Page 10 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

8 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
Jackal in the Snow – “I thought the blue flash would blend in with the snow and ice lads.”
around Cardiff castle and the museum
was an invaluable experience in recon-
necting with our history. The trip was
topped off by a social gathering with the
Cardiff branch of the RCA. Stories old
and new were shared where the names
were different but the cadence and antics
remarkably similar.
Hot on the heels of the tour of Wales
the Sqn embarked on Ex INVICTA
DRAGOON at the generous hospi-
tality of Edward Barham at Hole Park.
This opportunity for training on private
land allowed the Sqn to practice core
skills and mandatory annual training in
a relaxed environment. Several junior
ranks were even afforded the opportu-
nity to accompany the game keeper on
a night stalk with many earning their
blooding for shooting a deer. The trip was
completed by a BBQ hosted by ex RSM
QDG Andy Bowtell and his wife.
In July, a mere three months after
recovering from Op CABRIT, A Sqn
found themselves once again committed
to operations this time Op Interflex in
the UK. While the Real Life Support task
of supporting foreign partners in their
delivery of training for the Ukrainian
Armed Forces was not the most glam-
orous of tasks it was none-the-less
rewarding being at the political edge of
UK policy. For six months A Sqn soldiers
rotated in and out of Wathgill camp in
Catterick which became our second
home. Being so close to an army engaged
in existential war surely sharpened the
minds of all those involved, and the
moving scenes of the farewell parades
will live long in all of our memories.
Throughout the second half of the year
A Sqn were also held at readiness to
surge to eastern Europe should the war
in Ukraine expand or if NATO deemed it
necessary to bolster the eastern deter-
rence posture. This requirement forced
the Sqn to balance commitments to Op
INTERFLEX with a need to maintain
the Sqns vehicles at high readiness.
With extremely depleted manpower Cpl
Flower led a determined and ultimately
successful effort to bring the majority
of the fleet online after a long period of
storage and to against all the odds, meet
our readiness requirement of 85% avail-
ability.
Toward the back end of the year, with
operational taskings winding down
there are a number of notable achieve-
ments to mention in closing. Firstly LCpl
Glinos, largely off his own back organised
a charity bike ride over 300 miles from
north to south Wales. With a team of
5, including the SSM, they managed to
raise £1850 for Papyrus.
Finally, and just in time for the
Lt Webster leading the charge
like a true Cavalry Officer
Tpr Crossley – “The face of the Soldiers Soldier”
Christmas silly season the Sqn received
the fantastic news from the Corps boxing
championships that LCpl Flood-McCann
and Tpr Jeffery both won their bouts
contributing to the team effort that saw
QDG crowned RAC boxing champions.
As I have demonstrated through this
clumsy attempt to infuse a musical theme
to this annual report, it is devilishly hard
to accurately capture the year we have
had without resorting to our banned
adjective. Soldiering in A Sqn over the
last 12 months has certainly satisfied our
desires for adventure, challenge, and fun.
2025 is shaping up to follow a similar
tune with a deployment to Kosovo on Op
ELGIN slated for early in the New Year,
who knows, it might even be a ■■■ one.
JC
Tpr Jacobs politely telling Sgt
Hugo he wasn’t behind the wheel
at the time during the PNCO