Page 32 - KRH Year of 2021 CREST

30 The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars
The Quartermaster’s Department
“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics” – Sun Tzu
This has been another fulfilling year for the QM department, hitting the ground running post leave with continued support for Op ROSE and the National response to the COVID pandemic. All under the watchful eyes of the then QM Capt Daz Grinsell (QRH), WO2 RQMS Nathan Dyer and our own ‘national hero’ Cpl ‘Squeaky’ Pearson. As always, the Operation was a huge suc- cess, highlighting the fact that G4 does not in fact ‘just happen’ (much to the disappointment of many a young troop leader).
Swiftly following on from this the department went straight into a Logistic Support Audit and Inspection (LSA&I). With quite a few hours spent in preparation due to numerous lockdowns the inspection was a huge success and given the situation we found ourselves in, I think we can record it as a win (KRH 1 – LSA&I 0)
With the Spring came the Regimental Firing Camp in good old CMR, and not for the only time this year the RQ and Cpl ‘Buzz’ Aldridge found themselves deployed for an extended period of time, delivering ammunition and RLS at the right time, in the right place, all of the time. Although they may have told everyone how rough the conditions are; with the amount of LSA days they have both accrued this year I’m pretty sure they have bought time share houses in Pembroke to stay in.
During the Summer and Autumn, the department saw a period of churn and we said a fond fare thee well to Capt Grinsell as he returned to the QRH remaining in the post of QM. This saw Capt Jase Mawhinney move across to QM after a successful tenure as QM(T) (a move that he will forever be grateful for). We also said farewell to Sgt ‘Kenny’ Kendall as he moved to Mess Sgt Major in the Officers’ Mess and we are convinced he is more than happy with the sedate lifestyle that comes with the position. We were also lucky enough to see the promotion of our self-proclaimed CP&F manager Sgt ‘TJ’ Twanje who takes over as Tp Sgt from Sgt Kendall. We also said farewell to Cpl ‘Donks’ Donkor, the most laid-back individual I have ever met, as he moves to 17 Port and Maritime (RLC) to be replaced by Cpl ‘Beth’ Cabell in the
Out with the old ...
clothing store, moving in from 6 REME. Cpl ‘Frenchie’ Lemott joins us from the Welfare Dept, and given his unflap- pable nature, could give Cpl Donkor a run for his money if they were to have a ‘relax off ’.
With the churn
over, or at least
in progress, the
department was
put back on the
treadmill for Ex
IRON STORM 2. Not a department to be defeated by the mam- moth task of supporting such a beast all members of the depart- ment leant in hard to ensure its success; from the mountain of ammunition for training or the mountain of ORP required to feed the entire BG and then some, right down to the rubbish bags and ablutions, not a step was missed and the whole department should be rightly proud of their efforts delivering real time G4 support for a simulated LATF operational deployment. A huge well done to all.
September finally saw the hand over to the Regiment of the new technical site, Medicina Lines. At long last the Regiment is work- ing in an environment befitting of its status. The site has proved to be a huge hit with the provision of individual Sqn offices, bet- ter CES storage, state of the art ventilation and lighting along with a separate purpose-built LAD and inspection lane in the same condition. The biggest win though is the fact that it is our own real estate, fit for purpose and more importantly fit for tanks.
As we now approach the end of the year, we are taking time (amongst the frenetic activity that comes with closing down a Regiment for leave) to reflect on our successes and take on board lessons identified whilst dodging stories from Pte ‘Ed’ Tripe, so we can get back on the treadmill in the New Year in good order and send the RQ and his Ammo Storeman back to CMR as we prepare for the BG deployment in 22.
From a QM’s perspective, to all those that have moved on I give thanks for all your hard work and wish you well in your new roles. To those that have joined us I also wish you every success in your new role.
JM
... in with the new
Anyone for ammo bashing
The NLAWs finally arrive