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www.raptcassociation.org.uk
Iarrived at 16 Medical Regiment in September 2022 having previously served with the Air Corps – I was
excited to serve within 16 Air Assault Brigade again after being out of the Brigade for over 10 years. The pace of life has certainly not changed at all, and 16 Medical Regiment has remained as busy as ever. They have deployed on multiple exercises in the UK and abroad with a large proportion of the Regiment held at High Readiness to support Operations around the world.
The relevance of being held at High Readiness was proved paramount when Op GREENLIGHTER was mounted and 16 Medical Regiment were deployed at a moment’s notice to support the Earthquakes in Turkey in Feb 23. All hands to the pump to ensure the Regiment were deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Working with so many different Medical Professionals is really eye-opening and it’s fantastic to see those that support such a unique Brigade.
With all that is going on in the Brigade, All Arms Pre Parachute Selection (P Coy) is still an important part of the role and within the past 6 months, 16
16 MEDICAL REGIMENT
SSgt (SSI) J Battle RAPTC
SSgt (SSI) J Battle was awarded the Boxing Official of the Year award
Medical Regiment have seen the first ever Female Soldier pass the course along with another Female Officer and having 2PCoyChampions–soithasbeena successful time for 16 Medical Regiment.
16 Air Assault Brigade are renowned for being Physically fit and robust. It is essential those Service Personnel assigned here have good facilities to train in with a good atmosphere. In Nov 2022, I took over the management of the Normandy Gymnasium which is a Brigade facility. Working closely with Regional Command and WO1 (SMI) M Connelly
A new and improved Refurbishment of Normandy Gymnasium
RAPTC, we have completely refurbished this facility and it has been a great success with more additions coming soon.
I have continued to enjoy and support Army and UKAF Boxing as the Army Officials Appointments and Development Secretary which has been another busy season for all Officials. The hours out on the road, up and down the country, supporting Boxing is something that I am very passionate about, and it was great to be recognised for this by being awarded the Army Boxing Official of the Year.
Sgt (SI) Gilroy RAPTC
events in which 216 (PARA) Sig Sqn host and participate in the event.
Sport is a real crowd-pleaser within the Sqn and when we get time to, we do try and deliver. We have numerous Sports that the Sqn has performed strongly in, from Unit level to UK Armed Forces in the following: Rugby, Football, Boxing, Cricket, Swimming, Karting, Basketball, Cycling, Hockey, and Powerlifting.
This year ’s GOC’s Cup was tough to participate in due to the demands of 16X, however with the Sqn entering 3 out of the 7 events we finished Runners Up as a Minor Unit overall, along with a 1st in Football, 3rd in X Country and 2nd in BAWF.
216 (PARA) SIGNAL SQUADRON
Sgt (SI) A Gilroy RAPTC
This is my first article for MBS as an RAPTCI and a first for 216 (PARA) Sig Sqn. Stepping into the blind straight after Probs course was a real eye- opener. The Sqn’s first ever RAPTCI was in, and it has taken them time to adapt to me, and me to them.
The Sqn’s furious pace within 16 Air Assault Bde has taken its time to get used to, as when I first arrived the Sqn were deployed on Ex SWIFT RESPONSE in Macedonia. The Unit’s normal business and in the thick of things spending the vast majority on Readiness 1 supporting 16 Bde for rapid response and strike force for operations.
216 (PARA) Sig Sqn has had an incredible year of deployments, sporting achievements and physically demanding unit-led competitions. These areas have seen personnel within the Squadron fulfil multiple activities across various parts of the globe such as Macedonia, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany; this included Belize on Ex MERCURY CANOPY where the Squadron were the first Royal Signal’s Unit to deploy on Exercise as the main
battle group over a 6-week period testing various new hi-tech equipment that will support the Army going forward.
Although busy, the priority over physical training during this period has not taken a backward step, with unit PT never being more relevant and established, with a new Gym set up and with new equipment which was well overdue. The Sqn has been fully committed to All Arms Pre- Parachute Selection (AAPPS) courses led by all 16X RAPTCIs and forwarding those successful to the Basic Parachute Course (BPC) organised by the Training Wing Team ready to battle life as an Airborne Soldier within Brigade.
Between deployments, the Squadron participated in The Nijmegen Marches, which saw the team from Alpha Troop win the event. Alongside this, the Sqn held the Yearly Lanyard Trophy, a 40-Mile Endurance Tab across Dartmoor in a team of 8, where the winners are simply the fastest team to finish, unfortunately the event was postponed due to the Queen’s Passing. This event is a Royal Signal Corps