Page 26 - Example Journals

What a brilliant year 2014 has been. This year’s Journal will show exploits of Light Dragoon soldiers all over the globe performing in their usual brilliant way. Every squadron has deployed overseas on either an operational deployment or an overseas exercise, which I think is a rst for a very long time. Even the Adjutant has escaped his desk! But it has not just been the green side of soldiering that has made this year even more special. We won the Cavalry Cup; we were the lead regiment for Cavalry Memorial; we hosted the Colonel in Chief in the Dorchester; we marched through Normandy; two of our soldiers rowed the Atlantic and troopers toured the souks of Marrakech. 2014 will certainly be remembered by every member of the Regiment.
2014 started with big changes at the top with Lt Col James Senior assuming command and WO1 Loughney starting his tenure as RSM. It was a seamless transition and it must be noted that Mr Loughney is the rst ever Light Dragoon RSM.
The entire year was dominated by a series of overseas exercises and an operational deployment. A Sqn deployed to Kenya in January to exercise with 2RGR on Ex ASKARI STORM and then deployed on a 6 month tour of Bosnia in June under the NATO mission Op ELGIN. B Sqn deployed to Gibraltar in March on Ex TARIK PATROL and Ukraine in September on Ex RAPID TRIDENT. C Sqn deployed to Morocco in October on Ex JEBEL SAHARA 14. RHQ deployed to Slovenia on Ex IMMEDIATE RESPONSE in August and Morocco with C Sqn. HQ Sqn assisted with all exer- cises with their main effort being the logistical support to Morocco. In the margins each sabre squadron completed dismounted and mounted training exercises on Thetford and the Regiment deployed to Warcop Ranges for two weeks of live ring. It has been a testing and demanding year for the Regiment but we have made leaps and bounds in the development of our new Light Cavalry role.
2014 will also be remembered for the loss of Sgt Foley who sadly died on Warcop Ranges in June. He was a Regimental charac- ter and his loss was felt incredibly hard across the Regiment. A testament to his popularity and the family nature of our great Regiment was the incredible turn out at his funeral in Hull. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Mrs Foley, Emily and Hannah.
The Regiment escaped the fourth tranche of redundancies but the gaps are still being felt from the third round. Gaps at crew com- mander level are still prevalent but a very talented group of lance corporals and junior corporals is quickly lling the gaps. We are still attracting a strong young of cer intake into the Regiment. Our new role coupled with our existing reputation is proving
to be an excellent combination in our recruitment efforts at Sandhurst.
One change that has occurred this year has been that the Regiment has nally moved out of the dark ages and succumbed to the social media revolution. The RSM has been pivotal in this
with the Regimental Facebook page and the Twitter account. For those who haven’t had a look please do, it is a great way to keep in touch with Regimental business from afar. We have also had numerous articles in Soldier magazine and a lot
of coverage on Forces TV.
LCpl Royce has been an absolute inspiration to us all. In the last year herowed across the Atlantic and ew 1000km across Kenya in a para-trike. His determina- tion in the face of adversity
has been incredible to follow and we wish him all the best in his next trip across the Atlantic in an all amputee crew in December 2015.
Cavalry Memorial weekend this year was exceptionally special. Not just because we won the Cavalry Cup, but because we were the lead regiment on parade and the Colonel in Chief took the salute. The Regiment has never had so many on parade and the band had to repeat the Regimental March as we marched passed His Majesty. The Light Dragoons have never looked so smart! It was a real privilege for the Colonel in Chief to attend the parade and the lunch reception in the Dorchester and I know every member of the Regiment and the Association were exceptionally grateful for his attendance.
In August the Regiment sent 30 people to Normandy on a bat- tle eld tour, which followed the exploits of the 13th/18th across the Normandy campaign from Sword Beach to Mont Pinçon. The tour culminated in the 70th Anniversary Parade to commemo- rate the endeavours of the 13th/18th. The event was organized by the kind people of Le Plessis-Grimoult and they put on the most wonderful day for us and the members of the Association who made the trip. It was fantastic to have Major General Watson on parade with us and we all thoroughly enjoyed hearing his fasci- nating stories over a glass of Calvados after the parade. It was also very humbling for the Regiment to be held in such high regard by the people of Le Plessis-Grimoult 70 years after the battle.
As Christmas leave approaches and weary members of the Regiment leave their Mess parties we can all re ect on an extremely busy and demanding year. 2014 was a year in which The Light Dragoons led the way in their new role and forged a new chapter in the Regimental history books. What a year it has been.
2015 will be another momentous year for The Light Dragoons. From our past, the 200th Anniversary of Waterloo and the 300th Anniversary of the formation of our Regiment; and for our future a Battlegroup level exercise on Thetford and Salisbury Plain fol- lowed by a unit move. The Light Dragoons will nally move home to the north as we are, after all, England’s Northern Cavalry.
CWLD
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons 2015
Regimental Notes........by the Adjutant