Page 9 - 1RHA 2021

1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
A SUB leads the way through the ice on the Battery Manouvere Ex
In the run up to Christmas, the Battery broadened its focus and seized the opportunity to allow members of the Battery to enjoy various adventure training opportunities across Estonia including ski touring, snowboarding and ice fishing. The fishing had various degrees of success and failure but LBdr Hennessy had the best catch after dragging a good-sized pike from beneath the frozen lake. As the winter weather hit Estonia, the Gun Group with sup- port from 22 Engr Regt, began work on three gun-pits on the Central Training Area. Christmas was a chance for the Battery to unwind a little. Members of the Battery got the chance to travel around Estonia on Operational Stand Down, including two jun- ior officers exploiting the Estonian tradition of deer stalking and
Battery Commander Major Greg Treasure confers with his Candian counterpart during Ex Furious Axe
LBdr Smith prepares the next round during Ex Furious Axe in Latvia
beaver hunting. Christmas Day itself was a great success. Fol- lowing on from ‘gunfire’ (a traditional mix of tea and rum) and Christmas boxes, generously sent by members of the public and the welfare team, the Battery sat down to a substantial Christmas Dinner served by the Officers and SNCOs. The following day was a chance for the Battery to display its sporting prowess, winning the inter-company 5-a-side football tournament and coming a close 2nd in the CrossFit challenge. No quarter was asked or given in the keenly fought encounters of these competitions, and the BC demonstrated Chestnut’s commitment from the front, by breaking his ankle in a tackle.
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The Guns of the Chestnut Troop prepare to move off through the snow