Page 71 - Cavalry Regiment

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Regimental Notes... by the Adjutant
2019 has lived up to what has become traditional in our Regiment’s recent history. Not long-ago Adjutants would open their notes with comments on how busy the regiment had been, this no longer comes to any of us that call Gaza barracks ‘home’ as much of a surprise!
Lieutenant Colonel Ben Cossens handed over the reins of com- mand to Lieutenant Colonel Tom Robinson in March, saying farewell to a regiment in fine shape, and just about dry and warm after Wessex Storm in November 18. Our thanks for his hard work over two years that saw the Regiment deployed on sequential rota- tions to Poland among other glamorous locations and wish him good luck in Somalia.
Cavalry Memorial in May saw an excellent turnout on Parade and particularly enjoyable afternoon. Maj Nick Taylor gave the young Troop Leaders a hands-on demonstration of casualty evacuation drills as he was paraded through the patrons in a Chelsea Public House (which will remain nameless) on a stretcher board and neck brace; no lasting injuries.
The summer rumour mill was rife to say the least, if they had all been followed through the Regiment would now find itself with a footprint in every town from the Maghreb to Mongolia. Mali however is now looking like the bookies favourite and A Sqn are preparing in earnest alongside their Royal Anglian counterparts to form the first Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Task Group deploying in 2020. If the wet season there does get really bad there will, fear not, be a number of experts on the ground with experience from Whaley Bridge and Fishlake where both A and C Sqns performed admirably in their disaster relief efforts in the wake of the flooding there in late 2019.
Maj Simon Stott planned and executed an extremely enjoyable and poignant Memorial Weekend for Remembrance Sunday which saw nearly 500 serving and retired Light Dragoons and their fami- lies enjoy a weekend of activities at Gaza Barracks. RSM Bobbie Buchan proved he is still a dab hand in command on a miniature tank and all ranks enjoyed an excellent party in the Gymnasium. Sunday morning was bright and clear as the Regiment paraded to mark 10 years since Operation HERRICK 10, the families of all but two fallen comrades where also on parade to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice; our thoughts are with them always.
Early 2019 saw both A and B Sqns deploy to BATUK to play enemy for 2 infantry battlegroups, I will not name them here as the grief and hassle and headache our soldiers gave them was per- haps the cause for some embarrassment... I can however tell you that one recruits from Lancaster and the other is an amalgamation of several Light infantry regiments including the D and D and the RGJ...
C Sqn under command of Maj Luke Dodington will deploy in March to Poland on our third round of Operation CABRIT, well
prepared after several weeks spent in the forests of Scotland and the ranges at Warcop. Victorious in the Princess of Wales swim- ming gala we can only hope that their slimline speedos bearing the motif ‘Up the Legion’ will not survive the freights journey...
Gaza barracks has become more ‘homely’ than before with the acquisition of infrastructure for a Corporal Club, its inaugural event playing host to the Army Sergeant Major, WO1 Gavin Paton – the club is still standing...
The Regiment has bid adieu to several familiar faces over the course of 2019, details of which are in the Valete, and welcomed a new generation of Troop Leaders and Soldiers to our rank and file. We continue to be excellently represented across the wider army and thanks must be paid to our men on the ground in Bovington and RMAS for their hard work in promoting the Regiments name.
In September the Regiment suffered the loss of Cpl Richard ‘Dickie’ Blain in a road traffic incident. Dickie was a huge charac- ter, fiercely professional and extremely competent, a dear friend to many and a mentor to those in his Squadron. His loss is felt daily, and our thoughts remain with his wife Mollie and his daughters Tallulah, Edith, Daisy and Evelyn.
The alpine and Nordic ski teams enjoyed the delights of Verbier and Lillehammer once again over the winter season, continuing to dominate across all disciplines. In 2021 plans are already tak- ing shape for a full regimental ski trip over three weeks to the Austrian Alps which will see all members of the Regiment enjoy a week’s ski training and decompression after our two operational tours in 2020.
Although the preparation for operations is in full swing the char- acter and cohesive bond of our regiment is stronger than ever, there is a palpable buzz around the tank park of a band of men and women raring to get out the door, come what may the Light Dragoons will lead the way, something else that seems to have become a tradition for England’s Northern Cavalry.
MAJB
QR Codes
There is an addition to this year’s journal for the more technically savvy. Please use your smart phone cameras to hover over black and white rectangular QR codes. This should then bring images and articles to life and direct you to the numerous exciting videos that have been complied under the guidance of the illustrious C Squadron leader. I hope this small step and use of technology will improve the reader’s experience. For constant updates please follow us on social media.
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