Page 10 - Bugle Issue 16 Autumn 2020

Sjt Delahunty delivering
a lesson to the Nigeria Army
LCpl Kimsey
with the Nigerians
Gloucester Homecoming
Maj McCarthy recruiting!
On 23rd November 2019 the people of Gloucester welcomed the Battalion
back from Op TORAL 8. A thanksgiving service was held in Gloucester Cathedral attended by the Lord Lieutenant, the Mayor of Gloucester and the city’s other councillors, as well as many representa- tives of all five pillars of the Regiment.
The service, with the Carne Cross present on the altar, gave thanks for the recent deployment in Kabul and looked back at the Battalion’s deployments to Afghanistan since 2008. Maj Ben Hammond, RQMS Ian Sweet, Sjt Danny Ray and Rfn Phineas Field-Simpson all spoke about
their experiences. Col Matt Baker recalled the operation and progress made in Afghanistan by The Rifles and our forming regiments. After the service, the Battalion marched through the city, preceded by Foxhounds, in a combined parade with 6 RIFLES, Gloucester ACF, and many veterans. The parade finished in King’s Square where the city council provided ‘pie and a pint’ for all those on parade. It was a good day to welcome the Battalion back and to demon- strate the strength of the Regiment across the Regular, Reserve, Cadet, Association and Community pillars.
NIGERIA ENDURING TRAINING TEAM
With 1 RIFLES deployed to Afghanistan over the summer of 2019, 25 riflemen were tasked with supporting 7 Infantry Brigade’s enduring training team in central Nigeria for four months. This task would support the training of the Nigerian Army at their School of Infantry. The team would be delivering a range of training from C-IED to the combat estimate, for up to 200 Nigerian soldiers at a time.
The team deployed in August and settled into the hot climate and rather austere conditions. By the start of September, the team were set and building relationships with the Nigerian training staff that would be crucial
to success. The Riflemen got stuck in straight away, realising that much more unites soldiers than divides them. Within only a few short weeks the task began to show its breadth, with one team delivering pre-deployment training to a formed brigade due to deploy on operations against Boko Haram and others teaching the combat estimate to the Platoon Commanders Battle Course. This required constant flexibility and initiative which the Riflemen across the rank ranges showed it in spades. Elements of the team even deployed to Lagos to train the Nigerian marines, including a daily commute by boat!
Elements
Outside of providing training the team made use of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office compound an hour to the south for some in-country R and R. This compound came with a pool, a chef and a two-hundred-year-old tortoise that bore a striking resemblance
of the
to Sjt Wayne Delahunty one of the Team Commanders! The Nigerian Enduring Training Team task was immensely rewarding: every Rifleman showed their professionalism, good humour and initiative throughout.
Capt Josh Lee, OC Anti-Tank Pl.
to train the
team even
deployed
to Lagos
Nigerian
marines
10 RIFLES The Bugle