Page 18 - Mercian Eagle 2014

8 Platoon Lt S Cartwright
The last 12 months has been an extremely busy time for the men of 8 Platoon. The reorganisation has seen us welcome in soldiers from across the regiment to form a virtually new platoon from scratch. From oversees exercises in Cyprus, which saw Cpl Walls step up impressively as Pl Sgt, to mentoring the RDG on Op VOCATE and a final tour of Afghanistan, the lads have performed fantastically in an array of activities and commitments.
Op VOCATE provided a good experience to shake out the new lads in the platoon who have not had an opportunity to deploy on an operational tour. The wide range of lessons delivered from experienced and skilled members of the platoon enabled the RDG to successfully transfer these skills they had acquired across to the Libyan Army. Of particular note were Pte Shaw and Pte Main who fully immersed themselves in the task at hand.
As the summer approached, the battalion reorganisation took hold and along with
the MFO boxes came a new dimension of experience and knowledge. We welcomed a large number of soldiers to the platoon, with Pte Lutwyche and Pte Ashman moving across from 2 MERCIAN and Pte Lourens
‘We are here!’ ... ‘Sure?’
and others arriving from 3 MERCIAN. Our first introduction to our new role as an armoured infantry platoon was in South
Wales where we got to grips with platoon level formations and tactics. This saw the platoon conducting movements around Templeton airfield, with the junior and future commanders swiftly taking the lead and displaying confidence in unfamiliar territory.
As we continue the transition from light role to armoured infantry, the platoon is looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges ahead. Already on gunnery courses are Pte’s Hitchens and Fletcher who we will be in the turret very soon. Congratulations to LCpl Johnson on
his recent promotion and Pte Owen for performing outstandingly on the Recce Cadre. In term of sporting success the platoon would like to congratulate LCpl Thompson on representing 1MERCIAN at the combined services motorcycle road racing championships.
Pl Comd Pl Sgt WR Sgt
Lt J Cartwright Sgt J Pywell Sgt G Swan
Early morning PT – blowing away the cobwebs
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Cooney, Mitchell, Jarvis, Malone, MacMillan who acted as demonstration troops.
The beginning of 2014 saw the initial stages of the reorganisation. The focus swiftly changed to
G1 and G4 with the
the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. The Platoon has a number of promising rugby league players with, Pte’s Martin, Williams, Wood, LCpl Heaton, Cpl
Ross and Lt Stewart all representing the infantry in the past year.
As summer leave approached the platoon focused almost entirely on the move
to Picton Barracks. Having now settled in Bulford the platoon
deployed on its first exercise as the new
7 Platoon C (Kohima) Company to Penally Camp in Wales to conduct low level Armoured Infantry training. The arrival of the 3rd Battalion’s soldiers has injected
CQMS taking a lead
and the arrivals from
2 MERCIAN quickly
settled down for their
brief stay in Catterick
before the move south.
During this time fitness
came to the forefront
with outstanding results in the Battalion’s Dog, (5 miler, best effort) from Pte Hitchens and LCpl Jones. In July several members of 7 Platoon took part in Tom Sephton Memorial Rugby League game versus
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
The beginning of 2014 saw the initial stages of the reorganisation.
HRH the Earl of Chester awarding Cpl Griffiths the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
experience of Armd Inf. With Sgt Sinclair’s Warrior experience and Pte Evans driving qualifications this has given the Platoon the necessary experience on which to build a agile and cohesive fighting unit.