Page 43 - Example Journals

The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 7
prepared for a two week Combined Arms Staff Trainer and Combined Arms Tactical Trainer exercise in Warminster, Command Troop could be found drenched and whimpering while they provided human ballast to tentage like characters in James and the Giant Peach. The B Squadron range package in Lulworth had to be called off in the second week due to poor visibility and deteriorating weather conditions. Still the rain fell. With many South of England areas ooded and the environmental agency suffering negative public opinion, the Army was directed to pro- vide military assistance to the civil authorities. For the Regiment, this entailed A Squadron deploying on ood protection duties, under Operation PITCHPOLE, to Chertsey to shore up river banks with sand bags, reassure the local population and rescue those already ooded. Army personnel were deployed across the Home Counties and up to Worcestershire to counter the rising water levels and reinforce the emergency services. B Squadron was also deployed to plug the dyke and conducted a brief relief in place of C Squadron in Chertsey. Meanwhile, with Command Troop still hanging onto drenched tentage, the remainder of the Regiment continued with simulated Combined Arms training in Warminster, though the daily commute to Tidworth became ever more ooded and treacherous.
With water levels nally dropping, the Regiment was relieved of Op PITCHPOLE tasks by late February and able to re-di- rect focus on low level Squadron training. Salisbury plain was re-opened for business in March, allowing A, D and Sp Squadrons to conduct troop level exercises. The previous, failed, Command Group recce to BATUS was re-run successfully. A Squadron took the opportunity to escape to Strensall in York, to conduct a mili- tary annual training test week.
It would be wrong to assume that, with such a busy programme for the rst quarter of 2014, the moral component was cast aside. The Regimental skiers returned to reality having been away for up to two months with hoards of silver and an Army downhill champion. C and D Squadrons used a window of opportunity to send soldiers to France for a week to learn to ski. A team of twelve travelled to Kenya adventure training and climbed Mt Kenya. Social lives in all the messes continued unabated. The Cpls’ Mess held a Medicina Ball. Regimental af liations were reinforced with a lunch held in Lulworth for The Salters’ Company and the Royal Southern Yacht Club. A number of teams conducted reciprocal visits to HMS DAUNTLESS prior to its summer deployment to the Mediterranean. The Of cers’ Mess enjoyed a cocktail party focussed on community engagement and promot- ing Regimental interests. More internally focussed, a battlegroup and ERE dinner night was held in the Of cers’ Mess and a circus ball extravaganza quenched socialite aspirations.
At the end of March, B Squadron completed a rescheduled Challenger 2 live re range package at Castlemartin and this time
Cp Green about to drop
the weather smiled on them. Having handed over their vehicles to A Squadron, a crack team of marksmen travelled across to Northern Ireland to participate in the Brigade Operational shoot- ing competition, proving competitive opponents for the infantry. A Squadron enjoyed the delights of Tenby and Haverford West spending two weeks at Castlemartin ring a huge amount of ammu- nition gleaned off the remainder of the Division; taking inexpe- rienced crews from single vehicle ring though to half Squadron battle runs. C Squadron, in turn, deployed to Warminster on the 1 YORKS Battlegroup CSTTX and demonstrated how exible and devastating the new fangled 18 tank Squadron can be. It was a sense of relief that the Regiment reached Easter leave having completed the majority of pre-BATUS training.
Gingerly stepping into May the Regiment fragmented into three prongs with each sabre squadron aligned to different battlegroup deployments to Canada, not to re-group until late October. First up, B Squadron deployed on Ex PRAIRIE STORM 1 with the 1 R WELSH Battlegroup. The KRH Battlegroup headquarters deployed on Ex ROCHAMBEAU to France for two weeks to test interoperability and compatibility between the US, French and UK communications systems. The exercise, 35 minutes from Epernay, provided ample opportunity to re-stock on champagne and the team were hosted to a delicious lunch with the CEO of Poll Roger and a tour of the cellars. With headquarters distracted
A Sqn SSM on ranges
Pol Roger cellar, Ex ROCHAMBEAU