Page 23 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 21
UK Ambassador, Mr Stephen Lillie, Soft diplomacy – the honour guard Commander 12 (AI) Brigade addresses the MFR meets the honour guard
2018 at Whinney Hill. With the aim of reaching Collective Train- ing Competency Level 1 (CTC1) under Squadron control, the troops were taken through a training package building from indi- vidual skills to Platoon level public order operations. The teams learnt all that they would need to know when in Cyprus and, de- spite the sleet and snow, they trained hard and with focus. Having been validated by the Squadron chain of command for CTC1, the Mission Training and Mobilisation Centre (MTMC) ran a series of exercises to validate to CTC2 ahead of the All Ranks Brief and Mission Rehearsal Exercise which took place at Nescliffe – and it was here that the ‘beast from the east’ showed its claws. Plunging temperatures combined with an icy wind made for a very unpleas- ant experience but, in part thanks to the CQMS buying a stack of hot bottles for those on stag to cuddle, morale remained generally pretty high and the MFR headed off on pre-deployment leave ab- solutely ready for the job to come and in good spirits.
Once deployed, the MFR quickly settled into life within Blue Beret Camp and the routine which was to hold throughout the tour. Working on a weekly rotation, one platoon of 1+21 stood at 90 minutes notice to move with the other platoon at four hours’ notice to move, both ready to deploy anywhere trouble was brewing. Those on the shorter move timings were generally held within the UNPA but those with more relaxed timings could get out and about to explore the island. 24 or 48-hour leave was also granted where possible and no one was shy in using these – the bright lights and nightlife of Ayia Napa were too great a temptation for many as was the opportunity to get friends and family to visit for others. In addition, all troops were able to con- duct at least one week-long adventurous training package, most managed to fit in two, on top of their two-week R&R allowance. There were also friends to be made with those based alongside the MFR in the Blue Beret Camp, and the Argentines providing the local security platoon and the UN flight line were always keen to socialise or at least play football, as were those within the Force Military Police.
The socialising helped mitigate against the ‘Groundhog Day’ ef- fect for the tour was to be largely uneventful. Though the sum-
mer months covered the height of the main political demonstra- tions season, the MFR was not once used for actual public order control though it forward mounted on 19 separate occasions just in case. It became quite frustrating to be trained and ready at all times yet never actually utilised. To keep the focus, it became vital to find interesting and novel things to do. One benefit of the friendship with the Argentine pilots of the UN flight led to an unofficial air mobile public order capability and all platoons conducted low level training using the UNPA as their training ground which meant that they were able to keep up with the UK battlecraft syllabus whilst completing the UN mandated training. This certainly helped when it came to the UN Military Skills Competition with the MFR leaving with the trophy after a series of challenges. In addition, the requirement to put on an honour guard for visiting dignitaries became another opportu- nity to do something different. Though not famed for our drill, the unique sight of lances on parade caught the eye of many who visited, and it really helped to portray the Regiment and UK Plc in a positive light. In the evenings, the CQMS and his team would open the multi-national bar for those not on duty and the pool table, darts board, and air hockey table were regularly in use in downtime. The big screen would also be dropped down to be used to watch the football or similar sporting events and was a vital piece of kit during the Football World Cup with the bar area crammed with the hopeful. All these activities were of course assisted by the weather and the sun lizards were always able to work on their all-important tan by the pool or beach whenever they had some free time.
Despite not once being called into action, the threat was always there – TOSCA is classed as an operational tour for a reason. All of the MFR maintained their professional edge throughout the tour and were held in high regard by the UNFICYP HQ staff. We returned to the UK with heads held high, content in the knowledge of a job well done.
GJND
Ready for anything
Public Order training