Page 12 - MERCIAN Eagle 2021

Pl Cmd Pl Sgt Wr Sgt
Lt Lewis Davies
Sgt Mike Dorney Sgt Tristan Gardner/ Sgt Simon White
10
2 Platoon
2021 has been a challenging year for
the Grenadiers, and not least 2 Platoon. Constantly fighting the eternal battle of balancing guards and duties in Bulford with exercises and tasks as a single Company ROG. I am pleased to say however, that
2 Platoon rose to the challenge and have taken everything in their stride. From deploying on a cold, snowy Salisbury Plain, to dunking the PTIs on the beaches of Tregantle in Cornwall.
Starting the year as we meant to go on, the Platoon deployed in our Warriors on Exercise CYPHER WARRIOR. A Grenadier Guards battalion-level exercise, we were requested to provide an armoured infantry platoon as enemy. Over the week the Platoon excelled, providing a realistic enemy for the Gren Guards who, as per the unanimous opinion of the Platoon, would have been ‘absolutely smashed’ if we used equipment such as TES. The greatest challenge of the week was not the pace of exercise or outmanoeuvring the Guards, but the foot of snow that fell on the first night, making driving around the area particularly challenging, with Warriors not being famous for their snowy weather performance. Fortunately, Cpl Kelly’s bacon and egg butties saw us through the cold mornings, and Cpl Smith’s valiant last stand at ‘Holly’s’ compound was certainly one to remember.
The next large-scale deployment
the Grenadiers took on was Exercise Prometheus Grenadier. Spending a week in Tregantle, Cornwall, the Company
occupied the Fort overlooking the stunning Cornwall coastline and began a week
of Section and Platoon training.
2 Platoon practicing their entry drills in Tregantle Fort, Cornwall
Focusing on using the urban facilities throughout the fort, 2 Platoon became proficient in urban fighting thanks to Sgt Dorney’s excellent urban training package. The week culminated in a Company level attack on to Scraesdon Fort, a 19th Century fort built with an array of tunnels, rooms and stairwells that would not be out of place
in a Bond film as a hideout for a villain.
After the fort had been cleared, with some sights emulating scenes from the film ‘Black Hawk Down’, the Company capped off the week with some beach PT on Tregantle beach. A fun yet challenging session, the Grenadiers fought back and managed to submerge both PTIs in the chilly waters of the Channel. They weren’t best pleased to say the least.
Throughout the year, the 2 Platoon Grenadiers deployed on various exercises, from a COIN exercise in Longmoor to Defeat ‘Barry White’, to forming part of Task Force Hannibal (OPFOR) on Ex Wessex Storm and wreaking havoc across the Plain. A well-received addition to the calendar is Ex Chaos Grenadier. Originally conducted in November 2020, it is a 24km march across the Brecon Beacons, including Pen-y-Fan, and culminating with a surprise add-on at the end. It has become the official method through which Grenadiers earn their flash and has been conducted on numerous occasions throughout the year. It requires each participant to demonstrate a ruthless will to win and determination to finish the challenging event.
Cpl Fitzgerald providing cover for an advancing Section in Scraesdon Fort, Cornwall.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
A tough year throughout for the Grenadiers and 2 Platoon, life has been busy throughout and the challenges as ROG have often been limitless. However, the sheer determination and character to push themselves and take the most from every opportunity, never ceases to amaze me, and is what makes us all so proud to be Grenadiers.
2 Platoon HQ atop Pen-y-Fan during Exercise Chaos Grenadier.