Page 17 - 1RHA 2021

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
E Battery RHA Staff Sergeant Fulton, E Battery
Although the last year has seen our ways of working change incomprehensibly, E Battery has continued to deliver across multiple fronts. Never in living memory has the adage ‘adapt and overcome’ been quite so pertinent.
October 2020 saw E Battery’s first deployment since its return from Estonia earlier in the year. A week of live firing in support of the FST Commanders’ Course gave new members of the Battery their first exposure to live firing on Salisbury Plain. Fittingly, the incoming FST Commanders, Captain James and Captain Hislop, can rightfully claim that their first words to E Battery soldiers were ‘Fire Mission Battery.’
Shortly after this, the Battery deployed on the annual Regimen- tal Exercise CYPHER DAGGER 20-1. Unlike previous iterations, CYPHER DAGGER 20-1 saw the entire Regiment deploy with Junior Non-Commissioned Officers at the helm in key command appointments. Bombardier McConnon, acting as both CO and Regimental 2IC, led the Regiment, ably supported by Bombar- dier Grant as Regimental Sergeant Major, Bombardier Smith as Quartermaster Technical and Bombardier Askew as one of the Battery Commanders. Over two weeks, the Regiment practiced everything from low level infantry skills all the way up to live Bat- tery Commander fire plans. This two-week exercise achieved Collective Training levels Alpha to Charlie.
Following a well-deserved Christmas leave period, the Battery answered the nation’s call to support the Civil Authorities in the fight against COVID-19. In total, 18 E Battery personnel were deployed at short notice, divided into four Local Response Teams and spread across multiple schools across South West England. Once on the ground their role was to advise and assist school teachers in the safe practice of delivering Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs) to students. All the while, the remainder of Battery busi- ness was being conducted remotely, with only a skeleton team physically at work for essential maintenance.
In February and March, E Battery, supported by personnel from across the Regiment, delivered the Regiment’s Army Leadership Development Program (ALDP) course in Okehampton. ‘Beyond First,’ the course was also attended by soldiers from 26RA, 47RA
FST warrior at sunrise on Ex CYPHER DAGGER 20-1
and 1RRF. The first phase was a week designed to remind and revise students of low-level battle craft syllabus (BCS), including navigation, occupation of a harbour, responsibilities of a sentry and model pit building. This phase was designed to maximise the training value of the two-week ALDP phase that followed and proved an invaluable addition to the main course. The second week was classroom based where students received lessons on leadership, discipline, diversity and inclusion, section level orders, and the mysterious world of military secretariat. The final week saw the PNCOs and JNCOs deploy on Dartmoor Training Area for Ex ALLISON’S ADVANCE, which culminated in a Coy minus attack on Bearwalls Farm. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col Thomson, presented the prizes for the Top Student of the JNCO and PNCO courses to Lance Bombardier Walton and Gun- ner Emery respectively, both from E Battery. The prizes for Best Endeavour were awarded to Gunner Sadler from E Battery and Corporal Mason from First Fusiliers.
Following this, E Battery deployed on two further MACA tasks in the fight against COVID-19. The first was a deployment of 35 E Battery Service Personnel to support the NHS at Frimley Park Hospital and Slough Wrexham Hospital. The mission was to assist with as many non-clinical tasks as possible, thereby pro- viding extra capacity amongst NHS staff by relieving clinically trained personnel to care directly for COVID-19 patients. Tasks
Gnr Emery Receiving his PNCO Top student presentation from the Commanding Officer
D Sub Firing in support of the FST Commanders’ Course
PNCO ALDP post final attack
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