Issue 10: May 2015 The Mercian Family Newsletter The Heart of England’s Infantry News Regimental News - The 1 MERCIAN Rugby Union side emphatically beat 104 Regiment Royal Artillery, 35 points to 12 in April to win the inaugural Gheluvelt Cup. It took place at Sixways Stadium, the home of professional Union side the Worcester Warriors. The first half was particularly hard fought, with both sides capitalising on good build up play to trade scores. However, the 1 MERCIAN side showed its class in the second half, pulling away for a convincing win. It provided the perfect end to a brilliant first season for the side. Despite their relative inexperience as a team, they finished five points clear in their league to earn promotion and were the final Infantry Battalion competing in the British Army Championship Vase. The Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier Williams OBE was also honoured to be able to open the MERCIAN SUITE, a hospitality room in Sixways which has been dedicated to the Regiment. It is hoped the match which is named after the Battle of Gheluvelt will now take place annually. 1 MERCIAN – Alongside continuing preparations for deployment to Canada in August, 1 MERCIAN soldiers were put to the test in April by US ARMY General Milley on Salisbury Plain. Corporal Simmonds from Walsall was given the Task Force Helm and Certificate of Commendation by General Milley. He was awarded the commendation for actions he took during a suicide bomb attack whilst in Afghanistan last year. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Ellwood MBE, Commanding Officer of 1 MERCIAN said: “The Battalion has been training exceptionally hard in recent months, so it was a real boost for the men to have their skills witnessed and appreciated by such a high ranking US General. “That General Milley was as complimentary as he was of the Battalion, is testament to the continued dedication and professionalism of each and every one of my officers and soldiers.” Elsewhere, the battalion conducted its annual Operational Shooting Competition on Salisbury Plain. The aim of the event was to promote shooting skills, team spirit and a competitive edge between the individual firers, as well as the teams taking part. The best 56 soldiers, split into seven teams, competed throughout the week in an array of shooting disciplines. The following awards were presented at the end of the competition: Best Rifle Shot - Private Bennett (pictured left) Best Pistol Shot - Private Cooke (pictured right) Best Overall Shot - Private Bennett Best Team - Dragon Company Team 1 In addition, soldiers from Headquarters Company spent a week in Cornwall conducting Adventure Training. The training was developed in order to take soldiers of their comfort zone and away from the usual military environment, in order to develop their courage and leadership ability. The exercise consisted of a range of activities, such as learning to surf the violent winter waves or to take leaps of faith jumping 30ft from cliff tops into the same icy sea. 2 MERCIAN – The majority of 2 MERCIAN has completed its move back home to Dale Barracks, Chester from Cyprus, after its six month UN peacekeeping tour came to an end at Ledra Palace, Nicosia. As such the soldiers are taking some well -earned leave, before preparations begin to deploy to Kenya on Exercise in October. It has also been announced that in 2016, 2 MERCIAN will be the infantry’s rapid reaction force, ready to deploy at short notice anywhere in the world. Soldiers from A (Grenadier) Company also deployed to Sennybridge on Exercise Grim Grenadier, in order to complete a number of military competitions designed to push the troops to their limits. The Martin Robinson Memorial Trophy is competed for individually, and involves a military knowledge test, 10km navigation exercise, battlefield casualty drills test, two mile best effort with 25kg and a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear drills test. It is awarded in honour of Martin Robinson, a 1st Battalion, Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment soldier killed on operations in Northern Ireland in 1972. Second is The Keenan Cup which is won by the best section commander. During this competition, individual patrols have 18 hours to complete a number of tasks. These include contact drills, stand-off reconnaissance, artillery target indication, ambushes, a section attack and indigenous agent forces meets. Private Wiley was the winner of The Martin Robinson Memorial Trophy for best private soldier in A Company. Corporal Williamson was winner of ‘The Grenade’ for best section commander in A Company. Also of note is Corporal Bradley. He was the best shot in Grenadier Company and didn't miss a single shot during the shooting competition. 4 MERCIAN – A team of six from D Company, 4 MERCIAN took part in a one-mile endurance race known as ‘The Mow Cop Killer Mile’ on the 30th April. L ance Corporal Christopher Mottershaw led the team on the route, which rises from the Cheshire Plain up to the local landmark known as Mow Cop Folly, culminating in a gruelling 1 in 4 gradient throughout the final 300m. The road race is run annually, attracting over a thousand entrants. D Company completed the race wearing boots, MTP and t-shirts whilst carrying 15kg each in Bergen’s. Lance Corporal Mottershaw said: “We wanted to attempt the race to showcase our physical capabi lities as a Reservist Infantry Unit. “This was the first time we have entered a team and having successfully completed the race we’re looking forward to next year’s event and increasing the challenge further.” The team completed the race in 16 minutes 10 seconds and having established the benchmark, will be looking to break their time in next year’s event. Elsewhere, the new training year began in April for 4 MERCIAN. This will be the focus for the Regiment’s Reserve Battalion during the coming months, as they ensure they are ready to deploy on camp in August to Croatia, before joining 2 MERCIAN in Kenya. The Band Of The Mercian Regiment - The Mercian Band carried out its annual camp commitment, with two weeks based at Dhekelia in Cyprus. Supported by musicians from The Royal Signals (Northern) Band, The Waterloo Band and Bugles of the Rifles, The Lancashire Artillery Band and The Army Medical Services Band, the vast majority of time was spent training to arrange music and marching displays for the 2015 season. This was interspersed with concerts on the island, including a charity fundraiser for the ABF at Pissouri Amphitheatre, and an Easter Sunday service at St. Barnabus' Church, Dhekelia. Cadets – Last month, 12 cadets from Derbyshire ACF represented the Army Cadet Force and Mercian Regiment at the 177th Sovereigns Parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. After a tour of the grounds and the chance to speak to a current Officer cadet, the cadets helped to host family, friends and distinguished guests from all over the world. They then had the opportunity to watch the entire parade, hosted for General Odierno, the Chief of Staff for the United States Army. C Company, Derbyshire ACF cadet Colour Sergeant Fretwell (Mercian Regiment) was also selected as this year’s High Sheriffs Cadet. Derbyshire ACF is home to over 850 cadets and almost 170 adult volunteers in 32 detachments If you are interested in joining, or becoming an adult instructor, click here. Staffordshire ACF had further good news, with cadet Company Sergeant Major Lewis Ashby officially one of the top cadets in Staffordshire, after being appointed as HM Lord Lieutenant's cadet for the county. The 18-year-old from Chell Heath has been selected for the role, where he will act as an ambassador for the county and young people of Staffordshire. He said: "It is an honour to have been appointed the Lord Lieutenant's cadet. I'm really looking forward to fulfilling my duties and getting out in the local community. It is going to be a really good experience, much like the rest of my time with the cadets." Lewis has represented his company at drill, athletics, cross country, shooting and football, as well as the annual military skills competition, of which he was a member of the most recent winning team. The Mercian Regiment would like to congratulate both cadet Fretwell and Ashby. Regimental Mascot - The children of Whittington Preschool & Day Nursery were visited by Private Derby XXX at the beginning of May. Children were overjoyed to see the Mascot, who is currently on his four weeks of spring leave after being sheared at Chatsworth House ready for his summer ceremonial duties. Other News The Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion, The Jamaica Regiment visited The Mercian Regiment in April as part of a bi-lateral exchange with The British Army. The Jamaica Regiment and The Mercian Regiment are Allied Regiments, with this association existing since the 38th Regiment of Foot (later 1st Battalion, the South Staffordshire Regiment) served in the West Indies for 57 years without relief from 1707 until 1764. Two Mercian Regiment officers will return to Jamaica on the return leg of the exchange later this year. Sergeant Paul Spilsbury from MERCIAN RHQ, travelled to Washington DC to visit the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot re-enactors at their event at George Washington's Plantation Home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. He took part in the dressing up and was kitted out in full 18th Century soldier's attire. He then went on to inspect 'soldiers' on parade, in the absence of a Colonel before presenting the re-enactors with a Mercian Regiment plaque. Michael Grenier, a Major from the re-enactors said: "We had a delightful time with Paul, and we know that life-long friendships will grow from this.