Page 72 - MERCIAN Eagle 2019

B (Malta) Company
WO2 Roberts, B (Malta) Coy 2ic
A very interesting year for B Malta Company, with two OC’s within 12 months the company has grown within the Battalion. Major Phillip Purslow was in command for less than 6 months, then Major Bowden Williams established command of the company and has introduced a more
robust and dynamic company. B Company is one of the strongest companies across the Battalion with three locations across Cheshire, Company HQ with 5 Platoon at Widnes, 4 Platoon at Ellesmere Port and the reliable Mortar Platoon in Stockport.
Over the last 12 months the company has deployed Soldiers to Lithuania, Estonia, Israel, Kenya, Italy, Afghanistan and Cyprus. A busy period for any Infantry Company! The Company has just sent Pte Ramagotsi
on an FTRS posting for 2 years with
1 MERCIAN Based at Bulford. Pte Evans has just deployed to Cyprus for 6 weeks on a PJNCO Cadre with the King’s Division Training Team; this is the first time that a Reserve soldier has deployed on a regular PJNCO Cadre. Pte Watts was a member of the Cambrian Patrol team who were awarded a silver medal - an achievement that has not been earned across the Battalion for several years.
4 Platoon
(Ellesmere Port)
Over the last 12 months, 4 Platoon (Ellesmere Port) have gone from strength to strength, growing in numbers and delivering troops to task. 4 Pl now have a good blend
of Infanteers; some new and some existing, along with ex-regulars who have stepped into the reserves along with our first medic, who is due to complete his CMT 3 in March 2020. The platoon has taken a foot hold
in West Cheshire for the Mercian Regiment with recruit interviews taking place on almost a weekly basis to join the Army Reserve with 4 MERCIAN.
The platoon attended Pl CQM shoot days, foreign shooting completions, oversea ski expeds, Ex WAR HAMMER (LFTT), Ex IRON WOLF (Lithuania), formed a shotgun shooting team, represented battalion rugby, career courses (PSBC), not to mention all the battalion training weekends. There’s already much more booked for 2020.
Pte Barlow, a banker in his day
job, recently returned from Ex IRON WOLF and said “This was my first time abroad with the AR and a fantastic opportunity to work with soldiers from other countries. I am hoping to apply the lessons I have learnt with my time in the battalion to commission within
4 MERCIAN.”
Pte Simcox who recently passed CIC said “When I joined 4 MERCIAN I had recently left college and was looking
for employment. I was able to apply
the skills learnt at the Infantry Training Centre along with assistance from Standard Learning Credits to become SIA qualified and find employment as a dog handler with a local firm.”
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Ex IRON WOLF
CSgt Lee Gregory
Exercise Iron Wolf is an international military exercise conducted in the Pabrade Training Area in Lithuania. The large NATO training exercise involves approximately 4000 troops from Lithuania, Belgium, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Estonia, United States, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal and Germany. Additionally, some 1000 pieces of military hardware were
platoon level training in OIBUA and FIWAF operations. From the start of the exercise we worked with our Lithuanian colleagues, who provided drivers and Troop-Carrying Vehicles which were attached to the company for the duration of the exercise. A Lithuanian Engineer Section was attached to the platoon for a day during training in
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
used during the training. The exercise provided
The large NATO training exercise involves approximately 4000 troops
the OIBUA environment allowing us to practice explosive breaching of doors, enhancing our training considerably.
The next phase
of training saw the company coming together and we quickly
the opportunity for
members of 5 Platoon
to work with and
face-off against NATO
colleagues during
force-on-force training.
During the exercise 4 MERCIAN were supported by members of 1 MERCIAN, a Royal Signals Detachment from 37 Sigs Regt and elements from the Royal Logistic Corps and REME.
honed our skills in the FIWAF environment. During our pre-deployment training we deployed to small training areas such as Leek and Nescliffe which allowed us to practice FIWAF on a small scale. Pabrade Training Area saw us training in forests which were several kilometres squared,
so this provided us with quite a challenge in terms of movement and navigation. Nevertheless, by the end of this training phase the company was well prepared for the main exercise.
We then moved onto the force-on-force
After deploying to Pabrade Training Area, which took a little longer than anticipated due to ‘RAF issues’, we settled into a well- appointed tented accommodation centre around a disused ceramics factory.
The initial phase of training offered the opportunity for the composite company to shake out into its ORBAT and conduct