The Magazine of The Royal Corps of Signals

June 2012
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THE
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The Magazine of the Royal Corps of Signals
JUNE 2012 Vol. 66 No: 3
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CONTENTS
News from Operations
News from Blandford
News from Training
News from Formations
News from Regiments
News from Squadrons
Other Units
Sport
Adventure Training
Royal Signals Association
Page
2
10
15
23
18-19
Exercise Snow Warrior (Adaptive)
86-87
24
72
Marathon Des Sables
94-96
80
Uhuru (Kilimanjaro) Peak Challenge
97
84
97
British Services Antarctic Expedition
2012
112
Last Post
Obituaries
Miscellaneous
110
Farewell to the SOinC - full story on page 10
Page
Virtual Learning for Royal Signals
Electricians
102
108
108
FRONT COVER
Other notable articles
BACK COVER
The start of the Marathon Des Sables,
the toughest foot race on earth - full
story on page 94
Authors alone are responsible for the content of their articles. The opinions expressed in the articles of this publication are
those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Royal Corps of Signals or the
Ministry of Defence. All articles and submissions are published at the discretion of the Editor.
This publication may contain official information. It should be treated with discretion by the recipient.
Printed by Holbrook Printers Ltd, Norway Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth © Crown Copyright
NEWS FROM OPERATIONS
CO RSM Lt Col R Carter
WO1 (RSM) K East
1st (UNITED KINGDOM) ARMOURED DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT
THE CAMPAIGN SIGNAL REGIMENT- Op HERRICK 15
JFCIS(A) UK NOC Ops – by WO1 ‘Eng not Tech’ Avery
Comd JFCIS(A)
Col G Fletcher
DComd JFCIS(A) Lt Col R Carter
RSM JFCIS(A)
WO1(RSM) K East
As the deployment thunders towards its inevitable banana
boat supported conclusion on the sun kissed sand of Cyprus,
the JFCIS team have dismissed any suggestion of premature
‘winding down’. It has been impossible though, to miss the
swarm of activity which has accompanied the ‘Relief In Place’
most noticeable in the ‘Super’ Kitchen where the standard of
food has risen in order to lull the unsuspecting newcomers
into an anticipation of feasts of Gordon Ramsayesque
proportions. The weather too has started to play its part,
rising like a reverse phoenix from the gloomy rain-lashed
swamp like effects of February to the balmy sun-filled
sweatbox in which we currently find ourselves.
It is to this backdrop that JFCIS have begun nurturing the first
green shoots of the RiP, with some replacement personalities
starting to filter through and also the seismic move from the
comfort and splendour of camp 381 ‘Mercury Lines’ to the
squalor of the refugee ‘transit’ camp opposite although the
closer proximity (for some) of the ablution facilities has made
the transition somewhat easier to swallow.
Cranking up the humour in a David Brent sort of way were the
various Quizzes hosted by JFCIS’ very own, the incomparable
WO1 (YofS) Tharby who took time out of his busy schedule to
run a number of general knowledge quizzes which took on
various formats and took in subjects as diverse as moustache
recognition and birds of the United Kingdom. These were
usually won by WO2 (YofS) Dave Carter and his team on the
front row consisting of WO2 (FofSIS) ‘Troll’ Cooper.
After nigh on 7 months away, it is with a profound and real
sense of relief that we find ourselves on the homeward slope,
our thoughts turning to the wives, children and girlfriends
waiting for us at the far end and the moment fast
approaching when the battle bus rounds the bend in camp
and it can be said, poignantly… ‘1 ADSR are home’.
KABUL JOINT SUPPORT UNIT (CAMP SOUTER)
OC
GSM
Maj P Brunton
WO2 (GSM) C Moore
ICS TROOP KABUL
Tp OC
Tp SSgt
Capt K Davies-Walters
SSgt M Wall
ICS DET CAMP SOUTER – by LCpl Janine Foster
FINAL STAGES OF HERRICK 15
Hitting the fifth month of deployment has been busy for the
2
ICS detachment here in Camp Souter, with preparation for ECI
inspection, accounting for all project kit and finalising
handover/takeover notes.
The preparation for ECI Inspection was a busy time with every
engineer on deck to inspect vehicles. The operators ensured
that the detachment folders were up to date with the
relevant paperwork inserted and faults reported to Sgt
Rokovada and Foreman Wilson, who provided morale by
getting the brews in.
The majority of the detachment has received assignment
orders with the bulk of the engineers having confirmation of
expected class one upgrade courses. LCpl Darren James was
not amused by this, as he still has time to do at 1 ADSR, which
only encouraged us to wind him up further. We persisted, by
freezing his hat in a block of ice!
Sun hat freezing in action
With the light at the end of tunnel starting to shine,
preparation for handover took place with everyone finalising
their handover notes. This month also proved to be an
educational month with Capt Davies-Walters tasking every
junior rank to write a 1500 word essay, the title “Cloud
Servers Verses Dedicated Servers in 2012”. This was to
develop individuals’ writing skills and their knowledge and
understanding, coupled with a lesson on time management
whilst serving on busy Operations.
We prepared for the arrival of the 10 Sig Regt surge team in
the month of April. Following the move of the Tech
Workshops, the surge team were tasked with re-wiring Camp
Souter as part of the Kabul ICS uplift project. They arrived to
start the 2 month project, complete with a huge amount of
equipment which sparked an extensive search operation for
what was described as a rectangular cardboard box
containing 25 50 Amp circuit breakers? The hunt continued
for 4 long days with no prize at the end apart from Sgt Stares
gaining a few extra grey hairs!
The Souter Half Marathon took place on Sunday the 15 April
2012, not only to test physical endurance but to raise some
money for the Help for Heroes charity. There was an
impressive turnout which included Cpl ‘9 full fingers’ Ellis,
LCpl Si Marshall, LCpl Alex Tann, LCpl Janine Foster and Sig
Nick Janes. The route consisted of 15 tedious laps of Camp
Souter. Sig Janes was fastest in the detachment, finishing
third, in a time of 1:35:59, excellent when you consider Kabul
is 5900ft above sea level.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Souter. These moves were to enable us all to get a taster of
the other 2 locations that ICS Tp has to cover in the Kabul AO.
Their replacements were more than happy to take over and
were warmly welcomed by the remaining 2 existing members
of our small team here. Sgt ‘Isaac’ Fong and I, Cpl Dan Chick,
have settled in very nicely.
The ICS detachment has successfully moved location to the
UK NSE without an interruption to services. We all worked
hard and efficiently, installing all the communications
required, from complex fibre patching to plenty of cable lays,
all of us having to diversify and call on some valuable Special
to Arms training. We are now settled into our new and
slightly more welcomed surroundings and are extremely
happy to see daylight for the first time in weeks!
Sig Janine Foster finishing the Camp Souter Half Marathon
HQ ISAF ICS Det
ISAF LIFE – by LCpl Tom Manning
Since New Year a lot has changed here in HQ ISAF, from
people moving around to communication upgrades to charity
events.
People moved around over the last few weeks of the tour, in
order to spread the wealth of talent and enabling personnel
to get a little more experience on systems they hadn’t had a
chance to touch. LCpl Janine Foster switched with LCpl
Damo Farrar, as did Sig Nick Janes with Sig ‘Evo’ Evans for
the MDOR. Sgt Isaac Fong switched with Sgt Liam Burgess
too.
RLI has been upgraded; which seemed to be a seamless and
trouble free experience. We moved the detachment around
to create a more pleasant working environment and cleaned
out the Tech Cabin to create a separate working space for the
engineer “geeks”. This uncovered a total of 8 bags of year’s
out of date documents, making happy shredding for the night
shift.
I am pleased to report as part of the British representative,
we successfully won the HQ ISAF charity relay race, beating 3
French teams, loaded with their Special Forces soldiers
mustered from the camp. The closest they got was 28
seconds behind us. The event was organised by the FRIC CP
team and raised just over €500 for ABF the Soldiers Charity.
We have been able to squeeze a couple of detachment BBQ’s
in too, with the weather starting to get warmer. Sig ‘Carilito
Sanchez’ Eccles did an excellent job of haggling with the
master chef to gain extra food which went really well, despite
troubles with lighting the BBQ. When one SNCO, 3 JNCO’s
and a Signaller can’t light it, something is wrong! An Afghan
LEC wandered past and had the bright idea of spraying
alcohol hand sanitizer onto the feeble flames which seemed
to do the trick.
Another job commitment that cropped up, was lending a
hand to the WAN/LAN team installing the Internet into the
new blocks and also installing new House Keeper terminals
for the Special Operation Force (SOF) team. Between jobs,
we have dedicated plenty of time drafting our precious
handover notes for 16 Sig Regt that arrives in a few weeks
time.
Similar to the remainder of our Tp in ISAF and Souter, we too
have had some really fine sunshine, which gave us the perfect
opportunity for the UKNSE to host a St Georges Day BBQ.
Sgt Fong and Cpl Chick were responsible for cooking the food
for 60 staff officers, which must have been a success as
no-one complained of food poisoning! Sgt Lance Buckle, who
was the events co-ordinator, got into the spirit by donning his
specially mailed themed costume. We now have
decompression, a VIP medal parade and some well earned
post operational tour leave (POTL) firmly in our sights.
QUARTERMASTERS DEPT
QM RQMS Maj L Crossing
WO2 S Miners
As you will always read in these notes it HAS been a busy
period for the QM’s dept here in Kabul. Over the last 2
months we have prepared and had both the LSI and ECI.
With R&R and the loss of LCpl ‘Jobs Worth’ Marley and Sig
‘ECM’ Brown we have felt the pace of the accounts in this
active department. Cpl ‘Jimmy the Fridge’ Somerville has
been brought in from the MT to assist with the ECM account
and has brought the FLIG account along with him.
As Cpl ‘Scarlet Pimpernel’ Louis RE had done his disappearing
act on a flight back to the UK Cpl ‘Smoking area’ Somerville
had to present 3 accounts on the LSI and you could see the
lack of sleep from the previous evenings guard creeping up
on him as he was grilled for hours on Louis’ account. He has
now had to attempt to stop smoking yet again just so we can
get some more hours work out of him before we hand over
to 16 Sig Regt.
On the subject of smoking cessation SSgt ‘UNICOM’ Beattie
has just bought another 200 Cigarettes to assist him in
stopping. There must be some logic there.
MOVING OF THE ICS DETACHMENT – by Cpl Dan Chick
On the LSI Cpl Al Croston got away with top marks. There’s
bound to be some skeletons hidden in his account
somewhere; when we find them there will be some bribery
required. LBdr Brad ‘Foster’ New impressed everyone with
the effort he has put into the BOWMAN account.
The last few weeks has seen a couple of changes in the ICS
Det KAIA (N). We say farewell to Sgt ‘Apples’ Stares who has
departed to take on the role of detachment commander in
Camp Souter and LCpl ‘Social Skills’ James who also moved to
Although we have been working so much there has still been
time for play as well. Cpl ‘Its not my Round’ Louis can often
be found playing ping pong against Sgt Kevin Lindsay or SSgt
Cote. No one has the heart to tell him that it doesn’t count as
KAIA(N) ICS Det
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
3
a PT session. WO2 (RQMS) ‘Jiggy Jiggy’ Minors has also been
trying, and failing, to beat WO2 (SSM) Chris Moore at both
pool and darts; don’t we all know about it the next day! It
didn’t help that during the St. Georges Day Kabul darts
competition, which was organised by Sig Brown (UKIP) and
Cfn Baguley (NFI), the RQMS managed to get to the final and
got kicked into touch by rank outsider Cpl ‘Robbo’ Roberts.
Well done to you sir for your second place. I’m sure it was
nothing to do with Cpl ‘Ex Tech’ Somerville’s counting!
With only 20 days of this tour left and the back broken of the
work need to be done before our handover to 16 Sig Regt we
can start concentrating on the handover. It hasn’t been an
easy tour but I think we can all say that we have got
something out of it. It won’t stop until we have handed over
but I’m confident that our replacements will be able to see
the amount of work we’ve put into it and I hope that our
efforts mean that they have a more relaxed tour and if we
end up back here we can reap the benefits of our hard work.
A thank you to all the IA’s that were attached to us for the
tour. You have all been good lads to work with (other than
Louis – as we haven’t seen him work yet!) and congratulations
to Sgt Andy Lindsay on his selection for promotion to SSgt
after his 82 year career!
SOUTER FORCE PROTECTION TRANSPORT COMPANY
OC SFPTC
Ops OFFR
Ops SNCO
MT
Maj S Vernon
Capt A King
SSgt L Cote
SSgt M Mason
the Taliban. The worst bit has got to be the never ending
winter, SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW and then just when you
thought it was over, more SNOW SNOW SNOW. As we are
hitting May the weather is slightly improving and the tans are
starting to appear especially among the MT and then fade as
we are then blessed with RAIN RAIN RAIN.
The countdown to the RIP has almost come to an end and
hopefully the time will speed up as we begin the task of
teaching all of our replacements the routes and knowledge
about the local area. Once that is done its wheels up in
KABUL, wheels down in Bastion, quick jaunt to Cyprus then
home for tea and medals and a severe amount of drinking and
after a little taste of drill the pace will slow to a crawl for a
month just prior to most of the guys being posted.
I am sure that we have left our mark in the areas we have
patrolled; the locals have welcomed us at every opportunity
and have afforded us some of the security we are blessed
with in camp albeit that sensible people do not bite the hand
that feeds them. The roads we drive on will never be the
same after we have gone, but probably reduce the carnage
that remains when certain individuals drive past. Morale on
Camp will surely drop as the 1 (UK) ADSR MFGC (Morale Force
Generation Company) leave, some good relationships have
been formed not just with British forces based here but with
the Interpreters, Other Nations, the embedded contract work
force and the wider local community.
As a final note….. SO LONG CAMP SOUTER, SEE YOU IN 2
YEARS TIME!!!!
After leaving Herford on 2 November and completing 6 ½
months of Operational tempo the light at the end of the
tunnel is now in sight. The tour for everyone seems to have
past relatively quick and that is probably due to the routine
and the 7 day working week, which is non stop and towards
the end has started to take its toll on everyone. The Multiple
Comds are starting to earn there money by keeping the guys
motivated and switched on. The good thing about being
away is that the younger generation of soldiers have gained a
skill set that will see them well prepared for future army
careers and an accelerated maturity that will stand them in
good stead later on in life.
SSgt Lee Cote on a QRF exercise with Regional Command Central
explaining his new house plans for when he hits Civilian life
HELMAND ICS SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC SSM
Maj Vernon in Camp Souter
The tour itself has had its good moments and bad moments
and I am sure that a month after return the bad moments will
fade and the war stories will come out. The mentions of riot
training at the MEP in preparation for invasion by the rioters,
the mentions of flying down to the Embassy to forward
mount and recover a team from half way up TV Hill are to
mention a but few. After a couple of beers in the bar they will
be over emphasised and will have become full on battles with
4
Maj Hutton
WO2 (SSM) Cattle
As we near the end of our tour of Op HERRICK 15, it cannot be
denied that we are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of our
replacements from 16 Sig Regt. The last few months seem to
have flown by as we have continued to support those units
out on the ground. In addition to our day to day taskings we
have remained as busy as ever with the successful
implementation of Op ZITA, the RLI Tech Refresh, the arrival
of the new TCW contingent, as well as the provision of
additional support during the RIP. We have however,
continued to maintain the high standards set at the beginning
of our tour, all those months ago. The Sqn has proven time
and again that it has the determined attitude and technical
expertise to overcome any challenge, providing a quality
service to users and a reputation to be proud of.
We are looking forward to celebrating the culmination of our
achievements in front of friends and family at the medals
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
parade upon our return, followed by some well deserved
down time during POTL before settling back into barrack life.
We wish 16 Sig Regt all the best for their forthcoming tour
and are sure they will uphold the standards already set.
FOBs and MOBs throughout Task Force Helmand, where we
frequently deploy by air and road.
While the vast majority of our work has been caused through
general wear and tear and the environment itself, we
continue to battle the stupidity factor. This was clearly
demonstrated by the Royal Artillery TUAV detachment. On
reporting they had lost all communications we quickly
scrambled, not quite knowing what to expect. Never in our
wildest dreams did we imagine someone would have cut
every single fibre that fed the communications cabinet. How
important could a big grey metal box with NATO SECRET
stickers all over it be?!
Sig ‘Ash’ Davies received a warm welcome to the section mid
tour. After reaching the Class 2 standard he was quickly
deployed to FOB Ouellette, one of the more kinetic locations
in Helmand. His first time outside the wire, he was thrown
into the deep end when the Merlin came under small arms
fire as they descended into one of the PB’s en-route,
“Brilliant… I’m getting shot at he said” in a concerned and
dejected manner. To get his pulse racing a bit more, upon
arrival at Ouellette the mortar threat was deemed substantial
and ICOM chatter had picked up on an immediate threat to
British personnel on the base. Welcome to the real Helmand
Ash!
FofS Gavin McArthur embodying the professionalism of the
Corps
Line Section’s 2IC, LCpl Ryan Hardy has visibly had a hard
tour, with his happy go lucky outlook on life receding as
quickly as his hair line. The section has noted a striking
resemblance between LCpl Hardy and Carl Pilkington of ‘An
idiot abroad’ fame. Not only does he have a similar hair style
(or lack of) but his sudden outbursts and random criticisms
are just like those that have made the programme so
hilarious. LCpl Hardy has however, been an absolute credit to
his Regt as an augmentee from 10 Sig Regt, he quickly fitted
in to the CSR and will leave a lasting impression on all of us.
On reflection Op HERRICK 15 has been an extremely
demanding and yet highly rewarding tour. With 60% of Line
Section made up of other trade groups, LCpl’s ‘Scouse’ Wilkes
and LCpl ‘Corbz’ Corbin have both proved themselves to be
quick learners and have taken to ‘Telemeching’ like a duck to
water. Our other 2 ‘want to be Mechs’ are from RAF TCW.
Having worked alongside Installation Technicians on previous
tours, they too have excelled from the very start. Only half
way through their tour, they will prove a valuable asset to 16
Sig Regt when they arrive.
WO2 Darren Cattle getting tied up with the cabling
BASTION TROOP
Tp Comd
Tp SSgt
2Lt J French
SSgt T McBean
LINE SECTION – by Sgt ‘Rich’ Gibson
It seems like only 5 minutes since we were all eating mince
pies in the Afghan sunshine but on reflection Line Section has
achieved so much since then. We have been extremely busy
ensuring that the 60,000 or so circuits that wind their way
through Camp Bastion like an intricate spiders web remain
fully functional at all times; not the easiest task given the
amount of rainfall we have had over the past few months.
With surface laid cables still littering some of the older sites
on Bastion we have been fighting a large volume of incoming
faults daily, while at the same time trying to replace the
offending cables with a more permanent and reliable solution.
This is in addition to the upkeep of all the British manned
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The Bastion Line Section
5
With weeks to go now before we return home to our families,
everyone is becoming excited at the prospects that await
them. Op HERRICK 15 will leave us all with fond memories as
well as some which we would rather forget. New friendships
have been forged and some old ones strained but like all
tours; professionalism and dedication has reigned.
Out to you Sgt ‘Mark’ Aplin…We wish you and your team the
very best of luck with Op HERRICK 16.
Steph Whyte taking part in the Bastion Relay Races
FORWARD REPAIR TEAM – by LCpl Chris Rimmer
Cpl Kelly Stewart getting her guns out
POWER SECTION – by Sig Dan Wilson
With HICSSS Power Section’s tour coming to an end morale is
definitely higher than at 16 Sig Regt, where they are just
wrapping up their pre-tour leave. With payslips printed, the
tour is almost over and for once there are a lot of smiling
faces, apart from Sig Woods who continues to moan about
everything!
Although the end is near, the work is still coming in thick and
fast and continues to occupy the whole of Power Section. It
won’t be long however until the HOTO is complete and Power
Section can get on with their most important task yet – Op
BRONZE.
We will soon be saying bye to Cpl ‘Half a tour’ Steph Whyte
who will be leaving us to join 1 (UK) Civ Div. Her rank will
change from Cpl to Farmer Jack in a matter of days and with
the challenge set, teaching cattle Skill At Arms lessons will be
no mean feat. LCpl ‘Kam’ Kambang has taken over her role of
IC MT, under the watchful (and fastidious) eye of the new
Master Driver.
Power Section has recently received a new addition from LKG,
LCpl Chris Simpson, who has settled in well. He is a regular at
Pizza Hut where he spends most nights. He is on first name
terms with all the guys down there and has even got them
regularly melting Mars Bars on his pizza for him.
The FRT hit the ground running immediately after RSOI and
hasn’t stopped since, even during the Christmas period.
Throughout the winter efforts continued to minimise the
disruption to the Overtask and Kestrel networks, especially
with the extreme cold and heavy rain. The more remote ICS
Dets needed additional support and there were frequent
deployments to respond to faults that required immediate
rectification. The 5 man team, comprising 2 CS Engineers and
3 Operators deployed on numerous occasions, with LCpl ‘KBR’
Ross currently holding the title of ‘Most Deployed’, spending
109 days out on the ground as it stands so far. The faults have
ranged from damaged equipment and ‘layer 8’ faults to
power issues, each of which then led to further training of the
nominated FOB/PB comms rep. This should minimise the
future impact of similar problems and hopefully ease the
burden on 16 Sig Regt. LCpl Rimmer also provided extra
training to the Infantry Units as they completed their RSOI, in
an effort to reduce the ID10T faults, commonly experienced in
the more remote locations.
Despite the varying temperatures and weather conditions,
not usually associated with Afghanistan, the team have
developed their technical skills, conquered their fears of feral
animals and learned how to make the best of some of the
most extreme conditions anyone can be called to work in. As
the arrival of 16 Sig Regt draws ever nearer, the FRT is looking
forward to a well deserved break. Until they are on the plane
back home however, they will continue to make the most of
the Afghan sun, although the competition between Sig
Robertson and LCpl Ross to get the best tan is still very much
undecided.
Whilst Power Section has been extremely busy Sig Dan
Wilson managed to fit in a holiday at MOB Price where he
successfully skived for a whole month. By the end of tour he
should have finished all the extras he managed to accrue.
Our guys in the out dets are looking forward to the end just
as much as us, especially Sig ‘Baldy’ Lashbrook who returned
from R&R to find Cpl Douglas had stolen his place at PB 2 and
would be seeing out the remainder of his tour in the green
gardens of LKG.
We have had a successful tour and are very happy with the
results we have produced around Helmand. We wish 16 Sig
Regt all the best for Op HERRICK 16.
6
Repairing the Satellite Dish at FOB Shawquat
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
COALITION TOUCH RUGBY – by LCpl ‘Matty’ Masters
The Coalition Touch Rugby Competition was organised by
LCpl Pat Mitchell and included teams made up from HICSSS
personnel and soldiers from 9th Comm Bn USMC. The
members for HICSSS teams included, Maj Grice (JFCIS), SSgt
‘Jim’ Bean, SSgt Zoe Dolan, Cpl Wilde, Cpl Francis, LCpl
‘Butter Fingers’ Rimmer, LCpl ‘Whaley’ Waryck, LCpl
‘Moonhead’ Clarke, LCpl ‘Gym Queen’ Willard, LCpl ‘Hissy Fit’
Eaton, LCpl Hooper, LCpl Walford, LCpl Reid, LCpl Masters,
Sig ‘Gary the Tank Comd’ McLean, Sig ‘Massive’ Brown and
Sig Robertson. Unfortunately WO2 ‘Frugally’ FofS McArthur
could not attend as his finances were very strictly tied down
and as such he could not afford the team T-Shirt or the 50
cent cookies that were on offer. Also Capt ‘Mr Fixer’
Hammond had a very hurty groin which also prevented his
participation.
The touch rugby event consisted of 4 teams, 2 from HICSSS
and 2 from 9th Comm Bn USMC. Each team would play the
other teams once, for 7 minutes each way, with the final 2
teams competing for first position. All games were kindly
refereed by Flt Lt Weaire of JFCIS. The HICSSS teams,
captained by LCpl Mitchell for HICSSS Delta and SSgt Bean for
HICSSS Charlie, won both their games which resulted in an all
UK final.
The final was a heated contest with both teams playing to the
best of their ability to take the title of Coalition Touch Rugby
Champions. For some players the pressure proved too much,
SSgt Zoe Dolan fell over every time she got near the ball and
LCpl ‘Butter Fingers’ Rimmer continuously failed to exploit
the open gap and score a try, but he wasn’t nicknamed
‘Butter Fingers’ for no reason. At the end of the game the
score was 1-1 so it was decided that it would go to Golden Try.
The game played for another 10 minutes with both teams
playing passionately for the win, but none more so than LCpl
‘Hissy Fit’ Eaton. His passion for the game was so high that
he let his emotions get the better of him and before the end
of the game there were toys lying all over the pitch.
Eventually SSgt Jim Bean used a sly dummy to score the
winning try.
An after game BBQ was also organised by LCpl Pat Mitchell
which allowed players to conduct an after match review. This
was also a good opportunity for HICSSS members to interact
with their American counterparts. The aim of the event was
to raise morale and strengthen the bond between British and
Coalition personnel through the use of sports. This was
definitely achieved and both players and spectators
thoroughly enjoyed the event. We now look forward to the
follow up, where we will be sure to beat the Americans again,
this time at their own game of American Football. The final
decider just before we leave Theatre will be a strong man
competition, where HICSSS will give their all to proving the
supremacy of the UK.
Bastion for the last few weeks of tour, maybe now he will
actually do some work. We have since gained LCpl ‘Sury’
Menyangbo in Cpl Larman’s place who has settled in well and
also Sig Rob Lashbrook the RSE that has replaced LCpl
Simpson, who in the few short weeks that he has been in
Lashkar Gah has been to the PB’s more times to look at their
power issues than some other members of the Tp have
managed in the entire tour.
March saw the end of Op HERRICK 15 and 12 Mech Bde arrive
for their deployment on Op HERRICK 16. Since the arrival of
12 Mech Bde there have been many changes around the MOB.
The Installation Technicians Cpl Kerry Stewart and Sig ‘Matty’
Mclean were kept busy assisting a move around within the
HQ, the IS section have now updated all accounts and Sgt
‘Taff’ Lewis has faced a steady trickle of (very happy)
customers as the Crypto Accountant. Even the guard shift
has changed decreasing from a 24hr shift to just 12hrs as the
MOB now has a permanent day shift, needless to say we are
all grateful of this.
We have had members of the Tp getting out to the PBs to
help the RIP to better understand the kit and what they
should do should when problems arise. A few weeks in and
all J6 representatives seem to have a far better understanding
so should their site lose comms they are quicker in rectifying
issues. All sections have put together their handover
takeover notes over the last few weeks in preparation for
when 16 Sig Regt arrive in May. Now we find ourselves in that
period often referred to as “the calm before the storm”.
As the tour has been drawing to a close it was decided that
the time had come to deliver some well earned awards. The
“Biggest Chopper” award went to Cpl Paul Birkett for (as the
story goes) fainting twice in a short space of time firstly when
he looked in the mirror and then again when SSgt Paul Smith
came to his rescue in only a towel. And the second award
“The Golden Blanket” went to Sgt Paul Strange simply
because he has managed to achieve more sleep than anyone
else throughout our deployment.
And so, as the countdown continues and morale is slowly on
the rise, we all finally feel as though the end is in close reach.
Who knows what the next 2 weeks could bring but I think we
are all hoping that things will continue steadily ticking over
until 16 Sig Regt are in the driving seat. With a barbecue
planned to mark the end of our tour and to welcome the new
“Lashkar Gah ICS Tp” it looks as though we will all end tour
with no major difficulties and on a high note.
Lashkar Gah ICS Tp
Tp OC
Tp SSgt
Capt S Thorpe
SSgt P Smith
OP HERRICK 15 MEETS OP HERRICK 16 – by LCpl Allonby
Well, the end is finally in sight for Lashkar Gah ICS Tp,
everyone is excitedly making plans for their POTL, including
new cars, holidays and of course spending quality time with
loved ones. We have not got here however, without a few
hurdles along the way. The last couple of months have been
particularly busy for all of us. We have lost and therefore
gained new members to the Tp, we said farewell to Cpl Alan
Larman our TA augmentee at the beginning of April and
shortly after that, our RSE LCpl ‘Simmo’ Simpson returned to
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Lt Thorpe in LKG
7
OC
RSM
12 MECHANIZED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND
SIGNAL SQUADRON (228)
Maj S E Irwin
WO1 (RSM) D Boughen MBE
228 Sig Sqn are now fully embedded into their locations
throughout the TFH AO and are tackling their missions and
tasks with their characteristic gusto. We have already been
tested across the board and have not been found wanting; a
year of HFT and MST has ensured that we are confident and
at the top of our game. Some of our most junior soldiers are
making a significant contribution, from Sig Tovey who has
been instructing the ANP in generator maintenance to Sig
Younge who is tacking the HQ TFH infrastructure with
purposeful determination. RSM Boughen and SSM Gallagher
have been binding the ANP into the Sqn family, motivating
them with a diverse array of sticks and carrots to perform
their duties with renewed interest.
On behalf of the whole Sqn, I thank 200 Sig Sqn for handing
over to us in such good order, and for their engagement
throughout MST. It has felt very natural to pick up the baton.
Also, JFCIS(A), based on 1 ADSR, have been extremely
supportive and made us feel very welcome in our first weeks.
We arrived at Bastion where we were greeted by some of our
advance party. After getting assigned our temporary
accommodation we got the good news of a day off to sort
out our personal admin. The following morning is the start of
our 6 day RSOI package, where we have a good refresher on
skills and drills and learnt a few new things. I found the CIED
display enjoyable and very interesting and got the opportunity
to try out new equipment. While at Bastion we experienced a
monster of a sand storm. At times you could not even see a
few meters in front of you! I was finding sand for days after
that, in the very strangest of places.
After day 6 it was then time to head to our final destination
and home for the next 6 months - MOB Lashkar Gah. We flew
in by Chinook, crammed in with our kit. Everyone was
excited, none more so than our Tp OC, Lt Gauntlett, who had
never flown in a helicopter before and was like a kid in a
sweet shop, smiling like a little Cheshire cat.
Certa Cito.
Op HERRICK 16 - by Sig Harkness
The excitement, the apprehension, the waiting....... the time
has finally come! It’s 14 March 2012 and we are almost ready
to depart for Afghanistan. We spend most of the day in our
Tp garages checking over kit, completing MCCP and doing any
last minute jobs. The coaches finally arrive for our departure
as a few say goodbyes to loved ones.
We stopped off first at RAF South Cerney, where we spent a
few hours being processed, and checking in our baggage,
before we got to RAF Brize Norton. We set off early morning
of the 15th (my birthday) for Akrotiri in Cyprus where we
stayed for a few hours while they re-fueled the plane. Next
stop was Minhad airbase which lies to the south of Dubai
where we had a long wait due to flights being delayed.
Everyone was tired and a bit fed up, but looking on the bright
side I can say I spent my birthday in Cyprus and the United
Arab Emirates!
Cpl Fisher hard at work in the tech workshops
The next few days we spent learning the ropes from 200 Sig
Sqn. As we settled in we rapidly adapted to our new work
place - Task Force Helmand HQ. Finding our way round camp
was not difficult as it’s quite small. We have great facilities
here, free wifi, shop on camp, launderette, gym, volleyball
court, fantastic food.....all we need now is a pub!
My job consists of manning different desks - J3, BRF, Comms
and also as a runner. The team is split into 2 groups and we
rotate between day and night shift. There are also duties
such as stagging on a sangar and 24hr guard, which involves a
team of 8-9 rotating through front gate, searcher/cover man,
GPMG and someone lifting the barrier.
The first week we were here makes us all realise (especially
the first timers amongst us) exactly where we are and the
dangers we may face. Sadly 2 British soldiers made the
ultimate sacrifice during our time here in MOB LKG so far.
Our thoughts are with their families at this very difficult time.
Sig Firman makes the most of what little shade is available
8
Over the last week or so I’ve been learning more about my
role here. I’ve also been helping testing PRRs and HF radios
to install in each of the sangars to improve security. Having
being out wearing full PPE I have certainly felt the mighty
Afghan heat. It’s now just turned April, God knows what it
will be like when summer comes around......suppose I will just
have to man up, eh!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
the ANA S6 Sgt about communications and infrastructure as
well as all things comms related. I have also had to go to all
the TATTS in my AO in order to see how the Ops rooms for
the ANA works and to ensure that the problems they have are
being passed up the chain of command to the ANA HQ
formation based out of PB 2. I liaise with my RLD Sgt (Sgt
Grant) to ensure that the problems being faced at this
location are being addressed at the ANA BDE HQ. I have 3
HUSKYS to maintain, all of which are simple fits, as well as
one set of man-pack ECM. Whilst out on patrol, which
happens most days, I am employed as the top cover and
operator. Due to the fact that there are only 3 other seats in
the wagon multi-tasking is essential and I have been cross
trained as such.
Sig Lindsay demonstrating her prolific 117F operating skills
Op HERRICK 16 - by Cpl Lintorn
I have deployed on Op HERRICK 16 as the Bde Comds
Operator, which includes roles such as his signaller, ECM op,
driver and part of the security team out on foot. In order to
do this I attended the Close Protection course which involves
drills to carry out on foot should we come into a contact as
well as anti ambush driving drills.
Cpl Wait, Morrison and LCpl Mountford take time out from RSOI
to enjoy a well earned cigarette
Sig Reynolds and Sig Knight realising that the dust gets
everywhere out here
We spent 2 weeks in Lydd where we fired all types of
weapons including 417, di marco, G4, LMG, P226, GPMG, MP5
as well as having a go on the assault shotgun. After spending
a week doing static shoots with these various weapons we
then progressed to moving shoots from a vehicle and on foot.
Live firing on foot went very well but the tactics utilised are
very different from what I have come to learn and
understand. Despite this I found it easy to pick up. From the
vehicle the hardest part of this was trying not to put rounds
into the vehicle itself, even though it was armoured.
The local population are mostly friendly within my AO
although the kids seem to enjoy throwing rocks at the
vehicles (especially top cover) and they have made some
make shift sling shots. Luckily they are not very accurate and
miss all the time. They always ask for chocolate which is a
change from my last tour of Afghanistan when all they would
ask for was biscuits. I have seen a lot of the other RLD’s who
are based at different PBs in and around my AO such as Sig
Andy Fowler who looked a little worse for wear after just
completing a radio stag and was just about to go on sangar
duty. LCpl Lentorn was on Op MASSIVE enjoying a few hours
of down time before going out with the ANP. Sig Ralph who
looked a little lost in his PB, Sig Caulderbank who seemed to
enjoy the experience of grizzing it at his CP in some pretty
austere conditions, LCpl Plumber who is persistently running
around PB2 in a small circle and Sgt McCann who always
looked knackered. So far it has been a good few weeks and I
am eager to see what happens next.
So far on this tour I have been out a few times around
Theatre travelling mainly on American flights such as Osprey,
Sea Stallion and Merlin meeting various people all over. I’m
yet to experience the joys of foot patrols yet but they are the
horizon. All in all I am expecting a very busy tour out and
about over Helmand and I’m looking forward to the
challenges that lie ahead.
PB 2 - by Sig Taylor
I have arrived at PB2 just over a week ago and since then it
has been non stop work. My list of duties includes teaching
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
LCpl Mountford making the final adjustments to the LKG RRB
9
NEWS FROM BLANDFORD
HEADQUARTERS ROYAL SIGNALS
FAREWELL TO THE SIGNAL OFFICER IN CHIEF (ARMY) –BRIGADIER TJP WATTS
On Friday 30 March 12 HQ SOinC(A) and Blandford Garrison bid farewell to Brigadier TJP Watts. The HQ SOinC(A) is moving into
the new era consisting of Capability Directorate - Information and HQ R SIGNALS. To mark the occasion, the Brig was asked to gather in Archies Café to be presented with his leaving gifts. The COS, Col DA Craft
reflected on the Brigadier’s time in office and thanked both him and Claire for the array of support they had both given to the
Corps throughout their tenure. Due to the Brigadier’s particular
interest and support to the White Helmets he received his very
own Davida White Helmet. Much to the Brigadier’s
disappointment there was no-one present from the Team for
him to thank……………. They were all formed up outside
Armstrong Building waiting to transport him down to the
Officers’ Mess!
After a staff photograph outside the main entrance to
Armstrong Building, the White Helmets took charge under the
leadership of Capt McPhun and Sgt Pallis, and kindly offered to
give the Brigadier and Claire a lift….by way of a 3 Bike Fan. The
road to the Officers’ Mess will have never seemed so long, as
the SOinC(A) took position and held on confidently and proudly.
At the Officers’ Mess, members of BGSU and 11 (RSS) Sig Regt
were waiting to dedicate the planting of a tree sapling in the
gardens of the Mess. Then it was off home for the Brigadier. He chose to take the helm of the classic Triumph bike this time, speeding off from the Officers’ Mess with Claire riding pillion. The HQ wish the Brigadier and Claire all the best in their future endeavours in SANGCOM, Riyadh.
BLANDFORD GARRISON GOLF SOCIETY SPRING MEET SPONSORED BY ACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
COMPANY LIMITED 10 APRIL 12 - WO2 (SSM) Ian Wells – BGGS Secretary
0615hrs on a chilly Tuesday morning saw 22 of the Garrisons elite golfers ascend on the museum car park to board the transport,
driven by Geordie ‘the Trumpeteer’ Thomson, to Weymouth Golf Club on the society’s annual Spring Meet. Weather reports were
of heavy rain and strong winds; however this did nothing to dampen the morale of these unique athletes. Arrival in Weymouth was
met with the traditional bacon sarnie and coffee, prior to hitting a few balls on the range.
The mornings round was scored as an individual stableford off a full handicap. The greens were indifferent and the fairways were
running slow, which didn’t help for high scoring as SSgt (FofS) Ishwor Gurung and Sgt Andy Ward found out, posting scores, 19
and 16 respectively, which would look better on an under 7’s school comp scorecard, rather than a grown up’s Spring Meet score!!
LCpl Jon Shepherd secured his first prize for the day with the Longest Drive earning him a sleeve of 3 Titleist balls, his second came
as the scratch winner for the mornings comp and bagged him a large tankard, engraved with his name. Maj Ratna Pun took the
balls for Nearest the Pin whilst the coach driver scored 33 points and took the Div 2 winnings. QMSI Andy Johnson flexed his
muscles, kept applying the carrot oil and played consistently good golf and was rewarded with the Div 1 winner’s prize. Ashley
Wood Club Captain Keith Pritchard held his head high as his score of 33 points secured his receipt of the Steve Bresloff trophy.
Ham, egg and chips went a long way to replenishing the energy lost whilst soldiering around the mountainous terrain of Weymouth
golf course, before a quick swing and back out on the course.
The afternoons scoring was somewhat different and proved to be a challenge, working as pairs in a multiplication of stableford
points off ¾ handicap. Regardless of your individual strokes on each hole both players had to score to gain points. For some, Capt
Lyndon Box and Sgt Mark McIntosh, this proved all too much and the lowest score of the day, 23, was posted. Frustration ensued
for most for the duration of the afternoon, as one player scored well, the partner inevitably didn’t and a no score was recorded. A
lot of ‘dovetailing’ resulted in a countback for first place between Purver/Miller and Pritchard/Pitamber, with the latter winning
with 46 points.
Thanks must go to SSgt (FofS) Pitamber and Keith Pritchard for organising a memorable day on the course and particularly to Mr
Wayne Connors, Managing Director of Active Communications Company Limited and Pete Arkwright for sponsoring the first event
of the calendar. His very generous donation has helped to prepare the golfers of Blandford for the busy season ahead.
The society is growing steadily in numbers and with the better weather approaching the ‘Golf bug’ is sure to bite. Visitors to
Blandford on courses are able to join the society for short periods of time, all standards are welcome. As they say ‘A bad day on
the golf course beats a good day in the office’.
10
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
CIS TRIALS AND DEVELOPMENT UNIT
SO1
SO2 Trials Plans
SO2 Tech Trials
Lt Col R Healey
Maj J Hurst RA
Maj G Wills
JURASSIC WALK – by LCpl Fyfe
To continue with the bonding of both CBM(L) Trials Tp and
Trials Tp, it was suggested that the Unit take a walk along the
Jurassic Coast from Lulworth Cove to Osmington Mills… LCpl
‘Cool Cat’ Fyfe continues…
On a fine Wednesday morning CIS TDU decided to go on a
pleasant stroll along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, starting
from Lulworth Cove and ending at Osmington Mills (where a
lovely pub awaited us). The weather was ‘marvellous’
according to LCpl ‘hand grenade’ Kitchen. As we set off we
approached lots of mini ‘Ben Nevis’ hills where the scenery
was glamorous.
LAND SYSTEMS REFERENCE CENTRE
As of the 1st April, the Land Systems Reference Centre has
bidden farewell to C2DC and now comes under the wing of
CIS TDU. The small military team consisting of WO2 (FofS)
Oscar Searle, SSgt Louise Rigby, Sgt Andy Adam, Sgt Jay
Bates, Sgt Mike Burton, Cpl Damian Laws and Cpl Dan
Pearson are embedded in a civilian company who provide the
test and reference capability for CIS in the LAND environment.
The Tp have been hard at work on a variety of tasks, most of
them in direct support of Op HERRICK. Quite a few technical
courses have been pushed out as well as several babies; Sgt
Burton, Cpl Laws and the FofS have all become fathers in the
last 9 months! Despite all of this there has still been time for
a lot of phys (welcome back structured PT), a lot of socials
and even the odd spot of AT. Here’s to more of that, roll on
the good weather!
All smiles
Whilst LCpl Dave Kitchen talks, LCpl Damo Sylva half listens!
From becoming a bonding group, there emerged lots of mini
groups on the walk as LCpl Wray RE and Cpl ‘Chuck’ Norris
QRH strolled ahead getting to know each other, where it
looked like they were holding hands at one point. CIS TDU’s
SO1 Lt Col Healey was pottering about with various
individuals telling us about swimming the channel. Maj Jim
Hurst (RA) (simply known as ‘Iron Man’ to all the Royal
Signals soldiers) brought his dog Curly along who was excited
to have a swim, when we got to the end of the walk.
There was light at the end of the tunnel as we ended up in
the countries most expensive public house where we all
enjoyed a bite to eat and even got a smile out of Sgt ‘I’m H-AP-P-Y’ Brook Inf.
We all felt it was an enjoyable day and would be happy to do
it again in the summer…
Coming down mini Ben Nevis Number 4…
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
TRIALS TROOP
OC Tp SSgt Capt M Bentley
SSgt P Smith
Trials Tp continue to be busy trialling equipment destined for
Operations, whilst conducting MATTs and with some AT
thrown in for good luck. 346 Team have been involved
heavily with CRE2, a user confidence trial for DII/IOC Afghan
applications package. 543 Team have been up on the freezing
cold Warcop Ranges carrying out a 4 week user acceptance
trial for the EOD community whilst 749 Team continue to
conduct trials for various Special Projects equipment.
We welcome LCpl ‘Mikey’ Longman on promotion from 7
Armd Bde and LCpl ‘Swanny’ Swanson to the fold arriving
from 21 Sig Regt (AS), on his arrival he was put straight out on
trial. We say a fond farewell to both
LCpl Rob McKenzie who is off to
7 Armd Bde with his wife Denise
and LCpl Sam Lewis who is
leaving the Corps; we wish them
all well for the future. We also
say big congratulations to Sgt
Pete Stewart on passing his
Foreman of Signals Selection
Course and wish him all the best.
In Feb CIS TDU entered the R
Signals Orienteering Champs in
the New Forest. Day 1 was the
individual competition, with Day
2 being the Team Harris Relay. I’m only smug because I never
The team consisted of
got lost
11
Maj Graham Wills, Capt Mark Bentley and Cpl Malcolm
Rowley. Special mention must go to Maj Wills, a novice to
orienteering who made up for his lack of experience in the
sport with his smug posing for the photo shoot. Perhaps he
was just glad to make it to the finish without getting lost!
543 (ECM) TEAM
– by Sig Ebsworthy
Over the period of 12 Feb – 09 Mar 543 (ECM) Team travelled
to the bleak landscape of the north, to what is known as
Warcop to conduct an EOD trial. This dream team consisted
of Sgt Iain Chapman, Sgt Dave Nix, Sgt ‘I’m the best Tech’
Nicholas, Cpl Paul Heywood, LCpl ‘Happy’ Easter, Sig Chris
Kipling, Sig Gaz Middlecoate and myself, Sig Brett
Ebsworthy. The trial was for a new EOD fit for equipment
due to be deployed in the near future. On arriving at Battlehill
ranges we began our trial as normal but with the added
delight of experiencing 4 seasons weather on the hour every
hour.
On our first weekend there the team had the privilege of
going to Cpl Paul Heywood’s stag party in Wakefield, where
he dressed up as Papa Smurf and lived his last few days as a
single bachelor before signing his life away. We then had the
honour of attending his wedding reception in Dewsbury,
where the team saw off the happy groom into his new life.
The fancy dress shop said it was Avatar!
After 3 weeks of the trial, everyone was sick of eating range
stew or some form of pasta every day for lunch. Half cooked
or raw potatoes were the delights for dinner, along with
conducting the daily task of identifying if the crumble had
fruit or not. Sgt Dave Nix prayed for a mixed grill everyday
but his prayers were never answered. Even though Warcop
was in the middle of nowhere it wasn’t as bad as first
thought, our moral was raised higher every time we spoke to
the MPGS as their mental agility continued to astound us. The
accommodation was suited to our needs, allowing us to live
for 4 weeks without us being on top of each other, even
though Sgt Rob Nicholas, for reasons unknown, needed a 16
man room to himself. As the weeks progressed the weather
improved allowing us to finish our trial with some sunshine.
All in all our time spent up north was memorable for all sorts
of reasons, some never to be told!
346 (COMD SP & CIS) TEAM – by Cpl Seymour
346 Team deployed to 30 Sig Regt in Bramcote for the
Capability Readiness Evaluation 2 or CRE2. This was a short
stray away from the Team’s normal role. Instead, CRE2
considered the entire DII(FD) Capability and 30 Sig Regt’s
confirmation of providing DII to units deploying to the front
line. The objective of CRE2 was user confidence and DII(FD)
was tested over Cormorant, Reacher and Base Band in a Box,
being split into 3 areas:
12
•
•
•
The evaluation team - 346 Team.
The Military Service Providers (MSPs) and
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) - 30 Sig Regt.
The End Users - 30 Sig Regt.
Sgt Duncan Prow and Cpl Seymour performed the joint role
of trials coordinator. LCpl Gaz Keighley took on the
responsibility of being the Accountant, Recorder, Stores and
Trials Evaluator, whilst LCpl Georgie Atkins was busy tackling
the complex type 4 deployable node.
During their down time 346 Team spent time developing their
up and coming Zumba dance troop, and extensively trialled
Call of Duty.
749 SPECIAL PROJECTS – by Sgt Andy Williamson
On 13 March Sgt Andy Williamson, Cpl Marc Keech, LCpl
Danny Swanson and LCpl Anne Bates took a trip down to
Tavcom Training Centre near Winchester to complete a CCTV
foundation course. This was organised by our illustrious Team
Leader SSgt Will Morrow to help the team with up and
coming trials. On arriving at the hotel it was noticed that a
wedding reception was taking place there that night. Cpl
Keech was as ever prepared for an opportunity like this, as he
had brought a suit with him, although he was turned away at
the door as it was a traditional Scottish wedding. On the first
day of the course LCpl Bates seemingly had no sense of
direction between the hotel and the training centre by not
listening to the satnav and using her woman’s instincts to get
us to the centre. This was funny the first day but after 2 more
days of taking various routes became less so.
At the start of the course Cpl Keech when hearing the word
‘TEST’ started to sweat and then headbutted his desk which
left the civilian instructor a little bemused. The course itself
was very interesting as it was split into a few theory lessons
and a lot of practical. On the second day the course was give
a project to complete overnight which was to be presented
the next day. This became a bit of a headache for Sgt
Williamson as he had to teach the 3 operators basic maths
without their heads exploding. After a few pints and a couple
of hours of stressing, the project was completed and
presented the next morning by LCpl Bates. The course ended
with a multiple choice test which everyone completed and
passed, although we are still waiting to find out if we did
enough for a BTEC.
COMMAND BATTLESPACE MANAGEMENT (LAND) (CBM(L))
TRIALS TROOP
OC
SSgt WO2 (YofS) H L Nolan
SSgt A Mechen
The Tp have had a well deserved Christmas break, straight
into yet another busy schedule for 2012. First off, the Tp
prepared for the Board of Officers and then straight into the
Unit ECI, where a green was achieved across the board.
EXERCISE TRIWAVE – by LCpl Fyfe
Amongst supporting UOR and EP requirements, CBM(L) Trials
Tp also conducted some development comms training, known
cunningly as Ex TRIWAVE. This training provided some
excellent tools for the Operators within the Tp requiring a
better understanding of PPA, VHF and HF propagation (theory
and practical). Here, LCpl ‘Coolcat’ Fyfe reveals all…
In February our Tp OC/YofS decided to have a trade training
week on Blandford Camp, based at the Craddock with out
stations based around the Dorset area. We were split into 2
syndicates and had a number of tasks to achieve. The tasks
were set in the form of a number of ‘tests’ to be conducted
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
using various frequencies, antenna materials and
configuration of antennas. There were also opportunities to
put together some improvised antennas. Both syndicates
were given the task of trying to receive comms with a variety
of conducting equipment, such as tent poles, chairs, R4
copper wire, tent angles and the perimeter fence. It was not
achieved by the syndicates but eventually by SSgt ‘Drew’
Mechen after half an hour of trying himself.
LCpl Dave Kitchen continues with the story as the newly
appointed Trials Control Operator…
Other lessons were involved in the week with A/Cpl ‘Des’
DiStefano (AAC) teaching us Skywave propagation theory.
This was meant to be a refresher for the Tp, ensuring we were
good to go for the practical side.
Our Tp cameraman Pte ‘Rat Boy’ Baskett (RLC) had forgotten
the camera to take photos, so when he returned with a
‘borrowed’ camera, he started to take a photo and could not
work it. He eventually worked out which button to press, to
capture the essence of the Tp working, he then subsequently
broke it (hence no photos of this particular article)!
All in all it was an eye opening week to see how much was
needed to refresh our knowledge on the various
propagations. Not only that, we also understood a bit more
why comms did/did not work from analysing our results
against the tasks that were set to us.
PAINTBALLING/LEAVING FUNCTION
The Tp managed to get another day off work for yet another
leaving function at a
paintballing site to say
farewell formally to Cpl
‘Dai’ Mundy, kindly
organised by LCpl Dave
Kitchen. The morning was
a frosty start, but by the
mid-day everybody was
suitably warmed up! There
were challenges galore,
particularly as SSgt Drew
Mechen became the hero
of the day by literally
throwing himself over the
oppositions defence
Up close…and very personal!
borders during a full on
fight! An excellent day out
was further followed up by a curry and beers at Simla's Curry
House.
CBM(L) Trials Troop Group Gathering
VOIP OVER HCDR EXPERIMENT – by LCpl Kitchen
From a concept that has been around for a long time, it was
discussed how VoiP would perform using an already BCIP
Data loaded HCDR Network. The task was given to the Tp by
CSD Nets AD (Col Drew), along with the help of our Military
Technical Coordinator (MTC) – Mr Chris Durham, and we
successfully trialled VoiP over the Network using a number of
configurations.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Cpl Rowley and LCpl Kitchen prepare for deploying the
Detachments after the daily PACEX
Having arrived into CBM(L) Trials Tp Jan 12, and never even
conducted a trial before, I was surprised yet extremely wary
of being given the task of running Trials Control…
My task running Trials Control not only tested my operator
abilities, but also how to ensure the smooth management of
tightly run scripts were kept to, in order to follow the daily
schedule. The Tp was tasked to conduct tests between VoiP
users; using low, medium and high loading of BCIP data,
including CPRs and general messaging (oh and a bit of
Bowman Chat – enough said about that one!) over a
strategically planned HCDR Network.
The Tp were deployed around Blandford Camp and the
surrounding area and established several nets to support the
trial, the main net being the HCDR. For most of the trial the
Network remained static, however toward the end of the trial
mobile VoiP users and HCDR Nodes moved around the area
while seeing how the Network coped with such movement.
Exposure to one of the 11 (RSS) Sig Regt SUTs assisting Trials
Control
The detachments were deployed between Blandford Camp
and the 10 mile roundabout towards Salisbury. Most of the
Det Comds knew where their locations were and confirmed
and were happy how to get there. Everyone was in location,
less one of the Callsigns which was only 4 miles away from
camp that still had not reported to be in location. After
several attempts on other means of communicating with the
Det Comd, there was still no reply. After some time, the Det
Comd established comms with Trials Control, and when the
question was asked, ‘where have you been?’ Pte Baskett
13
(RLC) replied, ‘I haven’t got a map’. Let’s just say that Pte
Baskett is now familiar with the surrounding area!
THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE – by WO2 (YofS) Nolan
CBM(L) Trials Tp have in the pipeline as well as UOR/EP type
trials and number of ‘experimentation’ trials which includes:
APX-12 Sample Antennas. We have been asked by
PJHQ to trial the new VHF Manpack Tape Antennas
that are needed out in Theatre imminently. This
comparison trial is being managed and run by 2 x
JNCOs in the Tp; Cpl Rowley (RLC) and LCpl Kitchen.
MTC checking the Network Connectivity whilst WO2 (FofS)
Warren Quinn briefs the AD, Col Drew
ROYALS SIGNALS SAIL TRAINING WEEK – by WO2 (YofS) Nolan
Twice a year there are opportunities for all members of the
Royal Signals (and other cap badges – spaces permitting) to
participate in Ex WINDY TRAILS, a sail training week organised
by members of the Royals Signals Yacht Club and its
Association. Luckily, some members of CBM(L) Trials Tp and
Trials Tp managed to get away to participate in either gaining
new qualifications or carrying out continuation training.
This particular training week the weather was outstanding,
lots of sun, but not as windy as we would have liked. After
the usual meet up for a little social gathering in Yarmouth on
the Tuesday evening, Endeavour sailed onward to Poole.
Thus, leaving behind the Vic 34’s until the next meet up in E
Cowes on the Thursday night, for what can only be described
as more social gathering and stories of the high seas!
Congratulations go to LCpl’s Andy Fyfe and Dave Kitchen and
Tpr ‘Lloydy’ Lloyd (QRH) for successfully gaining the Comp
Crew ticket, we hope to see you assisting in the next AT
during the sailing phase!
Directional UHF Antennas. We are about to run a
comparison trial with the FALCON UHF Antenna to see
the benefits of using it over HCDR, which will
hopefully allow us to ‘manage’ the HCDR Network
better, potentially extending the range/capability of
what we currently use. This trial is being managed and
run by 2 x JNCOs in the Tp; LCpl Fyfe and Spr
Needham (RE).
HF Data. For the units that are concurrently going
through Contingency Operations and never really used
BCIP 5.4, where the benefit of using SatCom/TacSat is
restricted. The Tp are assisting with a number of
experiment including looking at seeing if Bowman HF
can provide workable ‘puddles’ in order to
interconnect HQs and how best to manage the data
flow. This trial is being managed and run by 2 x JNCOs
in the Troop Cpl Simpson (AAC) and Spr Hayward
(RE).
Dimounted Radio. Another internally led trial
providing the opportunity for the Tp to exploit and
experiment the use of VHF waveform US radios
interoperating with Bowman, sponsored by ITT/Exelis
Inc Basingstoke. Currently on hold due to equipment
availability from the US, but is definitely in the pipeline
for 2012.
En-HCDR. This is BATCIS led, where a number of trials
will be carried out by the Tp to ensure that the full
functionality and capability of the Enhanced HCDR
comparison trial is thoroughly tested in support of a
UOR to operations.
BCIP 5.5. Led by BATCIS, this is yet another UOR that
will be fielded into Theatre, ensuring that the new
version of BCIP is tried and tested utilising CBM(L)
Trials Tp.
Members of CBM(L) and Trials Tp crew the Endeavour (Challenge
67)…where we took part in a bit of continuity training…
Farewells. Our recent farewells have been to LCpl Des Di
Stefano (AAC), moving up to sunny 9 Regt AAC and Cpl
‘Chuck’ Norris who is soon to be starting his Class III re-badge
/ re-trade from the the RAC(QRH) to the Royal Signals as a CS
Operator, congratulations! We also need to say farewell to
Sgt Mick Stirling (RA) after serving 22 years colour service,
we wish you best of luck up in Bonnie Scotland as a long term
student! And finally promotion and posting to WO1 (FofS)
Warren Quinn who is moving all the way across to ASG, CSD
Nets…you can run but you cannot hide…
Arrivals. Our recent arrivals we welcome Cpl Matthew
Simpson (AAC) on promotion and his family from 3 Regt AAC
and LCpl Andrew Wray (RE) from 26 Engr Regt. We hope you
enjoy your time in the sunny South West and look forward to
a busy year trialling.
For anybody interested more in how CBM(L) Trials Tp
operates, contact the Ops YofS/FofS on:
SSgt ‘Drew’ Mechen takes the Helm on a Vic 34
14
E-Mail: LF-Cap-Info-CISTDU-CBML YofS / LF-Cap-Info-CISTDUCBML FofS
Mil Tel: 94371 5540 / 5985 Civ Tel: 01258 485540 / 485985
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
NEWS FROM TRAINING
HEADQUARTERS ROYAL SIGNALS
WO1 (FOREMAN OF SIGNALS (INFORMATION SYSTEMS)) S J SOUTHAN
I was appointed Corps Foreman of Signals (Information Systems) on 20 February 2012 and arrived in HQ
SOinC(A) (now Capability Directorate Information (CD Info)) following a short posting with 22 Sig Regt.
I enlisted into the Corps in 1995 and started my military training at ATR Bassingbourne. I started my
Telecommunication Operator Telegraphist trade training initially at the AAC Harrogate and finished it at the
RSS Blandford. During my first posting to Bulford I recognised that my forte was within the IS arena and
opted to re-trade to the IS community in 1998, successfully achieving my aim 3 years later. I consider it a
privilege that my career has been broadened with the exposures to many Systems and Units.
The next few years will see additional demands placed on the Corps and Defence, stretching our capacity to
the full. We should relish these upcoming challenges as this will present us with the opportunity to show R SIGNALS in the best
light. It is clear that the requirement for the development of Cyber and Service Management will continue to influence the Corps’
Force Development. This will ensure the requirement for every Royal Signals trade in any future conflict.
The 4 Corps supervisory appointments are here to benefit all soldiers within the 6 trades and their value to the wider Corps should
not be underestimated. The role of the Corps appointment is constantly developing. This year, the Corps appointments will form
part of the Supervisory selection boards for the first time. They also provide a focal point for those within the Supervisory
community to express issues directly to HQ R SIGNALS and CD Info.
During my tenure as professional head of trade for the CS Engineers and Foreman of Signals (Information Systems), I will seek to
ensure technical training continues to meet the requirements of the Front Line Commands and Other Government Departments. It
is also vital that our Officers and Soldiers achieve civilian professionally accredited qualifications and understand the benefits to be
gained from membership of professional organisations such as the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Worshipful Company of
Information Technologists (WCIT).
It is a privilege and an exciting prospect to represent the Information System domain and develop a close relationship with the
Engineer trade group. I also relish the opportunity as a training analyst to develop the Corps’ Service Management training and
encourage all the trade’s subject matter experts to engage with me to improve this area.
TRAINING POLICY UPDATE
Courses Available. During the past 6 months a significant number of the Class 1 upgrade courses have been undersubscribed. If
you are a Substantive LCpl and have been a Class 2 for more than 2 years (as per R SIGNALS PD 4), approach your Chain of
Ccommand about the possibility of attending a Class 1 course at Blandford. Dates for the courses during the next training year are:
Trade Course
Comm Sys Engr Class 1
Comm Sys Op Class 1
R SIGNALS Elec Class 1
Inst Tech Class 1
Comms Log Spec Class 1
EW Sys Op Class 1
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Course Code
12/003
12/004
12/005
12/006
12/007
12/008
12/009
12/004
12/005
12/006
12/007
12/008
12/009
12/010
12/011
12/012
12/001
12/002
12/002
12/003
12/002
12/003
12/001
12/002
Dates
25 Jun 12 – 3 May 13
30 Jul 12 – 7 Jun 13
3 Sep 12 – 12 Jul 13
8 Oct 12 – 16 Aug 13
12 Nov 12 – 20 Sep 13
7 Jan 13 – 15 Nov 13
11 Feb 13 – 20 Dec 13
9 Jul 12 – 3 Aug 12
30 Jul 12 – 24 Aug 12
17 Sep 12 – 12 Oct 12
08 Oct 12 – 2 Nov 12
29 Oct 12 – 23 Nov 12
19 Nov 12 – 14 Dec 12
07 Jan 13 – 1 Feb 13
28 Jan 13 – 22 Feb 13
18 Feb 13 – 15 Mar 13
17 Sep 12 – 1 Feb 13
11 Feb 13 – 4 Jul 13
13 Aug 12 – 7 Dec 12
7 Jan 13 – 3 May 13
17 Sep 12 – 15 Oct 12
11 Feb 13 – 18 Mar 13
11 Jun 12 – 11 Jul 12
12 Nov 12 – 12 Dec 12
Comm Sys Op Soldiers. When the RS Op and AS Op trades
were combined, there was a training requirement for those
who passed through training in the legacy AS Op trade before
they were able to become a fully trained Comm Sys Op. The
requirement was completion of the Radio Fundamentals and
the Bowman Advanced Signaller courses (delivered at
Blandford) which together would give the foundation
knowledge within the Radio Arena. Even though theses
courses have now ceased, it has become apparent that there
are a large number of individuals across the Corps who did
not complete them. If you find yourself in this position, speak
to your Chain of Command who should then contact SO2 Trg
Pol in Blandford to discuss a pragmatic way forward.
TRAINING PLANS UPDATE
FALCON Training Update. FALCON Conversion Training (CT) is
being delivered by Babcock International on behalf of BAe
Systems at Blandford and RAF Leeming. The FALCON System
Field Trial started on 23 Apr 12. Elements of the Peregrine
Engineering Team, 15 Sig Regt (Info Sp) and FALCON Hub
have now been trained. 3 Div Sig Regt commence conversion
training in March 12. Steady state FALCON training will be
delivered by the DCCIS WEF Apr 14.
15
TRAINING DEVELOPMENT TEAM UPDATE
Comm Sys Op Upgrade Course. Significant changes are about to be introduced to the Class 1 Comm Sys Op course which will see
the course duration expand significantly from the current 4 weeks. The course is being improved following feedback from students
and developments in the trade for example, the introduction of Service Management Training.
Service Management Training. A training review is being conducted into Service Management Training by the new Corps FofS (IS)
who is an ITIL Expert. This should see ITIL training introduced to many trade syllabuses both for Officers and Soldiers. The POC for
any further information on ITIL is WO1 (CFofS(IS)) Southan on 94371 5354.
BACK POCKET TRAINING NOTES
An electronic copy of the R SIGNALS Back Pocket Training Notes can be found through the Training Pages of the Headquarters
Royal Signals Website. This is updated regularly and contains a range of useful background training information and guidance on R
SIGNALS training.
Further advice on R SIGNALS Training can be obtained from:
Policy - Maj Ali Biggs – 94371 5243
Plans - Maj Taff Jolly – 94371 5810
TDT - Maj John Greenwood – 94371 5277
11th (ROYAL SCHOOL OF SIGNALS)
SIGNAL REGIMENT
BLANDFORD
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOW RIDER III - by Sgt Kenny George
At 0700hrs on Friday 2 March 2012, the Snowboarding team
from 11 (RSS) Sig Regt consisting of, Team Captain SSgt ‘Ed’
Law, Lt Col James Vosper, Capt ‘Jock’ Reid, Capt Charlie
Jones, Capt Morgan Ross, Sgt Kenny George, Sig Nathan
Street, Sig Andy Wilcox, Sig Seb McCarthy and Sig Nathan
Judd met to embark on the 2 day journey across Europe to
get to Rauris Austria, the location of Ex MSR III. This would
be the most uneventful part of the exercise, with the only
noteworthy incident being that one of the HQ Land hitch
hikers had a dodgy stomach and proceeded to puke for the
first 12 hours.
11 (RSS) Signal Regiment on the first morning
Rear L to R – Capt Jones, SSgt Law, Sgt George, Sigs McCarthy,
Street, Wilcox, Judd, Capt Ross
Front row - Lt Col Vosper, Capt Reid
We arrived in Rauris in the early evening on the Saturday all
glad to be getting out of the minibuses, why don’t they
design minibuses to be nice and comfortable. On arrival the
team were split and moved into the respective
accommodation, then everyone met in the resort bar for
pizza and a couple of light refreshments before heading to
bed for a well earned rest. We woke up the next morning
itching to get on the mountain, however there was team
admin to be done. So after a morning of waxing, sharpening,
16
and setting up of snowboards it was off up the slopes for a
warm up before the first days training, apart from the novices
who went off into town in search of food. We did a few runs
just to get our legs back and then the younger guys went off
to check out the fun park to do some jumps, however Sig
Nathan Judd forgot his piste map and got lost in the smallest
resort in Austria. This ended up in a hike back up the
mountain he’d just boarded down to retrace his steps. It also
resulted in a lot of ribbing as the red faced and sweaty Nathan
returned.
The exercise was broken down into 2 phases. Phase 1 is 5
days of training; Phase 2 is the competition which consists of
3 snowboarding events (2 for novices). The training phase
began on the Monday with the novices being split into
random groups and the senior riders completing an
assessment run to grade their ability. The riders that have
competed for the Corps before (Morgan) were in the
advanced group, leaving Ed, Jock, Charlie, Nathan and myself
to strut our stuff trying to get into the highest group possible
and all important bragging rights. First up on his assessment
run was team captain SSgt ‘Ed’ Law who started off smooth
then promptly stacked it. Undeterred he got up again to try
and impress, this time he stacked it and threw his teddy, to
his delight he still got put into the 2nd highest group, they
must of seen the potential!!!. This put everyone else on the
mountain at ease and we completed our assessment runs
without incident. Now in our groups it was training from
0900-1530hrs with the team ending the day with a team run.
After the second days training some of the novice groups had
made it off the nursery slopes and up the mountain. So at the
end of the second day on our team run we decided to got
down to the resort on the BLACK run joined by Seb with his
I’ll give it ago attitude and his willingness to improve.
The training week finished on Friday with the novice slalom
qualifying runs, in which 3 of the 4 novices qualified for the
knock out stage, Sig Seb McCarthy doing the team proud by
coming in 5th. It was also the night of the fancy dress party
with likes of Emperor Ming, Thor, and Batman in attendance
from 11 Sigs, although the night started off slow it soon
picked up and it seemed to be enjoyed by everybody, just as
well the next day was a rest day!!!.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
11 (RSS) Sig Regt were carried by the oldest and youngest
team members. Sig Nathan Judd coming 9th with a box, rail,
kicker with indie grab combo and Capt Jock Reid came 17th
with a box, kicker containing a “Certa Cito” war cry.
We didn’t look like this at the end of the night!!!
The last 2 days of the exercise were made up of the
Snowboard Cross (SBX) seeding and races. SBX is a knockout
race against 3 others on a technical track consisting of rollers,
jumps, and banked turns. All novices qualified (except the
crock Seb). Lt Col Vosper qualified in 32nd place and as the
slowest qualifier was expected not to progress, but as with all
of the novice races it was very close and could have been won
by anyone. Lt Col Vosper made a great start and was in
second when he was savagely attacked by the rider in third
and fell on the second roller. He got to his feet and set off in
hot pursuit of the 3 other riders, unfortunately he was
unsuccessful and like all our novices didn’t make it through to
the last 16. The senior SBX riders did better. The competition
started at the last 64 stage. Capt Charlie Jones and I made it
through our first rounds in second place and ended up in the
top 32. Sig Nathan Judd made it to the last 16 and Capt
Morgan Ross came in 5th.
Senior slalom qualifying was on Sunday with our
highest qualifiers being SSgt ‘Ed’ Law – 13th, Sgt
Kenny George – 15th, and Capt ‘Corps team’
Morgan – 16th (although Ed almost killed several
committee members when pushing hard he
crashed into the finish area, with the video being
quickly spread on the Royal Signals
Snowboarders Facebook page). Slalom racing
was then a knockout competition, top 32
qualifiers drawn in pairs in a race over 2 runs,
then last 16, 8, 4 and final. In the novice Slalom
Sigs McCarthy, Wilcox and Lt Col Vosper were
knocked out at the last 32 stage, with Sig Seb
McCarthy breaking his wrist in the process,
which meant a hospital trip and a nice plaster
cast and an end to his boarding. In the senior
Slalom Ed, Morgan and I were knocked out at
the last 16 stage.
The next part of the competition was to be the
Slope Style. Here riders run through the park (an
area with boxes, rails, and kickers) doing tricks to
score points. Novices don’t compete in Slope
Style so it was up to the seniors to do their thing.
I did poorly on my training runs so took some
advice from WO1 Andy Fisher “Speed is your
friend”. Taking this advice I hit the kicker as fast
as I could, jumping a good 4 feet further than
even the best riders there and landed on my
face…..FAIL! Speed may have been my friend but
the hard packed snow wasn’t!!
Sgt Kenny George en route to his face plant
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
11 (RSS) Signal Regiment win 2nd place
We had a fantastic 2 weeks of hard training and competition,
and lost quite a few along the way. It doesn’t just happen
and a lot of people put in a lot of work to organise and run
the exercise. To that end 11 (RSS) Sig Regt team would like to
thank the committee for all their hard work, as well as BIBMF,
4 Div Sports Fund, 11 (RSS) Sig Regt PRI, and the Army Sports
Lottery for their financial assistance. The team would also like
to thank the Team Captain SSgt ‘Ed’ Law for organising the
Regtl team and making the trip fun and successful. We had a
successful trip, coming 2nd in the team event (behind 21 Sigs).
Sig Nathan Judd and Capt Morgan Ross were selected for the
Corps Team. The Team also came away with three awards
‘Riders Rider’ – Sgt Kenny George, ‘Best Crash’ – SSgt ‘Ed’
Law, and ‘Most Promising Rider for the Future’ – Sig Nathan
Judd. I can safely say that every member of the team gained
from the experience and will (work permitting) be on Ex MSR
IV next year.
17
VIRTUAL LEARNING
FOR ROYAL SIGNALS ELECTRICIANS
The DCCIS View
What is Virtual Learning?
In the past 2 years DCCIS has made college
wide advances in meeting the needs of
Defence demands and effective training
delivery. Initiatives have included different
teaching methods combined with new
technologies and revised course structures.
Virtual leaning is an education system based on
Web-based technologies. You may know of it as
‘e-learning’ or ‘distance learning’, both of which are
correct. All the course content is developed with
the user in mind; it is user friendly and interactive.
This is no where more evident than at 11(RSS) Signal
Regiment Power Section where instructors are using the local
VLE to offer ‘pull, rather than ‘push’ training and exploiting as
many mobile platforms as possible to achieve this aim.
Read on to see how they are doing it...
VLE
A key aspect of this work has been recognising the
expectations of our trainees with respect to learning resources
and the importance of ‘point of demand’ training information.
The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a way of
delivering course content and information to tradesmen and
women throughout the Corps.
Mike Needham | SSIO Innovations | HQ DCCIS
The Big Picture
Why are we using it?
As leaders we need to ensure that we put
in place the best training at the right time
to develop our personnel.
When I arrived as the Course Coordinator in
Power Section I found there to be a large failure
rate in a particular subject (LAPDS). I felt the
reason for this was that the students had no prior
or ‘underpinning’ knowledge.
E-learning is a critical element in moving to a continuous
learning culture, and as Royal Signals Electricians you are
at the forefront of Royal Signals in this regard. Continuous
learning puts the emphasis on you as a tradesperson
to ensure you are prepared for your training and future
employment.
Our goal at 11(RSS) Signal Regiment is to provide the
means and ways for you to make it happen, along with the
Subject Matter Experts to mentor you along the way. This
capability further provides an excellent forum to grow your
professional knowledge through information sharing and
developing a professional community.
Maj M.W, Moulton, CD, OC 1(Ouston) Sqn,
11(Royal School of Signals) Signal Regiment
I strongly believe that throughout Blandford we deliver
excellent training. If tradesmen and women use this site
correctly, they will have guidance throughout their career by
the SME’s who are carefully selected to work in Blandford
as trade instructors. Who better to ask question on
Electrics and Generators than those employed to teach it?
[email protected]
This site is not there to spoon feed you information. Quite
the opposite, it is there to make you sit up and realise if
you want to be better at your trade then you should take
a professional approach to the way you do your work. All
the information you could possibly need to do your job in a
working unit is here, you just need to log on and look for it.
Power Section Course Coordinator | 1 (Ouston) Squadron |
11 (Royal School of Signals) Signal Regiment
The VLE makes it possible for 11 (RSS) Sig Regt to deliver
training to you when you need it and wherever you are.
If you would like any further information on this article then please do not hesitate
to contact the below:
SSgt Col Steers
Mil Tel: 94371 2362
18
The VLE is an excellent way of imparting valuable subject
matter to the student before he or she even arrives at
Blandford. He or she can sit in the privacy of their own
living area and complete a variety of small modular courses
online. This gives them not only the knowledge but also the
confidence before arriving at Power Section.
Civ Tel: 01258 482362
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
What is available to you?
The site contains a lot of information and it is available to you
whenever you need it.
It all falls under the following headings:
►
Distance Learning (ELUR)
►
Document Templates
►
Information and Updates
►
Training Précis
►
Contacts
Distance Learning (ELUR)
This is the reason that this all started! Class 2 Royal Signal
Electrician’s (RSE’s) can log in and complete various small
modules before they come on their Class One (ELUR).
There are a variety of learning packages; including an
Overview of 17th Edition, FEPS User, PAT Testing, LAPDS,
Communications Containers and FEPDS. If you’re already a
Class One RSE but feeling slightly rusty then this would also
be good for you to get your teeth stuck into.
Above: Sgt
Evans, WO(RAF) Lester, SSgt Steers
How do I access it?
It can be accessed via a variety of devices including a
Smartphone, PC or Laptop.
Simply go to http://www.dlp.mod.uk/ and logon to
your DLP account.
From the front page click on the DTT VLE link under the
Virtual Learning Environments heading. In the new browser
click on the DCCIS crest where you can search for DCCIS
courses and enrol on the course that you require.
Account Request
Document Templates
Document templates contains………….that’s right Document
Templates! There are a variety of forms available from 1033’s
to FMT Series forms. Basically everything you need to run a
Power Section is in there and ready for use.
Information and Updates
Anything that we at Power Section feel that you may need to
know we put here. There are updates on future equipment,
17th Edition changes and important safety information notices.
Training Précis
Every single Précis held and used by Power Section has
been uploaded to the site, so if you’re arguing in your section
about the Otto Cycle (suck, squeeze, bang, blow!) or battery
connections then this is the place to look!! Also the IET Wiring
Regulation 17th Edition, On Site Guide and Guidance Notes
are all here as EBooks for you to use.
Contacts
The contact information of various people within Power Section
is displayed here. If you think the site can be improved or you
simply have a question then here is where to look.
What Else?
The site allows you to message and chat between each and
best of all its easy to use. There are forums and everything
else you would expect from a modern distance learning site.
You will also have your own profile in which you can upload a
photo and some basic information.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
If you do not do not have a DLP Login then go to
http://www.dlp.r.mil.uk/ and click on the Account
Request link.
Alternatively you can ring the SPOC on 96600 8910
quoting “DLP” and ask for a new account.
DLP accounts can be applied for via the Account Request
page on the Intranet (RLI) (www.dlp.r.mil.uk).
Accounts may take up to 3 weeks to be processed.
UK MoD employees are entitled to a centrally-funded
DLP account. This includes all military and MoD civilian
personnel.
Looking forward
In the future it is hoped that Distance Learning
Online will help to reduce course length in Blandford
and increase the overall knowledge and skills of all
Royal Signals Electricians. The continued use of the
VLE will also make sure we can deliver training and
education to you, wherever you may be and make it
accessible to you when you need it most.
It is now up to you to take responsibility for your own
self development, the VLE will point you in the right
direction.
19
ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY SANDHURST (RMAS)
by Sgt Joanne Thomas
Senior Corps Rep
Maj Mike Morton
Unbeknown to many, there are a small contingency of R
SIGNALS staff here at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
The aim for this first article is to introduce readers of The Wire
to The Academy and to highlight the various positions
available as a Royal Signals Officer and Soldier at this very
prestigious location.
The R SIGNALS staff posted here are spread far and wide
across the Academy although each and every one, in one way
or another, has an impact on the Officers Cadets (OCdts) that
are trained here. The various departments containing R
SIGNALS staff include: Communications and Information
Systems (CIS) Wing, Coy and Pl Commanders and SSgt’s
Cadre, Late Entry Officers Course (LEOC) and Communications
Exercise (COMMEX) Tp, 44 Sqn RLC.
HISTORY
The RMAS was formed in 1947. It was descended from 2 older
institutions, the Royal Military Academy (RMA) and the Royal
Military College (RMC).
The RMA had been founded in 1741 at Woolwich to
train gentlemen cadets for the Royal Artillery and Royal
Engineers, and later for the Royal Corps of Signals and some
for the Royal Tank Corps. It remained there until it was closed
on mobilisation in 1939. The RMC began in 1800 as a school
for staff officers which later became the Staff College,
Camberley. A Junior Department was formed in 1802, to train
gentlemen cadets as officers of the Line. A new college was
built at Sandhurst, into which the cadets moved in 1812. After
1860, the RMC succeeded the East India Company’s Military
Seminary as the establishment where most officers of the
Indian Army were trained. Following the abolition of the
purchase system in 1870, attendance at Sandhurst became
the usual route to a commission. The College was enlarged in
1912, when New College was built.
The Academy is broken down into 3 terms a year, Spring,
Summer and Winter, all of which are 14 weeks long. The
Commissioning Course (CC) for Regular Army Officers is 42
weeks, not including recess periods. It runs 3 times a year,
starting in January, May and
September. The TA course is
shorter (10 weeks), as is the
training course the Academy
offers Professionally Qualified
Officers (PQO’s) e.g. lawers,
Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Vets
and Padre’s. The LEOC course is
designed for Late Entry Officers
recently commissioned into the
Army.
COMMUNICATIONS AND
INFORMATION SYSTEMS (CIS)
WING
MISSION STATEMENT
‘The CIS Wing is to deliver CIS
training in order that all Officer
20
Cadets are able to Command, Control and Communicate
effectively using current, in service CIS in line with current
doctrine achieving the standards expected of a Young Officer,
on, and in support of, operations’.
The CIS Wing is a multi-cap badge (10 in total) environment
Top of the food chain is The Regimental Sergeant Major
Instructor (RSMI), WO1 (YofS) Marcus Bailey. The rest of the
Wing is broken down into 4 Divisions – Junior (Jnr) Div,
Intermediate (Inters) Div, Senior (Snr) Div and Support (Sp)
Div. The first 3 Div’s are made up of Signals Instructors from
across the wider Army, and comprise of one SSgt/CSgt and 3
Sgt’s. These are the SME’s for communications in the
Academy and instruct on the CC, PQO’s and TA courses. They
provide communications for all training and exercises within
the Academy and advise Directing Staff (DS) on all CIS matters
including the progress of OCdts. On exercise they set up a
Command Post (CP) for the OCdts to communicate to and
work out of and also provide 1st Line support throughout the
exercise. On the more senior exercises they also create a Coy
Ops Rm that would mirror that of an Ops Rm in Theatre. This
term has seen the introduction of Tactical incident Ground
Reporting (TiGR), Base ISTAR, and JChat. Sp Div within the
Wing deliver the G4 support that ‘glues the CIS Wing
together’ and is made up solely of R SIGNALS staff at present
– the SQMS, a Comms Sys Engr and a Comms Logistic
Specialist. The SQMS and his team are in charge of the
issuing, maintaining and storing of all Bowman equipment in
the Academy. The SQMS, SSgt John Roberts likes to remind
the Wing on a regular basis that he holds the most expensive
SQMS account in the R SIGNALS.
The Wing itself holds a plethora of classrooms, each having a
suite of 24 desktop terminals, which have most recently been
used to teach ComBAT and Virtual Battlefield Scenarios (VBS).
This, is in conjunction with the newly installed Command,
Control and Communications (C3) Trainer, which includes an
additional suite of 48 terminals and has introduced a new
‘virtual’ environment in which cadets are now trained. The C3
Trainer allows the cadets to gain as much practice as possible
using resources that reflect the current operational
environment, enabling OCdts to get more exposure to
contemporary Operation Rooms, including tactical decision
making under pressure. This is done in the style of both
Mission Rehearsal Exercises (MRXs) and Communications
Planning Exercises (CPXs).
Ocdts march past Old College
As this report is written, the
Academy has now reached Week
14, one of the busiest weeks of
what has been an extremely busy
and challenging term. We have
seen Inters, Snr Term and LEOC in
the C3 Trainer completing their
relevant MRX’s. Our YofS, SSgt
Kate Heron, has had the pleasure
of hosting some 27 visits to the
C3 Trainer from various countries
and units, these include: Director
Special Forces, Head of the Indian
Army, Pakistan, Jordan, United
Arab Emirates, Comd FDT and D
CDS to name but a few. We’ve
taken part in 16 exercises and had
in the region of over 900 OCdts
and LEOC through the doors for
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
instruction. Next term looks to be just as challenging with the
Academy celebrating 200 yrs of leadership, the Freedom of
Sandhurst parade and not to mention a whole new batch of
OCdts.
for the Army Air Corps, where I was streamed as a
Communications Specialist. Soon after joining the unit my OC
asked all trainees to write an article similar to this one and I
was selected to apply for a commission. Subsequently I was
loaded on to a Potential Officer Development Course (PODC)
which was advertised as one of the best courses in the Army.
This is known to be good preparation for Sandhurst as it is
focused at anyone who has not attended university and
wishes to gain a commission from the ranks.
In May 2011 I began Jnr term of CC 112 at. In the first 5 weeks
we were trained under the Common Military Syllabus
(Recruit) like any other Phase One training establishment.
Heavily sleep deprived, Ex SELF-RELIANCE was physically
demanding, similar to that of Ex HALF WAY at Pirbright. Six
epic weeks of training into the course, the DS see fit to give
you a map, put you in small teams and release you over the
Black Mountains for an 11 check point, 64 kilometre race with
weight. Ex LONG REACH is an experience I will never forget.
The RSMI on the day of The Sovereign’s Parade
COMMEX TP – by LCpl Angela Buckley
Commex Tp is part of 44 Sp Sqn, another multi-cap badge
department which supports the day to day running of the
Academy including all 4 courses and exercises. The Tp is
made up of 17 All-Arms Communications Operators (3 R
SIGNALS) and 1 Communication Electrician. Their
responsibilities are to support the CIS Wing in developing
OCdts communications skills whilst on exercise. They deploy
in many different roles and can find themselves in a Battle
Group size Ops Room, right through to deploying on the
ground as an embedded Coy Signaller. They Exercise in
different locations throughout the UK, supporting exercises
focusing on basic soldiering skills, COIN operations, CBRN
training and in riot control scenarios.
Ex LONG REACH
DEPOT TO COMMISSION - by OCdt Facey, 12 Platoon, Blenheim
Company, Commissioning Course 112
The Academy is the
international centre
of excellence for
leadership. It was
therefore not
surprising that
Inters was so busy.
We had to dig for
over 48 hours
straight during Ex
FIRST ENCOUNTER
in order to establish
a stage 3 battle
trench.
OCdts study 3
academic subjects
at Faraday hall;
Defence and
International Affairs
(DIA), War Studies
(WS), and
Ex FIRST ENCOUNTER
Communication and
Behavioural Science
(CABS). In DIA we learn about how the world interacts, past
present and future. In WS we learn lessons of war, military
failures, successes and thought process behind decision
making. CABS teaches us our role, and how we are to interact
within our units effectively in order to achieve the unit’s
combat effectiveness.
My journey in the Army began at ATR Pirbright. After 14
weeks I moved to Middle Wallop, the Phase 2 training depot
Throughout my time at the Academy I have competed in
many cross country events and was lucky enough to captain
As well as being committed to a busy exercise rotation they
also take full advantage of the facilities the Academy has to
offer, especially with sporting events and adventure training
activities. Over the next few months members of the Tp will
have the opportunity to complete their basic free-fall
parachuting course and others are busy training for the InterServices Open Water Swimming Championships. There has
been a large turnover in manpower in recent months and
therefore have focused on teambuilding events such as intersection paintballing and go-karting competitions. Our next
competition will be a clay pigeon shoot out.
Commex Tp operates at a fast pace but with that come many
rewards; it is a great posting away from a main-stream R
SIGNALS Unit where an individual can find themselves
employed in a wide array of jobs; all utilising our comms
roots.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
21
the team to its victory in the 4 Div league, the Army
Championship and the 4 Div Championships. In addition to
these military events, I was lucky enough to be invited to run
with the Milo Running Club in Richmond Park for numerous
events.
There are 2 main exercises in Snr Term – Ex BROADSWORD
and Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY. BROADSWORD puts the OCdt’s
through their paces in a rural and urban phase. Both have
their unique challenges but the public order serial which is the
culmination of the urban phase is an experience all officers
remember fondly. DYNAMIC VICTORY, held in Galloway,
Scotland, also has an urban and a rural phase which are both
challenging but in totally different ways. The terrain in the
rural phase is steep and wet, which will test everyone’s
administration skills whilst the urban phase consists of a ‘free
playing’ civilian population with its own cultural tensions and
insurgent cell. Both exercises receive a tremendous amount
of support and resources and they provide superb
environments in which to test new skills that will shortly be
put to use in the field army.
My Snr Term drew to a close on fight night, where I captained
the New College Team against Old College. I won my fight
but unfortunately our team lost. Boxing training at RMAS is
hard and a certain amount of loyalty is required to achieve a
basic standard to get in the ring.
OCdt Keddie (Commissioning R SIGNALS) on parade
This term sees the Commissioning of CC 112 with some 20
OCdt’s joining the Royal Signals, so keep an eye out for some
fresh-faced 2Lt’s in your unit. The Duke of Kent will be the
Sovereign’s Representative this term.
HELLO’S, FAREWELL’S AND CONGRATULATIONS
The SOinC(A) presenting the RMAS Corps Boxing Belt to a
bloodied OCdt Facey
I look forward to P coy in May and my Tp Comd’s course in
August. On successful completion of these I hope to be
posted to 216 Sig Sqn, and in my spare
time, further my knowledge in Arabic
studies.
We must first say farewell and congratulations to the
outgoing RSMI, WO1 (YofS) Mark Parr, who leaves us on
Commission to be Traffic Officer at 30 Sig Regt. Farewell and
congratulations also go to SSgt John Roberts who leaves at
the end of this term on promotion and LCpl Michael
Sanderson who left at the start of Spring term. We welcome
in our new RSMI, WO1 (YofS) Marcus Bailey, and the new
JNCO CLS, LCpl Lee Brown.
THE SOVEREIGN’S PARADE
The Sovereign’s Parade at the end of each
term marks the passing out from
Sandhurst of OCdts who have completed
the CC and it is the result of many hours of
hard work. It is the grandest day in the
Sandhurst calendar bar none, as friends,
family, VIPs and VVIPs gather before Old
College Square to watch the cadets take
part in their final challenge. During the ceremony, the Sword of
Honour, the Overseas Sword and the
Queen’s Medal are awarded by the
Sovereign’s Representative to the top
Officer Cadets. The parade traditionally
ends with the Adjutant riding his horse up
the steps of Old College as he follows the
graduating Officer Cadets through the
Grand Entrance. 22
Academy Adjutant on ‘Winston’
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
NEWS FROM FORMATIONS
11 SIGNAL BRIGADE
Bde Comd
COS
Brig Jonathan Cole OBE
Maj Hervey Scott
EXERCISE ROMAN MATADOR
Ex ROMAN MATADOR was a HQ 11 Sig Bde MATT training camp held at
Capel Curig over a 2 day period in February. As the HQ responsible for
the FORGEN of the Campaign Signal Regiments and busy project teams
for Ops PEREGRINE and THRACIAN, finding time for MATTs is always
difficult and inevitably falls to the bottom of everyone’s “to do” list. An
“invitation” from Capt Erin Ballard to clear a couple of days in the diary
was therefore a welcome distraction from the usual run of staffwork.
Day 1 saw the completion of the classroom based lessons. Everyone got
fully immersed into the practical aspects of the training with Maj Dave
Ball and Capt Gaz Christie demonstrating their mummification/first aid
skills on Capt Mark Todd.
Day 2 started with the obligatory group photo in Capel Curig prior to setting off in 4 groups for the practical phase of Navigation
with some groups being more successful than others.
Group 1 consisting of the Bde Comd plus others was ably led by Cpl Floyd (no pressure) and followed the route to the letter
disappearing into the clouds after the initial climb and only emerged on the final decent to the café.
Group 2 were more adventurous and giving the route and map a stiff ignoring, followed their group leader Sgt (its that way)
Morey, and took an alternative route crossing land never previously touched by man and contouring round some of the more
interesting and rugged features. The beauty of walking the unbeaten track was highlighted by the surprise opportunity of an up
close and personal meeting with some of the locals (mountain goats!) followed by a tentative scramble around the side of a cliff
edge before a final stroll to the café. The benefit of taking this alternative route was staying in the sunshine for the entirety of the
walk - smiles and sunburnt faces all round.
Groups 3 & 4 played the game and followed the intended route (more or less) with Group 4 adding a bit of extra distance and climb
to take in the Devils Kitchen just for the fun of it and much to the delight of Cpl Kellie Lane RAF who enjoyed the flat and down bits
but wasn’t too keen on the climbs.
The whole event was very well organised and supported by Capt Erin Ballard and the Information System Support Team – Thanks
guys.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
23
NEWS FROM REGIMENTS
1st (UNITED KINGDOM) ARMOURED DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT
HERFORD
THE REAR PARTY
Station Commander Station RSM Maj G Stoker MBE
WO1 (RSM) T Woodall
EXERCISE PREMIER BATTLEAXE
When a 2 star general wants something to happen, then it
happens very quickly. Ex PREMIER BATTLEAXE was no
exception. The GOC 1 (UK) Armd Div wanted to practise
conventional operations rather than counter insurgency in
preparation for ‘the post Afghanistan Army’; lets hope he
doesn’t know something we don’t.
The first Bulldog moving into TAC HQs location
MAIN TROOP- by Sig Hume
At 8 o’clock on the Monday morning everyone was lined up
on the parade square with the vehicles they were travelling in.
After all the last minutes checks the Sqn left Hammersmith
Barracks in a number of convoys.
The first Main Tp packet left and most arrived successfully at
their location, except one Land Rover, the driver managed to
take a wrong turning due to the bad navigation skills of the
co-driver Sig ‘That guy’ Holdcroft. Once the troops and
equipment was all together the build began, taking Main Tp
with a few extra hands from TAC Tp just under 4 hours to
complete including the cam net covering it.
It may look like a hedge but its actually Div Main
As ordered the entire Rear Ops Group, less a skeleton crew
who stayed back in barracks, deployed to locations all around
the Hameln area. We deployed a Main HQ, a Tactical HQ, a
Rear Echelon HQ and all the rebros and Cormorant assets to
get comms between all the locations. This was the biggest
exercise any of us had been on and the whole thing was a
steep learning curve with more than a few mishaps.
After a few problems with Sig ‘Waj’ Amarah struggling to
stitch a tent together we finally finished the build after a
much needed brew, we all went for some much needed sleep
ready for the next day. We woke up at 6 o’clock got washed
and shaved in the wash tent kindly supplied by the SQMS,
with bowls and boiling hot water. We then went in to one of
the farmers barns for a freshly cooked breakfast, the best bit
about a Div Main HQ are the chefs. After everyone had eaten
we went on to filling the HQ with the tables, benches and
Comms equipment needed for the week. Once it was all laid
out we started to plug it all in the back of the land rovers and
get communications in with TAC Tp and Spec Task Tp. Once
we had communications in we spent the rest of the exercise
training under the YofS’ watchful eye.
While we were there we had to man the radios through the
night, It was my turn on the Wednesday night which was the
night it rained solidly, which kept the night shift entertained
watching the REME mechanics fixing the vehicle that Sig ‘I am
the Stig’ Haslam managed to break for the first time of many
that week. Night Stag was not to bad as the sleeps tent was
not waterproof so everyone inside got soaked. Sig ‘Maxi
Muscle’ Smith and Sig ‘Still half asleep’ Phillips camp cots
basically turned into swimming pools.
A Cormorant node out in the wilds of north Germany
24
No one was in a good mood the next day and we were all
feeling tired especially Cpl ‘Naffi’ Baker who managed to turn
a call sign into a chocolate bar. Although we were tired we
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
were all working hard to make sure everything was in good
order for the GOC’s visit. Once the GOC had finished his visit
of the HQ we started the tear down. This happened a lot
faster than the build, as usual, and we finished a lot earlier
than we thought. Finishing at 11 o’clock due to driver’s hours
we all slept in the main part of the SWE which thankfully was
waterproof.
Friday morning arrived and everyone woke up raring to go
and rip down the rest of the set up, taking us until around
mid-day to complete. We set of in the same packets we
arrived in turned round the kit back in camp in time for some
well deserved beers with the Sqn OC.
TAC TROOP - by Sig Duffy
The morning of the exercise TAC Tp were up and ready to go
by 0500 at the Sqn lines, although none of the other troops
were in till 0630 at the armoury, everything was to be packed,
double checked and ready to go before the first packet
departed at 0900.
So by 0915 the first packet had departed and the rest were to
follow in order. It took a while to get there as one of the
vehicles kept getting lost and we had to pull over and wait for
a while till we saw them appear again. So by 1130 the packets
had arrived at there locations, except 3 signallers, myself, Sig
‘Sunny’ Jenkinson, and Sig ‘South Supremacy’ Pascal.
Most of the Tp arrived at Main HQ’s location which we were
not happy about as they had a bigger HQ then TAC which
required more man power and working later and was just a
massive ball ache!! After hours of blood, sweat and tears and
the wonderful assistance of the ‘Mighty TAC’ the SWE (Staff
Working Environment a.k.a a really big tent) was up along
with the cam net from hell! So by 2200 it was heads down for
most of Main and the 3 from TAC!
On the Tuesday morning the 3 of us were dying to get back to
TAC HQ, despite listening to Sig ‘Big fella’ Hume going on and
on about how they had lovely chefs cooking them proper
meals whilst TAC were on rations, but we really didn’t care,
our ears were almost bleeding. Finally around 1100 we were
in TAC’s location. Everything had been done and even the
comms were falling into place. We were given our ration
packs and a brief from SSgt Brady and Lt ‘Super Trooper’
Cooper on the current situation before being handed over to
Cpl Timothy Stanton who then briefed us up on the tasks that
were in place for us. One signaller was to be chosen to be
Complex Cpl; they would be given orders from one of the
higher ranks for them to then dish them out to the rest of us.
We were to treat them as any other JNCO and to give them
no back chat but to do as they say. So first up was Sig ‘I am a
Russian Spy’ Rudenko, who everyone tried there hardest not
to laugh at as he put on a very stern and serious face!
By Wednesday afternoon everyone had settled into TAC HQ
getting on with jobs that had to be done. The news arrived
from Maj Walker and YofS ‘Dowry’ McDuff that what we had
done was not tactical enough for the GOC who would be
coming to our location the following day. After the 2 had left
we waited out for further details on what we had to do and
we knew whatever it was we had to do it involved ‘The Cam
net’, the cam net everyone hated and wanted to chop up into
a millions pieces, the cam net of death! But besides that the
moral was still high, all except one, LCpl’ I am a grump’ O’Neil
who hated exercise but managed to crack a smile once in a
while. So the news was in everything needed to be ripped
out and the SWE had to be turned 90 degrees and moved
20m closer to the grass. Everything was then to be returned
to its normal state WITH the cam net of death! After 3 maybe
4 hours of high moral and hard graft everything was back to
normal and we were allowed to order in pizza as a reward.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Thursday came and we were all running round like headless
chickens, cam cream, helmets, webbing and weapon, ready
for the arrival of the GOC. A 9x9 tent was set up as a brew
area with amazing biscuits that everyone kept running in and
pinching before the GOC had even arrived. Everyone was cold
and said they needed a brew to warm them up but it was the
biscuits we were really after! Once the GOC had left we knew
it was time to teardown and couldn’t wait, moral was flying
high as usual after all we are ‘The Mighty TAC’. Teardown was
done in a flash and within 6 hours everything was packed
away and on the Man trucks and by 2200 we were all set to
get our heads down ready to return home the next day.
SPEC TASK- Sig Duckron
Since our Tp were all tasked as rebros it was pretty much a
‘cushty’ exercise ... for some. My det was the dream team,
and when I say dream it was more like a nightmare; there was
Sig ‘sick note’ Buckley who knew everything about nothing
and Sig ‘flexy time’ Webb who was actually a comms Jedi...
apparently... To be fair everyone knew it was going to be an
eventful Ex but no one knew to what extent. We got off to a
great start when Sig Webb failed to read a route card
correctly. Apparently when the convoy turns off the
autobahn that means you have to keep going for 3 more
junctions until you realise your lost, but when you see your Tp
Staffy chasing you telling you to turn off, do not overtake him
again and think it’s a race. The words ‘lunatic’ and ‘trying to
kill me’ along with a few other choice expressions were used.
On Tuesday morning Buckley set up his own field kitchen
when we should have been on 10 mins notice, he had more
food than your average Tesco, ‘The Dream’. On Wednesday
and Thursday Sig Webb had another chance to redeem
himself by navigating me to recce a location, once again he
took it upon himself to not read road signs that say turn off.
Eventually we got to the recce site and tried to get comms.
We were having problems so YofS McDuff, FofS Boyle, SSgt
McCone and Sgt Jones came to the rescue. It’s lucky they did
as that night it snowed and hailed and the world literally
turned white. We were all glad it was the last night and the
warmth of camp was only a 45 minute drive (less navigational
embarrassment) away. On the whole it was a good ex, we
had blizzards, showers, off roading, plus bratty and chips.
ECH HQ- by LCpl Cook
HQ Sqn deployed on Ex PREMIER BATTLE AXE in support of
211 Sig Sqn. This deployment was the first time for a majority
of soldiers to get their feet wet on a field exercise. It was
more of an educational and training exercise for most, as the
Sqn hadn’t done this sort of deployment for a good few
years. We provided the rear HQ which resupplied the 211 Sig
Sqn Tps and the Div Staff officers in MAIN and TAC HQs.
First vehicle off from the release point was WO2 (SSM) Paul
Munslow, who set off with a 50 minute head start on the 2
vehicle packets. On arrival of the vehicle packets at the
exercise location the SSM was nowhere to be seen, he
managed to arrive 10 minutes later and blamed Cpl Thapa for
getting him geographical embarrassed!
After a site recce we got straight into the build of the rear
echelon, with the erection 18x24 tents being as difficult as
usual. As this was new to a lot of the Sqn the pace was slow,
but morale was high for once as the weather on exercise was
nice and we were also under a Dutch barn.
During the exercise we had SME lessons on the roles we
would provide if we had to deploy on exercise in support of
the Divisional Staff. We also managed to catch up with a few
MATTs with a bit of ‘Hard and Fast’ BLS training from SSgt
25
Davis and a run around the training area which achieved the
last few PFT passes we required.
The week went by in a flash and Endex was called, the
recovery back to camp was straight forward for most but not
for Sgt ‘Mac’ MacArthur, who managing to run out of fuel on
the autobahn. Remember never trust a fuel gauge!
A brilliant effort all in all from the Sqn and everyone came
away from the exercise having learnt something new or
brushed off a few exercise cob webs.
HEADQUARTERS SQUADRON
OC SSM
Maj J Duncan
WO2(SSM) P Munslow
OP SUPPORT TROOP
Tp Oc
Tp SSgt
2Lt R Drysdale
Sgt W Watt
The start of 2012 has been busy for Op Sup Tp, with troops
spread all over. Some were in the UK on Counter IED training
whilst the rest have been on courses or preparing to deploy
to the Falklands, leaving us about 5 people in work, making it
even more intense.
Within the Tp we have 13 Bowman dets that all have to be
maintained and where and if possible repaired. This has been
the main effort within the Tp, demanding spares, sending
Bowman of to get upgraded, and fixed. The latest task has
been getting 6 of our vehicles ready for Op REMUS.
Looking forward to the next few months it is not set to relax
any time soon. With the upcoming Royal visit, the
announcement of Op Olympics and the return of the
remainder of the Regt, nothing looks to be peaceful.
We have recently lost 3 members of our Tp, Sigs Standring,
Mills and Daniels. Mills and Standring have recently become
fully trained members of the Corps Pipes and Drums and have
been posted the UK as a result and Sig Daniels has completed
3 years at the Div and will be missed. A fond farewell to you
all. We would like to welcome our new Tp OC 2Lt Drysdale.
THE HOME RHINO WELFARE CENTRE
UWO
WWO
WNCO
Capt A Torrington
WO2 A Lindsay
SSgt J Cordery
The Christmas period is now well and truly over, but its still
been a very busy period for the Home Rhino team; with the
Padres “Sing for a Sausage” at Lister School, a family showing
of the film Hugo Cabret and a visit to Hannover Sea-Life
centre. A jigsaw mastermind would have had trouble piecing
together this plan. The New Year has been full of fresh
challenges and one unexpected challenge for my team as I
launched Ex RHINO-RALEIGH 12, a 7360km cycle ride (the
distance from Herford to Afghanistan) which commenced on
4 Jan which was in response to the OP Tour challenge; Ex
ROAMING RHINO, featuring Seven Men and a Badger! Details
of the events are featured below.
EXERCISE ROAMING RHINO V EXERCISE RHINO RALEIGH
– by Capt Torrington
With the Op HERRICK 15 Tour now well underway, the troops
in Afghanistan have come up with a 100 day Charity event.
Their challenge is to cover the distance from Camp Bastion,
Afghanistan to Herford, Germany on a variety of Gym
machines using the recommended walking routes given by
26
Google. The challenge distance has been split between the 8
people who will each spend 40 days running 9km a day, 40
days tabbing 9km a day (full kit plus 10Kg weight) 10 days of
rowing 14km a day and finally a 24hr relay event on a cycle
machine to cover the last 271km.
In response to the
Seven Men and a
Badger’s Ex
ROAMING RHINO, the
Home Rhino Welfare
Team has embarked
on ‘Ex RHINO
RALEIGH 12’ which is
a 7360km cycle
challenge covering
the notional road
route from Herford
back to Afghanistan.
The UWO, Capt Torrington on Ex RHINO The aim is to complete
RALEIGH
the challenge on 15
May 12 which is the Transfer of Authority, Flag Change Day or
otherwise known as End of Tour!
To achieve this aim, the Home Rhino Team will be cycling
400km per week, starting 4 Jan 2012 from the Home Rhino
Welfare Centre. To support our challenge, we have set up a
charity donation site and all proceeds will be going to the ABF
– The Soldiers’ Charity; which provide lifetime support for our
serving and retired soldiers and their families!
Support our troops by visiting the following web address:
www.justgiving.com/teams/exroamingrhino
www.justgiving.com/rhino-raleigh12
HANNOVER AQUARIUM VISIT - by Sig Cayton
On Saturday and following on from ‘Sing for a Sausage’ on
Monday and the Hugo Cabret showing on the Tuesday, the
Home Rhino Team embarked on Operation Sea-Life, the first
main event for 2012 to the Hannover Aquatic Centre.
After a quick head count we departed Hammersmith Barracks
shortly after 1000hrs in 2 buses full of very excited children as
we made our way to the venue. Hannover Sea-Life centre is
not the biggest of establishments but had a wide variety of
sea creatures ranging from sea turtles to rays and sharks to
dancing jellyfish. However there was one very important fish
missing, as one upset child explained “I couldn’t find Nemo!”
There were some tanks in which the children could touch and
hold the inhabitants. If you were one of the lucky ones inside
the underwater tunnel at the time you got to see the sea
turtles being fed cauliflower and broccoli, this was the one
time that an audible Uuuurgh could be heard; apparently kids
still don’t like vegetables! A small café catered for lunch with
Marlin Hotdogs, trying to explain it was only a name and not
actually Marlin caused some consternation with the children.
At the end of the afternoon before everyone started heading
back to the coach, we visited the gift shop where a wide
range of souvenirs from rubber snakes and big cuddly teddies
to Nemo egg cups were available to purchase. All in all
everyone one had a lovely day.
SPORT RELIEF MILE – by Cpl Jo Lyle
Friday 23rd March 2012 was kick started with the gym staff of
1 ADSR setting up and getting ready for a bit of fundraising
for Sport Relief. Instead of the gruelling battle PT session
which had been planned for CO’s PT, it was decided that
running the Sport Relief Mile in fancy dress would be more
fun and at the same time raise some funds for a great cause.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
At 1130 the guys and girls from both 211 Sqn and HQ Sqn
started walking through the gym doors. I must say we had a
few hilarious turnouts!! The RSM, WO1 Tom Woodall, turned
up as Capt Condom.....enough said!! There was a couple of
ninja turtles who showed up, improvising using their sleeping
bags, a bit of cam cream and a wooden broomstick.....no
pizza though so where was Michael Angelo?! Not to be out
done the gyms very own Cpl Tyson ‘T-Bone’ Green dressed as
a South African Rugby player, although looked more like the
singer Lionel Richie.
The fundraising was going well and everyone seemed to be
enjoying themselves. Once everyone was there it was time to
split the crowd into 2 groups. Leading with the elite group of
athletes! was Cpl Jo ‘Leprechaun’ Lyle and Cpl Tyson Green,
followed by the “sightseers” who were lead by the QMSI W02
Russ Roberts and Sig ‘Dobby’ Porter.
There was enough time before registration for LCpl Jonny
Bedford and Cpl Tyson ‘T-Bone’ Green to do a final check of
the route. Lucky for us we did because forestry workers had
taken down some of the mine tape that we had put up to
stop runners going the wrong way. A few minutes later, a
little bit of mine tape and one times catastrophe was averted.
As the morning went by more and more people were turning
up for registration. It promised to be a good turn out with
runners coming in from all over BAG.
Cpl Lyle gathered all the runners together for the race brief
which she had to give instead of the QMSI. Although maybe a
bit nervous, she did a very good job and even though I wasn’t
counting, (umm 28) there seemed to be a lot of “OK’s”.
All the runners made their way to the start point and after a
few minutes of making sure everything was in place it was
down to Col Skeat CRE to start the race. And they’re off. A
wave of 100+ men and women running down the narrow path
towards unsuspecting German civvies who look scared out of
their wits whilst trying to get out the way.
After only 27 minutes we started to see the first person
running from the trees and to the finishing line. It was one of
the first female runners, a very good time by anyone’s
standards. As a few more minutes went by so did a few more
of the female runners. It ended up being a tightly run race
with the top females posting some good times.
After 36:08 minutes the first male crossed the line. Again
there were some very good and fast times. There was also a
sense of relief by myself and the rest of the AAPTI’s that route
markers had done their job well and no one, especially the
front runners, had got lost or taken a wrong turn.
Sigs Porter, Beeb, Entwhistle
and Colquhoun looking the
part
Around 70 runners basked in glorious sunshine as they took
part in the Sport Relief Mile. We received many strange looks
given by the German citizens as we ran the short loop around
Herford, but you can’t really blame them considering we had
Capt Condom, some Ninja turtles and a mad looking gladiator
running amongst us!!
Capt Ashman dressed as
Capt Caveman
Soon we were back in the gym cooling down and stretching
off. The QMSI and Cpl Lyle proceeded to count the money.
An outstanding €221.56 had been raised. It was a surprise
because it had been short notice. It was great to combine
raising money for such a great cause and getting people
exercising too. The day was a great success both from the
guys and girls who gave their support and donated to Sport
Relief and the gym staff for giving up Battle PT for the day!!
BAG CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
– by LCpl J Bedford
10.6km and 6.4km. Those were the distances for the men and
women’s final league race of the BAG Cross Country
Championships hosted by 1 (UK) ADSR on the 29 Feb 2012. A
route that had been chosen, tried and tested by LCpl Jonny
Bedford, taking full advantage of the windy paths, the
scenery, and the ups and downs. As anyone from the Herford
area will know there are a lot of ups and downs in the
woodland around here.
With the QMSI away on holiday it was up to Cpl Jo Lyle to run
the show with the rest of the gym PTI’s. Not much pressure
then, considering this was the most important race of the
league, being the last one and all. Lucky for us we had the
help of SSI Darren O’Donnell and a civvi who was the biggest
spreadsheet guru ever to sort out all the final results of the
league races. This guy was like the Excel Stig!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
After the last few runners came in and everyone was through
the finish line and accounted for it was time to tear down and
head back to the gym for the final results. Cpl Lyle, who had
been hiding in the gym for the whole duration of the race was
now with the Excel Stig totting up all the results. After about
an hour the results were in. As the results were read out and
runners went up to collect prizes it gave us time to reflect
back on the day. Even though this was our first major event
we had to set up without the help and guidance from the
QMSI, everything went to plan and it was a great experience
and a job well done. It had been an excellent day for all who
helped set up and who took part. Bring on next year!!
TITANIUM MAN TRIATHLON - by Sig Smith
This year Cfn Liam Baldwin organised the Triathlon Charity
Event “Titanium Man 18 hour” which saw 2 teams of soldiers
from HQ Sqn and 211 Sig Sqn raise money for the Royal British
Legion. The 2 teams aimed to cover the distance between
Hammersmith Barracks gym in Herford to Royal Wotton
Bassett in the UK, a total of 813km. The event was simulated
in the gym, using bike machines, rowing machines and then
on to the treadmill for the final stretch.
The first leg was a cycle between Herford and Dunkirk. HQ
Sqn started the event at 9am Wednesday morning on the bike
machine, with an hour to complete 20km. Four out of the 5
members of the team were cycling giving one a rest period.
After the 20km had been completed by all of the HQ team
members of 211 would take over to complete a further 20km
per person. HQ Sqn cycled 240km and 211 cycled 212km.
The second leg was across the channel between Dunkirk and
Dover; or 90km of Concept 2 hell. Everyone had to complete
12,000 meters in 2 rounds of 6000m, in around 30 minutes.
The third and final leg was the 270km run from Dover to
Wotton Bassett, completed on the treadmill, in the same
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format as the previous legs, but aiming to run 10km within the
hour. It was easy to see even the fittest guys were starting to
struggle and all our legs were getting heavy. But in the end
we raised over €700 for the Royal British Legion, added to
that we finished in 15hrs, 3hrs ahead of schedule. So in the
end the pain was worth it.
members of Main Tp working alongside 5 members from HQ
Sqn completing the ‘Titanium Man triathlon’ which involved
cycling, rowing, and running (In the gym) from Herford back
to Wooten Bassett in the UK. It took 18 hours working in
rotation so 4 out of 5 were working. The event was a success
as Sigs Phillip’s, Hume, Smith, Rouse and Cayton smashing
through the exercise 5 hours early for a well earned beer.
We have recently lost 5 members of our Tp who we would like
to wish all the best, Sig Poulter and Sig Cayton who are both
posted out to 22 Sig Regt In Stafford. We would also like to
welcome some new members to the Tp; Cpl Malla, Sig
Hudson, Sig Gooch-Hatton and Sig Abraham.
Now 211 Sqn is preparing to deploy on yet another exercise
under the command of our new OC, and are aspiring to
participate in the Lanyard Trophy.
TAC TROOP – by Cpl Gullen
LCpl Kachepa Sanderson, Cpl Green, LCpl Walker, Sig Philips, Sig
Cayton, Sig Roberts,Cfn Baldwin, Sig Hume, Sig Rouse, Sig Smith
211 Signal Squadron
OC
SSM
Maj B Walker
WO2 S Middleton
Over the last few days 211 Sig Sqn has been wandering around
the bazaars looking for the ‘Delta’. Eventually we realised it
was none other than the steadying hand of OC Maj Bill
Walker. After 2 years of tireless work he was packing up all
his parrots and monkeys and moving to 16 Sig Regt in Elmpt.
It is hard to predict the second and third order effects of
losing such an effective OC. The troopies are hoping the ‘Red
Pen of SJAR Doom’ has also been posted and that maybe, just
maybe the fourth attempt will be good enough. The SSM is
wondering if he can now access www.bigjugs.com whilst at
work and the Signallers are hoping the new OC likes Friday
afternoon knock offs!
In all seriousness the entire Sqn would like to thank Maj
Walker for his work, Herford has been a far more pleasant
place to work because of him. He has faultlessly guided us
through such episodes as the PASHTUN HORIZON series and
restructured the Sqn to meet the needs of the post Afghan
army. We all wish you the best of British luck in 16 Sig Regt
and on your forthcoming tour.
Maj Moran has arrived to take up the Mantle of OC 211 Sig
Sqn and we welcome him and his family to Herford.
MAIN TROOP – by Sig Philips
Tp Comd
Tp SSgt Lt D Wallis
SSgt R Savage
The last few months have finally started to hit more of a
normal pace. The build up to Easter in fairness was full of fun,
with AT and nearly the whole of the Sqn deployed on ‘SNOW
WARRIOR’ in rotation. So now near enough everyone can ski
with exception of one or 2 who should just stick to walking.
However, the fun and games was hard earned with good
come back from RSIT and the recent exercise we deployed on
Ex BLAZING BATTLEAXE. For Main Tp this involved a full silver
HQ setup (very big tent) but once set up everyone of all levels
experienced getting hands on all with all of the kit, even Sig
‘half an ex’ Phillips, who went man down with severe ‘Pink
eye’. However we still met our goal and after tearing down,
we came back for an awesome weekend in Herford.
There was also plenty of work for charity going on, with 5
28
Tp Comd
Tp SSgt Lt R Cooper
SSgt C Brady
TAC Tp have had a fairly relaxed period with most members
spending their time on winter AT. Ex SNOW WARRIOR,
which consisted of 2 weeks learning how to Alpine ski and
some were lucky enough to even get taught snow touring!
All expenses paid for by the army! Everyone seemed to enjoy
themselves and obviously enjoyed 2 weeks away from the
garage! Certain people also managed to get themselves away
on the Corps snowboarding camp for 2 weeks! They went
away as skiers but by day 4 were truly converted to the
snowboarding way of life!
Meanwhile back in the garages the unlucky members of the
Tp completed the quarterly reports, Ex PREMIER BATTLEAXE
and the Sports Relief ‘Fun’ run.
The Tp did get a chance to put on their glad rags to wave off
Cpl ‘Bri’ Bell. We wish him well in his new posting. LCpl
Bedford is also leaving us to join the RAPTC. We can think of
no better man for the job and we are all quite glad his
horrendous hill sprint/leopard crawl/log run sessions are soon
going to be someone else’s problem. But seriously thank you
for all your hard work and good luck in the PT Corps!
With only one week to push before Easter stand down period
and morale higher than usual and definitely no fuel strikes in
sight! I wonder what shenanigans next ‘term’ will bring!
SPEC TASKS TROOP – by Sig Bunyan
Tp Comd
Tp SSgt
2Lt B Edworthy
Sgt R Jones
Spec Task Tp have had a good couple of weeks with
snowboarding, an interesting comms exercise, Ex PREMIER
BATTLEAXE and lots of new people arriving but with that we
have also had some people leave. Lt Roberts left us to go to
Afghanistan and our Tp Sgt, Sgt Jones was over loaded with
work. We then had the pleasure of our new Tp OC Lt
Edworthy who has fitted in well to both the Sqn and the Tp.
We had people go away on a snowboarding exercise for 2
weeks. I say the word ‘exercise’ but I’m sure it was just an
excuse for the Army paying for a 2 week holiday! LCpl ‘Lozza’
McWhir broke her wrist on day 2 but powered through the
pain and continued snowboarding!
However, those who weren’t lucky enough to be put on a
‘cushty’ exercise were sent on Ex PREMIER BATTLEAXE. We
got pushed up to the top of the hills and left with a rover,
some antenna’s and a few radio’s, pushing hard through the
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
night getting the rebro’s set up. The exercise was successful
we had comms and some hot food in our bellys to keep us
going. We also had a bit of a laugh when we heard about Cpl
‘Simmo’ Sim falling off the back of the Man truck early on in
our first day of the exercise.
We have said farewell to Cpl ‘Bri’ Bell as he has now been
posted onto his new unit along with Sig Watson, who was
only with us for a short time and been posted out to do her
drumming course and then forwarded on to her new unit,
short but sweet! However, we have welcomed many new
people into the Tp; LCpl Graham, Sig Brazier, Sig Entwistle,
Sig Clough and Sig Graham.
Back to normal after our Easter stand down, we are settling
back into work and preparing for a May Day exercise, a 3
week exercise down in Sennalager, not the whole Sqn is
going, but I’m sure it’ll be successful seeing as we are having
a MATT’s week on week 2.
SAAFA CAKE AND HORSE PARTY – by Sig Hoogemistra
On Wednesday 21 March 2012, I and 3 other lads from the Sqn
helped SAAFA run a cake stand and charity horse riding day.
The day started off early when we learnt how to lead the
ponies around the indoor riding circuit, so we could help the
children from the local schools later on in the day. It was a
pretty hard task to get them to go the right way as the horses
just wanted to do their own thing. It is rather hard to stop a
full sized horse and we often found we were the ones being
led. But we soon got the hang of it and showed our four
legged friends who was boss.
Just after breakfast time
people started arriving with
cakes and sweets for the stall
that was set up. Some
people came to ride the
horses, others came to eat
the cake (Lt Wallis we did
see you eat 3 slices!) School
closing time came and the
children started turning up to
go for a ride on the back of
the horses and finish the
crumbs of cake that the
signallers, but mostly
officers, had not already
eaten. The children were all
Sig Hume and his ‘mighty’ stead
very excited to see the ponies
and it was hard to hold them back as they all wanted to have
a ride. It was my job to fit their helmets before they went on
and the other lads led the
ponies around the indoor
school stopping to allow
the parents to take
pictures. We all changed
round a few time so that
we weren’t doing the
same thing all afternoon
and before we knew it
Sig ‘Cowgirl’ Taylor riding into town
was time to finish. It was
great to see such a good turn out and so many happy faces. I
was proud to be part of such a good charity event and they
raised €278 for SAAFA, the UK’s oldest Armed Forces charity,
who assist anyone that is or has served in the forces.
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOW RIDER III - by Cpl B Zimmerman
In the early hours of Sunday morning the 5 members of the 1
ADSR team set off on their long journey to Rauris, Austria.
Within 5 minutes of leaving everybody (especially the drivers)
was gasping for a brew. Cpl Bob ‘I know where there is a
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
shop open’ Zimmerman and LCpl Stu ‘I know where there is a
bar open’ Hingley set out to go and find some brew kit.
These items were found a good few hours further down the
road, sadly not a road taking us in the direction of Austria!
With the opening week being spent utilising the expert tuition
of the Snowboarding Instructors from Ripstar, the team were
split into groups with 4 out of 5 of us in the novices group.
However LCpl Lauren ‘Fashion Icon’ McWhir, having had last
year on the slopes, decided that she needed only a couple
more tuition periods prior to her moving up to the advance
group. This unfortunately was not the case and suggestions
that she just went down to the snowboarding camp last year
to look good and have comments on her beautiful hair were
widespread. There were a number of injuries on this years
camp and 1 ADSR wouldn’t of felt right if it was to be left out,
so after many deliberations LCpl McWhir decided to take one
for the team and creamed into absolutely nobody, somehow
managing to break her wrist in the icy conditions.
With the first week nearing its end the competitions were
starting to set in with the first one being the Slalom, which
everybody was looking forward to with slight apprehension.
With that in mind everybody set off to do 2 runs and the best
32 male and 4 female novices would then have a straight
Knockout competition to find out who would be the eventual
winner. Cpl Scott ‘I bought my own kit for this’ Pardoe and
LCpl Stu ‘I am a Para’ Hingley made their way through to the
qualifying stages. They were outdone by an excellent
performance by Cpl Emma ‘Come dine with me’ Gullen who
managed to finish 2nd overall in the novice woman’s event.
With the departure of the Ripstar instructors on the Saturday,
there was a fancy dress night organised to wish them well
and thank them for their many hours of tuition and more
importantly patience with the camp this year. The night was a
huge success with the members of the 1 ADSR team all
dressed up as superheroes and found that there was in fact
no end to the Jaeger train that they all had started.
The second week was spent brushing up on skills that we had
been taught on the first week and having the opportunity to
watch the advanced groups in several competitions including
Freestyle, Slalom and Boardercross. This is something that if
you have never been or even seen Snowboarding before is
something of an awe inspiring event and which only drives
you on to get better and practise your own skills harder.
The final competition was growing closer for the novices and
after many practice runs on the boardercross 1 ADSR was all
set to compete. The outcome was excellent, 3rd place for Cpl
Pardoe and 2nd for LCpl Hingley in the novice men’s and Cpl
Gullen achieved 2nd Place in the novice woman’s section.
Finally the end was near and we had a final presentation
evening to attend prior to our long journey back to Herford.
On the evening there was a final surprise in store for Cpl
Gullen who was awarded 2nd overall in the woman’s novice’s
class. The exercise was a huge success for the 1 ADSR team
and many bumps and bruises were added along the way as
well as a good few happy memories. We will hopefully be
back with a few extra members next year.
HERFORD SPORTSGALA AWARD CEREMONY, STADTPARK
HALLE – by WO2(SSM) Middleton
It was not only a great privilege to be invited to the annual
Herford Stadt Sportsgala Award ceremony, but also to have 3
Regtl personnel receive awards for their personal contribution
to sports.
The awards for the Regtl personnel were as follows: WO2
(SSM) Middleton, for his efforts towards Herford Rhino’s
29
football and the Regtl Football Club, Sgt ‘Knees Up’ Harris for
his efforts towards Corps Skiing and Regtl Sailing and Cpl
‘Leprechaun’ Lyle for her outstanding effort in near enough
every sport under the sun.
what it actually was. On day one I remember falling down at
least 50 times, it was a calamity. I had a lot of one-on-one
tuition from LCpl Burgoyne that day as I was struggling to get
the hang of it, but he had me up to scratch in no time and
with renewed enthusiasm I was ready to hit the slopes the
following day.
SSM Middleton, Cpl Lyle and Sgt Harris collecting their prizes
This was a large-scale event. On arrival the front entrance
was filled with cars and presentations from the sponsors.
Inside there was a huge rigged out stage which filled the
room. The night was packed with local celebrities including
the Mayor and his team. Along with the awards that were
presented to the members of the Regt, awards were also
presented to sports personalities who would be representing
Germany in the upcoming Olympics as well as an array of
other presentations to the local Herford community.
As the night progressed we realised that not only did you
have to go up on stage to receive the award but the compere
was going to put you on the spot with a few questions.
Nerves were not eased by the ROG CO, Maj Stoker, who kept
everyone on their toes by informing them of how much of a
prestigious event the ceremony was and in no way should we
embarrass ourselves! The time came to fill the stage and as
the presenters approached the interpreter (District Liaison
Officer Mr Domisien) disappeared leaving them stranded and
all alone to deal with the feisty compere. The awards were
presented in order, as listed, and as the compere approached
WO2 Middleton, the first question was “sprechensy Deutch?”
To which WO2 Middleton quickly pointed to Sgt Harris who
he had once heard order a Gyros and chips in fluent German.
Luckily, to Cpl Lyle’s amazement, Sgt Harris rattled off a
whole conversation in perfect German, as if rehearsed, thus
keeping our status intact. A quick bow and soaking up of
applause and the stage was left for the next victims. Nerves
gone, the night began to pick up pace with glorious food and
plenty of free Pils. A great night was had by one and all and
everyone left with good memories and a bad head to attend
to the next morning.
EXERCISE GLACIER HALBERD - by Sig Amarah
On Saturday 28 Feb we all jumped onto the minibuses for the
12 hour mini bus ride to Zell Am See in Austria. When we
arrived at the hostel we were pleasantly surprised by the
standards considering the price we had paid. There were 9 of
us living in a 12 man room which seemed a great way to get to
know each other which was great as most of us had only just
been posted in. At the crack of dawn we set off to get our kit
before hitting the slopes where we were split down into our
groups. I went down into the novice group; as I had no idea
whatsoever how to ski. We were all being instructed by LCpl
Burgoyne and LCpl Bedford we started off learning the
basics: snow ploughs and steady turns. We then moved onto
how to turn quicker and more efficiently. When we first went
onto the bigger slopes later that day we attempted to go
down some blue slopes. At first it seemed a lot worse than
30
YofS McDuff, SSM Middleton and Sig Rennie well and truly off
piste
After getting used to skiing with the other 4 in the group we
started doing some good training exercises with LCpl
Burgoyne and LCpl Bedford. The more we got used to doing
the turnings and hockey stops we started to learn how to
parallel ski and pole planting to get better turns. By the end
of the week we had learnt how to do a lot more than what
we could do originally, only thanks to our instructors that is.
On the last few days we went over to another resort called
Kaprun to ski on the Kitternhorn Glacier. There we learnt how
to do some off-piste skiing and it was hilarious watching the
whole group hitting the off-piste and creaming in straight
away, easily one of the best moments on the exercise that
week. The rest of the time on the glacier we did loads of blue
and red slopes as well as going to the viewing platform at
3029m. The best part about the Glacier was being able to see
all the other ‘Advanced Groups’ crashing left, right and centre
which was a great morale boost. I was a little concerned
when I saw the top group disappear into the powder filled X4
route; but I saw them again at the bottom and they looked
knackered but just about in one piece.
The last day of being there we went back to Zell am See and
we were allowed to do some free ski. I, Lt Cooper and 2Lt
Dunster went off onto the mountain and hit the slopes hard
and went down a number of blue and red slopes with a few
black ones in there too. But before our free ski we had a sad
duty to perform. In 2008 Lt Charlotte Pitstra, a member of
1(UK)ADSR died during the Corp Ski Camp. As the first group
from 1(UK)ADSR to visit since her death we laid a plaque at
the spot were she died.
Sgt Harris, who was
there at the time, said a
few words of
remembrance. It was a
solemn reminder of how
precious life is.
Sgt Harris next to the plaque laid in
memory of Lt Charlotte Pitstra
Overall the exercise was
an amazing experience
and I learnt a significant
amount and I definitely
would go back for more.
So a big thank you to Lt
Cooper and Sgt Harris
for organising the whole
trip.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
2nd SIGNAL REGIMENT
YORK
CO
RSM Lt Col Vaudin
WO1 (RSM) Lamont
The past few months has seen the Regtl pre deployment
training bill increase with the first of our exercises in support
of the deploying Bde. This will continue now for the next few
months as Regtl soldiers are deployed across the country
supporting a myriad of different training events. The new
Regtl Ops team, most of which have been in post less than 6
weeks, have been kept extremely busy getting to grips with
their new appointments as well as providing direction and
support to each of the Sqns. Time has also been found to
compete in sports; the COs Cup Competition is still being hard
fought, with the latest Rugby 7’s tournament leaving a
number of players with the compulsory bruises and one
dislocated shoulder. The Regtl Cross Country and Football
teams are having a superb season with the Cross Country
team finishing 3rd in the league and the football team
competing in the semi final of the Army Cup. Several
members of the Regt from all capbadges also had the
immense privilege to cook and serve lunch for Her Majesty
the Queen during her recent visit to York.
with STA courses and initial exercises. The first ex undertaken
together was Ex JORVIK DOMINATION, held at Beckingham
training area. This was designed to build cohesion and trust
throughout the Coy whilst assessing individuals skills and drills
to help create a training program for the future. The first half
of the week was a series of round robin lessons covering
subjects from Vallon and BARMA 360 to target indication and
fire control orders. It concluded with 3 separate confirmation
lanes; each of the multiples had a variety of situations to deal
with in both the mounted and dismounted role, making sure
they were using the lessons taught during the week. There
was a noticeable improvement by the end of the exercise in
military skills, bonding and attitudes.
The next few months look to be as busy as the previous ones
but confidence and morale remain high with all ranks as they
look forward to the continuing challenges ahead.
SUPPORT SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj Barry
WO2 (SSM) Whitfield MBE
SFPTC TRAINING EVENTS – by 2Lt Adam Hopkins
2 Sig Regt has recently formed up the Souter Force Protection
& Transport Company (SFPTC) in preparation for Op HERRICK
17. Due to Op OLYMPICS the time allocated for training has
being condensed. The usual 8 months will now be completed
in 5, making the schedule demanding but rewarding. The last
2 months have been extremely busy for everyone involved
LCpl Burgess carrying out stoppage drills in a safe and controlled
manner
Cpl Ara with a good stance while engaging the enemy. Two to
the body, two to the head
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
For the first 3 weeks of March a variety of range packages
were organised by WO2 Whitfield. These encompassed all
weapon systems currently used in Kabul. Thankfully everyone
passed their ACMT and could move on to the final stage of
the range package; a week in Catterick conducting live
transition training. Throughout the training so far there have
been certain characters coming to light which help with
maintaining morale during these demanding times. We have
Cfn Morgan who it seems has a head start on Op Massive, Sig
Connolly who is proving to be the military knowledge geek
and Cfn Power whose sense of humour creates some cringe
worthy but comical moments. The week in Catterick was
most productive. We witnessed some firers who were ‘scary’
at the beginning but turned into good, confident shots by the
end of the week. With the use of different weapon swe were
able to carry out a variety of shoots. We started with
standard sanger shoots using rifles and GPMG, moving onto
the pistol ranges to concentrate on the close quarter
marksmanship shoots. The Company is very keen and
motivated and has shown great improvement in the short
time we have being working together.
31
COS CUP RUGBY 7S COMPETITION
- by 2Lt Andy Plant AGC(SPS)
Despite the cold morning rain the afternoon turned out to be
sunny and fine, perfect for hosting the first competition in the
COs Cup calendar; the Rugby 7s tournament. This variant of
the game is named after both the number of players per team
and the number of minutes per half. Due to the physically
exhaustive nature of playing with 14 men on a pitch that
would normally hold 30, 14 minute games are more than long
enough. The tournament kicked off with the 2 favourites
going head to head, 219 A Vs Support A. It was a closely
fought match but the illicitly recruited QMSI, playing for 219 A,
made the difference and 219 ran out winners.
Player of the tournament, WO2 (QMSI) Miller scoring one of his
8 tries on the day
This hard hitting match set the scene for some excellent
rugby, proving it is a game for all shapes and sizes; from the
impossibly fast feet of Sig Cormack to the marauding bulk of
the CO and Cfn Morgan. LCpl Hames gave us our first KO of
the day, knocking himself out with a miss-timed tackle. He
was to be the first of many to not finish the tournament. By
the time the group stage was over, 219 had put in some
strong performances, with 219 A & B teams topping their
respective pool tables. Support A & B were both second, and
despite some spirited performances 246 A & B were left to
fight it out for the Wooden Spoon.
219 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj Davis
WO2 (SSM) Stansfield
EXERCISE PASHTUN OSPREY – JFSp(A) CAST – by LCpl Tinsley
On a surprisingly sunny morning, we finished loading our
vehicles to deploy in support of Ex PASHTUN OSPREY, which
is a ST1 level exercise for JFSp(A)14. We were required to put
in the infrastructure and networks which would simulate a
system we would be working on our deployment on Op
HERRICK 17. It was not a long drive to CAST(N), Catterick, but
it felt longer thanks to the immeasurable wit of Chris Evans on
BBC Radio 2 and Cpl Taylor’s decision to take the scenic route!
Upon arrival, those of us who were new to the location were
given a quick tour by WO2 (FofS) Read. Under direction of Lt
Owen and SSgt Stewart, we began everyone’s favourite task
of unloading equipment. On the plus side, we were reminded
of the halcyon days prior to PAYD by the excellent food the
cook house provided, LCpl Capstick being a particular fan.
With bellies full and morale high, everyone got straight to
task, with Cpl McClarence’s team of Installation Techs turning
the old pool room into a nest of fibre optic cabling. The ‘OTES
Gods’ began setting up the main Mission Secret network,
which was only hampered by LCpl Tinsley’s short-lived, but
impressive sugar crash, brought on by the mountain of det
sweets (provided by Lt Owen and LCpl Hedges). LCpl Bass’s
crew began deploying the JOCS network, which was to
provide UK SECRET data from Theatre. After 2 days of hard
work, the JOCS link was established, causing LCpl Welburn to
enjoy a well earned celebratory dance (or ‘rave-up’), and
subsequent Radio 1 ‘shout out’, during the minibus drive
home. Sig Clark and the guys on his Reacher detachment set
out to try and ‘find the bird in the sky,’ and were successful
after a small redeployment or 6.
The Reacher crew finding the ‘bird in the sky’
The winning team, 219 A lead by Lt Owen
Once the 2 semi-finals were out the way, and positions 3rd –
6th decided, there was only one match left. The gruelling
final, a 10 minute each way repeat of the first match. Would
Sp have the ability to turn round the earlier defeat? Had they
learnt enough from the day to reverse the result? Did they
have the determination to take this one to the wire, and win?
No. An emphatic first half performance from the whole team
ensured that 219 A finished the day as the undefeated
champions. As for the COs Cup standings, 246 Sqn came 3rd,
Sp Sqn came 2nd and the deserving victors were 219 Sqn. The
player of the tournament was WO2 (QMSI) Miller.
A big thank you to everyone who helped in ensuring the
tournament ran smoothly and especially to those members of
the Regt who put their body on the line and took part.
32
On a lighter note, Cpl Taylor set up a desk, before retiring to
the smoking area to ponder the meaning of life. If anyone
finds him, please return him to us as a matter of urgency! The
set up overall took us 2 weeks, 1 week testing in Imphal
Barracks and 1 week setting up in location.
The exercising staff began arriving on 25 Mar and the exercise
went live at 080026 Mar. For some of the less experienced
guys it was a shock to see so many Col’s, Lt Col’s and their
equivalents from the other services in one place. Apart from
the normal first day rush that you get at the start of every ex,
everything ran relatively smoothly. With the exception of
JOCS, which decided it was ENDEX before STARTEX, but with
dogged determination, Sgt Salter, LCpls Bass, Welburn and
Williams held the JOCS network together delivering the
majority of the services to the end users. Finally, Sig Dutton
and the Reacher det informed us that the weather during the
exercise was glorious, but as most of us didn’t get to see it
we had to take his word for it!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
2ND DIVISION CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE 2011/12
– by SSgt Wayne Stewart
This years Cross Country Season consisted of 8 League Races
and one Championship Race. Overall, 13 Major Unit teams
entered including 2 Sig Regt. The season got underway early
in October with the first race hosted by 1 Mercians at Marne
Barracks, Catterick. By the end of the second race 2 Sig Regt
were in second place, closely contesting the lead held by 2
Scots, but it was becoming apparent early on that this team
would take some beating!
Race 4 was held at Glencorse Barracks in Edinburgh and
proved to be the most challenging course of the competion,
with runners having to crawl up hills. Sig Robbie Purdham
whinged about sore legs for 4 days after the race!
In early December was the Div Championships and the team
did very well resulting in a Team second and an Individual
Male second place to 2Lt Ben Jukes who was proving to be a
whippet. The female team also did well with a joint fourth
place with 1 Lancs.
By the end of the season 2 Scots were running away with the
lead, however second place was very close between us and 5
Regt RA with only a few points separation. At last it would
seem that second place would be contested in the final race
hosted by us at Imphal Barracks. With a few of our leading
runners absent due to op commitments, it was looking
doubtful that we would win, but by the end it seemed that
we had quite a few of the top 10 positions. 2Lt Ben Jukes
placed fourth and LCpl Bhim seventh overall. However, when
the final results were agonisingly announced it seemed we
had been ‘pipped at the post’ by one point and second place
went to 5 Regt RA. The only consolation was that the team
won the eighth race on our home turf and the ladies team
came second with Capt O’Connell, Pte Mallett and LCpl
Mallinson all in the top ten. It was the end of an extremely
competitive season with some very good performances
amongst some strong competition. I would like to thank all
those runners who competed for the Regt.
over theatrically in the box to win a penalty to bring the game
into extra time at 3-3. We then went on to secure the game
7-4 with penalties not being necessary. The next fixture was
an away tie against 18 SR. Unfortunately, days before this
match we lost a couple of key players, LCpl ‘Doris’ Day (knee
injury) and Sig ‘I own the ugliest boots’ Usher (broken leg)
but we still managed to grind out a 2-0 victory with LCpl
‘Scouse’ McGee scoring the goals. Next up, 10 Sig Regt in the
quarter finals.
In the Army Cup we managed to beat 30 Sig Regt 4-1 with 2
goals from LCpl McGee and 2 great free kicks from temporary
player/manager Cpl ‘Jose’ Cameron. Next was a fourth round
tie against 4 AAC. At this point in the competition the teams
always improve and the games are always a matter of ‘who
wants it more?’ We won 9 – 0 with goals from LCpl (skipper)
Clayton x2, LCpl McGee x2, Sig Danny Cormack x2, Cpl Kev
Cameron x 2 and Cfn Tom Power. We wanted it more!!
The following week brought the Quarter Finals, the furthest
most of the team has ever reached in the competition. 4 Regt
RA were the opposition on a sunny day in Topcliffe. There was
a nervy atmosphere in the changing room before the kickoff
as we knew this was going to be a tough game against tough
opposition, but when the team stepped onto the field the
nerves vanished and we were ready to battle. The first half
was an even affair with chances at either end, but it wasn’t
until the Captain, LCpl Clayton, leapt like a salmon to head the
ball towards the goal where it was handled on the line, not by
their keeper. The Skipper then confidently converted the
penalty and 4 Regt were down to 10 men. The second half
started, and before 2 Sigs came out of the traps, the ball was
in the back of our net. Although 4 Regt were a man down
they created many chances but when a ‘knee-shin-toe’ shot
by LCpl ‘Good looking’ Mulholland was deflected by Sig
Cormack’s head and found its way into the back of the net, it
felt like it was our day! With a nervy last few minutes we held
on to the win. After the match, the team Captain LCpl Kieron
Clayton said ‘‘It’s a great result for 2 Sig’s and its good to see
that the training is paying off. Bring on the Semi’s!’’ Which is
exactly where we are going next!!
246 GURKHA SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj Orr
WO2 (SSM) Durga Gurung
OFFICERS AND WARRANT OFFICERS MOUNTAIN BIKING
– by Capt Ambar Gurung
On Wednesday 28 Mar 2012 the Officers and Warrant Officers
of 2 Sig Regt embarked upon a challenging mountain biking
adventure in Dalby Forest, on the North Yorkshire moors as
part of their development day.
The prize winning Regtl team, led by SSgt Stewart (in CS 95)
2 SIGNAL REGIMENT FOOTBALL TEAM UPDATE
– by Cpl Cameron
Over the last few months the Regt has become an extremely
busy unit as we are preparing to deploy on Op HERRICK 17.
Because of this, the football team hasn’t been able to
compete in any of the league games and has concentrated on
the various cup competitions. These competitions include the
League Cup, Signaller Cup and the Army Challenge Cup.
The Signaller Cup was first, and we managed to win against a
hard working 204 Sig Sqn with WO1 (RSM) Kidd (204) falling
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The route was a mixture of Blue and Red category trails with
many obstacles along the way for the riders to overcome.
The routes proved to be very physically challenging and
provided many thrills whizzing through the forest in close
proximity to the trees, especially on the downhill parts. On
one descent WO2 Matt Whitfield MBE decided to get up
close and personal with a couple of rocks after
underestimating one of the drops. Typically it was extremely
amusing to everyone else but he managed to soldier on to the
end of the course, keeping his pain well hidden, which is more
than can be said for his backside hanging out of his now
ripped, extremely short shorts.
The end of the day finished with a meal and a few recovery
drinks in a local pub before heading back to York. Many
thanks go to Capt Amrit and his team from 246 Gurkha Sig
Sqn for their time and effort in organising such a fantastic
day.
33
3rd (UNITED KINGDOM) DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT
BULFORD
CO
RSM
Lt Col P Griffiths
WO1 (RSM) P Jenkinson
RHQ – by Capt Gray
After a short gap 3(UK) Div Sig Regt welcomed Lt Col Paul
Griffiths in March who takes up the reigns as CO. The Regt
has now entered MST1 for deployment on HERRICK 18 with
202 and 258 Sig Sqn’s focused on PDT and exercises. The
remainder of the Regt are continuing to support to the Div
with Sp Sqn providing RLS to the Ex PASHTUN HORIZON
series and 206 Sig Sqn exercising the Div Early Entry HQ.
202 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj W Cramer
SSgt N Cansfield
EXERCISE BUFFALO VALIDATE – by Lt McGrath
Ex BUFFALO VALIDATE was the culmination of our first
quarter training in 2012. It ran for 5 days down in Longmoor,
making the most of the variety the area had to offer. We
started with a rural phase setting up hasty harbours with 2
exercising platoons, each having 3 FFR rovers in tow. By the
time we reached our designated harbour areas it was almost
last light so we had to work quickly to cam up the vehicles.
While the Det Commanders and crew were busy setting up,
Cpl MacLeod was given the task of setting up an OP to
provide over-watch while Cpl Donkin was to recce the Patrol
Base on the outskirts of the main conurbation in ‘Longettia’
which we would then occupy the following morning.
Once inside the PB LCpls Bevan, Talbot and Wilson and Sig
Wheatland worked hard to complete a variety of Comms
tasks in record time. The Patrol Base was an ideal location to
operate into the urban area and it was not long before Cpl
Latusek was out on patrol with 2Lt Hollingsworth in efforts
to secure the area. I think they were only 38 seconds from
the gate when the message came over the Command Net –
“CONTACT, WAIT OUT!” The fun and games had begun.
Over the 2 days in the PB we were challenged with a range of
scenarios from IEDs and IDF to conducting Comms recces as
far as Blandford FOB and being required to send a variety of
data including photos back to the OC Sqn at Longmoor and
Rear Ops on KIWI hill at Bulford. Whilst we were occupied
with this 1 Platoon were busy in the Longmoor FOB near the
bridge and had their own entertainments planned out.
map reading but also to practice those skills in the field.
After travelling in glorious sunshine we arrived to a bit of an
anti-climax of overcast and drizzle, well I guess “if it aint
raining, it aint training” right? After debussing and squaring
our bed spaces away, we went straight into remind and revise
lessons, taken by our resident MAPRIC Sgt Ware. With the
basics over and the cob webs blown away, sections were
formed and tests were taken. We called it a day late
afternoon ready for the early start next morning.
Contrary to popular belief, there are 2 “4 o’clock”s – the
evening pre-knock off kind but then also the “dark o’clock”
morning kind! Reveille was as you can guess, at 0400 hrs! S o
to complete and utter darkness and some more drizzle
thrown in for good measure, we all trudged down to the start
point in our sections for the start of the days training,
navigating around 14 checkpoints including some command
tasks just to spice things up.
Considering we started off at the same place we had done the
revision the day before, it made it all the more amusing when
all the teams proceeded to head off in random directions
each believing they were heading in the right direction to find
the gate in the total darkness. Night Navigation is tricky at
the best of times but more so when you are searching for a
TAC sign among a boulder field on a near vertical hill that
resembled Mount Tumbledown of the Falklands! The climbs
were very cheeky and as a result we bumped into another
group and found Sig ‘Scouse’ Brown star-fished at the top
telling us all how that was him done for the day!
As the day wore on, morale was still surprisingly high, despite
such events as my own section climbing to the top of the
highest peak in the area to the checkpoint, climbing down
and realising the grid of a command task had changed… to
the peak of the very hill we had only just scaled! Crestfallen
but still laughing, we trudged our way back up! On our route
planning, there were 2 schools of thought on which was the
quickest method, one being to mostly use the tracks and the
other being to brave the babies heads and bogs, of which
LCpl Jayde Davies came a cropper in, taking a fall and finding
herself on hands and knees in a bog with a mouth full of grass
and gorse. Does that solve the debate I wonder?
All in all, a good 2 days training was had and proved useful to
all involved. Thanks go to 2Lt McGrath and Sgt Ware for
organising it.
The half way point was punctuated by each Pl conducting a
relief in place of each others location. As the scenarios grew
in intensity, 1 Pl were withdrawn to the FOB as part of the OCs
plan and the ex finished with a crescendo of rifle fire from all
corners of the FOB as we were attacked relentlessly. Lt
Whinton, 2Lt Hollingsworth and Cpl Balharry each leading
their multiples out to destroy the remnants of the enemy in
our final sweep up of the area before returning back to
Bulford for tea and medals.
EXERCISE BUFFALO PLAINS
On an early Tue morning, the majority of 202 Sig Sqn deployed
to Oakhampton Camp in Dartmoor for a 2 day NAVEX. The
aim of the ex was 2 fold; get people up to MATT standard in
34
Members of 5 Section posing for a group photo
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
EXERCISE BUFFALO BAG PACKER
– by LCpl Brooks
On 14 and 16 March Sgt Stevie Ware took FOB Tp to ASDA in
Basingstoke and Waitrose in Salisbury to raise money for
‘Children with Cancer UK’ – the charity he is running this
year’s London Marathon for. After posting LCpls ‘Ronnie’
Corbett and ‘where’s my fiver’ Hatchard on sentry at the
stores entrance, the remainder placed ourselves strategically
at the end of each till. There we assisted customers with the
packing of their shopping in return for kind donations.
Official charity T-shirts, hats and key rings were handed out to
children and Sig ‘Pig’ Huxley even helped to walk an elderly
lady almost a mile to her car with her shopping.
Cormorant Overview. Shattered and completely removed
from our comfort zones, Cambrai Tp had learnt some valuable
lessons over the exercise and are now looking forward to
practicing their new and or revised skills in the future.
Sig Lee Flindall and Sig ‘Shooter’ Fisher were even pushing
out press ups for notes that were donated. A cunning tactical
manoeuvre which saw a lot more ‘fivers’ getting put in as the
Waitrose customers ‘kept up with the Jones’!
ROYAL SIGNALS RUGBY 7S TOURNAMENT – by Sig Sumpter
The Tp had a great few days ‘out of the garage’ and enjoyed
mixing with the friendly public and supermarket staff alike.
The effort proved a success and helped raise the profile of the
charity. It also gave our more ‘junior’ soldiers the experience
of partaking in public fundraising events. Between the 2 days
we managed to raise just shy of £3500, far more than we had
expected! The total raised even managed to get a smile from
Sgt Ware! Now we can all smile whilst we watch Sgt Ware
run the London Marathon on TV!
On 27 March, a sleepy Tuesday morning in Bulford, the 3 Div
Sig Regt Rugby team boarded the coach with anticipation of
playing the first competitive rugby match this year at the
Corps Sevens tournament. We arrived in Nuneaton with the
sun beating down and settled into our team room before
commencing some light training and getting ourselves into
the zone, making sure we were all mentally prepared. As the
passes started to string together and the team started to click
we were looking forward to starting the competition.
206 SIGNAL SQUADRON
The next morning, the tournament started off with a tough
game against 216 (Para) Sig Sqn. This ended in a loss for the
mighty 3DSR, but with a strong bond it didn’t knock our
confidence and LCpl Burgon got his PTI socks on to keep our
motivation going. We then went on to lose 2 more games by
very slim margins, but we could feel the team coming
together more and more as we lined up against our local
Tidworth rivals 215 Sig Sqn. After a real effort by us all, we
won the match quite comfortably and this was a real boost to
our confidence leading us into our final game.
OC
SSM
Maj C Coleman
WO2 (SSM) A Bedward
EXERCISE RED TRICORN – by Sig Tyrrell
Day One of the Ex RED TRICORN saw Cambrai Tp arriving in
Barton Stacey, eager and ready to start their 10 day exercise
in the field. It was a chance for the Tp to prove its
effectiveness at building an early entry HQ while still
maintaining comms. The Tp was responsible for providing
Gold Command and Normandy Tp provided Silver Command.
As in all exercises the first day is the longest, in this case there
was no change. Cambrai Tp, under the guidance of Lt Gifford,
finally managed to complete Gold Command initial setup in 15
hrs. The first move took place 2 days later with a NTM at
0700hrs (for a move across the road!). With the added heat
and sun finally shining through it was an emotional day, but
perseverance and determination saw Team Gold’s HQ
established by 1730 hrs. Additional efforts were required for
the engineers who had to drill the concrete to place the pegs
for the DRASh tentage although the first drilling session saw
it spinning the engineer - surely not how it’s meant to work!
Mons Troop
Squaring up to 30 Sig Regt there was again a local rivalry;
3DSR’s 258 Sig Sqn are based on the same Bramcote site with
30 SR who were hosting the event. Re-energised and
brimming with confidence from our win, this ended up being
an intense game with injuries taken on both teams. 3DSR’s
Sig Bayford decided he wanted to sleep on the pitch after a
blow to the head, but finally after a hard fought battle 30 SR
came out on top to take a win and the plate.
The tournament was won by 216 Sig Sqn who were the only
team to beat 21 Sig Regt in a close game that was thoroughly
enjoyable to watch. Looking forward 3DSR look to have some
future rugby stars and plan to keep the team together to
develop a XV side.
24 hrs later, and to our delight we were moving again. We
packed up the HQ and were ready to roll at 1000 hrs, with a
RTM time of 1100 hrs this ensured an hour spare to relax and
take on water. At 1100 hrs we rolled into our location, (back
across the road this time!) and started setting up. We started
well by laying out the floors and the cam net, only to realise
that we had positioned the net wrong and had to roll it up
again! At 1500hrs SSgt Crossley enforced a water break and
Cpl Parr dished out doughnuts. SSgt Crossley promised that
if we finished the build by 1630 hrs that he would share some
of his coveted Monster drink (to which we laughed because
we had hidden it all from him).
258 SIGNAL SQUADRON
Thoroughly tired and sweaty it was now time for the drivers
to catch up on their sleep (driving 500m is pretty hard work
apparently!!). We all then looked to commence Sqn level
training with lessons on ComBAT, LAN, The Service Desk and a
BOXING – by Sig Farrington
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
OC SSM
Maj A Senneck
WO2 (SSM) R Smith
The New Year has seen the Sqn’s focus turn to the next
Afghanistan deployment in 2013, after the Initial Mission Brief
in February. STA training is already underway, whilst the
Sqn’s RSEs have been deployed supporting 16 Sig Regt in their
pre-deployment FTX. The sporting focus has been on the
Regtl Boxing Night, with quite a number of the Sqn following
WO2 (SSM) Smith and Cpl Brice’s rigid training programme.
After the first day of boxing training ended, I wished I hadn’t
gone. Every muscle, bone and joint in my body ached. We
35
started off with a fast run which was not too bad, I just felt as
though my lungs and heart were going to burst out of my
chest. After a quick food break we moved onto circuits which
were horrendous (sprinting from one line to another with
exercises in between). I didn’t even know that my body could
take so much physical abuse. Dinner came and went in a flash
then we got onto the skills side of things and learnt quite a lot
on the first day from WO2 (SSM) Smith, SSgt Watson and our
PTI, Cpl Brice. That first week was hell, lying on your bed at
night and even moving to reach for the remote control was a
struggle, I never knew how many muscles you had to use just
reaching for it. I could feel every one burst with pain.
won and 3 lost. Due to being in Bramcote, we were lucky
enough to be involved in another boxing event held by 30 Sig
Regt and other members of our boxing team got the
opportunity to fight in this competition. Some were lucky,
some were not, but overall everyone gave a good account of
themselves and the atmosphere in the audience was once
again fantastic, they really drove the boxers on Boxing
training over the past 3 months, not only to me but I know
others on the team, probably ranks up there as one of the
most memorable experiences of my career. With that in mind
I would like to say a thanks to all of our coaches for doing a
brilliant job with us all, on behalf of all the boxing team.
With every week that went by the training got harder but felt
easier until the day finally came when we had passed our
medicals. We got to go in the ring and then a different type
of pain reared its ugly head. However, in contrast to the pain
from when we first began, it was much more enjoyable and
we could give it out. The spirit in the gym felt fantastic,
people punching and getting punched surprisingly started to
just feel normal and we had fun. Everything we had worked
for in the past 8 weeks came to a head at the Regtl Boxing
Night in Bulford. All members of the Sqn travelled down to
cheer on the lads. Seven of us fought that night of which 4
RSE SUPPORT TO FTX 16 – by Sgt Dunn
258 Sig Sqn have provided power support to the entirety of
FTX 16 during the period 16 Jan – 26 Mar 12. This was a
mammoth tasking for a Sqn of only 4 RSEs, Sgt Dunn, Cpl
Simpson, Sig Campbell and Sig Pryor who had to provide,
service and maintain over 40 FEPs generators and hundreds
of FEPDS modules to execute their power plan. The build
phase included establishing Ludgershall Camp as MOB Camp
Bastion, which was not only the central hub of exercise
control but also housed and fed upwards of 1000 exercising
troops at any one time.
Once the MOB was built other tasks included building 2 FOBs
which housed a Bde and Coy HQ and 11 PBs, each of which
housed a Coy HQ spread across Salisbury Plain. The widely
spread nature of these locations proved to make life difficult
when using only one Man SV.
Regimental Boxing - 2Lt Keenan vs Lt Walzcak
The build phase alone was a massive undertaking but the
exercise was a great success. Every day afterwards presented
many different challenges which were only to be expected on
an exercise of this magnitude. This was a very demanding but
rewarding experience for all involved, and credit goes to the
all Sqn RSEs involved for managing such a substantial task.
10th SIGNAL REGIMENT
CORSHAM
CO
RSM
Lt Col EA Dallyn MBE
WO1 (RSM) MJ Nowosielski
10 Sig Regt has recently undergone a change of ommand with
the departure of Lt Col GE Bennett and the arrival of Lt Col EA
Dallyn MBE. As you will see from our Regtl update, the Regt
continues to provide support to a range of operational
commitments, whilst still finding time to generate the
opportunities to provide both personal and professional
development. 225 (ECM(FP)) Sig Sqn remain busy providing
ECM training to a host of units. 241 Sig Sqn have developed
an Installation Tech trade training facility in Colerne; if any
units wish to take advantage of this please feel free to
contact the Sqn. A huge congratulations to Sgt Thompson
(243 Sig Sqn), who received the RSI Silver Medal in
recognition of his work on Defence Internet Monitoring. 251
Sig Sqn visited the Royal Hospital Chelsea and were kindly
hosted by a Corps veteran, WO2 Brian Cumming MBE. The
Regt have also been represented at various Corps and civilian
sporting events, and are currently participating in the 2 Sig
Bde “CO’s Cup” and so far have competed in the “Dodge Ball
and SuperStars” challenge.
Within RHQ individuals have recently completed the
BOWMAN staff user course at the Swynnerton with Sgt
Boden (AGS(SPS)) outshining everyone and earning the No1
Student position. Many of our Civil Servants have
unfortunately taken VERS and the Regt has had to deal with
the many challenges these gaps bring.
36
On behalf of the Regt, we wish Lt Col GE Bennett, Mrs Joy
Weeks and Ms Tracey Hindley a fond farewell and every
success in the future. They will undoubtedly be missed, but
hopefully they will enjoy the challenges and opportunities
that the next step in their careers bring.
225 (ECM(FP) SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj RJ Craig
WO2 (SSM) J Love
The Sqn would like to say its fond farewells to the following,
WO2 (SSM) John Love soon to be WO1 (RSM) John Love,
WO2 (YofS) Matt Green, SSgt Kim Roberts, SSgt Stu Reid and
Cpl Ryan Taylor. We wish everyone leaving all the best.
The Sqn would like to say a warm welcome to the following
persons arriving, OPS Offr Capt Georgia Merchant, Capt Lloyd
Dobson, SSgt Louise Parker, Sgt Jack Backhouse, Sgt Ben
Powell (the new PTI), Cpl Neil Rowan, LCpl Craig Williams,
Sig Joshua Fleming, Sig Jerome Monk and Sig Alistair Welsh.
Here’s to you, for getting the first round in.
A MONTH IN THE LIFE OF 225 SIG SQN (ECM(FP) TRADE
TRAINING WING
Since January there has been no let up for the Trade Training
Wing and the commitments seem to be steadily increasing.
The first and second weeks in February saw the assessments
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
of the Operator Maintainers course taking place. Over the
same period the Trade Training Wing continued to deliver an
Equipment Managers course. The Op/Maintainers course is
for Sqn personal and the assessments take place during the
courses pre deployment training final exercise where students
are assessed for competency before their deployment on a 6
month tour in Afghanistan. The Equipment Managers course
is a mandated Land mounting instruction course covering
aspects of the management of ECM equipments for personnel
who will be involved in the management of ECM equipments
in Theatre for their respective unit. During these courses the
Trade Training Wing also managed to find time to deliver ECM
training to the Royal Navy as part of the Royal Navy predeployment training before their deployment to Afghanistan.
This was run at HMS Nelson, Portsmouth Naval Base.
The third week in February saw the Trade Training Wing
provide ECM training to a Royal Signals Infantry Support
Team. This course is for Royal Signals personnel who are
attached to the infantry, not Sqn personnel. The course,
although not as in depth as the Operator Maintainers course,
does cover management of the equipment, basic first line
maintenance and filling of the equipments. On completion of
the course will enable the Royal Signals Infantry Support
teams to support of the Bastion Detachment and the Sqn
ECM Operator Maintainers. Just to top this all off and leading
in to March there was another Equipment Manager course.
March has also seen a lot of work by the Trade Training Wing.
During the second week there was PDT delivered not only to
the Royal Navy, yet again, but also to the RAF Regt. This
meant the transportation of the training equipment and
delivering training in 2 different locations, HMS Nelson,
Portsmouth Naval Base and also at RAF Honington. The
following week pre-deployment training was delivered to the
RAF Regt, but this time it was at RAF Lossiemouth and the
following week after it was at RAF Leeming.
Cpl Bentham at the start of a lesson on the RCS
The Sqn Training Wing can never rest though. All the courses
are constantly being updated to encompass new equipments
and vehicles as and when they arrive in Theatre. One of the
new equipments to be arriving shortly is the RCS (Remote
Control System). This will be deployed in the Foxhound
platform. The Trade Training Wing has had to implement
measures so that there is not a tri-service training deficiency
when this it arrives. It is now being taught on the Op/
Maintainers and the Royal Signals Infantry Support Team
courses. A surge tasking team has been organised, so when
this system hits Theatre they will fly out and support the
training of troops to implement a smooth transition. Also,
soon to be incorporated within the Operator Maintenance
course and Royal Signals Infantry Support Team course will be
the instruction on how to use the Fill and Diagnostic Device
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
(FFD). This device will allow the filling and diagnostics to be
carried out on both future and legacy equipments from one
device, which has never been achieved before.
241 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj SJ Bristow
WO2 (SSM) Tomkins
In the last few months 241 Sig Sqn has been its usual busy self
with a variety of different exercises including the MST training
required for OP HERRICK. We are busy with surge teams both
departing and returning and our usual support to the CSRs.
The Sqn is still predominantly focused on the new Installation
Technicians training suite and there has also been some AT
and sports as concurrent activity.
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOWRIDER III – Cpl Rachel Turvey
This year saw a great turnout at the Corps Snowboarding
Camp with over 120 competitors narrowly beating our winter
sports counterparts, the skiers. They were put into 3 separate
categories; open, novice and female. The Regtl team arrived
over the weekend and as most of us had never met before,
had a slightly different meet and greet in the apartment we
were staying in, some a bit more worse for wear than others.
The first week we were put into ability groups, depending on
individual experience. We were under instruction from ‘Team
RIPSTAR’, which in layman’s terms are crazy Dutch guys and
girls that make you do all sorts of weird and wonderful things
on the slopes. Unfortunately, on day 3, Sgt Leroy WilsonCochrane had an incident that involved a somersault over a
small girl to avoid colliding with a tree! Although Leroy was
unconscious for minutes few, he insisted he was ok and
continued with the days training. However, the following day
reality hit home and the top of his spine had swollen so bad
he decided it would be a good idea to pop down to the local
hospital. After an initial diagnosis he was told he would have
to sit out the rest of the exercise. Unfortunately we got no
bonus points for the somersault but did get his lift pass
money back and looked after for 2 nights by some ‘attractive’
nurses in hospital, so not too much sympathy for him. Luckily,
there were no other really serious incidents. LCpl Nick Waite
managed to land a kicker on his ribs during the slope style,
but apart from the damage he has done to himself, I thought
he deserved a few extra points for that trick!
The 2 novices, LCpl Graham De Souza and LCpl Josh Bean did
really well from start to finish. You would imagine racing each
other on the dual slalom must have been a bit daunting, but
these 2 were shouting abuse at each other across the flags.
The exact words from Graham were, “It’s not the taking part,
it’s the winning that counts!” The fact that Brig Richardson
was observing the race might make you decide to ‘tow the
line’ however I think he enjoyed the ‘competitive spirit’ later
challenging the Ex OIC to a Slalom Race.
10 Signal Regiment “Superheroes and Villains”
37
With not many experienced females to race against, which is
a shame (honestly), the competition has been a good chance
for Cpl ‘Rach’ Turvey to practice her technique. I think it is
safe to say Rach has won the Après Ski competition, outdoing the lads from the team. The only issue is she will now
need to go to rehab to detox. The team event has been one
of the most important things to Lt Murray ‘Muz’ Bryant since
day one week one. The pressure put on the other members
of the team has been quite extreme, so when he was
disqualified from his first Border Cross run for going ‘off-piste’
and crashed into a gate on his second run, you can imagine
the sarcasm given out from the rest of the team! Lead by
example? More beer then please! Although I suppose he did
pretty well placing in the top 12 in the final race.
The overall result for the team was really good with myself
winning the female competition, a variety of top 16 individual
finishes and coming 3rd place overall. Although there were
no prizes given for 3rd place (which the team were pretty
gutted about) we are very happy with what we achieved. A
great 2 weeks all in all, we are all very much looking forward
to next year’s adventure.
INSTALLATION TECHNICIAN TRAINING SUITE – by Sig Rowe
Over the past 3 months we have been working hard towards
building a training facility at Azimghur Barracks in Colerne.
The aim of this facility is to give deploying troops a life-like
representation of the equipment they will use on tour so that
they can polish up on their
trade knowledge. The
training suite will be able to
help all trade groups from the
Corps to train on anything
from simple fault finding to
building a full Network
Equipment Room (NER) from
scratch.
The training suite consists of a
Realitus Telephone exchange,
switches, a Main Distribution
Frame (MDF), a complete
NER, a bare NER, various
different fibre and copper
distribution points and many
outlets. This will enable all
sorts of scenarios to be set
up.
241 Signal Squadron’s perfect cab
I was predominantly focused on the display cab. The idea of
which was to construct the ‘perfect cab’ to show that even a
busy cabinet can still be tidy and organised.
Hopefully the training suite can refine individual’s trade skills
which can then be employed in Theatre.
Fibre Optic and Cat 5e for computer terminals and VoIP
phones, which was run from the switches in the corner of
each room right to the desk of each staff officer.
251 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj JTD Wright
WO2 (SSM) L Watts
“to succor and relief of veterans broken by age and war”
EXERCISE BRITANNIA RED: 251 SIGNAL SQUADRON VISIT TO
THE ROYAL HOSPITAL CHELSEA – by Sgt Thomas
Organised by WO2 (SSM) Watts, 251 Sig Sqn personnel
departed Aldershot for London on the morning of 12 Mar 2012
to visit the National Army Museum and the Royal Hospital
Chelsea. After Cpl McGinnity and LCpl Ridguard had
successfully negotiated the hazardous Central London traffic,
we arrived in good time for a presentation from a rather
animated historian at the National Army Museum.
The presentation was an informative historical background
and account of the British Army’s involvement in Afghanistan
through past centuries; and was very well received. The
presentation captured the interest and imagination of all
present and acted as a link into the present day military
campaign in the country; giving understandable reasons as to
why the British Army has had difficult experiences in
Afghanistan in recent times. It is a presentation well worth
attending and is also full of military props in the form of old
rifles, swords and clothing.
The second part of the day’s visit started shortly afterward.
So after a period of investigating the various sections of the
museum, including the “War Horse” exhibit and souvenir
shop, we moved next door to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
This impressive and historical site was founded by King
Charles II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It was
opened with the sole purpose of being a retirement and
nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further
duty due to injury or old age.
We were greeted by our impeccably turned out Chelsea
Pensioner tour guide, WO2 Brian Cumming MBE, an 87 year
old veteran of the Corps equipped with the undiminished
sharp wit and sense of humour that only a soldier can
possess, and were hosted around the extraordinary grounds,
certainly being kept amused throughout his deeply
informative tour. Moving through the historical site, the
mood was that of compassion and pride at how the Army
takes care of our older ex-soldiers, both male and female.
At the end of a quality day, we were presented with a tasty
buffet in the club house and bar, where the satisfying finger
EXERCISE PASHTUN DAWN (FTX) – Signaller ‘Jeeves’ Butler
Elements of 241 Sig Sqn deployed to Westdown Camp from
the 17 Jan – 8 Feb 12, to install the main bulk of the CIS
Infrastructure. This team was headed up by Cpl Devlin, with
LCpl Ronner, Sig May and myself at the ready to lend a
helping hand. The Ex was called PASHTUN DAWN, which
would test the entire capability of the Regt. The Installation
Technicians of 241 Sig Sqn firstly recce’d each individual site to
come up with a sufficient comms plan to both meet the users
requirements while also looking aesthetically pleasing.
We laid backbone cabling to each individual FOB as well as an
armoured Fibre Optic cable link for use between FOBs. A Cat
6 cable was also required at each site for the use of iStar
technology to help run the Ex. The main bulk of cabling was
38
251 Sig Sqn with veteran of the Corps, WO2 Brian Cumming MBE
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
food was enjoyed by all and washed down with a couple of
beers in the glorious sunshine.
The Sqn would like to thank the Royal Hospital Chelsea and
the National Army Museum for an excellent and informative
day and hopes that other units take the opportunity to visit
these wonderful and important places.
RSI AWARDS DINNER – by Sgt Guy Thompson
In November 2011 myself and 2 other members of the Sqn set
out on a trip into London to see me receive the RSI Silver
Medal Award. Capt Robinson had nominated me for the
award for my work on the development of The Defensive
Internet Monitoring capability for the British Army.
We booked in to Wellington Barracks and armed with our
credit cards we hit the town. First up was a recce of the
Institute of Directors where the function was being held,
followed of course with a couple of pre-dinner drinks! Then it
was back to the barracks, change in our tuxedos then straight
back out. We got to the institute by 19:30 and were met by
the secretary. I was led away to meet up with the other
award winners, leaving Capt Robinson and Sgt LB to start on
the free drinks, which turned out to be a bad idea later in the
night, well for one of us anyway!
Captain Collins sampling the life ahead in years to come!
243 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj D Hughes
WO2 (SSM) J Attwell
Surrounded by directors of various IT and communication
companies, who had sponsored the tables, we all sat down to
enjoy yet more free drink and some good food. After an hour
the awards part of the evening started. I was third up and my
citation was read out by the Institute secretary. The Master
of Signals then fought his way through the crowds to present
me the award. After a few choice words from the SOinC(A)
we all retired to the bar, I was happy I took my credit card.
The night ended with the 3 of us making our way back to the
barracks, and wondering why the walk always seem longer on
the way back and for one of us it was!
MEDALS AWARDS CEREMONY – by Sgt Guy Thompson
On Mon 6 Feb 12, 10 Sig Regt welcomed Comd 2 Bde, to the
WO & Sgt’s Mess, Corsham, to present myself and 2 fellow
members of 243 Sig Sqn with our medals and awards. The
recipients lined up in front of the Regt and guests in receiving
order and Capt Foster, the Adjt, began reading aloud the
citation of the first recipient.
I was first up, receiving my LS & GC; my citation was the
benchmark, for the rest and the standards were high. Next
up was Sgt Gillett who was receiving his Op HERRICK Medal,
again a citation was read out and the medal was awarded,
lucky for all recipients Sgt Gillett’s citation was short. Last up
was Cpl Shaw who was receiving the Young Engineer of the
Year award, for his work on the IT infrastructure and back up
work within the Army’s 4* HQ.
Sgt Thompson receiving the RSI Silver Medal from the Master of
Signals
BATH HALF MARATHON – by Cpl Oakley
On a fresh Sunday morning 3 members of 243 Sig Sqn lined up
to run 13.1 miles for charity. Cpl Tony Frewin, Cpl Jay Oakley
and LCpl Jennifer Smith eagerly awaited the buzzer that
would see them start the Bath Half Marathon. Not only
would the weather prove to be one of the finest this year, but
the team had planned every detail from the running gear they
would wear to the diet they would stick to prior to the start.
Cpl Frewin and LCpl Smith had decided that glucose sweets
would help them have the energy to complete the race while
Cpl Oakley went for a pasty!
Presentations over, Brig Vickery spoke about the importance
of these awards and the objectives of 2 Sig Bde. In true
fashion of the Royal Signals the ceremony was followed by
lots of drinking, which is where my memory of the day ends!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
After completing 11 miles the heat took its toll on Cpl Oakley
who thought he saw a man dressed as a breast run past who
hadn’t even broken a sweat! This did not put him off his
stride as he completed the race in a sub 2hr time. LCpl Smith
proved to be a match for the men as she sailed across the
finish line with a huge smile in a time of 2hrs 10mins. Waiting
for LCpl Smith at the end were her parents with hugs, energy
drinks and a camera for those completely dishevelled photos.
39
Greeting all runners at
the finish was a free
leg massage which
was taken advantage
of by Cpl Frewin.
Unfortunately the
gentleman masseuse
took one look at Cpl
Frewin and had his
doubts that he should
be receiving a
massage. The
concerns were over his
Bath Half marathon finish
surgery scars on his
legs rather than
anything more sinister! The pain was worthwhile as the trio
completed the race for the Sqn’s charity, Forces Children’s
Trust, raising a total of £545.
PIPES AND DRUMS – by LCpl Lafferty
As members of the Corps Pipes & Drums, LCpl Tuck and I
went to Blandford in preparation for a public appearance at
Bath Rugby Club during the half time break of a game.
Spending a week dusting off cobwebs and practicing the set
we were going to play was a welcome change from the busy
day to day support to the Army HQ that we do at 243.
Our daily routine consisted of maintaining and preparing our
instruments, practicing our individual instrumental sets and
ensuring our No.1 dress was up to very high standard. After
evening meal we would then return to practice complete sets
with the Pipe Major. It was not all work as we were
permitted an afternoon to relax which was spent in Poole
where the majority of the band shared a meal.
During the short journey to Bath, spirits were high after a
successful final practice. Due to last minute changes there
was no suitable place for us to change in to our No.1’s so the
coach was commandeered as a make shift changing room.
During a short practice set outside the club the band was
interrupted by a rugby fan dressed as a duck who wanted to
join in. This lightened the mood which put us at ease for the
main event. Once the half time whistle had been sounded
and the players left the pitch, we marched on to a rapturous
applause. The crowd cheered and clapped at every break and
at the end they erupted in to a fantastic cheer that made the
day for us all. LCpl Tuck and I marched off feeling immensely
proud to be part of the Royal Signals Pipes & Drums. We
can’t wait for the next performance!
15th SIGNAL REGIMENT (INFORMATION SUPPORT)
BLANDFORD
LOGISTICS SYSTEM SUPPORT SQUADRON
JOINT SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE ACCOUNTS TEAM
The last instalment from the Logistic System Support
Squadron (LSSS), the newest Sqn to form part of 15 Sig Regt
(IS), highlighted the work of the System Analyst. This piece is
all about the Logistic Support provided to LSSS by the Joint
Systems Maintenance Accounts Team (JSMAT). Its mission:
‘To provide a central Depot for accounting, configuration and
distribution of all LOG IS, in order to enable logistic support in
the land environment '
JSMAT is a unique organisation based in Bicester that works
alongside the LSSS and provides help and assistance to
customers in their quest to achieve goals by providing them
with hardware and technology advice when required.
It is responsible for the running of a busy and diverse IT store
which consists of a very small team of 4 RLC Suppliers,
headed by Sgt ‘Bully’ Bulanauca. His team are Cpl Sonahee,
who runs the Store House, Cpl Parsons, who runs the
Provisioning Control and Accounts and Cpl Gordon, who runs
the Stocktaking. The JSMAT is committed to providing a
24/7/365 service with one duty Supplier, assisting the System
Analyst, on call as well as providing emergency out of hours
support to dependencies (Units). The Duty supplier is
contactable 24hrs a day through the Help Desk Single Point of
Contact (SPOC) supporting user’s day to day requirements. It
maintains and accounts for all physical IT hardware i.e.
monitors, printers etc which are tested by the System
Analysts, to support the Global community.
The JSMAT currently hold approximately 160 items, worth
about £16M, ranging from small cables to large servers. Since
October 2011 the JSMAT has found that its commitments have
notably increased, as it took on the responsibility for the
UNICOM Out of Barracks (UOOB) system and all its associated
add-ons. UOOB is due to be de-commissioned in 2014, but
until then it has 29 servers deployed world wide. JSMAT also
inherited along with the UNICOM System, a new recruit to its
40
fold. Sgt Charlie La-Plain AGC(SPS), who is nearly as old as
the system itself, but with age comes knowledge and
experience. He has added value with this and has also
assisted the JSMAT in their daily tasks.
All equipment held within the JSMAT is owned and controlled
by Logistic Network Enabled Capability, but this will switch to
Boeing in the very near future.
15 SIG REGT (IS) CORPS ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONS 2012
Congratulations to the 15 Sig Regt (IS) Orienteering Team who
took the Major Unit Title to become the Royal Corps of
Signals Orienteering Champions 2012. The competition took
place over 2 days, (Day 1 - Individual Championships, Day 2 Team Championships) and was a huge success for the
Regt.
The Individual Championships were held on an area of the
New Forest called Godshill, a rough open steep sided valley,
scattered with marshes and gorse bushes and large forestry
blocks on the northern ridge. The event took the form of a
line course, where competitors are required to navigate from
control point to control point visiting all controls in the order
specified. There were several courses of different length and
technical difficulty on offer to accommodate the various skill
levels and age categories. In order to be in with a chance at
the title individuals had to run the course that was specific to
their gender and age category. The team, with the exception
of SSgt Joe Smith who stepped up to the plate last minute, all
had experience with orienteering and ran the Brown course,
which would enable them to compete in their age category
and have a chance at the overall title.
Having no experience at orienteering Joe was given a crash
course in between conducting admin tasks before setting off
on the Red (Novice) course. Years in the Training Wing
environment appeared to pay off though and he achieved a
commendable 5th place on the Red course. This gave a huge
confidence boost to the team and improved the chances of
taking victory in the team event where every runner counts.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The Team Championships were also held in the New Forest
on an area called Hampton Ridge. This bought flashbacks to
SSgt (FofS) Mallison who fractured and compressed his tibia
plateau on this very area whilst orienteering 2 years earlier.
The terrain on the whole was very similar to that of day 1 but
the low lying mist impaired visibility, bringing an eerie feel to
the start boxes. The event took the form of a Harris Relay
which involves 2 types of control. The spine controls which all
members of the 3 man team must visit. The remaining
controls, typically 20+ for the longer courses, require only one
team member to visit.
Once the time starts and the maps are issued the controls are
tactically shared out amongst the team taking consideration
of individuals’ speed, endurance, technical ability etc. Missing
a control of any description results in a hefty time penalty, so
final checks were made to ensure all controls were allocated
before the team set off. If all goes to plan the team should
arrive at the finish at roughly the same time as the team time
is taken as the last member reaches the finish. As we were
running as a Major Unit the resulting time for both teams of 3
were combined to provide the overall team time. All that was
left to do was to wait and see if we had done enough.
A combined time of 1:32:32 proved to be enough with Army
HQ IS coming in second with a time of 1:43:37. The following
is a breakdown of the team and individual achievements;
SSgt (FofS) ‘Mally’ Mallison (DII-D SST) - Major Unit
Champion, M21 Winner and 2nd place overall.
Sgt Andy McNally (Networks) - Major Unit Champion, M35
Winner and 3rd place overall.
SSgt Richie Hill (600 Tp) - Major Unit Champion, M35 Runner
Up and 5th place overall.
SSgt Joe Smith (Trg Wg) - Major Unit Champion.
Sgt Jim Gollop (600 Tp) - Major Unit Champion.
Cpl Stu Taylor (DII-D SST) - Major Unit Champion.
De-Bique appeared to enjoy crashing and spinning off the
track more than staying on it. Racing continued throughout
the afternoon with the finale being a race using 2007 F1
Saubers with the warning that compared to the Formula
Ford’s 130BHP, we now had the equivalent of 750BHP
underfoot. The start of this race was 6 cars donuting on the
starting grid; something that would make the real F1 a little
more interesting! The final results were announced with first
place tied between SSgt (FofS) ‘Paddy’ Partington and Sgt
Andy McNally, both having 46 points. The winner was Paddy
having won 3 of his races, which is unusual as when we are
go-karting he never wins. In third place was Sgt McIntosh.
LCpl Andy Maidment took the opportunity to introduce
himself to the team by letting everyone except SSgt (FofS)
‘Snail’ Bikal beat him.
The team would like to welcome SSgt ‘Grimmy’ Grimshaw
and LCpl Maidment and a fond farewell goes to SSgt ‘Paj’
Pagett on completion of 22 years colour service.
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOW RIDER III
– by WO2 (FofS) Vishal Pun
Ex MERCURY SNOW RIDER is an annual Royal Signals
Snowboarding camp. This year it was held again at Rauris,
Austria over the period of 4 – 17 Mar 2012. This was the third
year that this Ex had been organised in this area. Two
personnel from 600 Sig Tp, WO2 (FofS) Vishal Pun and SSgt
(FofS) Fraser, took part in it representing 15 Sig Regt (IS). The
Ex included a week of instruction from Ripstar instructors
followed by a week of competitions. There were varying
degrees of ability amongst the riders; for some of us it was
the first time to strap on a snowboard whereas some of the
other riders had been competing in the Army championships.
This was the first time I had tried snowboarding myself and it
took several trips, tumbles and falls before I could
comfortably ride down the slopes.
The competitions were organised in the second week where
all exercising personnel took part in Slalom and SBX races.
The Slope style competitions were designed for intermediate
and advanced riders where multitude of freestyle skills and
techniques were displayed over various man-made obstacles
and jumps. The standard of competitions were exceptionally
high, bearing in mind many novices had never strapped on a
board at the beginning of week one. It was a week of
exciting competitions which saw many closely contested
races and techniques.
NETWORKS TEAM BUILDING DAY - by Sgt McIntosh
This event is growing each year encouraging new talents; this
year attracting 120 participants from various Royal Signals
Regular and TA units of which more than 50% were novices. It
provided an excellent training opportunity in which the Royal
Signals personnel not only had an opportunity to develop
their snowboarding skills, they also had an opportunity to
integrate with personnel from various other units. The event
was full of fun, excitement and exhilaration with plenty of
opportunity to sample the local cuisine and drinks.
After an exceptionally busy year providing Level 3 support
during various Operations and Exercises around the world,
the Networks team decided to have a fun packed team
building day. After a morning PT session, the team departed
Blandford and travelled to the Race Centre in Southampton.
After a group decision we choose to race on the Brands Hatch
track, as it was the easiest course to learn and short enough
to allow plenty of overtaking and crashes. Qualifying lasted
20mins for each group. Slowest qualifier was Sgt ‘Tosh’
McIntosh with the fastest qualifier being WO1 (FofS) ‘Loggy’
Wright. We were then split into 2 groups for the first race.
The racing began in earnest using simulated Formula Ford
cars. There were plenty of crashes and spins. Cpl Ronny
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Team 15 Sig Regt (IS) on top of mountain Heimalm
41
16th SIGNAL REGIMENT
ELMPT
CO
RSM
Lt Col R D W Rumsey
WO1 (RSM) T E E Hodgskins
CORPS ORIENTEERING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- by Sig Gibson and Sig Johnson
On the morning of Mon 27 Feb we set off for Blandford Camp
for the Corps Orienteering Championships. After a lorry driver
made an attempt on our lives on the motorway we needed a
fortifying drink. This we got after arriving at Blandford and
meeting up with LCpl Brown, who had travelled from the 12
Mech Bde FTX on Salisbury Plain. The first day was the
individual event at Godshill. On arrival we all got warmed up
and ready for the race. The warm up routines differed
between competitors, ranging from Cpl Tuite’s running and
stretching to the nicotine-based lung warm up favoured by
Sigs Johnson and Gibson and LCpl Grant. The race was run
over undulating ground which in places was very wet
underfoot. Sig Gibson found this to his cost while running
downhill to the finish, when his trainer became firmly stuck in
the mud and he finished the race in one trainer and one sock.
LCpl Rai suffered some geographical confusion (or went to
the pub) which resulted in his disappearance for 40 minutes
and severely dented his chances of winning.
The second day was the team event, also at Godshill. After
coming so close last year, the optimism was running high and
medal hopes were harboured by us all. On completing the
event we all relaxed with a brew in hand and awaited the
results. Unfortunately we only managed third place this year,
which we blame on Cpl Tuite faking an ankle injury. He denies
this of course and vehemently defends his honour. On the
bright side LCpl ‘Dave’ Leggett came first in the women’s
under 25 category much to her surprise with this being her
debut at the Corps Championships and only her fourth race
overall. Once the results and awards ceremony had finished
we headed back to Javelin Barracks to give Sgt McNally the
devastating news that we only achieved third place.
working through the night. The buffet was due to be up at
0900 and we were pleased to have everything ready and
looking good. Unfortunately there are always dramas along
the way; our sugar centrepiece fell over in the car on the
journey and a quick patch up was needed, but the teamwork
was amazing and everything came together in the end. We
received a silver medal overall for our buffet. I was lucky
enough to have been given support from my current unit, 16
Sig Regt; the Masterchef, SSgt Taylor, RSM, WO1 Hodgskins
and QM Capt Wilson came to London to support me.
The morning of 1 Mar was the next part of the competition
for CSCAT. There we were in the “fish bowl” as they call it.
It’s a Perspex kitchen where the judges can see every move
you make. We started cooking at 0800, prepping for 100
people with service starting at 1230. It’s all go in the kitchen,
what a buzz, no time to even pay attention to anyone
watching. We did very well and got some great comments
from the judges. We received a silver medal and a trophy.
We also received medals for the best result in the Parade des
Chefs food safety challenge, which was very pleasing.
Hotelympia has been a great stepping stone for us in
preparation for the Culinary Olympics in Sep 12 in Erfurt,
Germany. This will be a fantastic opportunity for CSCAT to
shine and do the Forces proud.
Halibut starter
Venison main course
SUPPORT SQUADRON 16 SIGNAL REGIMENT
OC
SSM
Maj A Higgins
WO2 (SSM) C Watts
HOTELYMPIA 2012 WITH CSCAT - by Pte CJ Kotze
Apple and Blackberry dessert
Hotelympia is an international civilian competition where the
Combined Services Culinary Arts Team (CSCAT) competes
against the very best chefs from top hotels and restaurants.
After a short flight from Germany to the UK I met up with the
rest of the CSCAT team at Worthy Down where we had one
week to finalise and practise dishes before the competition
started at the Excel centre in London. CSCAT entered into 2
different categories; one being the buffet, which consists of 4
different 3 course menus, one gourmet menu, one vegetarian
menu, canapés and petit fours. The second category is the
Parade des Chefs, which is where 6 chefs are chosen on merit
to cook a 3 course meal for 100 people.
I had the privilege of being selected last minute for the top 6
as I had to step up to take the place of one of the guys that
unfortunately couldn’t make it. What an amazing feeling.
You never know what you feel more, the nerves or the
excitement. After long days of practicing and run throughs,
the competition had started. Our first day of competing was
28 Feb. We made our way to London, leaving at 0400 after
42
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
230 (MALAYA) SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj C L Jardine
WO2 (SSM) S Wedge
EXERCISE PASHTUN DAWN – 12 MECH BDE FTX
- by LCpl O’Neill
230 Sig Sqn would like to take this opportunity to welcome
the TA personnel from 37 Sig Regt who have joined us for our
deployment on Op HERRICK 16. After a quick hello and a few
jokes about them now working weekdays we threw them
straight into the deep end of our ever busy schedule and they
deployed with us in support of the FTX.
With an early lesson in voice procedure, Sgt ‘Over Over’
Trimm and Cpl Ratcliffe soon found their feet. The FTX was
by far the busiest exercise that the Sqn has done in the last 12
months, but in true 16 Sig Regt fashion we were never short
on morale. Eyebrows, as well as morale, were raised when
LCpl ‘I handed over to 3 people’ Renouf turned out to be
carrying a very large carrot and a pot of Vaseline in his
pockets! (That’s all I’m going to say about that).
Of course the morale was never at the cost of professionalism
and regular visits from the OC and SSM, as well as one from
Comd 11 Sig Bde, kept us all on our toes. However, providing
and maintaining the OTES network, emulating the Overtask
system used out in Theatre for 12 Mech Bde to continue their
PDT, was enough to focus our minds anyway.
better, but a good rapport was established which could prove
invaluable on tour. It was a very enjoyable and informative
experience for all.
EXERCISE HERRICK SPEAR 4 - by LCpl Powell
Ex HERRICK SPEAR 4 was a range camp run in Sennelager by
the Regtl Training Wing, designed to ensure the deploying
elements of the Regt meet the Theatre Entry Standards. 230
Sig Sqn deployed to Sennelager on Sun 25 Mar 12.
It was an intensive week where shooting tests such as the
Annual Combat Marksmanship Test and the Fire and
Movement Test were packed in alongside GPMG and Sangar
shoots designed to prepare us for the rigours of an
operational tour. Cpl Sammons was perhaps too involved in
the scenario, however; when his section ran out of
ammunition during the Sangar shoot his voice cut through the
cordite-laden air, loud and clear: ‘Fix bayonets!’
The GPMG shoot was an education for some who had not
fired ‘the General’ before. If nothing else it is amazing to find
out how much cleaning can result from only a few hundred
rounds fired! The sound of 8 GPMGs firing bursts downrange
does have a strange effect on the small hairs on the back of
the neck, and it certainly gives you confidence knowing that
they are on your side.
The typical English winter weather brought its own problems,
from tents de-frosting onto our equipment, to Cpl Bantha
almost setting the tent on fire in his attempts to try and keep
warm. At West Hill Farm the ICS Detachment was nicknamed
the ‘White Palace’ due to it glowing on the thermal camera
after Cpl Gavin acquired extra heaters from somewhere.
All in all the ex was a great success with lots of experience
gained and cross-training given between all the trades. Even
Lt Lorains did some Tech work, or so he said. Morale within
the Sqn is high with everyone feeling ready, confident, and
looking forward to our upcoming tour of Afghanistan.
EXERCISE SWALE VIPER - by LCpl Phelps
On 29 Jan the 16 Sig Regt CORTEZ team deployed on Ex
SWALE VIPER with 5 Regt RA to provide Level 2 support to
the Base-ISTAR systems such as CORTEZ and MEMPHIS. This
was an excellent opportunity to get to know the 5 Regt RA
personalities and the Det Comds we will be working so closely
with on Op HERRICK 16. It was also a chance to stay up to
date with the ever evolving world of ISTAR and find out what
networking issues were coming out of the latest upgrades.
The late arrival of Sgt Unthank from his Level 3 maintainers’
course brought the team up to full strength and allowed us to
get stuck in. Cpl Weatherhead appreciated the chance to get
his hands on the key systems that he will be using to maintain
the network in Theatre and Sgt Pilmer and Cpl Moffat were
able to familiarise themselves with the role and likely tasks of
the FRT. The rest of the FRT were also afforded a vital
opportunity to get hands on experience on the equipment. In
the case of LCpl Emery and LCpl Clarke, this was particularly
important as they had missed out on the chance on Ex
PASHTUN PANTHER, the 12 Mech Bde CFX on STANTA.
It was particularly interesting to see the different ways in
which the Royal Artillery and the Royal Signals do business.
Ironing out any issues that may arise from our differences was
also a very important part of the exercise and both teams
now have a better understanding of the other Corps’ ethos
and methods. Needless to say, the Royal Signals way is the
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Going ‘over the top’ for the FMT
LCpl Dyke receives the safety brief in the Sangar
43
The evening activities included lectures from some of the
Sqn’s Cpls on aspects of Afghanistan’s history and geography.
Cpl Bourne delivered his presentation on the borders and
geography for the second time, this time with the added
benefit of IT which relieved the pressure on his memory for
facts and figures. Cpl Kinson brought his experience in
Lashkar-Gah on Op HERRICK 11/12 together with some more
up to date research to deliver a useful brief on the
communications in Helmand province.
from Cpl ‘The Mouth’ Porter who managed to walk the line
between offence and entertainment with surprising agility.
The festivities in the mess complete, the well lubricated Sqn
retired to the Regtl Bar to continue the motion until an
unspecified time later on. There is no disputing the highlight
of the later part of the evening; the OC’s promised dance with
Cpl ‘Dancing Sam’ Worthington lived up to all expectations.
Despite some sore heads the following morning, everyone
professed to have enjoyed themselves. Many thanks go to
Sgt Burt for her efforts and also to the staff of the WO’s and
SNCO’s mess for a wonderful dinner.
255 (BAHRAIN) SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj A J Lawson
SSgt L Rickard
EXERCISE BAHRAIN LEADERSHIP 2 - by LCpl Kerrigan
Cpl Raloka conducts some background activity
The shooting incident at the gate of MOB Lashkar-Gah during
this week really brought home the importance of what we
were doing and focussed our minds on our skills and drills. It
was a busy and tiring week but very rewarding and left us
feeling more prepared to roll out the door in a few weeks.
230 SIGNAL SQUADRON ALL RANKS DINNER NIGHT
23 MAR 12 - by Lt Perkins
With the groundrush of the upcoming deployment on Op
HERRICK 16 starting to kick in, 230 Sig Sqn took some time
out from the hectic schedule to gather in the Elmpt Station
WO’s and SNCO’s Mess for a dinner night organised by the
ever resourceful Sgt Burt.
It was a good opportunity to introduce the junior ranks to
some mess customs, such as the ‘place name game,’ though it
seemed to be the Seniors who fell foul of this one more than
the Juniors. By the end of the wonderfully prepared and
delicious dinner, the OC, Maj Jardine, had a significant stack
of humorous (or not) messages to read out.
The entertainment was provided by skits from the Tps, with
FOB Tp presenting the ‘Wedgies’ (a homage to WO2 (SSM)
Wedge) for various achievements in the recent past, and
Lashkar-Gah Tp sending up a popular dating show. Bastion
Tp’s contribution was a semi-improvised stand up routine
230 Sig Sqn in the Elmpt Station WO’s and Sgt’s Mess
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Ex BAHRAIN LEADERSHIP 2 was designed to test the military
knowledge and skills of 255 Sig Sqn. We were split down into
4 different sections and each nominated an Section Comd.
Day 1 was a training day where sections completed a round
robin of lessons, including Counter IED, Navigation, BCDT, rifle
drills, 9 & 10 liners with MIST reports, observation and mine
awareness. After the lessons finished, we split down into
trade groups and completed a trade test followed by a
military knowledge test. Needless to say there were a number
of lost and confused looking faces as people left the test area.
Day 2 was the start of the patrol competition which consisted
of a number of stands spread around the training areas on
camp. Each section was given a grid reference and set off
patrolling to their destination. This was easier for some than
others as LCpl Alex Baxter, who was the point man of 2
Section found out. After taking his section a long way down
the wrong route, it was up to LCpl Rupert Turner to save the
day and point him in the right direction. All the stands were
designed to see how much we had learnt previously, with Sgt
Brown making us crawl around a tree line trying to observe
the cleverly placed objects. As we left Sgt Creighton’s BCDT
stand and headed back towards the training wing, we spotted
LCpl Rose on the side of the road. Being a PTI we knew that
this was going to end in pain. We carried on patrolling when
all of a sudden we came under fire and were told we had a
casualty. We picked up the big metal stretcher and were told
that the Trg Wing (the other side of camp) was the hospital.
After sprinting a couple of hundred metres, a land rover
arrived and we were told to put the stretcher into the back.
We then proceeded to follow the rover towards the Trg Wing,
but luckily for us, after 100m we were told
that the rover had broken down and needed
to be pushed to the finish. With only a 100m
to go we were told to sprint to the end.
Then it was straight into the DCCT. With a
target indication given by LCpl Hornyblow
followed by a fire control order, we began to
destroy the target, or so we thought. Sgt
McNally showed us the replay and that we
had actually just been firing at a harmless
wall. LCpl Mcalla excelled on the mine
awareness stand, using his look, feel, prod,
lie on the mine to protect the others method.
Overall it was enjoyed by everyone. 4
Section were the winners with Cpl Brown in
command. Top soldier went to LCpl Kerrigan
from 2 Section which came second overall,
closely followed by 3 Section, with 1 Section
left miles behind.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
21st SIGNAL REGIMENT (AIR SUPPORT)
COLERNE
EXERCISE BEAUFIGHTER LEADER - by Sig Tate
A leadership package was held by the Sqn in and around the
York area allowing all of the Sqn Siggies and a few LCpl’s to
develop and improve their leadership skills. It started off the
same as any good course, with a run nice Monday morning
run! Despite a fair spread of physical ability, squads were
formed based on the results. Thoughts of an easy week were
fading fast and pretty much put to bed when we were given
10 minutes to get ourselves away and back in for PowerPoint
lessons for the rest of the day. Each person was assigned a
leader from history that they had to research and give a
presentation on their sections. Appreciations were also given
and had to be briefed back to Sqn seniors the next day.
Day 2. Another early start, this time at the gym with belt kit
and bergens for the first Practical Leadership Development
(PLD) lesson. A quick tab out to the area and we were
welcomed with a variety of “heavy army kit” and about 6
football pitches of ground to play with. The aim of the PLD
was for each section to make its way around the field
collecting a piece of kit each time, eventually ending up
carrying all items. For some reason we started with a tyre,
not a good choice, but at least we left the Jerry can for the
last trip as it proved to be the worst of them all. Sig Luckwell
found his calling as he happily yomped around carrying
anything anyone could fit on him. Our section beat the other
2, making all the hard work worth it, as of course “it pays to
be a winner”! After lunch the appreciations were delivered
back to our seniors, luckily we had sat down the night before
and worked on it as a team as we were all called out
individually to give our solution.
the searchers were happy we had nothing in our possession
we got split down into groups and were briefed on what the
next 24 hours was to consist of.
Our mission was to complete 15 different tasks in a mysterious
location where we were to be dropped off. After the brief
most of us thought the task was easy and could be done
within an afternoon……how wrong we were! To prove we
had completed the 15 tasks we had a laminated picture of Flt
Lt Bolan (ex Ops Offr) dressed in a pirates outfit, who had to
be in every photo we took. After everyone was clear on what
was expected of us were briefed to be back at 1700 hrs the
following day. We were given a packed lunch and sent on our
way! I was hoping our group wouldn’t be sent too far,
unfortunately for me I was wrong! Groups were sent to
Rochdale, Whitby and the ‘Scenic’ Middlesbrough, which you
guessed is where my group was dropped off.
Finding ourselves outside Middlesbrough Football Club we
tried to carry out one of the tasks: swap something. We went
in to the Clubs Sports Shop and enthusiastically proceeded to
tell a Sales Assistant what we were trying to do. Well he
looked at us as if we were a bunch of raving lunatics but
played along with the task, end result we managed to swap a
banana for a football…..result! A picture was taken with Flt
Lt Bolan and we were on our way. We then entered the main
reception area and were surprisingly shown around the
football grounds, changing rooms and briefing room.
Day 3 and we made our way to Queen Elizabeth Barracks
Strensall for a morning attacking the command tasks. Sig
‘Tarzan’ Allsop spent a good 10 minutes attempting to swing
on a rope until reluctantly admitting defeat and allowing the
rest of us to breeze across. Everyone got stuck in, displaying
good initiative as well as some pretty interesting climbing
techniques. The afternoon was spent delivering
presentations on leaders in history, it was obvious some had
spent more time rehearsing than others!
Day 4. PLD time again, this time it was a bit more challenging
and incorporated the leadership skills that had been taught
and practiced throughout the week. A quick tab out to the
area and we were given our brief, each person was to take
command at points throughout the Ex. More carrying “heavy
army kit”, more shouting, more running and a couple of
command tasks thrown in for good measure. Sig Hunt kept
morale high all the way through to the end on the stretcher
run and ensured we came in first again. With the PLD finished
we made our way back to camp for a debrief on the course
and to get changed into civvies for an end of course smoker.
214 SQN INITIATIVE EXERCISE - by Sig Szalay
On Thursday 23 Feb 12 we all thought we had finished…. little
did we know that we were about to experience the biggest
task of the week.
We all had to form a hollow square and hand over all our
possessions less our mobile phones and Military ID Cards. We
were then searched for any form of money and bank cards,
many had stashed £10 or more in socks and shoes this led to
there removal, which we also had to turn inside out. When
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Sig Tate makes a new friend
Right, so we had no idea where we were in Middlesbrough, so
we did what any Squaddie does best, we just began to walk in
no direction at all to see where we ended up! Along our
travels we managed to complete a couple more tasks. We
came across the train station, however we weren’t sure on
whether they would be co-operative and let us on the train
for free to get back to York but we spoke to the Station
Manager and she was more than happy to give us free tickets
for the following day back to York. The next task was to pet
an animal, which was a kitten in a local pet shop we found.
Although the owner had other ideas and wanted us to put our
hands in a Piranha tank, when we declined the ‘thoughtful’
offer of the Piranha’s he then decided that it would be a
45
better idea if he went upstairs and get one if the many snakes
he had. Well as soon as he mentioned snakes I was out the
door, so that was the end of that task!
After the pet shop extravaganza we all came to a formative
decision, although it wasn’t on the list of tasks to complete
we all thought that it was a necessity to find somewhere to
sleep for the night! We literally walked the length and
breadth of Middlesbrough getting turned away from all the
hotels that we had been into we came to a B&B/Pub, 2 of the
guys went in and luckily for our sakes the owner agreed to
give us a room for the night. As we all piled in I was faced
with toothless 50 year olds asking me if I had a boyfriend, the
guys found this very funny, I on the other hand locked and
barricaded myself in the room!
We headed off for something to eat and found a lovely 5*
Indian Restaurant who were only too happy to help us out
and handed £50 worth of vouchers into our hands. Day 2 of
the Initiative Task, we were all up ‘bright and breezy’ and
decided to finish the tasks as quickly as we could and get back
to York. We walked past The Evening Standard Newspaper
and decided to go in as one of our tasks was to address as
many people as possible. They sent a reporter down and he
took all our details of what we were doing in Middlesbrough.
We then had our picture taken and they said that it would be
in the next week’s issue of The Evening Standard.
We managed to complete all the tasks and by 12pm we were
heading back to York on the train. Once back on Camp we
had a debrief and were informed that we had to present a
PowerPoint on the last 24 hours by the following Thursday.
The initiative task was a great experience and taught us how
to cope and work as a team in different situations and also
how easily for granted we take the day-to-day luxuries, i.e.
food and a bed!!
EXERCISE MILITARY EDUCATION - by Sig Hall and Sig Hunt
Monday 5 March was an early start for 16 soldiers from 214 Sig
Sqn, as they set off from York at 0600 hrs to make the long
journey to London. The trip took around 6hrs, including a
couple of stops for breaks and food. The intentions of this 3
day exercise were to provide the soldiers with some good
knowledge about the armed forces, and their previous and
present conflicts throughout the last few hundred years.
On arriving at our destination, it was a case of getting our
bags off the van and into 68 Sig Sqn TA Centre where we
were staying. Everyone then had to be ready to make their
way to the Imperial War Museum for 1500hrs. We then had a
bit of a lecture from a tour guide who explained about how
the museum has a fairly new programme going on, whereby
they are trying to get more things related to Op HERRICK
situated within the museum.
After the lecture we split into smaller groups for a look
around the museum. The building contains many spectacular
pieces of machinery and equipment used by the British forces
during their major conflicts. It is also full of many interesting
pieces of information to read upon, giving visitors a better
insight to what it was actually like for the service men and
women who played their part in some of the brutal wars.
After having a good look round the museum we then made
our way back to the TA centre.
On day 2 of our trip we had to be in our smart formal clothing
as we were taking a visit to The Royal Hospital Chelsea and
meet its pensioners. Unfortunately the day didn’t start off
too brightly for Cpl McGregor, who realised one of his shoes
was missing that he was intending to wear with his suit. We
started the day with a visit to the Army National Museum.
46
Before taking a look round the actual museum itself we had
an interesting lecture about the history of the British army in
Afghanistan from around the mid 19th century till the early
20th century. It was genuinely very remarkable to listen to as
none of us knew about any of these early conflicts within the
country, and why the British Army was actually there during
this time. Following this we then split off into smaller groups
again, and had a look around the museum. Once more, it was
of great interest to look around and see the kind of things the
British Army used over the last few hundred years.
Once we had finished our visit to the museum we all went to
go and get ourselves some lunch before making our way to
the RHC. We were shown around the grounds of the hospital
by a very friendly and very amusing Pensioner by the name of
‘Paddy’ Fox who had to mention the fact that he had done an
album called ‘Men In Scarlet’ and also how he got kissed by
Katherine Jenkins 3 times. As we went round the rather large
grounds we were told many of the points of interests by our
tour guide. The hospital itself is stunning to look at, and you
can see why these pensioners enjoy their life there. Everyone
enjoyed the look around the ground, and we were then taken
to the bar, where we were able to have a couple of drinks and
play a few games of pool and chess. Concluding our
afternoon we then headed on back to the Sig Sqn TA centre.
On our third and final day we all made our way to the Tower
of London to do a bit of sightseeing. We split off into our
smaller groups and had a good look around. It was a lot
different here to anywhere we had previously visited, as it
was all medieval based. The Tower of London was another
impressive sight to look at and it has got a great deal of
history to it. So in all, it was another fully enjoyable day out
for the 16 soldiers, and we all give many thanks to 68 Sig Sqn
who allowed us to use their accommodation.
EXERCISE LIGHTNING STRIKE - by Capt Lord
25 Feb 2012 marked 21SR(AS) attendance at the Royal Signals
‘officer recruiting event of the year’ – Exercise Lightning
Strike! The brief was to design a task based upon our unit’s
operational role, but rather than have a stand where cadets
reset passwords and move laptops around, it was decided to
create a task which emphasised the importance of the 9-liner
medical emergency message. A crack team from 220 Sqn
departed for Blandford, stopping off en-route at the
supermarket cold meats counter for some gory ‘ham based’
props. On arrival construction began on FOB Beaufighter, the
location where we would brief and test the keen Officer
Cadets. The ex began early the following morning with a brief
from the new Corps Colonel, Col Graham Norton.
As soon as this was over the fist 2 teams of cadets headed in
our direction and were duly ushered into the makeshift FOB.
After receiving a brief on the Regt’s role from Capt Lord and
Sgt Cooper, LCpl Stevenson stepped to the fore and delivered
a brief lesson on med skills and the importance of the 9-liner
Cpl Pounder shows his war face!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
message. As the brief was drawing to a close it was time for
all hell to break loose with a surprise chorley grenade
explosion courtesy of Cpl Pounder! “Get down, get down,
IDF attack!!” was shouted with vigour as cadets, benches and
chairs flew in all directions. As the initial panic was dying
down the cadets were made aware of 2 ‘casualties’ 20m away
who needed extracting back to the FOB. However, due to the
ongoing IDF threat the casualty extraction was to be carried
out in the time honoured manner of the leopard crawl.
I Troop letting off some steam during the build of the JOC
Sig Walker treating the OCdts to a face full of gore!
Once the casualties were back safely in hard cover the triage
phase could begin. Many of the cadets seems rather shocked
by the amount of blood and gore flying about, with plenty of
blood being sprayed around to simulate arterial wounds and
the contents of the Asda cold meats counter being applied to
replicate sucking chest wounds.
Whilst the teams got to work on the casualties, 9-liner sheets
were handed out and with ‘verbal encouragement’ they were
instructed to fill them out as accurately as possible whilst
leopard crawling back and forth to the Bowman detachment
in order to send the messages. The task drew to a close with
the information that the MERT was inbound, but
unfortunately could only land 200m away, resulting in a
casualty carry race to the finish.
A good time was had by all throughout the day, DS and
Cadets included, with many commenting that it was a
thoroughly enjoyable and interesting experience. Bring on
next year!
EXERCISE PASHTUN JAGUAR
On 2 February 2012 India Tp deployed on Ex PASHTUN
JAGUAR as part of their PDT prior to Op HERRICK 16.
When we arrived at Netheravon we conducted the build
phase of the ex, consisting of a DRASh build that replicated
the Ops room environment out in Theatre. We were allocated
ample time to complete this phase, and under the supervision
of Lt Hawke and SSgt Ansell the whole Tp were able to put in
some hard graft and complete this phase prior to the first
Final Training Exercise (FTX).
Ex PASHTUN JAGUAR consisted of 3 FTXs, each lasting 6 days.
We worked on a 3 shift rotation which included both Signals
Operators and Air Corps Signallers. As part of our role we
provided the vital link between all aircrafts, to allow them to
communicate with each other and support the BGs out on the
ground. This consisted of dealing with med missions, priority
taskings, SALTA, contact reports and routine taskings.
Every person on shift had a vital role to play, especially when
it came to making the brews as Sig Jones-Ramirez
demonstrated with his fantastic stirring skills. Other jobs
consisted of monitoring primary and secondary nets and
J-chat as well as basic admin around your work area.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Before the first FTX started we conducted some low level
training to give us all an idea of what to expect on this
exercise. We also had a PRC 117F training lesson conducted by
Sig Fletcher who, when given any questions or queries, gave
a response of “I’ll endeavour to find out”. As we progressed
through the exercise it was clear that we required immediate
technical support with the running of the tuck shop. This was
when Sgt Blair and LCpl Oliver stepped up to the challenge,
as well as making sure everything runs smoothly they were
able to keep stock levels high and officers happy.
As Ex PASHTUN JAGUAR came to an end, everyone felt they
had achieved a great deal and felt more confident in their role
as part of an Air Support Signals Tp. We all feel ready and are
looking forward to deploying on Op HERRICK16.
EXERCISE KESWICK RUNNER - by Sig Gray
Ex KESWICK RUNNER (Ex KR) is a Cross Country training
camp held in the picturesque village of Keswick, Cumbria. The
Ex KR held in Feb was designed to select athletes for the
imminent Inter Corps Cross Country Competition. Four
runners from 21 Sig Regt (AS) were selected to attend this
training camp: Capt Dave Phillips, WO2 (YofS) James
Richards, LCpl Helen Dixon and myself, Sig Dan Gray.
Training twice a day with a minimum distance of 6 miles per
session is every runner’s ideal training package. The training
we conducted ranged from Pyramid training, 400m intervals
and much needed recovery runs (which were less recovery
and more LONG steady distance).
In addition to the running training we were introduced to
Core Stability, Kettle Bell work and relaxation methods. Of
the new sessions I think the most beneficial was the Core
Stability training, although it was entertaining to hear YofS
Richards snoring during the relaxation/sleep sessions.
After what was a gruelling week, those in the ‘fast group’
covered in excess of 50 miles in 4 days, we finished our time
off with a fell run up La Trig, one of the highest points in the
area. The scenery was awesome, it was a great way to finish
off the week, although YofS Richards and Capt Phillips
wouldn’t know, they went home early because they were
tired!
Just to show how good a week Ex KR was, I managed to be
picked as a reserve for the Corps Cross Country team a few
weeks later - not bad for a fat lad from Wigan!
47
SOLDIERS LINE OUT FOR BATH RUGBY
- by Sarah Goodwin-Drew
Soldiers from 21 Sig Regt (AS) provided a Guard of Honour at
Bath Rugby club this weekend during their match against
Worcester Warriors. The Soldiers returned from an intense
and challenging 6month deployment to Afghanistan in
November 2011 and were given the Freedom of Bath before
their homecoming parade through the city.
The Regt are very keen to build on the good relationships
within the community that they have already developed. SSgt
Daniel Adams, who has been working tirelessly towards this
said “The City of Bath, being the home town of 21 Sig Regt,
showed their support on our return from Afghanistan and we
were delighted to be asked to provide the Guard of Honour at
the home game for Bath Rugby Football Club v Worcester.
The core values and standards of the British Army can be
directly mirrored in the ethos of rugby: Selfless Commitment,
Courage, Discipline, Integrity and Loyalty. All of these are not
only required when pulling on a Military shirt but also a Rugby
one.”
Jez Curwin, marketing and communications manager with
Bath Rugby said “Bath Rugby are delighted to be able to
show our support for the troops who are working so hard in
difficult situations. The boys at the 21 Sig Regt do a fantastic
job and we are proud to be able to support one of our local
Regiments”
21SR(AS) in the limelight
22nd SIGNAL REGIMENT
STAFFORD
CO
RSM
Lt Col L Westerman
WO1 (RSM) R Midgley
217 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC SSM
Maj N Schurman
WO2 (SSM) Stephenson
STAFFORD HALF MARATHON - by Lt Triddon
I don’t believe anyone actually enjoys running, and judging
from the groans and grunts that escaped the lips of the 2500
competitors who took part in the Stafford Half Marathon I
would say there are a fair few others who would agree with
me. So why did people do it? For a celebrated few, the ones
that are hitting the pavements before sunrise, it is to keep fit,
or more aptly to feed their addiction to exercise, which is an
irreparable but socially accepted disorder that will likely lead
to arthritis! The rest of us, I suspect, had a mixture of 2
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explanations. Firstly, the inability to decline the offer of a run
on a Sunday morning; a period in the week when the usual
repertoire of excuses one would usually use to get out of
exercise become redundant. The other would be curiosity, to
see if our athletic talents actually lie in long distance events, a
discipline never tested at the schools sports days and
therefore a hunch that has never been definitively dispelled.
It would appear that during the run neither of these reasons
fully justified the pain that was coursing through the legs and
lungs of Stafford’s finest, and but for a youthful crowd on the
sidelines I am sure the cursing from the runners would have
been louder. Anyway, with 13.2 miles done, and the feeling
that your body type was probably more suited to pole
vaulting anyway, you cross the line to the handsome reward
of a medal, a t-shirt and a banana!!
That said, some tangible good did come out of the day as
over 50 of the Regt’s personnel completed the race with the
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
QGS soldiers using the opportunity to continue their
fundraising efforts for SSAFA. The Regt’s leading light was
Sig Crossett with a casual 1:25:53, though a few egos took a
battering as YofS Moran lost his sportsman’s bet with Lt Col
Westerman to who would be the first over the line. But
whatever their reason for entering, I would like to thank
those that did and hope that their memories of hardship will
have mellowed in time for next year’s event!
ARRC INFRA / FALCON TRIAL - by Lt Triddon
Two ARRC Infra detachments (data management services)
operated by LCpl Ramesh and Sigs Durgaman, Pearse and
Taylor were invited to spend a week participating in the
FALCON trials with 30SR at Bramcote. The aim was to test
the interoperability between the ARRC equipment and the
new bearer system due to be brought into service during
2012. This was to be trialled through 2 simple tests.
First, a fully built host with 2 clients hanging off it was to plug
into the FALCON network to demonstrate that it could
connect to the central MS Hub (SCP(I)). The clients were to
access the services on the local servers with the ability to
email and connect with anybody else in the network. The
second det was 2 clients plugged straight into the FALCON
‘cloud’, configured to pull their services from SCP(I) directly,
therefore testing the theory that clients should be able to
remotely access SCP(I) services through the FALCON system.
There was complete separation on the network between the
2 detachments as they used different routers, allowing them
to determine the success of the tests by emailing each other.
As convoluted as it may sound, these tests are relatively
simple and though there were hurdles almost every step of
the way, it was nothing more than should be expected from
the first trial. The team captured the errors and the solutions
in order that SOPs can start to be formulated in order for a
successful implementation of FALCON on operations.
222 SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj O Dinnis
WO2 (SSM) King
CO’s CUP ATHLETICS - by Sig Patterson
After a long and anticipated wait for Wednesday 28 March
2012, the 22 Sig Regt Athletics day was upon us, a day where a
few scores and weeks of debate were to be settled.
We started with the Men’s 400m where Sig Kailash put in a
good performance. LCpl Bartlett must have thought you win
the event by running under 5 minutes but over 2 minutes, he
ran well none the less. Next the 800m where LCpl Heydon
blatantly still feeling the effects of the night before (his
leaving do) put in a heartfelt performance that any Olympic
athlete would be proud of (Not!). For the 200m event great
things were expected of Sig ‘Linford’ Patterson to deliver the
goods and can i just say… I did in abundance. The event of
the day and most talked about race was the 100m sprint.
There was a feeling of rivalry built up between the 2
favourites, Sig Patterson and Sgt ‘Usain’ McSween. The heat
added an extra dimension to the race and made for tough
conditions. Congratulations to Sgt McSween who took
victory after a very close finish.
The final track event of the day the 4x400m relay which
consisted of LCpl Wilbraham, Sig Kailash, LCpl Prince and
LCpl Williams. Overall a fantastic effort by the team but a
special mention to LCpl Prince who’s speed and overall fitness
allowed him to overtake an opponent in the final 40 meters
to give the team a respectable 2nd place. Over to the field
events where Sig Patterson and LCpl Lamont succeeded in
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
A highly anticipated race delivered the goods in a very tight
finish for 1st place
gaining the Gold and Silver medals in the High Jump,
respectively in addition to LCpls Prince and Vijay who each
performed well in the triple jump.
I n all a great day where the sun was upon us, hurling its rays
on the track, making the day extra special. Congratulations to
everyone who participated for the Sqn and also to the
winning team from Sp Sqn. Until next time!!!
SUPPORT SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj S Keilty MBE
WO2 (SSM) Rowley
EXERCISE DRAGON ANNAPURNA TIGER 12
- by Capt Whitworth
Following many months of meticulous planning, on 18 January
11 soldiers departed from Stafford for the long journey to
Kathmandu to take part in Ex DRAGON ANNAPURNA TIGER
2012. The obligatory jokey comment of “Does everyone have
their passport?” resulted in a detour around the local SFA to
collect Cpl Shree’s. We then headed across town via Sgt
Rudra’s pad to collect an unidentified item that struck an
uncanny resemblance to a Nepali passport.
Following the long flight via Doha the team arrived at
Kathmandu to be greeted by Maj Farragher, OC 248 GSS and
Sgts Amritman and Kishan who had just completed a trek on
behalf of the Gurkha Welfare Trust. The OC presented us all
with a traditional scarf (Khata) before leading us to our coach.
Capt Hudson was asked to make a donation to one of the
young children that had been helping the group with their
luggage which he duly did. It was only when the bus pulled
away he found out he had given the young lad the equivalent
of a week’s wages and the youngster hadn’t even helped with
the luggage! This was to prove the theme for the trip with
many ‘black cat’ tails to part us with our money! Following a
white knuckle ride across the city we arrived at the British
Gurkha Kathmandu (BGK) camp. This is a gem of a location,
absolutely immaculate and complete with swimming pool.
The second day was spent on admin and sampling the
delights of Kathmandu. We were all amazed by the number
of shops selling ‘knock off’ outdoor clothing and we all
agreed that you can never buy enough Pashmeena scarves or
carved wooden elephants.
The next day we set off to Pokhara, an 8 hour drive along one
of the world’s most dangerous roads, named for good reason.
Except for the Gurkha soldiers, who seemed oblivious to the
danger, the remainder either: aged 20 years, went grey, or
lost their hair. Capt Whitworth managed to do all 3. On the
way we stopped at Ghorka where we experienced our first
taste of the heat, altitude and sense of what lay ahead as we
49
to break out their shorts and sunglasses. This was the cue for
Sig Crossett to again demonstrate his iconic fashion sense as
he removed his t-shirt to display an off-white old man’s vest,
this was to be his trademark for the remainder of the trip.
The sun’s rays at this height couldn’t be underestimated with
high factor sun cream being the order of the day. That is, for
everyone except LCpl Bartlett who clearly chose to use none,
resulting in him morphing through a number of shades of red
from cerise through to burgundy before his face finally
dropped off in large flakes. A valuable lesson identified.
Day 2 - Ghandrung with Mt Annapurna in the distance
ascended the 400m climb to the Ghorka Palace. Many of the
group were suitably dressed for the task, unlike Sig Crossett
who was wearing a very ‘sharp’ Italian suit that somehow
managed to almost hide the perspiration. British Gurkha
Pokhara (BGP) is another fantastic camp where we stayed for
the evening before starting our trek. Many of the Gurkhas in
the group hail from Pokhara and were extremely keen to
show us the delights of their local town.
The following morning, somewhat fresher than expected, we
made our way to Nayapul, the start of the trek. We firstly met
our Sherpa and porters before breaking the equipment down
into what we would carry and what the porter would carry for
us. With typical military competitiveness a number of the
group opted to carry far more kit than required leaving the
porter with a lighter load than he was used to. However, as
the trek unfolded the porters’ loads were to steadily increase
as the group’s enthusiasm for hard graft diminished. Before
setting off, we were all fed a tasty Nepali snack that Sig
Sudin’s mother had very kindly made for us. This fuelled us
for the 870m climb to our first tea house at Ghandrung. That
evening we were treated to a traditional Nepali song and
dance show from the local villagers. It was at this point that
members of the group were invited to join the dancers and
strut their stuff. Surprisingly, some took to this more than
others, a mixture of broken robots and squaddie shuffles
were displayed, although 2 individuals should be singled out
for their personal efforts: WO2 (SSM) Jones did a fantastic
impression of a B52 bomber whilst Sgt Steele took centre
stage, owning the place and refusing to sit back down!
The following day was a very difficult leg that saw the group
lose height rapidly, only to then gain height at an increasingly
slower pace. The weather was glorious causing the majority
Relaxing at the Jhinu Springs
50
Day 3 of the trek was another challenging test, not helped by
degraded sanitary conditions and the scarcity of water which
inevitably led to our first of many cases of D&V. It was also
becoming increasingly apparent that the cost of pop and
sticky bars had increased 4 fold as we gained height and was
set to continually rise for the remainder of our climb. This
was also the point where we could no longer buy bottled
water and had to adapt to a rather charcoal tainted boiled
water, complete with soot and ash. The temperature also
dropped with the high mountains casting the majority of the
route into shade. Special mention should, however, go to
SSgt Ratna who despite the challenging conditions never let
that ‘cheesy grin’ leave his face.
Day 5 saw us achieve our aim of reaching Annapurna Base
Camp (ABC) at a height of 4130m. We set off at best speed
given the conditions, the snow was crisp underfoot and the
altitude had made the air much thinner. Unsurprisingly there
was limited conversation from this point. Despite the obvious
suffering we all made our way to base camp where we were
to be rewarded with the most spectacular of vistas, the
Annapurna mountain range didn’t disappoint. Time just
allowed for the obligatory group photograph before many of
the team beat a hasty descent back down to lower altitude
where the air was noticeably easier to breathe. We did,
however, find time to attach a Regtl pennant at the historic
site where many mountain ascents had began and ended. We
spent the following day heading back the way that we had
come before taking a mandatory days rest at Chomrong. This
allowed us to make a short but hellish journey to the local
spring baths at the neighbouring village of Jhinu. The baths
were 2 large concrete basins that filled with naturally warm
water. Unfortunately for us, we had just missed out on a
Nepali festival that had seen hundreds of people enter the
baths. We were all suitably impressed when Cpl Shree
bombed the group giving us all an unwelcome face full of the
murky substance. The price to pay for the trip to the baths
was a 2 hour climb back to our start point, causing some to
cynically question the OC on the term ‘Rest Day’.
From this point we completed the trek with 4 days of walking
back towards our start point at Nayapul, heading a different
route via Ghorepani where we took in sunrise at Poon Hill. To
see the sunrise over the Annapurna mountains that we had
just stood at the base of was pretty surreal and left a lasting
memory with everyone. Our walk down to Nayapul was a far
more deliberate affair with everyone gaining speed as we got
closer to civilisation. Before getting back on the bus to
Pokhara we all thanked the Sherpa and porters, digging deep
into our Bergen to hand over any surplus clothing that we
would never need again. Some were tempted to handover
anything that could be used, or bare any resemblance to an
item that could be used for either trekking or walking.
The next day we were treated to a day of sightseeing around
Pokhara, including: The Buddhist Peace Pagoda, Davis falls
and caves and a boat trip across lake Fewa. This was topped
off with a fantastic traditional Nepalese party courtesy of the
families of Sgt Amritman, LCpl Robin and Sig Sudin. We were
given fantastic food, saw a superb dancing show and were all
given gifts aplenty. All in all an absolutely fantastic
opportunity to meet their families and experience the
traditional culture of the soldiers that we serve alongside.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Our final phase of the trip involved a 2 day safari package in
the Chitwan safari park. We stopped on route to visit the
family of Sgt Rudra and to collect a number of prized pop
bottles filled with Raksi, the traditional Nepali rice Gin.
Highlights of the safari included an open top canoe ride,
jungle walk and riding on the back of an elephant. We also
travelled on a rickety wooden cart dragged along by 2 ox, not
the most pleasurable of experiences for us and even less so
for the ox! On our way back to Kathmandu we stopped for a
white water rafting trip on the Trisuli river before heading
back to the serenity of BGK. A day of final sightseeing taking
in the Monkey Temple, Durbar Square and an interview with
BFBS radio provided a fitting end to the trip.
to establish robust comms links and test the serviceability of
the Regt’s comms assets including Reacher, Richelieu, ARRC
Infra and a host of other equipment. Although there were no
staff officers involved, it was a good opportunity to confirm
the readiness of the Regt for upcoming exercises such as
ARRCADE RETURNER 2 taking place straight after Easter leave
and numerous other deployments.
A once in a life time opportunity for many of us to see and
experience the many delights of Nepal and its very friendly
people. Special thanks go to Sgt Amritman who delivered a
flawless expedition that was executed with military precision.
We would also like to thank the OC’s of both BGK and BGP for
allowing us to stay at their camps and hosting us so well, their
assistance undoubtedly added to the overall success of the
expedition. The final thank you goes to WO2 (SSM) Jones for
carrying the team safety kit throughout the trip. It was with
great disappointment he never deployed the 6 man survival
shelter, 8mm climbing rope or team med kit but we all know
that if required he would have been up for the task!
The building phase for the shelter and security perimeter of
the exercise area started about a month prior by ARRC Sp Bn.
They were also provided with manpower from the Regt itself
for setting up many different tents in the area and securing
them with barbed wire.
248 GURKHA SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj S Jones
WO2 (SSM) Dev
EXERCISE BEACON LINK 12 - by LCpl Yam
From 26 February to 15 March, 22 Sig Regt took part in Ex
BEACON LINK 12, a Regtl level exercise held at Beacon
Barracks, 5 Site, MOD Stafford. The aim of the exercise was
248 GSS was given the task to establish ‘Enabling Command’,
a medium sized HQ for the multinational ARRC staff. 248 GSS
was expected to provide Mission and NATO secret terminals,
VTC facilities, conference rooms, I-HUB and server room as
well as security and access control point for the staff users.
As for the exercise, the PACEX phase started a week earlier.
248 GSS personnel were all well motivated and prepared on
their individual roles including floorwalkers, server room with
Richelieu and ARRC infra, Reacher and BOWMAN dets. The
initial setting up of the cables, terminals, phones and getting
the link in would probably take a considerable amount of
time. There was an issue on the whole exercise network links
due to a potential virus threat but soon after it was rectified.
There were extra working hours and sleepless nights at some
points but everyone had positive attitude towards the Sqn’s
goal. As a result, all the hard work paid off. IOC and FOC were
successfully completed before the estimated time. After the
set up was complete there were few tweaks as expected but
it was a lot easier now that the important part was finished!
Overall, everyone including the inspectors were all impressed
with 248 Sqn’s performance and professionalism!
32nd SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS)
GLASGOW
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS
coming home for some of the staff. Welcome (back) RSM!
CO
RSM
VISIT OF MAJ GEN THE DUKE OF WESTMINSTER KG CB OBE
TD CD DL – DEPUTY COMMANDER LAND FORCES (DCLF)
– 13 MAR 12
Lt Col P R Rennie-Smith
WO1 (RSM) J Love
As we come to the end of Spring, the work at 32 Sig Regt (V)
continues to gather pace. With only days remaining before he
leaves the Army Ops Major, Maj Rhid Jones, has been seen
racking up late hours with the Ops Team as they coordinate
the hectic task of deploying our TA soldiers in support of Op
OLYMPICS during the summer and also preparing our IAs for
deployment on Op HERRICK later in the year. The everlooming fuel strikes are also breathing down our necks and 32
Sig Regt (V) will undoubtedly have a part to play if that
scenario goes pear-shaped! Plenty of things to keep us
amused and out of trouble for the next few months then!
The CO is now firmly in the seat having arrived in January, and
new thoughts and direction are firing out of his office to RHQ
and the Sqns at an ever-increasing pace. The Adjt, Capt
Nathan Streetley, is being kept ever-busy with the non-stop
world of G1, and now has an added task to get the CO
meeting all the movers and shakers dotted across our vast
Regtl footprint - the CO’s car is certainly going to be racking
up the miles over the next couple of years!
Finally, within RHQ, WO1 John Love arrives from 225 Sqn in NI
to take up the recently vacated RSM’s chair. Having been
here as a PSI a few years back it is like a long lost cousin
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
DCLF visited the Regtl HQ and 52 Sp Sqn on 13 Mar 12. With
only a couple of days lead-in for the visit, RHQ went onto High
Alert to pull together a programme and ensure key personnel
were available to host this distinguished guest. Due to a
packed day programme the General only had just over an
hour to visit us. After an initial 1-to-1 with the CO he wanted
to spend the rest of the time talking informally Regtl
personnel.
There was some anticipation in the Officers Mess, as this was
the first time the majority had ever met a VIP whom you
normally see only on the news or read about in the daily
papers. Key interests from the gather masses included his
thoughts and any new information on SDSR or FR2020, but
although he spoke openly and honestly there was not too
much he could tell us, and we must wait until the plans are
finalised and announced on 22 May.
DCLF took time to talk to every individual in person; there was
of course the usual banter and jokes moving backwards and
forwards and it was noted that DCLF can be quick in return
with his one liners. Despite hosting a VIP the atmosphere was
relaxed; the General was keen to hear personal experience
51
RA and of course we had members from RHQ and 33 Sqn
itself. In all 14 tables were sold off with the money going to
the ABF. Prizes for the competitors were also donated, and
were presented by Brig Vickery, Comd 2 Sig Bde.
DCLF has impromptu staring contest with WO2 (SVWO) Gary
McCracken!
and thoughts on the various contracts held within the Regt
(Regulars, NRPS, FTRS and Additional Duties Contracts
(ADCs)) and this then allowed him pose questions and gain
our views on recruiting, retention and training issues. In good
humour DCLF pointed out to the SQMS Billy Anderson his
thoughts on the night life of Greenock - the SQMS stays on
the Isle of Arran so his knowledge and experience of
socialising in towns (and with other people) is very minimal!
Sgt Stu Gilmour became the impromptu photographer for the
day and managed to take some good photos of the visit.
Mind you, there were some quick shouts of “I’m really not
that photogenic” and “makes sure you get my good side!” so
we shall see how they fair under the scrutiny of the readers!
In summary it was an excellent visit: DCLF appeared content
with the feedback he had received on key issues and his MA
busily scribbled points to take away and chase up on! Those
gathered definitely enjoyed meeting the General and hearing
his thoughts on the higher level politics and wheels in motion
that make up such a key part of his job. That he managed to
make everyone feel relaxed and engage in conversation in
such a short time was certainly a reflection on his character –
although it may be equally a reflection on the friendly nature
of our Glaswegian contingent!
Support from the Regt’s Master Chef, as well as our own
Chefs; Cpl Paul Fahey and LCpl Ruth Cross ensured a fabulous
feast was offered to all the guests, all of whom commented
on the high standard of catering. In all the evening is
expected to raise well over £4000 for the ABF.
So many members of the Sqn were involved in the running of
the event that it would be almost impossible to name them
all; it would be easier to just post the Attendance Register!
However without the assistance of SSgt Joey 'Mr Fixit'
Maguire, Sgt Dave 'What Do You Want Printing Next'
Coleman, SSgt Sammy “I’ll Sort it” Collister and SSgt Kim “I
Only Just Got Here” Roberts none of this would have
happened. Wait, I hear a shout from the room, “Can we do it
all again next year?” Well, start saving your money, put it in
your diaries for next year, and watch this space!
33 (LANCASHIRE) SIGNAL SQUADRON (V)
OC
SSM
Maj R Paterson
WO2 (SSM) Hanna
KNIGHTS OF THE RING – BOXING EVENING 27 APRIL 12
A cry came from OC Sqn, Maj Bob 'Its For Charity' Paterson:
“Let’s hold a Boxing Evening for ABF!” “Sounds like a good
plan” came the response and so was born the “Knights of the
Ring” Boxing night. This was to be an amateur event to be
hosted at 33 Sig Sqn TAC in Huyton, Liverpool.
The boxers came from across the Merseyside and Cheshire
Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) area and predominantly
the Huyton Amateur Boxing Club, based close to the TAC.
WO2 (YofS) 'Im The Promoter' Murphy set about organising
the event with the assistance of the Sqn’s Regular Staff, NRPS
and ADC personnel. Clearly, as the event was to raise money
for the ABF we needed to find sponsors with big pockets, and
these came in the form of Hewlett Packard, HSBC, Grant
Thornton Finance, and Hughes Sub Surface Engineering. Each
in their own way supported us either by buying tables or
donating to the Raffle and Auction. HP donated a laptop
which raised over £1000, and the Auction run by Maj Bob 'The
Duke' Dobson also brought in over £1400. Various tables
were bought by our local friendly Gunner Regiment, 103 Regt
52
THE ST HELENS 10KMS 11 MARCH 2012
On Sunday 11 March 2012, the St Helens 10km took place in aid
of the ‘Steve Prescott Foundation’, starting and finishing at
the new ‘Saints’ stadium, Langtree Park, home of St Helens
Rugby League Football. The main charity was the Steve
Prescott Foundation, whereby participants who entered could
raise money for one of five charities nominated by Steve.
In Sept 2006, Steve was diagnosed with Pseudomyxoma
Peritonei, a rare form of Cancer. He was told he would not
see his 2 children grow up and was given months to live. He
underwent a major operation, removing tumours from his
abdomen. After surgery he was transferred to The Christie
Hospital in Manchester for further treatment. The concept of
undertaking fund-raising took shape in August of 2007, but
this year’s event was the largest so far with 1000-plus runners’
at the Langtree Park stadium.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
One of those charities nominated was the ABF - The Soldiers
Charity and OC Sqn, Maj Bob Paterson, a member of the
Merseyside ABF committee, took up the challenge, together
with SSgt Stevie Jolliffe, Sgt Dave Coleman, Sgt John Greaves
and A/Sgt Darren Gauckwin RAF (who, as the OC’s future sonin-law, was under absolutely no pressure to take part!).
Together the team raised over £800 for the ABF. Also
supporting the event from 33 Sqn were Cpl Brian Hardy, Cpl
Matty Riley and LCpl Wayne McGarry who used their own
time to attend as event marshals.
OC Sqn, Maj Bob Paterson
Although the OC made a fine effort, finishing in 72mins
54secs, there appeared to be quite a battle going on with the
3 SNCO’s, with a last minute race for the finishing line. Sgt
Greaves racked up a 51mins 18secs, Sgt Coleman 51mins
19secs and SSgt Jolliffe came close behind on 51mins 24secs.
A sigh of relief was heard coming from Sgt Greaves (Sqn PTI)
at beating Sgt Coleman by only a split second (or was it a sigh
of pain at having to dip in his pocket again to sponsor the OC
Sqn?!!). Nevertheless, a great day was had by all, and all for a
great cause – Charity!
COMMISSIONING OF WO2(SSM) HANNA
Given that we do not often get the privilege of hosting the
Bde Comd, the Boxing evening seemed a fortuitous moment
to also be able to formally Commission WO2 (SSM) Mick
Hanna to Captain. Capt Hanna has been with the Sqn since its
inception and prior to that was with 42 Sig Sqn (V) in
Manchester. Now commissioned he is returning to his
spiritual base to command 842 Sig Tp (V). We wish him and
his family all the very best and look forward to seeing them in
the Officers Mess soon!
arrival YofS Colin Ritchie issued a brief on training activities
and outlined scenarios which we might encounter during the
Olympics. Just before hitting bed Sqn personnel sampled
what the RAF bar had to offer. It’s fair to say everyone was
very impressed with the standard; particularly those SNCOs
who managed to slip into the RAF WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess.
Saturday was a combination of comms and military training.
Troops were tasked with running through CST establishment
and tear down procedures while in the background there
were concurrent First Aid and IED training. Sgt Ricky
Dennison delivered the IED stand and SSgt Ricky George
headed up the First Aid, readily assisted by Sgt Ros Colhoun
and Cfn Matt Holmes. The aim of the training was to focus
soldiers in switching from a communications role to dealing
with a threat or medical incident. Everyone performed well,
bouncing between a warm Comcen to the cold outside to
attend a “casualty” or cordon a potential IED area.
Our 2 chefs, LCpl Donna Jamison and LCpl Flo Conlane also
did a great job impressing the RAF chefs in the kitchen. They
even produced homemade scones for the troops and keep a
special cherry scone aside for the OC, complete with butter
and jam! We couldn’t work if the big smile on his face was at
the size of the cherry scone or the standard of training. They
certainly know how to get in his good books!
On Sunday YofS Ritchie arranged a Sqn visit to the NI Ops
Room where all received a presentation on the running of a
live Ops Room from Capt Talbott of the NI Ops Group. All
agreed it was very worthwhile to see how a ‘live’ Ops Room is
setup and managed. Capt Ian Wolfe has apparently said he
wants the Ops Room at the Sqn to hit the same standard – a
task indeed for YofS Ritchie and Sgt Maggie McMillan! Later
on 321 EOD delivered some excellent lessons on their role and
procedures for dealing with IEDs and the like. By covering
topics such as: the 5 C’s, 5 W’s, component parts of an IED
and detonation techniques they give everyone a great insight
and raised awareness. Sqn personnel also got to see the
mechanical robots and kit which the ATOs wear for the ‘long
walk’. Our thanks go to Capt Kavanagh of 321 EOD for the
very informative presentation and display of equipment. The
EOD have done a great job during the years in NI and sadly
lost many people in this dangerous role. They are currently
doing superb work on Op HERRICK and saving lives. All credit
to a very professional group of people with nerves of steel.
We are also grateful to Maj Adamson at RAF Aldergrove for
the great level of co-operation and willingness to support 40
(NIH) Sig Sqn with their training requirements at the location.
ADVENTURE TRAINING - 23-25 MARCH
“Capt” Mick Hanna with Comd 2 Sig Bde, Brig Steve Vickery
40 (NIH) SIGNAL SQUADRON
OC
SSM
Maj S Burgess
WO2 (SSM) G Campbell
EXERCISE NORTHERN CANTER - 17-19 FEBRUARY
This weekend was conducted at RAF Aldergrove and focused
on background training for possible Op OLYMPICS roles. On
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The Sqn headed to the beautiful county of Fermanagh to get
some fresh air and take in the serenity of the area. The region
around Enniskillen is steeped in military history and is held as
the home of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers – an Irish Infantry
Regiment of the British Army formed in 1881, later to become
the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968. The Irish Rangers have an
ideally located TA centre in the town of Enniskillen and this
served as opportune base from which 40 (NIH) Sig Sqn could
conduct AT from over the weekend.
The 2 main events were mountain biking and hill walking.
Castle Archdale on the edge of Lower Lough Erne was a good
location for the biking with its forest regions, plus a few
challenging twists and turns. To add a bit of variety the
mountain biking was combined with some orienteering. With
a course of 18 km before them the bikers set off in pairs
armed with maps and compasses to locate up to 30 markers.
The competition between the teams was good to see, as each
tried to outdo the other in achieving the best route time. Cpl
Artie Holland managed to locate and record the most
53
markers. However, he did have minor issues in locating
marker 5. After climbing walls and entering into private
grounds he eventually gave in and resorted in making up
excuses as to why he failed to locate the elusive marker.
Nothing beats a good try Artie…!
On the subject of trespassing there was great debate
amongst the hill walkers (led by Sgt Cathy Barker) over the
issue of maps and international boundaries. Some members
of the group believe they may have strayed over the Irish
border and into the South of Ireland during their walk.
Thankfully everyone was out of uniform and if there was any
incursion it certainly did not make international news!
ROYAL SIGNALS CORPSOSC 14-15 April
The CORPSOSC, held at Pirbright, is always the first major
competition in the shooting calendar each year. While the 32
Sig Regt team is always out to do well against the rest there is
also a bit of ‘internal’ friendly rivalry. This year Sgt ‘Flash’
Gordon from 40 Sig Sqn was out to avenge being held to 2nd
place by Capt Paul Williams from 33 Sig Sqn in the overall
Best Rifle Shot last year. The scene was set in March at Fort
George Ranges in Inverness when the team from 32 Sig Regt
undertook training. In what was a warm weekend by
previous weather standards the team members focused on
their 300m grouping. Two new recruits from 40 (NIH) Sig
Sqn, Sig Paul Wilson and Sig Grant Colgan, fresh in from their
TSC(B) course also joined the team and cut their teeth at this
shooting game. Both showed potential on the ranges and we
may well have contenders for future competitions! Capt
Williams also worked his magic in Fort George that weekend
by getting the guys onto the range with the Royal Marine
Commandos to fire the H&K MP5 and Sig Pistol. All good
stuff for the young (and not so young) team members.
After a 2nd training weekend in Sealand Range (North Wales)
the team from 32 Sig Regt were ready for anything to be
thrown at them in Pirbright.
The first shot at Pirbright was the Urban March. The team
scored well given it was the first competitive shoot for several
members and there might have been some pre-match nerves.
Second up was the Defence March and at the end of that
shoot Capt Williams was sitting top with Sgt Gordon second.
The race was on! The final shoot was the Short Range Rural
and involves engaging targets from 300m down to 100m in
different positions. Sgt Gordon’s top tip for this shoot is ‘get
down…get comfy…test…adjust…and then engage’. The
less experienced shooters finished with as much as 30 secs to
spare… wasted time!
from 32 Sig Regt had lifted 11 trophies. This included – Falling
Plate winners; Best New Soldier, Sig Guymer; Best Officer and
Champion at Arms, Capt Williams and Best Rifle Shot, Sgt
Gordon. Apparently the new CO of 32 Sig Regt, Lt Col Paul
Rennie-Smith, had sore hands from all the applauding he had
to do as the guys from 32 scooped award after award!
The team are very grateful to Capt Williams for the sterling
work he did in getting the guys trained and leading them
through Pirbright.
EXERCISE MOURNE MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE - 27-28 APRIL
This was a youth challenge event staged at Ballykinler Training
Centre (BTC), which offers youth groups the opportunity to
develop teamwork, individual resilience, physical stamina and
navigation skills. The event involved 38 (Irish) Bde, Northern
Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and the Police Service of
Northern Ireland Mountain Rescue Team. 40 Sig Sqn were
asked, via 38 (Irish) Bde, to assist with providing C2 comms
cover and readily jumped at the task to help out.
Capt Ian Wolfe asked for volunteers to help MMA and no
sooner had Cpl Andy Bradshaw and Cpl Jonny Booth stepped
forward they were being fast tracked through a ‘train the
trainer’ JACAMAR course. It was fair to say they knew
something was afoot! Also joining the 40 Sig Sqn team were:
Cpl Davy Jones, Sig Kayleigh Bingham and Sig Melissa Owen.
After a final JACAMAR brief on the Friday night it was heads
down for a 0530 start on Saturday. Breakfast came early in
the form of a bacon butty and it was into the transport bound
for Tullymore Forest Park and the MMA start point. The Sqn
personnel were tasked with manning 3 locations around the
Mourne Mountains for phase 1 of MMA. Cpl Davy Jones
moved Sqn people into their locations and Cpl Jonny Booth as
Sigs IC acted as LO with the local authorities. With EXCON
comms quickly established Cpl Booth assisted with booking
out teams onto the mountain. Meanwhile Cpl Andy
Bradshaw, Sig Kayleigh Bingham and Sig Melissa Owen
covered the G6 tasks on the mountain side. The radio net
sounded a bit windy, which was confirmed by the wind
burned faces of those later returning. Even so they all
managed a smile.
After returning to BTC and a change into green kit (with lunch
on the go) the second MMA phase started. This involved
getting teams moved from Tullymore Forest Park to
Ballykinler on water using RIBs. This is where elements of the
HM Coast Guard, PSNI and NIFRS stepped in. On arrival at
BTC the youth teams participated in 6 stands; again the Sqn
provided the C2 element. It was a long day and with a lot of
comms traffic the JACAMAR radio batteries started to wane.
After a few quick road trips around BTC ranges replacement
units were in place and little did anyone know there was a
potential G6 issue!
The last stand was still in operation at around 14 hours after
the 0530 start, so it was a long day for the guys. When MMA
finally closed down the Signals team took great sigh of relief
and reflected on the job well done in supporting the local
authorities and NI emergency services. Well done to the team
from the Sqn for representing the Royal Signals and
enhancing our reputation.
RECRUITS COURSE TSC(B) - 13-28 APRIL
Sgt ‘Flash’ Gordon
Come Sunday morning the top 6 go forward for the Roberts
Cup. The team from 32 Sig Regt had 5 shooters in the top 6; a
remarkable achievement. By the end of CORPSOSC the team
54
Lastly, a warm welcome to some more new recruits in the
Sqn. After finishing their TSC(B) course at RTC Ballykinler we
are proud to welcome: Sig Appleton, Sig McCune and Sig
Phillips. Well done to the lads and it is good to have you
joining our team. We hope you each enjoy 40 (NIH) Sig Sqn
and have a long career with the Royal Signals. THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
function in the form of a combined Mess Ladies Dinner night
ensured a captivated audience for the OC’s speech. Welcome
back to the Fighting Fifty, Sir!
51 (SCOTTISH) SIGNAL SQUADRON (V)
OC
SSM
50 (NORTHERN) SIGNAL SQUADRON (V)
OC
SSM
Maj B Hogg
WO2 (SSM) Standing
Christmas carols have been sung, decorations are back in the
attic and Auld Lang Syne has drifted away into the ether
which means Happy New Year and back to work. Its clear in
the diary that we’re in for a busy time. We started the New
Year by bidding a fond farewell and Bon Voyage into Civilian
Street to WO1 (RSM) Newton who requested that his dine out
be held at Darlington. Not only because he lives in Newcastle,
a mere 40 miles away but also he knows that 50 Sqn throws a
blooming good party. Regtl WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess members
travelled from near and far to celebrate the culmination of
the RSM’s 22 year career and wish him and Karen all the best
in their future endeavours.
In early February an opportunity arose for our young soldiers
to engage with members of the Darlington Branch of the
Royal Signals Association. To some it was news that they
actually existed, while to others it was a meeting of old
friends. The idea was to boost the membership of the
Association and to update the former communicators of
yesteryear on the systems that are in use today, thus
maintaining their links with their former profession. The visit
generated 7 new members to the RSA to further bolster a
Branch that already has a large list of members.
February also brought a welcome last chance to become
MATT qualified with a visit to our more than familiar stamping
ground in RIPON, where some newly qualified instructors had
ample opportunity to cut their teeth, demonstrate and polish
their newly acquired instructional ability. Whilst the weather
took a turn for the worse and became decidedly Arctic, it was
on with as much warm kit you could get your hands on, some
swift re-planning by Sgt ‘Wheres Wally’ Martin coaxed in the
right direction by the SPSI SSgt ‘Days to do’ Crouchman. It
was then back into the essential re-honing and revision of the
vital skills required, including some shooting that would have
been more appropriate in the Gunfight at the Ok Corral. By
the end of the weekend everyone was pleased to have
achieved the standard required to pass their MATTS.
The 2nd weekend in March gave the Fighting Fifty the chance
to do what they do best during Ex TEES GREEN, fighting.
After an extensive brief from Sgt Riches we conducted a night
move to the wilds of Catterick where we occupied a building
of opportunity in order to set up our patrol base from where
all serials were mounted. Everybody had a part to play
including some of our newer Sqn members; Sigs Bainbridge,
Bailes, Brown and Hardy who fitted in well and gave an Oscar
winning performance as blue helmet clad reporters; they had
a front row seat during all the training activities. Hostages
were rescued, enemy subdued and all suitably dog tired
troops managed to get back for tea and medals (HOORAH!!)
Finally in March we got the previously elusive chance to dine
in the new OC 50 (N) Sig Sqn, Maj Hogg. A well attended
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Maj H Jephcote
WO2 (SSM) Tochel
51 Sqn warmly welcome SSgt Stu Reid as our PSI Tech, taking
over from Sgt Mike Routledge who is currently doublehatting as our SPSI and doing a fantastic job of marshalling
our soldiers into the various groups for trade training,
courses, tours, shooting competitions and exercises.
Sometimes it is like herding cats…enough said about that!
We say our fond farewell to 2 of our personnel in this edition:
SSgt Jim O’Mahoney who leaves us as our Regular SPSI to
take up the position as Training Wing Warrant Officer (V).
Congratulations on securing your new jobs and we wish you
and your lovely family well for the future. And SSgt Ilona
Borland who leaves us after years of service as soldier, friend,
recruiter and all round good girl. Ilona, we wish you well in
your new career and look forward to welcoming you back at
our social functions.
Recruiting is the responsibility of us all but with the advent of
the new initiatives the Sqn has a new team under the
direction of the ROSO Capt Tony Manktelow. The team,
which consists of SSgt David McKenzie, Sgt Broadley, LCpl
Mackie, LCpl Sinclair, LCpl McLennan, LCpl McCluskey and
Sig Carr have worked tirelessly to bring us new recruits
through AFCO, attended jobs fairs, recruiting surges, visited
shopping centres, gyms, colleges and have ensured through
word of mouth a steady stream of people through the door.
In February Sigs Gray-Gardner, Huey and Mathewson all
completed their CMSR at Pirbright with the coldest pass off
parade on record! Capt Gandhi will not dispute that fact and
has vowed never to visit Pirbright again…EVER.
In January the Sqn conducted joint CLM and Leadership Trg
with 33 Sqn at Dreghorn, under the control of Lt Will
Whitmore and Sgt Gary McRobbie as part of a new Regtl
joint-trg initiative. Despite blizzard conditions and arctic
weather the soldiers took part in section battle prep, pairs fire
and manoeuvre, patrolling, orders and field admin. The G4
chain was tested and passed with flying colours in providing
hot food and drinks on schedule throughout the weekend!
The CO and SVWO visited to boost morale but soon left for
‘other duties’ in the warm. Well done to the planners, G4,
instructors and soldiers who took part: a weekend to
remember indeed.
Well done to LCpl Galliers, Sig Bird and Sig Mitchell for their
excellent team work at the Corps OSC and helping to bring
back the trophies. There is definitely more to come as we
watch this young team develop their skills in competition.
Thanks to Capt Paul Williams for mentoring and training
these youngsters who have done us proud.
52 (LOWLAND) SUPPORT SQUADRON (V)
OC
SSM
Maj J McNaught
WO2 (SSM) Swan
The Sqn took part in AT in Aviemore this year. Rothiemurchas
was identified as the ideal place to base this training event.
We participated in skiing, snowboarding, and hill walking and
SSgt Alan Forbes was hijacked from 51 Sqn to assist. The
weather turned out to be perfect for the hill walkers but a
little mild for the skiers. Young Sig Karen Thomson loved her
first skiing experience, and is looking forward to taking part in
more! The chefs did their normal sterling job and rustled up a
55
superb meal of steak with wine. A great time was had by all.
delights by Sgt Hendry.
The following day we travelled down to Perth to experience
the city’s Olympic sized swimming pool, with a the fantastic
gym and the sauna suite….only to find that most of the
Sqn members were to be found on the flume. Indeed, WO2
(RCWO) John Wren had to be rescued from the Red Flume
(whale catchment area) after the excitement got a bit too
much for him.
And just so they could prove they are NOT infallible, the LAD’s
SSgt Flook managed to sink the recovery vehicle while prizing
out SSgt Dougie Shakir’s wallet. The Sqn lastly says thanks to
SSgt Shakir, REME PSI who has done an excellent job over
the last 2 years and is now posted on to pastures new.
QM (V) Maj Terry McVey ran the yearly Shooting and Driving
Cadre. The hotspot/training area was Elgin, a long way from
Liverpool, which was their usual haunt. All aspects of driver
training was carried out and great results achieved. MATTS
were also carried out at night by SSgt Gordon Stuart and
WO2 Janie Chisholm.
Recruiting is still our main Sqn focus after support to Ops,
and the number of young potential recruits through the
door is promising. We took part in the Glasgow Surge, and
participated also in the Edinburgh Surge, with our focus on
Summer Challenge. Again, another busy period for the Sqn.
In April the Sqn received a presentation from Glasgow’s
Helping Heroes. This arrangement provided up to date
information to all the soldiers of the support or aid they may
be able to obtain, should it be needed in the future. A very
useful visit.
Members of the Sqn recently took part in some community
engagement at Sgt Brian Hendry’s local Parish Church in
Robroyston, Glasgow. The mission was to level off an area of
ground for a patio so that the Church had an area that
families could use for functions and enjoy during the good
weather, whilst also creating a sense of close community
spirit. The Minister, Jonathon Keefe, was delighted with the
end result and the team were rewarded with some culinary
37th SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS)
REDDITCH
CO
RSM
Lt Col Cairns
WO1(RSM) Paul Maguire
It has been another busy few months for 37 Sig Regt (V). The
past 2 months have seen both communications and military
skills exercises in Sqn locations and on Longmoor Training
area. The Regt is now preparing to start a series of exercises
that will consolidate and improve the trade skills of individual
signallers and detachments before the commencement of Op
OLYMPICS commitments. Thirty four volunteers are being
voluntarily mobilised to join 39 and 71 Sig Regts in the South
of England and a further 62 have volunteered to do shorter
time periods on Military Training Days. This is a testament to
how motivated and keen the TAsoldiers are to have the
opportunity to test and employ their communications skills in
a UK Ops context.
The key elements of the Regt have now completed Ex
HORSESHOE HARNESS, BCIP 5.4 uplift training at Swynnerton
which will be cascaded down over the next 8 months. A
further tranche of soldiers have also gained their Class 3
Communications Systems Operator (V) qualification at Trade
Camp, allowing them to continue to progress in their careers.
It hasn’t been all work and no play. 37SR soldiers have
deployed on Adventurous Training expeditions to Bavaria,
Scotland and the Caribbean over the past 2 months. The St
David’s Day dinner held at Cardiff TAC was also a resounding
success.
56
EXERCISE GLOBAL TROT 3 AT 48 SIG SQN
– by WO2 (SSM) Potts
Ex GLOBAL TROT 3 was intended to train individual Sqns in
their UK Ops role and provide high quality and relevant trg to
soldiers in core comms skills across all our ICS capabilities. It
also served as preparation for the Regtl commitment to the
Olympics. Newcastle-Under-Lyme TAC, the former home of
58 Sig Sqn (V), was selected as the location for the Sqn
exercise. Ironically our current CO, Lt Col Cairns, was a
previous OC of the Sqn which used to make its home there.
Soldiers from the Sqn deployed on Friday evening from their
respective TA centres of Coventry and Birmingham, practicing
movement orders and convoy drills. On arrival we were given
a somewhat lengthy Health and Safety brief by the caretaker
Andy Elson, who was also a H&S Guru in another life (Yawn).
All personnel were then bedded down for the evening.
The next morning the CST, Bowman and Reebok dets were
set up and training commenced. The Reebok training was
expertly overseen by the SPSI Tech SSgt Stanley, Bowman by
Sgt Jones and CST by Cpl Postlewaite. On Saturday there
were visits by the CO, OM, and Regtl Yeoman, who all seemed
suitably impressed. Also visiting was a founding member of
58 Sig Sqn Association, and one time RSM (V), ‘Skip’ Wally.
After his visit a few phone calls saw some more old and bold
ex Signals personnel appear. Our OC, Maj Mayell, took great
pleasure in hosting these guests.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
WO2 (SSM) Kev Potts also taught the Sqn how to conduct
legal person searches. This was in preparation for possible
future commitments to the Olympics. The OC then split the
soldiers into syndicates and after giving them an Olympic
Scenario Brief, tasked them with preparing individual
Detachment Briefings to the rest of the Sqn. This was a good
example of team building, as well as confidence building.
After the evening dismissal parade, there was a ‘re-group’ in
the local ‘all you can eat’ Chinese restaurant. Fortunately
Capt Dewfall had just recovered from his operation to remove
his wallet from his jeans, and managed to buy a round.
Reveille on Sunday morning was slightly later than Saturday
due to Capt Dewfall keeping everyone awake by having a
relapse and demanding some money back for the round he
bought! The Sqn continued with some more briefings and
cross training before packing the Dets away and leaving the
former TAC in a cleaner condition that when we arrived. The
weekend was a great success and will be consolidated on a
future exercise Global Canter.
EXERCISE GLOBAL TROT 3 AT 53 SIG SQN - by Sig Barrett
For Ex GLOBAL TROT 3, 867 Sig Tp (QOWWY) from Stratford
upon Avon in Warwickshire deployed to their SHQ of 53
(W&W) Sig Sqn (V), which is based in Cardiff. We arrived at Ty
Llewellyn on the Friday evening, enjoying some much needed
refreshment in the bar before getting some rest in
preparation for the early start on Saturday.
The weekend’s exercise was designed as a Comms Ex, to
allow Sqn personnel to gain more knowledge on the military
equipment used within the Command Support Terminal and
Bowman Dets. The object of the lessons was to be able to
accurately identify and operate the equipment and serial
numbers in order to complete our IMI checks. For me, a Class
3 CS Op who has only worked on Bowman before, this was
going to be a new experience getting used to all the kit that is
used in the CST/Ops room. I was familiar with some of the
equipment and less familiar with the rest of it. I was also
pleased to learn that we would also be having a refresher on
our how to maintain our Det Folders. Having just been given
the responsibly of Det Comd whilst Cpl Matt Weston is away
on Herrick 16. It’s important for me to know how to maintain
accurate records, and keep our Det folder up to date.
Our first lesson was with the SPSI(T), SSgt Chwieseni. He
went through all the different forms required within the Det
Folders; how to complete receipts & returns, should we need
to exchange a faulty item with Stores. We then went through
the IMI checks, making sure all equipment is accounted for,
within the Det serial number record.
SSgt Chwieseni then went through the types of different kit
used in a CST before deploying us out of the classroom, to
make sure all it was in good serviceable working order. After
all, military equipment is meant to be ‘squaddie proof ‘!! We
were split into groups, and then given the task of checking
the equipment. Airwave radios, BGAN Satellite transceiver,
VTC and Brent phone (Video Telephone Communications,
basically a bit like Skype within the Military). We checked that
the Facsimiles and DII laptops were working correctly. All CST
and Bowman Dets need to be fit for purpose, it’s no use
deploying on Operations if your equipment doesn’t work,
hence it is important to check the equipment regularly.
We were set tasks in order to be able to communicate with
each callsign/group. We each had a problem scenario given to
us, then others had to be able to fault find what was wrong.
After checking the CST equipment worked and all assets were
accounted for, the Bowman Det Commanders then had time
with SSgt Chwieseni to go through checking serial numbers
and correctly identifying some of the more complex bits
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
within the Bowman Det, whilst the others packed the CST
equipment away.
On Saturday evening, everyone retired to the bar for a Charity
Auction to raise money for Help4Heroes. People had donated
a lot of good items, like mountain biking for 2 in the Brecon
Beacons, a day out golfing with the SSM and dinner for 6
people, with the OC as waiter for the evening whilst his wife
kindly preps and cooks a lovely meal for the lucky 6. I’m sure
the Guys from 867 Tp who will be having that meal after
returning from Op Herrick 16 in Oct, will really appreciate that
one, and it will definitely be a welcome change from scoff out
in Theatre! In total over £700 was raised that evening.
Sunday morning was a bit of PT to clear the head and get in a
bit of Phys. The OC decided on a game of Dodge Ball in the
Gym. Having warmed up the muscles, it was then down to
picking the Teams. With Sig Stevens playing, it may well have
been classed as “Battle PT” it was like dodging bullets with
him hurling the ball at you! It was all good fun, and we only
had one man slightly down, SSgt Sammy Lee is losing his
Speed and didn’t dodge quickly enough... Well he is due to
retire from Regular Service shortly…!!! After PT, all the dets
and equipment were turned around and made ready to
deploy before the SQMS, SSgt Ali Nash, got hold of us to do
work for him. It was then time to make our way back to
Stratford and onwards to home and bed.
All in all, it was a good weekend exercise, with some valuable
knowledge passed on during the lessons.
EXERCISE GLOBAL CANTER 3 – by Sig Tom Bird
After a 2 hour mini bus journey and one service pit stop, 36
Sig Sqn arrived at the FOB on Longmoor training area. On
arrival, we were briefed by Regt Ops on what was going to
take place on EX GLOBAL CANTER 3. On the Saturday
morning we took part in a number of lessons which included
FOB Routine taken by Cpl McRae and BCD, which was
explained in a comical but effective way by SSgt Kev Bickford.
At 1400 hrs the exercise began in earnest, we were divided
into 3 multiples - ALPHA, BRAVO and CHARLIE. We went
straight into routine and the 3 multiples set to work. ALPHA
started on FOB security, BRAVO were sent on patrol and
CHARLIE on QRF, each on 6-8 hr shifts. As night fell and so
did the rain, each multiple had a different mission scenario
including intel gathering, ambush and security, with everyone
participating giving 100%.
The exercise came to an end with an assault on the FOB and
all the guys and girls suffering from lack of sleep and very
damp clothing! The whole weekend from start to finish was
fantastic! Everyone gave an outstanding effort in poor
weather conditions. Thank you to all the staff that put the
weekend together.
SUPPORT TO EXERCISE OLYMPIC STAFF 2
Ex OLYMPIC STAFF 2 took place at Standing Joint Command
(Olympics) (SJC(O)) in Andover 26 – 29 Mar 12. 37 Sig Regt
(V) provided support in several capacities to this ex. The
57
REEBOK detachment deployed to Andover with several
members of regular staff and provided the CIS capability for
the LOCON and EXCON elements to make the ex as realistic as
possible for the exercising HQ. Additionally, the Ops Offr
participated as the JFCIS (Olympics) LO to SJC, which proved
to be a very enlightening experience.
EXERCISE LIGHTNING STRIKE – 24 - 26 FEB 2012 – by Sig Liz Iles
Following an early start on Friday for the journey to Blandford
and the hard work setting up the stand, we were ready for
the OCdts to arrive on Saturday morning to be put through
their paces handling messages in a mock-up of a Command
Support Team det; although with only pictures of the kit as
the OCdts could not be trusted not to break the kit, even by
accident! Given that this was also a Six Nations rugby
weekend, the teams were also greeted by 2 Welsh flags.
under pressure with competitions in Archery, Crossbows and
Go-Karts. Capt Bruce Scott, the adjutant, managed to come
first in the Archery and the Go-Karting but was defeated by
Capt Martin Smith, Capt Steve White and SSgt Matt Taylor
who all gained first place.
The day finished with a visit to the Commandery Museum in
Worcester, which was the Royalist’s Army Headquarters
during the final battle of the Civil War. The event succeeded
in its aim by allowing the CO to assess her Permanent Staff
and decide that the only person who can deliver while under
pressure is Capt Bruce Scott. Many thanks must be given to
the MTWO for organising and running the event.
Overall the stand was well received. Each group was greeted
with a talk about the Regt from the OC, Maj Matt Longcake,
and then a brief on the task by Sgt Rachel Prosser. Differing
from other units we presented the teams with a mental,
rather than physical challenge, testing how well the OCdts
would react under the pressure of time and exhaustion
following other tasks. After a very brief introduction to Joint
Message Handling, teams were handed a bundle of messages
to prioritise and determine the most appropriate method of
transmission. As a group we found it interesting how every
group seemed to approach the task differently, with varying
degrees of success. Quote of the day went to the following:
Team member: “Tom, I don’t really understand what
I’m supposed to do with this” (indicating to the
message in his hand)
Team Captain: “Neither am I, just do what you can!”
The end of the day saw all the teams compete in a race
devised by the recently arrived Regular Troop Commanders’
course students. This involved much use of improvised
obstacles and culminated in a recreation of the activities at
Pegasus Bridge, as captured in the Corps painting “Go to it!”
although we were slightly distracted by the rugby on the
radio at this point. The OCdts then attended a formal dinner
in the Corps HQ Officers’ Mess, to which the various stand
OCs were invited. The rest of us headed out in to town for
our own entertainment.
The weekend was a great success, helped greatly by the
fabulous weather but it couldn’t have been done without the
team: Maj Matt Longcake, SSgt Tim Haughton, Sgt Rachel
Prosser, Cpl Nic Carter, Sig Liz Iles, Sig Adi Sims and Sig
Rebecca Abrahams.
COMMANDING OFFICER’S UPDATE AND OFFR/SNCO
DEVELOPMENT TRAINING 28-29 MAR 12
Lt Col Dominique Cairns, our new CO, tasked WO2 (MTWO)
Paul Fowler to run a development day for the Permanent
Staff, so that she could view their talents and ability to deliver
when under pressure.
Set in the beautiful River Wye Valley, a short but steep
navigation task was carried out. Fantastic planning by the
MTWO allowed it to start and finish at an Inn on the banks of
the river. A dinner was held in the Riverside Hotel,
Monmouth with the size of the group tasked the Hotel’s G4
ability. Dinner was brought forward to 1930hrs but did not
arrive until 2130hrs as they had to go out and kill some cows
to feed the Army. However this allowed the CO to get to
know her Permanent Staff much more.
The next day concentrated on the ability to deliver when
58
ST. DAVIDS DAY DINNER 2012
On Saturday 3 March, 53 (Wales & West) Sig Sqn held its
annual St. David’ Day Dinner. Coinciding with the new CO’s
Dining in, the Dinner was attended by the Officers, Warrant
Officers and SNCOs of the Regt as well as official guests and
ex mess members of 53 Sqn. Over the years, this much
anticipated event has become the night everyone wants to
attend. With its traditional Welsh fare and flair, the festivities
and entertainment last into the small hours.
The evening began with all those assembled being ‘Piped’ into
dinner by ‘Welsh Pipers’ before SSgt Sammy Lee said Grace in
Welsh (not the finest rendition by a non Welsh Speaker but a
good effort nether the less). After this, the evening seemed
to flow around the seven course meal, the menu of which was
entirely of Welsh ingredients. It is at this point I must thank
all those who helped with the setting up and running of the
event including the Chefs and those who were waiting on for
us, for making our evening truly magnificent.
The highlights of the entertainment were the 60 piece
Bridgend male voice choir who wooed us with there
enchanting tones and the Royal Welsh Regtl band who really
did dazzle us with their military music – in particular ‘When
the saints come marching in’ where they broke out of
formation and jauntily walked and played amongst the diners.
Not so well received by all were the Welsh Factoids – read out
at intervals by our PSAO and Master of Ceremonies Capt
Andrew Rance, where the main focus was on Wales beating
England at Rugby the previous weekend.That forgotten, the
main event was the ‘Leek Eating Ceremony’ in which soldiers
who had not been to a prior event were made to eat a leek
and drink a goblet of ale/water in the name of Saint David.
After being marched into position and to the sound of the
drums, participants were cheered on by the rest of us to be
the first to finish. All those completing the challenge were
awarded the much sought after ’Be you Welsh or Stranger’
certificate that gets you out of doing it next year. The
function concluded with the majority retiring to the bar for a
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
sing-a-long and the end of what was a very successful St
David’s Day Dinner. We look forward to next year’s event. A
Dewi Sant to all of you.
36 SIGNAL SQUADRON ANNUAL DINNER
On Saturday 25 February 2012, 36 (E) Sig Sqn held its first all
ranks Annual Dinner at Colchester TA Centre with guests
including Col Bernhard Kempf (LKdoW), Lt Col Jackie Allan,
WO Thomas Franck (LKdoW) and WO Herman Franz
(LKdoW). It was used as an opportunity to dine out the
previous OC, Maj Stuart Rowson and Lt Michael Chapman,
who sadly has decided to leave the TA after over 9 years’
service. Both were presented with gifts from the Regt and
Sqn. A number of presentations were made to the officers
and soldiers of the Sqn, these were:
planting the fronts of my skis into the deep snow whilst
remaining attached to the bindings.
On the coach journey back to Aldershot I contemplated how
fortunate we’d been with the weather, fresh snow on arrival,
sunny most days, a couple cloudy, and one day difficult to see
in the falling snow. We lost only one member of the exercise;
an instructor who landed hard and broke his shoulder. Food
and accommodation was also excellent throughout. I made
significant progress in my skiing ability and was challenged
both mentally and physically whilst operating outside of my
comfort zone – exactly what AT is all about. The camaraderie
was fantastic and I have to thank Dan from the Para Regt for
noticing the slight facial resemblance (particularly back of
head!) to the well-known Bavarian, Arnie, so ‘Hasta la Piste’a
baby’. I’ll be back…for ExDRAGON GROUSE II.
Best Subaltern – Lt Sarah Earl
Best Sports person – LCpl Becky Barwell
Best Tradesman – LCpl ‘C-T’ Crompton-Taylor
Best Soldier – Sig Andrew Welsh
An enjoyable evening which was made possible thanks to the
hard work of the PSAO, Capt Steve White, SSM, WO2 Tara
Pun and LCpl Wright in preparing for the function and
ensuring its smooth running.
EXERCISE SNOW WARRIOR – by Sig John Stephens
Ten days of Bavarian ski adventure training began on a crisp
evening in Aldershot. We crossed under the English Channel
and drove through the night to arrive to snow at the Haus
Magnus lodge centred in a typical pretty Bavarian village.
Following initial briefs, as the only representative from the TA
in the AT Joint Forces ex, I realised there wasn’t a familiar
face in the conservatory dining room. Furthermore, based on
a school trip 27 years ago, I was placed in SF-2 for trainees
with experience. I was grateful for the top-drawer
roommates Matty Herbert (Engr), Dan Williams (Int) and Jim
Ruff and our top floor Alpine room with a village view.
Measured up and kitted out in what some said were pretty
decent skis, we had boots, sticks, goggles, gloves, helmet,
rucksack, flask, skins, ski-pass and rescue- bleeper, shovel and
probes. As my roommates quickly noted, I’d also brought
plenty of kit including a decent medical kit bag, tools, clothes
and push-up handles which were widely appreciated. The
morning brought the daily routine for the next 10 days of
preparing our own packed lunches, eating breakfast, dressing
and boarding the coach with skis for 08:30. A 15 minute drive
and a short walk later and our skis were on and my group of 6
were at the end of a blue run for some snow ploughs under
tuition. I learnt more in one day than the whole of that ‘very
long time ago’ week and significantly improved skis helped, I
was definitely better. I stayed on my skis throughout day 1
and fell over only once on day 2. It was then decided that I’d
benefit from intensive practice with an SF-1 (beginner) group.
Day 3 therefore seemed like a repeat of Day 1 but taking to
the top of the blue run which I’d tackled previously with
considerable trepidation seemed more approachable. By the
following day I’d taken the leap-of-faith, parallel turning whilst
keeping body weight forward down the hill, I remember
Dave’s words, “don’t lean back, the mountain won’t save
you”.
The second phase of 5 days included off-piste skiing and cross
country which didn’t involve uphill ascent. A few of us may
have been a little disappointed that time had run out for the
downhill phase but we came to relish tackling the blue slopes
from a different angle. We had great fun going down the
hillocky and only black type run and I seemed destined to
finish first, until I was thrown into an involuntary somersault;
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
EXERCISE CARIBBEAN WINGS - by SSgt Milton
Ex CARIBBEAN WINGS is a Joint Services Adventurous Sail
Training Centre (JSASTC) exercise that started in September 11
and finishes in June 12. HMSTC Discoverer, a Challenge 67 Sail
Training Craft deployed from Gosport, sailing to the Caribbean
via the Canary Islands and returns via the east coast of the
USA and the Arctic Circle. The ex consists of 15 legs where
you can join at various locations for 2-3 weeks enroute. The
aim is to develop the personal qualities essential to members
of the Armed Forces, through adventurous sailing in the
service environment by enhancing character, leadership
qualities and team working skills of crews by operating in an
arduous and potentially dangerous offshore sailing
environment. That is the text book answer and I also had
other reasons for
volunteering!!
Myself and WO2 (RQMS)
Robertson were part of the
crew on a leg based out of
St Thomas in the American
Virgin Islands. The crew
consisted of the JSASTC
Skipper and 13 volunteers
from the 3 services with
various sailing experience.
We even had a RN
Commander whose
experience Robbo thought
would prove beneficial. He
ended up slightly
disappointed when the
Comd was sea sick all over
him during a night sail.
59
We set sail from St Thomas with the plan of sailing the main
distance in week one so we could do more Island hopping in
week 2. After 4 days at sea with only the odd anchor stop to
view some land, the “arduous sailing environment” soon
became reality. There was sea sickness, alcohol withdrawal
symptoms, catering mishaps amongst many other new
experiences during this period, however, our sailing skills
rapidly improved.
We finally landed on St Kitts in time for my birthday
celebrations where my fresh Lobster, compliments of the
house, soon made it all worthwhile. We had intended to sail
to Antigua, but after the long 4 days on the boat and the
threat of another long haul, the crew soon agreed to head
back towards the Virgin Islands. After a sail past view of St
Barts, we then started the Island hopping phase, visiting
Islands such as Tortola and Jost Van Dyke, more accustomed
to the rich and famous. We sailed past Richard Branson’s
Neckar Island but knowing that his Villa had recently been
destroyed by fire decided not to call in. The big cruise liners
were a rare sight and most of the Islands we went to were
postcard views and tranquil. Although the night life was quiet
we had some eventful nights particularly in the Bitter End
Yacht club where we met up with an Ex Royal Fleet
Commander, now a Pilot for BA, who was delighted to join in
with our singing.
The second week went
too quickly and we
reluctantly arrived back
in St Thomas, both sea
hardened and sun
tanned to start the boat
turn around chores. We
were treated by the
Marina Owners to a free
BBQ and beers, so were
broken back into reality
gradually before the
journey back. It had
been a great experience
with several life long
memories to take away.
The Caribbean sailing
exercises take place
every year, along with other sailing Exercises to different
parts of the world. All the information can be found on www.
jsastc.co.uk and it is certainly worth looking up!
EXERCISE DRAGON’S GROUSE
The preceding weeks had seen the highest temperatures for
this time of year in Scotland since Victorian times; something
which did not bode well for our ski touring Exercise! “The
hunt for snow” began with the convergence of members of
37SR at RHQ, Redditch for the 9hr journey to Feshiebridge
Lodge, Aviemore. Day One began at the Cairngorm ski area
with a recce on foot to assess the (complete lack of) snow. It
also gave us a chance to practice our navigation, with a
distance estimation miscalculation from LCpl Wong which
would have involved a vertical flight of 300m.
Day Two saw us travel south across the Highlands to the
Nevis range in a final bid to ski. Skis strapped to bergans,
avalanche probes and transceivers at the ready we left the
staff at the bottom Gondola Station in fits of laughter. The
laugh was on them because our intrepid expedition leader,
SSgt Abbot, expertly guided us through the thick layers of
heather upwards to the holy grail - “SNOW”. All be it small in
area, it offered a variety of training opportunities. Our tuition
included ice axe arrests, walking uphill on skis with skins and
the “pizza and chips” downhill technique. LCpl Wong soon
learnt that it was easier to get the skins to stick once he had
60
Ben MacDui
removed the backing paper. Following a “short” downhill
shuffle back to the Gondola, SSgt Haughton gave the lift
attendant more work than he had seen in weeks by trapping
the straps of his rucksack in the Gondola door bringing the
whole system to a grinding halt.
Skiing abandoned, the next 2 days saw us undertake an
overnight expedition on foot deep into the Cairngorms.
Rising up and up we navigated through the Chalamain Gap
clambering over boulders and rocks towards a well deserved
lunch break at Lurcher’s Crag. Our route then took us
onwards and yet again upwards towards the Ben Macdui peak
at 1309Mtrs. All suitably disturbed by the stories of the “Grey
Man” of Ben Macdui we rose above the clouds into fantastic
late afternoon sun. The shore of Loch Etchachan was a
picturesque location for our overnight stay. Our return trek
took us across a dangerous steep snow field where we
learned the safe way to cross using a 2 man Belay line. The
final descent was a real test with tired legs and thigh deep
heather. LCpl Selvey had enough of roughing it and took an
unscheduled wash in a mountain stream.
Day Five saw a chance to rest the shoulders and blisters with
mountain biking in the local area and on day 6 a student-led
shorter trek. On day 7 we headed home, tired but happy after
a demanding and stimulating week of training.
WOMEN’S CORPS AND ARMY RUGBY - by Sig Abrahams
This season I had the chance to play Signals and Army rugby.
Being the only TA member it seemed a bit more of a
challenge, however I was accepted into the team and treated
no differently. For Royal Signals we had a lot of new players
that had never played before. After training, teaching and
practice, the girls gained skills and learned the rules. We had
a good season in terms of becoming friends, learning drills etc
but it was also good on the pitch. We won our last game
against the AMS which was a really good boost and incentive
for people to come back next season. Army rugby training
seemed really hard at times, especially when Gibbo our PTI
would give us micro death sessions that lasted for about 10
minutes but they all paid off in the end and we won a number
of games. This season for Army rugby I got to play against
the likes of Scotland, Newbury and Cardiff Quins. Sadly a few
games such as Holland were cancelled due to weather.
Despite only training for 2 days before a game we learnt each
other’s names and playing ability very quickly. I think the
team this season has really gelled together becoming a strong
unit which will go and compete in Australia this May.
Are you leaving the Regular Army in the near future?
Have you given any thought to a career with the
Reserves? 37 Signal Regiment (Volunteers) serves a
wide geographical area and has vacancies for both
officers and soldiers. For further information, please
contact the ROSO, Capt Andy Barnard on 01527
599328 or [email protected]
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
38th (STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS)
SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS)
SHEFFIELD
CO
RSM
Lt Col S A Smith
WO1(RSM) S Hook
UPDATE FROM RHQ
The Regt has successfully uplifted its BOWMAN fleet to BCiP
5.4.2 and has been busy completing Regtl and sub unit
exercises as part of its preparation for future taskings. Since
the last edition of The Wire the Regt has welcomed a new Ops
Maj, Maj Pete Griffiths, and said farewell to SPSI 1 Sig Sqn
SSgt Coxon on retirement.
2 (CITY OF DUNDEE & HIGHLAND) SIGNAL SQUADRON
(VOLUNTEERS)
OC SSM
Maj J Stillie
WO2 Honeyman
PERMANENT STAFF CULTURAL VISIT – EDINBURGH CASTLE
01 MAR 12
With the Sqn OC, Maj Jim Stillie, forever dropping hints about
when the next Permanent Staff day out is, sorry cultural visit,
all eyes fell on the new LAD PSI, WO2 Birrell. So what is the
first thing you do? Try and find somewhere close to your
home location, so as WO2 Birrell had settled in Edinburgh he
had a great starter for a location. All that was left to do was
to fill in the blanks and BOOK the venue….something that has
never been forgotten by our resident PSI (T) SSgt Don
Brennan for one of the permanent staff days out, which
appeared to be double booked.
duties, kicked off with the traditional praises and then to the
farewell of Sgt Charlie Sylvester from the TA. He gave several
truthful accounts of Sgt Sylvester’s TA career before handing
over to Charlie for his reply. His TA days may be over but he
won’t be forgotten as he is our civilian fitter.
After the meal and refreshments in the mess it was time to
leave the Castle and head into Edinburgh to sample more of
the cities culture, which we found aplenty along the Royal
Mile. After several samples we were herded back onto the
transport and then courtesy of the 2IC, Capt ‘Davy’ Crockett,
who apparently has a very good working knowledge of fast
food outlets globally, directed (from the back seat) the driver,
2LT Abby Crockett, to the best ‘chipper’ in Edinburgh. The
resounding greeting of ‘Usual Davy’ from the shop staff, the
best ‘chipper’ in Edinburgh lived up to its reputation.
Great day out away from the office and thanks go to our
guide WO2 Jim Birrell.
41 PRINCESS LOUISE’S KENSINGTON) SIGNAL SQUADRON
(VOLUNTEERS)
OC
SSM
Maj T Bennett
WO2 May
EXERCISE KENSINGTON SHARPSHOOTER 2012 (1)
- by Sig Searle
After a surprisingly quick drive down to the south coast on
the evening of Friday 17 February, some basic admin and a
quick sleep, 41 (PLK) Sig Sqn (V) had deployed to Lydd Ranges
to take part in Ex KENSINGTON SHARPSHOOTER 2012 (1).
There were 4 trophies up for grabs, best shot for LF5, Night
Shoot, LF9 and the ACMT (BCC). The RCO for the weekend
was SSgt (SPSI) Andy Williams, Safety Supervisors: SSgt Colin
Anderson, Sgt Cory Pennicott and Sgt Kev Bedwell. Also as
background activity throughout the weekend, Capt Dave
Alleyne and Cpl Nick Peare delivered the C-IED uplift package.
Saturday morning began with Grouping and Zeroing, on what
many of us believe to be the windiest range in the country .
Despite this everyone persisted and managed to successfully
zero their personal weapons. There were some excellent
results, especially as, at MATT level 2, we tend to fire LF3.
On the remparts of Edinburgh Castle
With venue booked, ‘The Castle Club’ within Edinburgh Castle,
menu sorted and attendance confirmed all that was left was
get there, with the Sqn spread out from Aberdeen to Dundee
the main body left Dundee for Edinburgh. We arrived at
midday and were met at the main gate by our guide for the
day, WO2 Jim Birrell, less the umbrella and slogans such as,
“Follow Me”. He then directed us to the main parapet to
where a picture had been organised to be taken in front of
the 105mm Light Gun. This however proved to be a PR issue,
as soon as we had our photo taken the member of Permanent
Staff from the Castle was taken under siege by a coach full of
Japanese tourists also wanting the same opportunity. To the
call of “Follow Me” we escaped the Japanese Tourists and
entered the depths of the castle commonly known as the
Castle Club, a venue for military personnel only.
The OC Sqn, never one to shrug his Master of ceremonies
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
41 Sig Sqn’s Sharp Shooters
61
Whilst this was going on the other group were being put
through their paces on the C-IED range. This involved fingertip searching, which in the wet sand was a dirty and difficult
job. Also training on the use of VALON was delivered, which
then allowed us to carry out correct patrolling skills whilst
conducting OP BARMA. This brought home how difficult a
job it is, particularly if you were doing it on operations with
full kit, in stifling heat without a good nights sleep and small
arms fire to contend with.
Nightfall came and after the Night Shoot briefings and
rehearsals we were crammed into the Range Wardens hut for
some surprisingly good range stew and cake, washed down
with lashings of ‘cofftea’, ably served by SSgt (SQMS) Andy
Kermode and SSgt Colin Anderson. As dusk drew closer we
were herded like sheep into our pens that we were to remain
in until collected and moved to the firing point. Once at the
firing point Sgt Cory Pennicott, who I imagine drew the short
straw, ran down to the targets and with a torch allowed the
firers to identify their targets. Luckily for us by this point the
sideways rain and howling wind which had been with us for
most of the day had subsided. Two details fired and were
quickly cleared off the range, packed into the transport and
driven off the area for the welcome warmth of the
accommodation, not to mention hot showers.
Sunday morning and after the full traditional breakfast we
were back on the ranges for more shooting and C-IED
training. This time LF9 the ACMT (BCC) and the theory with
regards C-IED, which included videos and discussions on the
topic. SGT Kev ‘I don’t do no cold’ Bedwell was in the
console recording the ‘scores on the doors’. The ACMT is a
much more enjoyable shoot because it allows us to test our
skills firing from various positions and ranges, simulating
closing in on an enemy position, which meant taking wind into
effect, especially at Lydd where the Miss Drill is employed
more than at any other range.
Once shooting had ceased and after the usual post range
brass collection/NSPs, 41 Sig Sqn (V) 2 IC Capt Euan McLeod
ably assisted by SSgt (SPSI) Andy Williams conducted the
prize giving to the following for their top shots:
LF5 – LCpl Finnegan
Night Shoot, LF9, ACMT (BCC) – Sig Searle
Overall the weekend was a huge success, lessons were learnt,
skills were refreshed and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all who
attended. Those personnel who failed to attend should, quite
rightly, be kicking themselves; however, with Ex KENSINGTON
SHARP SHOOTER 2012 (2) already in the planning, the
gauntlet has been thrown down!!!
46 (HALLAMSHIRE) SUPPORT SQUADRON (VOLUNTEERS)
OC
SSM
Maj T Ward
WO2 (SSM) Medley
EXERCISE STEEL FROLIC 20 – 22 APRIL 12 - by Capt J Walshe
A new training year and the beginning of STEEL Exercises;
FROLIC, TROT, CANTER and GALLOP. Due to operational
needs the location was changed from Rugby to Sheffield.
Each Sqn was split into relevant trades and Sqns to carry out
different types of development training consisting of Watch
Keeping, Command Post, Medic, Radios, and REME. Saturday
dawned bright and early as what seemed like the entire
population of Sheffield dashed for the ablutions. After
breakfast the training started.
The watch keeping lessons started with some of the Senior
members from 46 Sp Sqn, delivering lessons on how to set up
a CP, Regtl Echelon and cover the roles and responsibilities of
62
a Watch Keeper. In the afternoon the Sqn set up a CP/Ech
and relayed messages to each other detailing varying reports.
The Regt’s medics were tasked prior to the Ex to research a
variety of areas in their trade and produce a presentation and
programme that would refresh and educate the whole of the
medic cohort. From Pte to SNCO, everyone learnt something
new and gave Medic instructors an opportunity to improve
their confidence delivering lessons to a sizable audience.
Areas covered included cannulating, using rubber arm,
equipment care and maintenance, and a horough revision of
the PULHHEEMS system.
SSgt Bedford doing her impersonation of a drip stand,
instructing Ptes Mercer and Turner
There was also the opportunity to tie in with one of the other
Sqns, 64 Sig Sqn, and train on the newly adopted BOWMAN
equipment, learning how to operate it and, more importantly,
from a Sp Sqn perspective, get involved in the power
management aspect of a BOWMAN detachment.
The LAD’s priority was organising a charity raffle in aid of the
Army Benevolent Fund. They spent the weekend familiarising
themselves with the recently acquired Man SV, and good old
DAFs and minibus (both variants). This also provided an ideal
opportunity to complete the soldiers 3–2 trade books. With
each instructor having a vehicle to themselves training moved
swiftly from theory to securing loads, to changing a tyre to
engine components and finally the practical. After a smooth
day’s training the necessary paperwork was completed and
the LAD got some deserved rest ahead of the visit from SO1
ES Theatre Troops (V), Lt Col Quinn.
A variety of other events took place, which included a charity
rafle run by the LAD in aid of the ABF, mandatory PT lessons,
guard duties, weapon cleaning, evening activities to keep
the troops entertained, to name but a few. Overall, it was an
enjoyable weekend enjoyed by all who attended.
64 (CITY OF SHEFFIELD) SIGNAL SQUADRON (VOLUNTEERS)
OC
SSM
Maj S McHenery
WO2 Ross
EXERCISE STEEL LEADER - by Cpl James NS
Due to the insurgent activity in the Exercise specific Nation of
Wutonia, 38 Sig Regt sent a recce platoon from 64 Sig Sqn
with a capability gap plugged by elements of 1 and 46 Sig
Sqns to the Yardley Chase Training Area. As part of the build
up to the March CLM at Blandford the Sqn has since the start
of the year carried out beat up training for all personnel who
hoped to attend and give an idea of what is required to those
who are looking to attend in the future.
We flew down in the “Herc” Coaches and after landing were
greeted at the admin area by the SQMS SSgt Ingram and SPSI
SSgt Bancroft with ammunition and BFA.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Members of 64 Sig Sqn ‘Bombing-up in a building of opportunity
After the issue of radios and ammunition we moved out under
the cover of darkness only the “Merlin helicopters”
commonly known as LDV vans had been commandeered by
the Shooting Team, and so with a few badly packed bags and
no moon we made slow progress. An anxious OC, Cpl Ed
Beer, and Tp Sgt, Cpl Phil Monk, pushed the platoon with
frequent stops and encouragement over the PRRs.
Unfortunately the cattle grid got the best Pte Lisa Stevens.
At the harbour area troops conducted various duties; laying
flares, sorting guard rosters and then quickly assuming
routine, especially the Command element. However, the
“Dentonian” DS had other plans, tripping nearly all the flares
and engaging our Sangers with small arms fire before running
off. After the QRF had cleared the area and 2 sections and I
reset the flares an uneventful morning passed. SPSI SSgt
Mickey Piper issued a new set of orders for the morning’s
task and did a change of command. I was moved to Tp Sgt
and Cpl Mike Williams as Tp OC. The 3 section commanders
planned their tasks and issued orders to their troops, who
were busy in either in routine or performing guard duties.
At sunset the troops prepared for their tasks. 1 and 2 Sections
moved out to conduct an ambush with Sigs Mellon and Larkin
somehow perfectly setting the flare up and then off. Section
3 and I, under command of Cpl O’Driscall, set off to recce a
bunker at the northern extent of our AO, taking the long
route out. To avoid the ambush we crossed the training area
and moved into the ERV to the east which we later found was
in a Mine Field. The enemy, as we suspected, had typical light
and noise discipline issues; however, they nearly caught Sig
Proctor. We returned to the harbour location as the noise
and light demo of the ambush gave us some cover issues.
The DS arrived to take our recce report and Sig Adam Argile
our Dysentery casualty, leaving a resupply of ammunition,
pyrotechnics and water. No sooner had they left then the
Cpl James, it needs the power turning on!
first perimeter flare was tripped and a very courageous attack
ensued by the Dentoian’s Insurgents. The QRF counter
attacked and a small patrol manoeuvred through the woods;
however, as the patrol approached the road Sig Larkin
uttered the famous word “I show you where the ...” as he set
off the flare. A voice came over the radio “is that you?” To
which I replied “Yes .... And that one too!” As Sig Larkin set
off a second! With our Harbour location compromised we
had to move out to the ERV the move was not arduous but it
was hard going with no light and an amazing amount of fallen
trees across made spongy and slippery by the days rain.
It was an uncomfortable night sleep as the temperature
dropped to minus 5 and frost covered everything. Waking a
0600hrs the troops moved in to position, 2 sections behind a
gravel mound in fire support and 1 and 3 sections just down
the road awaiting the return of the Sqn Medic Cpl Chrissy
McMullen. As the sun rose Cpl O’Driscall spread his troops
across the road forming the NATO T ready to advance.
Storming the bunker complex was the easy bit, however the
DS enemy had a nice surprise waiting and simulated Mortar
round fell on us. Stopping the troops from rushing out into all
round defence we quickly left the location in an orderly
fashion back to the ERV, and then we set off on a show of
strength clearance patrol. What seemed like a never ending
morning was made up for by an all you can eat brunch.
After returning stores and weapon cleaning there was a small
presentation to LCpl Ben Evens for the best Soldier of the
weekend. We all wish the 3 section commanders the best of
luck on their forthcoming course.
39th (SKINNERS) SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS)
BRISTOL
CO
RSM
Lt Col D M Sharkey
WO1 (RSM) D Lythe
The Regt would like to welcome several new members of
permanent staff in to the fold - Maj Neil Fisher has recently
taken over as the Ops Maj and WO2 (YofS) Guy Davies is our
new Regtl Yeoman. At the same time, we would like to say
farewell to Maj Nige Humphries and WO1 (RSM) Daz Lythe
who are both off to pastures new on ‘civvi street’. All the
very best from all ranks of 39 Sig Regt (V) - thank you both for
your hard work and commitment.
We would also like to congratulate the CO, Lt Sharkey, and his
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
wife on the birth of their daughter, Jessica (even if she was
late for parade!).
56 SIGNAL SQUADRON - EASTBOURNE
OC
SSM Maj K M Francis
WO2 (SSM) G Windham
56 Sig Sqn was honoured with the visit of our Sqn Col, Maj Ge
Moore-Bicke CBE, DL, who presented Sgts Richard Bonner
and Eric Gardyne with their Long Term Service Medal and
clasp, and LCpl Nicola Walker with her Long Term Service
Medal.
63
The Squadron Colonel with the OC and Medal Recipients
The Sqn has exploded with recruits in recent months, and the
Sqn Col was keen to announce that 56 Sig Sqn had been
especially singled out for praise by the SOinC (A) in regards to
our successful recruiting drive. To that end 859 Tp has now
welcomed Sigs Mark Hill, Jack Macey, James Packer, Thomas
Page, Kahing Wan and Adam Wilmshurst into the Radio Tp.
Due to the increased numbers Recruit Tp is grateful to see the
return of Sgt Paul Hawes who is now in post as Recruit Tp
Training Sgt along with Cpl Ben Bracken who recently
successfully passed his JCLM.
WO2 Steve Howell has now officially completed his last
parade night at the Sqn after serving 38 years in the Army of
which 17 have been with 56 Sig Sqn. WO2 Howell has been
the Sqn and Regtl Master Chef for many years, and we are
glad to say he is not leaving the Sqn entirely, he is instead
staying on to run the bar.
The Sqn has been actively involved with external units over
the past few months. 5 Sqn members assisted 299 Sig Sqn on
their riot exercise in Hythe, playing enemy of the weekend –
any excuse to throw bricks people! And 3 members of the
First Aid Nursing Yeomany joined the Sqn on Ex MARTELLO
MARKSMAN, the Sqn pistol-shooting day at Pirbright Ranges.
EXERCISE MARTELLO MARKSMAN - by Cpl Millen
It was the second time this month that I was RCO for the Sqn,
yet this weekend was something of an unknown….the Sqn
were firing the Sig Sauer pistol, the pressure was on, as most
of the soldiers and officers had never fired this particular
weapon system before.
Having eventually found the right range (time spent in
reconnaissance!) myself and the range staff hastily set up,
then I set about briefing the
soldiers/officers and
attachments from the First Aid
Nursing Yeomanry (FANY).
The pace was slow to begin
with and carried out in a
relaxed manner to stem the
nerves and inspire confidence
in the more junior members of
the Sqn and to enable the
details to familiarise
themselves with the weapon,
but later on in the afternoon
the targets certainly looked
worse for ware!!
Sig Edmonds checks the target
By 1400 hours we still had over 2000 of the 5000 rounds left
and time was ticking – definitely time for the advance to
contact! This particular shoot showcased Sqn personnel’s
high standard of weapon handling skills as well as their ability
to apply the marksmanship principles whilst adding plenty of
adrenaline, which ended up with huge grins of satisfaction on
the firers faces. Happy days!
All in all this was a really good experience for the personnel
taking part and as RCO I would like to thank the range
supporting staff who carried out various responsibilities: SSgt
Mills, Sgt Holding, Cpl Goodchild, Cpl Smith, Sig Jarmin and
the members of 56 who participated.
SUPPORT TO 299 SIG SQN (SC) - by LCpl Taylor
56 Sig Sqn (V) were recently asked if we could again provide
assistance to 299 Sig Sqn (SC) on a training exercise they
were running. 56 Sig Sqn (V) has helped 299 Sig Sqn quite a
few times in recent years. During the weekend of 10 - 12 Feb
2012 4 members of 859 Tp (myself and Sigs Ben Carson,
Richard McClarence and Chris Platt) along with Cpl Justin
Goodchild (63 Sig Sqn (V)) deployed to Rype Village (OBUA
Trg Area) at Lydd Training Camp to assist 299 Sig Sqn (SC)
with one of their 3 bespoke PDT packages that they run
during each training year.
During the exercise we were required to act as armed hostile
enemy forces during a series of training serials. It was a great
challenge to get stuck in and make the training as realistic as
possible. We also had the chance to use the Marker Rounds
Training System (MRTS) and L108 distraction grenades as well
as the Gloch17 pistol, the MP5 and the DeMarco C7 Assault
Rifle. We were given excellent training from the DS on these
weapon systems which myself and the team from 56 Sig Sqn
(V) found very useful. This exercise was a great experience
for us all and has gone a long way in helping to further
strengthen our co-operative relationship with 299 Sig Sqn.
57 (CITY AND COUNTY OF BRISTOL) SIGNAL SQUADRON BRISTOL
OC
SSM
Maj P Rodenhurst
WO2 (SSM) R Sharp
Training towards our role supporting the Olympics and
Paralympics in the summer is well underway. In February we
carried out Sqn level comms training around the TAC during
the Regtl recruiting open day, deploying BOWMAN and
REEBOK onto Horfield Common as well as providing troops
for many other demonstration stands in the TAC. Despite
bitterly cold weather we managed to carry out some valuable
refresher training for sqn personnel. We have also
significantly increased the amount of comms training on drill
nights to prepare for summer.
Maj Francis Shows his aggressive side
64
The Sqn has said farewell to Sgt Ali MacGilp who has decided
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
to leave the TA after 15 years and spend more time with his
young family. He says it will be “for good” this time and we
wish him all the best. Sig Bayntun has also decided to leave
the TA due to work commitments after a short but very
valued career in the Sqn. On a happier note we welcome LCpl
Doherty re-enlisting after regular service, his BOWMAN ninja
skills are a very welcome addition to the squadron.
CO’S CUP WEEKEND 9-11 MARCH – by LCpl Simon Hartfield
Every year the Sqns compete for CO’s cup, and we have a
long tradition of success in this military skills competition.
Representing the Sqn this year were SSgt (YofS) Humphries,
Sgt Downs, Sgt Hyde, LCpl Hartfield, LCpl Morris, Sig
Saunders, Sig Herniman and Sig Camm. The weekend
consisted of a patrol based competition on Aldershot training
area. We arrived Friday evening and tabbed to our harbour
area to get some sleep before the first stand the next day.
On Saturday we did a round robin of stands tabbing between
them carrying all of the kit we would need for the weekend.
The stands were: Foreign Weapons, where we patrolled to a
safe house guided by a member of a friendly militia stand, and
then had to assemble foreign weapons including AK’s and
SLRs; CBRN, covering chemical survey which happily involved
no CS gas, a BCDT stand where we needed to treat and
extract 3 casualties after a mortar attack; minefield clearance,
where having got half way through we then had to extract a
casualty while under fire; CIED, with useful hands on the
Vallon detection equipment and practise of VP360. There was
also an observation stand, apparently based on an MI
aptitude test, where you watched a car journey shown on
PowerPoint and had to follow the car’s progress on an OS
map and give the grid reference of the vehicle at certain
points, with some bonus points for questions about things
that featured in the video. On Saturday night we were tasked
to man an observation post for 4 hours and produce a patrol
report detailed what we had discovered.
For my section, Sunday morning was the physical part of the
weekend, starting with “Pegasus’ Revenge”, a 22 minute log
run with burdens and plenty of hills, and then onto the
section attack stand. Finally all the teams moved to the CP to
discover how well we had performed on the different stands,
and who had scored highest.
It was announced that 57 Sig Sqn had emerged triumphant,
beating our TAC neighbours 93 Sp Sqn by just one point.
Third and fourth went to 56 Sig Sqn and 94 Sig Sqn
respectively. Of course everyone who completed the
weekend is a winner, just not as much of a winner as 57 Sig
Sqn! We look forward to a few months of bragging rights,
and defending the trophy next time.
Congratulations to all those who took part, and thanks to the
DS for providing varied and challenging stands.
93 (NORTH SOMERSET YEOMANRY) SUPPORT SQUADRON BRISTOL
OC
SSM
Maj PJ Smith
WO2 (SSM) C Stockwell
SQUADRON MATTS WEEKEND
- by WO2 Stockwell and SSgt Rendall
On a rainy Saturday morning the Sqn deployed to the 25m
range at Bletchley barracks. We were then split in to 2 groups
– the first went off to ‘get gassed’ with CBRN instructor, SSgt
Pete Rendall whilst the remainder dressed on the firing point
to carry out Live Firing 3 under the supervision of the RCO,
WO2 (SSM) Stockwell. Although the rain dampened spirits,
the aims of the day were achieved and also highlighted some
good shots (more future shooting team members hopefully).
The CBRN testing went well, with all personnel passing
including soldiers from 43 Sig Sqn and 57 Sig Sqn. The rain
made it a nasty day and with the pax from one of the
syndicates sheltering behind the CTF just as SSgt Rendall lit
the pellets in a leaky chamber they all had a dose of CS before
going in just to make it interesting.
The PFA was conducted at Colerne by a couple of PTIs we
borrowed from 57 Sig Sqn; many thanks to them for all their
efforts. Everyone worked hard with some brave efforts, but
unfortunately not everyone passed.
PRE-CLM TRAINING - by LCpl Bailey
Sgt ‘Mo’ Morris and I recently attended a pre-CLM weekend
held at Blandford Camp, which is run as training for those
JNCOs and SNCOs who in the near future will be attending
their 2 week CLM courses.
After breakfast, we were transported to FOB THORPE were
we could stow our kit before the AFT. The PTI LCpl Ben
Carter put us through our paces during the warm up. The CO,
Lt Col Sharkey arrived in order to participate and this in turn
spurred everyone on to do well. It was a challenging march,
but 8 miles and 2 hrs later I completed the AFT even sporting
a few blisters to show for my efforts. After a well deserved
lunch it was straight into the theory side with Capt Ledgister
(43 Sig Sqn) and WO2 Carr. Subjects ranged from section
battle drills/orders to the 7 questions.
Later in the afternoon we went through dry skills of section
battle orders on the Blandford training area. Doing it in slow
time definitely made it sink in and easier to remember. 1 ½
hrs later it was time to end training and drive back to Bristol.
The time spent over the weekend was invaluable not only for
our personal knowledge and skills, but also for our fitness.
Many thanks go to Capt Ledgister, WO2 Carr, SSgt Butcher
and Sgt Poole who ran an excellent weekend.
94 (BERKSHIRE YEOMANRY) SIGNAL SQUADRON - WINDSOR
OC
SSM
Maj A Hawes
WO2 (SSM) Dean
EXERCISE CASTLE COMMS – by Capt Browning
On a wet weekend in February 94 (Berkshire Yeomanry) Sig
Sqn deployed on their first comms exercise of 2012. The focus
of the Ex was to practise the comms the Sqn may need to
deploy for Op Olympic; with the SHQ in Windsor we are
ideally placed to support the Rowing events at Dorney Lake.
The CO’s Cup winning team
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
After an evening of preparing the detachments and orders
the Sqn rolled out the gates at first light. The first phase was
65
to establish comms between the SHQ and Dorney Lake, with
a third detachment heading over to Bramley. The full suite of
comms means was quickly demonstrated, and the det seemed
to draw a crowd mostly made up of the Army Rowing Team.
Lt Mark Craster did a grand job at briefing the various parties
about our role. The Sqn then all moved to Bramley Training
Area for a mixture of Comms and Military training. SSgt Steve
Collins and Sgt Aiden Dalgleish ran stands on the sighting of a
detachment, and SSgt Alex Cook ran a set of lessons on
patrolling and ambush drills. For those that were a bit rusty
on the comms side Sgt James Stacey ran people through the
setting up and operation of the CST equipment.
Just to add some excitement to the evening SSgt Andy Smith
and Lt Mark Craster were planning a night attack on the PB,
but this was thwarted by them managing to get the minibus
stuck and having a long and wet walk back to get a shovel!
On Sunday the Sqn returned to Windsor for the usual
turnaround and inspections. Once the OC was happy the PTIs
ran a familiarisation session for the Sqn at Dorney Lake just so
everyone good appreciate how big the Lake actually is!
The weekend was enjoyed by all (except SSgt Andy Smith
who moaned a lot about just being the driver and not the
commander at the time), and was an excellent opportunity
for the Berkshire Yeomanry to demonstrate its comms ability
in preparation for the Olympic Games this summer.
71st (CITY OF LONDON) YEOMANRY SIGNAL REGIMENT
BEXLEYHEATH
CO
RSM Lt Col CR Sutherland
WO1 (RSM) D Graham
INTRODUCTION - by Lt Col CR Sutherland
By the time this issue is published 71st (City of London)
Yeomanry Sig Regt will be thoroughly immersed in Op
OLYMPICS; our role to provide contingency C2 capability to
the London Military Commander, Maj Gen C P R Norton CBE,
GOC LONDIST. The preparations have been a long hard slog
for the last year, bearing in mind that training opportunities
for the Reserves are very limited, especially when preparing
for a deliberate operation such as this, and considering the
number of skills that need to be updated and improved. The
efforts of my Regular and Reserve Command Teams have
been outstanding, ensuring that we are as ready as possible
for anything that could happen.
My Regt will be poised in strategic locations across the
LONDIST AOR ready to respond to any request for military
support. We will be operating from a 24/7 NETCEN based in
London, alongside our sister Regt, 39 Sig Regt, who will be
running similar in the Weymouth region for the sailing events.
Both NETCENs will report to JFCIS (Olympics) as part of the
Standing Joint Commander (UK) chain of command for the
duration of the Torch Relay, Olympic Games and Para-Olympic
Games. This is significant task for the Reserves, and one
which I believe clearly displays the capability and contribution
that the Reserves can give to homeland security.
Far from being a sleepy hollow, life in the Reserves, especially
during this last year has been frenetic. The Future Reserves
2020 study outlined a potential new route for the Reserves;
we avidly await the outcome of CLF’s Army 2020 study which
will encompass our new path. What is clear already is that we
will have to grow greatly; aside from Op OLYMPICS, recruiting
has been our Main Effort since and we have seen a significant
increase in our numbers thanks to the hard work of my Sqn
Recruiting Teams employed on Additional Duties Contracts.
The sad demise of HQ 2 Sig Bde at the end of this year has
provided an opportunity for a bit of ‘tidying up’ in terms of
the existing geographical laydown of the Bde. We are likely
to receive an additional 2 Sig Sqns onto our ORBAT, which will
take us from being the smallest, but most perfectly formed
TA Sig Regt to the largest, and still the most perfectly formed!
To top this all off, we are also preparing for a deployment to
Op HERRICK 18 in support of our Regular sister Regt, 3 (UK)
Div HQ and Sig Regt, and, as you will see below, we continue
to generate individual augmentees for other operations
around the World, and make preparations to react to UK
contingencies as they occur.
66
OPS UPDATE – by Capt Stuart Thomas
As always Regtl Ops are at the hub of the action, planning on
all fronts and ensuring that the Regt move forward with UK
Contingent Operations, including Op OLYMPICS and the Force
Generation of personnel for Op HERRICK. Add in Op ESCALIN,
which covers preparations to provide assistance for the fuel
strikes, and the team are extremely busy, with the memory of
a Sports Afternoon very distant! Ex PHOENIX CHARGE in Feb
was the last Regtl led exercise prior to Op OLYMPICS. The
training objectives were to conduct driver training, ensure
that as many of the Class 3 CS Op (V) passed their Class 3 to 2
tests and that the Sqn command teams continued conceptual
development through the 7 Question Combat Estimate.
Maj Ros Brown has arrived and has been thrust into the
forefront of numerous planning cycles and is welcomed into a
TA Unit by working her first 2 weekends. Maj Andy Dick has
now departed to APC, but not before having 2 leaving
functions in London (why have one when you can have 2?!).
SSgt Jase Nicholls joins the Regt from Blandford and is
starting to realise that BLENHEIM is not just a place in
Germany, but is an application that will rule his life for his
entire posting. He will go to bed thinking about Blenheim,
Blenheim, Blenheim by the time he leaves! Welcome.
The Regt has continued to foster relations with the First Aid
Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) with another successful training
day, this time at the 2 PWRR Ops Room in Woolwich. On this
occasion it was the Regtl Ops Offr, Capt Stuart Thomas, who
was faced with imparting his knowledge to 40 women, whose
wit and charm ensured that they were extremely attentive
and keen to learn. It’s a hard life but someone had to do it!
As part of Op ENTIRETY, the Regt currently have Capt Olohan,
Cpl Sutton, Cpl Maalouf, LCpl Fox and Sig Teslenko deployed
on Op HERRICK, with the Padre, Capt Speeks currently
deployed on Op TOSCA.
47 (MIDDLESEX YEOMANRY) SIGNAL SQUADRON
(VOLUNTEERS)
OC
SSM
SPSI
Maj David Cornick
WO2 Marc Gilfrin
SSgt Paul Tinsley
GENERAL OVERVIEW – by Capt Alex Orr
It has been an exciting period for the Sqn over the last few
months with the ongoing trade training in the build up to Op
OLYMPICS being the main focus. However the real success
has been the recruiting effort led by SSgt Claire Goodwin and
her team which also includes LCpl Jacob Hennigan and Sig
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Loren Swatton. The Sqn now has over 45 people at some
stage in the recruiting process. This surge over the next few
months will significantly improve the Sqn strength.
The period also saw the departure of SSM Marc Gilfrin who,
after more the 25 years with the Sqn and 2 tours as the SSM,
leaves to pursue new challenges. He has been a constant in
an ever changing world, his commitment and loyalty to the
Sqn over the year has been unparalleled. He will be sorely
missed, but we wish him well and expect to see him at the
Association Dinner in October.
REGIMENTAL MATTS WEEKEND – by Sig Laurie Gregory
The Regtl MATT’s weekend took place at Pirbright over the
weekend of 16 – 18 Mar 12. Although it was a Regtl weekend,
it was delivered by 47 Sig Sqn due to the vast majority of our
soldiers having already passed their MATT’s for the year. This
allowed the Sqn to provide most of the assessors and
instructors for the weekend.
Capt Alex Orr, Cpl Paul Messett and Sig Mike Hone were
assigned to run Lloyd Range and to ensure that all soldiers
needing LF3 had the opportunity to pass the assessment.
LCpl Caz Langley was the main administrator based at the
hub, ensuring that everything was running smoothly with the
professional help of Sig Sarah Speller.
Most of the assessments took place on the Saturday which
included LF3, Map Reading, CBRN (my favourite!), BLS and
Battlefield Casualty Drill. Around midday SSgt Gary Cheshire
provided us with a very welcomed lunch. We were pleasantly
surprised not to have the usual lunch bag, instead we had
what is renowned as ”range stew”. The stew certainly made
Sig Hone’s day who was starting to suffer from the effect of
the cold on the range! After lunch Lt Col Craig Sutherland
and Capt Matthew Mallett stepped up onto the firing point,
and as expected led by example to produce, respectively, the
first and second, best scores of the day.
Evening entertainment was arranged by SSM Marc Gilfrin
who had been tasked by the OC to find something that would
entertain us all. He came up with the idea of Bronco Bull
which had a simple concept; sit on a bull and hang on with
one hand, whilst the person running it tries to get you off by
getting the bull to move in all directions! It was quite comical
for the ones that were watching! It was an extremely popular
entertainment. It seems that the more you got on it, the
better you performed. The Sqn Offrs led by example, Maj
Cornick, Capt Orr and Lt Roberts were regularly seen riding
the bull. They were equally challenged by Lt Han Bolt and Lt
Alex Taffs from 68 (ICCEY) Sig Sqn. As always there was a bit
of healthy competition between the Sqns and towards the
end of the evening there were 2 competitions.
The singles competition was won by Sig Hone from 47 Sig Sqn
with a time of 67 seconds, Sig Malcolm was second with a
time of 64 seconds closely followed by Sig Rideout with a
time of 62 seconds. The second competition was the Sqns
competing against each other. A joint effort from Sig
Malcolm and Sig Hone ensured a win for the Sqn, giving both
68 and 265 Sqns a good run for their money!
The next morning began with a Values and Standards lesson
delivered by Capt Orr. Once this had finished it was off for
the AFT. Overall it was a very enjoyable weekend and some
of us even managed to enjoy their gas chamber experience!!!
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOW RIDER 3 – by Sig Lauren Saul
Having driven overnight we finally arrived at Rauris, Austria to
take part in Ex MERCURY SNOW RIDER 3 (MSR 3). The team
consisted of Capt Thomas, SSgt (FofS) Savchenko, SSgt
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Brazier and Sig Chalklin-Smith and Sig Saul. After a clear
drive with no unexpected detours we appeared to be a bit
early at 7.45am, this left the day to move into the apartments
(which took long enough) then go and get some shopping.
Little did we know all shops were shut on a Sunday and
restaurants didn’t open until late afternoon leaving a very
hungry and groggy team. After eventually getting food it was
time to support the locals and settle in with a few beers.
The first week of snowboarding consisted of us being split
down into groups, depending on capability and experience,
and having extensive training from the Ripstar instructors.
This training involved technique and developing our skills on
the slope and also some fun stuff such as Freestyle (park),
slope style, slalom and boarder cross all in preparation for the
2nd week of the trip. There were some impressive falls from
the team in the first week resulting in many aches and pains
and bruising developing.
Wednesday of the first week brought the first bit of sun and
clear skies meaning the visibility on the mountain and tan
potential was amazing! For the majority of the groups the
day’s training followed on from the previous – practicing
techniques learnt. For SSgt Brazier and Sig Saul however,
today brought new challenges. SSgt Brazier had his first trip
up the mountain progressing on from the baby slope and
learning that on certain parts of the mountain you need a fair
amount of speed to reach the end of long flat straights. Sig
Saul had her first day in the park learning how to successfully
go over and land the boxes and kickers.
The beginner’s competition started on Friday, with qualifiers
for the parallel slalom. Only the top 32 from the group would
go through. They would each complete on the 2 runs set up,
with their fastest time used for qualification. Unfortunately
SSgt Brazier did not qualify for next round. The day ended
with the groups finding out what level they had achieved,
with SSgt Brazier achieving his 1 star, Sig Chalklin-Smith, Sig
Saul and Capt Thomas all achieving 2 star and finally SSgt
(Fofs) Savchenko achieving his 3 star. A fancy dress party
followed to say thank you and goodbye to all the instructors.
Sig Lauren Saul getting some ‘air time’
Saturday was the recovery day before the competition
started; this didn’t stop all from snowboarding as Sig ChalklinSmith still made it up for the first lift at 9am. The slope was
amazing, as very few people were out, the sun was shining
and all runs were freshly pisted. However she did manage to
miss out on the amazing group lunch put together by SSgt
Brazier. Having had a good morning, Sig Chalklin-Smith only
stayed out for another hour before heading down of the
mountain for the last time. She later found that the box on
the baby slope is more difficult than it looks when she came
off it and dislocated her shoulder.
The 2nd week of the camp was competition week. There
were 3 events in which to complete; Parallel Slalom, Park and
67
Boarder Cross. Sunday started with the advanced and
intermediate boarders qualifying races, again with only the
top 32 to qualify. The 3 remaining intermediate riders, Capt
Thomas, SSgt (Fofs) Savchenko and Sig Saul all had 2
attempts to qualify for the following day’s race. Sig Saul
qualified 3rd out of the females and SSgt (Fofs) Savchenko
qualified 26th in the males competition. Capt Thomas came
42nd and therefore narrowly missed out on qualifying. The
final rounds of the Parallel slalom competition were held on
Monday. The Women’s mini final, the fight for 3rd place, was
a tight race between Sig Saul and Sig Drydon from 39 Sig
Regt. The race was so close that when Sig Drydon fell and
crossed Sig Saul’s course it caused both riders to end up in a
heap on the slope. However Sig Saul got up and carried on
crossing the finishing line first claiming 3rd place.
Capt Stu Thomas and Sig Lauren Saul exchange notes at the end
of a practice run
Wednesday brought along the park competition in which we
had to choose between boxes, rails and kickers strategically
placed on the slope. SSgt Brazier accompanied Capt Thomas
and Sig Saul to the park to take pictures. Everyone got 2
practice runs to get a feel for the course before the
competition commenced. Capt Thomas was the first of the
team to go down and had a very good first run. Sig Saul
followed shortly after and hit the kicker with too much vigour
and enthusiasm and came off the jump horizontally. The 2nd
round the riders went in placing order from lowest to highest,
Sig Saul was one of the first people to do their 2nd run and
had a far more successful jump. Sig Saul also placed 4th place
in the women’s Park Competition.
The Boarder Cross qualifiers commenced on the penultimate
day. After qualification runs the remaining 3 team members
put on a good show and made it through the qualifiers
meaning the following day we all had to race. Capt Thomas
was first to race the next day and progressed through to the
final 16 easily – there were only 2 other people in his round
but that’s beside the point. Sadly he came 3rd in the 2nd
round. SSgt Braziers turn next, where he again had a good
race and finished in the top 2 in his heat, progressing into the
next round where he came in 3rd, narrowly missing out on a
place in the semi finals. Lastly was Sig Saul’s who raced very
well to achieve a commendable 3rd place.
to Blandford with Cpl ‘T’ Mallia and LCpl Rosie Ewbank bound
for JCLM. Also on board were Sgt Pat Coleman and Sgt John
Palmer for SCLM. On arrival we blundered around in the dark
and eventually found our modern and spacious
accommodation for the next 2 weeks.
In the first couple of days we did a PFA and an AFT to make
sure everyone was up to the fitness standard required.
Despite the legend of the Blandford AFT route being tough,
everyone in the 40 man strong squad passed; a first for the
course and OC 4 Sqn, Maj Ashton, was extremely pleased.
The majority of the first week was spent in the classroom
bringing everyone up to the same level on a variety of topics.
There were the standard issue lessons; 6 section battle drills,
types of patrol and C-IED. There were also quite a few topics
new to everyone which included the principles of defence,
patrol reports and the rules surrounding captured persons.
There was also a heavy focus on the Combat Estimate and the
Orders Process, including a demonstration of how orders
should be conducted and a ‘DS Solution’ model. The group
was then given a set of orders and time to extract and
prepare our own for delivery. A nerve wracking experience
for those not used to the process.
To break up the time in the classroom there was also a burden
retrieval run. Everyone started in the same place with 15kg in
daysacks and webbing (those underweight having to find
rocks to cram into their kit!). It was then off round a large
circuit before returning to the start point and picking up an
item. There were about 8 items of various sizes and the
group accumulated them as we went along the route. Our
section in JCLM was in direct competition with the 3 sections
from the SCLM. The hard work paid off as we beat all the
other sections by some margin but helped motivate them for
the last push over the finish line with lots of cheering. On the Friday of the first week the JCLM moved into the field
phase of the course and occupied FOB THORPE, just outside
the camp. The first 2 days were teaching days, where we
practiced a number of section attacks so that everyone could
understand the mechanics. Sgt Richards, the Section DS,
gave us constructive feedback all the way through with
everyone working on the debrief points that he raised.
Instruction also included how to deal with a C-IED find,
searching the dead and building defences. The teaching
phase also gave everyone a chance to get used to wearing
body armour with plates, webbing, helmet and daysacks.
On the Sunday we moved to Lulworth Cove Training Area by
‘heli-coach’ which gave everyone an opportunity to get 40
minutes shut eye. The SCLM deployed with us but were more
fresh faced having been in the classroom while the JCLM had
been at FOB THORPE! The increased number of people meant
that every section had an ISO container each, which was a bit
of a squeeze for 12 people and kit.
JCLM – by LCpl Rosie Ewbank
JCLM hit the ground running and within a few hours of arrival
were out on the first clearance patrol, which ended with a
fleeting contact with the enemy in the dark. From then on it
didn’t seem to stop! The section was constantly out on patrol
after patrol, allowing everyone to be rotated through a 2IC
and IC command positions. Everyone received different
scenarios from CASEVAC, to contact front at night, to
organising the section during a DF attack on the FOB. As the
section was constantly kept busy we hardly noticed how tired
we were until we stopped, and then could catch a few
precious hours sleep while rotating through guard on the
front gate or one of the sangers. Time flew by and all of a
sudden the final exercise morning was upon us. The Section
gave the last attack their all and finished on a high, having
demonstrated an accumulation of all that had been taught.
On Friday 9 Mar 12, a nervous bus load set off from Uxbridge
Back at camp the rest of the day was spent cleaning weapons
The final day saw the medal presentations with Sig Saul
collecting her medals for 3rd place in the Slalom and Boarder
Cross. She also collected her trophy for placing 3rd overall in
the female competition. The Regt were also winners of the
TA Cup proving a successful 2 weeks of snowboarding for the
Regt.
68
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
before retiring gratefully to the block for a deep and
dreamless night’s sleep. The next day was spent giving the
weapons a thorough clean, ready for the next user. That
evening saw the JCLM and SCLM come together for a joint
end of course dinner and Mr Vice gave out an astonishing
number of prizes to the SCLM.
Nervous anticipation was in the air on the last day when
everyone got debriefs and found out if they were passes or
fails. Regardless of result everyone learnt something and had
lessons to take away and work on. EXERCISE YEOMANRY ATTACHMENT; 19-30 MAR 12
– by WO2 (SSM) Marc Gilfrin
Ex YEOMANRY ATTACHMENT was a 2 week attachment to
202 Sig Sqn, 3(UK) Div HQ and Sig Regt in Bulford. 202 Sig
Sqn is paired with 47 (MxY) Sig Sqn and is the also the Unit
which soldiers from the Sqn will be deploying with next year
on Op HERRICK 18.
I was hosted by SSgt Neil Cansfield who is the acting SSM. I
was quickly made to feel at home joining them on various
training, command briefings and day to day activities of the
Sqn including the various PT sessions, detachment
maintenance and administration.
The Sqn’s MATT training was in full swing and I joined them
on Dartmoor for Ex BUFFALO PLAINS, for some practical map
reading that was organised by 2Lt McGrath. Unfortunately
the weather was brilliant sunshine, so all the previous days
pacing and marching on a bearing was not of much use, as
you could see for miles with fantastic views! The next day
started off early with teams setting off in the dark to check
points. Some of these were manned with various command
tasks to test the navigation and BCDT skills of individuals.
Breakfast was provided at one check point, so a good
incentive to get the navigation right first time or go hungry.
All returned back to Okehampton Camp earlier than expected,
after covering approximately 25km up and down the many
Tors on the exercise area.
On return to barracks in Bulford, it was back to normal daily
routines of detachment maintenance and more MATTs
training. Fridays was CO’s parade followed by a boot run
around the infamous ‘Kiwi’.
During part of a 10 day Sqn Comms Ex, the Sqn practised
moving the deployed Div HQ several times around the training
area with all the logistics supports of moving tonnes of
tentage, containers and equipment around. This was an
interesting insight into the Sqn’s operational role.
Although 202 Sig Sqn are heavily committed in preparing for
operations, there are still many opportunities for TA soldiers
to take part in the various training exercises with the Sqn in
the coming months. This is the start of many joint exercises
between both Sqns, which will enable better integration
between TA and Regular soldiers prior to deploying on future
operations.
truly under way. Another year of putting what you have
learnt to the MATT. Money is at stake, and that word
‘bounty’ is the topic of conversation and at the forefront of
everyone’s mind. It’s easy to understand why, considering
the economic climate that we’re all living in. Bills of all sorts
have to be paid and the bounty will provide a welcome
financial respite for many or provide a ‘treat ‘of sorts for
some. So many soldiers, all requiring different MATTS and so little
time surely is a recipe for chaos? Actually not, the
organisation that was put into this wash-up weekend was
very good, relaxed and fun. All you had to do was make sure
you turned up at the relevant stand at the required time. In
true Army fashion if you weren’t being tested or abused in the
CBRN chamber, then concurrent activity was put on in the
form of communications training, as one must never forget,
that one of the main aims this year is Op OLYMPICS.
For me, I had planned my military year well in advance and
only needed to do a hand-full of MATTS, namely, navigation,
weapons handling test and the PFA. “Does anyone know
where the Nav test is, because they said it’s around here
somewhere?” said one soldier who’s name I’ll not mention for
fear of reprisal. I smiled and pointed the soldier in the right
direction. While that question may put a grin on some
readers’ faces, it does highlight the fact that some people do
need help in various ways and skill fade is an ongoing issue
that us Reservists have to keep on top of. Thankfully the
instructors were there on hand to help and support us
through the test, but not so much the PFA and AFT, damn
those PTIs!
After all the tests and training that happened throughout the
day, the evening affair was a calmer and more relaxed one
bringing laughter and beer together under one roof. This
however was soon shattered by the BUCKING BRONCO that
transformed the evening into a night of ‘healthy’ competition,
embarrassment and entertainment. A great weekend run by
47 Sig Sqn, that was enjoyed and endured by all. Roll on the
bounty.
EXERCISE DEVILS SPURS; 23 – 25 Mar 12 – by Sig Bennett
On the weekend of 23 – 25 Mar 12, 68 Sig Sqn deployed to
Friday Woods, Colchester on Ex DEVIL’S SPURS. The aim of
the exercise was to replicate an ISAF territory handover to
ANA/ANP forces with the Sqn maintaining low level security
and a resilient communications network.
Upon arrival and after an initial briefing, the 2 deployed
detachments headed to their respective locations to set up
communications sites. The following day the detachments
returned to SHQ for lessons on specific military skills. This
included a lesson by Lt Bolt on the use of the Tactical Aide
Memoire and an explanation of the orders process. Following
68 (INNS OF COURT & CITY AND ESSEX YEOMANRY) SIGNAL
SQUADRON (VOLUNTEERS)
OC
SSM
SPSI
Maj Alex Downing
WO2 James Paton
SSgt James Haskell
REGIMENTAL MATTS WEEKEND; 16 – 18 Mar 12
– by LCpl McGowan
With April just around the corner, the FINAL push to qualify
for this year’s bounty over the weekend was well and
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Lt’s Taffs and Bolt giving instruction
69
this, each Det competed to produce a ground model
illustrating the terrain around a given grid location. Lt Taffs
gave a very interesting and thought provoking lesson about
the IED threat before allowing each Det to practice CIED drills
down an IED lane. WO2 (YofS) Perry subsequently delivered
a revision lesson on how to occupy a communications site.
Upon completion of classroom based revision and instruction,
Dets were once again ready to re-deploy back to the training
area. New sites had been allocated and were occupied
quickly by each detachment, establishing communications and
sending a recce patrol to locate and observe an enemy force.
This latter serial enabled us to practice the orders process and
the completion of a Patrol Report. Routine continued
through the night and after closing down and stowing the
detachments the next morning, the exercise was concluded
with an AFT followed by a stretcher race, quite a wake-up call
for sore limbs and tired brains!
As a new member of the Sqn, I found the weekend a steep
but immensely enjoyable learning curve. It was satisfying to
see the signals kit in action and to understand the process of
establishing communications from start to finish, using a
combination of basic military skills and specialist knowledge.
Saturday’s lessons greatly extended my military knowledge
and skills and I found the IED lesson particularly interesting.
Many thanks must go to SSgt Brazier, who had put a huge
amount of time and effort into organising the exercise; I
personally found it exciting and challenging and I am looking
forward to putting my new knowledge into practice. ROYAL VISIT TO THE BOROUGH OF WALTHAM FOREST; 29
Mar 12 – by LCpl Joe Giles
On Thursday 29 Mar 12, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and
the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Borough of Waltham Forest
to begin their Diamond Jubilee Tour. Members of 68 (ICCEY)
Sig Sqn were invited to attend and assist in welcoming the
Royal visitors. Led by the Sqn Ldr, Maj Downing, Cpl Barham,
Cpl Sharp, Cpl Michael, LCpl Giles and LCpl Gorman all
donned their Blues and headed to Waltham Forest Town Hall.
we’ll probably ever get to the Queen again! The other
members of the Sqn assisted the security staff for the Royal
visitors at the Town Hall’s Assembly Rooms, where the Royal
couple attended a luncheon.
The weather was amazing and as Cpl Barham had sweettalked the chef, we all then took the opportunity to enjoy
some of the great food that had been supplied for the
workers and guests, along with a lovely glass of bubbly or
two…..... A fantastic and memorable day was had by all and
it was a real pleasure to be part of the Diamond Jubilee Tour.
265 (KENT AND COUNTY OF LONDON YEOMANRY
(SHARPSHOOTERS)) SUPPORT SQUADRON (VOLUNTEERS)
OC SSM SPSI
Maj Keith Wrate
WO2 Adrian Keeble
SSgt A Wilkie
March was another busy time for 265 Sp Sqn as we prepared
to move into a new training year under the leadership of a
new OC, Maj Keith Wrate, who is no stranger to the
Sharpshooters, having been OC of the former 265 (KCLY) Sig
Sqn from 2005 to 2006. He makes a welcome return and the
troops looks forward to his down-to-earth, no nonsense
leadership style and wish him a very successful tour. It was
therefore with a heavy heart that the troops assembled on
the last Tuesday evening of March to say goodbye to the
outgoing OC, Maj Andy Church. His enthusiasm for the job
and straight forward thinking will be sadly missed. We wish
him all the best in his new post with London District in the
role of SO2 Plans. The echoes of Noel Coward’s Greatest Hits
blasting from his office radio will be sorely missed.
Elsewhere the Sqn got on with business as the soldiers
deployed on various training courses. The busiest of which
seem to be the new recruits; Sig David Prior, Sig Richard
Roberts and Sig Chris Simpson. They completed their Trained
Soldier (Phase B) training at ATR Pirbright at the end of 2011
before re-deploying back to Pirbright in February 2012 to
complete their Class 3 CS Ops Trade Course. All of them
performed very well on both occasions and we wish them
well as they set off on their career path in the TA.
Sgt Nick Castro undertook the arduous SNCO CLM at
Blandford. Following close behind Sgt Castro was Cpl Paul
Broadbent as he took a step nearer to his third stripe by
undertaking his Class 1 CS Ops Trade Course also at Blandford.
As he is still at Blandford at the time of writing we await the
outcome of his efforts but remain in no doubt that he will
pass with flying colours. Cpl Brett Harries improved his skill
set further by successfully completing his CBRN Instructors
course at the Defence CBRN School at Winterbourne Gunner.
He is now one of the few soldiers in the unit who is the proud
owner of the recently issued General Service Respirator
(GSR). So pleased was he that he spent most of his first drill
back wearing it and demonstrating it to anyone who would
listen. You can take it off now Brett, we’ll all have one soon!
SSgt Daz Lane imparted more of his knowledge on the Bde’s
soldiers as he spent 2 weeks in Swynnerton Camp as part of 2
Sig Bde’s Driver Training Camp.
Cpl Sharp, LCpl Gorman, Maj Downing, LCpl Giles, Cpl Michael
and Cpl Barham don their Sunday best for the Diamond Jubilee
Visit to Waltham Forest Town Hall
LCpl Giles and LCpl Gorman positioned themselves at the 2nd
entry point of the marquee where the Royal couple were to
meet many of the most worthy members of each London
Borough. As they entered we braced up and then saluted
them both as they walked in-between us. They were just one
foot away from the pair of us which was the closest I guess
70
However, the main effort for the Sqn in March was Ex
PHOENIX MATTs. This exercise provided one last chance for
soldiers to successfully complete their MATTs in the 2011-12
training year. The weekend started as the masses gathered at
Bexleyheath TA Centre on a cold Friday evening to draw
weapons and board the transport before making their way to
Pirbright to join up with the rest of the Regt. An early start
on Saturday morning saw the soldiers split into syndicates and
navigate their way round Brunswick Camp and ranges to
complete the necessary training and testing phases. With the
Sqn providing instructors for the range package, navigation,
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
CBRN and physical stands it demonstrated the range of depth
and skills contained within this busy support squadron. It was
certainly trial by fire (quite literally) for Lt Khush Cooper as he
was pinged to run one of the 25m ranges at the last minute,
having just completed his RMQ Course a few weeks before.
Elsewhere WO2 Adam Twose found himself gainfully
employed as the demonstration model for the CBRN stand. A
task he leapt into with great enthusiasm at the start, but by
the end of the day wished that he had been tasked to join Lt
Cooper’s safety team on the range.
April and a chance for the new OC to see his troops in action
for the first time.
VISIT OF COUNCILLOR NIGEL BETTS TO THE SQUADRON
Former Mayor of Bexley, Cllr Nigel Betts was invited to visit
the Sqn to present VRSMs to Cpl Dave Brand and LCpl Ben
Handley. It also gave him an excellent opportunity to meet
the other Officers and Soldiers of the Sqn. After a quick
introduction of the role of the Sqn and it’s current activities in
recruiting, retention and preparing for Op OLYMPICS, Cllr
Betts was given a tour of the Sqn lines and met members of
the medical detachment. Also on display was the REEBOK
and Bowman capability, crewed by members of the Sqn.
Lt Cooper puts into practice his recent RMQ qualification during
Ex PHOENIX MATTS
Saturday evening provided a bit of light entertainment as 47
Sig Sqn had arranged for a Bucking Bronco to entertain the
troops. The evening flew by as most individuals took their
turn on the wild ride, although a special mention has to go to
LCpl Andy Turner who managed almost 6 seconds on the
beast! Nice effort Andy, it was certainly entertaining.
Sunday morning arrived and after a sedate start to the day
with a revision package for MATT 6, the Regtl PTIs took over
to conduct MATT 2. The Sqn’s own WO2 Ade Keeble and LCpl
‘Crazy’ Crane had the joyful task of overseeing the PFA. The
sensible ones had limited their alcohol limit to just one or two
cans and their successful results proved that it was a smart
move. With a short wait for the AFT to finish, the Regt
gathered for a final parade and the Sqn was soon heading
back to Bexleyheath for the exercise turnaround phase and a
chance to reflect on another successful weekend. Under new
leadership, the Sqn looks forward to Ex PHOENIX FROLIC in
Cllr Nigel Betts presents LCpl Ben Handley with his VRSM
Afterwards Cllr Betts was invited by the OC, Maj Andy Church
to address the Sqn, which was well received by the troops.
After a few glasses of wine and a fabulous Chinese meal, the
Sqn said farewell to Cllr Betts. We look forward to another
visit from him in the very near future.
RFCA GREATER LONDON VOLUNTEER
RESERVIST SOLDIER OF THE YEAR 2011
Cpl Sutton’s girlfriend, Carrie, and mother Jan collect the GL RFCA Volunteer Reservist of the
Year Award on his behalf accompanied by OC 265 Sp Sqn, Maj Andy Church
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
265 Sp Sqn (V) are proud to announce
that Cpl Jim ‘Smiler’ Sutton was
awarded the Cobra Trophy for RFCA
Greater London Volunteer Reservist
Soldier of the Year 2011. Unfortunately
Cpl Sutton was unable to receive his
award in person as he is currently
serving with 15 Psychological Warfare
Operations Group on Op HERRICK 13
(his third Operational tour!). To
receive the award on his behalf, the
OC, Maj Andy Church, was
accompanied by Cpl Sutton’s mother,
Mrs Jan Sutton and his girlfriend
Carrie. Cpl Sutton will retain the
trophy for 1 year, and hopefully next
year will be a strong contender to
receive it again. We wish him a safe
tour and look forward to his safe
return in September.
71
NEWS FROM SQUADRONS
4 MECHANIZED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (204)
CATTERICK
OC
RSM
Maj Balfour
WO1 (RSM) Kidd
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOW RIDER 3 - by Sig Trenwith
In March the annual Corps Snowboarding Championships
were held in Rauris Austria. Seven members of 4 Mech Bde
HQ and Sig Sqn (204) were fortunate enough to take part.
The fortnight would allow the participants a week’s tuition
with RipStar professional snowboarders and a week of free
practice and competition.
The adventure training started with a long drive to Austria,
we each took turns driving the 1744km with the roads getting
steeper and more dangerous the closer we got to Rauris. On
our arrival we collected our boards, boots and bindings and
prepared our kit before going on the slopes.
silverware. The slalom races began with the qualifications
with Sig Whittaker being drawn against our very own LCpl
Cox who was unable to progress further. After a few hours
the victor was none other than our very own Cpl Houghton
who utilised his years of being a ski instructor and extra
weight with Sig Whittaker coming in a respectful fourth
place.
Over the following week we all trained some more and
prepared for the boarder cross competition. This is a race
over a narrow course with steep banks and jumps throughout
with up to 4 competitors racing down the course at the same
time. This allowed for high speed races with the
opportunities for collisions and plenty of airtime on the large
jumps and kickers. After the success of the slalom the Sqn
were confident, with all the team members putting in plenty
of practice on the courses. All the competitors were seeded
by the results of the slalom but the early heats were throwing
up some crowd pleasing performances.
Unfortunately our best riders crashed out in extravagant
fashion; Sig Whittaker was disqualified for cutting a corner,
the pressure of trying to qualify meant that Cpl Houghton
crashed off the course and Sig Dawber and Cpl Higgins were
both beaten in the quarter finals by faster riders. All in all it
was a good fortnight and achieved what adventure training is
meant to achieve. We became more of a team and tested our
nerve and confidence learning a new skill in a safe but
hazardous environment.
TRI-SERVICE WINTER SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP SKELETON
BOBSLEIGH - by LCpl R Wilson
We were divided into groups, both novice and intermediate/
expert. After a day of mainly falling over and cursing at the
snow on the baby slope, most people had learnt the basics
and were ready for slightly bigger and better slopes. Our very
own Sig Whittaker seemed to be a natural and moved fast
through the skills, being able to perform freestyle tricks after
several days of learning.
Despite having only seen Skeleton Bobsleigh on the television
after Amy Williamsons’ success at the Olympics I was selected
to compete for the Army at the Tri-Service Championships. At
short notice I was on the train to Gatwick to get a flight to
Austria. I was extremely nervous to meet the team and was
even more nervous at hurtling down the track at speeds up to
90mph just a few inches above the ice.
Throughout the next few days we all progressed through the
stages and gained confidence for the upcoming competitions.
With morale and confidence high, and a steady banter
between our own competitors, we went into the qualifying
rounds with the mindset of 204 coming home with all the
The Army’s team was dominated by Royal Signals with Maj B
Robson as our team captain and Sgt Dave Manning as the
under coach. Sgt Nikki Madox and LCpl Sean Thomas were
also on the team.
72
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
After being greeted at the airport by Maj Robson, our first
day consisted of training and Sgt Manning wasted no time in
talking me through what Skeleton Bobsleighing involved and
the techniques required when sliding down the track. My first
slide was a complete blur; I set off from the Start, first of all
just lying on the sled with someone pushing me down. It is
true what they say; your first slide always appears the fastest.
One minute 12 seconds later, I came off the track battered,
bruised and I nearly came off my sled.
Throughout the week, alongside those that were taking part
in other disciplines, we managed to do plenty more practices
and progressed onto setting off from the top of the track.
The RAF and Navy had both been there for a couple of weeks
before hand training so they were well equipped and trained.
Even though I only had little time to practice my speed,
technique and time was getting much better.
The day of the competition went well. Although the Army
finished third over all, we all achieved personal bests and
records on the track. The week ended with all the discipline
representatives were invited to dine with the chairmen of the
Combined Winter Sports Association after the awards
ceremony.
7 ARMOURED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND
SIGNAL SQUADRON (207)
BERGEN - HOHNE
OC
RSM
Maj N Bruce
WO1 (RSM) K Langan
The last few months has seen the Desert Rats Sig Sqn rolling
in and out of barracks on armoured exercises, competing in
the Bde Boxing championships and Corps snow boarding to
name but a few things. As always life in the Bde is at full tilt
but effort has been made to get soldiers away to enjoy
Adventure Training and sports, which due to operational
commitments sometimes get overlooked.
The Sqn has been working heavily with the Bde staff in build
up training for the inevitable CAST in Sennelager in May. This
required a number of CT1 and CT2 exercises to ensure the
comms Tps are familiar with their roles of deploying not only
a MAIN but a FORWARD HQ as well. In conjunction with this,
training soldiers to drive the Armour has been a big task and
slowly the battle to get sufficient qualified drivers is being
won.
At this time we also bid farewell to WO1 (RSM) Keith Langan,
leaves us on posting to the Army Apprentices College
Harrogate to take over the role of College RSM. We wish him
well on this assignment and all the best for the future.
Replacing him will be WO1 (RSM) Sven Gronn
ALPHA TROOP – EX STAFF RAT 3 – MAIN CT2 - by Cpl Harris
On 20 Feb 207 Sig Sqn deployed on Ex STAFF RAT, both Alpha
and Bravo Tps deployed ‘fully tac’ whilst Sp Tp stayed in
barracks.. Supporting.. Fortunately for those of us out in the
field it was not as cold as the -19o C temperatures that we had
experienced earlier in the month on Ex STAFF RAT 2!
The first move into the field went well right up until the point
when we deployed into location, not everyone had their
‘exercise heads’ on and the OC Sqn got rather a surprise when
one of the attached personnel from another unit took a leak
right near where he was holed up with the RSM watching the
proceedings. However, despite this, the HQ build went well
(better than the previous set ups on STAFF RAT 1 and 2
anyway) and without too much bother the Bde HQ was up
and ready to go. At least it that was the case from our pointof-view. Unfortunately it wasn’t shared by the RSM and all of
the NCO’s were pulled outside in order to share his vision of
how it should have happened and how it actually happened.
going back to camp in small groups for showers and even a
chance to wash our uniforms (good to see exercise is as
realistic to Ops as ever). We even got a PS3 and an Xbox set
up with the big TV for entertainment.
Monday morning saw the arrival of the Bde Staff to give them
a chance to work and plan in the environment and make any
changes that were necessary. Afterwards Bde Main was torn
down and packed back into the 5 SV’s. This also included all
of the sleeps but fortunately not the field kitchen as Alpha Tp
went into a hide for 24 hours. However, prior to moving from
the hide we had to take down the field kitchen… (the hide
was located approx 50m into the the wood from the prior
location) which meant that the donuts had to be eaten. A Tp
ended up with 160 donuts in the comms ops wagon, although
bizzarely we still had approx 100 left over at endex. One final
move into our last location saw us in a field full of sand which
ultimately ended up everywhere as it usually does, and then
finally the move back to camp via the washdown point.. No
matter what you wear you always end up soaking, the OC Tp,
Lt Jase Leary, proclaiming that the jet of water to the the Tp
SSgt’s Daz Pickard’s face was entirely an accident was not
received well by the Tp SSgt who had a face of thunder… a
very wet face of thunder.
Ex turnaround went the same as all turnarounds with the Tp
finally downing tools for the night at about 4 in the morning
and back up again for 6 in order to finish off the work. Our
grateful thanks go to Cpl ‘Coco’ Cocozza’s wife for going to
McDonalds and delivering 65 parcels of moral in the form of
Cheeseburgers mid-way through the turnaround!! Finally,
after all the work and inspections had been completed it was
time to knock off and catch up on some seriously needed
sleep.
The next move went even better with the Bde Main HQ set up
within a matter of hours. The move to the new location was
good news to us as it meant we were located with the Bde
chefs with their excellent food and copious amount of
donuts! Good old drivers hours meant that we had to have a
‘rest break/standown’ mid exercise and the weekend saw us
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
73
BRAVO TROOP – EX STAFF RAT 3 – FWD CT2
- by LCpl Will Peat
with a specific boxing circuit and strength training followed
by a well deserved bath recuperate and relax tired muscles.
On 22 Feb 12 Bravo Tp deployed on Ex STAFF RAT 3. The aim
of this exercise was to deploy at tactical FWD HQ. For many
of us this was the first time we had deployed in this role with
armoured vehicles, not just from our unit but 3RHA, 32 Engrs
and 9/12 Lancers (who actually ended up unable to provide
crew or vehicles). This meant it was a steep learning curve for
many of us, especially given the time scale we had to set up
and tear down and then get on the road. Many guys who had
never worked with armour before saw the task as quite
daunting, but by doing the low level training it will help keep
the old signals armoured flame alive.
Out of the whole week the Thursday would be a completely
different experience. Prior to lunch we would participate in a
‘Beast Master’ circuit. The name itself conjures up vivid
memories of a strenuous yet rewarding session. Overall the
workout routines were very progressive, enabling us to see
our own fitness development, with every session being
different to develop varying muscle groups. The first 2 weeks
of training really did live up to the cliché of ‘blood, sweat and
tears’ giving our bodies an array of aches and pains. But as
the training developed, you could see the standard of boxing
skills increase and everyone took greater confidence from
this.
The first move we conducted the Tp was able to gauge what
was essential and what everyone was expected to do to
enable a swift build and tear down. With every move over the
exercise we bonded as a team and worked closer together,
becoming slicker with our drills and routine. With this morale
and attitude to the tasks given were really positive with
everyone getting stuck in enabling junior soldiers to get more
out of the exercise than they expected. We got so good at
operating and running the FWD HQ I may even say my self
we’re the best.
During a later phase of the exercise we moved to a REPLEN to
get fuel and most importantly to get breakfast. Little did we
know that the food we had collected was not cooked, this
was a miss communication with the chefs. However, the look
on Sgt Craig Rees’ face was a picture when he opened the
containers immediately reversed the shock and annoyance we
originally. They say a painting says a thousand words, but in
this case his face did.
Once we set up we were playing the waiting game with the
thought running in the back of are heads; Are we moving
soon or staying put for a while. The next few days passed
with no move to enable drivers to catch up on their hours
required for rest. This meant further training was invented by
SSgt Mac MacMullen tp prevent us from becoming bored.
With in the light role HQ we had to be able to live in fairly
basic conditions, this meant cooing on diesel stoves, which
many of us had little experience of using. To test our skills in
using this kit we had a cook off. At this cook off we were to
make fried bread or French toast and an omelette. We were
broken down in to teams then it was a race against time and
each other to produce the food. Little did we know we were
been judged by the head chef on the exercise and our chain
of command. All went well but Team 6, Cpl Hanley, Sig Guy
and Sig Jones 938 (Scottish one) came last only half cooking
their food. Staff even said you trying to kill me. I say they
were. I’ll let you decide on that.
Overall the exercise was challenging and the Tp performed
really well with everyone proud of the way we worked and
operated. We are particularly glad to come back in so we
didn’t have mess around with a dreadful cam net for a while,
which was the burden of are lives!
As the Bde Boxing night drew nearer, weight consciousness
and ring specific training became the principle focus –
specifically sparring. Sparring is essentially light, one on one
skill work but with someone who will fight back to replicate
the ring atmospherics. Speaking for all those that
participated in the training, the dieting and weight loss were
the most gruelling facets of the entire 6 weeks. Dieting
became somewhat of an obsession but was utterly
fundamental in getting us down to the correct weight to
fight.
Regrettably on night the fights did not go the way of 207,
with all 3 boxers having the umpires decisions going against
them. However, I feel privileged to have represented the Sqn
as a boxer. For me boxing embodies many of the
characteristics that we as soldiers all aspire to have within the
ethos of the Army: Courage to physically get in the ring and
fight in front of a crowd knowing the risks. The discipline to
stick with the training the dieting to achieve the fighting
weight and ensure that you are ready to face an opponent.
None of this would have been possible if it were not for the
professional coaching and mentoring of Cpl ‘Bomber’
Andrews, to which we are extremely thankful,
SUPPORT TROOP
BA(G) CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 – 2012
- by LCpl Chris ‘Taff’ Dowle and SSgt ‘Si’ Hemming
It was my first season running for 7 Armd Bde HQ and Sig Sqn.
I volunteered for a laugh to get out of camp for a bit. The
first race held on Bielefeld Ridge was brilliant!! - I really
enjoyed it. So I went to the next race and the race after and
became hooked, starting to take it pretty seriously and
making friends along the way. The race at Hameln was quite
demanding because it was mostly uphill and around the 8km
point my right knee was burning and giving me trouble, but I
carried on until the 10km finish in 42 minutes. Completing in
theses events allowed me some time running on hills
something, we lack in Hohne.
7 BDE CHARITY BOXING COMPETITION
– by Sig ‘Beni’ Greenaway
The arduous 6 week boxing training programme began bright
and early on the morning of 13 February. Cpl ‘Bomber’
Andrews was to be our coach and outlined the horrendous
training regime he had planned for us.
Generally the days consisted of one hour sweat runs or the
joy of track sprints/interval sessions followed by pull ups and
sit ups. During the mid-morning workouts we would hone our
skills through pad work to sharpen our reflexes, speed and
develop stamina and fighting fitness. The day would conclude
74
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
I’m really pleased with the position we came in at the end of
the season, runners up in the Minor Units category. This is a
great accomplishment for a small Sqn like us, but it showed
that pulling together with the Bde HQ what could be achieved
as already earlier in the season the team had already won
silverware including runners up in the relay event.
A day of potential instructors supervising us must have been
there hell on earth as we managed to drop poles and loose
skis and generally give them a taste for skiing novices.
Overall we had some epic falls, crashes and some good skiing
making it a trip not to be forgotten quickly.
This was a real achievement as the team consisted of the vets
Capt Newman, WO1 Carr and SSgt Hemming and a big shout
must go to WO1 Carr for what was an outstanding effort
running 2 legs, the performance of the season.
Looking the Part!!
ROYAL SIGNALS CORPS SNOWBOARDING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The SMI WO1 Louise James led the way for the ladies finishing
second overall for the season, with sterling performances
from Sgt Jodie “You’ve just be passed by a Chef” Pickard.
Thanks must also go to Capts Gilham, Montgomery, WO1
Creake and LCpls Bryan and Nembang, all representing the
team throughout the season. “All of One Company”.
EXERCISE SNOW WARRIOR
Four members of Sp Tp; Cfn ‘Scottie’ Scott, Cfn Pay, Sig
Gaffer and Sig Harland had the opportunity to attend EX
SNOW WARRIOR in the Alps of southern Germany. After a
horrendous journey crammed onto a bus from Hohne arriving
in Bavaria 12 hours later we were ready to hit the slopes.
Starting in the ‘play pen’ Cfn Pay was brought down to reality
as the kids flew past showing him how to ski - this would be
not the first or last time the kids put him to shame! Once the
basics were mastered it was time to start climbing the slopes
and get to grips with the ski lifts.
The conditions on the slopes were icy as Sig Harland found
out to his peril, sliding 100m without his skis on his backside,
but as time passed confidence and skills grew to allow our
instructors to introduce us to ‘Off Piste’. again Sig Harland
spent more time off his skis than on them and was mocked by
Cfn ‘Scottie’ Scott and Sig Gaffer who claimed they were all
over it.
7 Armd Bde HQ and Sig Sqn (207) deployed 9 personnel to
Rauris in Austria to compete in the Royal Signals
snowboarding championships and training camp. The team
consisted of 2 intermediate/ advanced riders but the
remainder were completely new to snowboarding.
The camp was broken down into to phases, the first phase
was training where those that could ride were taken for in
depth training to work on specific skills, the novices were
then broken down into groups and under the instruction of
Ripstar instructors were taught to snowboard. This
instruction started at grass roots such as how to put the
board on and tackling the daunting nursery slope. There were
varying levels of rider developing over the first 3 days but by
day 4 the majority of the groups had advanced to carving and
slope tricks and coming off the top of the mountain on the
blue route.
The second week was all riders irrespective of there ability
competed in a competition. This was broken down into 3
disciplines, slalom (all), boarder cross – this is where 4 riders
race down a purpose built course at the same time (all) and
freestyle (advanced/intermediates only).
Slalom – The team had a good run in qualification with Sig
Morgan finishing 2nd but unfortunately finishing just outside
the medals in the main event. Sig Calderbank also did well
finishing in the top ten in the novice event. LCpl Sheard also
had a good run taking third place in the advanced event.
Boarder-X – This was also a successful event for members of
the team as LCpl Sheard took the gold from this event in the
advanced category. In the novice event the team could well
have taken silverware with LCpl Carus, Sig Calderbank and Sig
Morgan all having a good runs. Unfortunately due to the
qualification runs they were all placed in the same race for the
second knockout round which meant that LCpl Carus was
unlucky and was knocked out. Sig Calderbank and Sig
Morgan were then paired in the semi-final. Due to the course
being tight Sig Morgan unintentionally took out Sig
Calderbank and they didn’t make it through to the final.
Free Style – LCpl Sheard again took silverware from this event
as he finished second. This was very close as he tied with
third but just took it as he scored more points on his first run.
Normal service resumed!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
All in all a good time was had by all and congratulations go
LCpl Sheard and LCpl Innes for successfully making it into the
R SIGNALS corps team. LCpl Innes was in contention in all
disciplines, finishing in the top 10 in all 3 events.
75
19 LIGHT BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS
AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (209)
LISBURN
OC
RSM
Maj Nat Baker
WO1 (RSM) ‘Jasper’ Scarrott
RETURN FROM OP HERRICK- by Sig Louis Bromage
you really wanted, swimming in the sea. They also have other
things to keep you occupied on solid ground. At the end of
the day we returned back to Bloodhound Camp, had another
4 cans and watched the CSE show again.
It was a day we were all looking forward to. Finally after we
departed our attached units in various locations and returned
to Camp Bastion, we were all reunited for the first time in a
while. We were told we were to check into the Bastion flight
line at 1300hrs on 27 March. We were initially told to report
back at 1945hrs but this swiftly changed due to a surprising
delay in the RAF flight schedule to 0100hrs in the early hours
of the 28th and that our flight would take off at 0400hrs.
After a gruelling 12 hour wait and several games of a certain
card game ending with ‘head’, Sig ‘Scruppsy’ Scrupps was
wearing his helmet for the rest of the night as a forfeit for
losing the majority of games.
The next day was a waiting game and we were all looking
forward to returning back to Northern Ireland. The majority
of us spent our day in the Movie Machine and we were all
anxious to get back. Finally the time came and we returned
to Akrotiri and eventually flew back to Aldegrove. We landed
in the early hours of Saturday morning and after a little wait
which felt like an eternity for our baggage. We returned to
Thiepval Barracks and a handful of us were reunited with our
loved ones.
After a long 2 legged flight we
finally arrived in RAF Akrotiri,
transferred by coach to
Bloodhound Camp and began
our decompression
immediately. We had time to
relax followed by a few
relevant briefs. We were then
entitled to 4 cans. Also a CSE
show was put on for us with 2
comedians and a band. Due
to transport and flight
purposes we were delayed in
Cyprus for an extra night after
200 Sig Sqn left for Hanover.
The following day we went to
the beach in Happy Valley.
We had to undertake a
swimming test if we wanted
to go into the sea which we
could all agree isn’t the
perfect Cyprus sea we were
all expecting at that time of
the year. Nevertheless there
Sig Louis Bromage welcomed home
were several activities you
could take part in, including
kayaking, sailing, banana boating, the inflatable sofa and if
Rauris, Austria. After a swift and flawless couple of flights
from Ireland into Austria (a marked improvement from last
years’ 48-hour marathon minibus journey!), 6 crack troops of
209 Sig Sqn led by the intrepid Capt Rob Carnegie arrived
ready for some extreme sporting action at the annual Royal
Signals Snowboarding Camp. A tough, daunting 2 week duty
indeed but someone had to do it.
EXERCISE MERCURY SNOWRIDER
– by Capt Rob ‘Carnage’ Carnegie
After the obligatory ‘local familiarisation evening’ where we
were signed off as village-fammed at approximately 0130hrs
on Sunday morning by Capt Carnegie (who woke up with a
hand-written NTT from LCpl Ryan Trask, who wanted to sign
off and go to Greece in pursuit of ‘Kristina’ – long story), we
had a much-needed admin day before shuffling off to the
slopes; intermediates had the luxury of taking the lift straight
up into a snowstorm and novices were to suffer the
unexpectedly rainy nursery slopes at the bottom.
Bleak weather on day one!
The journey ends
76
Needless to say conditions improved, along with the abilities
of all our team. Former novices Cpl Wilcox (REME) and Cpl
Laura Magness came on in leaps and bounds, making it off
the nursery and up the mountain by Wednesday - not to
mention down as well! LCpl Trask, however, was not so lucky,
breaking his wrist on the nursery slopes while attempting his
second inverted 720 of the day (or so he’d have you believe).
Though encouraging, the novices’ progress was not without
its hiccups, such as Cpl Wilcox being discovered by a bemused
German skier in the ‘sparko starfish’ position after a
particularly dynamic face-plant in the middle of the blue slope
and not remembering how he got there. Our intermediate
team consisting of Capt Carnegie, Sig Tom Stallybrass and Sig
Jack Ivermee also progressed throughout the week of
instruction, occasionally lifting off the ground under
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
something resembling control – a novel experience
altogether.
With the second week came a series of genuine highlights –
competition time! A very slickly-organised Slalom, Jump Park
and the legendary Boardercross race constituted our week
with some intense competition at both inter-personal and
inter-unit level. Though our merry men didn’t get so much as
a sniff at some silverware, Cpl Laura Magness rode with a
degree of style to cash in every Novice Female trophy going,
causing some consternation at the airport with the excess
weight.
The poor boys however, had to endure an extra 2 mile loop,
taking them along the beach for a 2nd time which I’m sure
they were all pleased about. After some confusion about the
route, the female competitors started crossing the finish line
at 27 minutes with Cpl Laura Magness coming in 1st, followed
closely by LCpl Gemma Spencer (AGC) and then by the 2IC
Capt Sarah Church in 4th position.
A short while later the male competitors started to filter
through with 1st position coming in with an impressing 41
minutes! 209 teams 1st male was Sig Jack Ivermee, followed
by Sig Kieron Johnstone, LCpl Chris Stanton, SSgt ‘Baz’
Barratt, LCpl ‘Tac’ McArthur, Sig ‘Batman’ Batham, and then
Sgt Phil Dransfield. The female team returned to camp with
SSgt Mo O’Rourke (AGC) picking up 1st prize in the individual
female veteran category and the team picking up a trophy for
1st place overall. Unfortunately the male team walked away
empty handed but they can hold their heads high in the
knowledge they are in the company of champions – the
chicks!
Cpl Wilcox, Sig Ivermee, Sig Stallybrass, Capt Carnegie atop the
Hochalm mountain
Overall this was a cracking Corps camp – the troops
thoroughly enjoyed it, it was made affordable by generous
Sqn and Bde funding and we returned safe having pushed our
comfort zones and gained valuable qualifications. Big thanks
to WO1 (RSM) Dom Graham of 71 Sig Regt for a memorable
camp – same time next year, Dom…
The winning team- Capt Sarah Church, Cpl Laura Magness and
LCpl Gemma Spencer
Cpl Wilcox (back) with his Mk 1 race-face
NORTHERN IRELAND CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE WINNERS!
– by Cpl Laura Magness
A lovely sunny day; the weather could not have been more
perfect for a run along the beach if it tried. It was the final
run in the Northern Ireland Cross Country League and the
competition was looking a bit more threatening than usual
with a higher number of runners than some of the previous
races. We were at Ballykinler Training Centre, a 40 minute
drive from 209 Sig Sqn lines in Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn.
Female runners had a 4 mile route around the area including a
mile or so of plodding through the gravel and sand of the
nearby beach which definitely took its toll on the old
quadriceps!!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The team bask in the sunshine and glory!
77
BRUNEI SIGNAL TROOP
EXERCISE BUKIT SHAHBANDAR 2012
- by LCpl Sanjaykumar Rana
After a year long gap since our last expedition to Mt Kota
Kinabalu, Malaysia, Brunei Sig Tp personnel got an
opportunity to take part in a one day walking expedition in
Bukit Shahbandar, Brunei on 23 Feb 2012. The expedition was
led by LCpl Ghanendra Rai under the direction of Capt
Hebindra, OC BST with a view to assess individual navigational
skills whilst also developing team spirit and team harmony
among troop personnel. This expedition was also organised
to test our personal fitness standard in different terrain and
to build up leadership skills. This day was also very important
for the Brunei people as it was the Brunei Independence Day
and it was a good way to help celebrate this auspicious
occasion.
It was everyone’s first visit to Bukit Shahbandar and no one
expected the route to be a tough one but everyone was
chatting and enjoying the beauty of the Brunei rainforest and
sunshine all the way. It was a good test for all team members
to show their team spirit and to test the physical and mental
strength in hot and humid conditions. On behalf of all the
expedition members, we would like to thank LCpl Ghanendra
for organising such an eventful and challenging expedition.
Jai Queen’s Gurkha Signals
SEOUL INTERNATIONAL MARATHON 2012
- by LCpl Sanjaykumar Rana
The day started early in the morning with interval training for
PT. After that we all gathered in Medicina Lines for the
wonderful day ahead. Due to various commitments,
altogether 10 personnel including OC BST, Capt Hebindra Pun,
and SSgt Bom Gurung managed to take part on the
expedition. After an hour long drive we reached our
destination where LCpl Ghanendra was ready to brief on us
about the area and the route, which was approximately 10
kilometres. As the day was sunny, which is a usual occurance
in Brunei, everyone prepared themselves for the walking. Sun
lotion cream and hats were everyone’s first priority. With a
quick discussion on the route we all started our journey which
was a steep uphill climb after a 50m short walk.
The route was uphill and downhill all the way which reminded
us of our typical Nepalese hill tracks. There were lots of
direction sign posts during the walk but we still had to show
our navigational skills to follow the correct route. The
observation tower on top of the hill gave us a bird’s eye view
of the Bukit Shahbandar terrain and rainforest; a breath
taking view of the South China Sea and The Empire Hotel.
The route was well organised by the Forest Department of
Brunei to give all the walkers the taste of Brunei’s terrain and
beauty. Due to morning PT and hot weather the terrain really
tested our physical fitness level all the way. Everyone
managed to complete the track in less than 2 hrs with a lot of
time to rest and chat on the way. After a long walk we did
plan to eat a buffet lunch in The Empire Hotel but due to Tp
commitment’s we headed into Gadung town for a short and
delicious lunch prior to returning to camp.
78
I had just arrived back from a months leave in Nepal, when on
my first day back to work, OC BST, Capt Hebindra Pun and
Guruji’s, announced that members of the Tp were planning on
running a marathon. I thought this would be an ideal way to
improve back my fitness and lose all the weight gained during
my leave, so I volunteered to join the team. After looking at
all the forthcoming marathon events, it was decided that we
should compete in the upcoming Seoul International
Marathon 2012 which was to be held on 18 March. This race is
renowned all over the world and it holds IAAF Gold Label
Road Race status.
This was a great opportunity for members of BST and RLD.
Five members from BST; Capt Hebindra, Cpl Shiva, LCpl Kali,
LCpl Sanjay and Sig Surya and one member from RLD, LCpl
Tula were to take part in the race. Cpl Dilip was to carry out
the admin for the team and give moral support while we were
running!
The marathon event training and planning was led by LCpl
Kali. His initial task was to assess the individual fitness level
of each team member and build them up towards the
marathon race, concentrating on long distance running, whilst
also developing team spirit. It was decided that we would use
the event to raise some money for charity. We decided to
raise funds for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Nepal Cancer
Relief Society.
LCpl Kali applied for the team’s entry for the race and also
managed to book flights, hotels and Visas for the journey to
South Korea, via Malaysia.
We started our training 2 months before the race, following
the programme made by LCpl Kali, (who is a PTI). The
training was progressive. Due to the heat and humidity
conditions of Brunei, training was usually carried out early in
the morning. As the training progressed, some of us were
feeling pain of the long run, as most of us were running long
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
distances for the first time. Despite the pain and the Brunei
climate we all managed to complete a 20 miles (32 km) run,
which provided us with extra confidence as the marathon
loomed ever nearer. We were working very hard to get in the
best possible shape before the race with lots of sacrifices,
including a strict routine, dieting, and training hard on work
days. We were also collecting money for the charities from all
the departments in 2 Bn RGR (the Residential Infantry
Battalion) and the Garrison, in the form of sponsorship. Our
minds were firmly set for the marathon and we finally headed
towards Seoul on 15 Mar 12, 3 days before the actual race, so
we could acclimatize ourselves to colder weather that South
Korea was experiencing, and to do a recce on the route.
the Olympic Stadium, with the awesome support from the
Seoul neighbourhood along the way.
Once we reached Seoul everyone felt the cold weather.
Moreover, I was feeling a little bit nervous when we were
doing the recce of the route because of the pressure to do
well in the race and complete what was to be my first ever
marathon run. Other team members were also feeling the
pressure as some of us had planned to finish well under 3:30
hrs time.
We collected our race package from the Donga Daily News
Building. The day before the race, we all managed to get a
few hours of rest before waking up early in the morning to
get our kit together for the “big off”.
We reached the race site one hour before the start. It was a
freezing cold morning. We warmed up and got ready for
start. There were over 30,000 competitors from different
backgrounds and countries. We managed to chat with some
of the other teams and had some photo opportunities prior to
the race.
The race started at 0800 hrs sharp. The first group to go off
were the elites. We were eagerly waiting our turn, and we
had been placed in the final group to set off, due to this being
our first attempt at the Seoul Marathon. As planned we were
to run together as a team for the first 5 km, but after that we
were to run on at our own pace. The atmosphere was great
and the Korean people were very supportive along the way.
They cheered us all the way and we saw Korean traditional
dancers and heard some traditional music as we made our
way around the course. This had the effect of really boosting
our energy!
We met our admin NCO at the 20 km point, where we had
some refreshments waiting for us. There were much-needed
water and food points at every 5km point.
Runners from BST proudly posing for a photo with their medals
after completing the Seoul Marathon
The fastest time of our team members was set by LCpl Kali
who completed the course in an impressive 3hrs 38mins,
which was a great effort considering our relatively short
period of training time and the Brunei conditions of training in
the constant heat.
Once all the BST runners had finished we congratulated
ourselves for completing the run and had a quick photo
session with our medals and Regtl flags.
Apart from the marathon run, we took full advantage of being
in Seoul by visiting different locations and learning a little of
the South Korean culture. We were able to visit the DMZ (De
Militarized Zone) between N Korea and S Korea. We also got
some time to visit the Seoul Tower and National War
Memorial museum which reflects the history between the 2
Korean countries. On the last day before we returned to
Brunei there was a cultural visit of Seoul city accompanied by
a local guide, who showed us some of the beautiful places in
the inner city.
We came back full of pride in ourselves for completing the
marathon run and privileged that we had seen such a
beautiful, historic and a very traditional city during our time in
South Korea. To finish the 26 mile Marathon run was not an
easy task, but the determination and team spirit amongst the
individuals throughout the run made this event achievable. It
was a good test for all team members to push the boundaries
of their physical and mental strength under difficult and alien
conditions. More importantly, thanks to the generosity of
everyone in Brunei Garrison, we were able to raise more than
Brunei $3,100.00 for the GWT and NCRS.
The marathon team enjoying the atmosphere during the race
The cold weather turned out to be extremely good racing
conditions, and we managed to see some awesome scenery
of the capital city during the race. Despite all feeling the pain
of our 26 mile run, we all managed to cross the finish line in
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
On behalf of the whole marathon team we would like to
thank all those who supported us and sponsored us for this
charity marathon. We also like to thank Seoul Marathon
Organiser for giving us an opportunity of a lifetime to take
part in the race. Finally, thank you all for believing in us and
those who gave us plenty of advice for the event.
We hope to take part in another such event in the near future.
Jai Queen’s Gurkha Signals
79
OTHER UNITS
DE&S ISS ISP SAI
OC
USM
Maj Dave Rook
WO2 Daniel O`Donnell
The pace of life within the Falklands based DE&S Information
Systems and Services South Atlantic Islands unit continues
with its usual speed. This month we have welcomed in Sig
Hunter, Sig Fearn, Cpl Billingsley, Sgt Poole and Sgt Booth,
saying goodbye to Sig Green, LCpl Loksom, LCpl Payne, LCpl
Malarek, Sgt Bate, Sgt Butterfield and WO2 Blowes.
MOUNT PLEASANT ‘TOUGH GUY’ COMPETITION
- by LCpl Higgins
In March, 17 members of DE&S ISS SAI took part in the Mount
Pleasant summer Tough Guy Competition. In all over 50
individuals from the units that comprise British Forces South
Atlantic Islands attempted to prove that they had what it
takes to get through the gruelling course laid out by the PEd
Flight team. Personal rivalries were at stake amongst many of
DE&S ISS SAI, such as that between the aging TOT Capt Street
and WO2 Blowes. In the end age won out over beauty much
to the annoyance of the Unit Sergeant Major.
Prizes did go to LCpl Payne and LCpl Downes despite their
slow movement around the course, as they picked up a joint
prize for best wipe-out. This resulted from their daring
attempt to get through a gauntlet of Fijian rugby players who
formed one of the obstacles on the course. Capt Gormley
and Sgt Booth made it quite clear from the start that they
were going for pole position. Something that they had not
anticipated was the abilities of Sig Fearn who ended up
claiming first place for ISS after a cheeky overtake manoeuvre
at the end. With multiple deep puddles, lots of mud, tyres,
tunnels and firemen spraying water, the course proved to be
a good test of grit and determination.
Joseph Jones feeling the pain
it’s the hardest route they’ve ever done. All in all it was a
great day and I suppose not everybody can say they’ve ran
the world’s most southern marathon.
Marathon times were:
Ryan Booth
James Healy
3:53:40 Joseph Jones
4:41:31
ISS SAI
4:18:18
3:43:34
STANLEY MARATHON - by LCpl Jones
This year a number of DE&S ISS SAI individuals signed up to
complete the most southerly marathon in the world, the
Stanley marathon. Myself, Sgt Booth, and FofS Healy ran the
challenge individually, while Maj Rook, LCpl Higgins, AB
Tobbell and PO Dowland entered to compete as a team.
The marathon did not get off to a great start with winds
measuring 40mph significantly slowing the speed of
competitors, although the route itself was relatively flat as far
as the Falklands goes. Markers were set at every mile to
provide awareness of distance you had to travel, but with the
wind it didn’t feel like you were running anywhere in a hurry.
As an individual runner completing the 26 miles single handed,
it was hard to set a constant pace as the team relay runners
would often overtake resulting in pitiful attempts to strive
and keep up with them. After about 14 miles my legs had
turned to jelly so I just had to smile and let them pass.
The support from the local Falkland Islanders was very
encouraging, as people came out of their houses to wave
British flags and cheer on the competitors. The street was full
of cheering people and after completing the marathon you
felt a great sense of achievement with a lot of people saying
80
The DE&S ISS SAI Stanley Marathon competitors
EXERCISE JOINT GUARDIAN - by Sig Hunter
As a secondary duty in the Falklands a number of the DE&S
ISS SAI unit form part of the Ground Defence Force (GDF) that
are responsible for maintaining the security of the Mount
Pleasant Complex (MPC). Ex JOINT GUARDIAN was a station
level ex designed to test the GDF’s ability to deter enemy
activity and defend MPC against an array of different threats.
All personnel deploying on the Ex had to undertake GDF
training. This is a week long package detailing the roles of the
GDF as well as bringing the other services up to speed with
patrolling and C/IED drills. The difference in ability levels was a
little greater than anticipated, with Royal Signals soldiers
feeling a little anxious after witnessing the rarely practiced
field skills of the Navy and RAF. The participating members
from the unit included Capt Gormley, LCpl Onion, Sig Venn,
Sig Fearn, Sig Pigan, Sig Walker, SAC Ingram and SAC Bilton
who all enjoyed the exercise in spite of the numerous stags
and patrols. My only bug bear of the exercise was the severe
lack of VP training for all services. I believe that messages
could have been sent a lot more efficiently and effectively if
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
A number of weeks before 17 March myself as ISS`s only Irish
leprechaun, started preparations for an ISS Saint Patrick’s
theme night, to be held in the unit’s bar, Sharkies. Assisting
my efforts was the rest of the guys from the Cable
Maintenance and Installation Section who are the organisers
of nearly every ISS event that involves hard work or alcohol.
As it was Saint Patrick’s Day anything green was worn. Sig
Liam Fearn wore a green lantern all in one suit aged 12 and
up. Cpl Chris Johnson wore a sumo outfit along with Sig
Reece Venn. However dressing up in a sumo outfit wasn’t
enough for Reece, he had to go all out and wear a mini skirt
and a very tight pink vest top under his suit. To make him feel
as he puts it “manly”. Sig Dave Hunter dressed up in an all in
one fairy costume that was designed for an 8 year old! So as
you can imagine he looked extremely lady like. As for myself,
being the lucky Irish charm of the night but not having a
leprechaun outfit I decided to improvise and the closest thing
to a leprechaun we had was a female elf costume.
Even though we ordered fancy dress outfits 10 days before
the big night, our costumes never arrived, so in good old
Royal Signals tradition we improvised, adapted and overcame,
well that was the idea. Unsurprisingly the Falkland Islands has
a very low number of fancy dress shops; well in fact it has
none! So we had to make do with what we had in our cases.
Having advertised the event far and wide amongst the BFSAI
community, the event proved a resounding success. All unit
bars compete for business in the Falklands, as keeping them
alive and running contributes massively to unit morale. So the
fact that ‘Sharkies’ reached capacity meant plenty of money
was taken over the bar and a good night was had by all.
people knew how to talk over a radio. It became apparent
that for the Navy and RAF ‘all loud and clear from our end
mate’ suffices as effective voice procedure.
SAINT PATRICKS DAY IN THE FALKLANDS - by LCpl Onion
1ST NATO SIGNAL BATTALION
FIRST IMPRESSIONS - by Maj Dave Whitaker
EXERCISE WESEL CLOUD 2 - By WO2 (YofS) Rawlings
I was warned off in December 2011 that I had received a
posting as the Deputy Commander to 1 NATO Signal Battalion
(1 NSB) starting on 1 Mar 12. I was pleased to receive the
posting and set about arranging the move to Germany with
the assistance of WO2 (CSM) Brian Mclean, whose help and
information about moving to a NATO Isolated Detachment
(ISODET) was invaluable.
Ex WESEL CLOUD is the Bn annual CIS exercise designed to
develop the skill sets of the officers and soldiers from all 6
subunits and the Bn HQ alike. Over the last 12 months most
soldiers have received individual training from the NATO CIS
School in Latina, Italy, from their own nation or civilian
companies. Wesel Cloud is an opportunity to bring these skills
together and is the only collective training event in the Bn
calendar. Each year Wesel Cloud is the only period designated
as a leave ban thus ensuring maximum participation such is
the importance placed on this event by the CO.
I arrived whilst the Bn was undertaking its annual unit level
training exercise (Ex WESEL CLOUD) which also proved to
make the HOTO easier as I managed to see the Bn deployed
into the field with all its equipment, which helped me
understand the role of the unit much more clearly.
The unit is commanded by a German Lt Col, however he is
currently out in Afghanistan until the end of May. This meant
assuming command of the Bn in his absence. This proved to
be much easier than I anticipated and although the unit is
multi-national there are some excellent people in key posts
that have made my life much easier than it could have been.
The unit is 60% German, 20% UK and 20% manned by personnel
from 8 other nations.
On the domestic side we are quartered in Goch, which is a
100km round trip everyday but you soon get used to that.
The quarter area is shared with a number of RAF Officers and
their families from the CAOC at Uedem and the JAPCC at
Kalkar. As there are no messes as such, we are all members
of the UK Community Centre which is an excellent facility and
a focal point for everyone to congregate, socialise and
provides the facility to obtain UK National support for general
BFG matters and a link to the JFC in Brunssum.
All in all my first month in post has been genuinely interesting
and I am looking forward to my tour with the unit. The future
looks busy, we have a permanent presence in Afghanistan
and rotate one of the Deployable Comms Modules every 4
months. DCM D (628 Sig Tp) deploy in May 12. We currently
report to the HQ of the NATO Signal Regiment (NSR) in
Brunssum, however this year brings the start of the
re-organisation of NATO HQs. With that the NSR disappears
and the Bn moves under direct command of the NATO CIS
Group. Exact details of how this will happen is still work in
progress, however much like the rest of Defence we are
undergoing significant change.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
WESEL CLOUD began with an icebreaker BBQ arranged by
SSgt Al Smith, it was soon apparent that he knew his way
around a sausage! The relaxed atmosphere with beer flowing
was the ideal opportunity for the Danish and British Coys to
meet their German colleges and the staff at the Bn HQ in
Wesel. The first week was a gentle mix of cross training and
equipment testing and for many it was the first chance they
had to experiment with configurations and settings without
the risk of crashing a NATO Task Force HQ. As the week
progressed working days became longer as more and more
effort was required to meet the objectives. However, by
Friday goals had been met and the weekend was beckoning.
The UK Community Centre has been the back drop for some
very interesting international events over recent months. The
“Saxons v Vikings” games night arranged by Cpl Jay Taylor
was no exception. Competitions were designed to be fair and
to take into account the Danish inability to drink but despite
the best efforts of the officials to maintain fairness it soon
became apparent that the Vikings were out of their depth!
With an accomplished victory 8 – 0 the Saxons celebrated in
the only way they know how with a monster Jager train.
Ex WESEL CLOUD was the brain child of Capt Sander Soomre,
the Estonian Ops Offr working in S3. His vision was to have 2
main phases to the Ex, a week in barracks building and testing
equipment and a second phase in the field. The deployment
phase during the second week was called Op MORNING
GLORY, the scenario was loosely based on an episode of “The
A Team” and a war film he watched a few years ago!
MORNING GLORY was a weeklong deployment in the field
bringing together all available equipment and personnel from
across the unit to test all aspects of a deployment ranging
81
from convoy drills, recce procedures and of course the CIS
business too. Everyone that deployed met with different
challenges and had varying levels of success. Sgt Martin Catt
and Sgt Andy Wedge were particularly impressive, managing
to use their Long Range Line of Sight detachments to
communicate almost 350m! Well done guys!
exchanges, BME (which the NATO name for Promina), Hi-Path
phone exchanges and an SDH fibre network. A lot of the
equipment here is fairly new to me and this has been a great
learning experience, especially having 2 civilian engineers
alongside who have a lot of knowledge between them and
have provided me with a lot of useful experience on these
networks. As well as the day to day work there has also been
the opportunity to relax and have a few BBQs and game
nights where we have been able to interact on a more social
level and get to know each other a bit better.
Overall this tour has been very enjoyable despite the
numerous rocket attacks from the Taliban who thankfully aim
about as well as the Americans. Being in this environment has
been interesting and makes for a very different experience
from the normal British deployment and has given me the
opportunity to experience how other nations work and
conduct their normal day to day work as well as make a few
friends from around the world on the way.
EXERCISE SNOW METHOD – by Sgt Rob Hirst
1 NSB at the end of Ex WESEL CLOUD 2
MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT COMPANY
OC
CSM
Comdt H Hollebosch Belgian Army
WO2 (CSM) B Mclean Maintenance and Support Coy would like to welcome Sgt Rob
Hirst who has come from Northwood and moved into the CIS
Control Centre to work as a Systems Administrator when he is
not snowboarding. Sgt Martin Catt has bolstered the Mobile
CIS department coming from 225 (ECM(FP)) Sig Sqn and Sgt
Andy Wedge has made the short trip from 1 (MI) Battalion in
JHQ to work in the SatCom section. We wish them all luck in
this Multi National melting pot. Cpl Jay Taylor has completed
his stores conversion course and has moved up into Bn HQ to
ensure the RQ is doing things the correct way. Cpl Wayne
Barry Jordan is still on deployment and his thoughts from
Theatre are included below.
ISAF DEPLOYMENT – by Cpl Wayne Barry Jordan
For my 6 month deployment to Afghanistan from the middle
of October 2011 I was assigned to work in Kandahar Signal
Support Group (KSSG) alongside 2 different multinational
deployments. During the first 2 months I was here working
alongside the German Deployable Communications Module A
(DCM A) which was augmented by members of the British
DCM D and a few members of Maintenance & Support Coy
which included a Belgian, a German and myself. For the
remaining 4 months I was here working alongside Danish
DCM E augmented by German DCM C. This left myself as the
only British military personnel working in KSSG and gave me a
good insight into working alongside different nations which
including the civilians amounted to members of 9 different
countries including: America, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Germany, Great Britain, Kosovo, Romania and Turkey.
While I have been on this deployment I have been tasked to
work within the communications section of KSSG which
during the main portion of my tour was broken down into
command group consisting of Danish and German soldiers
with the OC being a Danish Maj and the 2 I/C being a German
Ltt, SatCom, LANWAN, line, tech support, DCIS, service desk,
sys admins and comms. The comms section was made up of 6
people with a German section head, 2 Danish shift workers, a
Belgium civilian, a Turkish civilian and myself.
Daily life has been working on a shift system maintaining and
monitoring the NATO core network which includes voice
82
Ex SNOW METHOD is a new competition designed to improve
the Army Snowboarders freestyle riding, organized by Col ‘JC’
Connelly RLC. It turned out to be an amazing week with great
weather, great instructors and good snow for the time of year.
The groups were roughly set into beginners, intermediates
and open riders with 36 boarders in total. With group sizes of
the open riders being 3-5 it was a great environment to learn
– at times it was an almost 1 to 1 group ratio riding alongside
some of the best riders in the country. The Open group that
I stayed in for the duration started out being coached by
Ben Kineer and ended with 2 days of Nelson “Nelly” Pratt
(who recently came 2nd in the Brits and will be coaching
Jenny Jones for the Olympics). With these guys helping us all
members of our group quickly progressed and our technique,
ability and confidence to perform new tricks increased daily.
There was, as there always is during snowboarding freestyle,
a few big falls. In the top group - Unbreakable Cpl Sam Bibby
(who recently came 7th at the Brits boarderX - Congrats) had
a few epic crashes. One involved a full speed nose planting
into the side wall on the run-up to one of the Red Kickers.
Sgt Phil Mullagian and OCdt Mo Hussain both had big falls
on one of the high pipes. In our group Aidie (REME), after
repeated crashes all day trying a front side 360, eventually was
all crashed out and needed an afternoon off and Nick (AAC)
received severe whiplash from landing upside down after
catching an edge mid-jump. All were ok though and, leading
into the competition on the Thursday, it was anyones guess
for the open competition. Mini-JC (SSgt John Craig RAPTC),
Mo and myself
were all in solid
form on the box
runs. On the kicker
runs Mini JC, Mo,
Phil and Sam Bibby
all laid down solid
runs. For Sam that
was the highlight
of the afternoon,
after laying down a
solid first run, did a
spectacular, crazy
second run ending
in a big upsidedown wipeout and
was down for a 10
minute recovery.
The Beginners and
Sgt Rob Hirst and Capt Kia Flecca working hard intermediates
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
quickly progressed on in their groups as well and culminated
their week with a slalom race, showing the precision,
technique and control gained over the week. Competition
over with Mini-JC, Mo and Sam taking the top 3, Capt Kia
Fleccia top female and myself most progressive rider (thanks
to all that voted for me). R.SIGNALS taking 2,3,5 and6 slots
in the men’s and 1st in the female – of the 5 R SIGNALS that
entered for the week, pretty good results.
With another SNOW METHOD (possibly 2 weeks) planned for
Oct as a lead-in to the snowboarding season things are looking
good for the Army team to hopefully retain their dominance at
the CS Snowboarding next Jan and to improve in the freestyle
phase of the competition.
NCISS LATINA
ITALY
Senior British Officer
RSM
Lt Col G O Yeomans
W01(RSM) R J Ayling
EXERCISE WINTER WARRIOR - by SSgt Gordon Campbell
A 3 day excursion to take advantage of the fine snow in Italy
is essential to make up for the hard work which goes into life
in the NATO Communications and Information Systems School
in Latina. Sgt Richie Foy sourced a 5 star hotel at 3 star prices
in the lovely town of Rieti just north east of Roma as our hub
for a bit of team building and relaxation. The price must have
been good as we even attracted the RSM to join us!
Day 1 Ovindoli. The location is one of the favourite for
snowboarders and skiers alike but it did not start well for our
own CPO Steve Baker. His torn groin did not come at the
hand of a jump, turn or twist on his new ‘LIB’ board but
actually buying his lift pass for the day. After talking about
this excursion for at least 2 months prior to our departure, he
bought his ticket, slipped on some ice, screamed like a victim
in a horror movie and tore his groin. The new ‘LIB’ board was
quickly translated to stand for ‘Left In Bus’ due to the amount
of time he was left at the bottom of the Piste while the rest of
the party enjoyed a great day on the slope.
Day 2 Campo Felice. We thought for day 2 that we would try
a different area as we have done Ovindoli on quite a few
occasions, so we moved on to Campo Felice. Unfortunately
for us the snow gods did not look kindly to our party and the
majority of the day was spent trying to miss rocks and
boulders on the sparsely scattered hills. To add to the lack of
powder we had a few members of the party smarting some
bad heads after a little too much local produce the night
before namely SSG Sean Hutchins. The day would have been
better if we had on hire skis with the amount of pounding
they took but still it was better than being in the office.
Day 3 Terminilo. The snow gods again did not shine and sadly
with 2 runs open we decided that the ski pass was not cost
effective. The wind was a particular nuisance and lets just say
that it smarted just a little when out in the open. The RSM
looked particularly pleased as I think his piggy bank had taken
a real hit when he bought a round of coffees. We decided
that we would enjoy the drive back. So every member was to
enjoy the nice and relaxing drive courtesy of the only person
to drive for more than 2 hours on day one of the Ex.
L to R: Sgt Jones, SSG Hutchins, WO1 (RSM)
Ayling, Sgt Foy, Mr Baker and SSgt Campbell
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
It was a great
trip. Reiti itself
was a lovely
town with great
food, the hotel
excellent as was
to be expected
with an RAF Sgt
making the
booking. As is
his motto ‘Why
dig in when you
can check in’.
NCISS LATINA - CYCLING MANAGEMENT DAY (2 MAR 12)
- by Sgt Chris Jones
On 2 March 2012 the British Community at NCISS Latina, took
the opportunity to combine a day of mountain biking with a
bit of Roman Culture by cycling along the ‘Appian Way’, or Via
Appia, one of Ancient Rome’s most important strategic
routes. It connected Rome with the port town of Bridisi in
south-east Italy and onward via ship to Ancient Rome’s
Eastern Empire. This “queen of the long roads” has a total
length of 560km. However the NCISS team only had one day;
obviously, we needed to set our sights a little lower…
After the fall of the Roman Empire the ‘Appian Way’ fell into
disrepair; until Pope Pius VI ordered its repair in 1784. The
result was the Via Appia Nouva “new Appian Way” built
alongside Via Appia Antica. As part of Italy’s Millennium
celebrations 18km of the Appia Antica running from Porta San
Sebastiano (one of the gates in the wall around ancient
Rome) was restored. At 18km each way, and a 36km round
trip? – even the RSM should manage that in a day!
Eight of us set out that morning with various ages and
abilities from the very able SSgt Phil Hensel to Mr Tony Evans
– let’s just say he is over 35! The first real hurdle was the
cycling skill test was where the riders had to pass through a
very narrow railway underpass without touching the sides.
Only 4 made it through on the first attempt: Sgt Chris Jones,
Sgt ‘PJ’ Johnston, WO1 (RSM) Richie Ayling and SSgt Gordon
Campbell. After 2 more passes, Gordon emerged victorious
as the day’s ‘Most Skilful Rider’.
We took a ‘Panini Break’ at a bar near the Mausoleum of
Caecilia Metella, where we resisted the lure of cold beer.
Soon after we reached our turn around point at Porta San
Sebastiano and started our uphill return leg. Of course not
long afterwards we passed the Panini Bar again where we lost
SSgt Hensel and Sgt Johnston. They had stopped for some
liquid refreshment and became “too tired” to continue and
had to be recovered by the support driver, Sgt Rob Walker.
The rest of the riders completed the whole 36km. We retired
to a local restaurant where we were joined by the retiree’s
and an awards ceremony carried out. FS Steve King was
awarded the ‘Most Saddle Sore’ and ‘Most Mechanical
Breakdown’ certificates. Mrs Joan Jones took ‘Lady of the
Day’ – since she was the only lady and WO1 (RSM) Richie
Ayling took ‘Most Competitive Rider’.
L to R: SSgt Campbell, WO1 (RSM) Ayling, FS King, Sgt Johnston,
Mr Evans, Sgt Jones, Mrs Jones, SSgt Hensell
83
SPORT
ORIENTEERING
The Royal Signals made up the greatest contingent in
the Combined Service Orienteering Team that took on
the British Students. Stalwarts, Maj Mel Rayner and
Capt Mark Bentley set the standard for new caps SSgts
Andy McNally and Steve Mallison with strong runs in
both the individual and relay races. The debutants rose
to the challenge and delivered great supporting runs
and were an essential part of the team in the annual
fixture, held this year in the Lake District.
The competition comprised an individual race on
Loughrigg Fell with a relay being held the following day
in Bigland Tarn. The competition itself is the British
Students Championships and the Combined Services
team is invited to attend each year to take on some of
the best orienteers in the country. It is fitting,
therefore, that one of the toughest competitions of the
year, that attracts some of the top orienteers in the
UK, was held on some of the most challenging terrain
in the UK.
This year it was the turn of Cambridge University
Orienteering Club (CUOC) to host the event. It was an
interesting decision for CUOC to hold the competition
so far from their university, but they must be thanked
for the great effort that went into the planning and
preparation that made the event such a success.
Lake District terrain is tough at the best of times, but he
courses that were set were particularly so. For the
Individual race a great job had been done to ensure that
the navigation was mainly using the contours and water
features on the map, including some rather wet
marshes. There was little opportunity to make use of
paths, fences or walls to simplify the navigation,
ensuring that only the most complete orienteers would
triumph. The standard set by the students was
extremely high with the closest challenge in the ladies
races coming from Mel Rayner. Mel was supported by
Cpl Sadie Burrow and Flt Lt Rachel Ellis in one of the
best CS ladies efforts in recent years. In the Men’s race
Royal Signals Lead the way at the
Combined Services Orienteering
Fixture
- by Flt Lt Geoff Ellis Combined Services Orienteering Team Manager
Photo's courtesy of Ian Buxton
84
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
it was once again Geoff who led the way,
supported with strong runs from Maj Peter
Helme, Mark Bentley, and new caps Capt
Rob Ashton and Sqn Ldr Ade Chapman.
After the individual the CS team was
laying in 5th place. This is the
expected minimum performance
against such tough opposition. It
would be up to the relay races to
see if the Combined Services could
improve their standings.
The start of a relay is always fast
and furious and it was no surprise
that Mel and Geoff shouldered the
responsibility of leg 1 in their
respective relays. The first race off
was the Men’s with Geoff
disappearing over the hill with the lead
pack. A few minutes later Geoff
reappeared, racing hard as he came through
the spectator control, trying to maintain
contact with the exceptional student lead runners. By
this time Mel was also out in the terrain and running
strongly. Mel handed over to Sadie in 7th place in the
ladies relay, whilst Geoff reappeared once more to
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
hand over to Rob in a competitive 10th. Rob
and Sadie both ran well, particularly Rob on
his second outing in Lake District terrain
and handed over to their respective
anchor legs with an outside chance of
improving the overall team placing.
Rachel and Mark, ever reliable in
tough and technical terrain, proved
to be last leg masters, both
managing to improve the teams’
positions in some exciting racing.
Despite the gritty effort shown by
the relay teams they were unable
to improve their team position and
finished in 5th place overall. The
victorious university was Edinburgh
who beat both the Combined
Services and their fellow universities
by an impressive margin.
The Combined Services Team, sponsored by
General Dynamics Limited, was one of the most
diverse in recent years with representation from all 3
Services, including 4 from the Corps which reinforces
the increasing competitiveness of the Royal Signals
team over the last 3 years.
85
EXERCISE SNOW WARRIOR
(ADAPTIVE)
- by Capt J F Lyons R SIGNALS RCMO Germany
In 2007 Col Fred Hargreaves OBE late R SIGNALS, after seeing adaptive skiers during a course he attended, was inspired by the idea
of adaptive sport and came up with a plan to implement a programme of activities to facilitate the physiological and psychological
rehabilitation of injured and wounded servicemen. The original vehicle for this was adaptive skiing and after a successful pilot
course in 2007 the programme was eventually christened Battle Back. Battle Back has gone from strength to strength and now
encompasses many activities including parachuting, kayaking and waterskiing to name but a few.
Military adaptive skiing is now in it’s fifth year and the programme has seen in the region of 80 disabled servicemen and woman
participate in the exercise. After 2008, Adventurous Training Group (Germany) (ATG (G)) took on the responsibility for the delivery
of the training with course loading being coordinated by the full time Battle Back team based at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation
Centre (DMRC) Headley Court. Students are tri service, recovering from both battle and non battle injuries or illnesses and a
mixture of volunteers and individuals who have been referred by specialists based on their clinical needs.
2012 was the fifth year adaptive skiing was delivered and it is now fully integrated into the ATG (G) course programme and runs in
parallel with the long standing Ex SNOW WARRIOR. The adaptive strand bears the same name as the main exercise and it is held
annually in Bavaria and centred around the 2 Multi Activity Lodges (MAL) in the village of Wertach, Allgau. Students attending the
exercise live in specially adapted rooms within the same accommodation as their able bodied counterparts. This is a key part of the
rehabilitation process allowing the students to integrate back into military life and for many, this is their first interaction back with
their peers outwith a clinical environment since their injury or illness.
So what is adaptive skiing? Adaptive skiing is simply taking existing ski equipment and
techniques, adapting them to the needs of the individual’s disability in order to allow them
to ski as well or in some cases better than they did before their disability. Adaptive skiing
has a number of strands; 2 Track where no extra equipment may be needed, for example, if
the skier has a neurological injury; 3 Track where the use of outriggers similar to crutches
are used, the skier would normally be a through or
above knee single leg amputee; 4 Track, which uses
outriggers and possibly some mechanical devices to
assist the skier when they have difficulty in maintaining
the position of the skis due to fatigue or neurological
issues; Mono and Bi skis or sit-skis for those who
cannot stand but still have a level of upper body
control such as double and triple amputees or low level
spinal injuries, and finally, visually impairment which
relies heavily on communication and kinaesthetic
Sgt Mick Brennan
feedback. Every student has their own specific needs
and no one size fits all and through the years a whole host of disabilities have been catered
for.
A 3 Track skier in action
86
Adaptive skiing is a manpower intensive activity and the ratio for instruction is normally 1:1 but
depending on equipment this can be 2:1. During the most recent serial 11 students attended
with 11 instructors, 6 assistant instructors, a physiotherapist and a remedial instructor in
support. On day one of the exercise the students are assessed by their instructor who then
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
goes about fitting and adapting the kit to fit the student. Once this lengthy process is complete it’s
time to hit the slopes.
The aim of adaptive skiing is to make the student as independent as possible which may sound simple
but some injuries require a great deal of patience and understanding which is why all the instructors
are fully qualified adaptive trained and disability aware. This training is re-enforced prior to every
serial with an intensive 3 day refresher package where the instructors and assistant instructors are
run through their safety drills, equipment, responsibilities and familiarisation with the ski areas.
Week 1, day 1 is no different for an adaptive student as it is for an able bodied student although the
administration of getting to the slopes can get a little emotional at times. Once on the slopes the
students experience the usual trials and tribulations, multiple falls and crashes and the odd Bambi
impression exactly the same as everyone else. Something that has never failed to impress me is the
can do attitude of each and every student. Despite some incredible disabilities they embrace the
whole process and give it 150% effort from the start. As with any learners, some progress at a rapid
rate and some need a little extra time to master their equipment and the new found freedom on the
mountain it brings.
A well-earned rest on the
summit of the Nebelhorn
The physical and mental effort given by the students doesn’t come without any penalties and the
biggest fault of most students is not knowing when to stop for a break and fatigue plays a big part in their skiing. This is where the
experience and knowledge of instructors play a large part by recognising when energy or concentration levels drop and forcing the
student to take a well earned break. Sometimes the instructor has to be cruel to be kind and where a student has really been
struggling, cutting the ski day short after consultation with the on site physiotherapist and Battle Back team, is the best option to
ensure the student can continue for the rest of the course.
The training, as you would expect, has many memorable moments and during one particular serial the instructors decided to have a
play with a mono ski during a break in training. As the mono ski flew down the slope it hit a bump and the instructor inside decided
it was safer to crash out than carry on and this he did in spectacular fashion much to the shock of a watching group of local civilian
skiers. Needless to say they rushed to his assistance and were very concerned for this “disabled” skiers wellbeing. This quickly
turned to amazement (maybe a little bit of embarrassment) when once the snow had settled, he reached down, undid all his
securing straps, slipped out of the bucket seat and walked away. The students, as with all servicemen and woman, have a wicked
sense of humour which can be very close to the bone at times but one thing they have in abundance is teamwork and a unique
sense of unity in diversity. During an early exercise before the adapted accommodation was ready for use, the staff in one lodge
were very concerned about the health and safety of the disabled students if there was a fire in the lodge despite assurances from
the Battle Back staff. The next morning the lodge manager carried out his mandatory fire practise at 0600. When the first 2
students to appear at the assembly point were a single leg amputee carrying his best mate, a triple amputee on his back, the safety
issue was no longer mentioned.
By the end of the exercise adaptive skiers achieve as high a level of proficiency as any able
bodied skier can in the same time to the point where most are capable of skiing entirely
independent of their helpers. This is evident no more so than with sit skiers, who by this stage,
can self load onto T- bars and drag lifts by the use of a quick release mechanism and onto chair
lifts enabling access to the whole mountain. The option exists as with all adaptive AT and
sport for those with a thirst to either come back again to further improve their skills or if they
wish to join the Combined Services Disabled Ski Team’s (CSDST) development squad where
they are introduced to racing. This step requires a high level of commitment from the
individual as the CSDST spend many months on the road each year. This is not a path that
most will choose to take but those with a real flair for adaptive skiing can, with some hard
Sgt Mick Brennan, on right, with
work reach a very high standard. The best example of this is former R SIGNALS Sgt, Mick
bronze medal
Brennan, a student on the very first adaptive serial who is now competing most of the season
in various national championships in his mono ski. Mick has had a highly successful season this year wining podium finishes in a
number of competitions including a bronze at the Austrian nationals. He is now on the fringes of the Team GB national squad and if
he breaks into the team, all the indications are that he may be one to watch at the next winter Paralympics.
Elite sport is merely a spin off from the Battle Back programme, in the first paragraph I mentioned Col Fred’s aim when this
programme started, which was to facilitate the physiological and psychological rehabilitation of injured and wounded servicemen
and woman. This has become even more pertinent now that a large number of our wounded, injured and sick servicemen and
women are involved in the transition back to civilian life. Some students feel that life as they knew it ended with their disability but
the greatest benefit they gain from this training is the knowledge that with some small adaptions, pretty much most of what they
did prior to their disability is still possible. Adaptive skiing and Ex SNOW WARRIOR (Adaptive) is a shining example of how this aim
has been achieved. From personal experience, the piste is a level playing field which, for many is the first time they realise the
possibilities the future holds. Seeing the smile on the face of a disabled serviceman with a debilitating disease who on a daily basis
would struggle to walk to the local paper shop, as he glides effortlessly down a blue or red run is priceless. To experience at first
hand the emotional turnaround in an individual who has been living in a very dark place for a long time and listen to them talk like
an excited child tell their loved ones on the phone how they smashed up the piste in their mono ski is inspirational. To overhear a
student say that “this was the first time he had felt like a real Marine since his injury” regaining his dignity is humbling. In a time of
great financial constraint it morally right that we should continue to fund and support this type of activity as the output and benefit
to those who need it cannot be quantified.
If you are interested in participating as an assistant instructor on adaptive skiing or are interested in qualifying as an adaptive ski
instructor then contact the Training Officer HQ ATG (G) on 94879 2917. If you have a sport or skill to offer that you feel could be useful
to Battle Back team or are interested in a pre deployment awareness brief on all of their adaptive activities, the Battle Back WO can be
contacted on 95238 7032.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
87
…PARALLEL GIANT SLALOM (PGS)
Slalom snowboarding is akin to slalom skiing, where riders
must complete a downhill course through a series of gates.
In a PGS competition, riders will usually complete a course
inspection followed by 2 qualification runs against the clock.
A PGS will have a red course and a mirrored blue course;
qualifying will include one run on each course. Riders who
have qualified with the fastest times will be seeded into a
32-knock-out competition. During the knockout, each pair of
racing riders will complete 2 runs against each other, one on
each course, with the fastest rider over both courses
qualifying through to the next round. Slalom racing requires
riders to be aggressive and precise with their carving
technique and be able to pre-empt and react to changes in
the terrain and changes in the rhythm or pattern of the
course.
THE ROYAL SIGNALS S
by Capt C P Jones (Royal Signals Snow
…SNOWBOARDERCROSS (SBX)
In Snowboardercross, also known as “Boarder X” or
“Snowboard X”, following a period of training and
individuals timed qualification runs, riders will be seeded
into a 32-matrix knockout competition. Each heat will
comprise 4 riders racing eachother down a course similar to
a motorcycle motocross track which includes jumps, berms,
rollers and other obstacles constructed out of snow on a
downhill course. The competition involves a series of heats,
with the first 2 riders in each heat advancing to the next
round. The overall winner is the rider that finishes first in
the final round. SBX requires riders to be aggressive,
physically robust and be able to deal with technical
obstacles as well as other riders in close vicinity whilst as
speed.
…SLOPE STYLE (SS)
n
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Slope style is a freestyle focused competition. Competitors
perform tricks while descending a course, moving around,
over, across, up, or down terrain features. The course is full
of obstacles including boxes, rails, jumps, jibs (includes
anything the board or rider can slide across). Slope-style
contests consists of choosing your own line in a terrain park
using a variety of boxes, jibs and jumps. To win a slope-style
contest the rider must pick the best and most difficult line in
the terrain park and have a smooth flowing line of tricks
performed on the obstacles. Style is also a huge factor in
winning a slope-style contest. The rider who lands the
hardest tricks will not always win over the rider who lands
easy tricks but makes them look good. Unlike racing, there
is no clock - competitors are awarded points for style and
difficulty of their run by a group of judges.
...Ex SNOWJACK 11
Ex SNOWJACK is the Army Snowboarding Championships,
held annually at the Stubai Glacier, near Neustift, Austria in
the 2 weeks preceding Christmas stand-down. The
championships comprises PGS, SBX and SS competition for
open (ie those who are not novice) riders. The Royals
Signals were represented by a dedicated team, selected for
their performance and ability; they were Capt Morgan Ross
(DTUS), Sgt Phil Mulligan (11 Sig Regt), Sgt Jeff Hirst (1NSB),
Cpl Sam Bibby (DSG), Cpl Vicky Fox (AET), Cpl Dee Swift
(228 Sig Sqn), Cpl Lou Walker (22 Sig Regt), LCpl Mikey
Sheard (207 Sig Sqn), and led by Capt Catrin Jones (204 Sig
Sqn).
The team completed a week long training package,
delivered by our Dutch coach Bas Elhorst (check him out on
youtube for some awesome freeride action). Training was
focused on preparing the team for all the competition
disciplines as well as hours of board waxing and preparation.
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THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
SNOWBOARDING TEAM GUIDE TO….
wboarding Team Capt)
The team competed well at the Championships, finishing overall Runner’s Up in a very close
contest with the REME (by one point). The team also had individual success with Cpl Vicky Fox
coming Runner Up in the Ladies Overall Individual Competition, Cpl Dee Swift placing 3rd, Capt
Catrin Jones 4th and Cpl Lou Walker 6th. In the Men’s Overall Individual Competition Sgt Phil
Mulligan, Cpl Sam Bibby and LCpl Mikey Sheard all finished in the top 10. The team were
praised by the Army Team Manager once again for their professional attitude to the
competition and for their overall performance.
Next season, Ex SNOWJACK will move to March, to take advantage of improved weather and
snow conditions. The team for next year will be selected from a squad of riders following this
year’s Corps Championship, Ex MERCURY SNOW RIDER 3.
…INTER SERVICES SNOW SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS (ISSSC) 2012
The following individuals from the Corps were selected to represent the Army Team at the Inter
Services Snowboarding Championships, held in Meribel in January 12: Capt Catrin Jones, Sgt
Phil Mulligan, Sgt Jeff Hirst, Cpl Sam Bibby, Cpl Vicky Fox, Cpl Dee Swift, and LCpl Mikey
Sheard. The Corps made up one third of the entire Army Team, a great representation! The
Men’s Team retained their overall Inter Services Champions title, whilst the Ladies narrowly lost
to the RAF. Cpl Vicky Fox was International Ladies Overall Individual Champion, in a
competition which included the tri-services and a team from the Australian Defence Force.
Following the ISSSC Capt Catrin Jones, Cpl Vicky Fox and Cpl Sam Bibby were selected to
represent the Combined Services Team at the British Championships in Laax, Switzerland.
…Ex SNOW METHOD 12
Over the period 30 Mar -07 Apr the Army held Ex SNOW METHOD, a freestyle orientated
training week and competition on the Stubai Glacier in Austria. The week was aimed at
advanced riders who are looking to improve the freestyle element of their riding, as well as
giving novice units/individuals who missed Ex SNOW JACK earlier in the season the chance to
learn to snowboard ending with a small slalom competition. Instruction was provided by
Pro Riders and Army Team coaches Nelson Pratt, Ben Kinnear, and Mike Austin, with the
novices being taught by some of the mountain instructors. With pretty much perfect conditions on the glacier, a welcome change from the norm and
the park being in great condition the Corps were represented by OCdt Mo Husain, Sgt Phil
Mulligan, Sgt Jeff Hirst and Cpl Sam Bibby all pushing their freestyle riding and each other
further and further each day. Being in such small groups and with all the riders being of a
very similar ability, the atmosphere in the park was awesome. Sam particularly benefited
from a few hours of individual tuition from Jo who spent most of the time trying to slow him
down and rein him in a bit!
The competition was held on the Thursday in great conditions and was a best of 2 lines. Each rider completed 4 runs, 2 down a set of boxes and rails and 2 over a set of 4 kickers
with the best of each run to count. The competition was very close but the Corps were well
represented again with Mo finishing in second place, Sam in third and Phil and Jeff in 5th
and 6th. Jeff at the final prize giving was voted most improved rider pulling out tricks after
a week of training that some of the Army Team have been trying to perfect for years.
We are all hanging up the boards for the next few months but eagerly awaiting Ex SNOW
SUMMER, the chance to see if we can remember what we have been taught and reproduce
it on the indoor slopes of the UK.
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EXERCISE MERCURY SNOWRIDER III: Royal Corps of
Signals Snowboarding Championships 2012
by Sgt Phil Mulligan (11 Sig Regt)
TRAINING WEEK
Ex MERCURY SNOWRIDER III, the Corps Snowboarding Championships, took
place during the period 4 – 17 Mar 12 in the resort of Rauris, Austria. The
championships saw record attendance with 120 senior and novice competitors
rank-ranged from Lt Col to Signaller taking part in the week long training
package followed by a week of competition. Snow conditions this year were
fantastic, with plenty of snow and blue skies gracing the race week.
Monday morning brought a lot of eager snowboarders and some skiers who
were willing to try something new to the bottom of the lift station. After
being split into novice (never snowboarded before) intermediate and advance
groups, the riders got to meet the Ripstar instructors who would be teaching
them for the next week prior to the competition. While the novices stayed on
the bottom slope to be taught the basics, how to use the lifts, how to skate
along, fall correctly and master the basic turns, the intermediate and advanced riders went up to ride as a big group for a run
before doing a “ride off” to split into ability groups so they could all get the most out of the instruction.
With light snow falling on the top of the mountain conditions were great for the more advanced riders but down at the bottom the
snow had turned to rain giving the novices a little more motivation to get the basics so they could get further up the mountain and
out of the rain. By lunchtime of day one, there were some rather wet novices! However, a few groups progressed very quickly and
were able to use the upper slopes after lunch. The intermediate and advance groups spent the morning getting their legs in and
concentrating on technique getting their falls out of the way before the novices came up the mountain.
The week of tuition saw all the riders progressing well and developing their skills across all the groups. The novice groups were
riding the upper slopes by the afternoon of day 2, while the great snow conditions enabled the intermediate groups to push
themselves further and further as falling was a lot less painful!
The snow conditions improved throughout the week, with perfect piste
conditions, clear skies and warm weather providing perfect conditions to
improve and enjoy the riding. The groups all concentrated on technique in
the mornings and in the afternoons were with different instructors
concentrating on the specifics of each event they would face the following
week.
While the competitors concentrated on their snowboarding the committee
were split between the resort, sorting out the admin in the valley, hospital
runs and preparing for the competition week.
RACE WEEK
The first race of the competition was the novice seeding race which was held on the Friday of the training week under the watchful
eyes of the Ripstar instructors. After a rest day Sunday started with the senior’s PGS qualification runs, and culminated by the first
of the finals: the Novice Dual Slalom and the Senior Parallel Giant Slalom competition. There was some impressive and incredibly
close racing in both of the competitions. The novice riders demonstrated an incredible level of progression, going from never
having stepped on a snowboard to racing a technically demanding course against determined and brave competitors. Once the
racing was complete, Brig Richardson took to the race piste in a Skier versus Snowboarder challenge; I think it is safe to say that
WO1 (RSM) Dom Graham’s racing days are over.
The championships then moved its focus to the Slope Style event, in which only the senior riders took part. The weather blessed us
with perfectly blue skies and warm conditions – perfect park conditions! The only slight problem was that the warm weather
meant that the snow temperature had increased giving only a short window when the park was ride-able. Nonetheless, some of
the committee and senior riders (OCdt Mo Hussain, WO2 (FofS) Steve Pritchard, Cpl Sam Bibby and Cpl Sarah Falcous – a BIG
thank you) spent hours shovelling snow and building obstacles ready in the park to deliver a Slope Style competition run better
that the Championships had seen to date. The competition was a great success, and saw massive efforts from everyone involved
with everyone riding well outside their comfort zones, be that hitting the kicker and landing sweetly or nailing 180s.
The final and blue ribbonned event of the Championships was the RESILIENT NETWORKS Snowboardercross. This is the top event
in snowboard racing, and thanks to Sigi and his hill team, we were able to build a boardercross course that was fast, technical and
challenging – the course would not have looked out of place in much higher level competition. The qualifying rounds saw each
individual, novice and senior, complete a timed run allowing them to be seeded into the Final, the knockout part of the competition
where riders competed 4 at a time down the course. Again, the committee were hugely impressed by the standard of riding, the
competitive nature of all involved and sheer determination demonstrated. This was far from an easy event, yet some of the riding
on display made the course look much easier that it was.
This year’s Championships was a great success, and we hope that the Corps Team will continue that success at the Army
Championships next season.
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RESULTS
Novice Championship:
Individual Results
Position
1
2
3
1
2
3
Male Novice Competition
Female Novice Competition
Dual Slalom
Cpl
Houghton
204 Sig Sqn
Cpl
Magness
209 Sig Sqn
Sig
Finch
3 DSR
Cpl
Gullen
1 (UK) ADSR
LCpl Clifford
22 Sig Regt
Sig
Williams
21 Sig Regt
Snowboardercross
LCpl De-Main
3 DSR
Cpl
Magness
209 Sig Sqn
LCpl Hingley
1 (UK) ADSR
Cpl
Gullen
1 (UK) ADSR
Cpl
Pardoe
1 (UK) ADSR
Maj
Squires
Army HQ
Men Overall
Position
1
2
3
Rank
Sig
LCpl
Cpl
Name
Finch
De-Main
Houghton
Women Overall
Position
Rank
1
Cpl
2
Cpl
3
Sig
Name
Magness
Gullen
Williams
Unit
3 DSR
3 DSR
204 Sig Sqn
Unit
209 Sig Sqn
1 (UK) ADSR
21 Sig Regt
Senior Championship:
Position
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
Male Senior Competition
Female Senior Competition
Parallel Dual Slalom
WO2
Pritchard
299 Sig Sqn (SC) Cpl
Turvey
10 Sig Regt
Cpl
Looker
3 Cdo Bde
Cpl Burgmans 16 ART
Cpl
Bibby
DSG NWD
Sig Saul
71 Sig Regt (V)
Snowboardercross
Cpl
Sheard
207 Sig Sqn
Cpl
Turvey
10 Sig Regt
Cpl
Bibby
DSG NWD
Cpl Burgmans 16 ART
Cpl
Looker
3 Cdo Bde
Sig Saul
71 Sig Regt (V)
Slope Style
Cpl
Bibby
DSG NWD
Cpl
Turvey
10 Sig Regt
OCdt
Hussain
BUOTC
Cpl
Falcous
299 Sig Sqn (SC)
LCpl
Sheard
207 Sig Sqn
Cpl Burgmans 16 ART
Men Overall
Position
1
2
3
Rank
Cpl
LCpl
Cpl
Name
Bibby
Sheard
Looker
Unit
DSG NWD
207 Sig Sqn
3 CDO Bde
Rank
Cpl
Cpl
Sig
Name
Turvey
Burgmans
Saul
Unit
10 Sig Regt
16 ART
71 Sig Regt (V)
Women Overall
Position
1
2
3
Team Championship:
Position
1
2
3
Unit
21 Sig Regt (AS) (A team)
11 Sig Regt (A team)
10 Sig Regt
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
91
The Corps Orienteering Championships 2012 took place 29 Feb/1 Mar in the New Forest. It was a fantastic turn out from the Corps
with over 25 different Regts, Sqns and formation HQs represented. The event comprised an individual event on the Wednesday
around Godshill in the New Forest with the Team Harris competition taking place on the Thursday over the road on Hampton Ridge.
Many thanks go to Mr Chris Brandford, Mrs Kirsty Staunton and Mr John Shucksmith of Wimborne Orienteering Club who did the
technical planning and controlling for both events and to various individuals from across Blandford Garrison who worked hard to
make it all happen over the 2 days.
There were some excellent individual performances on Day One of the competition from the experienced hands right through to
the first time novice runners. Running conditions were good leading to some quite tight results. It was good to see that there
were some first time prize winners this year, with some new names knocking on the doors of the established Corps team runners.
Although not winning prizes this year, the following all had a good run and should be proud of their performances on the Men’s
senior course LCpl Hodson 204 Sig Sqn, Cpl Taylor 15 Sig Regt, Sig Magar 2 Sig Regt and Sig Gibson 16 Sig Regt. On the ladies
senior course Maj Emily Greenwood had a great debut run and LCpl Latusek from 3 (UK) DSR should be proud of the
determination she showed to successfully complete the course. A number of runners across all courses are commended for their
perseverance in not giving up no matter how long it took to complete the course, in some cases more than 2 hours longer than the
winning time! That level of determination is a credit to the soldiers and the units that they represent. A list of the individual prize
winners is shown below:
Individual ladies results were as follows:
Individual men’s results were as follows:
Male Champion
M21 Winner
M21 Runner Up
M35 Winner
M35 Runner Up
M40 Winner
M40 Runner Up
M45+ Winner
M45+ Runner Up
MU25 Winner
MU25 Runner Up
1st Male Novice
Sgt Ranson
ATC Pirbright
SSgt(FofS) Mallison 15 Sig Regt
Sig Julian
3 (UK) DSR
Sgt McNally
15 Sig Regt
SSgt Hill
15 Sig Regt
Maj Shipley
Defence Academy
Capt Pollitt
7 Sig Regt
Capt Bentley
CIS TDU
Lt Col Complin
HQ DCCIS
Sig Swift
7 Sig Regt
Sig Tate
21 Sig Regt (AS)
Capt Moody
7 Sig Regt
Ladies Champion
W21 Winner
W21 Runner Up
W35 Winner
W35 Runner Up
W40+ Winner
W40+ Runner Up
WU25 Winner
WU25 Runner Up
1st Ladies Novice
Maj Rayner Maj Greenwood
Capt Church
Capt Calland
Maj Byefield
Maj Payne
Maj Maloney
LCpl Leggett
Sig West
Sgt Rimmer
HQ DCCIS
Army HQ
209 Sig Sqn
PRU Hohne
215 Sig Sqn
CVHQ
Army HQ
16 Sig Regt
3 (UK) DSR
11 Sig Regt
As the day of the team event dawned the weather had turned and it was a real “pea souper”, visibility was down to only a few
metres, which was going to make orienteering very interesting. Fortunately, as the start time approached the weather began to
lift. With 3 members of the Corps Team on the books (SSgts Steve Mallison and Richie Hill and Sgt Andy McNally) plus Cpl Stuart
Taylor, who although new to orienteering has had a cracking season so far and is one to watch for the uture, the money was
definitely on 15 Sig Regt to clean up onthe Harris Major Unit Team event. In the end they finished 11mins ahead of Army HQ IS
Branch in a finishing time of 1:32:32. 16 Sig Regt were less than 4mins behind Army HQ in 3rd place. The Minor Unit competition
was an incredibly close affair with only 38secs covering the first 4 teams! In fourth place in 42mins were the remaining men
standing from 7 Sig Regt led by QM Capt Neil Pollitt, third place went to RMAS, with Lt Col Steve Clarke showing that old men can
still run pretty fast, in a time of 41mins 57secs. Sgt Jamie Ranson led his Pirbright team into 2nd place in a time of 41mins 53secs,
but pipping them to the post were 32 Sig Regt (V) retaining their trophy from last year in a time of 41mins 22secs. A good way to
finish for Trg Maj Rhid Jones, as he retires from the Corps this year after quite a number of appearances for the Corps Team. The
ROYAL SIGNALS
ORIENTEERING
CHAMPS 2012
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THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
16 Sig Regt ladies coming into finish
Ladies Team competition saw Pirbright ladies (with Corps Champs
debuts from Capt Apps and Cpl Roberts) hold off the challenge
from 215 Sig Sqn in second place and a stirling performance from
Cpl Riddell and LCpls Brown and Leggett put 16 Sig Regt in third.
The U25 competition saw the newcomers from 11 Sig Regt (Sigs
Dalton, Harding and Kay) storm to a 12min victory over 21 Sig Regt
(AS) in second and 215 Sig Sqn in third place.
Many congratulations to all winners, team and individual alike and
thanks for the support given to Corps Orienteering to make the
event such a success. The full team and individual results are
available on the British Army Orienteering website www.baoc.org.
uk. Thanks go to Brig Hill for taking the time out from Army HQ to
run in the competition and to present the prizes.
Key Events and Courses
The next key Corps event is the annual training camp at the end of
July. Ex MERCURY COMPASS 6 will take place in conjunction with
the Welsh 6 Days civilian orienteering event around Aberystwyth.
Hopefully the Corps Champs will have encouraged some new faces
to attend the Camp and will help strengthen the Corps squad for
the future. Anyone interested in attending any of the orienteering
courses that are run by the Army Orienteering Association at
Longmoor should go the BAOC website for details, www.baoc.org.
uk. Details and results for all Mil League South, Central and North
and BFG events are also on the events page of the website.
WO2(FofS) Steve Read from 21 Sigt Regt (AS)
Capt Sally Calland
Harris Major Unit Team Winners - 15 Sig Regt
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
93
the other competitors and to further discuss equipment,
rations and other provisions. The hotel was the first time that
all 4 officers had been in one place and it was great to finally
put a face to a name and start bonding.
After breakfast all of the UK runners loaded up onto a fleet of
buses and joined a convoy with the other nationalities for a 4
hour coach ride from hell to the race start point. The drivers
knew no fear, no overtaking manoeuvre seemed too
dangerous and overtaking up hill on blind bends seemed to
be the drivers preferred option. After 4 hours we debussed
and were loaded into what can only be described as cattle
trucks.
From L to R – Capt Ian Flannery, Maj David Spencer, Capt Ben
Woollan and Lt Adam Ravenscroft at the start of the 27th
Marathon Des Sables
Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) is an annual
250km race across the South Moroccan Sahara Desert. It is
run in 6 stages of varying length over 7 days. The complete
package costs £3,500 which includes all flights and
accommodation. Some of the funds raised through entry fees
are spent on local Moroccan projects including healthcare,
education and the generation of self sufficiency.
Lt Adam Ravenscroft and Capt Ben Woollan signed up for the
27th MdS over a year ago, but were surprised to find out that
Maj David Spencer and Capt Ian Flannery had also entered.
Capt Flannery had been preparing for the event whilst on
loan service in Riyadh with the SANGCOM Project Team and
had been recording all his training in a blog (mdsnewbies.
blogspot.com) – a must read for any future competitor. So a
team of 4 R SIGNALS officers banded together to compare
notes and prepare for the ‘Toughest Foot Race on Earth’.
PRE RACE
Capt Flannery met with Maj Spencer at Gatwick before
boarding the charter flight organised by ‘Best of Morocco’
(BoM). Gatwick was awash with Raidlight backpacks and
nervous participants and the scene was reminiscent of a pack
of wild dogs meeting for the first time and sizing each other
up!. The 4 hour flight and the overnight stop in the Berber
Palace Hotel were good opportunities to get to know a few of
In the UK there are laws which govern the carriage of live
animals – In Morocco no such law exists
After a short bone shaking drive we arrived at Bivouac 1 which
was like the first day of basic training with the Army. There
were queues for everything, not a great deal of information
and a ship-load of anticipation and nerves. The first quest was
to find an empty tent in the UK allocation and as people
found their cases everyone made a dash for the tents closest
to the central area.
We were to be fed at the Bivvy site (for 36 hours) until
breakfast on the first race day. The food was exceptionally
good considering the field conditions; wine and cheese were
even on offer too. Registration was well organised and the
administration went smoothly for all and as we finally kissed
goodbye to our luggage we then only had what we would
carry for the 250 km. Build up was complete, the test was
about to begin!
MARATHON DES SABLES – ‘TOUGHEST
FOOT RACE ON EARTH’
by Maj Spencer and Capt Flannery
Capt Woollan at the peak of one of the many Jebels
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KIT AND EQUIPMENT
The amount of time that was spent on choosing kit combos
can be clocked in days rather than hours. Maj Spencer and
Capt Flannery were both dedicated in their research and the
latter produced a superb article in his blog. Of particular note
were his wise words on sleeping bag choice. In sum he
basically said ‘he had conducted extensive research and had
found a sleeping bag for £30 that was extremely light’. If you
read the full article it would also elude to the fact that it did
not possess any thermal capacity and was merely 2 pieces of
Pertex stitched together. As Capt Woollan was pushed for
time he only read the first few lines of the blog and purchased
the same bag; Lt Ravenscroft also followed suit.
Unfortunately for the 3 super light sleeping bag ninjas, night
time conditions were unusually cold and all suffered for most
of the week. It got that cold that Capt Woollan and Lt
Ravenscroft deployed their emergency foil blankets in a vain
attempt to generate more warmth, however, the foil, not
known for its breathability, simply soaked them in sweat and
they ended up even colder in thin wet sleeping bags.
CONDITIONS
It is difficult to succinctly describe the conditions that each
day entailed but to generalise; the conditions were a
combination of; the heat of an Afghan summer patrol, the
terrain of the rockiest part of Scafell Pike, the wind from your
Gran’s most powerful hair dryer on full heat directly in your
face, and the biggest sand dunes you will ever see.
Oh and we had to run large distances across these throughout
the heat of the day with every pore of the body emitting fluid
at a vast rate of knots. So much so that on the longest stage
competitors consume a mind boggling 21 litres of water in a
single day.
BIVOUAC ROUTINE
Upon crossing the finish line on all stages runners were issued
4.5 litres of water for overnight routine. Participants must
then hobble, crawl, limp or be carried back to their tent and
begin preparations for another day of punishment. Most
simply dropped their kit, grabbed a water bottle and headed
over to ‘Doc Trotters’ for some urgent foot care.
people’s sore feet. Hence his new nick name of ‘Gentle
Ben’.
Reveille was usually around 0530 hours, no cockerel
crowing but certainly a lot of very noisy French
competitors who didn’t think that shouting or singing
were inappropriate at that time. Breakfast for all days
was a delight of freeze dried porridge, 3 salt tablets all
washed down with 2 litres of water and a nice cup of
coffee – what more could a man ask for? A back rub
would have been nice!! Military training took over each
morning with the 4 of us packing up our kit in seconds
few, while the remainder floundered with their bergen
grenades. Thereafter, it was back to the start line to
wait for the admin vortexes to get their stuff together
and then listen to an annoying French bloke who would
take 30 minutes to say ‘go’.
THE RACE
The race finally began in earnest and our meticulous
preparations were at last going to be tested. The
enormity of the challenge ahead was now upon us; 250
km across the Sahara Desert, enough said!
STAGE 1 – 33 KM
The early pace was similar to that of a standard half
marathon with people jostling for position from the off.
The route seemed to be designed to break us in with a
little bit of everything, including a cheeky Jebel (little
mountain) to finish on, which included a long incline on a
sideways sloping sand path.
STAGE 2 – 38 KM
Not knowing how we were able to walk, let alone run,
we set off on the 2nd day which was largely flat, but
with lots of sand. This might have been an easier day,
but the temperature rose to 52°C making any kind of
movement very uncomfortable.
Capt Flannery receiving his daily blister lancing treatment in Doc
Trotters
The evenings were spent resting, eating or queuing for the
e-mail tent which allowed a single e-mail for all to send to love
ones. Capt Ian Flannery used his to update his blog, Maj Dave
Spencer was too lazy to queue, Lt Adam Ravenscroft’s feet
were too blistered to consider any more walking and Capt
Ben Woollan used his time to be clumsy and knock into
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Maj Dave Spencer in the far distance descending towards the
flats
95
The 3rd stage was a series of plains broken up with a serious
set of dunes and rocky features. Not as hot as the previous
day, but still well into the high 40s.
Bruised, battered, dirty and weary but not defeated, Capt
Flannery completes stage 4
STAGE 4 – 81.5 KM
This was what it was all about. This is what had been hanging
over our heads since the day we paid our deposits. Feeling
totally drained before we even started, we now faced over 80
km of the toughest terrain on the entire route. After 38 km of
soft sand tracks and wadi beds, there was a half marathon of
proper Sahara sand dunes. The final 20 km were completed
by most in the dark which really did sap morale. Many were
in tears on crossing the line, others lost control of their bodily
functions and had to be carried to Doc Trotters. The 4 R
SIGNALS men kept their cool, finished well and then went
straight to sleep upon hitting the floor of their tent.
As the stage had a 36 hour cut off it extended over 2 days for
many. Those that managed to finish it in one day were
rewarded with a full day off, which was well needed after
completing 81.5 km. Unfortunately this day of rest was rudely
interrupted by a savage thunder, lightning and hail storm!
Absolutely no joy was taken from watching one of the ‘noisy
neighbour’ French tents from collapsing.
STAGE 5 – 42.2 KM (Regular Marathon Distance)
Having defeated the long stage, the marathon stage seemed
less intimidating, but 26 miles over the desert was not to be
sniffed at, especially as it is still the 2nd longest stage. The
route was flat, with the exception of 3 sections of dunes of
about 4 km each. The storms of the previous day had
improved the sand in some areas, making it solid and suitable
for running on, but other areas became heavy, draining what
little energy was left in the legs. Some respectable marathon
times were still achieved and Maj Spencer unbelievably
clocked in at 4hrs 20mins with Capt Woollan arriving in 30
mins Some had written off the final day as a jog to the coach,
but those who had surveyed the colossal dunes to the West
of the final bivvy site knew differently. Lt Ravenscroft had
saved the best till last and ran the final stage in a pair of what
can only be described as hot pants to raise more money for
his charity.
The route itself was a straight run to the first check point 6km
to the north followed by 9km of relentless dunes that were
possibly the hardest of the whole race. Telling yourself that
you wanted to savour the final stage was one way to trick you
mind into enjoying it, but it would have been a ‘breaker’ on
any other day.
Maj Spencer looking strong during the marathon stage
finishing in a very impressive 47th position
Lt Ravenscroft (far left) never one to dip out of a
challenge wearing said hot pants for the final stage
Maj Spencer finishing stage 6 and receiving his medal
The finish line never looked so good and as we crossed it; we
instantly became veterans with bragging rights forever.
CHARITY
Maj Spencer has raised over £1500 for the Moebius Research
Trust – a charity very close to him personally as his god
daughter suffers from this very rare condition. Capt Woollan
and Lt Ravenscroft set off a day earlier than most for
Morocco as they were visiting a local school funded by
Solidarité, a charity which they personally made a £1000
donation to in order to gain entry into the race. In addition to
this they have also managed to raise in excess of £4000 for
The Royal Signals Benevolent Fund and Teenage Cancer Trust.
Capt Flannery had a large incentive to raise money for
his friend Capt James Phillipson who was killed in
Afghanistan.
Capt Flannery showing the guns at the end of his 250
km epic journey
In total he has raised over £8000 for the Capt James Phillipson
Trust Fund and this sum is set to rise as he has future fund
raising events to come.
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ADVENTURE TRAINING
UHURU (KILIMANJARO) PEAK, Kilimanjaro
Challenge 26 - 5th Feb 2012
Cambridge RSA Branch member Pete Sacré climbs Kilimanjaro
Sgt (Retd) Pete Sacré and friends trekked and scrambled for 5 days on
the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro or “Uhuru” as known locally in
Tanzania. The Kilimanjaro climbers finally reached the summit at
0640hrs on Thursday 2 February. This sixth day was tough - none of us
are ‘spring chickens’ - we started climbing with head torches around
2315hrs ascending 4100ft from Base Camp (Barafu) to the summit
(19,340ft), and then we descended 9100ft to Mweke Hut. The view
from the roof of Africa was magnificent; glorious sunshine, clouds
below us and vast glaciers. But at -100o C we didn’t loiter!
We travelled through 30C rainforest to alpine desert, camped in subzero temperatures, encouraged to drink 5 litres of water a day to
counteract altitude sickness and fought for breath in less than half of
the oxygen levels found in our Cambridgeshire village of Willingham. Our Tanzanian porters and guides were superb,
knowledgeably advising and leading, enthusiastically encouraging and always smiling and happy.
The plantain stew was interesting! The 2-man tents, excellent. The main thing? My old knees held out!
We are also delighted to confirm that we have raised well over £13,500
for our 4 charities - Tearfund, Sick Children’s Trust, Arthur Rank Hospice
and Prostate Cancer UK.
Thank you to all who have supported us in this venture. Personally it has
been on my “to-do” list for the last 10 years! It was stunning, challenging
and yes, brutal at times, but without support of family and friends back
home it would never have happened. Thank you!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
97
British Services Antarctic Expedition
2012 – In the Spirit of Scott
by Sgt R Simpson 226 Signal Squadron (EW)
Back in the autumn of 2009 an opportunity arose for
volunteers to go on a Joint Services expedition to
the Antarctic Peninsula. Over 120 servicemen and
women turned up to the Joint Service Mountain
Training Centre Indefatigable (JSMTC(I)) in
Anglesey for the first opening brief and the start
of a 2 year selection process. The name of the
expedition, The British Services Antarctic
Expedition 2012 (BSAE2012) in the Spirit of Scott,
its motto; “To strive, to seek, to find and not to
yield” taken from the last line of Alfred Lord
Tennyson’s poem, Ulysses.
On return from ops I had little time for R&R, I had to
catch up on the training and planning. Now the
hard work really started to begin with monthly
meets and weekly planning updates to deal with.
The first mission rehearsal was in the Swiss Alps
with the team getting together practising
crevasse rescue drills and many mountaineering
skills and techniques. We would be using small
rib boats so we had a couple of weekends with
the Royal Marines down in Poole. The capsizing
and re-righting drills were a particularly unpleasant
experience.
It was obvious from the start that this would be no ordinary
exped and from the amount of planning involved in getting 24
servicemen and women to the other end of the globe that
this would not be a ‘jolly.’ The expedition Leader, Lt Col Paul
Edwards (RLC) was very clear that we would all have to work
hard as a squad and in our J groups in order for us to get one
of the 23 places available, the 24th place was for himself and
that was the only one guaranteed.
I was put into the J6 Group along with about a dozen other
applicants. We set to work out how best to allow the exped
to communicate in the harsh Antarctic environment. As well
as the planning there were various training weekends that we
had to attend, these would be in various locations in the UK,
mainly in North Wales but also in the Peak District, the Lake
District and in Scotland. Attending these training meets
would show good commitment to the exped. For me though
I was able to do that only until April 2010, after that I was
deep in MST for Herrick 13. From August 2010 to March 2011 I
was away from the exped and missed a lot of the training
meets. What I was able to do though was continue with the
J6 planning. Fortunately for me I had the privilege to serve in
the Arctic with 21 Sig Regt (AS) in the good old days of the
AMF(L) and knew that HF worked well in the mountainous
environment as well as that I had experience of setting up the
comms system for a Himalayan exped (AMA 50th Anniversary
to Shishapangma in Tibet 2007) and so knew some of the
requirements for a high level expedition. Armed with that
experience I was able to put a lot of positive input to the
dwindling J6 squad. Instead of emailing and writing home I
was making sure that the comms plan was kept up to date
and in check. In the beginning of 2011 I was heading up the J6
team.
98
PRR trial
In September 2011 I organised a HF Comms exercise in the
Snowdonia region of Wales to train the exped members how
to use the HF manpack radios and to set up half-wave dipole
antennas using ski poles in order to achieve NVIS. For this
exercise I utilised soldiers from the Regt to help me test the
locations where I intended to train. Little did Cpl Lloyd, LCpl
Urwin, LCpl McDonald and Sig Gates know but they ended up
instructing ranks of all 3 services including a couple Lt Cols.
Trying to spice up the principles of HF propagation first thing
on a Saturday morning wasn’t the easiest of things but the
whole weekend went really well with the team successfully
using the 4 radios (lent to us directly from Harris themselves)
to communicate across the mountain ranges of Snowdonia.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
A month before departure we had our farewell exped dinner
at the Painted Halls in Greenwich, London with our sponsors
and invited guests. Robert Falcon Scott’s relatives were
present, Dr Rita Gardner the Director of the Royal Geographic
Society gave a splendid speech and compliments were
received from the First Sea Lord Adml Sir Mark Stanhope GCB
OBE ADC and Surg RAdml Lionel Jarvis QHS.
December 27 was the start for half of the team to begin the
9000mile journey down south. Flights to Santiago in Chile via
Madrid, there the British Embassy took us to their office to
wish us good luck then onto the Military Defence Attaché’s
house for a BBQ before being taxied back to the airport for
the fantastic flight down the length of the Andes to Punta
Arenas where we spent a night recovering. In the morning
another 300km flight in a Twin Otter to the furthest Southern
town in the world, Puerto Williams. Flying over Patagonia
gave us a real feeling of being very, very far away from the
rest of the world.
Destroyed Rib boats
Next up in November was the final mission rehearsal in the
French resort of Le Grave, the same location where Scott and
his team trained. Here we practised carrying and dragging
heavy loads, testing our new ski-mountaineering equipment
and trying the new Arctic rations that we would be using and
reporting on during the exped and more crevasse and
avalanche rescue training.
All the time the media interest grew and grew, ITV were
providing monthly updates on our training progress, the Daily
Telegraph, The Times and numerous local newspapers had
articles and unusually the Camping and Caravan Club were
following us and sponsoring. Scott was their Club President
from 1909 to his death in 1912. We were also featuring on a
website for schools worldwide to ask us various questions on
our science experiments and the exped in general through
Education Through Expeditions (www.etelive.org).
I had provided the team with Satcoms which would enable us
to get broadband internet connection whilst on the ice. It
was at the time a risk, as our location was at the very edge of
the Inmarsat footprint and so could not be guaranteed. ITV
also wanted to get live video footage sent to them and our
Media Officer wanted photo and video blogs sent back. We
needed to get up to date weather forecasts and it would be
nice if we could send back e-mails to our friends and families
as well as answer the questions from the ETE. For this I used
4 BGAN Explorer 700 sets from Satcom Solutions. Panasonic
lent 4 of their Toughbooks.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Australis and Rib boats
Once in Puerto Williams the Chilean Navy met us and hosted
us for the few days that we were there. The iso container
with all our equipment had arrived from Portsmouth and now
needed to be unloaded, sorted and loaded onto the 65ft
yacht Australis which would be our floating base camp for this
phase of the expedition. A hard couple of days were spent
loading the boat up with an ITV crew never far away from us.
New Years Eve was spent on a nearby yacht club before
setting off on New Years Day.
The 1000mile journey to Antarctica took us across the Drakes
Passage, the most treacherous stretch of ocean in the world.
It was something I wasn’t looking forward to. We passed the
Cape Horn and soon the swell of the sea began taking its
effect on people, most amusingly it was the Navy personnel
who suffered first. The weather wasn’t particularly bad but
with the boat being akin to a badly overloaded FFR we were
99
listing and rolling pretty bad...for 4 days...
continuously. One recorded incident was a
roll of 53 degrees. At this time people were
flung out of their bunks, somebody got flung
out of the bathroom taking the door with him,
a breakfast bar was ripped off and everything
that wasn’t fully tied down was now spread
across the floor.
Finally we made it to the protection of the
peninsular and the seas calmed down only
instead of waves we had a lot of ice to go
through, so much ice that our intended
landing location was actually impossible to get
to. Pack ice that should have broken up by
this time of year was still frozen solid. All our
plans, maps that we had specially prepared
were now no use what-so-ever. We had to
spend a couple of days in Port Lockroy, an old
British science base, now a museum. We used
this time to set up comms with the second
half of the team which had by now flown in to British
Antarctic Survey at Rothera. There they confirmed that pack
ice was still fast and that there may be possibility of getting to
land further South. This meant another 48hrs at least to get
there. We had a brief stop off at BAS Rothera and met up
with the rest of the team. We collected the ice pack info that
they had sought for us and we set off to find a Base Camp
location for us to carry on with the exped mission tasks.
At 67.8o South and 66.9o West, Lt Col Paul Edwards sent out
a recce party to see if it was suitable for a base camp. At last
we could set about unloading the boat and crack on with
mountaineering.
A day was spent load carrying equipment from the boat’s
deck and hold onto rib boats and then nearly a km onto the
glacier. The boat returned to Rothera and picked up the rest
of the team. While the boat was away we began route
finding in order to assist launching the team that was to
conduct scientific experiments across the Avery Plateau. We
travelled along stunning glacial terrain, with incredible
mountain ranges revealing themselves as we descended into
another glacier named the Forbes Glacier. There we could see
a possible route up onto the Plateau. We plotted the location
for Camp 1 and made our way back. We travelled 21km that
day and it was truly great to be out getting on with the
exped.
Now that the whole expedition was at Base Camp on the ice,
we divided ourselves into our separate teams, Red, Green and
Blue. Red and Green teams were mountaineering teams with
Blue team predominantly undertaking the scientific projects.
Blue team prepared pulks for their long trek across the Avery
Plateau while Red and Green teams dragged heavily laden
pulks to assist Blue team launch as swiftly as possible. For me
in the Red Team I spent a week hauling pulks weighing the
same as I did, making for some tough, long days. The
weather was fairly poor for the first week, we had to endure
heavy snow fall, white-out conditions and very low
temperatures especially with the wind-chill. Blue team
started their long journey and made their way to the camps
we had set up. Green team spent another week helping to
launch Blue onto the plateau. Red started the business of
exploratory mountaineering.
mountainous island called Centre Island. Paul
Edwards and I could see what looked like a
reasonably straight forward ridge to the
highest point on the island. We
set off early on a rib
boat and started our
ascent. The first 300m
was a steep boulder
field until we reached
the ridge where we met
the snow line. We put on
our crampons and roped
up. Soon we were on a
technical, twisting,
precarious ridge line with
huge drops of over 500m in
places. Very steep snow
and ice slopes of up to
68degrees had to be
overcome only to be
confronted with dangerous
knife edge bridges in-between loose rock
towers with big drops either side. After
nearly 5hrs of hard climbing, much harder
than we thought, we made the summit.
For Paul and I it was a dream that we had
worked extremely hard to fulfil. We had
fantastic views looking over the island
and across the surrounding vista. It was
a real privilege. The map showed only 2
contour lines meaning around 500m but
our watch altimeters and GPS showed
just under 800m high. 796m was what
we measured the height to be, fairly
modest but it was from sea level and it was 796m of
unknown territory. We took our photos and
wanted to descend around the
horseshoe mountain feature but as
we made our way across a very
steep exposed snow slope we were
both very aware that it was highly
avalanche prone. If it were to
avalanche while we were on it, we would
die and that would definitely put the rest
of the team from attempting other peaks.
So we rapidly about faced and descended
the way we came up.
That was the first of many mountains that the
expedition explored. Every one, like Centre
Island peak was always harder than expected.
Many we couldn’t climb due to the tops being
‘defended’ by impassable ice cliffs or so heavily
crevassed it would be suicidal to attempt to go
through. Weather was a major issue. Sometimes we were
tent bound for up to 48hrs at a time (gents pee bottles are
essential, ladies...sorry but out you go!). The expedition
We managed to get some aerial photographic mapping done
during our time at BAS Rothera, these were low resolution,
about 1:250,000 scale and only had contour lines at every
250m, so that only gave us a very general idea of what to
expect.
Just opposite from the base camp was a small but very
100
Ascending Boyle Mountains
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
carried on
exploring for another month. For a week we
used Australis to recce and explore new
areas. To set off first thing in the morning
off the boat, ski-mountaineer all day and
summit and then descend back down to
sea level back onto the boat was really
cool way of mountaineering. One day
involved all our mountaineering skills. In
poor weather we set off and were soon
in thick cloud with zero vis, I was leading
a rope team of three. It was really nerve
racking navigating through the huge
crevasses that we were encountering.
They would only appear in my vision
when I was nearly on the edge of them.
We made it to a high col at 1200m and
a brief break in the cloud showed
what we thought to be the summit
about a km further on. I carried on up the ridgeline
on skis. I had a huge drop to the left and
dubious sloping terrain with crevasses
to the right, then the snow underneath
me just gave away into a crevasse. I fell
about 3m before the rope became tight.
I was wedged between ice walls with
very loose snow falling away to nothing
underneath my skis. I had to shout out to
the other 2 to tell them I was ok and to
wait. I started to remove my skis (which
were attached to my boots with retaining
straps). Carefully I started to launch the
superfluous equipment out of the deep
snow grave I was in. I retrieved my ice axe
and started to extricate myself out. I
dragged myself out, feeling pretty tired only
to see Lt Col Paul Edwards and Capt Ivar
Milligan comparing photos that they had
taken of me whilst launching my kit out of
the hole! Once I had sorted myself out we
had to carry on, right past where I had
fallen in. That was really uncomfortable
for me to do. On we went, the ridge
narrowed and we cached our skis and
made our way on crampons. The
cloud cleared again and our summit
was suddenly dwarfed by a much
bigger gnarly looking peak at least a
couple of kms away. The ridge finally opened
up onto a ice slope with a couple of thin bands of
rock. Above the rock were huge ‘ice mushrooms’ where rime
ice has built up and up in huge bulbs of precarious mushroom
shaped snow and ice features. We made our way across a
very steep and treacherous ice face before the terrain
stopped our ascent. At 1400m high we had to turn around
due to huge ice blocks stopping any further ascent.
Frustrated we had to go back. At least the visibility had
cleared for us to enjoy an amazing ski all the way back down
to sea level.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
On the last mountaineering
day, Cpl Jules Ratcliff (Para
Regt) and I headed out to
summit a mountain that we
had identified as being
achievable. Others said it
couldn’t be done but I
disagreed having seen it from
a higher viewpoint on a
previous mountain day. We
did it. It wasn’t easy by any
means. It was highly
crevassed and the summit
ridge was extremely difficult
to navigate and we ended up
actually walking along the
bottom of a snow filled
crevasse in order to continue
Rich after having climbed the
our way to the summit. We
mountain that people said
returned to our advanced
couldnt be done
base camp exhausted. We
intended to return that day
but we were too tired. All we had left were a couple of
energy drinks and a bag of sweets to last. In the morning the
tent was frozen solid, our fingers were burning packing our
kit away, we were glad to get started on the 10km ski tour
back to base camp to generate some heat, albeit on an empty
stomach. We returned to a hero’s welcome. We were the
last people back to camp with the last previously unexplored
mountain to be climbed as Base Camp was being dismantled.
In my 18 years of military service I have had the privilege to
experience the deserts of Oman, the Arctic wastes of Norway,
the Malaysian jungle, snorkelling in the Mediterranean, the ice
and fire of Iceland and to ski-mountaineer on the ‘roof of the
world’ in the Himalayas. None though can compare to the
stunning and majestic beauty of Antarctica, the crystal clear
air making everything appear so close and yet the distances
are immense, the natural shapes of icebergs that no artist
could create, the wildlife that has yet to fear mankind and
being able to drink the pure glacial waters. I have done a lot
of exploring over those 18 years. Cynics said to me before I
departed that all we would find will be rocks and ice. True,
but having the privilege to view the Earth from that
perspective on that bit of rock and ice where no one else has
looked from is a great feeling. But I have found more than
that, on this trip especially. I found more about myself and
my comrades. I and my bearded and drawn faces of my
mates (the 2 girls Ali and Sam B not so bearded I hasten to
add) came back from Antarctica a better Soldier, Sailor, and
Airmen and women.
Our expedition missions were successful, many unclimbed
mountains were bagged and many scientific tasks tackled.
Mission complete...until the next one.
Links www.bsae2012.co.uk
www.facebook.com/bsae2012
101
ROYAL SIGNALS ASSOCIATION
THE ROYAL SIGNALS ASSOCIATION
Patron: HRH The Princess Royal
President: The Master of Signals
Chairman: Brig NF Wood
Col (Retd) Terry Canham
Tel: 01258 482081
Maj (Retd) Ian Greig
Tel: 01258 482082
Association Office
RHQ Royal Signals
Blandford Camp
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 8RH
www.royalsignlalsassociation.co.uk
Welfare Secretary
Tel (mil) (9)4371 2089
Tel (civ) 01258 48 2089
Email: [email protected]
Mrs Linda Sizeland
Membership Secretary Tel: 01258 482089
Tel (mil) (9)4371 2090
Tel (civ) 01258 482090
Email: [email protected]
General Secretary and Treasurer: Col (Retd) T Canham
Assistant General Secretary: Maj (Retd) IN Greig
Welfare Secretary: Mrs L Sizeland
Membership Secretary: Mr PJ Cuckow
Mrs Caroline Addison
Tel: 01258 482090
Hello to everyone from the new AO! I would like to introduce myself to you in a few words and assure you that I will do my best to
ensure that the very high standards of my predecessor are maintained.
I live in Blandford and served with the WRAC attached to the Corps from 1972 to 1978. I was with: 16 Sig Regt, 10 Sig Regt and then
233 Sig Sqn. Following my retirement I ran a security company with my husband in Kent and then moved to Dorset in 2004. I am
very pleased to have been chosen to succeed Peter and look forward to meeting and/or corresponding with you over the coming
years. Hopefully I will also see many of you at the Reunion Weekend here in Blandford over the weekend 23/24 June.
Armed Forces Day this year is on Saturday 30 June with the national event being held in Plymouth. More information about this
and other local events can be found at www.armedforcesday.org.uk
The Veterans Agency has launched a new website containing information and support to the Armed Forces community. The
address is: www.veterans-uk.info/
Branch News. Mr John Drake is the new secretary of the Dorset Branch and can be contacted via: [email protected]. Maj
Jamie Balfour was installed as the new Branch President of the Catterick Branch. Mr Bob Cook is the new Secretary of the York
Branch and can be contacted at 01904 655413.
Area Representatives. Mr Bob Nicholls succeeds Mr Trevor Holyoake as Area 3 Rep and Lt Col Mike Macklin succeeds Lt Col Jim
Ross as Area 5 Rep.
New Life Members. A warm welcome to the following members, enrolled since the last issue of The Wire:
Cpl Marie Alexander-High 1986-94
WO1 Marcus Bailey
1992-date
Sgt Ronald Belcher
1960-82
Sgt Les Bennett
1971-85
SSgt Rai Bharatkumar
1991-date
SSgt Billy Blackmore
1990-12
WO2 Harold Brant
1967-89
LCpl Richard Brookes
1983-94
Sig Brian Bubb 1957-59
Sig William Buist
1996-99
Cpl Dennis Culmer
1941-46
LCpl Michael Falls 1977-89
Cpl Nathan Fearn
1997-date
Sig Peter Fitzpatrick
1952-54
Cpl David Fleming
1962-77
WO2 Neil Fraser 1987-12
Maj (TOT) Donald Freeston 1953-88
Sgt Eric Gardyne 1990-date
102
Cpl Alan Gibb
Cpl Harvey Grainger
LCpl Jerry Greaney
Sig Ronald Hancock
Sig Tristan Hardy SSgt Gary Harris Sgt William Hazeldine
SSgt Michael Herbison
LCpl William Holmes
Sig Richard Jobes LCpl Clifford Jones
Cpl John Jones
Sig Alfred Keen
SSgt Michael Kelly
Sig Paul Leighton Sgt Mick Lewis
Cpl Paul Liddle
Sig Keith Linnett 1982-05
1954-56
1950-55
1970-74
1988-date
2003-09
1969-91
1981-94
1980-87
1954-56
1996-date
1964-73
1971-94
1981-87
1966-78
1999-date
1970-75
Capt Mark Lodge
SSgt Gareth Mace Sig Phillip Matthews
Cpl Michael McGoldrick
LCpl John McGrath
Sgt Kevin O’Riordan
Sig Nicola Owens Cpl Stephen Parkinson
Cpl John Peacey
Pte Michelle Phee (Clark)
Sgt Ian Phillips
LCpl David Pithie Sig Mark Ray
Sgt Keith Robinson
Sgt L Roles
Cpl Steve Rood SSgt Scott Rose LCpl David Ross 2003-06
1988-12
1987-91
1988-94
1981-93
1978-91
1992-94
1981-90
1955-58
1982-85
1986-date
1974-89
2012-date
1972-97
2003-09
1982-90
1992-12
1964-74
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Sig Terence Sands
Cpl Richard Shape
LCpl Jeremy Sharp
WO2 T Sharp
LCpl Paul Simms
Cpl Alan Smith
WO1 Duncan Smith
1958-65
1960-71
1981-97
1959-84
1985-95
1972-87
1988-12
SSgt Paul Smith Sig Hugh Somers Cpl Jeremy Stevenson
SSgt Gordon Stewart
LCpl Christopher Taylor
SSgt Dennis Usher
LCpl Harry Wakefield
2003-date
1970-76
1962-71
2009-date
1998-03
1964-04
1967-76
Cpl Vincent Walsh
SSgt Neil Watt
Sig Paul Whelbourne
Cpl Michael White
Cpl Keith Wilson Cpl Catherine Winder
Sgt Sean Wratten 1970-84
1983-07
2003-12
1995-date
1988-94
1990-12
1974-92
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Report by the General Secretary
This year’s AGM took place on 24 March 2012 in the Victory Services Club. Over 100 members of the Association representing 45
Branches and 7 affiliated Associations were there and we were delighted to be joined by the Master of Signals, Lt Gen Robert
Baxter, and the new Corps Colonel, Col Graham Norton.
The Chairman, Brig Nigel Wood, led the meeting through a series of
reports which included an update on planning for the RSA Reunion in
Blandford on the weekend of 23/24 June and the latest on the Corps
finances. The AGM heard that the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund had
helped 733 cases of Signallers in need to the tune of £338,344 in the
previous 12 months. He also highlighted events in the calendar for later
in the year including the Freedom of Blandford Parade on 1 July, the
opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on 8
November, the Area 2 Carol Service in Liverpool Cathedral on 7
December and the Corps Carol Service in London on 10 December.
Anyone wishing to find out more about these events should contact the
RSA Admin Officer on 01258 482090.
Delegates at the RSA AGM
Finally, the AGM said a sad farewell to Mr Peter Cuckow, who was
retiring after 17 years as RSA Admin Officer, and welcomed Mrs
Caroline Addison, his relief. Association Branches had clubbed
together to give Peter a pair of silver candle stick holders, a truly
generous present and one which he would treasure in his
retirement. Much to his surprise this was followed by the
presentation of the Master of Signals Award for Peter’s outstanding
service to the Corps.
In conclusion, the Chairman advised that this would also be the last
meeting of Maj Ian Greig, who would step down in July and that he
would also be leaving in Spring 2013 when Brig David Hargreaves
would take over as Chairman RSA. The AGM was then followed by
a Serving Corps update by Col Graham Norton and a presentation
on the Royal Hospital, Chelsea by In-Pensioners Mel Smart and
Brian Cummings. The AGM concluded with a buffet lunch and
Peter Cuckow receives the Master’s award from Lt Gen Baxter opportunity to socialise before delegates left for home.
DONATIONS
Robert Waldron
Maj Gen A A G Anderson CB
Edward Brown Ruislip Branch RBL and the
Ooldea Music Club Project Noel Group (RSA Area
2 Carol Service) Nick Watkins Kane Gunter In memory of Maj Peter Thomson
cheques totalling In memory of Lt Col Geoff Oakley
cheques totalling Reading Branch South London Branch THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
£10.00
£150.00
£10.00
£25.00
£500.00
£50.00
£500.00
£215.00
£520.00
£200.00
£25.00
Col J W W Cock In memory of Cpl John Shires
cheques totalling Harry Norton Ernest Ashworth Cambridge Branch Tom Harvey-May 56 Division (City of London
Signals) OCA 258 Signal Squadron £50.00
£155.00
£50
£14.52
£100.00
£100.00
£90.00
£507.41
From Just Giving:
Non specific Mercury Siberia Mercury Siberia Mercury Siberia In memory of Wendy Wood Marathon des Sables 2012
£48.72 (January)
£240.06 (January)
£600.60 (February)
£5,939.55 (March)
£149.33 (February)
£2,158.81 (April)
103
ALDERSHOT BRANCH
Chairman
Secretary
operational role is devoted to communications support in the
UK. Mary Pagan conducted another well-supported raffle,
having produced her usual beautiful flower arrangements that
provided some of the prizes.
Noel Moss
Mary Pagan
On 15 March, following the success of last year’s first daytime
talk and pub lunch, a gathering of nearly 30 members and
friends assembled at the Fleet Parish Community Centre for a
very informative and amusing talk on a subject close to their
hearts: Pub Signs and their Stories. The Speaker, David Roe,
featured some of his 8000+ photographs and started with
Roman times, when a tavern advertised its trade by hanging a
green leafed bush outside to indicate it had a supply of new
wine. The Bush is now a common pub sign and a reminder of
those days.
Some signs became so large and dangerous that a law was
passed limiting their size, perhaps a forerunner of Health and
Safety! A vivid succession of slides described various themes
for pub signs, some reflecting the clientele of the pub such as
“The Gardeners Arms”, or military heroes as “The Lord
Nelson” or respected Prime Ministers as “The Churchill”.
Some signs were sources of
amusement, such as “The
Grapes” which bore a picture
of a banana and “The Barmy
Arms”, whose arms were
depicted upside down! The
“Piddle Inn” in Dorset, named
after the local river, reminds
one of the occasion when a
visit by Queen Victoria to the
area led to a change of name
to “Puddle” to avoid
embarrassment!
DORSET BRANCH
President Chairman Hon Sec Col (Retd) Cliff Walters
Geoff Grover
John Drake
VISIT TO BLETCHLEY PARK – SUNDAY 22 APRIL 2012
The Grapes in Melksham!!!
Our Speaker also depicted
signs of interest to the military communicators in the
audience, such as “The Crimea” in Aldershot, “the Telegraph”
and “The Beacon”. He also showed a sign of the pub to
which we were all proceeding for lunch after the talk, the Hall
& Woodhouse De Havilland Arms, thought to be named after
the aircraft production family, linked with operations at
Farnborough.
Everyone felt enlightened and well entertained by this fund of
knowledge. An excellent lunch and social gathering at the said
De Havilland Arms duly rounded off the event.
Sunday 15 April was the occasion for our Spring Lunch and
AGM at the ever- popular Camberley Heath Golf Club. A large
gathering of just over 50 attended a very relaxed social
occasion. Lunch was followed by a brief AGM, at which our
stalwart Chairman, Noel Moss and committee were re-elected
en bloc. One new welcome addition to the committee was
Keith Hall as Visiting Officer, replacing Frank Partington, who
has done a sterling job for the past 4 years and continues his
work with the Royal British Legion.
Our Official Guests were Steve Bland and his wife, Liz and Maj
John Wright and fiancée Claire. Steve Bland, a retired WO1, is
our Area 4 Representative and gave us a good insight into his
liaison activities and a run-down of salient points from the
recent Corps AGM. John Wright, currently OC 251 Sqn based
in Aldershot, had been prevented from joining last year’s
lunch due to running in the London Marathon! This year we
were fortunate, as the dates did not clash and John was able
to give us an interesting run-down on the activities of this
Sqn, unique in that it is the only unit in the Corps whose
104
Terry Everett holding forth among friends at the AGM
It was 0630 am on Sunday in Blandford as 50 bleary eyed
Branch members, family and friends climbed aboard the
coach to take us to Bletchley Park. David Walker Snr had
done an excellent job for us in arranging the Branch
sponsored day to visit the “Home of the Codebreakers”. Only
3 hours later and branch President Col (Retd) Cliff Walters
was being met by Col (Retd) Ian Standen, Chief Executive at
Bletchley, who welcomed us all to the home of GCHQ’s
predecessors.
After a refreshing “NAAFI break” our volunteer guide for the
day, Bob Grant, an employee of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office, gave us our first presentation about
the Mansion and its various occupants. He then gave us a
fascinating talk on the German ENIGMA cipher machine
before guiding us around the grounds of the Park and
buildings.
The group took lunch in the mansion. There was plenty of
time for our Traffic Officers, Yeomen and Operators to argue
about what mistakes the Germans made that they would
never make!! They shall remain nameless. The afternoon
continued with visits to the Bombe and Colossus rebuilds:
modern versions of the early computers that were used in the
process of cracking German codes. The visit terminated with
free time. There was something here for everyone including
the comprehensive Churchill Collection, Toy Collection,
Maritime Display, Model Railway and many more. Outside
there is a Polish Memorial and Alan Turing Statue.
A very satisfied group boarded the coach for the return to
arrive back in Blandford at 7.30 pm: a long but very satisfying
and interesting day. There was a common view that this was
a place that would justify a further private visit as there is so
much to see.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
committee, their sealed orders on how to rearrange the
tables and chairs so that the space could be made to have a
dance floor which was then well used until the end of the
evening which was finished in our usual style with Dave Coles
parading the Branch Standard in our closing ceremony.
GUERNSEY BRANCH
The group outside the Bletchley Mansion
EAST LONDON BRANCH
Chairman
Secretary
Maj (Retd) Paul Burton
Alan Turner
Our meetings for the last 20 years or so have been at the
Ilford TA Centre. This used to be the home of 36 Sig Regt but
once they had moved on and then been disbanded, and the
TAC was empty for a period before Royal Engineers had
moved into the site and it has to be said, made us very
welcome and encouraged us to continue holding our events
and meetings there. In the period between the Signals
departing and the Engineers arriving we had felt homeless
although we did manage to have a few meetings and
functions at the local RBL before we got back to the TAC
again. With all this change and disruption, where we had
been having 30 or so attending meetings this has dropped
sharply so that we have less than 20 for most meetings. We
now find with the Olympic Games fast approaching, that
Ilford TAC had been identified by the MOD as a good place to
base some of the Security forces that would be needed to
police the games. While we had known that this was likely to
happen, we were a bit taken by surprise when we were told
orders had come from upon high that we, along with any
other non-military personnel, would be unable to use the TAC
from the beginning of April through to the end of September.
We have again been able to make use of the local RBL for the
period but are apprehensive that this additional disruption
could cause our numbers to fall even further. To make
matters worse the London RFCA who are responsible for who
uses TA Centres, have brought in hiring charges for our
meetings. We have always paid for our functions where we
use the Main Drill Hall but our meetings have been held in the
bar with our only cost being for somebody to run the bar.
Now we find that when we return in October our monthly
meeting costs are going to be in excess of £50. Hopefully we
will be able to attract some more regularly attending
members to ease this cost.
Just before our enforced exile from the TA Centre we were
able to hold our Annual Dinner on 24 March 2012, a busy day
for our Branch. In the morning our Chairman, Secretary and
the new Area 3 Rep, Bob Nicholls attended the AGM at the
Victory Club in Marble Arch. Afterwards we hurried back to
Ilford to get ready for our Annual Dinner Dance to be
followed later by our Guest of Honour, the new Corps
Colonel, Graham Norton along with around 70 of our
members and guests. The Social Committee, headed by Anita
Keen, always manage to organise a smoothly run evening
with immaculate timing and this was no exception. The meal
was followed by the speeches from our Chairman and Col
Norton which went down well as they were fairly short and
once they had finished, Anita had given everybody on the
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The Guernsey Branch of the Royal Signals Association has had
the great pleasure of inviting one of its own members,
Guernseyman Lt Col Colin Vaudin, to be the Guest of Honour
at its annual Liberation Dinner. The Dinner is held to
commemorate the liberation of Guernsey by British Forces in
1945 after 5 years of German occupation.
Lt Col Vaudin is CO of 2 Sig Regt based in York and it has
been designated as a Campaign Signal Regiment. He will take
it to Afghanistan in October on a 6 month tour of operations
during which it will be responsible for the Army’s entire
communicaŧions system there using the latest technology.
This will be the first time since World War 2 that a
Guernseyman has commanded a Regiment on a war footing.
Lt Col Vaudin was accompanied by his Adjutant, Cap Paul
Whillis and his RSM WO1 Duncan Lamont, both of whom
were guests at the dinner. All 3 took part in the formal
celebrations the following day.
RSM Duncan Lamont, Branch Secretary Eric Le Quesne, Lt Col
Colin Vaudin, Branch Chairman Alec Forty, Vice Chairman Peter
Buchanan, Branch Treasurer David Bichard, Capt Paul Whillis
MIDDLESBROUGH BRANCH
Chairman
Secretary
Mrs Audrey Grainge
Mr Richard Grainge
On Saturday 7 April we held our annual dinner night at the TA
Centre Coulby Newham. The event was attended by 24
members, it would have been more, but for the fact that our
latest 50 year badgeholder Dave Bailey underwent an
operation on the Thursday before. Also Albert Carter phoned
in sick on the day and also ended up under the knife, we wish
them both a swift recovery.
We are maintaining around 28 members per monthly meeting,
but as always, would welcome new members. We have now
been using the TA Centre at Coulby Newham for just over 2
years and the Pioneers make us very welcome and give us
fantastic support.
105
over many years. Maureen’s late husband David Warner was
our long serving Branch Secretary up until his sudden and
untimely death in 2010.
Our AGM took place on 15 February 2012 when members
re-elected Chairman John Wall, Treasurer Phil Johnson,
Visiting Officer Brian Harrington, and Secretary John Abram.
As a consequence of
attending our Annual Lunch
we are pleased to welcome
new members Helen and
John James, Conrad
Mallinson, Jim McIntosh
and Eric Oakley.
SHROPSHIRE BRANCH
Chairman Secretary
John Wall
John Abram
Having been absent from the pages of The Wire for a long
while, we are pleased to report that although small in
number, the Shropshire Branch is alive and well thanks to a
core of regular attendees at our meetings. We hold Business
meetings in the winter months in the comfort of the WOs &
Sgts Mess at Copthorne Barracks in Shrewsbury, then take to
the road in the summer months for Lunchtime meetings in
various hostelries around the County with wives, partners and
friends joining us to take advantage of the ‘midweek specials’
menus on offer !
Our annual coach trip in November 2011 to the RSA Area 2
Carol Service in Liverpool was again well supported by
Members, their partners, and friends. All credit to Area 2
Chairman Lt Col Ian Thompson and the Southport Branch for
establishing what has now become a regular fixture in the
Corps calendar. In addition to excellent performances by the
Corps Band, soloist Emma James, and the St. Nicholas
Singers. Other highlights this year included our Chairman
John Wall reading one of the Lessons, and the £6 Lunch at the
Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool!
In January the Branch held its Annual Lunch at The Four
Crosses Hotel just outside Shrewsbury. Our guests included
Col Ken Smith, President of the RSA Peterborough Branch
and his wife Margaret, who live in Staffordshire and have
been regular supporters of our Branch functions for many
years. On behalf of the members the Chairman presented
Maureen Warner with her Associate Membership Card and
RSA badge, recognising her continuing support to the Branch
Shropshire Branch Annual Lunch, January 2012. L-R: Col Ken
Smith, Margaret Smith, Maureen Warner, Philomena and Branch
Chairman John Wall, Nev Davies
106
Derrick Evans having
decided to step down after
many years service as
Branch Standard Bearer,
one of our newer members
Les Bennett found himself
in the wrong place at the
wrong time and was
‘volunteered’ to take on the
duty.
In April 2012 the Branch was
Installation of the High Sheriff of
delighted to congratulate
Shropshire, April 2012. Branch
Branch Secretary John
Secretary John Abram in Corps
Abram on his Installation as
No1 Dress with Philomena and
High Sheriff of Shropshire
Branch Chairman John Wall
for 2012-13, particularly as he
will be wearing Royal
Signals Officer No1 Dress uniform whilst on official duties
around the County.
WEST LONDON BRANCH
Chairman
Secretary
Maj (Retd) Ron ‘Dusty’ Miller
Mr Ed Murphy
Once more we present a look-back at some of our events
over the past year, beginning with last June when we ‘dined
out’ Jerry Marsden before he moved with his family to
Germany. Around 15 members and friends gathered at a local
restaurant where we had a most enjoyable evening and we
are looking forward to renewing our friendship with Jerry
when he visits these shores later this year.
In September we took part in the annual Church Parade at the
Royal Hospital in Chelsea, along with the South and East
London Branches. We were also joined by members of 31 Sig
Regt Association with whom our connections go back a very
long way. The march was led by Lt Col (Retd) Conrad Graham
OBE TD and was followed by a service in the chapel
conducted by the Chaplain, Rev RH Whittington MBE.
Afterwards 47 members and partners sat down to enjoy the
customary curry lunch and our thanks go to our Secretary, Ed
Murphy, for organising a successful day on our behalf. The
Parade will take place this year on Sunday 2 September. We
hope we will have another good turnout and we would be
pleased to see some of you there. One of our stalwart
members was unable to attend the Parade because she was
doing a sponsored walk and we congratulate Carole
Newcombe for raising £200 for the British Heart Foundation.
The Christmas Draw in December was another hit and again
we say a big thank you to Pat Miller for supplying the prizes
and selling the tickets. All her hard work is very much
appreciated. The festive buffet was provided by the ladies
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
and for the second year Vera Heath kept us entertained with
a lively swap raffle. It could become a tradition!
This year’s agm was held in March and the fish supper was, as
usual, efficiently organised by Sheila Ruff so many thanks,
Sheila, for that and for running the 49 Club.
Norman and Sue Pearce have moved to a new home in Dorset
although they still attend our meetings and functions. We are
proud to have Norman as our Standard Bearer and we can’t
thank him enough for all he does to represent us.
We have recently made the acquaintance of a retired Royal
Signals officer, Capt Maurice Frank Urquhart Seddon. He is
currently residing in Ashord House care home in Ashford,
Middlesex and our Chairman, ‘Dusty’ Miller, has visited him
twice there. Capt (Retd) Seddon previously lived in Datchet,
Berkshire and served from 1955 to around 1966, including a
posting with 2 Div Sigs in Hilden, Germany. He is in good
spirits and has lots of stories to tell although sadly his memory
is not what it was. If anyone recalls serving with him, his
nickname is ‘Boffin’ and he is a Volkswagen enthusiast.
Finally we are delighted to welcome back Wilf and Linda
Scurr to our meetings. We send our best wishes to them and
all our members, especially those who we have not seen for a
while and we hope it won’t be too long before we see them
again. Meanwhile we extend a warm welcome to any serving
or retired members of the Corps. We meet on the last Friday
of the month at the Royal British Legion in Richmond upon
Thames and you are guaranteed a pleasant evening with good
company and a lot of laughs.
The gathering can best be described as ‘one of extreme good
humour’ with continual banter and a great reluctance to leave
but drift away we did - eventually!
In this Jubilee year Pat Soward proposed a loyal toast,
creating great amusement when he misquoted that famous
observation that ‘Princess Elizabeth had climbed into the tree
house (at Forest Lodge, Kenya, where she was staying with
Prince Philip when news of the death of King George VI was
received) and descended the following day as Queen
Elizabeth II’. He noted the oft quoted expression that
‘everyone knew where they were and what they were doing
when news of the death of Martin Luther King or President
Kennedy was announced’ and added that he remembered
neither event and had to consult his service record to discover
that he was serving in Egypt when King George VI died! Clive
Thompson, he added, knew exactly where he had been on
Coronation Day - in a tent, in the rain, encamped in Hyde Park!
A toast to Absent Friends followed and a ‘Get Well’ card for
Betty Capon was circulated and signed by everyone present.
260 SIGNAL SQUADRON (SAM)
ASSOCIATION
260 Sig Sqn (SAM) held their annual reunion at the Red Lea
Hotel in Scarborough on the weekend 27- 29 April 12. The
majority of members arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon/
evening. Apologies were received from Terry Clarkson; he
could not attend the reunion as he had just started chemo
treatment. We all wish Terry well.
254 OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION
The annual gathering of Catterick Old Boys living in the south
of England took place at the Botleigh Grange Hotel, Hedge
End, over the weekend of March 30th to April 1st. First to
arrive on Thursday were Jim and Rita Braid from Clacton, Jim
bearing the Association Standard. By Friday evening 22 old
boys and their guests had arrived to enjoy a meal together.
They had pre-ordered their meals from a tantalising and
difficult choice which included Crayfish Salad, Pan Fried Calves
Liver, Fillett of Sea Bass, Lemon Tart, Eton Mess and Wild
Berry Bavorois to name but a few.
On Saturday morning members dispersed to all points of the
compass. Some used their bus passes to visit Southampton,
others drove to the nearby villages of Wickham and New
Alresford, to the shopping complex at Hedge End, the Vinyard
at Wickham (wine tasting!) or to visit the nearby National
Trust property at Hinton Ampner.
By evening all 41 members and their guests had arrived and
sat down promptly at 7.30 for their evening meal. Pat Soward
welcomed everyone with special mention for David
Abercrombie and Bill Ramsay, both attending a Southern
Chapter reunion for the first time. With true ex-boy panache,
David had flown from Leeds/Bradford to Southampton. He
also welcomed Alan Leech who had brought his mother,
Sheila, and Roger Wildman, brother of Claire Mellor. Auriol
Bussell, Jane Thompson, Margaret Severs and Sheila Leech
were also accorded a warm welcome and their presence was
greeted by a spontaneous round of applause.
Sally West had been offered custody of the gavel which she
used in her own inimitable style and to great effect! After
grace all tucked into meals from a pre-chosen and imaginative
menu served by ‘Little Sue’ and her 2 young helpers, who
appeared little older than we were when we joined the army!
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
After the evening meal the members met up in the bar to
catch up on the gossip. Helen and Sam Sahota joined us from
Cyprus, having travelled up from Heathrow after stopping off
for Helen’s obligatory shopping. The chancellor will see a
spike in consumer spending in April thanks to Helen.
The AGM was held Saturday morning; Steve Freeman Pannet
(the Association Chairman) thanked Mike Stanger for
arranging the Hotel. He also welcomed Howard Loates, Ian
Dolby, Syd Wilson, Ian Brown, David Simms and Margaret
Parker, the wife of late Dennis Parker, to their first meeting
of the Association.
A dinner was held in the hotel Saturday evening followed by a
raffle organised by Beryl and Geoff Scott (Treasurer and
Secretary) to raise money for 260 Sig Sqn Association.
A presentation of an engraved glass tanker was presented to
Goldie Peters. Sadly Goldie and his wife Deborah are leaving
us for pastures new in Australia. Goldie did not get away with
only a speech, later in the bar Goldie put the piano to good
use which brought back memories of days gone by. All
members of the Association wish them the best of luck in
their new life in Australia.
107
Most members departed on the Monday afternoon promising
to meet up again 26 - 28 April 2013 at our reunion
Ex members of 260 Sig Sqn (SAM) who would like to join us
please contact Beryl and Geoff Scott on phone # 01422
373075 or E mail. [email protected]
BEVERLEY EX BOYS ASSOCIATION
Chairman
Secretary
John Hill
Tony Hull
After 12 years loyal service, firstly as Vice-Chairman and then
as Chairman of the Beverley Ex-Boys Association, Mick Teague
was forced to retire last October due to both his and his
wife’s ill-health. We, therefore, have a new Chairman, John
Hill, who had served as our Welfare Officer for a few years as
he was also a member of the Royal British Legion where he
had welfare experience. Our new Vice-Chairman is Peter
Gray, who served 25 years with the Corps and then joined the
TA for a further 15 years.
Our Reunion this year will be held at the Staverton Park Hotel,
Daventry, on 21/22 September. If anyone is interested in
attending, please contact Tony Hull at 01202-770261
LAST POST
Name
Sig E Allen
Sig EB Anderson
U/K B Appleby
Sig N Atkins
WO2 G Bailey
WO2 ME Beardmore
Sgt AJL Bond
WO2 EW Bullen
Sig RG Campbell Sgt L Cantrill
Sig DJ Cavey
LCpl K Clark
Sig S Cooper
Sgt RW Ellis
Capt JD Engledow
Capt AD Eraut
Sig G Evans
Maj BW Giller
Sig SR Gorard
Maj DJ Handley
Cpl K Heath
Sig MJP Hogan
LCpl DJ Hyder
Capt L Kinsey
Sig C Knight
Sgt PJ Lasota
Maj J Lingard MBE
Maj JW Long
Sig IS Mahoney U/K DW Marks
Sgt G Maroney
Brig A McKinnon OBE
Sgt EC Monk
LCpl J Morley
108
Years Served
1951/76
1936/46
1950/52
1939/46
1944/61
1950/69
1948/51
1941/45
1947/49
1949/52
1945/48
1942/46
1948/58
1941/46
1939/46
1939/45
1943/47
1959/75
1945/48
1951/68
1941/46
1942/47
1951/54
1955/77
1957/59
1950/68
1961/85
1949/69
1946/49
????/??
1963/97
1949/87
1962/85
1952/54
Date of death
05-Apr-12
25-Apr-12
01-Feb-12
30-Mar-12
03-Aug-08
15-Feb-12
21-Feb-12
26-Feb-12
13-Feb-10
05-May-12
11-Apr-11
14-Apr-12
11-Feb-12
27-Sep-11
26-Apr-12
19-Feb-12
30-Mar-12
02-Jan-12
01-Aug-11
19-Aug-11
30-Mar-12
13-Jun-11
29-Nov-11
21-Mar-12
??-???-??
07-Aug-11
28-Mar-12
??-Apr-12
20-Oct-10
30-Mar-12
19-Apr-12
30-Mar-12
12-May-12
16-Apr-12
Cpl A Morris
Sgt TJ Nelson
Lt Col G Oakley Cpl E Pacey
Sgt TJ Payne
Cpl K Pitchford
Sig B Radwell
Sig W Silver
WO2 WDSmith
Cpl JG Todd
Sgt R Walker
Sig JH Watts
LCpl J Williamson
Sig AWJ Willis
Sgt C Wyatt
1963/75
1963/75
1942/83
1962/72
1962/85
1940/64
1962/71
????/?? 1960/82
1956/58
1962/86
1945/48
1971/77
1945/48
1956/78
06-Dec-11
14-Mar-12
13-Mar-12
??-???-12
01-Apr-12
13-Jan-12
22-Feb-12
18-Apr-12
20-Mar-12
16-Jan-11
08-Apr-12
18-Mar-12
04-Apr-12
07-Apr-11
07-Mar-12
OBITUARIES
McKINNON - Brig A W McL McKinnon OBE died 30 March
2012.
Alistair William McLachlan McKinnon was born in Glasgow on
9 November 1949 and educated at Glasgow High School and
the Royal Technical College of Glasgow. He joined the Army
as a National Serviceman in January 1949 and was
commissioned into the Corps later that year. In 1950
however, he relinquished his commission and reverted to
Officer Cadet to attend RMA Sandhurst.
Re-commissioned in 1952, he was posted to Korea with the 1st
Commonwealth Division, and on return to UK he read for a
degree in Electronics at RMCS Shrivenham, gaining a Second
Class Honours. This was put to immediate use as an instructor
at the School of Signals for 3 years, compensated afterwards
by a tour with the Trucial Oman Scouts from 1960-62.
In 1962 he was posted to the War Office with responsibility
for all future equipment requirements except net radio, and
followed this with a posting to 8 Sig Regt for a year as a Sqn
Comdr. From 1965 to 1967 he served at the Signals Research
and Development Establishment as a staff officer for radio
and radio relay systems. He commanded 39 Bde HQ and Sig
Sqn for a short period, before being selected for early
attendance at the Joint Services Staff College.
In 1968 he was appointed as Second in Command/Operations
Officer of 1 Div HQ & Sig Regt in BAOR. He left in 1969 on
promotion to command 9 Sig Regt (Radio) in Cyprus, where
he remained for over 2 years, and was awarded the OBE for
results gained by the Regt. He returned to the MOD in 1972
as a GSO1 in the Signals Directorate, dealing with technical
and operational matters. He was promoted to Col in 1974 and
assumed a post in the Operational Requirements Directorate,
followed 2 years later by a posting to HQ 2 Sig Bde in
Aldershot as the System Controller for UK static
communications.
In 1979 he was promoted to Brig and appointed to command
the Saudi Arabian National Guard project (SANGCOM) team.
In 1982 he was appointed Aide de Camp to HM The Queen.
He retired in 1984 and settled in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire,
and for a time afterwards held a number of consultancy posts
in industry.
He had a daughter and a son by his first wife Pauline, whom
he married in 1962. He was widowed in 1978, and remarried in
1980, gaining 2 stepsons and a step-daughter. During his
service he was an enthusiastic rugby player and referee, and a
Vice Commodore of the Army Sailing Association as well as
being Commodore of the Royal Signals Yacht Club. He died in
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
March 2012, much mourned by his many friends and
colleagues in the Corps.
On retirement in 1983 he joined the Defence Communication
Network in Corsham as a retired officer. He remained in this
post until 1993.
OAKLEY - Lt Col Geoff Oakley died 13 March 2012.
He was however not finished with the Corps. He became a
member of the Royal Signal Association Bath and District
Branch and served the branch as Chairman and then President
until just 2 years ago. He remained a loyal member of the
Branch. It can be said that he served the Corps until the end,
in total some 70 years of service.
Geoff Oakley was born on 5 June 1928 in
Harrogate North Yorkshire. He joined Boys
Training Company of the Royal Corps of
Signals in October 1942. He was awarded
the 1939-45 War Medal having served in
Catterick North Yorkshire during this
period, training as an Operator Wireless
and Line (OWL).
In December 1945 he joined man service and moved to the
War Office as a Wireless Operator. He quickly gained
promotion and by 1951 was a Sgt in charge of Technical
Stores. It was during this posting that he met and married
Ann, his devoted wife. They were married for over 60 years.
In March 1951 he moved for the first time to Germany (BAOR)
and joined 2 Inf Div Sig Regt, where he remained until 1954.
During this posting his eldest daughter Carol was born in the
BMH Hostert. In 1953 he was selected to represent the Royal
Signals BAOR by being on parade during the Coronation of
Her Majesty the Queen. He was also awarded the Queens
Coronation Medal.
In 1954 he returned to the UK to the Royal Military Academy
Sandhurst, first as a Signals Instructor and later as a SSgt in
charge of Technical Stores.
In 1958 he was on the move again and spent 9 months with
the Training Bde travelling between Lincoln, Brighton and
Catterick as a Cipher Operator and Signal Centre Supervisor.
In September 1958 he was to join 1 Sig Sqn Kings African Rifles
in Kenya seeing service in Mombasa, Tobora, Dar es Salaam
and Jinja. This was at the time of the Mau Mau uprisings. By
now he had reached the rank of WOll and by the end of the
tour in 1961, had been awarded his Long Service and Good
Conduct medal.
As Yeoman of Signals it was back to BAOR to join 4 Div HQ &
Sig Regt in Herford remaining there until 1963.
In September 1963 he was off to the sunnier climate of
Singapore and 18 Sig Regt. He held numerous posts in the
Regt, one of which had the ominous title of “Confrontation
Message Traffic Study”. He was awarded the GSM Malay
Peninsular and gained promotion to WO1.
It was now back to the more hostile climate of York to
become the OC of the Northern Command Comcen in the
rank of Lt and then Capt. Very early in this tour there was an
addition to the family when his daughter Sarah was born in
1966.
There then followed a succession of appointments as a Traffic
Officer in overseas postings from 1969-1977. Back in
Singapore, then on to BAOR and Krefeld, followed by
Rhiendalen. There was a further promotion to Maj during this
period and he was awarded the Queens Silver Jubilee Medal.
In 1974 the bond with the Corps was further strengthened
when daughter Carol married Cpl Steven Walker and his
grandchildren Rebecca and Kerri were born sometime later in
BAOR.
He continued to hold very senior Traffic Officer Appointments
and his dedication was rewarded when he was promoted Lt
Col in 1980. He completed his military career a Staff Officer in
MOD Whitehall.
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
The family connections keep Geoff’s memory alive within the
Corps. His daughter Sarah, a serving police officer, is married
to an ex Royal Signals soldier, Alun Stewart, who is also the
Standard Bearer for the Bath and District Branch. His great
grandson Jacob salutes the statue of “Jimmy” that Alun and
Sarah installed in Geoff’s garden. Carly, the eldest greatgrandchild has paraded the cub’s standard at the
Remembrance Day parades and Jessica keeps his sporting
memory alive by playing rugby.
Geoff with be sadly missed by us all both as a friend and a
comrade.
TAYLOR - William (Bill) Taylor died 2 March 2012.
Bill was born in Buxted, Sussex
on 17 November 1929. He was
one of 5 children. He joined
the Royal Corps of Signals in
1946 from Boys Service and
during his engagement which
lasted until 1958, he was
stationed in the UK, BAOR,
Middle East Land forces,
Malaya, Hong Kong and South
East Asia.
One of the highlights of his
career was his service with
Para.Sigs, followed by his
service with the SAS. Due to the nature of his duties many a
story can be told.
On leaving regular service in 1958 he immediately joined the
T&AVR in Glasgow and continued to serve with the Corps. He
retired from 52 (Lowland) Sig Regt (V) in 1983, but this did not
end his involvement with the Corps. As an honorary member
of the WO’s and Sgts Mess he was jointly responsible for the
continuing care of the Mess silver. These duties, as with all
others, he carried out to the highest standard.
When Bill came up to Glasgow Jardine Street Maryhill, as a
Sgt Instructor he made good use of the “miniature range”
housed away at the back of the old “garage”. His skills from
his SAS days were soon honed back to marksmanship
standards as he became the SNCO in charge of the Regtl
shooting team. His preferred weapon of choice (Dirty Harry),
was the standard issue .303 caliber Lee Enfield rifle , well
known and used at the annual Bisley competitions. Bill never
really liked the replacement SLR. However at this time all
shooting events consisted of side bets, that is, In Glasgow the
side bets were mostly for drinks, but Bill being from down
south the boys in the shooting team were always happy to let
him take home the cups. There were lots of cups, to say
nothing about the drink.
During his service he was awarded GSM with bar Malaya,
Silver Jubilee Medal Queen Elizabeth II and the T&AVR medal
with 2 bars, this signifying 36 years, 4 months of service.
Bill was well respected by all. He was one of the founder
members of the Glasgow Branch of the RSA and the first
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Chairman, a post which he held for 10 years. He was involved
in the planning and running of events and attended every
meeting and event he possibly could. He kept in touch with
members who were unable to attend meetings and was a
great friend to all.
Bill is survived by his loving wife Betty, their daughter
Elizabeth, son in law, Graham, grandson Scott and 3 of his
sisters, Esther, Nell and Eadie. Bill met Betty when she was
serving as a Sgt in 52 ComCen Tp. They would have
celebrated 40 years of marriage this April.
Bill was further awarded the prestigious 50 year badge and
certificate by the awards committee on 15 October 2008,
which was presented to him by his old CO,, Lt Col (Retd) A
Petrie TD, having now completed 54 years service. His
contribution to the Glasgow Branch will always be
remembered for his tireless support and assistance to other
members and their families. He will be greatly missed by all
who knew him. He can now rest in peace in the full
knowledge he has discharged his duty to the full ,and then
some after 57 years and 3 months.
Bill passed away peacefully at home on Friday 2 March 2012.
A service was held at Torrance Parish Church conducted by
the Rev Nigel Barge on Saturday 10 March 2012, after which,
the cortege proceeded to Clydebank Crematorium North
Dalnottar. Thirty two members of the Glasgow Branch of the
RSA attended at both locations, with the new CO. Col Paul
Rennie-Smith together with a number of serving members
lead by WO2 (SSM) K Swan who very much lived up to their
name 52 (Lowland) Support Squadron (V) to the family on the
day.
MISCELLANEOUS
WHEN THE SIGNALS MET THE MARINES
by Capt Rich Wall
The Royal Signals within 30 Commando Information Exploitation (IX) Group
Just a few short years ago I was attending a briefing by the Royal Signals to potential recruits and asked about opportunities to
serve with the Royal Marines. I was told that it was highly unlikely that I would ever get the chance, as I gritted my teeth and got
on with training I gave the matter no further thought. Once I finished at Sandhurst I was posted to Hohne, in Northern Germany to
serve with 7 Armd Bde HQ and Sig Sqn (207), an organisation that in many ways could not be further from the light and amphibious
3 Cdo Bde.
A couple of months after arriving in Hohne I learned that 7 and 3 Bdes were to be paired for Op HERRICK 14. Once the news had
been announced that 3 Cdo Bde would be taking the lead I was called into the OCs office to discuss how it might be nice if I
volunteered to be the Troop Commander for Royal Marines lead Task Force Helmand (TFH) Sig Sqn. This was an offer that I could
not refuse, even if I had wanted to. With the assistance of Capt Mansel Thewlis (man voted most likely to have a made up name in
the TFH HQ) and SSgt Daz Pickard, I set about training Alpha Tp from 7 ABSS to work alongside Communications Squadron, the
Royal Marines equivalent of a Bde HQ and Sig Sqn.
The highlight of Pre Deployment Training (PDT) for most Alpha Tp was the Confirmatory Exercise (CFX) at STANTA. The Royal
Signals and Royal Marines worked closely together in mixed sections and I was fortunate enough to be the Troop Commander of a
fighting troop on a very well resourced exercise; not an opportunity that often comes the way of Royal Signals Lt.
Although the process of PDT was not always easy, largely because of the distances involved and the fact that it is apparently not
alright to take rifles as carry on baggage, we managed to arrive in Camp Bastion with a correctly trained, clothed and equipped
troop.
By the time the dust had settled and the new TFH HQ was fully established TFH Sig Sqn was firing on all cylinders. With a very few
exceptions the Royal Signals Soldiers and the Royal Marines Signallers got on excellently and were a formidable team, a testament
to the professionalism of the individuals involved.
Two months in OC TFH Sig Sqn/Comms Sqn, asked me if I would like to volunteer to serve a tour with Comms Sqn after Op
HERRICK. This was another offer that I could not refuse, indeed the idea of moving to Plymouth and continuing to work as a Tp
Comd with the Royal Marines was very appealing, not that I would ever tell them that, of course.
After some back and forth it was confirmed that myself and Capt Elliot Jones would be posted (or drafted) to Comms Sqn for
around 12 months, or a training year if you look at it in terms of a young officer’s career. I cannot speak highly enough of 30
Commando, the organisation that Comms Sqn is part of, or the new facet this posting represents to the Royal Signals. In my
relatively short time in post I have completed dunker drills, organised a fast roping package, conducted several range days, a field
skills exercise and I am writing this article afloat on HMS Bulwark during the shaping phase of a multi national amphibious exercise.
In the next 9 months there will be a trip to Southern France to work on interoperability, a cruise around the Mediterranean and 2
mountain warfare packages, an adventure race and I suspect a few other things as well.
Likely candidates will have to be prepared to complete the All Arms Commando Course, for fairly obvious reasons, which is no
mean feat. While the purpose of what I have written here is to ‘advertise’ this new opportunity for young officers it would be
remiss of me not to mention the equally excellent opportunities within Comms Sqn for CS (Eng), Class 2 and 1 and any Cpl or Sgts
who would be happy working in the Crypto (Cypher) Cell. The Royal Signals soldiers who work along side the Royal Marines enjoy
themselves enormously and most have to dragged out of the door kicking and screaming. They of course also get the chance to
complete the Commando Course…
110
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
1 NEW ZEALAND SIGNAL REGIMENT
CO
Lt Col Paul Dragicevich
OLD CALLSIGNS - by SSgt Nige Brewin
I am now in my third year in RNZ Signals, and time has flown past. I have been lucky enough in this time to have deployed to
Afghanistan on TG CRIB 18, completed NZ Para, done my Pinzgauer course and travelled all over this wonderful country.
I made it my own task to
contribute to The Wire. We are a
much smaller Corps than in the
UK but, like Royal Signals, are
supporting so many missions and
taskings around the world. My
aim, therefore, is a biennial
submission, with most of the
articles being drawn from The
Wire’s NZ counterpart, The
Conche, detailing what we as a
Corps are doing around the
world.
At the time of writing this article
we are preparing for Ex LONG
LOOK and I look forward to
meeting the soldiers who will be
attached to 1 NZ Sig Regt. It is
with some consternation that
even now I sometimes get asked
on the phone if I am here on Ex
LONG LOOK. However, I have
finally lost the urge to answer
the phone as ‘Yeoman Brewin’.
I would also like this opportunity to
thank 36 (Eastern) Sig Sqn in
Colchester for hosting me last
Remembrance Sunday during a quick
visit to the UK.
OPERATION QUAKE
It is now a year since the devastating
earthquake and hundreds of high
magnitude after shocks that have
affected the beautiful city of
Christchurch on the South Island of
New Zealand.
RNZ Signals was committed to the
relief effort from the very start.
Incidentally, this was the largest
Humanitarian Relief operation the
NZDF has ever been involved in, and
that it happened to be within New
Zealand itself was unexpected. At the
peak of the relief effort there were 4
Navy vessels, nearly a hundred
Unimogs, 47 Pinzgauers, 28 Light
Armoured Vehicles and 10 assorted
aircraft, and around 2,000 NZDF
personnel supporting the operation.
RNZ Signals were there at the start of
OP QUAKE, and some personnel remain there as I write this article. As a gauge of what went on, I have drawn from some
published articles from The Conche from some of our soldiers who were initially involved. I must point out though that, a year on,
the mission is not over, Christchurch is still under repair and after shocks continue to plague the rebuild:
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
111
LIFE ON OP QUAKE - by LCpl Lisa Russell, Sig Charlie
Lawry and Sig Trent Cutler
On 22 Feb 2011, Christchurch was hit by a 6.3
NZ Army, NZ Police and newly sworn in Australian Police at Christchurch
magnitude earthquake, 5km under the earth but
Police Headquarters
with the epicentre near Lyttleton, causing massive
destruction and loss of life. At Burnham Military Camp the earthquake felt just like the many others most RNZ Signals personnel
would experience at least once, but this one was bigger and as the news rolled in, it was evident the city was broken. LCpl Russell
was sent out at 1400hrs as the Det Comd for the 3rd Land Formation Group CP. It was starting to rain as her detachment raised 2
VHF COM 201s onto the roof, and established a Command and Traffic net. By 1700hrs they had also brought online a 400w HF net.
These nets were running constantly for the next 2 weeks, linking Formation HQ to the various cordon checkpoints and cordon
patrols in and around Christchurch.
During the same time period, Sig Lawry and Sig Cutler were suddenly on cordon duties doing a straight 12 hours on, 12 hours off
shift. The cordon troops were in the eyes of the media, and they had to learn rapidly how to deal with the press. Duties on the
cordon were varied and they often found themselves on cordon patrols. In Sig Lawry’s words “it felt so weird patrolling the streets
at night, looking for looters and any sign of disturbance. It hit so close to home, especially since this was the city I grew up in”.
The Cordon Duties proved their worth, and a number of looters were arrested. The public were amazing and, in the face of their
own problems, brought cheer, such as “yummy baking” to the soldiers, police and other agencies bringing relief to Christchurch.
Some locals could prove to be a bit of a challenge in that they could not understand why they could not go down some roads and
would cheekily try to ask if they could ‘just cut through here?” But the likes of Sig Lawry and Sig Cutler, along with their cordon
patrol Police officer would have to move these people on with good humour.
Sig Cutler also assisted the Australian Defence Force Medical Team set up a field hospital in Christchurch which proved to be a
massive puzzle of inflatable wards that proved to be quite challenging and exhaustive to set up. They were both witness to the
destruction on a first hand basis and Sig Cutler summed it up neatly “Working on the cordon certainly made you realise what the
people of Christchurch are going through, especially those in town, living inside the cordon and having to deal with damaged homes, no
sewage, power and the like”
Sig Mistry, from 1 Sig Sqn, is the sole remaining Signal Representative on Cordon duties, not due to finish until July this year.
112
THE WIRE, JUNE 2012
Royal Signals
Yacht Club
Sailing Opportunities for all military
personnel, friends and family.
Take part in
competitions, racing,
sailing for fun and
social events.
Boat charter at
competitive prices.
Upcoming Events:
Isle of Wight Regatta (Offshore & Dayboats): 28 – 29 May
Forces Open (Windsurfing): 28 May- 1 Jun
Army Windsurfing Championships: 9 – 13 Jul
Dinghy Sail Trg Week: 16 – 20 Jul 12
Kiel Sail Trg Week (Offshore): 10 – 20 Jul 12
Middle Sea Race (Offshore): 6 Legs, Sep- Dec 12
Autumn Sail Trg Week (Offshore): 15 – 19 Oct 12
For more information contact:
General
K Oldridge: 1SigX-SO3 [email protected]
Offshore
M Griffiths: [email protected]
Dinghies and Dayboats
J Bunce: [email protected]
Windsurfing
R Hickley: 01432 357311
Corps Bosun
SSgt Miller: [email protected]
02392 765668