Page 90 - MERCIAN Eagle 2021

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D (Dragon) Company
Maj Will Rose
This has been a very varied year for D Coy personnel who have endured a mixture
of Covid-19 restricted zoom lessons
and remote fitness sessions through to Operational deployments and everything
in between. We have had two members
of the coy deploy on Op CABRIT, Sgt Tommy Birks (from Crewe) with 5 RIFLES and Pte Andrew Bradley (from Stevenage) with 1 MERCIAN. LCpl Ross Dawson (from Stoke on Trent) deployed twice, firstly to Swynnerton in support of Op RESCRIPT and then to Bassingbourn to establish MRTC.
Our congratulations go to LCpl Danny Britton (from Nantwich) and LCpl Josh Grant (from Crewe) who passed the Section Commander’s Battle Course and Sgt James Tristram (from Swadlincote) who passed the MG Pl Comd Course.
4 MERCIAN Sharpshooter Cadre 2021
Rear Left to Right: Lt Kahn, Pte Pearson, Pte Baxter, Pte Bullman, Pte Handley.
Front Left to Right: Pte Alcock, Pte Foster, Pte Killen, Pte Rynhart, Pte Johnson, LCpl Legge, Pte Clarke
Members of the coy completed their Annual Continuous Training via a number of routes. These include attending the Machine Gun or Sharpshooter Rifle Cadre at Warcop, deploying with 7 RIFLES (Pte Harry Lymer from Stoke on Trent as a lone D Coy presence), deploying as part of the Battalion’s Cambrian
Patrol Team where the
Patrol was led by the
Coy 2IC, Capt Rich
Peacock from Stoke
and gained a very
impressive Silver Medal
or via mobilisation on a
MACA task to support
the Scottish Ambulance
Service (the OC).
Weekend training resumed after a MATTS camp at Otterburn and included FIWAF at Brecon and Catterick, section attacks at Leek, Adventure Training in the North York
Moors and Rifle ACMTs / pistol shooting at Kingsbury Ranges in Staffordshire.
We have seen four promotions with WO2 (CSM) Paul Spilsbury (from Stoke on Trent)
D Coy in The Yorkshire Dales
finally getting over the line after a long period wearing local rank and we now have a newly promoted CSgt Ian Edward-Jones (from Loggerheads) in the CQMS(V) post. A newly promoted Sgt James Tristam is in a Pl Sgt appointment for the MG
Pl in Burton and a new LCpl Tim Robinson (from Derby), now a MG P Section 2IC. Congratulations go to Cpl Michael Neal (from Swadlincote), a very long serving
MG Pl prep for MG Pl Comd Course
The recruiting pipeline continues to flow strongly with 4 Combat Infantry Course (R) passes
member of the MG Pl, who received a bar to his VRSM having completed 22 years of Volunteer Reserve service.
The recruiting pipeline continues to flow strongly with 4 Combat Infantry Course (R) passes, Pte Sam Dulson (from Newcastle Under Lyme), Pte John Hardy (Stoke on Trent), Pte Johnnie Baxter (Crewe) and Pte Samuel Dunn (Derbyshire) all become fully trained Infanteers.
The year also saw two first time fathers with LCpl Josh Grant and Pte Andrew Rushton (from Stoke on Trent), both long serving members of the coy, becoming Dads for the first time. We said farewell to Cpl Sue Vaughan (from Crewe) who retired after 26 years as a Chef based at Bucknall New Road, Stoke. PSIs changed over at Stoke with Sgt Shawn Mills departing with four days’ notice, to be a CQMS with 1 YORKS, and replaced by Sgt Ash McGraw, from Stoke on Trent.
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