Page 45 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
1st Troop mounted at immediate readiness less the cameraman!
poor Donovian accents! After days of advancing, obstacle cross- ings, CTRs, OP matrices, and little rest, the heavens opened and made for a challenging withdrawal on the final night. Conduct- ed at speed, it culminated in the SSM requesting the Squadron Leader’s very humble recovery skills followed by the best break- fast of the year provided by the SQMS, SSgt Wooff and his team. The fleet availability couldn’t have been higher at over 90% for the duration and confidence in CVR(T) regained. We therefore quickly handed the fleet over to A Squadron before heading to Sennelager including a week in CATT simulators followed by two weeks on dismounted ranges. We trained up to 6-man recce drills by day and night, innovating with live-fire CTRs and OP extraction. An epic few weeks, planned and coordinated by Capt Jibb, Lt Marriott, SSgt Quinn and Sgt Smith. Ranges included calling in artillery, represented by battlefield simulation demoli- tions, and over-head machine gun fire that provided battlefield inoculation and simulation of fire support, alongside training with the 1 PWRR Mortar Platoon. But we made time to down tools, with the entire squadron deploying to Berlin for a week- end planned by Capt Cave to study the Third Reich and where our night time training really came into its own. Needless to say the pre-deployment risk brief to the Commanding Officer took a little work, and just about covered it...
On return to the UK, we were straight into the Regimental Weekend and athletics day, one of the most contested sporting events of the year. It was therefore to the Squadron’s astonish- ment that we came out victorious with Capt Gardner being made
Ex Floating Lancer – Lt Scott and his team navigate the Solent
the Regiment’s Victor Ladorum 2019. We enjoyed the best of the Catterick summer with a team sailing in the Solent, under 2Lt Scott and Cpl Burrows while others attended the Battlefield Study in Italy or cycled in the Alps on Exercise FREEWHEEL- ING LANCER. We bid farewell to SSgt White and Sgt Ross, posted with the REME, and the second-in-command, Capt Jibb, who moved on to be Adjutant of the Military Training and Mo- bilisation Centre. We welcomed our new Tiffy SSgt Leary, use- fully para rather than CVRT trained, and Capt H Marriott, as second-in-command, with both Capts Marriott in the Squadron soon exploiting the grey zone like any good recce officer should...
Over summer leave, a team under LCpl Cheetham-Pasquier sup- ported our affiliated Nottingham Army Cadet Force during their summer exercise in Catterick before the Squadron deployed with the Regiment on annual ranges in Castlemartin in Septem- ber. We attained a 100% first time pass rate on Annual Crew Tests with Sgt Walker and LCpl Simcox achieving a highest possible score despite being moved to an adjacent range with no prac- tice and LCpl being awarded the Top Gun trophy for the whole package. The focus was mounted gunnery but there was time for mountain-biking and coast steering in the local area as well as survival skills training from a fellow Lancer (SSgt Gidley) from the Defence Survive Evade Resist Extract (SERE) School based at RAF St Mawgan, offering some unique hydration techniques! The Squadron was also joined by Lt Jack Sheehan on exchange from the Australian Army with Capt G Marriott deploying to 2 Cavalry in Australia (fighting bush fires) for three months. Lt
The anticipation of Annual Crew Tests...
AntiTanks lead the pack during the troop competition!
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