Page 36 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

34 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
2018 has been a disparate year for B Squadron who ultimately started as one, and ended as one, with the squadron taking the greatest pain in the orbat upheaval that is inevitable in an operational deployment such as Operation TOSCA.
The year started at a rate of knots as we entered into pre-de- ployment training and were split up to form our operational orbat. B Squadron formed the basis of 3 Platoon in the Opera- tions Company, led by Mr Gray and ably propped up by Sergeant Younger, and eventually on promotion, Sergeant Aston. Up the road in the United Nations Protected Area, corporals Wooder- son and Kennet were keeping the B Squadron flame burning in the Mobile Reaction force, with the B Squadron being an inte- gral part of the winning International Military Skills Competi- tion. Back in Ledra Palace, Captain Kellard became intimately acquainted with Turkish coffee and orange cakes at Yiayia Vic- toria cafe as the Military Liaison to the Turkish forces. Sergeant Rogers, supported by Corporal Chick; Lance Corporal Tickle and Trooper Ridgeway, ensured the bars in the messes were sufficiently propped up and Mr Free ably supported by Lance Corporal Duffy maintained the watch in the Tactical Operations Cell. Living the dream in Dhekelia was Mr Patterson and his TOSCA Regimental Adventurous Training Team. A phenome- nal success, the team was founded on B Squadron, with Corporal Williamson, Lance Corporal Bridge and Trooper Bailey, who all dedicated over a year of their career to getting extensive quali- fications and experience and now exhaustively extol the virtues of adventurous training. Back in the Rear Operation Group, Squadron Sergeant Major Hobson flittered between the United States on Exercise Warfighter and recce visits to Denmark and so you would be fortunate to see him in the office mid-week, let alone a Friday! Also up in “Puzzle Palace” was Major Hood, at this time double-hatting as Regimental Second-in-Command and Officer Commanding the Rear Operations Group. As an out- sider from the King’s Royal Hussars, this was a true baptism
Commander Field Army visits the Squadron in Denmark
of fire into the underbelly of the Regiment with those left be- hind. Corporal Watson and Sergeant Palmer however were on the shop floor doing the real hard work, running the vehicle fleet through out-of-use programmes and the inevitable last minute tasks. Universally, the performance of all our team, spread across the Regiment, was fantastic and we undoubtedly left a positive impression wherever we went.
On 22nd October, the Regiment re-set the orbat, and B Squadron was finally back together as one. There was very little time to sit on our laurels as we bade farewell to Sergeant Major Quinn as Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, Sergeant Rogers on promo- tion to Sergeant Major, Sergeant Younger to the Regimental Staff and Sergeant Davis on promotion to the Gunnery School+. We also welcomed a few into the fold, including the newly commis- sioned Miss Colquhoun, Sergeant Major King from C Squadron as Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant and Staff Sergeant Emery as the squadron artificer. With the Squadron back together, Mr Free, led by Mrs Zoe Isherwood, organised an early Squadron Christmas “Magioki” party. It included all the vital ingredients: dinner with wine; a magician who almost made Trooper Hearne smile; Trooper Jones on the karaoke (a lot); and a dance floor dominated by Troopers Allen, Whittaker and Ridgeway.
Amongst all this change and ‘fun’, the most pressing item on the agenda was the imminent Squadron deployment to Denmark. In under three weeks, we received and conditioned 24 Land Rov- ers and six support vehicles to roll out of the door on a 4000km round trip from Catterick to Denmark. Exercise White Sword Lancer saw the squadron move independently across six coun- tries culminating in a four day combined arms, multi-national
B Squadron