Page 109 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 107
Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians)
It has become all too easy to describe the past year as having been busy, though it would be dishonest to describe it in any other way. The year began with the Regiment conducting winter war- fare training in the Edmonton area. Simultaneously, a troop from Prince of Wales (A) Squadron was sent to Chile for an in-depth look at desert warfare with the Chilean Army. Individual soldier training continued to be a priority throughout the dark winter months, but the Regiment quickly shifted gears in March to con- duct our commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Moreuil Wood. As part of our commemoration, the Regiment dispatched a contingent of deserving soldiers to Moreuil, France to visit the battlefield and conduct a Freedom of the City Parade.
April saw the deployment of Prince of Wales Squadron to Wain- wright, Alberta to participate in Road to High Readiness train- ing with 5e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada. Prince of Wales Squadron exercised straight through to May, achieving great re- sults in live fire and dry training during Exercise REFLEXE RAPIDE and Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE. Meanwhile, the rest of the Regiment had become decisively engaged by the rising floodwaters in British Columbia, and was dispatched to provide aid as part of Operation LENTUS 18-03. June saw the arrival of our new Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Angell, who took command as the Regiment embarked on its summer ceremonial commitments to the Calgary Stampede and K-Days. Not long after, British Columbia traded floodwater for forest fires, and the Regiment departed on Operation LENTUS 18-05 to provide support. This was just as well, as Edmonton (and in-
Strathconas visit the Royal Lancers at Catterick Garrison
LdSH(RC) with the Royal Lancers in Suffield, AB
deed much of Western Canada) became blanketed in a cloud of ash and closely resembled a post-apocalyptic scene.
Autumn saw 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group begin its Road to High Readiness training, which would see B Squadron and Reconnaissance Squadron depart to Wainwright for Exer- cise STEELE SABRE. This coincided with the Regimental PCF Guncamp, verifying soldiers on the Leopard 2, LAV 6.0, and TAP-V in the direct fire role. The year finished with the Regi- ment’s annual Black Hat Professional Development, along with Silly Season.
The Regiment continued to foster its relationship with the Royal Lancers throughout 2018. Exercise STEELE LANCER saw the Regiment send 25 deserving soldiers to the United Kingdom in March. First stopping in London to visit the grave of Sir Donald Alexander Smith, First Baron Strathcona and Mount Moyal, the contingent moved to Catterick Garrison to link up with our Brit- ish counterparts. Over the next several days, the Royal Lanc- ers provided a splendid tour of their lines, the Queen’s Royal Lancers Museum, and the town of York. Many a Strathcona was reluctant to depart for France after the display of hospitality provided by the Royal Lancers. June saw a troop from Recon- naissance Squadron travel to Suffield, Alberta to join the Royal Lancers on Exercise PRAIRIE STORM. This not only provided much desired exposure to the British Army and the way it op- erates, but enabled Reconnaissance Squadron to trial the new TAP-V platform on armoured recce tasks. There is always fierce competition to represent LdSH(RC) when we engage with the Royal Lancers, and we look forward to continuing to develop our historic alliance for tomorrow’s challenges.
Perseverance.
AN