Page 19 - The Bugle 2018

QM’s Department
Another year of change and challenge in Team G4 at 1 RIFLES.
The G4 coming and goings at 1 RIFLES have been non-stop again for the last 12 months or so, with many people moving on and new arrivals receiving the G4 baptism of fire. This combined with yet another busy year committed to supporting defence engagement tasks, as well as delivering logistical support to over 25 different overseas activ- ities, as well as multiple inspections and Exercise ASKARI STORM, this has been no easy period; it’s fair to say 1 RIFLES Team G4 has been stretched.
However, 1 RIFLES Quartermaster’s Department delivered (sometimes through gritted teeth) with a smile to ensure no one was left wanting. To every- one’s delight Maj (Budgey) Burgess ensured the Commanding Officer was suitably entertained throughout with random stories from years gone by about Berlin and Northern Ireland while also ridiculing the Adjutant (James Reaney) for being a champagne socialist.
Once again 1 RIFLES G4 Team was selected (from a cast of thousands) to provide the Real-life support for Exercise CAMBRIAN PATROL 2017, the British Army’s premiere patrol competition held in Brecon. RQ McCutcheon took this by the horns and used black magic to ensure the exercise was a success from start to finish. McCutcheon’s mind map of how the exercise was administered is still a mystery to us all (including Steven Hawkins and NASA), but this ensured 1 RIFLES’ reputation to deliver was second to none. Unfortunately, our success may have secured 1 RIFLES the same role in 2018, (not the prize we were looking for, after all the hard work and a great job).
December was time to say goodbye to Maj (Budgey) Burgess who has had a busy (but short)
year in post, as he is off to staff college (to become a proper officer), and welcome to Maj (Taff) Evans, in from a job in Recruiting Group. January 2018 saw the 1 RIFLES Battlegroup deploy on Exercise ASKARI STORM in Kenya, a challenging exercise for any unit made more difficult as the whole 7-week exercise took place in Archer’s Post. The exercise was made easier with the new QM’s approach to logistic support, ensuring every Rifleman had more Haribo sweets than ammo and his soap on a rope invention to save the Army’s budget. Needless to say, the QM returned to the UK with a considerable amount of Haribo but is looking forward to the New Year’s honours list to see if his soap saving idea has earnt him an MBE.
In May we said farewell to RQ McCutcheon as he moved to take over the RSM seat in 1 RIFLES, let’s just hope his black magic keeps 1 RIFLES on the straight and narrow.
Capt Pat Hyde MC QM(T)
THE EXERCISE WAS MADE EASIER WITH THE NEW QM’S APPROACH TO LOGISTIC SUPPORT, ENSURING EVERY RIFLEMAN HAD MORE HARIBO SWEETS THAN AMMO
Signals Platoon
The last year has seen Signals Platoon concen- their super-digitised headquarters was both
trate on Ex ASKARI STORM 1/18 in Kenya and Ex MESSINES 18 in Australia in addition to supporting Battalion commitments in the UK and overseas. For the first time in several years, the Platoon also ran a very successful cadre to select a new generation of communicators for the Battalion and rejuvenate our team sheet.
The Battlegroup Headquarters learnt at pace in CAST(N) and formed a strong and functional team to provide direction to the Battlegroup during the exercise in Kenya throughout January and February 2018.
May 2018 brought around another overseas exercise, Ex MESSINES, which was the UK involvement in the Australian Defence Force’s major joint readiness exercise. Fortunately for us it was based on the outskirts of Brisbane, which of course allowed us to explore the Gold and Sunshine Coast areas in the margins, put some shrimps on the barbie and catch some waves! Working with our Australian cousins in
interesting and great to build relations with our Commonwealth partners.
Capt Kenji Ara
RSO
THE RIFLES
FIRST BATTALION 25
An elated QM(T) and RQMS(M) at the finale
BG HQ by Bushmaster at the AUS 1 Div, Brisbane