Page 114 - The Bugle 2018

Goodbye Davies Street, hello Iverna Gardens
After over 140 years, the Regiment finally bade a very fond farewell to 52-56 Davies Street, hitherto its home in London.
During this tenure, the building had also been home to the many antecedent Volunteer Regiments of 4th Battalion The Royal Green Jackets. This included the Prince Consort’s Own, the Westminster Rifles and the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort’s Own) to name but a few. It also famously became the home to a considerable Officers’ Club, enhanced by the mass demobilisation after the 2nd World War, as thousands of Riflemen returned to the City to find employment.
With the loss of F Coy to the London Regiment, 7 RIFLES has been quick to re-establish its presence in London. The BHQ was moved to 1a Iverna Gardens in the heart of Kensington, and the mortar platoon, previously part of F Coy, was reassigned to G Coy, based directly opposite Mile End tube station. F Coy remains within walking distance in Hammersmith in their smart new home at 190 Hammersmith Road.
Though the loss of Davies Street is keenly felt – not only did it enable recruiting for regulars, reserves and cadets, but it maintained a tie with an area that has provided the Regiment and its antecedents with both officers and soldiers throughout our history – as ever we move forward: being grateful for what we had, but always looking to the future. Iverna Gardens will provide the Regiment with a smart, highly functional new London home.
Capt Charlie James Adjt 7 RIFLES
Dogs on the ground! A 7 RIFLES section dismounts to form a baseline and lay down suppressing fire as part of the battalion’s live fire WARRIOR Series
IT WAS THE TURN OF 7 RIFLES TO BE UNLEASHED AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE BATTALION WAS GIVEN THE CHANCE TO LAUNCH FROM THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE
The WARRIOR Series
As part of the Army restructuring, 2017 has proved to be a very important year for 7 RIFLES as it saw the battalion move from 38 Infantry Brigade and join the prestigious 20 Armoured Infantry Brigade (20X). Although this was a great opportunity it also highlighted the steep learning curve that the battalion would have to overcome to get up to the high standard required by the brigade.
The first task was to re-role 7 RIFLES. Up until now the battalion has always been a Light Role Infantry Battalion and as a result of moving brigades, 7 RIFLES were now expected to pair with an Armoured Infantry battalion, and to be capable of deploying not solely with our sister battalion, 5 RIFLES, but with any of the Armoured Infantry battalions within 20X.
The training started in earnest with an extremely thorough brief from 5 RIFLES in October. These briefs showed 7 RIFLES that the WARRIOR fighting vehicle could be used in a plethora of roles and complex situations and formed the foundation for all of the exercises going forward. Some of the training objectives covered included safety aspects of working with the vehicle, conducting offensive operations from the vehicle, camouflage and concealment, and generally living out of the vehicle which would include a massive culture change from that of operating exclusively as a light role battalion.
In December during Ex WINTER WARRIOR, 7 RIFLES were treated to an impressive demonstration from 5 RIFLES where they pushed their WARRIORs to the limits and showed us what this fighting vehicle was fully capable of, including section and platoon attacks. After a few walkthrough/talkthroughs it was the turn of 7 RIFLES to be unleashed and every member of the battalion was given the chance to launch from the back of the vehicle onto a multitude of complex positions.
The weekend culminated in a deliberate attack on an urban complex. The buildup to this was very important for the commanders as they discussed the estimate process with members of 5 RIFLES to ensure that their plans were detailed and utilised the WARRIORs to their full potential.
In the early months of 2018 the battalion focussed on live fire training, specifically conducting fast-paced section attacks. This would again prove a culture change for many in 7 RIFLES because, instead of conducting their attacks from a few hundred meters away, they were launching onto positions
120 SEVENTH BATTALION
THE RIFLES