Page 78 - Cavalry Regiment

exercise of the year, GALLOPING DRAGOON. We said goodbye to our able clerk, Cpl Sykes who moved on to training in Pirbright. We also managed a mini urban exercise under the guidance of our newly qualified Urban Warfare instructor Lt Alderman, assisted by the more seasoned urban instructor Cpl Pennington. As GALLOPING DRAGOON approached and chatter about opera- tional deployments for 2021 increased, tragedy struck and squad- ron found themselves trying to recover from the loss of Cpl Blain, who was killed in a wretched car accident on 19 Sep 19. This hit the Squadron hard, particularly his direct peers. A father of four girls and one of our finest he had only been in the regiment a cou- ple years, having been a re-joiner from the Royal Welsh. He was an exemplar to young soldiers and highly competent Junior NCO who had been working towards SRR selection. This proved a challenge amongst the back drop and flurry of activity leading up GALLOPING DRAGOON. The Regimental send-off was poign- ant and fitting, led by Fr Paul. It proved tough to move on and the Empire spirits were only lifted by being warned off for a new UN Mali deployment, which sounded imminent. With one man missing, and heavy hearts the focus shifted towards team build- ing for this future challenge while taking on a new troop from B Squadron under the expert command of Lt Strawbridge and Sgt Hodson. Exercise GALLOPING DRAGOON came and went in a flurry of wet and windy tasks across Galloway Forrest. It proved a very successful exercise for the squadron and proved the require- ment for good HF communications, and the ability to manoeu- vre without being able to see neighbouring callsigns due to the dense forestry. Further, it allowed refinement of dismounting the squadron for raid, optimising our capability and building on the lessons from Ex WESSEX STORM and FOXTROT DRAGOON. This was then passed to the other Lt Cav units for external valida- tion. As we returned to dry off in Catterick uncertainty around deployment dates and debate about tasks abounded, the squadron
knuckled down to the task of preparation. The 2IC by then acting Captain Christie, had his task cut out programming a myriad of individual courses and the SQMS Delaney was kept busy trying to understand what equipment and vehicles would be required. The Empire provided a healthy number towards the RAC Boxing Championships that saw team LD triumph. The only time out was taken for Cpl Blain’s memorial in his home town, even this was interrupted at the last minute as squadron elements were sent to backfill C Squadron’s task of dealing with the flooding around Fishlake, Yorkshire. At the same time a final hurrah to get away for fun was led by Captain Christie, an overseas summer moun- taineering trip away to Jordan, JORDAN DRAGOON. The miss- ing Cpl Blain was present in spirit and at the end of the trip the pan-regimental team including many of his best friends managed to small act of remembrance and an opportunity for a final drink with him as they spread some his ashes into the Red Sea as the sun went down a fitting final salute.
Finally, as Christmas approached the Squadron were able to reflect on a busy, productive and varied year of readiness and much more. The first half split by individual tasks and overseas exercise, the later quarter, collective exercises, UK operations and adventurous training and the final quarter an end to build-up toward opera- tions. Our thoughts and prayers will forever stay with Cpl Blain’s children; Evelyn, Tallulah, Edith and Daisy, we wish them our very best and are thankful that such a strong and able character was part of our regimental family. As the Squadron starts 2020 with the excitement of an operational focus for Mali we wish 2Lt Williams, SSgt Delaney, Sgt Chard and Cpl Pennington, well as they move to greener pastures and look forward to the challenges ahead.
JCBB
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
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