Page 31 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 29
Exercise MONS LANCER
ron for Staff College and was replaced by a slightly shorter (I know, the Squadron didn’t think it was possible either), plumper and more handsome replacement in the form of Alex Bowie. The new Officer Commanding had the honour of deploying the Squadron to the wilds of Northumbria on Exercise NORTH- ERN LANCER immediately on arrival. It sounded glorious and exciting from his desk in Andover – Bowie: ‘I’ll wing it when I get there’. The reality was rather more amusing as he assembled his webbing in a moving Land Rover with a radio in a Tesco car- rier bag. That said, the Squadron had a truly excellent exercise. Freed from some of the more traditional constraints of tracked vehicles on military training areas, the Squadron was free to march and conduct reconnaissance and security activities over 300 square kilometres, from Catterick to Berwick-upon-Tweed and operating for the first time as a Sabre Squadron – a role which we shall move to after Operation TOSCA. All those on NORTHERN LANCER learned and enjoyed. I personally got to see Sergeant Major Smith’s wheelie bin observation post for the first (and probably last) time in the history of the Regiment!
The return saw the Squadron support the Regiment though a number of different exercises, from Exercise IRON RESOLVE to LIGHTNING ACE and also a chance for us to run with some low level exercises and events to pick up some of the lessons we identified in Northumbria. It has been a useful three months albeit one where the Squadron has been in four or five different locations all at once!
The next few months sees the Squadron really change direction to focus on Operation TOSCA, the six month deployment as the Operations Company (apparently a form of squadron used by the infantry), to Sector 2 in Nicosia. For this task we welcome a platoon (a form of large troop) from B Squadron under Lieuten- ant Thom Gray. We also say goodbye to some of the team for a few months, namely our hard working and dedicated Royal Engineers, who will support C Squadron on Exercise PRAIRIE STORM, run the Adventure Training package in Cyprus and also form the backbone of the community engagement team in Nicosia. We shall miss them, but 2018 looks set to be a great year and Salisbury Plain is a small place.
The Squadron Sergeant Major, in horror, loses count of the battlefield discipline infractions committed by the Officer Commanding D Squadron
ADGB
Living off the land