Page 5 - Bugle Issue 18 Auntumn 2021

FOREWORD
FOREWORD
By The Colonel Commandant General
Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen
Welcome to another edition of The Bugle, and safe to say that whilst the nation has advanced to a better place than when I last wrote to you, we still have a way to go before we can return to normal.
For all that, I have been hugely impressed by the way in which the Regiment has adapted to maintain its outputs. This year I have visited the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions, and on each occasion was proud to see
the resilience shown by Riflemen and their families.
But it has also been a period of grief and loss. The deaths of CSjt Pascoe and LCpl Francis affected a great many of us, and as I wrote to you in May, there is plenty of work to be done to better support our serving soldiers and veterans. I met with the Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Leo Docherty MP, who is closely engaged with the issue and is pursuing improvements to the system of support for our veterans at the MOD and governmental level; I also spoke with the senior members of the Regimental council and have directed that a project officer, with suitable experience in this field, be appointed to identify new ways in which to increase the support offered by The Rifles.
I must re-iterate the point that we must
all play our part in identifying and helping those with whom we have served. A simple text message or offer of a catch-up to an old comrade with whom you have lost touch can make all the difference. I will update you on the progress we are making to our systems of support in the next edition.
The Rifles lost a great ally and friend to
the Regiment with the death of HRH Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh in April. We were extraordinarily fortunate to have had
the patronage of the Consort to the Monarch in one guise or another since 1957, and his humour, tenacity and innate style has had a deep impression on The Rifles. It was a great privilege for me, in my capacity as one of the Defence Chiefs, to take part in the funeral procession, and I was immensely proud of the Riflemen from across the Regiment, and the Band and Bugles who were on parade that day, and represented us so well. I know that the Royal Family were grateful and proud of the display put on by the Armed Forces that day.
Turning to the future; we now know
what shape the British Army will take in the coming years after the announcement of the Integrated Review. As I write, we do not have exact clarity on what units will be doing which roles, and how those units will be composed, as the work is ongoing to finalise the outcomes within the constraints set up by the Government and MOD. Whilst, of course, it is a great shame that we will lose the 4th Battalion to The Rangers, we can be assured that there will always remain deep links to the ethos and practices that established our antecedents, and that now sets us at the vanguard of the Infantry. I know that the 4th Battalion The Rangers will blaze the trail in this new role.
Overall, the outcome for The Rifles has been favourable and recognises the unique strength we hold as a large, national Regiment with deep roots in our communities, and supported so well by the pillars on which we rely. But there is plenty of change to come, and I will reiterate our mantra of adaptability and innovation that has brought us to the present and will serve us well in the future.
Swift and Bold.
RIFLES The Bugle 5