Page 30 - QDG 2023

28 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
QM Main Dept
The new tradition for the QMs is that the journal article is completed by one side. This is due to how disjointed the depart-
The year started with the QM(A) in camp for one week before he headed across the Atlantic to the USA. Starting with a week in Ft Leavenworth where
he tracked down Maj James Cowen for some signatures, before helping to develop the RLS plan for Ex WARF- IGHTER with 3UKXX Staff. Next, he dropped the 3UKXX team at the airport heading back to the UK , before getting on a different flight to Ft Hood Texas. On his own, the QM(A) started to build the RLS for the 1500 UK Troops coming to Texas with the first lot heading over in two weeks. In that two weeks the QM(A) had to find $12M of savings from the RLS budget before a
contractor would put a spade in the ground to start the build. The budget was eventually sorted, but to make sure the contractors would start the build there was a $7M funding gap to fill.
been his GCSE grade maths certificate giving them the confidence to loan the money.
There will be more on Ex WARF- IGHTER from C Sqn in the journal, but some of the G4 team’s highlights were: the two tornados - with the first destroying three accommodation tents 48hrs before the first 3UKXX exercising troops turned up and the second that destroyed the main field kitchen 12hrs after Endex; the conversion of two US Army MOUTs (Military Operations in Urban Terrain – think OBUA Village) into accommodation thanks to Sgt Johnny Canning and his pre Army life as painter; and watching the last flight of Signals and Staff Officers leave Texas.
Concurrently, life back in Robertson Bks had Capt Homer
heading up an LEA with his signature eye for detail, whilst he was completing a short resettlement window before leaving the Army. The Regiment was still looking for vehicles for A Sqn to prepare for CABRIT(P), that Tech supported. The
Tech team were also looking around the Army for the drones and NVDs that the Sqns wanted to train with. The RQ(A) with the team were supporting the Ranges and getting B Sqn to Kuwait. With all the overseas tasks the Regiment has completed in 2023, Cpl Brad Moore has become one of the most travelled dangerous goods and ammo NCOs in the Division. SSgt Dean Speed was getting his teeth into his and the Regiments new
role as the SHE SNCO, working with Capt Martyn Flitcroft to get on top of assurances and support the safety of the
ments are and how rare it QM(A) and QM(T) to be in Robertson Barracks at the same time. More of that as we move through the article.
The easiest place to start,
is a bit of run down on who
has left the departments in
2023 and who has come
in. We start with the loss
of Capt Trev Homer who
has moved on to a new life
outside the Army but is still
very QDG and linking with
the other QDGs who have
gone before him into the
defence industry. He can be
found sporting his QDG tie
at industry shows or wearing
his signature baseball cap on ranges showing off the latest in JTAC and optics kit. He was succeeded by Capt Dale Thomas who came over from the RCMO role and started with a CABRIT(P) NSE Comd deployment to prep for. We then lost the RQ(T), WO2 Martyn Ruddy, who was selected to take over as RSM QDG, leaving at the end of Feb 23. We had a wait before his replacement arrived from the sun trap of Cyprus and with an RQ post already under his belt. WO2 Tom Hughes took on the role just before summer leave. He had a short stint at his desk before he deployed to Germany to support A Sqns MST as the RLS Comd. It was felt we had to ease him into his post back at QDG and Robertson Barrack so sent him abroad again. Next, we had WO2 Rhys Davies also selected for an RSM post departing in May 23. He has gone over to our partnered Army Reserve Unit as RSM RY. Hoping he had seen the back of the QM(A), he was disappointed in Nov to find the QM(A) would be following him to the RY in 2024. The team got WO2 Nav Navunisaravi to take over as RQ(A) from B Sqn and the Training Wing. This was a long HOTO of roles, with Nav deploying to Texas in Feb 23 as the WARFIGHTER RQMS for 4 months with the QM(A). Next, we lost the RLD Comd, SSgt Lila Gurung, who left QDG in July 23 to join 3 Ranger Bn within the Spec Ops Bde as 1LO Comd. We are still waiting on his replacement, but the role has been filled by Cpl Steve Thurston for now and will be until APC can fill the role. SSgt Joe Ewbank was promoted to WO2 and covered the RQ(T) role for a short time before moving to MT as the MTWO. From B Sqn, the post of JAMES SNCO was filled by SSgt ‘Dav 220’ Davies. As he came in, 220 was packing his bags for Poland and the role of NSE 2iC for Dale.
is for both
In that two weeks the QM(A) had to find $12M of savings from the RLS budget...
Even in the modern banking
world, it still takes weeks for
the money to get over the
water when it was needed
in days. To fix the short-
fall, the QM(A) was seen
daily in the 3rd Armoured
Copes HQ trying his best to
charm a short-term loan off
the Commander, Phantom
6. Anyone who knows the
QM(A) will struggle to
believe he achieve it, but he
did. It may have been the
offer to start cutting lawns
for Ms Monique Mendoza, the IIIAC’s Chief Accountant, that got the loan, but we’ll never know. It could have easily
...before a contractor would put a spade in the ground to start the build.
A Year As An AFPA
It has been a busy year for the Regiment with all the training and deployments. At the start of the year there was a change in the direction on SHE, from the traditional G4 to the other G numbers. Particularly in the Training, Exercise and Operations Battle space. Why? Easy one really. This is where there is an increase in “occurrences” (new phrase for accident) taking place across Land.
We ALL chose a risk occupation, and what we do is/can be risky, so we have to push some of the bound- aries during training and exercises and rightly so.
However, we still need to do this in a safe manner - I believe that
QDG embracing this. I am starting to be more involved in the training and exercise activities that QDG are doing. This includes deployments from Robertson Bks, which shows that “operation safety” is being considered. This is what the AFPA role is all about. Along with being available to give advice and guidance to reduce the risk to the Soldier.
I would like to thank you all for all the support that you give me, in what I know is not your favourite area. I would particularly like to thank the 2IC, Maj Ben Matthews for supporting me in supporting you.
MF