Page 6 - QDG 2023

4 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
The world seems to find ever
more ways to challenge us. The continued conflict in Ukraine
and the threat posed to Eastern
Europe by Russia and her allies
remains at the forefront of
UK Defence Policy and must
sharpen the minds and hone
the muscles of us all in the
Royal Armoured Corps. The expansion of conflict in Gaza
and the Red Sea also play a role
in our deeper understanding of contemporary conflict and the challenges facing our nation.
Our Army is rightly changing
and reshaping to face the
threats that confront us.
AJAX, after a long and frankly
painful journey, is proving
itself to be a hugely capable
platform and is at the cutting
edge of armoured vehicles.
The next couple of years will
see its delivery across three
RAC regiments as well as early operational deployment. Chal-
lenger 3 is also firmly on the
cards offering a step-change in
our Armoured capability. With
new equipment and capabil-
ities coming online in the next
few years the RAC remains an
exciting proposition.
After the sadness and reflection of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral it was a great pleasure to see the RAC repre- sented at King Charles’ Coronation. In all, some 900 Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps soldiers were on parade with their respective Guidons and Stand- ards. While the weather was less than ideal, the preparation, precision, and flair on display reflected brilliantly on our Corps and its people.
Looking forward into 2024 and 2025 the RAC is not without its challenges. Across Defence all services are facing a compet- itive employment market and getting people to commit to a life of service in the Armed Forces is difficult. The RAC is no different. Please could I ask that all of you, as our best representatives, act as Recruiting Sergeants for the Corps. We need to maintain our in-flow of talented, fit, steely and determined men and women who can follow in our footsteps and take the RAC into the future. The sell of the RAC is as strong as it has ever been offering a place at the very front of the battlefield, operating cutting- edge platforms and weapons, travel to foreign climes, sport, adventurous training, and all this is set against the varied and proud histories and traditions of all of our Regiments.
I would like to pay tribute and thanks to Brigadier Alex Potts who retired from the Army last year as Head of Arms & Services and Deputy Colonel Commandant for the RAC. He served us all tirelessly and did so with sage advice and wry wit. He has moved to bring his considerable talents to bear as Private Secretary to Their Royals Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Brigadier Adam Foden has been appointed Deputy Colonel Commandant.
Thank you to all of you for your continued hard graft and commitment set against the unrelenting demands of the Field Army for training and opera- tions. Good luck for the year ahead.
This is what we do...
THE MERCIAN Ian Simpson is one of Scotland’s EAGLE greatest ever motorcycle racers.
A five-time British champion and triple Isle of Man TT winner, he
was the last man to win the British Superbike and Supersport 600
‘Simmo’ was also a double Scottish champion, a triple International Classic Grand championships in the same year.
Prix champion, a European Classic Endurance champion and winner of five
North West 200 races and two Ulster Grands Prix.
He raced against Carl Fogarty, Joey Dunlop, Steve Hislop, Niall Mackenzie, Jim Moodie
and many other all-time greats, in an era when riders still liked to have fun and
regularly found themselves in trouble. He also lost a lot of friends along the way.
‘Forever Playboy’ takes readers behind the scenes of a racer’s life and reveals it’s not all glamour and glory. Simmo’s brutally honest account of what it takes to be a champion in one of the world’s most dangerous sports is as hilarious as it is sad, but it’s
So, snap your visors down for a thrill ride like no other, as ‘Forever Playboy’ provides never anything other than fascinating.
an all-access pass into the adrenalin-soaked world of Superbike racing.
the autobiography of ian simpson
21/05/2024
10:31
CADET REVIE W SPRING 2024 The Magazine for Cadets in Yorkshire and the Humber
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and who we are...
DESIGN • PUBLISH • PRINT
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The Journal of The Mercian Regiment
Forever Playboy COVER.indd 1
2023 – No.16
28/06/2024 12:39
ian simpson
with stuart barker
RFCA
R F e o s r e r Y v o e r F k o s r c h e i s r a e n a d n C d a d t e h t s e A H s s u o mc i a b t i e o r n
recognised 12 Long Service
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of his time doing things a man who spends most that give him pleasure
Colonel Commandant Royal Armoured Corps
We need to maintain our in-flow of talented, fit, steely and determined men and women who can follow in our footsteps and take the RAC into
the future