Page 34 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

32 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Having been dormant for almost seven months, due to Oper- ation TOSCA 28 and the subsequent post operational tour leave, A Squadron formed up on the square on 22 October 2018 but almost immediately dispersed again in preparation for the United Nations medal parade. A hugely successful visit from the Colonel of the Regiment saw many within the Squadron receive their first medal with justifiable pride and it was a fine way to close the TOSCA chapter and focus on the new.
There was a real sense of freshness about the Squadron, especially with the arrival of new faces and the move of people into new roles in the homogenous squadron structure. Captain David ‘Clack- ers’ Clarkson relinquished the Second in Command hot-seat and handed over to Captain Charlie Henson and Warrant Officer Class II Scott Weaver left at the end of his tenure as Squadron Sergeant Major to be replaced by Warrant Officer Class II Roy Mukun- gunugwa. We welcomed Second Lieutenant Jonny Buchanan to the Regiment and he took command of First Troop supported by the returning Sergeant Aidie ‘Goldie’ Horne, whilst Lieutenant Josh Reed and Sergeant Carl ‘Killer’ Kilburn continued the suc- cessful team built in Cyprus within Second Troop. Lieutenant Guy Parker took command of Support Troop with the freshly promoted Sergeant Adam ‘Kenny’ Atherley and Lieutenant Harry Marriott led Anti-Tank Troop with the additional new Sergeant within the Squadron, Sergeant James ‘Mars bar’ Marsden. Staff Sergeant Da- vid ‘Davey’ Jones remained as SQMS whilst Sergeant Dale Free- man moved to Squadron Headquarters. The changes weren’t lim- ited to the Squadron senior hierarchy: Troopers Kirtley and Clegg promoted to Lance Corporal, and Lance Corporals Glass, Kirkby, Tatam, and Phillipson were able to add an additional stripe.
Presented with an almost blank piece of paper in terms of train- ing plan in the run up to Christmas, Captain Henson set about bringing everyone back into the core reconnaissance mind set. Having been away from Catterick and the necessity to look af- ter vehicles, a short and sharp Driving and Maintenance package blew out some of the cobwebs and enabled us to embrace the Unit Equipment Care Directive once more, much to the Quartermaster Technical’s delight. With the Field Army created battlecraft syl- labus (BCS) as a handrail, the Squadron took the initial steps back
into communications, medical, shooting, and navigational com- petencies in a series of mini-training packages. What was in hind- sight a somewhat rash decision made in the sunshine of Cyprus to conduct some early conceptual training using the Yorkshire dales to help demonstrate divisional and brigade level manoeuvre cor- ridors, proved to be more of a navigational and survival exercise
Run for the hills!
The target’s there somewhere...
The Squadrons
A Squadron
Under the watchful eye of Sergeant Horne
Ranges in the Yorkshire mist