Page 43 - 4RA Regimental Journal 2019-2020

As the Regiment was getting ready to deploy on EX SUNDERLAND DAG- GER at the start of 2020, the first reported UK cases of COVID-19 were just breaking the news.
During the first stages of the exercise, we were deployed in the fields of Otterburn training area and the pandemic was hitting the UK hard. This caused the exercise to be called off early and the Regiment to be sent back to Alanbrooke Barracks. We had to wait out for further information about what we were going to do.
Sadly, by this time panic shopping had begun, which made it hard for most peo- ple coming off the exercise to get supplies from the shops. Most people needed to restock for themselves and their fami- lies and simply couldn’t. In most cases the shop shelves were bare, and supply chains were struggling to keep up with the demand for the basics.
In the first few weeks after getting back to Alanbrooke Barracks, some of the Regiment was tasked to help set up the emergency hospital, NHS Nightingale, in Harrogate. Training was also provided for personnel to assist in the carrying out of COVID-19 testing at different sites around the North East. The rest were covering the daily regimental duties as well as being on call for the ongoing commitments that the Regiment already had.
The COVID-19 task was given the name Op RESCRIPT and the fleet which con- sisted mainly of Landrovers and MAN trucks were of the highest priority.
4th Regiment Royal Artillery Op RESCRIPT
Cpl Lindsey
The main task for the Workshop was to maintain the Op RESCRIPT fleet so it was to go out the gate at a moment’s notice. It was planned for the Battery Fitter Sec- tions (BFS) to work on a rotation so there would be no more than one fitter section and a select few from other departments in at any one point. This enabled us to have minimal manning and stay within the guidelines whilst still completing any out- standing work.
Each BFS was in for two weeks at a time. On average only having two Class 1s and two Class 2s. Not only were they against it in the terms of time but also sticking to the government guidelines on how they could work. An engine change, which they did several of during the dispersed readiness period for example, is normally a three to four-man job. Trying to keep socially dis-
tanced and with the extra PPE on added a whole new challenge to this and other routine jobs that needed to be done to the OP Rescript fleet.
Changes were made throughout the camp from the cook house, shop and the rest areas. Even how we were living both in the block and at home was changing. Socialising with anyone outside of your household was banned, along with most activities, which meant you couldn’t be in contact or even close to anyone else.
This lasted for several months until the rules changed slightly and meant that we could all work together again. Unfortu- nately, this pandemic is still not over and the whole Regiment is now preparing for a COVID Christmas.
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