Page 80 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

78 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Officer Commanding C Squadron The Household Cavalry Regiment
I pick up where I left off in the last edition of The Chapka. My time as ‘SO2 ISTAR and Defence Engagement’ at 11th Infantry Brigade – covering the Asia Pacific region – was rounded off with a visit to Brunei to conduct a HADR (Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief) estimate with 1st Battalion Royal Ghurka Rifles, followed by a week skiing in La Plagne with the Brigade head- quarters. Fortunately for me, we were blessed with a metre of snow on our first day; unfortunately for my group, the instructor injured himself on day one so they were put into the ‘Woodward free-ride school’ thereafter, which resulted in everyone doing a lot more off-piste skiing than perhaps they had anticipated!
In May, I moved to Windsor to take command of C Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR). Now in my third sub-unit command there is at least a vague chance of me getting things right, and I’m provided with an excellent opportunity to judge the relative merits of the Household Cavalry against 3 RI- FLES and 9/12L where I squadron commanded previously. I am pleased to report that despite the Stockholm syndrome everyone experiences with their own regiment, the differences are surpris- ingly slight. As an outsider I have been welcomed with open arms, and despite several weeks of struggling coming to terms with the ridiculous rank structure, saluting with no berets and much heel clicking, I have very much enjoyed myself. Thank- fully, I already had a wing-man on the inside in the form of Cap- tain Steve Mansfield. Now working as the Training Officer at HCR he was previously my Squadron Sergeant Major when I was Officer Commanding C Squadron at 9/12L.
It’s been a fantastic seven months with the HCR, the key part of which was deploying to BATUS in Canada to experiment with new drills to support the ‘strike’ concept against a cred- ible enemy from the Royal Tank Regiment and Fusiliers. Be- ing involved in thinking about and formulating the tactics and doctrine for the new AJAX platform and its role in the Army’s new Brigades was an excellent opportunity. But, perhaps most impressive was the flexibility and adaptability of the soldiers to assimilate the new drills and change to a far more aggres- sive mind-set. It goes without saying that despite Commander
10am traditions seem unlikely to change regardless of century or location
BATUS setting the enemy up to win on a number of occasions, C Squadron remained undefeated.
Back in Windsor the year was rounded off with a wonderful ‘Day of the Dead’ themed Officers’ Mess summer ball (held in No- vember), and the famous ‘brick hanging’ in the SNCO’s mess, which proved to be all I had hoped and anticipated it would be! Lastly, and on a personal note, I have finally been tied down; getting engaged at the top of a mountain in Italy in the summer, something perhaps that most of my friends (and definitely my mother) was beginning to doubt could ever happen. Clare and I will get married in Switzerland next summer.
There is much to look forward to in 2018, with a ski-mountain- eering race looming in April, a year of AJAX experimentation and potentially exercises in Canada, Kenya and Oman for the Squadron. Hopefully we will not be organising the parking for the Royal wedding!
MHJW
Team Lancer – at Regimental Duty, Extra Regimental Employment and retired - in Copenhagen as guests of the Danish Guard Hussars