Page 49 - QDG Vol. 9 No. 2 CREST

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
47
The Battle for Hesco
Is this how you hold it?
Election purdah? Never heard of it...
Smart as carrots
The new England 1st XI top order
No, I promise, this is where Wales is, honestly!
BATUK
While C Sqn enjoyed their buckshee drive around West Africa, B Sqn were gearing up for the real fight - stopping an infantry battlegroup from contracting as much COVID as they could on Askari Storm. Making up the majority of a composite QDG/RDG/RY/PWRR/R ANGLIAN force, Gazala Troop led the way in BATUK with equal measures of professionalism and panache.
After a longer than average isolation period in “Tin City” the soldiers were able to break out into town and enjoy the local delights. From unique mass produced wood carvings to the dodgiest goat curry they had ever laid eyes on, the treats did not stop coming. From QRFs to STAPs, the acronyms - much like Tpr Tamani’s
grog - did not stop flowing. As COVID-19 tore through the Mercians’ impromptu “Mombasha” home on the fence line, the QDG soldiers found solace in the actual Mombasa. Close friendships were formed there, such as Tprs Brown and Baker bonding over a Kit-Kat, and love blossomed amongst backpackers, tourists and JNCOs.
Away from the city lights, Gazala Troop was throwing itself into a variety of sports with mixed success. Tpr George walked away as the inaugural BATUK Boxing Champion, while Lt Fulloway was out for a duck (and a wine) at the Nairobi Cricket Club and Bar. Off the field and in the bush, boys tracked poachers and learned about savannah flora and fauna. Learning
to live in austere, extreme conditions 300 miles from the nearest civilisation did not, however, stop them watching the England-Wales 6 Nations game (40-24 to Wales, much to Tpr Walker’s dismay.)
As the deployment came to a close, 9 RLC took over thanks to the indefati- gable LCpl Newbold, who conducted the most thorough HOTO he could. After a month’s delay due to everybody getting COVID, Gazala Troop finally recovered to the UK. Tanned, fit and full of ally dits about Troop Leaders chartering private planes, the QDG will wave a sad goodbye to the BATUK Force Protection commitment with their move to 3 DIV at the end of 2022.
RF