Page 99 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
As the title suggests, this article is about that fabled light at the end of the tunnel after the two-year sentence that is a posting as the Regimental Signals Officer... and no, I have not signed off!
After Op TOSCA 28 I enjoyed two weeks of post tour leave be- fore embarking on a ‘rigorous’ pre-deployment training pack- age for my upcoming deployment to Somalia. This included the fabled Land Rover General Service course, which is nigh on impossible for Officers to attend. Once I fully qualified as a driver of a Land Rover (having driven back up to Catterick in my Land Rover) I was then able to go on my civilian armoured vehicle course. This involved driving very fast and far too close to the other five tonne up-armoured Toyota Land Cruisers. It was a miracle that I did not crash into Lt Col Chris Sargent as we practised our convoy drills at 50mph. Fast forward to Christmas, I was ready for Somalia, one new ‘C’ licence and one less rela- tionship; apparently deploying on two tours in less than a year is not conducive for a blossoming relationship.
As far as tour deployments go, Heathrow Terminal 2 beats South Cerney and Brize Norton, primarily down to the selection of wines available from the former. Who knew that Turkish Air- lines flew to Mogadishu International Airport (not direct, two hour stop off in Istanbul). Unfortunately, there was no booze available on the second leg of the flight from Istanbul to Moga- dishu. Apart from a short stop off in Djibouti, it was a relatively painless entry into Theatre.
I was one of the lucky ones; my baggage managed to follow me on my flight, unlike 90% of new arrivals who had to borrow clothes for the first 24 hours. I was greeted by an old mate from Sandhurst whose job I was going to take over. Once we arrived in The Shand (The British Forces in Somalia’s compound), I
entered the Ops Room and was met by none other than Maj Neil Foot-Tapping. Neil was very welcoming and seemed happy to see another Lancer in the sea of Logisticians, Medics, Engineers and Infanteers. After settling in I embarked upon a seven-day handover-takeover programme before I was left to get on with it.
Throughout my six-month deployment I got to see how the For- eign and Commonwealth Office conducts its business overseas and experienced the bureaucracy of not just the United Nations, but also the African Union (both as bad as each other). It was a fantastic place to work; the international community seemed intent on doing good and the private sector was equally intent on making money. My main achievement of the tour was open- ing the first operational ranges in Somalia. It was a great relief to be able to actually zero my rifle and test fire my pistol! Unsur- prisingly a number of weapon systems had to be backloaded for repair after they were test fired. After six-months of embassy par- ties, one half marathon and an anti-aircraft attack on the airport by the Somalis (long story, but they thought 23mm explosive rounds were proportionate for shooting down ’drones’ from 6km away), I returned to the UK for some more post tour leave (this time I took my full allocation and then some summer leave).
After motorcycling around Europe and becoming a complete civvie, I started my new job at Headquarters Standing Joint Commander (UK) (HQ SJC(UK)). Having dealt closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Somalia, I now routinely work with the Home Office (the Police). In a relatively short pe- riod of time I have had exposure to two polar opposite aspects of Defence and been to some fascinating places. If anyone happens to be passing through Montgomery House in Aldershot, send me an email and I will give you a tour of HQ SJC(UK). Life is certainly different from being the Regimental Signals Officer.
JP
Capt Parker and Maj Foot-Tapping – Lancers reunited at The Shand
Life After RSO
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