Page 9 - QDG Volume 9 No. 5

A Squadron
It has become a customary warning
issued to all journal contributors to avoid
allusions to being ■■■, or Franz Joseph
forbid, of having had “yet another ■■■
year.” Doing so, the editor informs us, is to
waste word-count on a platitude which
has long since lost its meaning. The new
reality however, the unforeseen phenom-
enon of this editorial direction, is that
even greater word-count is expended on
promising to refrain from mentioning the
“b” word.
It is perhaps worth considering A Sqn’s
year in terms of tempo. In so doing it is
possible to acknowledge the very regular
drum beat of activity without ascribing
a frequency to that activity that would
displease the Journal Fuhrer. Tempo,
a predominantly musical term, fits the
purpose of describing the familiar rhythm
of regimental life. Our tempo ebbs and
flows from the allego or cheerful rhythm
of adventurous training and social
occasions. The andante, walking pace
of regimental business in Robertson
Barracks to the Presto of our opera-
tional commitments and exercises. The
resultant tune is very much in keeping
with the previous movement relayed
by my predecessor in last years journal
and will no doubt echo into subsequent
editions.
Picking up the melody where we left off,
A Sqn are in the depths of a cold Eastern
European winter seeing in the year to the
straining tones of Auld Lang Syne. The
pace quickens as several of the Sqn’s
revellers engage in the soldiers most base
instinct, a bar fight. The crescendo sadly
falls flat as LCpl Williams fails to land a
crucial blow on his American adversary
(they started it) instead falling over as he
swung a miss, much to the mirth of all.
It took some smooth talking from Capt
Thomas, the NSE commander, to patch
over the fallout but in the end the alliance
was strengthened in the way that only
hand to hand combat can deliver.
This would not be the last time that
Capt Thomas was called to intervene
on the Sqn’s behalf. Shortly after the
NYE debacle he would be forced to
severely restrict the Sqn’s access to
white fleet vehicles following an unfor-
A Sqn Photo Op CABRIT (P) 14
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 7
tunate bogging-in incident involving a
nine-seater and a tank track during the
PWO cadre. It took a not strictly policy
compliant crew level recovery by a Land
Rover to save Tprs Archer and Jacobs’
blushes.
The beginning of February saw the Sqn
deploy on an ambitious urban warfare
exercise in a disused Polish industrial
complex. Not an inch of the training area
was compliant with the safe
system of training’s defini-
tion of a “safe place” but as
is ever the case, these real-
istic conditions provided
some of the most engaging
training that the Sqn under-
took during Op CABRIT.
The back end of February
was a veritable high-water
mark of the tour in terms
of activity. Four of the Sqn
deployed to Latvia to employ
sUAS [Ed: Drones in English]
in a FIND role. Cpl Haden was able to
unpick a Canadian BG commanders
plan by identifying most of his concealed
Leopard 2s. Back in Poland the remainder
of the Sqn were undertaking a multi-
national CALFEX. It was much to the
chagrin of the A Sqn Dragoons to learn
that their position downrange was firmly
within the arcs of a U.S. Abrams that
Not an inch of
the training
area was
compliant
had misfired. Fleetingly, concerns about
NYE retribution crossed a few minds but
luckily all escaped the danger area and
any further international incidents.
Next, in late February and early March,
was a PNCO cadre and once again an
opportunity to compete against our
transatlantic cousins. Satisfyingly this
time with the upper hand, none of the
U.S. participants completed the cadre. Of
note for their performances
are Tpr Alston awarded top
student and shared honours
for “soldiers’ soldier” on the
course for Tprs Appleton and
Crossley.
The tour ended in April
with the pleasing sight of
B Sqn bugling over the hill
as relief in place and the
sweet relief of a return to
the more relaxing andante
of POTL and some AT. Lt
Webster hacked the AT
booking website and was able to send
A Sqn soldiers to Bavaria to rock climb
and canoe, sailing in Scotland and off the
South coast, more rock climbing in Inver-
ness and a Canoeing trip to Brecon.
As the Sqn formed back up in early
June we deployed en-masse to Wales for
a mini homecoming tour of the recruiting
ground. Showing new Tprs and officers