Page 24 - QDG Vol. 9 No. 2 CREST

22
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Troop Leader for 2nd Troop. It was there- fore fitting that in this village Capt Cooper had a camel riding lesson.
With the onset of October, we prepared for the final operation of the tour, an operation called MAKARA 3. This included the usual vehicle mainte- nance, personnel rehabilitation and usual battle procedures. A pause was granted to celebrate another Gurkha festival, that of Vijaya Dashain, involving
the Gurkha personnel of the
Task Force kindly cooking a
curry for everyone. Operation
MAKARA 3 was scheduled
to be the longest patrol we
would conduct and due to
the long distances involved,
it would also be the hardest
and most complex. The
Squadron prepared for this
patrol by cramming as many
noodles, fizzy drinks and
snacks onto their vehicles
as possible! The operation
started with a 500km route reconnaissance led by C
Squadron. While this is our
core business it was still
a testing and challenging
phase for the Squadron as
we led the remainder of the
Task Force across difficult
terrain. Some new arrivals
with the Squadron for this patrol, with Lt Fetherstonhaugh, LCpl Tomkins and Tpr Wilson all experiencing their first patrol. On 20th October, after three days on the
march, elements of the Squadron were sent off to find alternative routes. On their return, and in a similar scenario to the incidents in September, the lead Troops identified insurgents on motorbikes with weapons. The Troops set about to interdict the individuals in order to detain them for carrying illegal weapons. The insurgents moved into an area of dense vegetation and, to great surprise to all the Squadron, they shot at us. C Squadron returned fire and neutralised the situation, again showing the difference we made to the security situation in Mali and the protection we provided the population. A day later, with the previous day’s incident still in the forefront of our minds, a number of the Task Force were caught in a
bush fire. Sadly, one of the Squadron’s vehicles was set on fire and went up in flames whilst trying to help the Task Force. Thankfully the crew managed to get away safely.
Despite the challenging and eventful first few days of the operation, the Squadron managed to find a route all the way to a town called Menaka. Here we stopped for a few days in the UN Super-
excellent BBQ for everyone which had a virtual boxing competition and karaoke. The highlight of the evening had to be the walk on for Corporal Rowlands who was representing C Squadron for the virtual boxing. Marching on in a pair of miniscule leopardskin shorts to the song ‘I want to be in the Cavalry,’ he was received with rapturous cheers. Thankfully C Squadron won this boxing competition – again! A low light was definitely LCpl Rees doing an enthusiastic version of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On.’
Throughout November there were flashbacks to May as the Squadron became hugely reliant on the Royal Air Force, and this time, it was even more important as they provided our escape from Mali. The first flight was delayed due to numerous excuses including crew food poisoning, hitting birds on the runway and technical issues in Nigeria. The month also saw the QDG Task Force and A Squadron arrive, which was a great sight. To enable their arrival, the majority of the Squadron moved across to the German accom- modation on Camp Castor. Whilst the commute to work was slightly longer and the accommodation slight older, the great benefit was the German Wi-Fi and regular supply of coffee. It meant that for our last days of the tour, we had reliable internet! As A Squadron arrived, the Squadron provided a comprehen-
sive RSOI package. This included everything from our lessons learnt, through to kit issue and
The Squadron drove up the road on the final day flying the Squadron Standard, Welsh Flag and Fijian Flag as a celebration of our successful last patrol
were also
camp, enjoying some rest and well-earned Wi-fi and air conditioning. The middle phase of the operation saw C Squadron hosting journal- ists from The Sun and The Independent as we entered remote villages to speak to the population and provide security. It was a pleasure to host them and provided an opportunity to capture lots of Squadron and Troop photo- graphs, including an iconic photograph of Trooper Faulkner with a goat. The final phase of the opera- tion saw a quiet return from Menaka to Camp Bagnold. What took eight days on the way out, only took four on the way back, testament to the skill of the drivers in the
Squadron. The Squadron drove up the road on the final day flying the Squadron Standard, Welsh Flag and Fijian Flag as a celebration of our successful last patrol.
The Squadron started November on the final few days of Operation MAKARA 3. Everyone was delighted to enter Camp Bagnold following this arduous and chal- lenging operation. Once we were back in camp and following the initial welcome of a burger and cold can of coke, everyone started the process of preparing their kit, vehicles and themselves for the handover. This involved a thorough inspection procedure, followed by demanding the required spares and lots and lots of cleaning. Due to the vast distances we had travelled, a large amount of ammu- nition had to be destroyed. Capt Lewis therefore led a patrol to demolish this, which resulted in six almighty bangs. On one of the weekends, Capt Groome organised a cricket match against the contractors and despite our best efforts, they convincingly beat the Task Force, testament to their excellent cricketing skills. The Task Force also organised an