpop’ and their ability to hit the shield line with gusto and energy, despite their bruises and Corporal “Angry Man” Atherley’s solid baton strikes, is to their testament as a combat unit. All thoroughly enjoyed the week with the majority agreeing the highlight was watching Staff Sergeant Quinn go up in a ball of flames by a particularly well-thrown petrol bomb by Sergeant Whitehead Jr.
Returning to Catterick, it was time to cascade our training to the men and women of A, B and D Squadrons who will form UNFI- CYP’s Mobile Force Reserve and Sector 2 Operations Company. It was not a surprise to see the smiles of soldiers as they received new kit, in the form of Robocop-style protective masks, and took their place in a shield team. Training began on the tank-park
in relatively sterile conditions – a perfect location to hone the basics – before graduating to Whinney Hill Village at the In- fantry Training Centre in Catterick. This former ‘pads’ estate proved the perfect location for development. All approached the training with courage and enthusiasm under the watchful gaze of Captain Humphreys and his safety team. The stand-out per- formance came from Trooper ‘Telford AFC Massive’ Moss, who some said channelled the experiences of a previous life into his rioter alter ego.
As you read this, the Regiment will have missed Cavalry Memo- rial Parde and be over a month into their respective roles within UNFICYP. They will have come through: a two week public order concentration in Whinney Hill Village - culminating in two 24 hour validation exercises; liaison and conflict resolution courses at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; framework patrolling concentrations; and a Mission Rehearsal Exercise for the Regiment in Nescliffe. It has been a long journey, but one that has set us up well for the challenges of the mission.
Our role in Cyprus remains identifying changes in the status quo and restoring conditions to the status quo ante by liaison and me- diation. Although not our recce ‘day-job’, there are synergies that will develop our recce skills and we continue to keep recon- naissance at the back of our minds. The Regiment donned their blue berets in a symbolic parade to mark the start of the mission as United Nations’ Peacekeepers. They are slightly more faded after six weeks in the Eastern Mediterranean sun, but I can re- port that we are in fine fettle and enjoying the challenges that Cyprus most probably presented our forebears who’ve treaded these long-standing boards in various guises before.
ARH
Sergeant France offers some feedback
Trprs Larty and Moss make contact with the shield wall