Page 70 - Cavalry Regiment

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Introduction by the Commanding Officer
Ihope that, serving or retired, when you read the articles in this journal you will take huge pride in a Regiment that continues is still going from strength to strength, that con- tinues to be a genuine band of brothers (and now sisters). My strong belief is that we continue to meet every challenge thrown in our direction, whilst retaining our sense of fun and adventure.
Our primary responsibility continues to be ensuring that we are prepared and ready for an operational deployment. Reading about A and B Squadron’s work on their feet in Kenya and C Squadron’s deployment in HMMWV in the USA should leave you in no doubt that our recce skills remain undimmed after the high-water mark of Exercise WESSEX STORM in 2018, and that we are just as capable of operating on our feet as we are in any vehicle. Should we have been called to deploy while been held at high readiness, we would have been prepared to go.
Our deployments to assist the civilian authority in Whaley Bridge and Doncaster certainly demonstrated that at short notice we had the ability to respond and generate composite squadrons to deploy within 24hrs. The work that goes into making sure we are always ready is significant, and it is credit to the Operations Team, the Squadron second in commands and the Sergeant Majors that on both occasions we were in such good shape.
Around those commitments 2019 offered a rare opportunity to make the most of some ‘white space’ to conduct adventur- ous training and sport. A two-week package in North Wales offered the variety to introduce novices to different disci- plines, and there was plenty of scope to challenge the more experienced hands. On the sporting field, there was plenty of success in our northern leagues – with cricket, hockey and athletics and teams all bringing home silverware. While the Nordic team recorded one of our best results, sadly the foot- ball team were unable to win the Cavalry Cup.
Additionally, there were two events that must be highlighted for demonstrating the Regimental ethos that we all so proud to share. The Op HERRICK re-union weekend brought together the serving Regiment, their families and veterans to study the role the Regiment played in the campaign and to formally remember the fallen with those they left behind. Although the scale of the endeavour was different, the simi-
larities were obvious to all those who attended the Normandy battlefield study. The pride in our forebears and the family spirit that links the serving Regiment to the association is as strong as ever.
They year has not all been plain sailing. Whilst we are lucky to have a surfeit of genuine talent in all three of our messes, our manning situation has, at times, been challenging. We have been used to being close to fully manned but, at its worst, manning this year dipped to 80% of our establishment. Happily, we remain an attractive role and a combination of transferees, rejoiners and new recruits have resulted in a stead upwards trend towards 90% and over.
Finally, and most importantly, the Regiment owes a huge amount of thanks to my predecessor, Ben Cossens. We may have the humility not to claim to be the best Regiment in the Army but under his stewardship and demonstrated by the deeds in this journal, should leave you in doubt that we are up there with the very best of them. Whatever challenges next year brings, and we expect many during a year with opera- tional deployments to Poland and Mali, we will be ready to meet them.
TRMR
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