Page 43 - Mercian Eagle 2014

Bayonet fighting/Jan 14
the education and development of the sub unit and importantly gave time for reflection on the cost of War. The Ex will be covered later, however, the
take your measure of the Ex from the article submitted by Lt Webber. Somewhere in
the ‘grey space’ we conducted a KAPE
tour, exercising our freedom to march in Chesterfield, Mansfield and Ashbourne. Finally, the Coy sponsored the ‘surprise’ deployment
of the Officers’ Mess
to Sicily to conduct a week’s Battlefield Study, again this is covered in
a later article, however it is at this juncture I would
like to emphasise the importance of timing. Mnt Etna, dormant since 1994, exploded less than a month after our visit showering Sicily with molten lava; come to think of it
magnificent sight of 90
soldiers marching into
the Menin Gate and
‘assaulting’ over the
fields into Gheluvelt,
both of which were
conducted in number
two dress were a sight
that few will forget,
especially the Belgian
farmers. On return the
Coy deployed on Ex Urban Ram, a week long Ex in the Urban Warfare facility at Whinney Hill, a truly fantastic time was had by all – I am of course biased, so please
...the magnificent site of 90 soldiers marching into the Menin Gate and ‘assaulting’ over the fields into Gheluvelt...
Trench Clearing/Ex Askari Storm/Oct 13
the Adjt and I did comment that the ground felt a little warm during the Recce.
B (Malta) Coy now represents all that
is good from the three former MERCIAN Battalions and while our combined histories make for formidable reading we cannot live on our past reputation – it is the history that we intend to make for ourselves as a new, united fighting force that drives the men forward. The Coy will deploy to OP TOSCA in Sep 2014 as the Ops Coy for Sector 2.
of these battles, with over 40,000 troops fighting at Neuve Chapelle over a three-day period. It hits home early that the mass
of war has changed, while the courage required fighting it has not. As we progress to Aubers Ridge, we look at our first Antecedent Victoria Cross winner James Upton, a 27-year old stretcher-bearer. Cpl Upton’s story of selfless commitment and loyalty to his comrades brought a human aspect to the incomprehensible number of
Exercise Fallen Warrior – 2Lt Jones B (Malta) Company
Many of our antecedent regiments share
a long history, fighting side by side in countless campaigns, and as a regiment proud of its history the Centenary anniversary of the Great War gave us a great opportunity to celebrate this rich history we have together. There’s no
better way to understand the sacrifice and bravery of our forefathers than to physically stand, where they stood a hundred years previously and see how they sacrificed and
fought for one another. The gritty reality of the many vignettes only come to life when you see first-hand the difficulties these men faced and it therefore seemed fitting to take the men of B Company away to the battlefields of Belgium and France, to commemorate this important anniversary.
We start with the Artois, an area that was home to the battle of Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge. The men of B Company are instantly shown the gravity and size
B Coy Group/Polygon Wood advancing to Gheluvelt Chateau/Feb 14
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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