THE wire August 2013

www.royalsignals.mod.uk The Magazine of The Royal Corps of Signals HONOURS AND AWARDS

We congratulate the following Royal Signals personnel who have been granted state honours by Her Majesty The Queen in her annual Birthday Honours List:

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Maj CN Cooper Maj RJ Craig Lt Col MS Dooley Maj SJ Perrett

Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM)

Lt Col JA Allan, TD

Meritorious Service Medal

WO1 MP Clish WO1 PD Hounsell WO2 SV Reynolds WO2 PM Robins AUGUST 2013 Vol. 67 No: 4 The Magazine of the Royal Corps of Signals Established in 1920 Find us on The Wire

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Editor: Mr Keith Pritchard Editor Deputy Editor: Ms J Burke Mr Keith Pritchard Tel: 01258 482817 All correspondence and material for publication in The Wire should be addressed to:

The Wire, RHQ Royal Signals, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8RH Email: [email protected] Contributors Deadline for The Wire : 15th February for publication in the April. 15th April for publication in the June. 15th June for publication in the August. 15th August for publication in the October. 15th October for publication in the December. Accounts / Subscriptions 10th December for publication in the February.

Mrs Jess Lawson To see The Wire on line or to refer to Guidelines for Contributors, go to: Tel: 01258 482087 http://www.army.mod.uk/signals/25070.aspx Subscribers All enquiries regarding subscriptions and changes of address of The Wire should be made to: 01258 482087 or 94371 2087 (mil) or [email protected]. Remittances should be made payable to Royal Signals Benevolent Fund CONTENTS Page Other Notable Articles Page

News from Operations 2 Honours and Awards IFC News from Blandford 5 News from Training 10 Lanyard Trophy 2013 98 News from Regiments 19 News from Squadrons 78 RSA Reunion 100 Other Units 91 Sport 93 7th Armoured Division 111 Adventure Training 96 Royal Signals Association 102 Last Post 110 Obituaries 110

FRONT COVER BACK COVER

Lanyard 2013 - The mass start The end of the Devizes to Westminster canoe race

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. 1 Printed by Holbrook Printers Ltd, Norway Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth © Crown Copyright NEWS FROM OPERATIONS

3rd (UNITED KINGDOM) DIVISION HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT

OP HERRICK 18 6-7 Months had completed their package and it was the out dets turn to endure some tier 2 pelvic Personal Protective HELMAND ICS SIGNAL SQUADRON (202 SIGNAL SQUADRON) Equipment in the sun for the next 3 days.

OC Maj C M Dixon SSM WO2 (SSM) K Brown

The Deployment – by Sig ‘Dodger’ Rodger and Lt ‘Ice Man’ McGrath

It took me a lot longer to sort my kit out than I expected, but as it was my first time out I thought it was best to be thorough. My girlfriend was nagging me to help and I said she could spray paint a black patch on my daysack so I could mark it up, let's just say she didn’t have any other jobs after that. After months and months of STA courses, ranges, CFX and FTX, Deployment Day had finally arrived and the time came to leave my accommodation. I was nearly half way to SHQ before I realised I had not taken any phone numbers! I ditched my kit and ran back, it was a close call, it would have been an embarrassing Facebook message to the girlfriend 2 weeks after arriving, ‘…I do love you, but I just forgot to take your number, honestly!’ That wouldn’t go down well. RSOI 25m CQM Range At 2104hrs we set off, leaving sunny Bulford for warmer climes. RAF Brize Norton was very much like a very small Days 3-5 was the Cat 2 package consisting of lots of C-IED, airport, unsurprisingly it had a small departure lounge, ECM (FP) and Patrolling elements with all possible scenarios security checking area, and a few can machines. It was thrown in. However, it was primarily based around today’s getting late so we were getting pretty sedate, just reading, threat of C-IED. The training was extensive, we covered lane chatting and a wee game of cards. It seemed like an eternity clearance with and without vehicles, VCPs and Op BARMA. waiting for our aircraft which was due to leave at 0200hrs. I The periods on finds, confirmation and search were was surprised to see that the aircraft was very much like any outstanding. There were individual lanes set up for each other passenger aircraft I had flown on before and when I member of the team to search independently and also larger closed my eyes I imagined landing in Tenerife or Mexico, but lanes to search as a multiple. From there, the training over, alas, it wasn’t to be. Our destination had sun and sand but I the 3 days progressed to clearing HLS, night drills, wadi didn’t suspect that we would have much time for sand crossings and compound clearance. On the surface on Day 2 castles. it looked like Days 3-5 were going to be horrendous, but for those of us that did it, we had a great time and learned a The Reception Staging and Onward Integration (RSOI) package compromised of Operational update briefs, current Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) and the use of specialist equipment. For some of us, this is our first tour and it was a steep learning curve. The first words were spoken to the start of a 10 hour lecture, “Keep hydrated throughout the day and stay with it. If anyone falls asleep then please stand up at the back of the lecture hall.” LCpl Ryan Hughes then commented, “How do you know to stand if you’re asleep already?” The Day 1 briefs ranged from practical areas like driving in Theatre to the Brigade Commander's Brief, Media Awareness and Afghan culture. To give a better understanding of the day, there are 30 separate presentations in one lecture hall, you be the judge.

Day 2 was as long as Day 1, but on the bright side it was very informative. It was all outside like the remainder of the RSOI. It started with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) check by the RSOI instructors then a short 2 mile TAB to the range for Grouping and Zeroing. We also covered briefings on Health and Hygiene, vehicles in use in Theatre, Op LAW and many Maj Dixon and WO2 (SSM) Brown Complete the Takeover by more. By the end of the day the Bastion dwellers for the next raising the 202 Sig Sqn Flag

2 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 great deal in the process. The only drawback was that we with help from a few other teams, have to prepare this huge were all so keen to just get in and do the job we came here to couple-of-hundred-laptop room for the move, including the do. cabling and trunking for said cables and phones. After only two weeks in the chair we’ve had a member Small Projects Section – by LCpl ‘Broadsword’ Main hospitalised. LCpl Scott ‘Scotty’ McArthur managed to cut half of his pinky finger off with a Gerber whilst attempting to It’s been a fast start for the Small Projects Team, if you can cut the excess from a zip-tie. Five stitches later he’s back with call it that, as the tour built up and we were informed of our the team and ready to rock and roll on our first project. PIDs our 4-man team looked at the title and scratched our heads. We assumed it would be putting out the odd laptop, Our job predominantly sits at a Telemech level. Our one maybe running a few cables around a room. We couldn’t Telemech on the team, LCpl Alex ‘Al’ Hopkins, has had have been more wrong. The “Small” part depicts the number evenings pulling his hair out as he attempts to monitor, of people in the team. The work is massive. For instance, an supervise and control three technicians let loose with power entire Headquarters is changing location. Our small team, tools. We’re surprised no one else has been hospitalised yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Med Centre hasn’t seen the last of us yet.

As our first project comes to a steady close, we won’t be sat down 5 minutes before the hundreds of people board a few helicopters and expect to walk into a huge building filled to the brim with laptops and phones ready to go. It’s going to be hard in this 40 degree heat (not to mention it’s only May!) but we’re steaming on, determined to beat every deadline set before us.

A unique way to get out of the sun

Sgt Ware, Cpl Nye, LCpl Wilson, LCpl Doyle-Thorpe and LCpl Harper

LCpl McArthur making the most of his time spent in the Med WO2 SSM Brown mucks in on the help desk Centre

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 3 Life for the New Guy in a FOB, TSU NDA ICS Det, FOB SUPPORT SQUADRON SHAWQAT – by Sig Doyle-Thorpe OC Maj A McKenna Arriving in FOB Shawqat we were greeted at the HLS by Sgt SSM WO2 (SSM) S Perry Ware and given a tour of the FOB. We got to meet the guys from 2 Sigs who were itching to get away after being here for JFCIS(A) QM – by LCpl Dave Hopper 6 months. I could only think that by the end of my tour, I too would probably be as impatient as these guys to leave. After After a comprehensive handover from 2 SR, We now have a great HOTO and a few days of ‘picking their brains’, the our feet firmly under the desks. Work has been at a fast pace famous SQT five were in and working straight into our shifts. since we arrived. We have been getting the accounts ready and then successfully migrating to MJDI. In addition to MJDI the department is constantly busy with the redeployment of Comms assets in Theatre.

Since we have been here LCpl ‘The Colonel’ Holmes has mastered the task of avoiding all undesirable tasks by the use of Jedi mind tricks. When there are demands for Promina, we need to contact the ARV as LCpl ‘T Bone’ Titus has taken up ornithology.

The SOET/Armoury is being run with Royal Air Force precision due to Cpl Metcalfe RAF who worked with 2SR, It could be run with military precision but he spends the majority of his time checking his chuff chart and informing us when he has 18 days left, 17, 16, 15… LCpl Loveridge , the hitch-hiker of the department is responsible for brew kit and stationary and is RAF’s 2IC on the SOET and they make quite the team, they go together like ice cream and tuna fish.

Cpl ‘Goochie’ Gooch, ‘The Colonel’ and LCpl ‘Admin’ Hopper, the true pop stars of the department, run the active Comms Sgt Purvis and his team in MOB “Nice” accounts (MS & RLI), which are constantly busy with RFC’s, EMTO’s and receiving demanded items and back loading unserviceable kit. Away from the relentless work we do, we LCpl Neil Harper got comfortable in his Service Desk chair manage to spend some time signing autographs and giving straight away and LCpl ‘Deano’ Wilson turned from a RSE into shout outs on the radio to our fans. a BT engineer almost overnight! It was frantic at first as we settled into our new roles, but as relationships were formed Another essential cog in the JFCIS(A) QM’s Department well- with the TSU Battalion, 2 Lancs, life became good. Although oiled machine is LCpl ‘Johnno’ Johnson who is always our resident tech, Cpl Jimmy Nye might want to limit his ice- zooming around the AFV/FRV/Flight Line making sure kit is cream portions at evening meal after breaking a GS chair by sent out to the correct locations and kit is returning to us simply just sitting down on it! from other locations. That along with smoking at every ash tray on the way to and from keeps him busy for the majority of the day. If you are currently in Theatre and have communications kit from us and haven’t signed for it in the last month, you should be shivering in your loafers, because you know LCpl ‘Tobias’ Marriott will be on your case. He is probably stalking you as you read this waiting to pounce with his location prints and a stamp.

A department cannot operate to it maximum potential without its hierarchy. We have SSgt ‘Tug’ Wilson as SQMS(T) and over watch in the accountant’s office. If someone blinks and it isn’t work related you best stop, drop and apply your Osprey because incoming is imminent. The Accommodation SQMS, Sgt Kev ‘I`m in love’ Potts is the man if your aircon goes off at 0300hrs. Don’t panic, be safe in the knowledge that he is already in KBR with some nun chucks and a bandelier across his chest, whipping the civilians into shape and getting them on the case. SSgt ‘Gaz’ Davies, when he is not spending his time running through every girl in Theatre's mind, is making sure everyone is aware of EMTO’s, remedies Sig Ashton, LCpl Fisher and LCpl Giles laying down the law and keeping the vehicle fleet in formula one style check. Nothing can be said about the RQMS, WO2 Rob Harvey, for FOB SQT is built around a bit of military history. An old British fear of my own safety. The same applies for the QM. I’m not fort from the late 1800’s still stands as an integral fixture here. even allowed to use his first name Matt, so I will only refer to As we ‘dart’ around the FOB during our working day, assigned him as QM Capt Wakeling. to faults, cable laying and Sanger Duties aplenty, it is quite amazing to think a British soldier has probably ‘stagged on’ in Signing off, LCpl Dave Hopper – Media Correspondent in the the same spot, at the same time, all them many, many years field, JFCIS(A) QM’s, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. ago. With the end of Op HERRICK looming – will a soldier be back at Shawqat in another hundred or so years?

4 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 NEWS FROM BLANDFORD

CIS TRIALS AND DEVELOPMENT UNIT

CIS TDU would like to say farewell to Capt Mark Bentley and The feedback was overwhelmingly positive with FMS 6.1 being his team from CBM(L) Troop who go their separate ways a major improvement on FMS 6.0. following disbandment of the Troop on 31 March. Good luck in your future postings and thank you for all your hard work.

Cpl Taylor and LCpl Atkins running scripts CIS TDU prior to CMB(L) disbandment Exercise MOUNTAIN GOAT - by A/Cpl Andy Hill

T Tp would like to welcome LCpl Dave Kitchen, LCpl ‘Jock’ Ex MOUNTAIN GOAT was planned and conducted for T Troop Sutherland and Sig ‘Maggsy’ Maggs who have all been personnel to improve team cohesion and to get away from posted in from CBM(L) Tp. The best of luck goes to LCpl the office. The plan was to do a 4 day package comprising of Daniel ‘Swanny’ Swanson who has left us for 1(UK) Civ Div. hill walking and mountain biking (MTB) in order to push Congratulations to Sig Kim Gregson (was Downing) on her ourselves out of our comfort zones and see how much we marriage. Congratulations to LCpl Dave Kitchen and Nicolette could remember from our last outing. on the birth of their baby girl, Alice. Sig ‘Josh’ Zunde and his wife Nina have also given birth to their baby boy, Leo – Organised by Cpl ‘Gordie’ Allen and instructed by Maj ‘G-Dog’ congratulations. Wills, YofS Chris ‘Caravanner’ Webster, LCpl Dave Kitchen and LCpl ‘Mikey’ Longman we went to Snowdonia National FALCON System Level Trial - by LCpl Taylor Park over the period 20 – 24 May 13. Staying at the 5* Capel Curig training camp including the Michelin starred cookhouse Elements of CIS TDU, 30 Signal Regiment and 90 SU from the for the duration. On arrival all of the personnel were split into RAF deployed to BAE Systems in Christchurch for the Falcon 2 groups of 7 and were each giving an activity to start with. Management System (FMS) 6.1 Trial. The trial format was to go through an initial dry run in the first 3 weeks, fix any issues Each day began the same with safety instructions we had to found and then run the trial again, with BAE 4th Line on hand adhere to while doing each activity; this also included a to rectify anything and everything picked up. comprehensive weather brief from Maj Wills. As each group came back, the stories of that day's activity started to flow. Progress in the trial was brisk and by the end of the first day First it was the hill walkers with the weather being the trial was 2 days ahead of schedule with all week 1 scripts ‘interesting’ and then Maj Wills walking south when we being completed by midweek. BAE were impressed with the should have been going north and telling the group that their quality of the operators provided by 30SR and 90SU so the compasses were broke. To Capt Rik Hammond - the only one decision was taken to lower the manpower requirement. to cream in while mountain biking (on his own bike); although Even with the decreased manpower the progress was still the crash would have killed a civi – as he says “Go hard or go quick into week 2, with the dry runs being completed a week home!” ahead of schedule. With this in mind BAE took the opportunity to take a two week break in the middle of the But Sig Brett ‘Teddy’ Ebsworthy trumped them all by well and trial to work on the observations raised. truly throwing his toys out of the pram. The hill walkers were on their way down the mountain and you could tell that Sig SLT Formal started on the 14 March with progress carrying on Ebsworthy was a broken man; to compound the issue they at a faster pace than the Dry Runs with mid afternoon finishes told him that they would have to go back up and go around being the norm, with everyone working flat out to ensure the the rocks to which the response was “NO!!! I’m not doing that trial was completed in time for Easter. I’ll meet you’s at the bottom*”

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 5 *These words have been heavily edited so that it can be LCpl Longman, Sig Lee and Sig Ebsworthy. After we fitted printed in The Wire! out the vehicle and started to test the equipment, we found that two of the equipments were faulty, which meant that we In all it was a great 4 days and all of us here at Trials Troop could not test anything that day. While we were waiting for would like to thank Cpl Allen and the instructors for putting the low loader to come and pick the vehicle up, LCpl Longman together the well run package. thought he would test the off road capability of the RIDGEBACK. Recovery services had to be called out as he managed to get it stuck in the mud up to its axles. After much effort they managed to get the vehicle out of the mud and safely back onto hard standing – lesson learnt LCpl ‘Mikey’ Longman! On the Thursday we once again ran out of fuel due to another broken fuel gauge, except this time we were more than prepared for it and had the vehicle running within half an hour.

COMMAND BATTLESPACE MANAGEMENT (LAND) TRIALS TROOP

OC Capt Bentley FofS WO2 Gaber YofS WO2 Webster

Have you ever driven around Blandford Camp and wondered why there were Bowman vehicles randomly parked up at various locations around camp? Have you ever driven on the Just before Sig Ebsworthy had has paddy! Wimborne Road and seen an FFR at Badbury Rings? Or taken the Upper Shaftsbury Road and seen one near Compton Abbas? These vehicles have more than likely belonged to the 543 - ECM + EOD Trials - by Sig Ebsworthy CBM(L) Trials Troop, part of the CIS Trials and Development Unit and would have been out testing the latest tactical CIS Jackal (TRUST) about to be brought into service.

On Monday 4 March 2013, 543(ECM) Team deployed to History of the Troop Templeton Airfield, Pembrokeshire. The team consisted of SSgt Nix, Sgt King, Cpl Allen, Sig Zunde, Sig Middlecoate and The Troop was initially formed about 10 years ago, under the myself - Sig Ebsworthy. On arrival we carried out our usual guise of Bowman Trials Troop (BTT), at the time part of the Monday morning tasks setting up the vehicle and configuring Command Support Development Centre. The Troop were the ECM eqpt. The next day was made ‘interesting’ when the created to conduct both technical field trials and operational rear drive shaft sheared off the vehicle. The Jackal was still field trials of the Bowman communications system prior to its drivable but we had to cover the hole so that no stones and introduction into service. dirt could get in and cause more damage. After making a few phone calls we managed to order a new drive shaft and luckily The Tri-service BTT started as a small team of ten, mostly a REME mechanic from 14 Sigs came out to fit it for us. Just driver/operators in April 2002 and gradually grew in strength like any other vehicle we seem to trial, the fuel gauge didn’t to around sixty Officers and Soldiers early in 2003. At the work. We only knew this when the vehicle ran out of fuel on time it was equipped with a fleet of about 40 Bowman Wednesday. Fortunately this was the last problem we met! landrovers and conducted its first trial at Knook Camp on SPTA. BTT grew in size to become a mixed capbadge Unit RIDGEBACK BFA (TRUST) including RM, QRH, Inf, RA, RE, R SIGNALS, AAC and RAF Regt to name a few, with an initial At 0400hrs on Monday 18 March, 543 (ECM) deployed to life span of two years. Templeton airfield to carry out a trial on the RIDGEBACK Battlefield Ambulance (BFA) variant. The trial team consisted As Bowman was brought into service, the need to continue of Sgt King, Sgt Hudson, Cpl Allen, Sig Zunde, Sig Lee, Sig trialling grew to include system interoperability, Middlecoate and Sig Ebsworthy. The weather, as usual, was developments of BCIP and the increase in ComBAT chucking down with rain …… all week! The trial was going applications. The Troop was renamed Command Battlespace well up until Wednesday evening when the vehicle ran out of Management (Land) Trials Troop and was heavily involved in fuel just as the low loader was turning up to take it back to the trialling and testing of other tactical CIS. Penally camp. After making a few trips to the petrol station with a couple of jerry cans, we were then told we had to Over time, with cuts, gaps and further reductions CBM(L) prime the fuel pump manually. Because we’d had the vehicle Trials Tp has been drastically reduced to less than 20 running all day the fuel pump handle was boiling hot. To personnel and 15 vehicles. The Troop has now come to the make matters worse the fuel pump handle was seized! We end of its time and is soon to be disbanded. eventually managed to prime the pump and get the vehicle onto the low loader. To our amusement Sig Lee had D&V all Adventure Training in Snowdonia week. When we went out for a meal one evening (instead of not eating) he decided to order a burger cooked ‘rare’, this In the last few days of drawdown the Troop took the only made his situation worse. opportunity to head to Snowdonia for some AT based out of Capel Curig Trg Camp. Initially the weather looked good, RIDGEBACK CV (TRUST) although cold for March with mountain biking, rock climbing and hillwalking planned to take place. With the surprising Once again 543 (ECM) Team set off to Templeton airfield on arrival of snow and to the great disappointment of the Troop, the 22 April 2013. We were trialling the RIDGEBACK Command the hillwalking was reluctantly called off, giving more time for Vehicle (CV). The team consisted of Sgt King, Sgt Hudson, bikes and rocks.

6 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Mountain Biking – by Sig Maggs wet rock. The group consisted of Capt Bentley, Sig Maggs, Spr Shenton, our instructor LCpl Wray and myself. Mountain biking in Coed y Brenin, in Snowdonia was an awesome experience with challenging terrain and many We arrived at our climbing location and had a small trek different routes taken by the instructors WO2 (YofS) Webster through some wet grass and over a small river, the only and LCpl ‘over sized calfs, Kitchen. problem was the wet cold feet Sig Maggs had as he thought it would be a good idea to wear trainers. Live and learn We were split into two groups, the slow group with WO2 Maggsy. The first few climbs were slightly hindered by the (FofS) Gaber, LCpl Sylva, Spr ‘cant ride a bike’ Courtis and Pte fact that no one knew if they were holding onto a rock due to Baskett, who went on the first day with just the one accident the cold and wet but Capt Bentley endured and was the first which was, surprise surprise Spr Courtis who was taking on an to make it nearly to the top. The competition then heated up experienced mountain biking route and decided he wanted a as did the weather making it more bearable to climb. After better look of the ground from over the handle bars. seeing Spr Shenton and Sig Maggs reach the top the pressure was on for me to get there. There was a rumour flying Day two was the fast group consisting of Capt Bentley, Cpl around that I was guided to the top foot by foot, hand by Simpson, LCpl ‘Jock’ Sutherland, Sig Maggs and Spr ‘my knee hand, all slanderous lies as I obviously climbed further than hurts’ Shenton. The day started with the easier of the two the others. A competition continued throughout the week routes to get used to the area and it wasn’t long before Spr between Spr Shenton and myself both outside and at the Indi Shenton started complaining of a bad knee and slowing every climbing wall, which ended on the last day when Spr Shenton one down (it wasn’t a race though to see who could go the couldn’t keep up with my Spiderman skills. fastest). He retired for the afternoon when we all went out for the second challenging route with LCpl Sutherland all smiles thinking he had won the personnel battle with ‘my knee hurts’ Shenton over who was the best at everything. Those smiles were soon wiped off his face when going down hill he decided to face plant the floor and cushion himself with his elbow and cutting it open. Up he got though, and continued on only to repeat the same trick only minutes later!

‘Damo’ too scared to look down

The Future

‘Maggsy’ about to go over the handlebars The need to continue trialling of tactical CIS will remain. The task has now fallen to what is left of the CISTDU and they will need to fit even more work into a trials calendar that is Everyone got back in one piece with stiff and tired muscles already full. The last members of CBM(L) Trials Tp have either but still smiles on everyone’s faces, even the one with cuts. now been posted, or are about to leave and look forward to moving on. We wish CISTDU all the best for the future, Rock Climbing – by LCpl Sutherland whatever that may hold.

It was a cold wet morning when we set out to climb up a cold

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 7 THE PIPES AND DRUMS

by Capt DM Lamont MSM The recent success has whet the appetite of all those involved and although the competitions are held over weekends, it is The Pipes and Drums of the Royal Corps of Signals under the testament to those involved and their commitment to the direction of Pipe Major WO2 (RQMS) ‘Jimmy’ Scott have Pipes and Drums and the wider Corps. An example of this entered the competing arena for the first time this season; commitment is SSgt (FofS) Niall Anderson of 39 Signal challenging themselves against the very best pipe bands Regiment who completed the Lanyard Trophy then headed across England. straight to Colchester to compete with the P&D the following morning (not bad for a FofS)!

Pipes and Drums competing at the indoor competition at Broxbourne

The Season so far!

As always the Pipe Major has now raised the bar and we look forward to the next competition at Corby on the weekend of the 13/14 July 13, where expectations for more silverware are again high.

The Pipes and Drums of the Royal Corps of Signals are Pipes and Drums parade with their silverware at Colchester continually recruiting. If you feel that you would like to join please contact either personnel below. Experience is preferred but not essential. In addition to the many military commitments the band is already engaged with, the pipes and drums have hit the Pipe Major or Band Officer competition arena by storm. A very credible third place at the WO2 (RQMS) JA Scott Capt DM Lamont indoor competition in Broxbourne Hertfordshire, followed by RQMS(G) UWO another third place at the outdoor competition held at 21 Sig Regt (AS) 11 (RSS) Sig Regt Colchester on the 9 June 13. The band also came first in both Mil: 94385 5102 Mil: 94371 2902 competitions in marching and deportment.

Your Museum - Your Story Since 1998 the Museum has opened at weekends. Intitially this was for 6 months but now we open from February half term to the end of October. This has only been possible through the efforts of a small group of loyal volunteers - the majority of whom are ex Corps. Their support has had a important impact on the ongoing viability of the Museum

However, this small group has been diminishing over the years so we need to find more volunteers to ensure that we can continue to open at weekends. CAN YOU HELP?

We are looking for retired or serving members of the Corps who can give just one weekend day a month, or even one weekend day every two months, to help keep the Museum open at weekends. This is a very rewarding task - dealing face to face with members of the public and helping to tell the story of the Corps. We have fantastic feedback from our visitors and the fact that so many from the Corps are involved in support of the Museum sends out a significant and positive message . If you can help please contact Volunteer Coordinator Mr Dave Walker on 01258 455 748.

8 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 ROYAL SIGNALS MUSEUM

Time for some more news from the Corps Archive The Bunker was a prison within the camp for inmates who – by Tim Stankus, Corps Archivist had to be severely punished, a cellar containing 8 small cells and the prisoners were kept in total darkness broken only “A troubling archive story involving a Royal Signals General just when the hatch in the door was opened for their meagre after WW2” rations to be passed through. No exercise, no books, no baths. Amongst our collection we hold some unique and interesting stories. This article concerns a period in the career of a The most well known survivor of Ravensbruck was Odette former Royal Corps of Signals officer, Major General Victor Churchill. She had spent just over 3 months herself in the Westropp CB, CBE. It relates to the first Ravensbruck Bunker, but the Gestapo failed to break her spirit and she was Concentration Camp Trial in Hamburg from December 1946 to allowed to live because of her distant relationship with February 1947 for which General Westropp was the President Winston Churchill. She was awarded the GC on 16 August of the military tribunal. Previously General Westropp had 1946, and gave evidence at the trial as a key witness. In 1949 served in France in WWI and then in the Punjab and Palestine she said the following, which is worthy of reflection:- between the wars. During WW2 he had been a Brigadier on General Eisenhower’s HQ in Algiers and then Deputy Adjutant “With great sadness, I believe that, for mankind, the choice General in India under General Auchinlech, a lifelong friend. between liberty and slavery has still to be made. In the camps, we used to believe that those of us who might survive would Ravensbruck Concentration Camp was situated some 50 miles enter a more tolerant and tranquil world where the ancient north of Berlin and was built in 1939 to accommodate up to virtues of truth, honour and gentleness would surely prevail. In 12,000 women only prisoners, but by 1945 it held over 40,000 the war, we fought a human enemy, one who had been infected female inmates of many nationalities. The conditions were with the germ of inhumanity. Though we defeated the host, we appalling. For example, breakfast consisted of ¼ litre of failed to defeat the parasite. Rendered the more virulent by its inferior coffee, lunch 1 litre of weak soup and supper ½ a loaf frolic, the same parasite is about the world today and, unless it of bread with either jam or cheese. The punishment for is utterly destroyed, the Camp at Ravensbruck will merely be a stealing food was to be strapped to a wooden horse and shadow and the symbol of a greater darkness to come” receive 25 lashes. Work varied from heavy labour on railway lines to working in factories making German uniforms and Sadly Odette’s profound comment has proved true and man’s components for V1 and V2 rockets. inhumanity to man still continues today.

One hundred thousand inmates were executed either by The British authorities carried out 7 war crimes trials against shooting, hanging or gassing or were killed by medical camp officials from the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp experiments. Amongst those executed were three British trying a total of 17 men and 21 women. Those being tried SOE women, who were shot at the same time. They were included members of the SS and the Gestapo, wardens, camp Violette Szabo, posthumously awarded the GC, Lilian Rolfe officials, camp doctors, nurses, guards and former prisoner- and Danielle Williams. All had parachuted into occupied functionaries who had tortured or mistreated other inmates. France. Violette Szabo is one of the many stories you can listen to at our Women at War display in the Corps Museum. The shooting was carried out by a L/Cpl Schult with a small calibre gun in the back of the neck under the orders of the Camp Commandant Fritz Suhren.

On May 1st 1945 the Russians liberated the Camp. The Soldiers found thousands of breathing skeletons, it was human nature reduced to almost animal level. In mid April 1945, prior to the Russians’ arrival, Himmler had given orders that every living soul in the Bunker was to be killed leaving no witnesses to testify as to the innermost hell of Ravensbruck.

Major General VJE Westropp presiding at the Trials

General Westropp was 49 years old at the time of the first trial and said that no one could ever be prepared for listening to the evidence of the unbelievable horrors and inhumanities that were carried out at Ravensbruck. Of the 16 prisoners in the Dock in the first trial, 11 were sentenced to hanging and 4 to long imprisonment. One prisoner died during the trial. The story was documented by his son Lt Col Michael Westropp RA, from family records and the National Archives.

As I said at the beginning of the article, this is just an example of the many stories we hold in the Corps Archive, so if you have any stories relating to your own time, or friends or Maj Gen Westropp at the Ravensbruck trials families, we would be delighted to receive them.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 9 NEWS FROM TRAINING

HEADQUARTERS DEFENCE SCHOOL OF CIS BLANDFORD

Life in Training Development incorporating more new and exciting modules making for a more enhanced Operator and hopefully OC Maj R Pendlenton (ETS) Supervisor of the future.

Training Development is a mixed service and civilian RAF Projects: organisation held within HQ Defence School of CIS, Blandford Camp commanded by Maj Rob Pendlenton (ETS). This The development of the Engineering Officer organisation supports a number of Training Requirements Foundation Training (CE) which includes not only the Authorities / Customers (i.e. R SIGNALS TDT, RAF Halton, RAF enhancement of current training received but a lot Cosford, Defence Crypto Services, etc) ensuring that the more on Cyber Awareness, a subject that is operational requirement from our customers is met in becoming a bigger requirement to each project that accordance with the Defence Systems Approach to Training comes our way. (DSAT). This organisation is broken down into two main sections, which consist of the Joint Training Development The development of the Trade Group 4 Corporal’s Team (JTDT) and Course Design. Below is just a small insight course (TMT1) to ensure that the delivery matches as to what JTDT consist of and what we have recently been the new requirement. working on. Upcoming Projects Joint Training Development Team There are many projects in the pipeline which The JTDT is a mixture of R SIGNALS Supervisors and RAF includes taking on Steady State Training (Falcon SNCOs who are involved in the development and design of from Babcock and Bowman Steady State training) training for the Army, R SIGNALS and the RAF. This ranges and we are also involved in providing training from trade courses to new projects. The JTDT personnel are solutions to our Reservists who will shortly be known as training analysts, where they are key to the DSAT expected to conduct similar tasks to our regular process and analysing the operational requirement via the tradespersons. Operational Performance Statement (OPS). Our output to the OPS after painstaking early training analysis is the Formal All of these projects include their own challenges where our Training Statement (FTS), which identifies what can be role and expertise is to produce the best package possible. achieved in the Training Establishment / Environment. Our biggest projects over the past year include: Useful Links:

R SIGNALS Projects: DSCIS Portal Home (for course details, etc). Training Delivery – List of active courses at DSCIS, CIS TU, RSS, The Basic Signalling Course for all trade-groups, No1 Radio School, etc. incorporating new and more complex training DSCIS Moss Website (for current projects): ensuring all personnel leaving RSS Blandford have a Training Delivery Phase 2 Training Career – Mainly for Ph 2 more insightful understanding of the Corps as a trainees (Class 3 courses) whole. Training Delivery Phase 3 Training Career – Mainly for Ph 3 personnel (Class 1 and Command Courses) The new Communications Systems Operator, which Training Delivery Specialist Training – Mainly Supervisor is planning to deliver up to 30 weeks of training, courses, Falcon Courses, etc. Useful POC:

Role Tel Email Details

OC JTDT 94371 2524 DCCIS-TrgSp-SO2 Trg Dev All JTDT/Course Design Issues

YofS JTDT 94371 3010 DCCIS-HQ-J7 JTDT YofS R Signals Training R Signals Reservist Training FofS JTDT Supervisor Training FofS (IS) JTDT 94731 3205 DCCIS-HQ-J7JTDT FofS(IS) Spec / New Training

RAF FS Analyst 94371 2278 DCCIS-HQ-J7 JTDT RAFTech RAF Training RAF Sgt Analyst(s) 94371 2920/ 3028 DCCIS-HQ-J7 JTDT RAFETA1 Spec / New Training DCCIS-HQ-J7 JTDT RAFOp

10 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Exercise SHIFTING RIP – JTDT Sailing Adventure Training (13 – 17 May 13) - by WO1 (YofS) HL Nolan

– whilst our Ross and Helen enjoy his sausage sandwich!

The second day on the water we decided to take the boat (L-R) WO1 (FofS(IS)) Kev Choules, Sgt Richy Phillips (RAF), Maj East towards Salcombe, where we managed to find FS Iain Rob Pendlenton (ETS), Skipper ‘Ross’ (RM), WO1 (YofS) Helen Cox hanging over the side of the yacht wishing he had taken Nolan, FS Iain Cox (RAF) his sea-sickness tablets! Well it was more sausage sandwiches for us! The harsh conditions soon changed to a much calmer, During the past 12 months members of JTDT have been pretty relaxed surroundings where we found ourselves anchored up much tasked from project to project, so it seemed only logical for a spot of lunch and fishing with Kev and Sgt Richy Phillips that we needed a wind down week doing what is known as (RAF). We then made our way to a spot of secluded beach Adventure Training. exposed during low tide via ‘the rib’ and had a quick game of cricket prior to mooring up at our next location. Thanks to the organisational skills of WO1 (FofS (IS)) Kev Choules, we managed to take 5 days out of work and go for a The remaining days brought us lots of sunshine and not much spot of sailing off the port of Plymouth with the Royal wind – not ideal conditions if you want to sail! We pretty Marines Adventure Training Centre on a 38 ft Contessa. much motored our way back into Plymouth via Starehole Bay and Bigbury-on-Sea, where the crew had opportunities to cast With a bit of pre-learning directed from WO1 (YofS) Helen their rods in search for fish…where Kev managed to grasp a Nolan on how to tie a knot or two and to name a few parts of long sought after catch… the yacht – we were ready to go! The week ended on a high, great weather, great company and It all started with an epic journey out of Dorset into Somerset even greater we had a weekend to look forward to. Thanks into Dorset into Somerset into Dorset and back into Somerset goes to Kev Choules for organising the days away, where we again…with numerous road diversions sending our driver Kev look forward to continuing our new found sailing skills. Choules round in circles…eventually we got to Plymouth.

After meeting our instructor for the week and the living conditions on the yacht we were raring to go…starting with non-stop tacs, gybes and man over boards for pretty much all of the afternoon in swelling sea conditions. Had we not been ‘strapped in’ we may well have been doing this for real! We were informed that we were sailing in force 9 (verging on the edge of 10) storm conditions – where our instructor was very proud of us! We sought solace down the River Yealm where we thought conditions would ease off – it didn’t! We eventually moored up against a ripping river current and with many cold and wet bodies enjoyed a quiet night in!

Richy helms whilst Iain looks for a spot to ‘feed the fish’ Kev finds his reward at last

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 11 11th (ROYAL SCHOOL OF SIGNALS) SIGNAL REGIMENT BLANDFORD

CO Lt Col M Brookes proved to be a winning combination of live music, hotdogs RSM WO1 (RSM) M Darby and some long awaited afternoon sun. The party really got going in the evening, ending with a fantastic late night With the summer period approaching, it is inevitable that fireworks display to wrap up the evening before things got there is some change in the Regimental Headquarters. First too messy! and foremost, after sharing a Padre with Blandford Garrison over the past few years, Padre Stephen Lodwick has arrived I feel I speak for the whole of Beaufighter Troop when I say to ensure all staff and trainees have the necessary pastoral we are all immensely proud of our colleagues who competed, care and mentoring. Leaving this year is the 2IC, Maj Mike and feel inspired to try and compete next time. Moulton, who is finally returning to Canada with fond memories after three years in the Regiment, to be replaced by Gordons Cup Maj Steve Lockwood from 30 Sig Regt. Also leaving, but not going very far, is the RSM, WO1(RSM) Matt Darby, who is Gordons Cup, a biannual event, is one of the major inter taking on the role of Blandford Garrison Sergeant Major, and Squadron competitions in the Regimental diary. It is the one will be replaced on promotion by WO2 (SSM) Chris Hoggard. trophy that all Squadrons endeavour to get their hands on. The competition consists of a mixture of military and physical Regimental Reorganisation stands designed to both challenge and test the soldier’s military skills and physical robustness. This year the The Regiment has commenced a reorganisation to meet the competition was held on Saturday 11 May 2013. new Army 2020 manning structures and PR12 manning cuts dictated by DM(A). In order to meet these and maintain The competition was planned and run by 4 (Military Training) training output for the Corps, a restructure was required to Squadron. There were a total of 27 Sections, all led by JNCOs streamline training delivery. As part of this restructure, 1 and SNCOs, from all three Squadrons. There were 9 stands, (Ouston) Squadron has been struck off the orbat as of 6 May with 3 sections competing against each other at every stands, 2013, and elements of 5 (Maresfield) Sqn will be merged in to plus a final Chain of Command (CoC) race. The stands 2 (Catterick) and 3 (Harrogate) Sqns in the near future, with consisted of Basic Close Combat Skills (BCCS), Bayonet the long-term goal of providing a through-career view of both Fighting, Stalk, Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT), Operator and Technician training within one sub-units remit. Navigation, Battlefield Casualty Drill Trainer (BCDT), Observation, Obstacle Course and Rapid Replen. It was an 2 (CATTERICK) SQUADRON early start for all those involved and the Commanding Officer (CO) of 11(RSS) Sig Regt, Lt Col Brookes, commenced the day OC Maj CJ Lewin with a very enthusiastic and inspiring speech. With the CO’s SSM SSgt G Bufton word still buzzing, the Sections were then led by their commanders to their respective stands and so the Morrison’s Cup Athletics - by Sig Butler, Beaufighter Troop competition began.

On 22 May 2013 Major and Minor units from across the Corps On every stands the Sections were awarded points (Highest descended on Blandford Camp, home of 11 (RSS) Signal Possible Score of 5) depending on how they performed. Regiment to take part in the Morrison Cup, a prestigious Throughout the day, the Sections performed the tasks to the athletics competition. best of their ability and continued to impress with their high levels of energy and their determination. The stands also had Phase 2 soldiers we were given the day off trade training to many visitors through the day who admired the level of watch the events, or in some cases compete. My own thought process and effort put into the tasks by the both Beaufighter Troop had several stars competing in the parties, event organiser and the competitors. Regimental team: Sig Peacock who finished 4th in the 100m, 2nd in the 200m and took part in the 4x100m relay in which Around 1400 hrs, all the Sections were mass fed at Pond the Regiment came in 4th place. Sig Clifford stormed to first Bottom (Gordons Cup Control location) and were soon off place in both the 800m and 1500m events, comfortably again to their respective stands. After the final event, the beating the best of the Corps in the middle distance races. sections gathered once again at Pond Bottom to witness the Our Regiment put in a solid performance over the course of final CoC race. The team consisted of a Major, a Captain, a the day but were unable to match the strong teams from 21 SNCO, a JNCO and 5 Phase 2s. The race was to transport all Signal Regiment (Air Support), who won the overall the materials from the start point to the other end at a competition in both the male and female categories. distance and build a gun and extract a dummy casualty back to the start point. It was the grand finale race and the overall I really enjoyed watching the events with the atmosphere and event decider. The race had different start times and it was the spirit of the competition. We were able to take advantage based on the average score gained by the Squadrons on their of the occasional breaks between the events to visit the stands through the day. 1 (Ouston) Squadron started the race stands set up by Signals units including 299 Signal Squadron first followed by 3 (Harrogate) Squadron and 2 (Catterick) (Special Communications) and 216 (Para) Signal Squadron Squadron. The race was led by 1 Squadron all the way, but in which we were all went to see. the very last minute, with an amazing display of aggression and true determination, 2 Squadron clinched it by a couple of As the events began to draw down, we heard the strains of seconds and won the Gordon’s Cup. live music drifting over towards the athletics track, which turned out to be the RCMO, Capt Topps, and his band Overall the day was a great success. The events were warming up for the evening’s event, Party in the Park. This challenging but it ran smoothly with minimum fuss. The top

12 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 shot of the day was Sig Clifford (4 Section) and the section not done ‘half a job’. This would later prove to be to the led by Cpl Eland (1 SQN) was crowned the champion Section. disadvantage of LCpl Kez Potter!! Finally, the CO ended the day with a very big well done to all those involved. For the competitors, the tough day came to Friday brought the last part of our tour and focused in on the an end and the anxiety and excitement was finally over. British AOR at Sword and Gold beaches and of the Canadian AOR at Juno beach. Again we learned about the bravery and 3 (HARROGATE) SQUADRON tactics used by allied forces to penetrate the German line of defence. We came to learn about WO2 (CSM) Stanley Hollis OC Maj J Wilson of 6 Battalion, Green Howards who went on the receive the SSM WO2(SSM) P Kemp VC, the only one awarded for any of the happenings on D-Day. CSM Hollis was awarded the VC for two acts of bravery on Exercise HARROGATE LANDINGS that day, was wounded many times but got back up and fought on, eventually earning himself the brand of ‘’the man – by LCpl Chris Dawkins they couldn’t kill’ by his troops. Once again I was moved by what we had come to know from the tour, the bravery of Ex HARROGATE LANDINGS was a low level battfield tour of people like CSM Hollis and the sacrifices made by allied the D-Day Landings carried out by allied forces on the troops, that ultimately resulted in our group of fifteen being northern coastline of France in June 1944, for members of 3 stood there that day learning about it. It was certainly an eye- Squadron. Consisting mainly of permanent staff, but with opener and an experience not to be forgotten, like those who three Phase 2 soldiers in Sigs Derrick, Holmes and Flintoff. fought in World War II, will not be forgotten. Thanks goes to OC Deployable Systems Troop, Capt Hebindra who organised the tour, also a big thanks to the two minibus So the end was nigh, after lunch we set off on our return drivers, Sgt Mike Wilson and LCpl ‘Avi’ Avinash. journey heading for Calais, by this time SSgt Nikki McNeal and Sgt Cath Charnley had imposed a fine system for any The tour began at 0415 hours on 17 April 13 as the group flatulence that would musk the air, and I am sure if this rule assembled in the Royal Signals Museum cark park in time to was enforced strictly it would have added at least another 80 depart for Dover at 0430 hours in order to catch the ferry to Euros on to Cpl Kris Fairnie’s trip. The return journey went as Calais. This part of the journey brought to light the early planned with no hiccups, well just about. There were a few contenders for the golden blanket award, LCpl Kez Potter and moments of panic as we decided to play a game of chicken LCpl Dan Clarke battling it out for first place. with the fuel gauge, thankfully we won, much to the relief of Sgt Mike Wilson, who wiped his brow as we chugged After a long day of travelling we arrived at our hotel in the cautiously into a shell garage an hour south of Calais. town of Bayeux at 1700 hours CET. The evening was our own so we opted to head into the town centre for food, Sgt Daz To conclude, I feel the trip was well enjoyed by all, very Clough, Cpl Kris Fairnie, LCpl Dan Clarke, LCpl Kez Potter and educational and actually brought to light how little we I, all deciding on a traditional French dish of omlette and chips actually knew and how much there was to learn about what with a pint of Guiness. Following our evening meal we happened when allied forces landed on the beaches of decided to sample the wine and sample it we did, resulting in northern France in June 1944. The sacrifices they made and a few fresh looking faces the following morning. the bravery they demonstrated, in order to allow me to be sat here writing this document, will not be forgotten “We Will Day two, and it was a lie-in compared to the previous day, as Remember Them”. we met for breakfast in the hotel at 0830 and met our rather eccentric, but very knowledeable tour guide Mr Ed Robinson at 0900. The first visit of the day took us to La Cambe, a German war cemetery in Bayeux. This was a real eye opener and sombering experience, containing a total sum of 21,222 graves, many of which read ‘ein Deustcher soldat’ which translates to ‘one german soldier’ signifying that the soldier had not been identifed. This gave just a small insight into the sacrifices that were made by both sides and how many lives were taken in World War II.

For the remainder of the day the focus was on the American Area of Operations for the landings that happened on D-Day. First up we visited the ‘Pointe du Hoc’ a clifftop location on the northern coastline. From this point the Germans had a prime location to engage any allied forces landing on Utah beach to the west and Omaha beach to the east. This gave an insight into the cunning of the German defences, but also how unprepared they were for a full scale attack on that part Group photo with memorial to CSM Stanley Hollis VC of the coastline, with several bunkers appearing half built. We also visited the beaches and gained knowledge of how and where the allies landed and what routes they took to – by Sig Holmes, Ulster Tp break through the German line of defence. When I heard about the opportunity to go to Normandy and Our tour guide also found time to go for a bit of cider tasting, see the beaches of the D-Day landings I was interested. I can which was well received by everyone, in particular Sgt Daz say after taking this chance and attending the informative trip Clough and LCpl Dan Clarke, who each left with a box of the that it was very worthwhile. Visiting beaches such as Omaha stuff. Everyone seemed to gain a lot from the day and really and Gold was a great experience and incredibly interesting. enjoyed it, leaving us looking forward to what would prove to The trip was also complemented heavily by lovely weather be another interesting and edcuating day on Friday. Again throughout which just made it all the more enjoyable. Our the night was our own and being proffesional soldiers we tour guide also provided us with a wealth of knowledge and went back to ensure we had sampled that wine correctly and painted a fantastic picture of what happened on D-Day.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 13 The first location we attended was the Pointe du Hoc; this Morrison Cup – by SSgt Skene was a sight with bomb craters all over the place. This straight away gave us a good idea of the destruction that occurred on The Royal Corps of Signals' annual 2 day athletics competition, this day. We were shown observation bunkers, machine gun the Morrison Cup, was held in Blandford over 21 – 22 May 13 nests and other gun placements. The tour guide explained and, as ever, was a resounding success. 3 (Harrogate) how all of these things were used in the overall defence Squadron once again took pride in being the overarching strategy. This gave us a huge insight into how the Germans organisational body for the event with Maj Jo Wilson and worked hard to defend the coast and likewise the huge SSgt (SQMS) Claire Boswell as the driving force behind efforts of the Rangers to take this beach ensuring that everything was ‘just so’.

Moving on to Omaha which is one of the most famous Months of planning went in to ensuring that everything ran as beaches featured on D-Day and it was obvious why. The smoothly as possible, whether it was between Elior, BGSU, beach stretched for miles and had many exits that provided Loan Pool, H&S, civilian companies or every Unit within the direct access points into Normandy. Here we could see the Corps. Despite this, the immediate weeks and days prior were intelligence of the German defence and how they disguised a mad flurry of activity as everything came to a head and the bunkers and positioned them to shoot all the way along the usual unforeseen hiccups had to be smoothed out. It has to beach. It was clear the amount of planning that had gone be said that all involved worked tirelessly to ensure that the into the defences. entire arena was setup and ready for the competition to start in earnest on 21 May – even the weather was booked! Gold beach was the British beach we visited; there was not so much to see in this location so the tour guide had his work cut 11 (RSS) Sig Regt once again fielded the youngest team of all, out for him. He used this time to tell us about CSM Stanley comprising entirely of Phase 2 soldiers (apart from 2 members Hollis who was made famous by being awarded the only of permanent staff – one who is super keen, Cpl Jo Lyle, and Victoria Cross on D-Day. He exited the beach and took out a one who should have given up years ago, SSgt Ally Skene). gun battery on his own to prevent further damage to the Everyone ran to the very best of their ability, no doubt egged incoming ships. on by the vocal support of the rest of the Regiment. In particular, for the males, Sig Clifford who won both the 800m This excursion was incredibly interesting and gave us all a and 1500m and whose final leg in the 4x400m relay, covered great idea of the tactics and preparation that went into D-Day. in 51 seconds, ensured 11 (RSS) Sig Regt won the final event of I feel privileged to have had this experience and found it very the competition and Sig Quillan who threw over 50m in the worthwhile. javelin. Sig Pritchard ran the 100m well; narrowly missing out on first place and Sig Hurry won the javelin having only tried – by Sig Flintoff, Ulster Tp it the week before!

After a 3 day excursion to Normandy on a battlefield tour of On the whole the Regiment was able to showcase some high the famous D-Day beaches, I can safely say that it was one of quality new talent which will be of an asset to Corps athletics the most awe-inspiring and informative trips I have ever been in the near future. Well done to everyone who took part. a part of. With an eccentric and humorous Irish tour guide who had a wealth of knowledge and a gripping method of Army Volleyball Championships 2013 – by Cpl Sujyoki Tamang story telling we were painted a picture of how each of the beaches would have been on June 6th 1944. I was amazed Selection from The Command Support (South UK), a when we arrived at the first location, Pointe du Hoc (an Divisional Level Volleyball Competition, led the 11 (RSS) Sig American landing zone) at the preservation of the site. Regt team to the Army Volleyball Competition held at Barbed wire rusted over almost 7 decades skirting the still Aldershot on 1 May 13. standing German bunkers which littered the landscape as well as the extensive amount of bomb craters, tens of metres Despite busy trade training schedules, the team put together across and deep that peppered almost every foot of land by SSgt (FofS) Raju Thapa worked extremely hard. Even after following allied air raids. This was by far the most “war-like” a long day at work, individuals practiced with great of location we visited, as it is practically left how it was when the enthusiasm which was applaudable. allies had taken it. There were 11 great teams competing from across the Army, Omaha, famous for its appearance in Spielberg’s “Saving and although it was an early start, the spirit and enthusiasm Private Ryan” is a huge stretch of sea and sand overlooked by a large ridge which was primarily defended at its lowest points - with bunkers facing down the beach as opposed to outward toward the sea, allowing maximum efficiency and protection for the guns. I believe that Omaha was where the sheer extent of courage and mental strength it would have taken to prevail victorious in these landings really hit me, the pure distance from the landing zone, never mind the relentless hail of shells and rounds coming at you from all directions.

We only managed to visit one of the English beaches, which wasn’t really cared for, so it was down to our tour guide to enlighten us of the events. He told us the story of CSM Stanley Hollis, who, to cut a long story short, single-handedly took out two German pill boxes and later created a diversion to distract enemy fire away from his men, earning the only VC on the 6th June 1944. This man is a true inspiration and a great representative of the courage, discipline and selfless commitment we hold as British Soldiers. The Volleyball Team with Lt Col Mark Brookes and WO1 (RSM) Matt Darby

14 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 of our team never died throughout the competition. It was a Finally Friday came and we were all eager to know how we knock out competition to start with and as it got to semi-final, had done on the course. After lunch we marched onto the it became more and more challenging and exciting. Our team parade square to find out our results from the CO. The gave their best and reached the semi finals, which was a huge moment for me came and it was good news. The proudest achievement and a proud moment indeed as it was first ever moment of my Army career so far as I was given my LCpl rank volleyball competition for most of the players. We ended slide and I realised that the last two weeks of hard work and playing against the previous year’s defending champion (1st all the effort put in by myself over my time in the Army had all Bn Royal Gurkha Rifles) and unfortunately our team lost with paid off. very close difference in the final score. It was a great honour to have the CO and RSM come and support our team, which Phase 2 Graduation – by LCpl Curran, Ulster Tp was encouraging and their presence was really appreciated. Finally, after over a year in Blandford it was here. Graduation The competition was tough but our team fought hard until day, and we were all very excited to be leaving Blandford and the end. Even though we did not win the competition the day going to our field units. ended with much excitement and joy as we were winners in our own way. The morning started off with yet more rehearsals, marching out to the front of the hall, saluting and collecting our stable PNCO Course – by LCpl Girt, Ulster Tp belts and certificates. At around 1000hrs our families and friends started arriving for the ceremony. It was nice to be After completion of Military Skills and BCCS for CEBR 12/001 it able to sit and have a tea and coffee with them before the was now time to begin PNCO, a course we had all been parade and let them see how nervous we were. dreading throughout our time in Blandford Camp. I was feeling nervous and apprehensive along with the rest of the Once everybody was seated it was our turn. The SSM course as we did not know what the next two weeks were marched us out to the front of the room and left turned us so going to bring. that everybody that had come to see us had a good chance to get some photos of us. We were then right turned and took Week One began with being placed into our sections, which our seat so that the other courses that were graduating could was very different as during trade training you are with the get there chance as well. Maj Wilson, OC 3 (Harrogate) Sqn, same people all the way through, but for this course there then addressed our families and briefed them up on the were a lot of external students. I was placed in a section with format of the presentation and we got to watch a really a lot of people that I did not know and we had to bond very riveting video on the Royal Corps of Signals and what roles quickly to achieve our aims. This was difficult at first but by we take in the field Army. This was good for the families to the end of the two weeks I had a good team of people and I see as it gave them an idea of the training that we had went was glad to have met some new faces in the Corps. through.

The week began with classroom work with a lot of It was then our turn to get our certificates and stable belts. presentations to learn the skills and knowledge we would These would be presented to us by either the CO 11 (RSS) Sig require to be JNCOs. We were also issued all the kit we would Regt, Lt Col Brookes, or the Chief of Staff DSCIS, Lt Col need for the rest of the course. It was on the morning of day Mason. Each one of us took our turn to march forward and one that we got our first surprise. PLD 1 would be that get our certificates and belts and have a little chat with either afternoon. The PLD felt like it went on forever and I of the Lt Cols. I spoke with the CO and he asked me where I personally struggled throughout. It did seem as though if you was posted and had a little chat about my time here in were putting the effort then the staff were not too harsh on Blandford. I told him I loved Blandford and would come back you. PLD 2 had the same sort of feel to it. It felt like it went in a second if given the chance. I am not sure if he believed on forever and it was our first chance to take control and take me. charge of the section. I felt that when it was my turn to lead, the section worked well for me and I worked for them when Once the presentation was finished Lt Col Mason then gave a it was my turn to do so. Our section finished first which gave speech about what he felt our future would be like in the us a very good sense of achievement and that we had all Corps and invited everybody for some food next door in the worked for each other as a team. bar area. Finally an alcoholic drink to calm the nerves. Overall it was a good day and it was nice for the families to see how On Thursday night it was a chance to shake ourselves out and we have changed from being just basic soldiers to tradesmen get out into the field. It was good to have a shake out in a large Corps such as the Royal Corps of Signals. exercise even if it was just overnight as it gave everybody the chance to make sure we had taken on what was taught in the 4 (MILITARY TRAINING) SQUADRON classroom. The exercise mainly gave us the chance to practice setting up a Harbour Area and appreciate the roles of OC Capt M Brown vice Maj E Mortimore the Section Commander and 2IC. SSM WO2 (SSM) B Sherwin

Week two was not something anybody was particularly Welcomes and Farewells looking forward to, especially after a long and tiring week one, but we approached it with the same enthusiasm as we The Squadron has seen plenty of changes in personalities in had everything. We knew it would be long tiring days and the past few weeks. Firstly we welcome our new members of with a lot of section attacks and other scenarios to ensure 4 (Mil Trg) Sqn permanent staff; WO2 Baz Sherwin joins us as that everybody on the course could get their chance at the new SSM, WO2 Steve Kelly joins us as the new SMI, Sgt leading a fire team. Personally I felt that my two ‘Butch’ Slingsby takes up his post in JCTT and Cpl Nicky appointments went well and that again my section worked Bingham who joins the SQMS department. well for me. We spent the first couple of nights in a Harbour Area and then we moved into FOB Thorpe on Blandford Squadron Internal Changes: CSgt ‘Glenn’ Loe moves from Training Area. Being on stag almost all the time made the MSTT and into the SQMS department. The ever busy SSgt week a lot harder as the lack of sleep made everything even Matt Stratton can eventually leave his multi role tasks as the more difficult. We had to help each other get through the SQMS/SSM/Odd Job Man and move back into his treasured week, which as a section we did very well. Squadron MT.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 15 As always with new arrivals, come our farewells. We say 5 (HARROGATE) SQUADRON goodbye to: WO2 (SSM) Nat Butler, WO2 (SSI) Matt Stowell, SSgt Bruce Morrison, Cpl Bhesh Chemjong and not forgetting OC Capt C Anderson the CMSR team: Sgt Loz Clegg, Sgt Dale Thompson who SSM SSgt R J Eveleigh move to the Regimental Training Wing and to Cpl Chris Burley who joins 3 Sqn. TC85 - Exercise TRIODE - by 2Lt Sunil Kandola

611 COMMUNCICATIONS TRAINING TROOP This year was the third annual tri-nation exchange exercise between the British, French and German Armies known as Ex Exercise SINKING HAVOC – by LCpl Lee TRIODE, and it was the Troop Commanders’ Course 85 (TCC85) that were the ones fortunate enough to take part in On 29 May 13 members of the Troop travelled to HMS Raleigh the exchange. The exercise itself was five days long, taking in Cornwall to pit their wits against the Royal Navy’s multi- place simultaneously within each Army’s respective training million pound Damage Repair Instructional Unit, known establishment – Blandford for those in the UK, Rennes in affectionately as HAVOC. Brittany, France, and Feldafing, located in Bavaria, Germany. Each country sent a group to each destination with the main After initial safety briefs and videos we were given clothing focus being on building greater relationships amongst the for the exercise including a non-waterproof overall, boots, nations as well as understanding each other’s equipment, helmet and a belt. We were then led into the simulator, capabilities and cultures. Throughout the week various picking up hammers and tucking them into belts as instructed. communications planning exercises were put forward to the multi-national groups, culminating in two VTC meetings The experience starts with a warning on the ship’s tannoy between the three nations in which the solutions were that a missile was incoming. The missile then hits the ship and presented. suddenly we were plunged into darkness and incoming water. The two teams then followed their team leaders, LCpl Jay The planning exercises themselves took place on the Tuesday Usher and Cpl O’Brien down a ladder into a compartment and Thursday and were designed to test our knowledge of that was already quickly filling with water. At this point Cpl both our own equipment and the French and German Stu Tait dropped his hammer instantly and had to spend the equipment, planning capabilities as well as interpersonal skills next few minutes retrieving it from under the icy water! working with foreign officers. During the concluding VTC meeting between the three nations, the young officers were With the lighting off and the ship already rocking from side to put to the test by having to present their plans to senior side, the teams sprung into action and in small groups began officers of each country – all of which went encouragingly to deal with the holes all over the cabin. The freezing cold well. water was under significant pressure and the water level in the room rose at an unnerving rate. We worked for what felt In the UK three members of TCC85 remained in Blandford - Lt like 5 minutes but was in fact closer to 40 minutes. Simpson, and 2Lts Wray and Johnston – who were required to host two Officers from Feldafing and 13 Officers from The exercise was certainly testing with the icy water, the Rennes. On the Monday our guests were given introductory swaying motion of the simulator and the sheer difficulty of presentations on the British Army and the Corps as well as an trying to hammer wooden wedges into the holes before overview of the equipment we would be using during the being overcome with water. Eventually the simulator was week, which were followed by presentations about Rennes stabilised, drained of water and lighting restored; indicating and Feldafing by our foreign counterparts. That night saw the our heroics had saved the day and our lives! Thoroughly arrival of some potential officers for the Corps hosted in the exhausted but with beaming grins we all trudged out to the Mess along with the French and German officers. As always relief of many. the beams were undertaken - on this occasion featuring guest appearances from Capts Sam Rice and Chris Anderson who, The day proved to be a great team building experience and along with the Troop Commanders, gave a perfect provided us with a useful insight into the training undertaken demonstration of how it should be done, and were by other members of the Armed Forces. comfortably victorious.

The following day was the first planning exercise based on NATO’s deployment in Bosnia. The exercise went smoothly with each nation learning about each other’s capabilities, as well as tactics and doctrine. That evening was spent in Blandford with the Corps Colonel at the Crown Hotel and the Dolphin Pub where the Corps Colonel introduced our continental guests to the unique taste of English Bitter. Wednesday morning was spent at 4 (Mil Trg) Sqn and saw the French and German Officers learning about the SA80 and having a chance to fire on the DCCT range. Our guests then had the opportunity to see some FALCON detachments that were deployed on the airfield allowing them to see how our equipment is set up and deployed.

On the final full day of the exercise the young officers took part in the final planning exercise that required a lot more work than on the previous exercise as it was considerably more taxing, and would later be assessed by the Commandant DSCIS in the evening during the VTC, as well as the respective Members of 611 (Comms Trg) Sig Tp outside the Royal Navy’s commanders from France and Germany. The British side of Damage Repair Instructional Unit ‘HAVOC’ the exercise culminated on Friday with a trip to the Bovington Tank Museum that allowed for a relaxing end to a very fast paced week.

16 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 After a 20 hour drive in a minibus those who went to Germany - 2Lts Griffiths, Morphet, Powell and Stradling along with WO2 Young – finally arrived at Feldafing, Bavaria, where they were welcomed by their German hosts. The week in Germany consisted of activities that were aimed at establishing friendships, and activities that would show the opportunities and potential issues of working in a multi-national force. They had a few lectures at the beginning of the week that involved getting to grips with the German, French and British comms equipment so that all contingents could contribute to the planning exercises that would follow.

There was also an afternoon of athletics events early on to establish a pecking order where 2Lt Powell established himself as a 100m champion, whilst 2Lt Stradling swept up the 3km run.

The Germans also invited their British and French guests to try out their weapon systems (such as the G36) on an indoor simulator range where everyone’s shooting skills were put to 2Lt Sunil Kandola working towards a communications solution the test – all good fun. A German monastery was a definite with his French and german counterparts highlight of the trip where samples of Bavarian food and beer were had at its best whilst looking over the local landscape. Lastly, I’d like to say thank you to all the staff that made this The remaining group who travelled across the Channel to exercise such a memorable and fulfilling one, particularly to Rennes were 2Lts Cutting, Dale, Kandola and Perfect, and WO2s Hampson and Young whose knowledge, experience were accompanied by WO2 Hampson. Our French hosts and good spirit made for a great trip for those who went greeted us warmly upon our arrival, and the week’s timetable abroad. was very much the same as that in Britain and Germany. During our first full day there were several presentations on HAC PHASE 2 – RA COMMS CSE 9 the structure and comms equipment used within the French Army, and this was followed by a familiarisation lesson and Despite its position in the heart of the City in London, the weapon’s handling test of their rifle, the FAMAS. That Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) makes good use of the evening we were invited to a brilliant barbecue where we got training facilities at Blandford thanks to their quality, not to to know one another over a few beers and decent wine. mention that of the surrounding countryside!

A particular highlight for those that were in France was on the Wednesday when we used their FAMAS in an indoor range, which was tricky to say the least with their iron-sights. That was followed by a 14km run on the coast of Concale where the British showed their superior fitness levels. On the final morning we were invited to be part of their daily parade, which was truly an honour and a very memorable moment in our young military careers.

All in all it was a very successful exercise – the commanders of each nation were satisfied with the standard of work that was produced, many new experiences as well as friendships were made, and everyone involved was left with a greater understanding of each other’s cultures and working processes.

LBTA Mash-up

French and British officers on the German Dismounted Close Combat Trainer HAC Comms Cse Students in Blandford LBTA

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 17 The HAC’s Phase 2 training is the Royal Artillery beyond, it’s nothing out of the ordinary and worth it for the Communicators’ Course but with PSIs from the Royal Corps of excellent facilities that the School can provide. Signals, the course makes regular use of the LBTAs in Blandford for Part 2 of the course which introduces students The students pictured passed off this course in April and for to vehicle-based communications. many the next step is the HAC’s STA patrols course, a marked change of pace for something so physically demanding but For a Territorial Army Regiment, the journey from the City of one on which communications should now be the least of London is a long one just for weekends but for a Regiment their problems! that journeys regularly to Sennybridge Training Area and

ARMY TRAINING REGIMENT WINCHESTER

Phase One Training: A Section Commander’s Perspective – by relaxed with Soldier Development Week in Wales. At last a Cpl Buchanan, 3 Sect Comd, 7 Tp, B Sqn week of fun, hill walking, rock climbing and caving. It is also a good opportunity to show the recruits that the Army isn’t all It’s two minutes to eleven and I’m standing at the foot of the shouty-shouty. Now they have their hill legs on its time to Pass Out Parade ready to march on with the Troop. Looking throw them into the CO’s Competition and Text Exercise, both at the nervous, expectant and proud faces of my Section, my day long excursions onto the training areas. The former is a mind wanders back to Day One Week One. The recruit that section level competition and the latter an individual testing said “now then mate” on his first day. The recruit that barely exercise. This puts them back in the mind-set for Exercise whispered when he spoke is now the same individual FINAL FLING, which takes up the whole of Week Twelve and ‘gobbing off’ to another section and telling them that his is arguably represents their greatest test to date. It’s also the best. Life started for us all on a form up one Sunday in April, part where they “Dig In!,” everybody’s nightmare at the time. seeing them all turn up in either a suit from Next or one that The trick is to graft and get it done, to take advantage of any looks like it’s borrowed from their dad. Paperwork follows down time which the recruits still view as some sort of and long nights of teaching those things that we all now take elaborate ploy and pay no attention, trying every trick in the for granted like block jobs, bracing up, ironing, beret shaping book to make a small hole look deep. They get back after the and building webbing, to name but a few. tears of filling in their beloved holes, to how basic training started - lots of drill (with a weapon this time). Week 13 also Week Two is a relentless onslaught of Skill-At-Arms lessons sees them completing test forms and ‘Blue Books’ which followed by more evening work including A4 Folding and follow them to Phase 2. Bergen packing for Exercise ICE BREAKER, effectively an evening of camping and getting to know each other. More Skill-At-Arms follow with Weapon Handling Tests. When will it end? And drill. I couldn’t even remember learning drill during Phase One Training. Week Four comes in a blur; let the Exercise begin. The recruits are welcomed to Exercise FIRST STEP, staying up to ensure their administration is ‘on the ball’ and they’re doing STAG Hand-Over / Take-Over correctly, which they never get right first time! I’m trying desperately to remember that they’ve never before encountered the word “Double” and the hand-sign for “On Me”.

Looking back I’ve had two days off in the last 28 and even my partner looks clued up on Marksmanship Principles and C-IED drills. I forget how many lessons I practised on her first. Finally, Week 5 arrives and you physically sag your shoulders, thankful for the brief respite in tempo with less night lessons. We’re into navigation (an officer sport apparently!) and random range days on the DCCT and both 25 and 100 metre ranges to contend with. CBRN, BCDT and Section Level Navigation exercises mixed in with briefs about health and Cpl Buchanan introduces himself to 7 Troop’s recruits on hygiene and military law sees Week Six. Before you know it Ex ICE BREAKER you’re in Week Seven in Barton Stacey Training Area on the aptly named Exercise HALFWAY. Patrol skills, Six Section Battle Drills (from RTR to the Re-Org), Searching Enemy, VCPs Section Command at a Training Regiment represents multiple and constructing range cards are all covered. On to Week periods of a hectic fourteen weeks. It is not for the faint Eight and everything is geared towards the Drill Test, OC’s hearted as it takes your personal administration to another Room Inspection and Open Day. It’s back to long nights level. Having four different states of dress in a day and having inspecting and re-inspecting their kit, making sure that they to be immaculate in all of them, takes you back to your own brief their parents on their stands correctly (there’s always at time as a recruit. Working late nights and going home least one serving parent that thinks it’s appropriate to ask revising for tomorrow's lessons making sure they’re spot on is difficult questions). At this point you wave them goodbye standard, rather than spending time with loved ones. The and go for a weekend of leave. reward for all this effort? A sense of pride in your recruits and the “Thank you Corporal” from those you pushed hard, Back from your weekend off and you're straight into Range including Mr Quiet. There is invariably a slight sense of dread Week, with long days of safety supervising and coaching firers for the next course start date. Oops got to go they’re (even longer if it’s raining). At least next week is more marching on.

18 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 NEWS FROM REGIMENTS

1st (UNITED KINGDOM) ARMOURED DIVISION HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT HERFORD

CO Lt Col J G Hill Canada, Kenya, Bavaria and the UK, the recent influx of RSM WO1 (RSM) D J Mears personnel from 211 and 212 Sig Sqns couldn’t have come sooner. It has been a busy couple of months for the Regt, with the reshuffle now complete in time for 212 Sig Sqn to move into In preparation for 212’s deployment on Op HERRICK 20, 201 MST1 in preparation for their deployment on Op HERRICK 20 has taken on all of their Bowman detachments. This has now next year. As 211 Sig Sqn prepare to return from their 2 left the Sqn with 11 Bowman and 10 Falcon Dets which, thanks months supporting Ex BAVARIAN CHARGER, HQ Sqn have to a lot of hard work and long hours put in by everybody in deployed on Ex PASHTUN HORIZON in Warminster, and 201 the Sqn, sailed through the recent RSIT inspection. Sig Sqn have been conducting further Falcon exercises. Meanwhile the recent RSIT and Combined Assurance Week We’ve also been on the front line of the Falcon initiative in the inspections were a success, the Regt scoring green across the Regt, completing Ex TETHERED FLIGHT 2 in Elmpt after Easter board thanks to the hard work of all involved. Finally, just to and Ex LONG LEASH on Hammersmith Barracks in June. We keep things interesting, a number of personnel were put on are progressing steadily with the new equipment, working standby to assist the German authorities with flood with HQs and towards bigger and better exercises throughout prevention. Although we were ultimately not required, it was the summer. an excellent test of our ability to deploy at short notice. We have also been involved in many sporting events including The new faces in RHQ have their feet firmly under the table; the Morrison Cup where the Regtl team led by Lt Cat Dawes WO1 (RSM) Mears swiftly declared war on so-called ‘bun- put in a huge effort with the male team finishing a enhancing foam rings’. In May we bid a fond farewell to competitive third and the female team tied for second on outgoing Adjt Capt Ian Peers, replaced by Capt J Carey. countback.

As well as the Morrison Cup, the Sqn has members involved in Corps boxing, BA(G) cycling, Regt and Army football and are preparing themselves for the infamous Lanyard Trophy.

A group from the Sqn entered themselves into the 2013 Rat Race Dirty Weekend at Burghley Manor where they had to drag themselves around a twenty mile assault course. The fastest time among the team went to Sig Dan Roberts with a time of just over five hours, which being a PTI he wasn’t very happy with. Play of the day went to Sig Jonny Ingram who, due to pre-race nerves and possibly some of the alcohol consumed the previous night, was ill before he’d even reached the start line!

RSM, now Capt, East formally hands over to WO1 (RSM) David Mears

HQ SQUADRON

OC Maj S Vernon SSM WO2 (SSM) B Anderson

In recent weeks the main Sqn focus has been preparation for deployment on Ex PASHTUN HORIZON, where we will provide RLS. The Sqn will be sorry to lose QM (T) Capt Dave Taylor, who leaves us at the end of June; we wish him the best of luck for the future.

201 SIGNAL SQUADRON Either having fun or just pleased it’s over - the Rat Race team OC Maj A Hutton SSM WO2 (SSM) S Miners For those reading this who are awaiting postings into 201 Squadron Update - by LCpl N Janes Signal Squadron, you’ll be please to know it’s not all hard work! Last week we managed to get away for a day of With the pace of work in 201 Signal Squadron not easing, paintballing and conveniently the group split evenly into along with the Sqn’s responsibility to fill trawls on exercises in Signallers vs. NCOs and officers.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 19 Despite the influx of man power into the Squadron, we will be A and B 200m, and the teams went into the relays at the end saying goodbye to most of SHQ including OC Maj Alex Hutton of the day with high hopes. who becomes Ops O at 14 ‘closer to home’ Sig Regt; Sqn 2IC Capt Rich Tudhope who is off to 11 Sig Bde, WO2 (SSM) Steve When the results were announced we found out that both Miners who will be joining 21 Sig Regt; SSgt (SQMS) Zoe teams had finished 3rd, the female team missing out on the Dolan who is also off to 14 Sig Regt as a newly-promoted runners-up spot to 11 Sig Regt by an agonising 0.2 seconds in SSM, SSgt James Stevens is joining 212 Sig Sqn for the relay on countback. However, the teams both did deployment on OP HERRICK 20, Sgt Adam Stares is posted on themselves proud. promotion and will be joining 628 Sig Sqn as a SSgt, LCpl Nick Janes is joining 267 Sig Sqn and finally Sig Jonny Ingram has left us to join 14 Sig Regt.

We are also pleased to welcome Cpl Limbu Rudra following his Class 1 course, Sig Wykes from 14 Sig Regt and an eager bunch from Blandford – Sigs Osei-Frimpong, Heathcote, Pritchard, Nicholas and Goulding.

EAGLE TROOP

OC Lt C Dawes SSgt SSgt J Stevens

Regimental Football – by Sgt Pardoe

This year was looking promising for the 1 (UK) ADSR Football Team, and with new players arriving the competition for The male and female athletics teams both finished 3rd at the selection was high. Two players were nominated to represent Morrison Cup the Corps: Sig Elliott and Sig Noble, and Sig Noble has also been selected to play for the Army. After the athletics it was time for Party in the Park which is always a good night. It was great to see people coming out 1 (UK) ADSR managed to qualify for the BA(G) Play-Offs after of their comfort zones and getting into the spirit of the finishing second in the league but ended up being beat by the Morrison Cup, before a long drive back to Herford the QRH. We also managed to reach the semi-final of the following day. Signaller Cup but were unfortunate to be beat by 21 Signal Regiment. 211 SIGNAL SQUADRON

However, all was not lost as 1 (UK) ADSR went to the BA(G) OC Maj T Moran 6-a-side tournament and came out on top. They have now SSM WO2 (SSM) R Savage qualified for the finals in Aldershot where again they hope to be victorious. The Sqn’s 2 month stint in Bavaria is drawing to a close; Ex BAVARIAN CHARGER went smoothly and, crucially, the HAWK TROOP American PX has been exploited fully. Those left behind in Herford had the less glamorous task of preparing for RSIT and OC Lt C Miller CAW inspections; the Sqn’s excellent results in both are SSgt SSgt J Cordery testament to their hard work and commitment.

Morrison Cup 2013 – by Sig Crooke Away from work we were well-represented at the recent Army Boxing Championships; Sig Thomas in particular The 1 ADSR Morrison Cup team was set up by Lt Dawes, LCpl performed extremely well by reaching the final in his Maosa and Sig Crooke. After a lot of tinkering and last category. minute fall outs and changes, we had a good looking A and B string. For our 3 nights in Blandford we slept in tents – except We have said a number of goodbyes recently; Sqn 2IC Capt SSgt Topping, or so he thought. The Sgts’ Mess had lost the Cyrus Karumba, SSgt (FofS) Billy Boyle and Lt Roy Cooper key, earning him some friendly banter from LCpl Pritchard. have all departed for pastures new (some a little colder than others!). We wish them the best of luck in their new postings. The first day of the competition started with some field refresher lessons from Sig ‘Superman’ Thomas who coached MAIN TROOP the hammer throwers before they went into the cage. On the track Sig Bagley got lucky with the 400mH heats going OC Lt E Haley straight to the B String Finals. Sig Crooke hurdled well for the SSgt SSgt C Simmonds A String, nearly toppling on the last jump. Lt Haley won her 800m in a very exciting sprint finish. The team gave some Sig Lloyd, Sig Meetun and Sig Mason have joined us from fantastic performances in the remainder of the heats and Blandford, the latter diving headfirst into Regimental life by strong results in the field events too. The 4 x 400m relay team representing the athletics team at the Morrison Cup. qualified easily, but the 4 x 100m team were unfortunately disqualified after a cross lane incident. This was very SSAFA Supporters go the Extra Mile – by Bridgette Nulty disappointing for the team though morale remained high. After a week of miserable weather, the sun broke through Spirits were high on Day 2 on seeing that we had very good on Friday 24 May to herald the start of a fundraising event chances in the female and male events. We scored well in the organised by SSAFA Herford. For two weeks, collection pole vault, and gained solid points in the other field events of buckets located around the Garrison had been filling with the day, with a win for LCpl Williams in the B string high jump. loose change, which was used to form a chain of coins running Sig Jammeh and LCpl Pritchard scored maximum points in the along the pavements on Hammersmith Barracks.

20 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Lt Col Hill, Station Commander, started the proceedings by placing the first coins on the ground. Soldiers, Garrison staff, mums and children were among those who turned out to assist with the task of adding more coins to the ‘Penny Mile’ while volunteers served tea, coffee and an amazing selection of home-made cakes to everyone who attended the event. A prize raffle, supported by generous donations from NAAFI and the garrison PRI Shop, added to the fun and generated more funds for SSAFA’s big collection.

Pupils, parents and staff at Lister School also played an enormous role in the occasion, and collected a staggering 20,000 coins in just one week, as part of a competition to find out which class could raise the largest total number of coins. The winning class, FS2 Otters, were rewarded by attending an Ice Cream Café provided by grateful SSAFA volunteers. The headteacher, Mrs Scarisbrick, was pleased by the result of the Looking confident before the start collection and praised the whole school for the positive way that they had been involved with the Penny Mile. (followed closely by les French) to jump from 7th to 4th along the Pennine Way, before an injury meant we went into the half way point in 5th; a strong position to push on in the final 20 miles. LCpl Cunnew then picked up an injury and showed real grit and determination to stay in the race, the team pulling together to ensure we finished 10th. The B-Team were pushing for the Saxony Trophy from the off with 2Lt Baynes and 2Lt Mahoney at the front, the team showing real spirit throughout the day. They did themselves proud to finish 17th, with many of the team back next year to give it another go.

The SSAFA Penny Mile raised over €1,100

Bridgette Nulty, Chair of the SSAFA service committee, was delighted to see the event so well supported, and amazed to discover that more than €1,100 was raised throughout the event. She would like to thank all those who helped make the Penny Mile such a huge success, by baking cakes, serving refreshments and especially to those who helped pick up more than 25,000 coins at the end of the day! The A Team crosses the finish line after a tough race

SPEC TASKS TROOP Both teams should be proud of their achievements, capping a challenging but rewarding week and a half in Cumbria. OC Lt J Mason SSgt SSgt R Jones Female Team – by Lt Dawes

Lanyard Trophy 1 ADSR’s Female Lanyard team was an eager band of tabbing warriors determined to complete the course in one piece. Male Teams – by Lt Mason The training had involved pounding the hills of Herford under the ruthless eye of PTI Sgt ‘Para til I die’ Connelly, though People had spoken about how tough last year’s Lanyard several were last-minute recruits. Two team members were Trophy had been. Freezing cold, horizontal rain, near-zero able to attend a further 10 day training package in Catterick visibility. Last man standing (almost), they said. Well, this and the remainder joined between 3 days and 6 hours before year couldn’t have been more different. They hadn’t even the 0500 start horn sounded. After scrambling for our seen “Chadders Hill”, let alone gone up, down and around it requisite 5 x 20p pieces and FFDs, we were ready. (Murton Pike, to mere mortals). And we had a tan. We covered the first 8 miles in excellent time, overtaking We had been hatching an (unsuccessful) plan to conquer all teams with downhill shuffles and attacking uphill. CP3 was comers for a week and a half up in Wathgill Camp, before our first challenge – a steep 400m ascent up the side of a descending on Warcop feeling quietly confident. Some good dauntingly giant hill. Powering on through spectacular views, men had been lost along the way, notably Sig Wotton who no we triumphantly stomped through the half way point after longer had any feet to wear, but thankfully there had been no 6.5 hours. We were greeted by our wonderful admin team real injuries...yet. Besides, our Admin team had more morale, LCpl Tash ‘you need more Diorelyte’ Goodwin and morale Haribo and Snickers than we could physically handle. from the CO and RSM. But all was not well. SSgt Annie ‘just married’ Taylor reluctantly took off her boots after hours of The A-Team started steadily, quickly ascending Chadders Hill excruciating blister pain and waved us off.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 21 Refuelled, we pushed on, picking our way over river boulders salt, cinnamon, sugar or a combination of all three at once, to and covering endless metal tracks to CP3 a welcome admin be eaten with the flimsiest of plastic cutlery – left something restock. Ten hours in, it was starting to hurt. After tackling to be desired. SSgt (SQMS) ‘Morale’ McCrone went as far as some treacherous boggy ground and more hills, a very brave to eat his ‘sweet potato mash in gravy’ with his ‘apple Pte Deej ‘Benjamin Blister’ Stevens took her last step of the dessert’. It was a marked improvement on either separately. competition. Stockpiling Lucozade and fizzy Haribo, our final four pressed on. Hit with a renewed determination to finish As the RLC chefs started to encourage the contractors into we pushed the pace to our limits, which was painful for all but making something edible (a noble and worthy task the unshakeable Sig Chrissie ’30 sec sunburn’ Smith. To the undertaken by the best men and women the Army, or any delight of Team Capt Lt Chantelle ‘shall we shuffle’ Miller, we armed force World-Wide for that matter, has to offer) those starting overtaking again. Morale took a dip on the on their time off started to explore the surrounds. Lt ‘Ma’am’ infamously tough 3 miles of babyheads, even for ever-cheery Haley embarrassed us all at bowling, making up for her Lt Cat ‘only 1.5k’ Dawes and Sig Nessa ‘Will Smith’ Royals, average performance on the volleyball court. The amount of applauded on as ever by our CO and RSM, now joined by OC Apple goods bought in the PX began to rival the ICS 200 Sigs in the support team. capabilities deployed on the exercise. LCpl ‘Maaaaate’ Crammond was often found texting his girlfriend, while After a monumental effort hopping across the final mile of listening to music on his laptop and browsing wirelessly from gravel that felt like glass on our burning feet, we made it. 40 his new iPad. miles, 16h 35m – 1ADSR crossed the finish line, staggering towards flip flops and a celebratory beer. As the exercise began to draw down in GTA, a portion of the team moved across to HTA under Lt ‘Secret Handshake’ TAC TROOP Mason for the setup of another Service Desk. This time a lot of the infrastructure was already in place and no routers were OC 2Lt I Archambeau required for DII access, however the American firewall limited SSgt SSgt C Brady the web browsing activities of the advance party and the no wi-fi rule made for large phone bills. Exercise BAVARIAN CHARGER – by LCpl Graham With the ease of this setup, those not on shift were able to On 8 April 2013, 1 (UK) ADSR deployed 500km south to USAG take advantage of the sporting opportunities available. I lost Grafenwoehr (GTA) and USAG Hohenfels (HTA) for two and a half my knee mountain biking before bravely persevering with half months, in order to provide and maintain ICS for the the promise of pizza, and LCpl ‘Boxer’ Waryck led a team rock exercising and supporting force elements of Ex BAVARIAN climbing (all of whom returned complaining of tired arms). CHARGER. This was a 20X HFT exercise, consisting of over The local Java café was located, tested, and found to cater for 300 tracked vehicles and 2,500 armed forces personnel. all tastes; serving up hot chocolate sweet enough to hurt your teeth, coffee strong enough to wake up a rock and a Arriving in GTA marked the beginning of a busy phase. LCpl substance that looks like tea, smells like tea, and tastes ‘Cable Guy’ Kiff liaised with the local contractors to deliver almost entirely unlike tea. nearly a hundred DSN phones across the camp while the remainder set about making the Service Desk into a home for Eventually GTA closed down its doors for good with all faults the next month. Having completed this setup the Service closed and the remainder of NETCEN moved to HTA. The CO Desk moved and everything was repeated, which gave visited and was so impressed with the food he left the next everyone the opportunity to optimise the Service Desk setup day, happy with our progress. And so, with 4km of Ethernet process. The techs then deployed routers for all the DII cable deployed, every fault logged and only a few weeks of access points, allowing them to hone their moral courage work remaining, only one question lingers on. Unanswerable against bribes and intimidation as various Sergeant Majors though it is, almost rhetorical, but forever there burning into and Staff Officers instructed them to leave wi-fi enabled. our minds. Why is lunch always soup?

Setup complete, work broke down into a 12 on, 24 off shift 212 SIGNAL SQUADRON rota with the Ops team working 12 on, 12 off, all punctuated with presentations and a good amount of phys. Normally, OC Capt C Davidson scoff would be the high point of such a long exercise such as SSM WO2 (SSM) D Cattle this; however, the food – all 10-man American ration-packs served in cardboard prison trays, flavoured with too much AREZZO TROOP

OC 2Lt G Baynes SSgt SSgt P Chadwick

R SIGNALS Rugby 7s Tournament, Cardiff, 1 May 2013 – by Sig Elmieh

With only a handful of training sessions behind us the 1 (UK) ADSR 7s team set off for Cardiff, optimistic of our chances in the Rugby 7s tournament. After a long drive to get to Cardiff we finally got there, dropped off our kit and headed for the local curry house. The lads were looking forward to the competition but hoping Sig Keegan ‘Whitney’ Houston would handle the rugby ball better than the heat of his curry!

After one or two beverages and some much-needed sleep the big day was upon us. The sun was shining and our spirits were high as we got onto the pitch for the first match. It is fair to say we got smashed, though the fact that it was by the NETCEN Grafenwoehr eventual winners of the tournament made it a little easier to

22 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 take. We got a team talk from Capt Davidson and some After a Benny Hill style tour around the Surrey countryside lessons on tactics from LCpl Pat ‘The Maestro’ Mitchell. Our and Pirbright Camp, all we wanted was a comfyish bed to heads were back up and we knew we could only get better! sleep on. As it turned out, we had arrived too late for a bed The games to follow included great tries from Sig Chris ‘Hand and the ever-enthusiastic Lt Drysdale, sporting his neon green Off’ Hinton, Sig Sam Slack and a great full length try by LCpl trousers, led us to our temporary accommodation for the MJ Willard. Passing and defending from LCpl Naivalu and Cpl night…in the bar. Ralulu were critical to our turnaround. So we woke up to rain – a typical start to a day on the ranges Once the group stages were over it looked like we might have in the UK. Sgt ‘If it ain’t raining it ain’t training’ Copland did over-achieved a little as we found ourselves in the semi-finals his best to zero our weapons; however, some of the of the plate. We were up against a formidable side from the groupings were “below average”, the rest were just plain French Army and rumour had it they had some big guys on awful. Having said that, Sig ‘prone position; down!’ Hardman, their team! However, from the off we were trading blows once he was “on” was shooting well. After a 6 hour zeroing with Sig Houston and Sig George Ray, two of our smallest session, we felt we had fired enough rounds to compete with players, putting some big hits in. Cpl Lee Wilde, who had the other teams. Now, we had set a low standard so far, but been loaned out to a Barbarians team, was back with the it definitely improved through the week, and so did the team to help us out. It wasn’t enough though, as the French, weather. ‘Prone position; down!’ Hardman however lost his despite being rather large around the waistline, were title of best shot by the morning of the second day of the deceptively fast, as Sig Ray found out when he was outpaced competition to Sig ‘Gas Parts’ Gav Phillips. by a 17 stone runaway train! The final competition was a section attack shoot starting at Unfortunately this was as far as we went but we were happy 300m, involving a casualty extraction to 600m and then with our performances throughout the day and didn’t let it pepper-potting forward to engage with and destroy the spoil the night out to follow as we partied away in Cardiff Figure 11 targets. A complex shoot, Lt Drysdale had used one ready for the drive home the next day. All in all it was a great of his infamous models to explain it to us before we went to Rugby 7s tournament enjoyed by every player! watch it on the range. SSgt ‘Uncle Phil’ Chadwick had a good feeling, he told us – this shoot favours our fitness and he MONTE CASSINO TROOP could feel it in his bones! The weather had been lovely all morning, but as our first detail moved from spectating onto OC Lt R Drysdale the range, thunder crashed overhead, and the heavens SSgt SSgt W Watt opened. Had ‘Uncle Phil’ spoken too soon? Gav’s gas parts were stuck on off, so he resorted to drills he had only ever RIMINI TROOP seen in a World War II movie on his SA Enfield. Sig ‘Faz’ Farrington couldn’t see thanks to the rain streaming down his OC Lt C Buescher face and lack of helmet to keep it off. The weather also got SSgt SSgt C Wood to Sig ‘cross lanes’ Swayne as he mis-identified a target, adding to the opposition’s tally. At this point, we looked to Operational Shooting Competition – by Sig Wilson our leader for inspiration and reassurance only for him to tell us he hadn’t got to the point in time to get a round off (I It was raining. Yes, you’ve guessed it, we were back in the suspect this had nothing to do with his running, but more that UK, and the rain just topped off the 24 hours we had just had. he was conscious of the MOD’s current financial predicament). Driving to Pirbright had been less than ideal, particularly when the vehicle we were travelling in barely had enough room for To cut a long story short, it was a short but eventful week, the 9 seats it claimed, the radio wouldn’t tune in and the oil and I am sure everyone involved will look back on it with fond warning light came on before we were even past Gutersloh. memories.

2nd SIGNAL REGIMENT YORK

Op HERRICK 17 – COMPLETE – by Capt Geraint Owen SSgt Wayne Stewart and Sgt Dowson, as well as the Det Comds, Sgt Salter, Sgt Taylor and Cpl Watson. KABUL ICS TROOP With all prior preparations completed, it was relief to find that It has been a long, but hugely successful tour for the men and Lt Stuart Keenan and his advanced party arrived on time to women of the KBL ICS Tp. They have not only completed Kabul. Also, seeing the joy in the guys faces as it finally kicked their mission in providing ‘reliable and robust communications in that they were at the final hurdle, with only a more few to the Kabul Area of Operations’, but laid solid foundations for days left to push. As more and more 3 DSR soldiers arrived in future growth and development of communications within the AO, the tempo of work started to increase, with them the AO, as the UK moves towards post 2015 operations in taking on more responsibility every day. All aspects of the Tp Afghanistan. were completely handed over to them by the 12 May. We wish them all the best! In the last few weeks of deployment all Detachments have been focused on setting the conditions for 3 DSRs arrival into The final minor (some times major!) task left to complete was the AO, in order to ensure a smooth and problem free the long journey home, which can be at times marred or over handover and takeover. This included; closing off all complicated, by various man made, natural or RAF mishaps. outstanding Requests for Change, the majority of Statements For the majority there were days of delays, but no one really of Requirements and important Network and equipment care, minded as they were travelling home in the right direction husbandry and management. This could not have been (with a short holiday in Cyprus, just to break it up). Upon achieved if it was not for the hard work of the Tps SQMS’s returning to Imphal Barracks, it was time to be reunited with

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 23 long lost wives, husbands, boyfriends and girlfriends, and the After waiting a few minutes, Her Royal Highness arrived. The chance to spend some quality time together. Which, no front row were lucky enough to receive their medals from Her doubt for some was the best way to end a very successful and Royal Highness. Despite the showers, Her Royal Highness worthwhile Op HERRICK 17. spoke to every soldier receiving the medal, before addressing the parade as a whole. Homecoming Parade, York – by LCpl Cassidy

On 24 May, to celebrate the return of the Regiment, we marched through the city of York as part of our homecoming parade. Well wishers and family lined the streets, cheering and waving flags as we began our march from York Minster, through the centre of York, accompanied by the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals. As we passed Mansion House we saluted the Mayor of York and Brig Bibby, Comd 15 (NE) Bde.

Before the parade began, there were a lot of media journalists in the area trying to obtain a few words from members of the Regt on their experiences from the tour. LCpl Amy Mallinson got her 15 minutes of fame by managing to get an interview on 4 different news channels, and many others had their photographs across the newspapers in the following days. The final part of the parade saw the Regiment form up at HRH receiving a salute from CO 2 Sig Regt Duncombe Place, where CO, Lt Col Vaudin, gave a few words of praise for our efforts on Op HERRICK 17. The day was enjoyed by everyone and was a great opportunity to “The success of those on operations would not have been celebrate being back home. possible without your hard work, and you should be proud of the way in which you have conducted yourselves” said Her Royal Highness.

Members of 2 Sig Regt braving the weather, led by the Royal Corps of Signals Band Sgt Dan from 246GSS receives his Op HERRICK medal

2 Signal Regiment Medals Parade - by Cpl Rabi Lama The 2 hour long parade went ahead smoothly with well After the successful 6 month tour of Afghanistan, it was the supported by the families and friends despite the freezing time for the deployed individuals in 2 Signal Regiment to feel weather condition. prouder than ever to receive their well-earned Operational Service Medals for their achievements and their hard work on The parade was followed up by a homecoming party with the tour. barbecue, bar stalls, choir and bands organised by the Rear Operations Group (ROG). Lots of effort had been put in to After adequate drill practices and rehearsal for a few days, on entertain the soldiers and their families. Everyone was posing 29 May 2013 at 1100, over 400 members of the Regiment were formed by the NAAFI in Imphal Barracks under the command of the WO1 (RSM) Mason to march onto the parade square to receive their well–deserved Operational Service Medal. Shortly afterwards, the RSM commanded the Regiment to march onto the parade square with heads up and full of pride. The equally proud family members and friends of those who deployed were also invited to observe the parade. The parade had been become quite a posh for everyone since the Colonel in Chief, HRH The Princess Royal herself was presenting the medals to the soldiers and officers of the Regiment. The other VIP guests on the day were the Corps Colonel, Col Graham Norton and the Bde Comd Brig Cole.

Once the Regiment was brought onto the square, the RSM handed over the parade to the Regtl 2IC, Maj Wright, who eventually handed over the parade to the CO, Lt Col Vaudin. OC 246GSS being addressed by HRH

24 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 for a family photo with their medals on and seemed to enjoy Members of 2SR ROG on Exercise TRANSITAL, France the barbecue and chilled beer, despite the rainy weather. The – by 2Lt Ingold highlight of the party was the live band which played most of the recent popular tunes. Between 27-31 May, two members of the ROG, 2Lt Ingold and Sgt Sheehan, headed off to the Ardennes for an exercise with All in all, it was a memorable day for everyone who attended our partner French Signal Regiment; 40 RT. We arrived in the the medals parades with lots of smiles all round along with village of Haybes unsure exactly what to expect from the the proud soldiers, families and friends. week ahead. We met up with the organisers who, over an obligatory local beer, told us that we were going to be put Lanyard Trophy – by Sgt Roberts into a team from the Regiment to compete in the week long competition. Rusty A Level French was deployed as we A full cooked breakfast (AKA the last supper) treated sought to find out exactly what the week would entail. competing teams of the Lanyard 2013 Competition at 0300hrs which was forecast to be one of the hottest of the year. 2IC The next day the rest of the Regiment arrived and we met up Sgt Roberts sported a white cap to try and protect against with the remainder of our team. Following a brief (all in the predicted long hours in the blazing sun. An enthusiastic French) we started the first day of activities. The most and competitive team captain, Lt Kearney, impressively notable of these was called le ‘montagne impossible’. This navigated the route along with 2Lt Ingold which enabled turned out to be a hill climb race up an appropriately them to put pressure on the front running teams, with PTI challenging gradient on a surface that was somewhat trained Cpl Flint keen to follow suit. slippery. We then went straight into the first night navigational exercise. The heavily forested Ardennes made for some challenging navigation and whilst our team arrived at the bivvy site at around 0330hrs, many of the other teams did not arrive until after reveille the next day!

The second day was a more relaxed affair. The competition was based around various high wire exercises, some of which had to be negotiated as a team. This included a 10 metre ‘free jump’ which required participants to lean back and await the crash mat below. The main highlight of the day was an 800 metre zip wire which extended out over a gorge, causing participants to hurtle towards the finish at alarming speeds. ‘the fun begins’, mass start A second night nav followed which, whilst shorter than the previous evening, encompassed some large hills and an unexpected river crossing. The final day consisted of a multi Misfortune struck Cpl Cook approximately 16 miles into the activity round robin; culminating in a team booted hill run. event when he took a tumble on a steep downhill gradient which forced him to prematurely retire very shortly after at It was then time for the results. A tense atmosphere ensued CP5. An x-ray later on confirmed he had broken his wrist and as one by one the team names were read out in descending his scaphoid (thumb). The second half of Warcop’s training order. Having avoided finishing in the bottom ten teams, we area did not seem to affect LCpl Kamal and Sigs Rajen and listened intently as more and more teams became accounted Sangeet who appeared very comfortable over the arduous for. At last only three teams remained. Our team number terrain, which was much more challenging than the was announced, we finished a creditable 3rd out of 30. surprisingly quick first half. The team were efficiently administrated throughout by Sigs Balahang and Sameer who The Exercise was an excellent opportunity to gain an insight worked hard to ensure all the team’s requests were met into the running of the French Army and to meet 40 RT for between each of the four admin points. the first time. With the Regiment reforming in July, there should be many more opportunities to exercise in France.

The Carrington Drum Award - by Capt DM Lamont MSM

On 12 June 2013 Lt Col CM Vaudin, CO 2 Signal Regiment and Capt DM Lamont (ex RSM 2 Signal Regiment) were kindly invited to Wellington Barracks to receive the third place

2Lt Inglod and Lt Kierney leading the way

Visiting guest, CO ROG, Maj Barry, was treated as witness to a sprint finish against 1 UK ADSR and 2 Signal Regiment finally crossed the finish line after 13hrs 53mins, resulting in a very respectable 9th position. What was remarkable was the fact that the event was the first day all eight members of the team were together at the same time due to having minimal Lt Col CM Vaudin, CO 2 Signal Regiment, and Capt DM Lamont training time together due to a busy Rear Ops Group MSM receive the Carrington Drum award from General Sir commitment. Michael Jackson GCB CBE DSO

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 25 certificate for the ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Carrington Drum raised a further £21,000 for SSAFA throughout the same year award on behalf of the Regiment. showing its continued support to service charities.

The Regiment raised nearly £30,000 throughout 2012/13 whilst After the reception at Wellington Barracks and presentations training through the Operational cycle and deployment on Op by Gen Sir Michael Jackson the evening concluded with a HERRICK 17. In addition to this figure the Regiment also Beating Retreat held at Horseguards.

3rd (UNITED KINGDOM) DIVISION HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT BULFORD

206 SIGNAL SQUADRON

OC Maj D Spencer SSM WO2 (SSM) J Johnson

M Tp

OC Lt T Eaton SSgt SSgt J Allen

ExerciseE TETHERED FLIGHT and Adventurous Training – by Sig Emma McKeon and Sig Nicole Cotgrave

Mons Troop deployed on Ex TETHERED FLIGHT supported by the other troops in the Sqn. This exercise was the first proper Falcon deployment for Mons Troop. We deployed to Old Carter Barracks to test all the hard work that we have been doing during set to work with FALTAT. The Ex was a massive success with only a few teething problems. We completed all FALCON CP being established on Old Carter Bks of the objectives ahead of time (most of them!). This was a very big learning curve for Mons Troop and a hard one at that. The most common phrase of the ex was ‘caw caw’ clearly All in all after a long hard exercise we all appreciated the aimed at LCpl Chris ‘Crowbag’ Dearden. Although this didn’t down time, great banter and the bond that Mons Troop has. break him, SSgt Allen managed it by placing his fingers into Chris’ dinner, fishing around for a mushroom and also eating some of his chocolate pudding.

Kayaking on Ex TETHERED FLIGHT

Ex TETHERED FLIGHT FALCON line up N Tp OC Lt M French The week that followed this exercise was a nice break away SSgt SSgt C Swan from work with AT in Castlemartin. It was a bank holiday when we arrived so of course we had to find a pub and begin Adventurous Training – by Sig Burns the socialising early. We then started the activities consisting of rock climbing, kayaking, coastal walking and mountain Members from 206 Signal Squadron, 3 (UK) Division biking. A few highlights from AT were Sig James Harvey Headquarters and Signal Regiment departed for a week's capsizing 6 times, one of which was in an inch of water (top adventure training package at ATC Castlemartin, s outh Wales. effort). The next is Sig Kristy ‘Franny’ Francis for conquering We arrived on the Sunday evening and had time to relax and her fear of heights and abseiling. Finally, Sig Josh Peck, as he get plenty of sleep in preparation for the next day. On made his helmet U/S after an epic fall on the mountain biking. Monday we were put into our groups which we would stay in

26 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 for the rest of the time. On the first day our group went rock By any definition definitely an Engineering Support Troop. climbing, some of us for the very first time. Some people were more nervous than others, not helped by the wind, but RGB we encouraged them and helped them to progress. The first six months of 2013 have been a busy time for the On the second day our group went for a 12 mile trek going RGB, with support to Ex PASHTUN HORIZON 1, 2 and 3, through woods, lakes and some of the coast of Wales. The Regimental Battlecamp at STANTA and Squadron Adventure third day was sea kayaking, which was quite difficult for most Training in Scotland. All the time in the background we have of the group as none of us had a lot of experience in kayaking. been conducting training prior to Falcon and Reacher coming On the last day of the adventure training package, we finished into the Regiment. off with mountain biking which was difficult in some parts but we soon got the hang of it and also worked as a team when The RGB spearheaded the Regiment's involvement in the someone was dropping back or had a problem. Royal Signals Corps Orienteering Championships with the Under 25 teams being placed 1st and 2nd which shows good I think the adventure training package was good because it promise for the future. The Major unit team were placed 4th helped us improve our leadership and teamwork. It was and SSgt Ranson retained the Corps Individual Trophy. useful to work with members of the Squadron we didn’t really know and it also helped us to relax. The activities that our There has also been time for young Signallers to get away on groups did were all good for communication skills so I think a number of Adventurous Training courses including everybody learnt something new about the sport or the skill Parachuting at Netheravon and Paragliding in Bavaria. that they had taken part in. The facilities on the camp we stayed on were quite good and the food was really good. There has been just two departures since the New Year, Cpl Deans has gone to RSS to retrain as a “Wobbly head”, and Sig SUPPORT SQUADRON Brady posted to recruiting group in Scotland. We wish them both well in the future. OC Maj A McKenna SSM WO2 (SSM) S Perry There has also been a number of arrivals, most notably the steerer of the ship, SSgt Jamie Ranson, from ATC(P) and Sigs ES TROOP Morley and Rogers from RSS.

Life in ES Troop – by Cpl R ‘War Gaming’ Cole Focus is now firmly switched to Falcon Implementation and forthcoming Divisional exercises in the near future. ES Tp has had a very busy period supporting the Regiment and Division on exercises as well as routine taskings. LCpl Lau LAD has recently been posted into the Troop and is now currently supporting the Division with Audio Visual systems for the It has been a busy few months for the LAD. What with key Normandy Parades. Lt Banting has also arrived and taken personalities training for and deploying on operations, over as ES Tp OC, good timing too as her Yorkshire tea making postings out of and into the LAD, days out and weeks away skills are second to none. We say a fond farewell to Sgt Paul on Adventure Training being organised, we’ve still managed James on leaving us to his last assignment in 2 SR. to recently achieve an 86% availability on overall Regimental assets. During April we started off with OSG Mini Cast, a 2 week long exercise in Warminster. Week 1 was the build phase which Applying the final touches of training to our deploying involved deploying one of four Div LAN servers and personnel and actually shipping them off on operations as peripherals as well as the RGB providing some much needed part of 258 Squadron’s Souter Force Protection attachment power. Week 2 the staff deployed and conducted their war and the Kabul Joint Support Unit Wksp was a big effort in gaming scenarios (pointy wizard hats and dice, the whole nine May and April. Unfortunately that’s not the only reason the yards). Cpl Cole and his team provided a fully efficient and LAD is down some of its key personalities. professional service to the staff, even though he got “out tech’d” by a Class 3. We’ve been preparing to bid farewell to many, including LCpl Diedericks, who begins his Class 1 VM course in SEME Bordon Concurrently in Shivenham, the Troop had the Future Force soon. Our loss of his infectious, positive and uplifting Development 9 (FFD9) staff training event which rolled into disposition and, of course, our inspections workforce, is his May. Once that had been completed the FFD9 exercise Class 1 course mates’ gain. The ASM, WO1 Calderwood, is started which saw 200 staff users descend onto DFTS in force, seeing out the end of his 23 year colour service and where Sgt Harvey and the majority of the Troop catered for attempting integration into civilian life. He can often be their every IT need. found commenting on how there will be so much more work to do running a bus depot in Southampton than a LAD. With We have also had 4 personnel attend a 2 week MAGPIE course the ASM’s departure, a void is left for SSgt French to fill, hosted by 22 Signal Regiment in preparation for 3 DSR taking on the ex ASM’s responsibilities, in turn causing many receiving the new MAGPIE equipment. We are now currently senior and junior LAD members to step up into their writing a training programme to not only get 3 DSR personnel superiors’ roles. This is no mean feat when considering the up to speed with the new kit, but to also open the course up impending redundancies and postings leaving LAD manning at to the rest of the Corps. a constant quandary. Sgt Darville of the G1098 store has received his posting to 16 Regiment Royal Artillery upon his Training for Tactical Network Gateway (TNG) is currently well deserved promotion to SSgt. We’ve also welcomed the ongoing in Blandford leading to a TNG workshop with 15 new arrival of LCpl Wood from 6 Battalion REME who has Signal Regiment. Four troop members are currently tasked enjoyed a change of pace and attitude in this, his first LAD with this and will become the lead for TNG within 3DSR. posting.

A look forward to the near future will see the Troop fully able Amidst all this organised chaos, time has still been found for to technically support the whole host of systems that the Unit Adventure Training to take place. Mountain biking, climbing, has received in preparation for future taskings. kayaking, skiing and walking are just a few activities that have

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 27 been taken advantage of in Aviemore, Scotland at the We have been supporting the Regiment and Division on beginning of March and we’ve managed to tag along with 206 various exercises including PASHTUN HORIZON, and Squadron’s Ex TIGER ADVENTURE in Pembrokeshire for a TETHERED FLIGHT, with many more in the pipeline for the week in late May. next few months. We currently have 4 of our chefs deployed on Op SPONSOR in support of the G8 summit, and two who Ex RED LEADER was organised by our resident Armourer, Sgt have deployed with the Squadron in support of Normandy. Robinson to further develop the engineering, leadership and With all this going on the chefs still have time to participate in command skills of our junior ranks for a few days in Adventure Training, Cpl Scott arranged a sailing trip on behalf Winchester. of the Sqn, which Pte Shepherdson attended – both obtaining their competent crewman. Sgt Mcculloch and Pte Days out have been organised to Brecon for a guided hike up Shepherdson have both represented the RLC at the Forces Pen Y Fan on 5 June courtesy of Sgt Darville and even an Open Windsurfing Championships, and they look forward to afternoon trip to Salisbury races on Thursday 16 May. entering the Army Individual champs in July.

Meanwhile, training continues for September’s Tough Mudder Even though the Department has had a busy few months, and South-East event in the Black Mountains of Wales. Hoping to with the recent redundancies the morale is still high, and the complete the event billed as being “probably the toughest we are looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead. event on the planet” (as well as raise money for Help for Heroes charity) are Cpl Vella, Cpl Mansell, PTI trainee Cfn RAO Hooley and new arrival LCpl Wood. The sponsorship link can be found below. https://register.toughmudder.com/ Departures: fundraising/donate.aspx?event=17997&fundraiser=r8924618 Capt Greenwood – Det Comd – 2 May 13 With all this going on and plenty more exercises and events in LCpl Pitt – Sp Sqn CHRS – 17 June 13 the pipeline, this promises to be a very busy and rewarding year for the LAD of 3 (UK) Div HQ & Sig Regt. Arrivals:

CATERING DEPARTMENT Lt Stalker – Det Comd Pte Sutcliffe – Div CHRS It has been a busy start to the year for our department; we have seen many departures, arrivals and redundancies within Corps Events our Department: AGC Triple Crown – 12 mile March and Shoot. The team Departures: consisted of Sgt Tovagone, Cpl Watts, Cpl Gilding, Cpl Asante (reserve) and LCpl Pitt. With tough weather conditions, from WO2 (RCWO) Thomson – posted on promotion to ARRC. hailstones one minute to glorious sunshine the next, the SSgt Brierley – completion of colour service. whole team put in 100% effort and commitment and completed the course admirably, with a little help from their Arrivals: support/cheering squad.

Cpl Scott – posted in from Worthy down on 4 Mar 13. AGC Corp Basketball - WO1 Hill and LCpl Pitt have both gone LCpl Tucker – posted in from Ireland in Jan 13. to America for 2 weeks representing the AGC. More to follow Pte Mason – posted in May 13. on how they did in the next edition.

Redundancies: Regimental Life

Pte Sunuwar – looks forward to his new life in Maidstone. H18 DACs – rigorous checks completed in advance by the LCpl Novu – looks forward to his new life working with BT. CHRS was time well spent and ensured that when deploying personnel turned up for their DAC they were 100% We would like to congratulate Pte Winwood on the birth of administratively fit to deploy. her Baby girl. Next on the horizon for the team is Tranche 3 Redundancy.

10th SIGNAL REGIMENT CORSHAM

CO Lt Col EA Dallyn MBE three of which, have arrived at the same time. The Regt Ops RSM WO1 (RSM) JA Garner team is also about to go through significant turmoil, with everyone bar the Ops Offr due to change over. As a Life continues to remain busy and varied within 10 Signal consequence and at the time of writing, we welcome WO1 Regiment. Like most units we are also about to enter the Olver onto the team, who has taken over from WO1 Dean washing machine cycle of postings in and postings out. We Rudd, with lots more changes inbound. would therefore like to say thanks and farewell to Maj Simon Bristow who has now deployed to Op HERRICK, and WO2 The Master of Signals and Corps Colonel Visit to 10 Signal (SSM) Trevor Tomkins who is shortly to retire from regular Regiment service and has been selected for an RCMO post in the Yeomanry (mustard cords inbound!). As a consequence we On 15 May 2013, 10 Sig Regt had the pleasure of hosting a visit also welcome Maj Harriet Cairns, WO2 (SSM) Davis and Capt from The Master of Signals, Lt Gen Baxter CBE, and The Corps Chris Swann as the new command team for 241 Sig Sqn, all Colonel, Col Norton. The occasion provided us with an

28 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 opportunity to showcase some of our equipment and support to UK Ops as well as the more glamorous support to highlight the diverse and challenging roles available to ceremonial duties in London. soldiers posted into 10 Signal Regiment. But for the most part the VIPs seemed very keen to chat to The Installation Technicians from 241 Sig Sqn took great the soldiers and officers of the Regiment and everyone delight in demonstrating their cabling and fibre capabilities appreciated the opportunity to speak to them in an informal and couldn’t resist asking the Corps Col to have a go. environment around coffee. 10 Sig Regt would like to thank Although not spectacular, the soldiers had to concede that both The Master of Signals and The Corps Colonel for taking the results were more than respectable; made all the more time out of their busy schedules to pay us a visit. impressive given that the Corps Col had only just been given the fibre spiel. 81 Signal Squadron gave a thoroughly 241 SIGNAL SQUADRON descriptive talk about working life in underground tunnels although I doubt the Master of Signals or Corps Colonel will OC Maj H Cairns be lining up to volunteer for subterranean duty any time soon. SSM WO2 (SSM) L Davies

Exercise SCORPION GUARD – by Sig Bell

This year’s Sqn battlecamp, Ex SCORPION GUARD, began with a comprehensive range package consisting of a 3 day package designed to get everyone in the Squadron to develop their personal weapon skills. After the standard grouping, zeroing and ACMT were completed by all attending it was the end of day 1. The next 2 days were then focused development and we worked up to the infantry ACMT and several other shoots focused on firing positions. This allowed people to practice and improve their shooting skill and a great improvement was seen across the board.

The exercise phase of Ex SCORPION GUARD was next and began very differently to most exercises that people had been on previously. The key difference was the slow escalation of threat experienced by the exercising troops. Working in an urban COIN environment meant that unlike traditional battlecamps, where harbour areas and section attacks are the norm, it was focused on interaction with the civilian population and ensuring an appropriate use of force posture. This meant the entire exercise ran very differently to normal, with “shoot and scoots”, IED finds and general civilian activity creating a very contemporary environment. Initially, patrols deployed from the SF Base (Security Forces, Sig May, not Special Forces!) out into the surrounding area and began to build an intelligence picture. Interestingly, the The Corps Col showing his technical skill intelligence that was being gathered whilst on patrol was the intelligence that then fed into later missions; this meant that the better the exercising troops gathered intelligence, the Equally impressive were the equipment and capability stands better aimed future missions were. This was an excellent and from 243 Signal Squadron providing the visitors with a real realistic way of exercising, and meant that everyone paid insight into the crucial support they provide in Army HQ, extra attention whilst patrolling, even when fatigued. including hosted applications, defensive monitoring and Information Assurance. 251 Signal Squadron took the As the pattern of life developed and key players became opportunity to highlight the important work they do in known, vehicle interdictions and house arrests were planned providing very high readiness secure ICS and specialist

Capt Bryant and Lt Marsden discussing the intricacies of The Master chats to the lads from 81 Signal Squadron range days

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 29 241 Sig Sqn conducting a live shoot and conducted; again, the added civilian dimension meant the highest score of the day of 69 from 5 overs. So far played different ways of working and thinking were needed to 2, won 2! ensure smooth running operations. With speed being of the essence, the loud building entry skills of Lt Jim Roberts were The next big test for the ‘dark horses’ came in the form of the noted, especially by those who got in his way (Sig Rogers!). tournament favourites, 11 Signal Regiment and again with the luck of the coin toss going our way, we decided to keep to The exciting prospect of observation posts was quickly our tactics and send the opposition into bat. They set a replaced by the realisation that these activities were, in fact, difficult target of 64 and we knew they had decent bowlers, cold and miserable, especially as rations couldn’t be cooked so our expectations were that the target could very well be and talking was at a minimum due to the proximity of the out of our reach. Even though the previous good bowling enemy forces. Luckily, the end was in sight and after a from Cpl Prince gave us high spirits, with an early wicket and complex set of radio orders from Lt Sam Marsden, everyone two quick fire catastrophic run outs, we only managed a total was in position to conduct two simultaneous assaults; one on of 32, our first loss of the day a compound and one on a house. Come H Hour, the exercising troops attacked and were surprised by the speedy With the next game coming up, having had the wind knocked win! Longmoor could sleep safe again in the knowledge that out of our sails, we took to the nets after a motivational the mighty fighting 241 had dealt with the insurgent threat speech from the ‘skipper’ Sgt Evans. With a determined (unsurprisingly!). attitude, we took to the field against 21 Signal Regiment and in rip roaring fashion we bowled them out for the lowest total 251 SIGNAL SQUADRON of the tournament, 22, with an inspirational bowling display from our captain taking 2 wickets for 6 runs. We reached our OC Maj J Squires target of 23 after only 8 balls being bowled. SSM WO2 (SSM) L Watts Unbelievably we were now in the final, with a chance to win 6 a Side Royal Signals Cup Cricket the Signals Cup, with undoubtedly the biggest game of the – by LCpl Whitehead and Sig Baines tournament against the unbeaten 11 Signal Regiment. Losing the toss for the first time, we were sent into bat, knowing we We departed Aldershot at 0600 on a cold Tuesday and set off had our work cut out. Sig Baines and LCpl Whitehead to Blandford for the 6 a side Royal Signals Cup Cricket patiently opened and batted for the whole 5 overs; reaching a Competition. We weren’t particularly optimistic of our respectable total of 47. Knowing we had to defend that total, chances after our 3 training sessions but we knew we would the bowlers knew they had to be on form. With the opening put in nothing but a best effort performance. two overs from Sig Baines and LCpl Singh only going for a total of 7, we had a chance. We took two of their wickets and The opening game was between us and 14 Signal Regiment, they were 32 for 2 after 3 overs, with only 2 overs to go, but we won the toss and elected to bowl first. With a good with our inexperience and the light fading, they reached the bowling effort from all the lads, especially Sig Philcock on his winning total with 3 balls to spare. cricketing debut, who seemed to pull from nowhere an amazing ability to nigh on stop the ball dead when it hit the crease, we restricted 14 Signal Regiment to 64 from 5 overs. Now it was our turn to ‘swing the willow’, so we padded up and got underway. With a swift 25 not out from LCpl Whitehead and the biggest six of the tournament at a crucial time from LCpl Singh, we knocked the runs off and had a winning start to the tournament.

The next game for us was against 30 Signal Regiment, another team with ‘all the gear’. Winning the toss we again decided to put the opposition into bat first. Sig Turner was included in the starting lineup and summing up his day, his over went for a total of 32, so we had some work to do with the bat as they had reached 66 from 5 overs. Although the innings was somewhat lightened up with a stunning catch on the boundary, leaping like a salmon, LCpl Whitehead made the ‘catch of the day’. Once again the opening partnership got the team off to a good start with the bat, with Sig Baines in good form guiding 10 Signal Regiment to another win with The 10 Signal Regiment 6-a-side Cricket Team

30 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Congratulations to the entire 10 Signal Regiment team and we Signals Rigging course. Opportunities for sport are also high, all look forward to the 11 a side competition. with the chance to represent 243 Sqn in various CO’s Cup competitions such as cross country, tug of war, rugby, 243 SIGNAL SQUADRON football and athletics. Further to this many extra sporting opportunities are available such as Triathlons, Cricket and OC Maj D Hughes Squash. Gaining adventure training qualifications is greatly SSM WO2 (SSM) J Attwell encouraged as there are many chances to get involved in activities such as sailing, mountain biking, hill walking and A day in the life of a 243 Signal Squadron Installation rock climbing. Technician - by Sig Newton Being a mech within 243 Signal Squadron and supporting a Being an Installation Technician, or as it’s more commonly busy Army Headquarters is a great experience which allows known ‘mech’, at 243 Signal Squadron provides demanding individuals to expand trade skills and knowledge. I would challenges on a daily basis. This is down to the fact that each recommend it to anyone who enjoys hands on work, new day is full of different tasks and issues to resolve. As part of challenges, and thrives under pressure. 243 Sqn we make up a 9 strong team known as Line Section. We support Army Headquarters ensuring that telephone A day in the life of a 243 Signal Squadron Communication systems and cable infrastructure is maintained and functional Systems Engineer – by Cpl McGrath at all times. Our daily tasks can involve: repairing line faults, installing new and carrying out maintenance on the existing My time at 243 Signal Squadron has been eventful to say the infrastructure. The camp is spread over two sites, each of least. I have managed to fit in more courses, adventure which houses its own exchange totalling over 3000 circuits training and sporting competition then ever before, despite a which we are responsible for. busy and challenging working environment.

With support to the 3 Star Headquarters and the 80+ applications hosted in our ever-expanding in house hosting environment, life can be pretty full on for weeks on end. However, it is far from repetitive. Each week can be as far from each other as physically possible and always interesting.

Just a typical day in the life of a soldier from 243

A typical day within 243 Sqn starts with a morning brief, outlining jobs that require completing and assigning individuals to tasks which appear from the Service Desk. Going out on faults is one of the main aspects of the job and can entail anything such as a faulty phone, cabling issue under Army HQ the false floor or even a whole exchange going down causing major disruption to the whole site. New installations could Troop tasking can range from the administration of the vary from a simple internal cable pull from one location to backup system that is currently backing up 160 Terabytes of another, the delicate job of terminating fibre, to bigger data from over 300 servers to the installation of a new complicated issues like pulling cable externally. Even though application platform. The severs can be both physical and Line Section is a busy section, we uphold the commitments to virtual and by the time this goes to press will be nearer the other areas of Sqn life such as structured PT and Squadron 310 mark and expanding on a weekly basis. The installation of training packages. Regardless of our busy schedule and a new application platform starts with a bare metal install, multiple commitments, from time to time we are able to be configuring the monitoring tools to make sure the newly released from work to attend courses, battle camps, deployed application is working as expected and if not, why adventure training, deployments and sport, not only for the not? These builds can range from deploying the latest Regiment but also the Army HQ. software from everyone’s favourite vendor, Microsoft or the ever evolving world of Linux and Oracle with the addition of In the last year alone there have been several Regimental COTS software or the specially designed applications battle camps, ranging from an all out field exercise improving developed in house for a specific purpose. basic soldiering skills, fire and manoeuvre, counter IED and FIBUA training to Gibraltar participating in tunnel warfare, In order to keep up to date with the latest advancements in ceremonial duties and adventure training. There are plenty of Enterprise Administration, the team made up of 9 military chances to deploy when at 243 Sqn; some of the recent personnel and 3 civilians are afforded the benefits of deployments include Afghanistan, Falkland Islands and attending a number of courses ranging from officially Northern Ireland. Mechs are encouraged in the Sqn to accredited ITIL courses that enable me to better understand complete courses including: Endurance Training Leader (ETL), the process involved in getting a project off the ground, to Information Technology Internet Library (ITIL) and Royal the latest Microsoft courses involving the most up to date

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 31 software releases and updates to existing programmes. (COMSEC). The sections are DIMon (Defensive Internet Frequent visits to the centre of London and training centres in Monitoring) which consists of a 9 man team providing Reading have become a regular occurrence. I have also been Information Assurance and education on unit profiles and able to get on the highly sought after VMWARE 5 course to footprints. The daily routine would consist of an individual enable me to be able to administer all areas within the Army operator compiling as much information on an individual unit Hosting Environment. using various search tools and social networking sites. This information will be put together to be delivered in a We are also responsible for supporting up to 30 systems, the presentation to the unit as a whole. major services include the IPTV system, which is an IP based TV/AV content distribution system over an IP network. We The other section within 643 Signal Troop (COMSEC) is are responsible for the installation, maintenance and in-depth DEFMon (Defensive Monitoring), a facility where the section fault finding of the entire system. It is regularly used to can be tasked to deploy and monitor either phone lines or RF facilitate the broadcast of high profile personalities for Town traffic. In a daily routine the team of 3 will deploy to a Hall addresses and interviews. Other systems include specified location and set up the equipment to monitor. Unclassified Internet, eVTC (enhanced Video Teleconference), Depending on the type of task the equipment is left in Evolution, which provides alarms and swipe card access, and a location to record over a pre-determined amount of time or is number of other systems up to the classification of Top monitored live. This is all done to aid in identification of Secret. security breaches conducted by personnel using military systems such as CSS Restricted telephone lines etc. This Support to SJC (Standing Joint Commander) UK Ops becomes section has been utilised in various exercises most recent was a huge task for the section when operations are in motion. Falkland’s Forum 2012. We provided 24 hour up to date The recent Op OLYMPICS was a good example where 24/7 reports with all the information found. This information then support was adopted to cover the SJC staff. Providing the has a direct effect on the scenarios in aid of the exercise. technical knowledge to quickly resolve faults on DII, Unclassified Internet, Airwave and a ‘NASA like’ wall projector, which delivers multiple outputs from a number of sources.

Given the workload that the Enterprise Administration team has, it could be believed that there is no time to get away and have some fun however this is not the case. I have been part of the Squadron’s teams that have won the last 4 CO`s cup events, been away on AT to the Newborough Forest and Mt Snowdon as well as skiing for a week in Les Deux Alpes, France. In the near future I am also going on the Mountain Bike Instructors course along with attending the week-long day skipper course.

Putting the equipment through its paces

There is also the opportunity to be selected to fulfil the role of the Standing Joint Commander (UK) (SJC(UK)) Personal Signaller. As the SJC(UK) Signaller you are the personal signaller to Commander Land Forces (CLF) when assuming the role of SJC(UK) in support of all UK based operations where members of the Military are deployed. This could involve accompanying SJC(UK) for the duration of the operation, whether this be visiting flood sites or in the Royal Box during Op Olympics. Whilst the SJC(UK) Signaller was stood up for Op Olympics they accompanied the SJC for a weekend visit in Salamanca for the 200 year anniversary of Soldiers from 243 enjoying the ski slopes the Peninsular Wars. The potential to deploy to various locations is ever present. You will regularly find yourself brushing shoulders with some very high ranking officers as a The Squadron is also staging an off road Coast 2 Coast cycle member of CLF’s personal staff. The SJC(UK) Signaller is the event from Robin Hoods Bay to St Bees with a team of cyclists sole point of contact for the Executive Office regarding all planning to do the 214 mile route in 5 days hard cycling. forms of communications equipment from DII remote access laptops, Airwave terminals and all forms of VTC equipment. A day in the life of a 243 Signal Squadron Communication Systems Operator – by Cpl Oakley CO’s Cup Athletics – by Sgt Tweed

As a Communications Systems Operator in 243 Signal The weather channel’s promised sunshine was questionable Squadron, the day to day work is completely different to the as 243 Admin Party arrived at Blandford Camp for the set up daily routine that you would find within a Campaign Signal of the CO’s Cup Athletics day. Clouds lingered, and the air had Regiment or Brigade Signal Squadron. There are no FFRs to a distinct ‘nip’ whilst Cpl Danby laid the tables and sorted the maintain and Operators work out of their primary comfort brew kit. Meanwhile SSgt Offord and crew set out all the zone as there is no radio equipment or masts to maintain. We necessary equipment to ensure the Athletics stadium looked work in two main Sections with in 643 Signal Troop like a true professional event.

32 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 241 Sqn arrived ‘fashionably’ late, just in time for the Captain’s commenced battle. Alas, having never pulled before in a brief from Sgt Tweed, whilst 225 Sqn arrived in plenty of time competitive match, 241 were quickly successful. However, on so they could carry out their field event practise to ensure the second end there was one point when we were within they actually knew the difference between a javelin and shot just a metre of winning! Unfortunately, as the team tired, the putt. rope began to slip, and the opposition won through. This first defeat was heart-breaking; we’d trained so hard, worked so The day started off well with the male 400m being the first diligently, and gave it our all, but that’s ‘Tug of War’, and it event. WO2 Attwell looked the part, secretly enjoying his wasn’t about to get any easier. position of Chief Official armed with a loud Hailer and stand. SSgt Shambrook and Cpl Oakley carried out sterling jobs as Next up was 251, and this time we were more determined Chief Registrar and Score Keeper respectively. Between them than ever. On the command of ‘Pull’, we sprung rearward, they all ensured the running of the event was seamless. pushing back one step after the next, gritting our teeth and screaming at the top of our lungs, determined to do better The competitive spirit and need for speed was very apparent than previously. It wasn’t then long before the whistle blew throughout the Regiment with every Squadron fully backing to indicate our success; and the feeling was immense. Now, all runners and throwers during their specific events. On the we just had to do it again! However, 251 won the second end male side, the throwing events were dominated by LCpl and took us into a third and deciding pull. This final time, Whitehead (251 Sqn) and Sgt Nabakeke (225 Sqn), whilst top both teams went into a hold, just sitting back on the rope, ‘jumper’ of the day was Sig Newton (243 Sqn) who literally trying to tire out the other. Suddenly, they slipped and we bounded his way to a win in the Long Jump. Track events took our chance. Back we went; we could almost smell the were mainly dominated by 241 Sqn, with Sig Rogers producing victory as we edged ever closer to the line. But 251 were not a first class win in the 3000m Steeple Chase. The longest race letting it go that easily and stopped us in our tracks just six of the day, the 5000m, was dominated by Sgt Jarvis (243 Sqn) inches from victory. As we held on, teasing the winning line, who won by a clear leg, then proceeded to jog back and meet an accidental slip enabled the opposition to begin a come all other runners to help them on their way to the finish line. back and take the end. In that exact moment, for the guys on the rope, it couldn’t get any worse. The female competition was a fight between 243 Sqn and 225 Sqn with 225 Sqn dominating the field events and 243 Sqn So, it was two down, two lost; but both by only very small dominating the track. However; the overall female margins. The hope of an overall victory was now just a distant competition was a victory for 243 Sqn, 225 Sqn came 2nd with memory, but despite the results of the day, with 241 251 Sqn and 241 Sqn coming 3rd and 4th respectively. dominating, we felt that our biggest rivals were yet to come. 225 Sig Sqn were a team of great technique and experience. 241 Sqn won the male competition, followed closely by 251 To beat these would be a victory all of its own. As battle Sqn, 225 Sqn and 243 Sqn came 3rd and 4th respectively. The commenced, it was clear that both teams wanted the victory. overall results combining the male and female scores However, our determination and pride to take away a victory however; ended up quite differently. 243 Sqn were the from the event, resulted in us winning 2 consecutive pulls. overriding winners on the day, closely followed by 251 Sqn, The moment we heard the whistle blow, indicating our win, a 241 Sqn came 3rd and 225 Sqn came 4th. feeling of euphoria engulfed every member of the team.

The mixture of sunshine, morale and sportsmanship lent a We may not have won the cup this time, but on another day, hand to the entire competition being a success and was another rope, I’m confident we could. enjoyed by all. 81 SIGNAL SQUADRON CO’s Cup Tug of War – by Sgt Gilles OC Maj Mark Arscott After just a few weeks of blood, sweat, and painstaking tears SSM WO2 (SSM) Matt Ticehurst on the training gantry, the hour of reckoning had arrived, the weigh in had taken place, and it was time to go to war! A busy period for the Squadron starting with a MATTs weekend in Longmoor and finishing with a second surge team First up was 241. Not the most graceful of teams, but each deployment in support of Op Herrick. There was also a man did possess biceps the size of cow’s thighs! The official change in Leadership as Maj Andy Kennedy moved onto his began, “Pick up the rope……, take the strain……, next challenge and handed over command to Maj Mark steady……, PULL”. Both teams quickly dropped back and Arscott.

Maj Kennedy handing over 81 Signal Squadron to Maj Arscott

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 33 Out of Camp Training - April 2013 Once registration was completed and all the teams had had their equipment checked by the Scrutineers, the 81 Team got Just under one hundred members of the Squadron met over to work converting the Garage/Hangar building into a Public four days in Longmoor. The main aim of the weekend was for Information Cell. Around 400 teams of 6 compete each year all the soldiers to complete their MATTs. There were also at this event. This means that there are potentially 2400 sets dinner nights in both the Sgts’ and Officers’ messes on of parents eagerly awaiting news of their child’s progress on consecutive nights which gave them the opportunity to dine the moor. By 2100hrs Friday the stage was set, ready for the out Maj Kennedy. On Friday afternoon Lt Col Dallyn took the massed start the following day. opportunity to award 14 of the soldiers a mixture of long service and operational medals. We also took the opportunity 0700 Saturday, at to welcome 15 new recruits to the unit. They have just started the start of going through the recruiting process and spent Saturday TT2013, 2400 finding out about 81 Signal Squadron and what to expect over teenagers are the next 12 months as they complete their basic training. roared off to a flying start from 81 Surge Team - Afganistan Anthony Stile at the edge of the Eleven soldiers from 10 Sig Regt, five from 81 Signal Squadron moor. Their and six from Lima Troop, were deployed on operations for routes will take eight weeks. The team: SSgt Andy Green, Cpl Andy ‘jar jar’ them via ten tor- Leighton, Sig Russell ‘Klunk’ Willocks, Sig Kevin ‘Rascal’ top checkpoints, Edmands from 81 and Sgt Will ‘Jims Dad’ Gorthy, Cpl over 3 different Mark ‘Shooter’ Kelly, Sig Danny ‘Father Jack’ Donovan, Sig distances, Pete ‘Snooksey’ Snookes, Sig Matt ‘Mr Bing’ Perry and Sig depending on their Sgt Marty Allen at the finish of the Ten Tors Reece ‘2 Chins’ Venn from Lima Troop flew out in March and age and ability (35, returned in April. In support of the move of Task Force 45, or 55 miles). Helmand into Camp Bastion, their main jobs included moving JFCIS and HICSSS to their new headquarters. Also there were Sunday morning 0700 hrs and 81 are on the ground with a a number of long cable pulls around Camp Bastion as well 240v generator to power a laptop and webcam at the finish as the move of UKNSE to their new headquarters in KAIA. point, as the first competitors start to arrive after 0900. The weather has taken its toll this year with more than 400 The stars of the tour were: Russell Willocks for having bags of individuals falling-out of the event, but in general, spirits energy, doing loads of phys in the mornings. He couldn’t stop remained high. racing the younger lads despite being more than 10 years older than them. He usually beat them too! He has loads of 1700 Sunday and the competition is closed, but the network is trade experience despite only having been in the Sqn a few required to remain in place until all the teams and individuals years - one to watch for the future! Kevin Edmands, although are accounted for. This year Dartmoor mountain rescue was from Coventry he walks around like a “crafty cockney” all the required to pick up the last stragglers and guide them home time, and Cpl ‘A parcel a day!’ Leighton and SSgt Andy Green to their grateful parents waiting at Okehampton. All were for getting a much phys in as the work would allow. home safe by around 2000 Sunday.

Although there was little time for R&R the team did build And then on Monday all that was left to do was to recovering some beautiful decking around the CPO office and all agreed the LAN infrastructure and all its hardware. Now all packed that they had a great tour. away carefully for storage at Tidworth until next year.

81 Signal Squadron (V) Exercise Wyvern Tor - TEN TORS 2013 Dinner at the BT Tower - by Capt Paul Masheter To mark the end of Maj Kennedy’s three years as Squadron Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike organised and run in early OC, Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT, invited Maj Kennedy to a May for 2,400 young people by the British Army on Dartmoor. dinner at the top of BT Tower. The guests included a number The majority of entrants are schools, colleges, Scout of Brigadiers, Colonels, ex-OCs, and PSAOs that had groups and Cadet Squadrons from South West England supported and been supported by Maj Kennedy over the years. The group enjoyed a great meal and fantastic views A four man team from the Sqn deployed to Okehampton over London. Camp to install and maintain a LAN network to manage MIS connectivity to various locations around the camp. The LAN would be used by COMCEN to manage the exercise, including the registration and fall-out of teams, access their medical records, and to provide real-time information to the public.

Immediately on arrival, Sgt Marty Allen and LCpl Paul Brittain were given a quick tour of the camp by Sgt Pat Coyle (now on his 4th TenTors). At this stage, this quiet corner of Devon gives no indication of the scale of the event about to unfold.

The team then spent the next two days, setting up fibre connections, media converters, and server cabinets to the various buildings that would morph from dormitory or classroom into Ops rooms or registration cells. The aim was to set up the network and distribute the associated hardware to the various client locations around Okehampton camp. By Thursday evening, the network was ready for testing, so arriving teams could register on Friday Morning. Everyone enjoying the dinner and views!

34 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 14th SIGNAL REGIMENT (ELECTRONIC WARFARE) HAVERFORDWEST

CO Lt Col MR Purves Wednesday was a day of the initiative tasks; we left the Lord RSM WO1 (RSM) M Taylor Amory at 0800 hours, with just our ID cards and a slip explaining our situation. We’d been given 45 tasks to 14 Sig Regt (EW) Leadership Week – by Sig Murphy complete, and 12 hours to do so in. The day was truly an experience, and one of the most varied days of my life. We Newly arrived to the Regiment I was lucky enough to be did everything from driving a sports car, to visiting the granted a place on this development week. The week ran London Dungeons, collecting souvenirs, blagging a free meal, over the period 21 - 26 April, under Capt Graham Booth from getting a piggy back over a road from a member of the public the LAD. The aim was to develop and test the leadership and doing a Harlem shake in Hyde Park. One of the hardest qualities of all participating JNCOs and below, the hope being parts of the day was when I had to find the courage to preach for them to have greater success at any upcoming CLM, to a crowd at Speakers Corner about my chosen topic of, ‘the Artificer or commissioning courses. welfare of fish’. To enjoy ourselves in London for free was a great experience and one I won’t forget. For the duration of the week we stayed onboard the ship The Lord Amory, moored in London Docklands. This alone was an experience for everyone. I’ve never lived in such tight shared quarters or with stairs so steep a fall would be deadly. I had bought a sleeping bag for the week and at just £13 was thinking to myself, “what a bargain”. Upon arriving at the ship I unpacked to find it was a foot to short, the result being my feet poking out of the end all week.

The first day consisted of each group carrying out leaderless command tasks. The sun was out in force and there were many red faces and even more burnt necks. We completed various command tasks including building a shelter and crossing a chasm with the use of an A frame. The day finished with 2 minute presentations on a topic of our choice. These ranged from how to make a cheese sandwich to surfing, rugby and resettlement claims. My own presentation, ‘Great Britain through an Englishman’s eyes’, led to an extra hard PT session from the Welsh PTI the next morning. Members of 14 Signal Regiment with Brian

The final day of the week brought a visit to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea to see the Chelsea Pensioners. We were guided around by an In-Pensioner called Brian, an ex-member of the Royal Corps of Signals who used to be based at 14 Signal Regiment. He enjoyed showing us around and was full of information about the RHoC; it seemed a fine place to spend time with the other veterans who continue to serve the country in ceremonial duties. Eating lunch outside the London Eye, we became a tourist attraction as tourists and members of the public stopped to have a photo taken with us

The red team comes up with a plan

Another day of command tasks in the sun led to the emergency factor 50 being used. This time the leader was selected. The first task we attempted involved extracting supplies from a minefield. Sig Hurley took charge of the Orange Team and made no mistakes, which was fortunate as any item dropped meant that the people involved were declared dead. A ‘short’ CASEVAC down the length of the dock was then necessary to revive them, and no one fancied that. Later that evening the second presentation was due, the chosen topic this time being famous or infamous leaders. I was lucky enough to pick Kim-Il-Sung from the ‘Kettle of doom’ a rather colourful leader. The group with Stephen Crabb MP

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 35 in our uniforms. After our moment of fame we travelled to Team and the Adjt! It was decided to train at best effort with the Houses of Parliament where we were greeted by the MP a few collective training days and there is no better place to of Pembrokeshire, Stephen Crabb. We visited both the House train than the Pembrokeshire countryside. of Lords and Commons and had a chance to explore the rich history of Parliament. We finished the trip by relaxing with a pint or two in the Commons Bar with the MPs.

14 Sig Regt (EW) Lanyard Trophy Team – by LCpl C Tyler

Lanyard Trophy critical training for 14 Sig Regt (Electronic Warfare) team began three weeks prior to the event at Warcop training area in the hills of Cumbria. Lt Luke Facey and SSgt Ben Wildman headed up the training. Monday morning began by getting lost, as the ‘8 mile’ planned run descended into a 15 mile wake up call for most of the squad; things could only improve.

Days began early with arduous training anywhere between ten and twenty miles, followed by food, a small amount of stretching and even more food. Lt Facey retained the ‘Fat Boy’ trophy throughout the 3 weeks by managing to eat enough for about five hungry elephants daily. Evenings Capt Nige Clay takes a break from training involved recovery sessions and lessons in bergen packing, navigation, and safety. Sig ‘Robbo’ Robson kept morale at a constant high throughout the training with his observations The competition started well but CP3 in particular reminded and words of wisdom. Sharing such pearls of knowledge as us that we were a long way from hill fit. Capt Dave Janvier “isn’t it a lot quicker going downhill in a minibus than it is remembered why it had been 14 years since his last Lanyard, tabbing up one” and “It’s always good to know where you WO2 (RQMS) Gaz Tiplady is already looking forward to his are on a map, lads.” Cheers Robbo. next Veterans Lanyard with 21 Sig Regt next year and Capt Dusty Miller, WO1 (YofS(EW)) Phil Berry and SSgt Bri Saxton Training progressed during our stay with more of the area all completed their first Lanyard. A special mention must go being covered as we proved the main arterial routes between to Sgt Pete Byrne and his team for their exemplary support - the villages in the area. Some ‘shortcuts’ were disproved as which included hot dogs and rice pudding! All Team members we ended up knee deep in mud and cow pats, crossing rivers finished; we were placed mid-table and won the Veterans or tabbing up peculiar, spongy hills. We also learnt a lot about Trophy, the Marine Ben Poole Trophy. It has consistently what kit would be required when high up on the area as most been won by 18 (UKSF) Sig Regt who were unable to field a days delivered sun, snow, wind, hail and sleet, in no particular Team in this year’s competition; it is an honour that the order. LCpl Ben ‘Grandad’ Demain was lucky enough to be Trophy which remembers Ben will include the Regt on its list nominated as our driver/admin party during training as he’s of winners and it will have pride of place in RHQ for at least the only person we know old enough to have got a minibus one year. for free on his driving licence. But that’s not to say he didn’t earn his money, driving around the area doing drop offs, Exercise DRAGONS TELEMARK TREK 3-8 JUN 13 pickups and setting up admin stops. He managed to clock up – by WO2 Gaz Welch an impressive 3000 miles. Ex DRAGONS TELEMARK TREK was a Battlefield Study of the The event began at 0500 on Saturday 8 June. A mass start Telemark region of Norway. This focused on the three made it difficult to move ahead but we managed to keep with Operations of GROUSE, FRESHMAN and GUNNERSIDE the lead pack up to the first check point in the wood block following in the footsteps of a team of Norwegian SOE near Murton. Unfortunately, we had to drop a team member operatives in their pursuit to deny Hitler’s attempts of off here due to illness but it didn’t slow us down and we building the first Atomic bomb. We were guided through the continued on to climb the never ending Murton Pike. week by Brian Desmond (The man who led Ray Mears Dropping down the other side another team member picked through the ‘Real Hero’s of Telemark’ TV production three up an injury which meant we had to slow down slightly. years ago) from the Joint Services Training Centre, Evjemon. Moving to the next check point at around the 7 mile point the team was back to 7th place and down to 6 men but we We began with a trip to Bygland and a visit to the war graves decided to continue even though we could not register a of the crew of the first flying fortress gunned down during a time. Between the 7 and 20 mile point we picked up the pace and overtook 4 teams moving into 3rd place. It was then just a matter of maintaining the pace for the last 20 miles as we carried on towards the finish, crossing the line in 11hrs 43mins.

14 Sig Regt (EW) Lanyard Trophy Veteran Team – by Capt Nige Clay

The idea to enter a Veterans Team into the 2013 Lanyard Trophy competition came as most bold ideas do, after a few beers in the Mess in Brawdy. A team of over 35s was required and I immediately sought the support of the numerous para trained personnel in the unit who I knew possessed “that infectious optimism and that offensive eagerness which comes from physical well being”. A team was soon formed but it became apparent that it would be nearly impossible to train as a group because volunteers included half of the Regt Ops The war graves at Bygland

36 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 heated battle at 29000ft. The picture at the bottom of the Our build up training started in an unusually sunny previous page is of the graves at Bygland. We then went onto Sennybridge which set the tone for the exercise with spirits our next stop, the Op GROUSE sabotage cabin located remaining high throughout. This was purely an exercise to approximately three hours north of Bygland in the Hardanger brush up on our military skills. The exercise included some Plateau. It was here that we camped out overnight next to challenging scenarios with the focus on returning to where the Special Operations Executive (SOE) successfully conventional warfare. The lessons were conducted by WO2 placed four Norwegian nationals as an advance team. Corcoran and SSgt Wildman who ensured that we worked hard and there was plenty of opportunity to practice what we were taught. Everyone involved showed that they were putting in maximum aggression and bags of enthusiasm when required to CASEVAC through a river whilst fighting a seemingly bulletproof enemy.

Following on from the military skills training, the Squadron moved its focus onto the communications side of life. A large amount of training took place to make sure everyone had a solid grasp of the primary equipment we will be using as part of the AATF. This included exercises on the airfield to ensure we were all working as efficient and affective LEWTs. It also gave us a chance to get used to moving round with the SEER kit which weighed in excess on 50Kg! Midnight scenery from the Op GROUSE hut Now that the Squadron was up to speed on both military skills and equipment knowledge, it was time to combine the two. The next day we started to walk and talk through Op We deployed to Lulworth and soon after arriving the LEWTs FRESHMAN which followed the planned glider-borne landing were out on the ground in what would be a highly demanding on frozen lake Møsvatn near the Norsk Hydro electric plant at exercise. The four man LEWTs had to ensure they could do Vemork. The snow started to fall heavily and then we were their job for up to 48hrs without resupply. We were tested on saved by the call of the hotel where we would enjoy a comfy our ability to collect and analyse information gathered from night's sleep, but not before listening to presentations from enemy transmissions. Throughout we were constantly aware Cpl Mex Walker, LCpl Jaime Donnison, LCpl Guy Rhodes and of a strong enemy presence near our positions, so we had to LCpl Ross MaClaughlin. work hard on concealment whilst maintaining the highest possible noise and light discipline. On several occasions whilst On the third day we retraced the steps of Op GUNNERSIDE returning to the secure location we came under contact from and had the CO and RSM with us as we followed the a highly aggressive (again bulletproof) enemy, forcing yet saboteurs steps talking their exact route to the Hydro plant. another river extraction! The weather held for us throughout the day as we were guided around the Hydro Plant, which is now a museum, and By now, after all the exercises and constant training, the swiftly set off to the world’s oldest cable car where vertigo Squadron was due to be officially tested, so it was back to may have been an issue for one or two us! Sennybridge where the Electronic Warfare Training Team (EWTT) would put the AATF through its paces. Unfortunately The final day of the tour saw us visit Lake Tinnsjø where the this visit to Sennybridge was not as pleasant as the previous Sinking of the SF Hydro took place, the final act in an amazing occasion. The weather was truly horrendous with wind, rain feat for the saboteurs. Here we received a guided tour and snow from start to finish! However, this wasn’t a around the SF Ammonia which was the sister ship of the SF problem as we proved we were capable of achieving any task Hydro and was also the vessel used for the film, The Heroes set out for us. Through a great deal of hard work the of Telemark staring Kurt Douglas! We then took the long Squadron is robust and adaptable, and I personally look journey back to Evjemon for a final farewell to Brian Desmond forward to working as part of the AATF and whatever offering our thanks for an amazing tour before settling down challenges that may bring. for a nice cold £8.00 beer! 236 SIGNAL SQUADRON (ELECTRONIC WARFARE) 223 SIGNAL SQUADRON (ELECTRONIC WARFARE) OC Maj K Rhodes OC Maj M Nettleship SSM WO2 (SSM) G Lawson SSM WO2 (SSM) D Corcoran Exercise HARAMBEE SPEAR – by LCpl Douglas and LCpl Gemine Preparing for the AATF role – by LCpl Leslie On Sunday 21 Apr 13 members of 236 Sig Sqn (EW) deployed Over the past three months in 223 Sqn we have been busy to Sennybridge Training Area on Ex HARAMBEE SPEAR. The ensuring that we are ready for the tasks ahead, as we take a exercise was split down into two phases, the first was a role as part of the Airborne Assault Task Force (AATF). As comprehensive range package and the second was a part of the AATF we have a commitment to provide tactical confirmatory battle camp. Both phases lasted five days and Electronic Warfare capability in support of UK Defence and allowed us to make an impressive journey to the summit of Foreign Policy. the Pen-Y-Fan during the weekend between.

The preparation for taking on the role has been varied and The first week’s range package consisted of a variety of arduous, covering all elements of what could be required of interesting shoots, including the moving targets range and the Sqn should we have to deploy at short notice to an the grenade range. SSgt Dinsdale livened up proceedings by unfamiliar environment. With the majority of 223 Sqn having introducing a Troop funded cash prize for the best shot. This deployed on Op HERRICK 16 there is a wealth of invaluable package was designed not only to improve the Sqn’s overall experience which has been used to train newer members like competency and proficiency with a number of different myself. weapon systems, but also to give them a wider insight into the demands required of the infantry soldiers prior to their

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 37 deployments. Aside from the shoots during the day, a large demanding workload and stifling weather. Split into two portion of time on the nights was dedicated to MATT training patrols, the LEWT personnel alternated between fighting and ensuring all attending personnel were up to the required patrols and routine FOB duties and defence. This lasted three standard in the most basic and essential skills of soldiering. days at a brutal pace with soldiers suffering sleep deprivation and sometimes severe tests of character and perseverance.

On the fourth morning, the two patrols reconvened for what would be the final attack before ENDEX. Divided into fire teams and put under the direction of patrol commanders, the combined might of the Sqn closed up shop at the FOB location and set out to find, fix and defeat the enemy. Sweeping through multiple enemy positions in dense woodblock proved testing, but straightforward. All fire teams responded promptly to command and displayed good skills and drills in regrouping prior to moving forward. However, the enemy mounted a strong rearguard action, forcing a series of tactical bounds forwards and withdrawals that culminated in several personnel requiring immediate casualty evacuation. Throughout all of this, the Sqn performed admirably and delivered good green skills when they were needed most, which puts them in a good position for deployment on Op HERRICK 19.

245 SIGNAL SQUADRON (ELECTRONIC WARFARE)

OC Maj J Barber SSM WO2 (SSM) M Parkinson

The Fan Dance Adventure - by Cpl Allan and Cpl McGill

Once upon a time a very brave little band of merry men set off on an adventure that would scar them for a lifetime. The adventurous souls of the 245th Electronic Warfare Squadron had set the famous hill of Fan Dance in deepest darkest Wales as the setting of their latest excursion, and it did not disappoint. At the eye-watering hour of 9 hours past midnight the first little group escaped the confines of the bus LCpl Tough at the top of Pen Y Fan and set their beady little eyes on the daunting summit that stood in front of them, taunting them to have a go. They sprinted off and after a meer 20 minutes were heading in the Following five days of intense range shoots, the Sqn was wrong direction. Luckily for them they quickly realised that rewarded with a trip up the Pen-Y-Fan to take in the sights and destroy their legs on its unforgiving slopes. The route was carefully structured in order to give the junior members of the Sqn further practice in MATT 5 navigation and improve their confidence in taking the lead. The end was a momentous occasion with a magnificent burger van awaiting those few who finished in good spirits and had remembered to bring their wallets.

The battle camp proved to be one of the more testing confirmations of skills and drills, due in no small part to the

Sig Roberts, LCpl Whyte, Cpl Bartlett and LCpl Bumfrey take a 236’s finest enjoy the view breather on the way round

38 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 holding the map with South aligned to North was not their told tales of getting lost for miles upon miles, others spun finest idea, and that when North on the map married up with yarns of running up hill and down dale till their feet bled, but magnetic North, navigating these fearsome valleys became a all looked forward to the warm drive home, a chance to rest much easier task. Unfortunately they weren’t the only group their blistered feet and the warm embrace of a decent meal. that happened to. One of the groups decided to ignore the The winning time? 3:45 by LCpl ‘Black Ops’ Muchmore. And fine art of British Military navigation tactics and just follow a so ends the tale of the 245th tackling the mighty Fan Dance. group of civvies, hoping they were going the same way. They were not! Luckily they realised this after just two miles, so SUPPORT SQUADRON only added a measly four miles to the total journey. OC Maj K Sturman The journey was not without other perils though. The route SSM WO2 (SSM) J Jenkins presented dangers galore and one of these manifested itself in the shape of moving trees. As one group traversed what MT SECTION became known as the valley of death, trees started falling either side of them, forcing them to run for their lives. (edit: a MTO Capt Ken Smith couple of trees were felled a few hundred metres away) MTWO WO2 Gaz Welch

As the half way point approached the groups were faced with Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race 2013 one of the most fearsome sights known to the 245th, a – by LCpl Moss Scouser in charge of a 55 seater coach. He tried flogging them dodgy second hand DVDs of Only Fools and Horses, but Over the Easter weekend 14 Signal Regiment (EW) entered all groups took their meagre sacks of food that had already two teams in the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe been rifled through by the brutal bus driver, and sprinted off race. The 125 mile long race with 77 portages has been held before he broke out the white lightning (apparently it makes annually over the Easter Weekend since 1948. Starting in him drive ‘straighter’). Devizes, Wiltshire and finishing just downstream of Westminster Bridge in central London, opposite the Houses of Parliament the route takes in the Kennett and Avon canal and the River Thames.

The race is non-stop so eating and drinking is done entirely on the move and sleep is but a dream as you struggle through the early hours of the morning. The fastest completed the course in around 17 hours with other taking up to 36 hours. The event takes canoeists to the limit of mental and physical endurance, battling against the steady and inevitable onset of physical depletion. The race is a severe test of skill and stamina which produces a memorable sense of achievement for those successfully completing it.

After many months of training, SSgt Mark Blears of the MT and Cfn Moss of the LAD successfully completed the race with a good finish time of just under 25hrs. An exceptional time for their first try at the longest non stop canoe marathon in the world. The second team consisted of Capt Hennis and Cfn Beckerleg who unfortunately didn’t finish. Some dodgy pre race food caused havoc with Cfn Beckerleg’s stomach and despite bravely struggling on had to stop when he couldn’t even keep down water. Each team consisted of a support crew to clothe, feed, water and look after the teams at almost every lock for the whole 24hr period. Capt Hennis remained with the support crew despite having completed 30 miles and was a great help due to her experience and knowledge of the race. It was a very weary group which gathered in front of the Houses of Parliament for the celebratory photos. It was an immense achievement and looking back now that the arms have recovered, it was all worth it.

Lt Booth and 2Lt Gammond enjoying their half way refuelling stop

As some of the intrepid travellers decided to run as much as they could the small groups of men became spread wide across the Brecon Beacons, but one goal united them all. The task of beating their Troop Commanders, Lt ‘I Love Lanyard’ Eldridge, Lt ‘Joe 90’ Booth and 2Lt ‘Baptism of Fan Dance’ Gammond. Men were sweating from orifices that they didn’t know existed, and were prepared to run through the pain barrier and out the other side to avoid the Tp bosses being victorious. Sixteen English Standard miles later the weary travellers reached the comforting confines of the bus, and set Captain Sandy Hennis giving the “you can do it” talk to SSgt about regaling their compatriots with their adventures. Some Mark Blears at the 100 mile point

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 39 21st SIGNAL REGIMENT (AIR SUPPORT) COLERNE

CO Lt Col AR Aitken The start was quick, along an undulating track, through a RSM WO1 (RSM) SB Brown farmstead, into a woodland and arriving at checkpoint 1. There would be no stop and rest for some time yet. It has been a particularly busy yet rewarding period for the Checkpoint 2 was equally quick, leading to the memorable Regt, from preparing for our forthcoming deployment on Op checkpoint 3; Murton Pike. Anyone who completed the route HERRICK 19 to an active and successful calendar of sporting will join me in remembering the painful slog, 500m directly up achievements. The Morrison Cup saw the Regt as winners in the side of a mountain. By this point the teams were both the Major Unit male and female categories whilst we sufficiently spread out and the remainder of the route in to were the unlucky (but proud) beaten finalists in the Signallers half way was equally quick across the open moorland. My Cup football final. A rewarding period has been capped by a team arrived in second place, 17 minutes behind 216 Sig Sqn, Birtwistle Award and Lanyard Trophy success, which saw the at four hours total time. With competition being so fierce, Regt win the women’s section and achieve a very there was little time to stop and enjoy the hot pasta meal and commendable second in the male category. we pushed on to try and catch the leaders.

Under A2020 restructuring, the Regt will sadly be saying The second half of the route was more challenging, possibly farewell to both 244 Sig Sqn (re-subordinating to 30 Sig Regt) due to the already tired legs and stifling midday heat which and 43 (Wx) Sig Sqn (V) (re-subordinating to 39 Sig Regt (V)). was building by the hour, although likely in part due to the With the move of 244 Sig Sqn the Regt will also be losing both difficult ground, particularly towards the end of the day. its Air Support role and title which it has held since 1959. Overall, the Regt did well on Lanyard Trophy 2013; female With the announcement of the Queen’s Birthday Honours winners, A Team male second, B team male fifth place, C Team List, the Regt is also rightfully proud of the following awards. male twelfth place and all 3 TA teams completed the route. Maj Ian Johnson (our recently retired RAO) was awarded a CGS Commendation whilst Capt Alun Kelly, WO2 (SSM) SUPPORT SQUADRON Graham ‘Bomber’ Lancaster and Sig Carl Smith all received a Commander JHC’s Commendation. Our congratulations go to OC Maj C Budding all of them for the recognition of their efforts. SSM WO2 (SSM) D Stedman

Lanyard Trophy 2013 - by Capt Brinkworth Once more the Sqn has been heavily involved in all preparations for the Regt’s forthcoming deployment in Nov 13 On 8 Jun 13, seven teams from 21 Signal Regiment (Air on Op HERRICK 19. Providing emergency power solutions to Support) crossed the start line for Lanyard Trophy 2013. More a planned power outage in Azimghur Bks where the RSEs set impressive was the fact that every rank from Lt Col right up a full power standby in both guardrooms and the Officers’ down to Sig was competing in one of those teams. Mess (just in time for a Regimental dinner night!), to supporting STA trg, the re-subordination of 244 Sig Sqn to 30 The weather was forecast to be hot. The night before the Sig Regt and numerous CO’s Advisory Visits, all depts have start, and team leaders were busy applying their ground been in the thick of it! knowledge from previous week’s training at Warcop, to devise the quickest route around the training area. Last There has been a change over of some key appointments over minute bergan packing (and re-packing) was underway and the past month and the Sqn has said a fond farewell to the team members were hastily trying to get an early night prior Regt 2IC Maj Alan Balsdon who has moved down the hill to to the 0300 reveille. Corsham along with the Adjt Capt Tom Skinner. Goodbye also to the Trg Offr Capt Dave Phillips who has moved on to his The morning of the event, 0500, and all teams were lined up ‘dream’ posting, taking up the Sqn 2IC appt at 216 (Para) Sig at the start, listening to ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ as is customary. Sqn – lots of Lanyard Trophy training for you Dave! And finally the Sqn 2IC / MTO Capt Wayne Dunbar who has taken up the QM (T) job in 39 Sig Regt (V) Bristol. We wish you and your families all the very best in your new jobs.

New arrivals are…. Regt 2IC Maj Kevin Barker, Adjt Capt James Corns, Trg Offr Capt Alex Cave and new Trg SSM WO2 James Kemp. We welcome you and your families to the Sqn.

Morrison Cup 2013 - by SSgt Durrans

Another sporting victory for the mighty Regt’s Male and Female athletics team, this year’s winning teams consisting of younger fresher athletes and the older (Ed note “but refined”) athletes. During the competition on day one the male team started off the day with a positive attitude by winning the first couple of events, which put even more motivation and positive attitude into the team. The females then started to match the males, showing that they were there to defend last year’s title.

21 Sig Regt (AS)’s Lanyard Trophy 2013 competitors Day two of the competition saw the male team pulling away

40 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 won the race with LCpl Sophie Hamill (AGC SPS) being the only female and showing her skills beating half of the men, including 3 of the MT guys (clearly their cars were much slower!).

The event helped to bring together members of the Sqn who usually wouldn’t have too much contact with each other and helped build a sense of team cohesion, whilst also being a lot of fun.

MPGS Defence Troop - by Sgt Anderson

It has been an extremely busy month or so for the MPGS in the way of courses, sports, training and charity events.

Firstly, training courses have been completed thick and fast by most of the Tp. SSgt Hamilton and Sgt Anderson spent a week away from the unit at Chicksands on a Unit Security Officers course which has given the two SNCOs a much higher LCpl Levy going ‘Kung Fu’ on the triple jump and taking the win understanding of the overall Security outlook and can now assist the Regt on other security issues rather than that of in the points and the females showing they could do the basic entry to camp and patrolling etc. Also, SSgt Hamilton, same. After the second day’s events both males and females Sgt Anderson, Sgt Humphries, Cpl Aitken, LCpl Pun and Pte had done extremely well and the results showed that 21 Signal McCabe attended the Radiation Supervisors course which Regiment had won the Morrison Cup 2013 in both the male again can assist the Regt with the importance of firstly and female major units competition with Cpl Parr awarded avoiding accidents within the workplace involving Radiation, the Morrison Cup Sports Person plate. but more importantly the procedures to be carried out if ever there were such an incident within the Regt.

Courses recently passed include:DITs by LCpl Burgess and Pte Swatton, BITSO by LCpl Burgess and Airwaves TTT by Cpl Breydin. Cpl Gane is currently prepairing for his SAA course.

As always the MPGS have represented the Regt in the way of Sports and Adventure training, several members made up half the shot gun course, Cpl Phillips is currently helping with the setting up of a kayak beginner’s course and cross country and mountain biking by SSgt Hamilton and Sgt Anderson. Cpls Phillips and Breydin are the most notable in the ways of charity events by taking part and completing the Edinburgh Marathon for the second year running.

214 SIGNAL SQUADRON 21 Signal Regiment (AS) Male & Female Morrison Cup Winners 2013 OC Maj S Bennett Thank you to all Sqns for releasing their athletes and enabling SSM WO2 (SSM) G Lancaster the Regt team to come away victorious… the next step is the Army Team Finals on 19 Jun 13 where we will once more look With Op HERRICK 19 fast approaching, 214 Sig Sqn continues to coming away with some silverware! in its preparations for deployment. In the last few months the Squadron has supported several CAST exercises, providing CIS RGB - Back to Class…2 - by Sig Elston and service support for exercising staff in Catterick and has spent a week on the ranges honing the troops’ military skills All hands were on deck at the Regimental Generator Bay and drills. Despite the busy schedule, there were still chances (RGB), in preparation for one of the many training exercises for the Sqn to relax a little, with several tp days out and two the Regt will undergo prior to deployment on Op HERRICK 19. weeks of sport providing a welcome change of pace. This month the Sqn also says a fond farewell to WO2 ‘Bomber’ A refreshing change to daily Regtl tasks has brought a new Lancaster and welcomes his replacement WO2 (SSM) dynamic to the hard working lads in the bay. From working McDiarmid as the new SSM. out the entire power requirement, power plans and extensive cable calculations, to liaising with external agencies in order Sport Concentration - by Sig Hall and Sig O’Hara to acquire the enormous amount of equipment required. On 29 Apr 13, 214 Sig Sqn descended on Colerne for a week of This exercise has seen a vast improvement in the delivery of sport and the chance of a little friendly competition with the training to the Class 3-2 soldiers and a further in-depth other Sqns in the Regt. With 200 miles from York to Colerne, knowledge for the Class 2 lads. With the expert guidance of we set off from York at 04:30 on the Monday to take part in Cpl Aaron Lomax, this looks to be a fantastic method of the Regt’s sports concentration week. On arrival, we were hands-on training for all members of the RGB. sized and inspected for a Regimental photo before going straight into the sporting events of the day. These were AGC (SPS) Outing… again! - by Pte Moran (AGC SPS) tennis and swimming and, with no room to watch the swimming, the tennis players had to cope with a louder more On Wed 5 Jun 13, members of Sp Sqn went for a team distracting audience than you would find at Wimbledon. bonding Go-Karting afternoon. Obviously some people were Despite the friendly heckling the players all put on a good more talented than others as LCpl Jamie Paige (AGC SPS) show and played very well.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 41 On Tuesday everyone headed over to Swindon for the athletics. This was a busy day with many different events going on for the competitors. It was also going to be pretty tough for the competitors as we had had little time to train prior to these events. Sig Hart, however, decided to purchase some professional studded footwear, which were passed around the lads in 214. Coincidently, no one wearing these now fabled “lucky spikes” lost a race. The female team also had a great day, despite each having to do several events in order to make up the numbers. Capt Davies-Walters even ended up running twice in the 100m relay as there were only three competitors available for the 214 team. The day culminated with a tug of war at which 214 were just beaten to first place by a strong showing from 220. At the end of the day, 214 had performed extremely well, finishing second overall at athletics and the tug of war.

The 214 Sig Sqn tug of war team showing off their technique

games with LCpl Lawrence scoring a hat-trick in the last game and Sig Freke claiming a goal even though it was blatantly an own-goal.

On Friday tensions were high as the fate of the whole competition rested on the day’s events. Basketball was first to start, with 214 winning their first, second and last game; LCpl Day and LCpl Bracher scoring most of the team points. Rugby was the last event of the week and with people like Sig Cox on our team, (who managed to break half of the 244 line- up) it was looking really good for 214. But it was not meant to be and we unfortunately lost by a few points to 220, putting 214 in a close second place. With the award ceremony over, it was back on the minibuses for the long journey back to York after a great week for the Sqn.

Exercise PASHTUN MERCURY – by LCpl Hodson

On 22 Apr 13 the mighty 214 Sig Sqn deployed to Warcop training area to conduct an IBSR package in preparation for upcoming operations. With a dreary early morning start, we boarded the minibuses and headed off to the ranges to conduct a quick ACMT and WHT for those who required it. With this box ticked it was back on the minibuses to get settled into the barracks at Warcop. It was not quite over for the day though and with a few hours spare, we spent the evening receiving training on the GPMG and newly issued Glock 17.

Tuesday was spent doing low level training to hone our individual shooting skills including a Glock 17 range under Cpl Dickson stepping up the pace on the 1500m WO2 ‘Bomber’ Lancaster. A lot of the soldiers quickly realised that shooting pistols is not as easy as Hollywood makes it look – especially when wearing body armour! The weather wasn’t On Wednesday LCpl Barker, Sig Bishop, Sig Hall, and Capt too bad with only the odd shower to dampen any bright Davies-Walters took part in the orienteering event and 214 spirits that might have been floating about. finished the day in second place; despite LCpl Barker getting lost. Confused, LCpl Barker had to stop and ask 5 school girls Wednesday and Thursday were spent sending people up and for directions. Fortunately they were kind enough to show down the ranges to do the necessary individual and pair’s fire him the right way back. Meanwhile, the hockey tournament and manoeuvre before progressing onto the fire team was taking place. LCpl Dickson and Sig Wickham put in a assessments. Concurrent to that was the grenade range. great performance and 214 won on penalties with Sig Dickens After a quick briefing in which the directing staff explained showing calmness under pressure in goal. After the sports we you were on your own if you dropped the grenade, the day all had the chance to have a few drinks and a Ghurka curry passed without incident, leaving only some slightly battered with the rest of the Regt and a few of the more foolish targets. members provided entertainment by doing stupid things with a help of a hypnotist. The final morning consisted of a section attack up some of the best (or worst depending on your perspective) range area Thursday was another busy day, starting off with the that Warcop has to offer. The most memorable moments triathlon, where everyone who participated in the event put from this were thanks to Sigs Fox and Castle. Faced with a in an outstanding effort. LCpl Barker did exceptionally well very wide stream, Sig Fox decided to ignore the nearby log for 214, even beating LCpl Moores. Football was a hard one bridge and tried swimming. The result was he ended up face- to call as the team was drawn at the last minute with several down, doing his best flounder impression with a twisted people dropping out. The lads played really well in all their ankle. Perhaps inspired by this strong performance, Sig

42 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Castle took the fight to the enemy in a determined manner, getting bogged down in the same place, just as Sig Fox was throwing in the towel. Almost fully submerged, Sig Castle was almost left behind by the rest of his fire team in a deep stream complete with dead sheep and he had to be dragged out by his body armour. After a lot of soaking, soldiers returned to the butty wagon, it was a quick turn-around of kit and NSPs and back to York for tea, medals and umpteen hours of weapon cleaning. A very successful week had by all!

Exercise PASHTUN OSPREY – by LCpl Pepperell

On 2 Apr 13, 214 Sig Sqn deployed to Catterick on Ex PASHTUN OSPREY. The aim of the exercise was to provide comms and support to the Staff Officers of CAST (N).

Week one was the build phase of the exercise and with Lt Collins and 2Lt Franks at the helm, we began setting up the infrastructure. The Installation Technicians under Cpl ‘Swanny’ Swan, and Cpl ‘Hodges’ Hodson, set up and LCpl Roberts enjoying a day at York racecourse maintained the telephone systems and fibre optic networks, while the rest of us, including Cpl ‘Richie’ Field, LCpl ‘The a betting man (and boy) proceeded to give everybody his tips; Hammer’ Haslem, LCpl Dickson and LCpl Williams installed mostly taken from some unknown punter he had struck up a the different systems, servers and hardware. conversation with earlier that day. Unfortunately he proceeded not to bet on any of them or he might have It was one of the first times that the junior Installation actually won a race or two! Fortunately, our joint betting pot Technicians had actually performed their trades rather than had more luck, however, so no-one left completely empty doing guard duty all the time and Sig Rushton and Sig ‘Tham’ handed. Seven races later, the big winners of the day were Lt Gurung were set various installs to help tick the boxes in their Franks, Sgt Clark and Sig Ray who were rewarded with the 3-2 Workbooks. As an extra add-on to the exercise, we were opportunity to buy the first few rounds at the Winning Post, also testing the Sandpiper training kit and OTES POP which the local boozer on the way back. All involved had a great was linked to members of Saxon Troop who were deployed day and if you have never visited York Racecourse, we can on Ex PASHTUN CHIMERA in the surrounding area. This highly recommend it. Unless you are as unlucky as Sig meant Cpl Stubbs had a very busy exercise providing hands- Carson! on Sandpiper training to both Troops. This was probably an improvement for him on the first few days, which he spent filling in MOD 102s as resident crypto accountant.

With OTES, Housekeeper and JOCS systems to install in the first few days, we were very busy with a lot of early starts and late finishes. We were also using Reacher as a bearer for the JOCS and OTES and Sgt Addison and LCpl ‘Sharky’ Morrison had a full time job getting it set up in the first few days. The free scoff (which was brilliant) and a lot of coffee helped keep us all going, and everything was up and running by the start of the CAST exercise.

Once tested, we then switched over to providing a service desk role, including floor walkers, for the last week. We received a fair few calls for faults but everything was attended to with no major dramas and the exercise was a success. The whole experience was very useful and many of us learned a lot about our trades, giving us great confidence for deploying on OP HERRICK 19 later on this year. Sgt Al Clark holding the winning ticket (again)

A Day at the Races! – by Cpl Hale Exercise SAXON SHENANIGANS – by Sig Pomfret With the Sqn hard at work with pre-deployment training, opportunities for the troops to have a day out were quickly On 30 May 13, Saxon Tp, 214 Sig Sqn received orders from snapped up! Sp Tp was the first to get festivities under way LCpl Barker and his 2IC, Sig Francis, in preparation for a Troop with a ‘Day at the Races’ at the famous York racecourse. day out Go Karting in York. As the troops arrived, things were instantly set in motion with 6 teams chosen to fight for the The Troop assembled at the SQMS for a quick head-count honour of being Troop champions. With coveralls on and and, of course, a good laugh at each other suited and booted; helmets and gloves donned, the Troops were raring to go. smart as carrots. The real trend-setting style icons incuded Engines were revved and encouragement given to the first Cpl Paul Iles in dashing pin-striped gangster suit, Sgt ‘Scotty’ drivers of the warm up race; 30 minutes of tight corners and Johnson in a patched elbow shirt and Sig Steph Carson long straights finalising the starting positions for the next sporting a very tight pair of spray-on suit trousers. First prize race. This was where the real action began and involved an has to go to Sgt Al Clark wearing a tracksuit which he hour and a half of pure speed and fluid driver changes. reminded us all ‘well it’s a suit isn’t it?’ Despite a fair few crashes on the track things were still going well and everyone was having fun. When the chequered flag After a pub lunch en route we arrived at the racecourse in waved at the end, everyone came to a halt, eagerly awaiting time to place a few bets on the first race at 1330. Sig Carson, the results which were marked on which team completed the

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 43 most laps in the allotted time. Finally, it was announced that on the first day. This involved all the mandatory ranges for team one had won and Sig Wickham was chosen to do a deploying - Grouping and Zeroing, ACMT and the Fire and victory lap with the flag to rub the victory in everyone’s faces. Movement test. Although this had taken up the whole day, Later that evening we set off from camp on a tour of a few of we still had a MATTs lesson to look forward to that evening. the local pubs. Eventually we arrived at the Stone Gate Yard restaurant (after visiting a few bars on the way) where we would be eating out. After the meal, Lt Mitchell gave a toast to the Troop and thanked everyone for their efforts over the past few months. To top off a brilliant day, most of us proceeded to go out and sample some of the clubs that York has to offer. Overall it was an awesome day, enjoyed by all who were there.

Exercise PASHTUN CHIMERA – by Sig Francis

214 Sig Sqn were back in exercise mode; Catterick again but a different area, and not for the last time! The week beginning 8 Apr 13 started with the usual kit checks, quick head count and into the vehicles ready for the journey to Catterick. Everyone’s morale was suffering with the thought of being out for another week in the random weather this country is famous for; fine one minute, then snowing the next.

We arrived at the HQ location to be greeted by hail and leftover snow on the ground, cold blistering winds blowing Supervisors with Guns berets off the lads and lasses. Everyone dug in and setup in record time with so many erect masts you didn’t know where Day 2 arrived and we started off with the IBSR (Individual to put your eyes. Life was sweet until we got told the Battle Skills Range), which involved running on very large vehicles were shortly getting deployed as TAC HQs and stones, so it would be safe to say someone was going to fall everyone went into a blind panic to get their scoff down in over, and that someone was Sig ‘Bam’ Bamford. When time. Before we knew it, we were loaded up and heading out nightfall came it was back to the range for the first night the gates to our new locations. shoot. Even though we were told it would be a “partial vision night shoot” it proved hard for some to hit their own target! We arrived, doing our stop short and all that good stuff, the Scores of 21 with only 10 rounds, pretty amazing! setup was rapid and comms were in and working 100% in good time. As soon as that was done the luxuries came out, (brew Day 3 was a jam packed day filled with a round robin of kit, heater and scoff). Life was good and the days flew by ranges which included a GPMG Range, Pistol Range and a and, despite expectations of some people, the exercise was CIED lesson with another night shoot for those who didn’t do quite enjoyable, with the weather changing for the better. the previous night. This was a very enjoyable day for some, as it was a first time firing a GPMG and Pistol. As the exercise drew to a close, the anticipation to get back was unreal. As soon as we were cleared off the area and into The fourth day was broken up into two parts. One half the vehicles, the heavens opened. It was amazing as the only started on the Grenade Range controlled by SSgt John Miller people still out in it were the hierarchy. All in all, a good whilst the other half embarked on a Section Defence Range exercise. instructed by WO2 (SSM) Paul Robertson with another evening spent doing MATTs and preparing kit. 220 SIGNAL SQUADRON As Thursday morning came by it was clear that everyone was OC Maj AJ Parkinson starting to get very tired, which didn’t help things when we SSM WO2 (SSM) P Robertson arrived at the Fire Team Attack Range to see the Range was knee high deep with water in places! But to lighten up the Exercise PASHTUN MERCURY – by LCpl Smythe day we had a Platoon House Attack Range afterwards, which was a very exciting experience with audio effects and Ex PASHTUN MERCURY was a Regimental Range Package explosions going off down the range. In the evening we had organised by the Regt Training Wing and was held at Lydd planned for another Platoon House Attack under darkness, Camp, Kent, over the period 6 – 12 April. As we kissed our but the fog came in and the Range Warden wouldn’t allow us loved ones goodbye on a bright Saturday morning and to carry on, as it wasn’t clear enough for us to fire. promised we’d write everyday, 220 Sig Sqn (including Ops) boarded the happy bus and endured the long drive down to The final, but very long day started with a section attack and the seaside, ready to enhance our Individual, Section and weapon cleaning whilst waiting for transport to arrive at Platoon level battle drills in preparation for OP HERRICK 19 1700hrs. As soon as the coaches arrived morale suddenly later this year. picked up, even though we knew we wouldn’t get back until 2300hrs. The range camp had been good for the Sqn to Saturday afternoon consisted of a welcoming brief from our refresh their individual weapon skills and admin skills, with the SSM - WO2 Paul Robertson, which was then quickly followed opportunity to progress onto bigger ranges that some had up by Sgt Keith Harts’ battle order inspection, which involved never done before. running in a circle and jumping up and down to ensure our kit was tactical and not jingling! We then had a battle lesson Commanding Officer’s Sports Concentration Week given by Cpl Andy Peters to get everyone prepared and in the – by LCpl Gordon mind set for what the week was going to entail. The CO’s sports concentration week was held between 29 Apr Sunday morning soon came round, and after filling our bellies and 3 May 13 and gave everyone in the Regiment the chance with the grade A Army standard fry up we were ready to take to have some time off work and take to the sports fields to

44 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 battle it out amongst the squadrons. 214 Squadron, based in part of a larger competition. Everyone was set off at minute York, made the trip down on the Sunday before, and brought intervals, and although starting early, things were looking what looked like a strong team with them. With 220 Sqn good when LCpl ‘Flash’ Gordon was the first to finish in just being the reigning champions, the pressure was on for us to under 45 minutes. With nobody else finishing until several retain the title. The SSM, WO2 Paul Robertson, was also keen minutes after, this secured first place. With LCpl Underhill for us to win, it being his first year at the unit, with rumours finishing 8th, hopes were high despite strong finishes from going around of a working weekend if we didn’t. The Sqns the Support Squadron team, however things took a turn for we were up against were Sp, 214, 244, and 43 (Wx). the worse when after well over an hour there were only three competitors still not finished, two of who were from 220. Cpl The competition actually kicked off the Wednesday before Mike Corlett, who showed up at the finish line in 3rd place with the golf. Each Sqn had a team of four, with groups of only to reveal he was still looking for checkpoint 6 of 14, and four made up of one person from each Squadron going Cpl Andy Peters, who somehow managed to get the fastest around together. 214 not being in Colerne at the time did not time between checkpoints 6 and 7, both came in with times field a team, but after realising how close the points were over 2 hours, just as we were organising search parties, later in the competition, they were allowed to do the course meaning the Squadron only managed 3rd overall. under the watchful eye of the Regt MTO, Capt Dunbar, to make sure they didn’t claim hole-in-ones on every hole. It was the best possible start for 220, despite fierce competition. The Regimental Ops Officer was on hand to award the winner's plaque at the end with the team captain, Sgt Robbie Kerswell ready to collect it. Not wanting to miss out on a bit of quality face-time, SSgt Keith Knight pre-empted him to march up to collect it instead, despite coming last in his group of four.

With a security brief in the morning, the games didn’t begin for real until after lunch on the Monday with the swimming and tennis. Unfortunately the tennis didn’t go quite to plan, but we did make up some good points with second place in the swimming. It wasn’t particularly close, with a very strong team from Support winning the event, but there were some great belly-flops from some of the swimmers to keep everyone entertained. Sgt Stu King puts his back into tugging!

Wednesday afternoon was the widely anticipated bergen run: a gruelling 6.2 mile route around the local countryside. With runners set off at 15 second intervals, competition was fierce, and all still to play for at roughly the half way point of the week. Cpl Alan Cridland proved to be too strong for anyone to beat, even after making excuses before the start of why he wasn’t going to win. Thanks to several other top 10 finishers from the Squadron, it provided another victory to add to the board.

Wednesday evening was the social event, with drinks and a curry followed by a hypnotist show. Sig Liam McSharry easily provided the most entertainment of the night, completely falling under the spell of the hypnotist and doing absolutely everything commanded of him. There was dancing and singing, as well as winning the Grand National on his chair- horse! 220 tuggers!! Thursday morning’s triathlon once again saw a very strong Huge congratulations go to whoever was tasked with booking performance from Support Squadron, easily beating off any the weather for the week. Tuesday’s athletics and tug-of-war competition, but despite having mountain bikes and doggy took place at the athletics track in Swindon. LCpl Aron Levy paddlers on the team, we still managed to get a respectable was a bit miffed at the start to find his name not down for 2nd overall. The afternoon was taken up by both the either the long jump or triple jump. Upon being asked how badminton and football. Sig James Warren-Simpson, who far he could jump by the SSM, his reply was “I don’t know Sir, claims to have played for the County, didn’t live up to I’ll just win it,” which of course he did in both events. The expectations at all, even after only making the third pair in the highlight of the competition however, must have been the badminton. The football however was a much stronger event super skin-tight outfit LCpl Maz Farmer wore to give him the for 220, with three wins and three clean sheets. It also saw a competitive edge in the 100m and 200m sprints. The tug-of- red card for one of the 214 players, taking down striker LCpl war was business as usual for 220, winning against everyone Maz Farmer not far from goal. More hilarity was then to be in the round-robin without dropping a point to make it to the had when LCpl Maz Farmer’s goal celebration failed final. They did however decide to keep everyone guessing in spectacularly, trying to do a back-flip, but somehow landing the final, losing the second of the best of three, but didn’t closer to his head than his feet. seem to break a sweat in the third, easily winning the event. The final day saw the basketball and rugby 7s, with three Wednesday saw the orienteering in the morning, with the teams all in the running to be the overall winners: Support, teams travelling to Fonthill for the event, which was run as 214, and 220. The basketball team seemed to be very strong

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 45 220 Sig Sqn - CO’s Cup Winners! in possession, but didn’t quite have the accuracy under changed the nature of the game and the tempo was raised. pressure to score, and only managed to get 3rd place, leaving These games became a lot more close quartered and the a lot for the rugby team to do. The rugby saw five full teams teams took a lot more personal hits. The games ended with battle it out, with several players from other Squadrons the junior ranks winning three out of the four games which making up the team for 43. The 220 v 43 match, whilst rather were extremely close. one sided, was very competitive, with members of the Squadron on both teams. A prime example was the The day ended with the whole of 220 Sig Sqn returning to spectacular clash when Lt John McLelland just about camp for a BBQ and Inter-Troop games. Families were invited managed to stop all the momentum of LCpl Sean Hopper to join in the entertainment and games, overall it was a bearing down on him, though giving himself a very sore welcome respite from Op HERRICK 19 training and everybody shoulder for the weekend. Becoming undefeated champions gained something from the day, whether it was new bruises, of the rugby, the team did all they could, but nobody was sure team bonding, or just good BBQ food. Thanks go to SSgt if it had been enough. (FofS (IS)) Dan Smith for organising the day’s activities.

The prize giving was held as soon as the rugby was over, with Exercise SCORPION PARLIAMENT – by Cpl Clark several pieces of silverware for the Squadron for victories in individual events, but the overall winner was of course not On 29 May 2013 senior members of 220 Sig Sqn including the announced until last. After waiting with bated breath, the OC Sqn, Maj Abby Parkinson and the Sqn 2IC, Capt Chris Pain, winners were finally read out. There was a big cheer from the deployed on Ex SCORPION PARLIAMENT. This single day Squadron as it was announced that we had come first by just exercise was formed as an educational visit to the Houses of two points. Overall, it was a great week, and much fun was Parliament, but also allowed some much needed down time had by all, especially with the current high work tempo and from what is an extremely busy period for the Squadron in ongoing PDT due to the upcoming deployment. this pre-operational period.

Exercise SCORPION STING – by Sig Carter At the crack of dawn on a bright Wednesday morning, LCpl Ben Seru departed the MT to collect the excitable day On 17 May, members of 220 Sig Sqn attended a Sqn ‘bonding trippers for their long journey into London City centre. day’ named Ex SCORPION STING. The day consisted of paintballing at ‘Hamburger Hill’ in Bristol and was attended by The first stop and activity laid on by Sgt Robbie Kerswell was both junior and senior ranks. This obviously brought a lot of an excursion to ‘London Bridge Tombs’ which is categorised competitiveness and some tense grudge matches. as Britain’s scariest attraction. This attraction has a handful of actors which tell the tale of London Bridge through the years The morning games were relatively relaxed as there was a but with an eerie undertone. With every twist and turn of the combination of junior and senior ranks within the two teams walk-through attraction, actors jump out and give you a scare, but soon became heated in the afternoon when the teams however nobody jumped quite as high as Sgt Jo Thomas. changed to juniors verses seniors. The first two games were capture and hold style games where both teams started at After leaving London Bridge, the next stop was St Stephens different positions with the objective of capturing an old Tavern which is literally 60 metres from the front door of the helicopter, with points been given to the team who had the Houses of Parliament. This pub is most famous for being the most non-paint covered team members in the helicopter after pub frequented by Sir Winston Churchill who used the public the ten minute match period. house for a cheeky tipple. Our reason for visiting on the other hand was obviously solely for a hearty lunch. The blue team, consisting of members of Lashkar Gar and FOB Troops took the first win, where the first victim of a possible On completion of lunch, the group swiftly headed over to the grudge was SSgt (SQMS) Gary Ward, taking a noticeable hit Houses of Parliament led by the SSM WO2 Paul Robertson in on the top of the head thanks to Sig ‘Bam’ Bamford. The order to meet our guide Helen. This for many was their first second two games consisted of six huts which needed to be trip to Westminster in which the group was then led through captured and held until there was no team members left or the splendid architecture, golden corridors and halls steeped the match period ended. This game was then dominated by in history to take a glance at both the House of Lords and the red team consisting of members from Ops team, SQMS House of Commons. The everlasting traditions adhered to by and Bastion Troop making the morning games a tie. all politicians was something that I will never forget.

After lunch there was a team reshuffle. The junior ranks were With our day trip to the capital complete, LCpl Ben Seru now blue and the senior ranks were now red. Obviously this picked up the group and completed a great all round day by

46 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 returning us to Azimghur Barracks. Thanks go to Sgt Robbie Kerswell for organising the day, who due to exercise commitments couldn’t actually attend and to Sgt Micky Keers for acting on his behalf.

244 SIGNAL SQUADRON

OC Maj J Snelgrove SSM WO2 (SSM) J Bonney

244 Sig Sqn currently has B Troop deployed on Op HERRICK under Lt Chloe Bensaid. D Troop is deployed on Ex PASHTUN VORTEX 13a supporting JHC in Jordan, under Lt Ben Swatridge. As the Squadron prepares to re-subordinate to 30 Signal Regiment on 1 Jul 13, an immense amount of preparatory work is underway. Concurrently, a change of many key appointments sees the Squadron saying a fond farewell to the previous OC, Maj P Stowell MBE, WO2 (SSM) Bonney, WO2 (YofS) Shackleton and SSgt (FofS) Brewington. The 244 "Management Team" Charlie Troop: Exercise RED HAND - by Sig Davies Forward and onwards we were off to Chichester golf club for Elements of 244 Sig Sqn deployed on Ex RED HAND, a a quick round of golf (well it was quick for the SSM and YofS). Squadron level exercise, from 17 to 24 May 13. The purpose of It was all very grown up in a certain syndicate, where a play the exercise was for those in the Sqn, not on MST to focus on off was required. Maj Pete Stowell MBE was not impressed contingency and the development of core operating skills. It and joined the SSM and YofS in the clubhouse. Once all were gave the opportunity for young, inexperienced Detachment finished and stories were told it was time for some food. The Commanders and crewmen to be in a scenario where they SSM provided the venue i.e. his house and all descended upon had to make their own decisions on such things as site the Bonney residence. MT Sgt Ricky Gaston was in his selection, detachment routine, and other variables which element: hot grub, cool music and a comfy chair. Time passed would usually be under the supervision of NCOs. and it was time to return to the world of DII. The return journey was very quiet and LCpl Collins was kept amused by In the build up to deploying on the exercise we undertook a the sound of ZZZs from the rear. Overall a great educational two day PACEX on a makeshift “radio village”. The purpose day out with some quality development time for 244’s of this was to ensure the equipment was all working and Command Team. communications were able to be received and transmitted by all detachments in a controlled environment….with varying degrees of success! The PACEX also gave the junior signallers a chance to demonstrate that a lot of them are more capable than the ‘old boys’.

After all the call signs completed the PACEX they deployed to Salisbury Training Area. Although a grid reference had been given it was still up to the commander to perform a recce and choose a site, a first for some. During the 5 days in Salisbury both full set-ups and full tear-downs were completed every couple of days on the Yeoman’s discretion. We set our own routine, voice and data were sent throughout the days. The only things letting us down were the vegetarian rations!

There were visits from the Sqn OC who was happy with the capabilities and progression of the Sqn. The exercise was, without a doubt, a worthwhile task which not only demonstrated the capabilities of the soldiers to the Squadron but also, as importantly, to themselves. 43 (WX) SIGNAL SQUADRON (V)

244 Management Day - by WO2 (SSM) Bonney OC Maj H Hughes SSM WO2 (SSM) Donnelly Well overdue, 244 management team decided to have a day away from the DII terminal. So on the morning of Wed 8 May Lanyard Trophy: Under 35’s Team - by LCpl Simpson 13, all 14 Officers and SNCOs collected together within the Warrant Officers’ & Sergeants’ Mess for a quick brief on the I took the day off work on Friday and I was looking forward to day’s planned activities by our own chief tour guide, WO2 getting started by that point. All the waiting around, booking (SSM) Jim Bonney. Brief over, it was onto the mini-bus for a 2 in, kit admin and weighing was making us all impatient. There hour drive to West Sussex; time flew pass as the literature was nothing more we could do now but hang about and wait. provided made some great reading (history of 244 as well as the history of the red hand). All arrived at Tangmere Air Saturday night was a pretty poor night’s sleep thanks to LCpl Museum for 1200hrs, Tangmere was the birth place for 244 in Jefferies and his horrendous snoring. He deserves a special 1968, formed from 638 Troop. We were met by a jolly man by mention for keeping everyone awake when we all had to be the name of Ian who soon got us all in line, much to the up at 3! (Good bloke) disapproval of Provost Sergeant Karl Flannagan. We had a factual tour of the museum as well as having the opportunity After breakfast we made our way down to the start line and to use the flight simulator, SSgt Dave Tuck’s favourite bit! had our final weigh in. Before we knew it, the clock had

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 47 started and we were underway. Beforehand we had said we The heat was now starting to take its tariff and between were not going to race off until our legs were warmed up, but checkpoint 6 and 7, SSM Donnelly (The Sun seeker) was it was hard not to amongst the adrenaline and atmosphere. starting to succumb to heat stroke and with 5Km to go to our We settled into a comfortable pace and thankfully trusted in next check point, genuine concerns for his safety become our our own navigation as others blindly followed the front pack’s priority, but with true grit and determination the SSM track. A route that was designed for only the fastest legs. We managed to continue on with full weight carried to check managed to win some time by doing this which gave us more point 7 where CO 21 made the difficult decision to drop him confidence to try cheeky little shortcuts, unfortunately not all for his own safety. With a sombre mood hanging over us of them paid off. from the loss of our team 2IC and chief dispenser of morale, we pushed on to the 30 mile point. Checkpoint 1 and 2 were busy and we were in and out fairly quickly. After checkpoint 3 we faced the biggest climb of the Feeling tired and sore but still in good spirits, we set of from day which was a struggle for some but we all motivated the 30 mile CP to take on what looked like on the map, as the (pushed) them up to the checkpoint at the top. easiest leg of the day…Wrong! This leg proved to be the one that with the most challenges, both navigational and physical, By lunchtime we were looking forward to eating some decent with large parts being boggy and larger parts being sheer grit food and took the opportunity to air our feet out for a bit. As to keep walking through moorland sapping the energy with we left the CP we passed the French team who elegantly every arduous step where nothing seemed easy and greeted us with “Bonjour” to which LCpl Edwards grunted in everything taking twice as long as it should. Members of the his Welsh accent “Alright Bud”, sophisticated lad he is. team now starting to show signs of fatigue but with the Boss leading from the front and Cpl ‘The Pam’Jones tasked with By the last 3 checkpoints we had some that were struggling check Nav, we made headway. but we were determined not drop anyone and finish as a full team. As some were starting to suffer the effects of the heat The final couple of miles where an absolute treat going we all did our best to keep them moving. By this point the downhill on loose hard stony tracks in the dark with feet that competition was more about teamwork and determination felt like lumps of pure bruised meat, feeling every step the than fitness and navigation. The baby heads on the last 2 legs team finally crossed the line to a welcome cheer and applause which were an absolute joy and took their toll on our feet. both from our admin teams and from other teams from 21 SR Nothing that another layer of Vaseline didn’t sort out though. that had come back to see us across the line (helps having the CO 21 on your team!) We marched across the finish line as a complete team in a respectable time considering some had looked like they With massive thanks to Lt Col Aitken, WO2 Donnelly, SSgt weren’t going to make it a few hours earlier. In the end we Ives, Cpl Jones and LCpl Jefferies, a pleasure and a privilege didn’t make it to the bar for a pint which we said we would and I Looking forward to the next one…”Go to It”. have when we got back.

The Under 35's Lanyard Team The Vets Team

Lanyard Trophy: Vets’ Team – by Cpl Green Lanyard Trophy: Female Team – by Sig Pierce

The day started at 0300 hours, well, I say that, the previous An idea that turned into reality, an emotional roller coaster day never really ended as most of us where kept awake by ride of completing Lanyard 2013 in Warcop. LCpl Jefferies (the Chain Saw) snoring. So with bleary eyes we got ourselves dressed and prepared for a hard day’s Training. This started in February with everyone nervous of tabbing. Once at the FUP, our Bergans weighed in, the what to expect but excited and motivated in facing up to the excitement built and finally, under the team captain CO 21, Lt challenge of trying to complete Lanyard 2013. It brought the Col Aitken, (The Boss), we were off with the sounds of “The teams closer together through the weekends of training Ride of The Valkyrie’s” echoing around the hills… which paid off in the end due to the enduring task that faced us on the day. The first 10 miles flew by with very few issues, may be the odd navigational blip (Warcop is now diffy a few Bluebell’s Competition Day. It started early Saturday morning at 5am trampled underfoot…sorry!) and what we thought would be with spirits running high. 25 pounds of weight on our backs the hardest leg of the route done (how wrong we were!), we for 40 miles we must have been insane, especially with it settled in to a good pace with a few “fat man shuffles” on the being one of the hottest days we have had for this summer. down hills. Ten to twenty miles, again, a good pace but now We hit the first admin checkpoint that was placed below the the sun was up and starting to take effect on us, but still tallest climb we would have within the race. Preparing strong, we pushed on to our mid-way check point for food ourselves was a difficult challenge but if it hadn’t been for the and “resup” from our support team Cpl Keill and Sgt Saffery. support of the admin team being there we wouldn’t have got With a good amount of morale and cheer we forced the food as far as we did, their timing and preparation for our arrival down and we were once again off... was crucial giving us that motivation to carry on.

48 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 As we left the first admin point singing The Sound of Music Even though it was a struggle this year it hasn’t put us off of and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, spirits were lifted trying to complete it next year but has just made us stronger with more positive energy thriving from the team, with and brought the team closer together. magnificent views when reaching the top and an achievement of overtaking 2 teams at this point. Unfortunately even thinking this was the hardest point within the race was an understatement, as it became a slow struggle to keep the pace going due to injuries and painful blisters.

At this point morale was becoming low and frustration was kicking in due to the stop start conditions, which made the role of the admin team more important as we plodded on.

Even though morale was at a low point we stuck as a team and kept supporting each other. Failing was not an option, we set out to complete Lanyard as a team and that’s what we did even though we where the last team to finish, with a time of 18 hours 58 min the sense of achievement, a goal reached and an overwhelming experiences when finishing across that line in style. Exhausted and tired with feet throbbing but wouldn’t have missed it for the world. The Ladies Team

22nd SIGNAL REGIMENT STAFFORD

OC Maj N Schurmann was learnt and a lot of experience was gained, although we SSM WO2 (SSM) J Stephenson were happy to hear those famous words ‘ENDEX’. Smiles all round as we could finally get onto Westdown Camp, shower Exercise NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR – Supporting 42 Cdo Bde and sleep in a bed for the night before travelling back to - by Sig Taylor Stafford.

On Friday 10 May 13 there were tired eyes around 22 Signal Morrison Cup - by Sig De Silva Regiment as Cpl Dilip, LCpl Tularam, LCpl Daniel, Sig Taylor, Sig Hewitt and Sig Green deployed on Ex NORTHERN On 21 May, the athletics team from 22 Signal Regiment, ENDEAVOUR to work alongside 42 Cdo Bde providing Mission captained by Sgt McSween, met at sunrise (0430hrs) for the Secret Comms. This exercise was the accreditation for the EU long journey to Blandford Camp. As everyone dragged BG and therefore involved working alongside the military themselves out of their beds to the MT, you could see there forces of Latvia, Sweden, Netherlands and Lithuania. were very different moods and vibes around the team at that time. Most people moping around waiting for the moment to The long journey started down to Salisbury Plain at 0900hrs; get on to bus so they could get a few precious more hours this could take a while we thought, but no, we were there sleep before a very long day. A special mention goes to Sig before we knew it. The turning into Westdown Camp had Agar, who was straight into his sleeping bag. However, Sig arrived, exercise had begun. Waiting for us to arrive was Capt Patterson was buzzing around, he couldn’t keep still, quite in Smith, RSO of 42 Cdo, ready to take us to our location, the mood for his sprints and would not stop talking about Copehill Down FIBUA village. We were to be located in a FOB them. in the middle of a field; rations, no showers, portaloos and a room with 3 walls for the next 8 days; we couldn’t wait to get Upon arrival, we were given a quick brief by the PTIs at stuck in! Bed spaces, working environment arranged and the Blandford and then it was straight into the heats. The events kit set up we turned our attention to making an improvised were flowing rapidly and by lunchtime it proved to be a 2 way 4th wall. This was made by Sig Taylor, Sig Green and Sig race as 22SR and 21SR were locking horns in most events. A Hewitt using hessian and the old faithful black nasty; which vast amount of points had come from the throwing. Cpl Hunt didn’t work so well with rain, as we figured we would get and SSgt Hannah had done the Regt proud by winning the soaked making it! Looking like it was going to be gortex on throws hands down. SSgt Karl Hannah claims he’d just come for the next 8 days, as our room was on the verge of flooding, out of retirement after 5 years after throwing the distance of we were wrong. The sun came out for a few days and we 32.70m in Hammer, 32.96m in Discuss and 10.70m in Shot took full advantage when we could, as we knew it was too Putt. good to be true…sun on exercise!!! The Swedish were co-located in our FOB and became very popular by making The endurance races took place with Sig Kiran and Sgt Cooke pancakes for all, this brought morale up massively, and we leaving their opponents for dead at the start line as they queued in wind and rain for this delight with no hesitation. continuously overlapped them in the 1500m and 5000m. At the end of the heats we had done exceptionally well, going The exercise was in full swing and all officers had arrived, all into the finals in 1st place, but you could see the energy being great to work alongside and very grateful for our help drained out of everyone. that we provided for them. With no problems encountered and everything going right, there were a lot of happy faces After a well earned rest and good night's sleep, we travelled around the FOB. back to Blandford from Lulworth Camp and we were all pumped to defend our lead for the day’s final. Every event The week itself wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be, a lot was taken very seriously, but the day started with a class of

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 49 comedy from the Pole-vaulting event. There was fair few who deployed into the field and the camp was ours once more. had done this event before, but there were some rather funny LCpl Dougherty was on hand to keep up the PT with a few attempts. interesting INSANITY workouts after knockoff. Cpl Crosfield ensured morale was kept up with the production of some The next event was the hurdles. In the male event, LCpl Lloyd matching t-shirts. SSgt ‘MIA’ Graham also kept morale sky fell awkwardly at the 300m point and spent the rest of the high with his reliability in the MT department. day on crutches. However, Pte Gaunt representing the female team did extremely well, having not competed in this The day shift consisted of Cpl Hutchinson, Cpl ‘Thommo’ strenuous event before. The team Captain, Sgt McSween, set Thomas and Cpl Crosfield holding the fort. Sig Abbott found a fine example for the 22SR team by sweeping the floor with a new home on the service desk and put in a fair few hours. his 100m sprint. As the PTIs rounded up the final scores, the The notorious HO/TO dance which was accompanied by some male team finished runners-up by only a margin of points and 80’s pop music was rigorously enforced by Cpl Crosfield; the female team came in 3rd place. whose dance moves were second to none.

Overall, it had been a successful day, not only for the Regt, We all gained valuable knowledge on our kit and both 22SR but for the Corps in general. We had finished in very and 30SR integrated well. A lot of valuable lessons were respectable places, bearing in mind how busy we have been learned for future deployments. with Regtl commitments. The day only seemed to get better as our Tug-of-War teams led by WO1 Fraser won all their Exercise JOINT WARRIOR 13 – Supporting 16X weight categories and competed in an all ‘22SR’ final, adding - by Sig Amar Gurung more to the Regt Trophy Cabinet. After the presentation, attention turned towards the Regt Football Team as they Ex JOINT WARRIOR 13 took place over the period 19 Apr 13 to topped off an unbeaten season by clinching the final trophy 04 May 13. 217 Sig Sqn deployed to various locations around up for grabs. They won the Signallers’ Cup with a 5-1 victory the UK to support 16 Air Assault Brigade BGs. A Tp, 217 Sig against 21SR, with mention to goal scorers, Sig Anthony, Sgt Sqn played a vital role in the exercise by providing the primary Simpson and Sig Agar. comms, NATO SECRET services, to 16 Air Assault Brigade HQ alongside elements from 30SR who were providing the UK All In all, another great day of sporting achievements was had SECRET services. The aim of the exercise was to provide an by 22SR. opportunity to practice various types of operational situation we might come across around the world. Exercise JOINT WARRIOR – JTFHQ - by Sig Kershaw A Tp members were heavily involved in the PACEX prior to the A composite Tp of 217 Sqn and 222 Sqn deployed to deployment. For the actual deployment, we started the Westdown Camp in Salisbury Plain for 6 weeks. We were to journey towards Gamecock Barracks, home to 30SR, in the provide Magpie ICS to the staff officers of JTFHQ in support early morning on 19 Apr 13 where elements from 30SR were of Ex JOINT WARRIOR. waiting for us. After a short stop at Gamecock Barracks we all headed towards South Cerney for the deployment We were supporting 30SR in a joint effort with one week manifesting. After a night in the transit accommodation in build phase and two exercise phases. Tents shot up in no South Cerney, we then set off to Carlisle Airport to establish time at all and we installed over 100 laptops into the HQ as the HQ and Forward Mounting Base (FMB). Despite a long well as phones. Multiple staff readiness checks were drive every individual put in their best effort to set up as soon enforced by Lt Owens and a fair few more by Cpl Ingwahang as we arrived at the location. The Magpie Node 403 (the Sheriff) of the NER and his team of Techs. Detachment was used to provide NATO SECRET services such as Video Tele Conferencing (VTC), Secure Voice and Data We got into a shift routine quickly, providing floorwalkers to whilst the Reacher was used as the satellite bearer for wider deal with faults. Sig ‘Billy’ Connelly was like a rat up a drain connectivity throughout the exercise. All the links and pipe around the HQ, fixing faults in quick time. As STARTEX services provided by A Tp were smoothly operating and there approached the camp was flooded with 42 Cdo, Dutch were no major issues during the exercise. Aside from marines, Latvian military and other nations’ forces taking part communications, we enjoyed rations for ¾s of the exercise in the exercise, this considerably increased the queues for the period; needless to mention one shower run or two if you cookhouse. Once STARTEX was called all the variety of forces were lucky throughout the two weeks exercise period.

Members of A Tp, 217 Sig Sqn, supported by B Tp and 222 Sig Sqn

50 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 For the final phase of the exercise, the Tp recovered back to Stafford and conducted a full turnaround of all ICS equipment and personnel. All the hard work was paid off as the exercise was a resounding success, all of us gained a lot of valuable experience from the exercise; besides, a long Bank Holiday weekend was something to look forward! Or perhaps a good hot shower before anything else!

Gallipolli Battlefield Tour - by Capt Nick Perkins

As a joint campaign waged from land, sea and air by a multinational force, the struggle for the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915 provided a relevant, as well as fascinating, study for the senior NCOs and officers of 1 Sig Bde. Organised by WO2 (SSM) John Stephenson and Maj Nathan Schurmann, himself of the antipodean persuasion and a veteran of the peninsula (tour rather than war), the exercise aimed to bring out the lessons offered by those nine months of bitter fighting nearly Gallipolli Group 100 years ago and apply them to modern strategic, operational and tactical planning in a joint, multinational that although all syndicates had learned a great deal, it was environment. the SNCOs in the form of SSgt (FofS) Craig Petch, Sgt Stu Phillips and Sgt ‘Olly’ Oliver, who really knew how to bring From the teeming, vibrant (riotous?) streets of Istanbul to the the subject to life with a touch of traditional squaddie serenity and seeming isolation of the Kiretch Tepe ridge, the humour. tour provided a treat for all the senses, as well as for the inner (or in some cases very much on display) history geek. Educated and enlightened, we took our leave from our excellent host, TJ (a suspiciously Australian-sounding Turk From the outset it was clear that there was a wide spectrum who appeared to be Turkey’s answer to Del-Boy) and of knowledge, with the upper echelons occupied by Maj ‘Coo- returned to Istanbul on a four and a half hour coach journey ee’ Schurmann and Capt Daz Sheerin and the rest of us that would have made Gen Sir Ian Hamilton (CinC of the trailing along in their wake with varying amounts of Mediterranean Expeditionary Force in 1915) green with envy. background reading having been achieved in the previous A few hours of hardcore touristing in the former capital of the weeks. Undeterred and undaunted by this disparity in Ottoman Empire was all that remained, with the SNCOs doing familiarity with the campaign, embedded guide and late an admirable job of showing the officers how to unwind at RAMC officer Chris Best imparted his expertise at every the end of an intensely intellectual week. opportunity, artfully bringing to life the events of 1915 though a mixture of high level narrative and the emotive and at times incredible human stories that really give colour to the history.

Both the ruggedness and the lushness of the terrain came as a surprise to many, perhaps because our perceptions had been shaped by the film Gallipoli starring Mel Gibson; an accurate and impartial account (?!) of the tragic demise of the Australian Third Light Horse at the Nek. This episode, unfortunately all too representative of the waste of life that characterised the campaign, informed one of the many group discussions.

The application of the Principles of War, the Values and Standards of the British Army and the concept of Mission Command were the central themes to these discussions, to which all members of the group contributed opinions, arguments and counter-arguments. Sitting having these Helles Memorial debates amidst the verdant plateaus, ridges, gullies and ravines and with the sun sparkling on the Aegean Sea, it was hard to imagine the deprivation and hardship under which our Offshore Army Regatta - by Lt Ed Gutierrez forefathers operated on that same ground, and the chaos and confusion that led to many of the decisions that were made Ominous clouds crept menacingly onto the horizon dispelling on the spot. With perfect hindsight it is easy to dissect the a sunny afternoon leaving only a dark silver glare looming actions of individuals in such circumstances, but what became over Portsmouth Harbour. Both novices and experienced abundantly clear by the end of the tour was that proper and sailors alike were goading the weather for all that it could rigorous planning at all levels, the principles which we are bring and, once crews announced, vessels prepped and kit taught, and the modern orders process espousing Mission stowed, the initial crossing across the Solent to Cowes began Command, all exist for a reason. The missed opportunities, as did a taster for the coming 48 hours. the lack of initiative and the resultant bloody slaughter leading to what can only be described as a defeat, speak Leaving the harbour with relative ease we were finally faced eloquently on that subject. into a wind which blew furiously in shore immediately forcing the Victoria 34 boat onto its side marking the welcome of a Aside from the group discussions on individual actions and south westerly fright. The Fleet moved across the water the lessons contained therein, there were also syndicate cutting through wave after wave and, much to the delight of presentations, each covering the campaign in its entirety from almost all of the competitors, the waves were out to a different perspective, such as the Principles of CIS or the entertain us all. Principles of War. It became clear after these presentations

51 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 51 Capt Lee Ellaway deserves much of the credit and recognition 222 Future Commitments for the race experience gained by all competitors with the Corps achieving 2nd in the Dolphin Cup. The two boats, As we look ahead, the short term will see the completion of Victoria 34 and Skywave, performed well and there were fine FALTAT and Ex DRAGON COYOTE (a 222-led, Regimental Adv performances from the Skippers of both. Capt Ellaway of the Trg expedition to Yosemite National Park and the Grand skywave in the IRC division had the joy of a particularly Canyon National Park). Our preparations for the Autumn lightweight vessel managing to gracefully skim depths of 0.3 exercises supporting HQ ARRC will now begin in earnest, metres during 49kt winds, whilst Skippers mate Capt Alice including a more heavily employed Falcon fleet. Gifford duly assisted during a difficult race with Lt Heather Holmstrom and Sig J Glennen as crew. Meanwhile, on the Vic Exercise TETHERED FLIGHT (FALCON) - by Sig O’Neill 34, Skipper SSgt Darren Offord, Lt Col Julian Bunce and skipper’s mate Gaz raced with determination thoroughout Ex TETHERED FLIGHT is the first of three exercises to those same challenging conditions. Further mention also introduce Falcon to a Regiment. The PACEX started off to a goes to the crews for always fully embracing life from the slow pace, mainly because the Falcon detachments were still bow along with most of the seawater the Solent had to offer. unfamiliar to many. Luckily the FALTAT team were there to help sort out some of the problems that we were facing. LCpl On our passage race the Skywave made the decision to retire Harvey, detachment commander of the FMI detachment, just after we saw one of our competitors become grounded in took charge after the first few days learning the ropes of how Southampton water. Unfortunately this meant we were to take the briefs that the FALTAT team where giving us. As trying to get back to Cowes with a force 9 wind on the nose. we got through the week, the PACEX moved more smoothly We recorded 50kts of wind over the deck and in our struggle and everyone started to become more confident with the kit. to get back landed up doing a close drive by of the unlit Through sheer determination from everyone we got through Brambles Bank tower, which worried some of the novice crew it with heads held high. members as the rather large dark platform loomed out of the storm. At about this time Capt Alice Gifford’s strobe light As we moved into the actual exercise, heads started spinning inside her life jacket started to flash, looking somewhat like due to the vast amounts of kit that made up the two HQs. ET’s heartbeat. It was a long hard fight back, but we finally Cpls Barelli and Miller were the lead men for this large task, made it back into Cowes where Lt Heather Holmstrom was ensuring all equipment was checked and working properly. not to be beaten and decided to cook the evening meal of The detachments which provided services to the spinach and ricotta ravioli at 2330. Big thanks must also go to headquarters quickly got to grips with writing LAS plans, and Jay Glennen for managing to get the mainsail down in those detachments working on the fringes of camp scratched horrible conditions; things will never seem that difficult again. their heads while diagnosing and fault finding the wide area links. The exercise was largely a success, and through shear 222 SIGNAL SQUADRON hours working on the kit, many felt there knowledge of Falcon had dramatically improved, having finally got to put OC Maj O Dinnis into practice elements of their respective trade courses. SSM WO2 (SSM) W King No-one was more happy once the exercise started drawing down than Sig McDowell, who throughout the exercise did a 222 Update lot of legwork running around helping with the faults, and the exhausted night shift, who throughout the week worked odd As the wider commitments continue to keep us occupied, hours to ensure that we hit our deadlines. there has still been plenty going on here at 222 Sig Sqn. CO’s Cup – Inter Sqn Athletics Competition - by Lt Taylor Congratulations must be passed on to LCpl Poulter who recently began wearing his new rank, having been selected On Wed 1 May, every last spare individual in the Regt was for promotion last year. We have welcomed a few people fortunate enough to be able to down tools and head to such as Cpl Turner, Cpl Vaughan, Sig Jones and Sig Owen, Rowley Park Stadium. Up for grabs was the 22 Signal none of whom will thank me for the crates they will now be Regiment Athletics Cup as part of the CO’s Cup Competition. buying. We have also said farewell to Sig Daglish (ART The SSI, SSgt Min, and his team of PTIs (LCpl Jervis (Sp), Sig Salisbury), Sig McMahon (ART Brecon), Sig Shakespeare and Crossett (222), Sig Birtles (217), and Sig Norton (Sp)) had long Sig Tesseyman, who have each left the Army. been preparing to deliver what proved to be a competitive and entertaining day of athletics. With many of our detached personnel returning from their support roles on Ex JOINT WARRIOR, the Sqn has once again begun to feel more familiar. As reported briefly in the last edition, our continued work as the Regt lead on Falcon has now gathered pace. The article below on Ex TETHERED FLIGHT will highlight some shared experiences from other units in the Corps who have been through the process already. It will also provide a flavour of our preparations for our Falcon-integrated support to HQ ARRC later this year.

Now that spring has arrived, we are in Battle Camp season. Fortunately, many of the Sqn were able to get away on the Regt Battle Camp in Brecon. Continuing to build up our basics has long been on the agenda; 2Lt Malan couldn’t wait to get back in the field and show his new Troop what admin really looked like!

Finally, we will also see a hand over of Squadron Command from Maj Oli Dinnis to Maj Hannah Frost, arriving from the 3 Cpl Hunt (Sp) taking after Olympic Long Jump Champion, Greg (UK) Div Staff. There will be more on that and more, next Rutherford time.

52 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 With the tunes of ‘Now 83!’ blasting over the public Congratulations should go out to the winners of the 5000m announcement system, accompanied by roasting sunshine, events, Sgt Hoynes (Sp) in the female event and Sgt Cooke the sun cream was out, the sand pits were raked and the (252) who put all his previous experience to good practice. game-faces were being applied. Firstly, we’ll focus on the Both runners won with emphatic performances in tough Field events before turning attention to the Track. conditions over that distance.

For many of the athletes memories of previously forgotten PE The same must be said for the runners in the 3000m Steeple lessons from years ago were the only experience on which Chase, which had some close finishes all the way down the they could draw for the field events. As events took place order. Despite Lt Triddon (217) having just competed in the throughout the day in Triple Jump, High Jump, Hammer, 5000m, he finished very well in the Steeple Chase, which also Discus, Long Jump, Shot and Javelin, there were plenty of including a gutsy performance from WO2 (SSM) Marshall (Sp) points up for grabs. Some say that in all of those events, who was held off well by LCpl Sanjoy (248) who took his technique is everything. They hadn’t heard that phrase over place on the podium. Sig Dakeyne (252) finished in second at the High Jump. Forget the Fosbury Flop…2Lt Irons with 1st place going to Cpl Withers (252) with an excellent brought us The Superman! Down at the Hammer Cage a time of 11.39.89. A worthy winner of a very tough event. closely fought battle was being waged between the two FofS’ in attendance as SSgt (FofS) Petch (217) out threw SSgt A special mention should go out to Sgt Cunington (217) who (FofS) Wardle (222) by just 0.5m with a throw of 19.5m. competed in almost 100% of the ladies’ events to make up for Demonstrating a smattering of good “tekkers” in the Shot the depleted numbers in her female squad. competition, SSgt Hannah (Sp) brought a degree of professionalism to the arena with a fine throw. Meanwhile, as Cpl Hunt (Sp) and Sig Wadkin (222) were amongst the competitors on the male event, Sig Shelley (Sp) offered a revolutionary approach by including a mid-air squeal, perhaps in the hope it would increase her jump.

The hurdles was, er, a challenge. Well done to all those who stepped up to compete

With only 3 points in it after a whole day of competition, Sp Sqn were beaten to the title by 252. After a short medals parade and few team photos, the day was over. I would like Sgt Cooke (252), seen here throwing the shot, was one of many to offer my thanks to all those who supported and organised athletes to compete in multiple events the event including the staff at Rowley Park, SSgt Min and his team, Lt John Triddon, Sgt Dave McSween and the Team The jam packed program was unrelenting. Concurrently with Captains. All of the competitors and supporters carried all of the Field events, were the Track events. First up was the themselves with pride, making the day a great success. 400m Hurdles. Probably due to the fact that everybody still had their energy, the race was very competitive. Good Congratulations to 252 who will be looking to defend their performances across the board, including from Sig Rawlins title for the third year in a row next year! We will now be (222), who nearly lost his glasses several times, had made for bringing the best performers from across the Regt to a good beginning to the day. Sig Patterson (222) romped compete at the Morrison Cup event. home with the two sprint crowns from the 200m and 100m events, although his efforts on the final leg of the 4x100m relay were in vain as 248’s team marginally held onto the ground they had gained – a steward’s enquiry into the speed of the timekeeper’s finger proved inconclusive. The Ladies 100m Sprint was a close event. Despite Capt Taft’s (252) best efforts, it was not enough to hold off LCpl Nicolle of Sp Sqn who ran in a time of 13.59 secs. Sticking with female sprint events and the distinct lack of female competitors, a new event was introduced to the program. Readers, I give you the Ladies 2 x 100m Relay. Congratulations to Sp Sqn team who won this 21st century take on an old classic.

With everybody’s energy beginning to wane in the heat, the less said about the shorter hurdles events, the better. Fortunately, the turn of the middle distance runners had arrived. The two most gruelling events on the program were the 5000m and the 3000m Steeple Chase. There was still plenty at stake in both of these events as the scarcity of The winning team celebrated the hard-fought victory. Well done remaining points was becoming more apparent. 252 Sig Sqn!

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 53 Exercise STAFFORD SURF - by Sig Taylor designed to blow off the cobwebs. All was running smoothly until Monday evening when it decided to start to rain. “It On Monday 13 May, myself Sig ‘Jas’ Taylor and Sig ‘Oldie’ ain’t training if it ain’t raining” was the echo around the Sutton set down to Baker Barracks, home to Thorney Island harbour area. That rise in morale was soon crushed as we water sports centre. We were met by SSgt Rob Hickley woke up to even more rain the next morning. To be fair to (instructor) and two other bidding signallers raring to try out the Squadron there was no holding back on the section wind surfing for the first time. We collected all of our attacks that day despite the weather. The target indications equipment e.g. board, sail and wet suits to learn how bounced off the sodden trees and the sound of (blank) everything went together. Afterwards we went through the rounds was enough to warm anyone up. basics of wind direction and the theory about how sailing actually works. Later that evening we tried Thorney Island’s The training had gone well, so on Wednesday we were up finest pint of Fosters before getting a good night's rest in early and put into our platoons ready for the insertion patrol preparation for the next day. At 0800 we departed to Hayling to the battle prep area. H-hour was upon us and the platoon beach, paid the ridiculous £6 parking ticket, set up all our kit set out looking for trouble, and trouble they found. The first and got prepared for what we thought would be an easy day enemy position opened up and a swift but intense rate of on the water. Little did we know how big the waves and sea suppressive fire gave the section chance to roll through the breeze was and how difficult just getting off the shoreline enemy’s position. All was looking good as the platoon fought proved to be. on until through the smoke the cry of “man down, man down” was called. As a brave soul decided to run and save For the next couple of hours the Royal Signals team and over his mucker, the DS thought his drills were unsatisfactory so to 15 other Soldiers from other cap badges looked like some sort that matter the cry of “2 men down, 2 men down” was of circus act, getting on the board, falling off, on the board, passed down the line. Needless to say that apart form a few with the odd scream of despair every so often. We then suicide missions and someone getting swallowed up by boggy decided a nice cup of warm tea and a team talk was in order. ground the day was a success. After a night turning our kit The next two days brought the same story with only little around in yet another harbour area with constant disruptive progress on time spent on the board, never mind handling the attacks from the enemy we woke to a dry day and the sun sail or moving in any direction other than towards the sand. blinding us as we went into morning routine. The order was Until Thursday, the sun was shining down, little wind and calm given for us to approach the village and take it by force if water. This was our day to shine and thankfully after an hour necessary and necessary it was. The platoon went house by or so of practising in the new conditions, the majority seemed house clearing with grenades, smoke and aggression. After to have cracked it. Not moving very fast granted, but I think the village was secure a short lull in the battle was allowe for the two days of rubbish conditions made the final day look a live night shoot on a range that included mortars, over head like a breeze. Everyone grasped the basics of going to a gun fire and IDF attacks on our position. After that it was location, turning around and coming back, so we started back to the village to defend it for the night. The final attack tacking and jibing, all in all a very successful day. The week in the morning was one to be remembered. The enemy were overall was thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend it like mini transformers that just wouldn’t die no matter how to anyone wanting to get out of the office and try something many rounds went there way. A very strong and convincing new. effort was put in from all members of the 222 Sqn and we await the challenge of our next battle camp.

Sig Taylor and cohort looking pro

Exercise HOPTON STAFFORD - by Cpl Gooding

The Month of May was upon us and for many people the time to start booking holidays and enjoying the sun. 22 Signal Regiment Training Wing kindly invited 222 Signal Squadron to the holiday resort know as Brecon on the Regimental Battle Camp. The week started off on a high as it was a Sunday morning deployment and the sun was shining as we boarded the coach in Stafford ready for war. The purpose of the week was to learn/revise our knowledge of a fully functional platoon attack and to improve on our personal field skills. The first 3 days involved very thorough battle field lessons Sig Shelly firing during FIBUA

54 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 248 GURKHA SIGNAL SQUADRON were from our Regiment who helped win the inter-Corps Mitheun Cup. Our Regiment also qualified to represent the OC Maj JS Jones Corps in Army Operation Shooting Competition to be held in SSM WO2 (SSM) A Shrestha June this year.

Royal Signals OSC 2013 - by Sig Sanam The last day of the competition saw the inter-Corps matches being watched and enjoyed by many high ranking officers and The Royal Signals Operational Shooting Competition 2013 all other firers from different Corps. At the prize giving (Corps OSC) ran concurrently with the Theatre Troops’ ceremony, the top firer from each Corps was seated on the Operational Shooting Competition (ThTps OSC) at Pirbright Corps Chairand carried to respective Corps prize giving Range Complex over the period of 12-19 April 2013. This year venues. 22 Sig Regt team was heavily congratulated by the 22 Sig Regt entered 2 teams and 2 individuals, and succeeded CO for their achievement and with stronger determination to to keep the glory held by the Regiment in shooting. The achieve more in the AOSC, the team recovered back to shooting team, comprising of 13 men, was led by Capt Stafford. Dhirbahadur Pun, one of the most experienced and skilled marksman of the corps. Edgehill Battlefield Tour - by Capt Sam McEvoy

On the early morning of 2 April, having done initial zeroing On Wednesday 5 June, an unexpectedly cloudy day during the and shooting familiarisation at Kingsbury Range over the week of summer we’d had so far, 19 personnel from 22 Signal period of 25-27 Mar 13, the team headed down to Brunswick Regiment gathered to develop and educate themselves with a Training Camp at Pirbright which has been the regular battlefield tour of nearby Edgehill. Edgehill had been the first accommodation area for all the shooting teams for many major clash of the English Civil War, and so all were keen to years now. The team was based here for the rest of the get to grips with this monumental clash, especially as a pub training and actual competition period. The Team OIC briefed lunch had been promised. the training programmes which were to be run for the next one and a half weeks. The team members were also Edgehill battlefield has been preserved by building an MOD delegated with different tasks like armoury opening duty, ammunition dump on top of it, and so we had extremely good collecting packed-lunch, water and tea, ‘pull-through’ ICs etc. access to this site, a luxury not generally afforded to the These tasks were very ordinary but very essential for the general public. After the necessary/urgently insisted upon perfect functioning of a disciplined shooting team. caffeine stop we arrived at MOD Kineton where we were briefed and given an overview of the battle from a video The team would start the day with an early breakfast at 0700 (depressingly, not actual footage) and a talk from our guide, and after taking out the required weapons, they would go to Mr Frank Baldwin, a retired Officer and a member of the various ranges to fire different matches. Ash Range and Battlefield Trust. Everyone was surprised to learn that Pirbright Range areas were the main places for training as the actually not much had changed between then and now, competition was to be held within these ranges. The team merely the technology. Soldiers still carried their weapons had to train and excel their skills in different matches like and ammunition, command and control was always key to Machine Gun Assessment, Short Range Rural Contact, Pistol victory, and most people weren’t paid correctly even then. CQM, Section Advance to Contact, Fleeting Encounter The talk was given in an interesting and interactive fashion, Assessment to name a few. Along with the team OIC there encouraging 22 Sigs to use their heads to give answers, and were some very experienced firers who taught, instructed successful only because of the aforementioned caffeine stop. and helped the new firers during the training phase. Due to Having handed over phones, cameras and key fobs to avoid the shortage of ranges, teams from various regiments detonating the ammunition and removing most of the M40 incorporated with each other to fire the matches. After the from the map (apparently a ‘bad thing’), we headed to the day’s training there was team briefing daily at 1800 where the site of the battle itself. team discussed the matches fired and to be fired the next day. Scores were recorded for the purpose of team selection Lining up on the Parliamentarians’ right flank, looking at the and analysis of a particular individual firer’s progress during Edgehill itself (and, coincidentally, the pub), our guide talked the training period. us through the battle and the course it had taken. The Royalists had originally gained an easy victory, using the The last day of training, 12 April, was rehearsal day where the cavalry to smash straight through the Royalist flanks. It had ranges were conducted as they would be conducted during then turned into a “cake and arse party”, as the guide the competition period. Two teams and 2 individuals were described it, with the cavalry getting a little overexcited and finalised to represent our Regiment. The team members were as follows:

Team A: Capt Dhir (A), Sig Om (A), Sig Sanam (B) and Sig Sunil (NS) Team B: LCpl Robin (A), Sig Bijay (A), Capt McEvoy (YO) and Sig Rajendra (NS) Individual: LCpl Forster (A) and Sig Sandeep (NS)

The competition started on 15 April. Apart from the individual and team matches there were also Fire Team Combat Snap and Fire Team Falling Plate match which were much fun and different than others. Similar to the top 6 firers in the Corps, the winning team of these two matches would represent the Corps in the inter-corps championship. Unfortunately we lost to 30 Signal Regiment in the semi-final. However we had some pretty impressive and better results than last year. 22 Signal Regiment had won Corps Best Young Officer (Capt McEvoy), Best New Soldier (Sig Rajendra) and other individual matches. Three of the top 6 firers in the Corps 22 Sig Regt on the Parliamentarian right flank

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 55 doing their own thing, and storming off to loot the baggage Romans extended their territory here some 2000 years ago in train while the Parliamentarian infantry fixed the Royalist about 78 AD. The site had very precise remains from the past infantry and used their cavalry to great effect. The battle that spoke of the great Roman reign in the area. The other ended with a whimper rather than a bang, however, as both not to be missed part of the place was Vindolanda Roman sides eventually decided they had had enough and just went Museum which was an authentic and spectacular display of home after staring at each other overnight. We went to see Roman legacy that flourished in the area after the Roman the memorial, close to where a mass grave had been found occupation. from the battle, and then rebussed for the pub. The museum served as a highly valuable piece of knowledge Before lunch, however, there was still more work to do. A on Roman life that lasted for more than 300 years after the round robin kicked in, with WO2 (SSM) Autar teaching how occupation. It had a very good collection of antiques like modern CIS and command and control would have affected clothing, shoes, coins, weapons and many other items the battle, while Capt McEvoy taught on the Seven Questions excavated from the site and along Hadrian’s Wall. Even in and the Combat Estimate, and how that would have affected those days Romans were very organised and socialised. the battle. Both stands were interactive, and people seemed Exhibitions showed us how Roman soldiers and normal to get a lot out of it. citizens lived their life. There were also visual displays and written information which made our visit a very interesting Eventually, they were able to drag themselves away from the and memorable one. Learning about the Romans was stands and head into the pub for a lunch and a chat with our exciting and thus our exercise had started on a good note. guide and a look at the old Civil War weapon systems (which, After achieving our first objective we returned to Carlisle amazingly, but not surprisingly, Capt Teshar remembers using Castle where we were briefed about the next day's as a child), we returned to MOD Stafford. programme.

On the second day of the exercise, we got divided into two groups. We were to conduct cycling and hill walking simultaneously along Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland National Park. Hadrian’s Wall was one of the two heavily fortified Roman borders built in northern Britain which has been listed in UNESCO World Heritage since 1987. I was in the cycling group. All of us started at Steel Rigg car park. The route was about 7 kilometres along the national cycle route. There came a very steep road at the beginning which tested out physical stamina but soon the route became easier and we really had fun. Our finishing point was the Boatside Inn, a traditional countryside pub and restaurant located between the banks of River Tyne and wooded slopes of Warden Hill. We waited for the other group to join us after they had finished their part of the day’s event.

My group had hill walking on the last day. The route that we were taking was the 15th National Trail of UK known as the Hadrian’s Wall Path so most of the time we were near SSM Autar takes the group through modern CIS advantages Hadrian’s Wall. Our instructor, Cpl Khem, gave each of us a checkpoint to take us to so as to revise our navigation skills. Along the path we passed through some remarkable places The day was good fun, and gave us a chance to find out more like beautiful Crag Lough Lake, the Robin Hood Tree and the about how the Army has developed (the more things change, remains of Milecastle 39. The route was full of scenic beauty the more they stay the same) and how command and control, and we really enjoyed it. We finished at Housesteads car park with a well thought out plan, is always key. Many thanks to and re-joined with the rest of the group at the Boatside Inn. WO2 (SSM) Autar for organising the day and putting it all together. It was time for us to retreat to Stafford. Since we were tired from the day’s activities, most of us slept through the journey Exercise KHUKURI DRAGON-1 ‘With the Romans’ back. On reaching Stafford, we were debriefed about the - by Sig Sanam Rai exercise by Ex-Director Capt Surendra and he was happy that the main aims of the exercise were achieved. Also all the Having just been permitted to join the others, I hurried to my participating members expressed their satisfaction for having room and began packing up things for 3 days and 2 nights up gone on this exercise and how they would like to do such in Carlisle. Named Ex-KHUKURI DRAGON, this was a activities again in the future. challenging pursuit (between Level 1 and 2) adventure training organised by Sgt Narantak, Oscar Troop. Hence its objective 252 SIGNAL SQUADRON was more sort of developing team work, leadership, physical robustness and gaining historical knowledge. Twenty one A/OC Capt A Taft personnel from 248 GSS took part in the event that took place SSM WO2 (SSM) A Williams over the period of 30 April – 03 May. 252 Signal Sqn Athletics, 300 because 252 is good enough! - It took us around 5 hours to reach our accommodation which by Sig Dakeyne was based at Cumbria Army Cadet Camp (CACC) inside Carlisle Castle. As soon as the accommodation was sorted out we 252 (Hong Kong) Signal Squadron, soon to be renamed 300 headed towards the Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Sqn arose to the sun bursting through their curtains on a day Museum in Northumberland. Vindolanda, as we came to where they would commence battle … would they become know, is one of Europe’s most important Roman victors in the athletics arena? Already the prospects of a archaeological sites where live excavations take place great day ahead, the morale rose even higher when we were annually. It used to be a key Roman military post when informed that packed lunches were being provided, everyone

56 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 performs better with a week old sausage roll inside their The technique sessions would involve a slower paced session bellies. Was this an omen? We were sure winners in our in comparison to the endurance sessions. It would consist of minds! On the bus ready to go you could feel the tension and several rounds of combos of punches mixed in with footwork the readiness for the 252 Spartans to go to war. and movement. This would create a sparring like environment to get the fighters used to combining footwork Upon arriving to the arena, the presence of the 252 warriors and punching. All these sessions are building to, in my was felt instantly with the reminder of a gallant effort made opinion, the best type of training ….sparring. Sparring is from the year previous. Led by a ruthless athlete Sgt ‘Cookie where the fighters put together everything they have learnt Monster’ Cooke who was yet again on top form coming in into a controlled real fighting situation. The coaches would first position in all his track events of the day, he is still the be around to mentor, develop and to improve the fighters. one to beat. The sun shone down onto 252 as winning Sparring was extremely intense and had a huge variety of performances came in thick and fast in both the male and practises. Each round was different from fighter to fighter female events. Capt Taft’s sheer determination showed as which left us anxious but excited with anticipation to see she smashed the 100m sprint, crossing the line with a look of what each other would have to do. The round could be true grit and pride as the Sqn cheered her into second place. anything from a fighter in the middle with six fighters around Cpl ‘Wildfire’ Ingeldew-Hartfveldt filled with the speed of a the edge waiting their turn to have a minute round boxing thousand gazelles led the 400m until her merciful side poured with you. This doesn’t sound hard but each fighter would onto the track slowing down for her opponents to catch up. come in straight after one another and there was no rest. We “Tam the Merciful” was shouted from the rafters as she flew would also do technique sparring and full out sparring which down the home straight. LCpl Bojang left other competitors would be closely monitored. My favourite was when I got lying in the dust as he put in a first place effort on the 400m told to get in the middle and then two fighters would fight hurdles leaping and bounding over each one as if they weren’t me at the same time. The idea of this was to enhance my there. The morning had gone well and confidence was high footwork, combos and to keep my head up and know where as the afternoon loomed ahead. Could 252 overcome the my fighters are at all times so I could counter anything they other Squadrons and take gold overall? threw at me. At the time I didn’t see this as FUN, but looking back it was a great exercise. The 5000m came first. ‘Cookie Monster’ led from the off, one lap, two laps, three laps… there was no hope! Second place Weight loss proved a major stumbling block for the majority was firmly grasped by WO2 (SSM) Williams as well as a valiant of the fighters. The transition from eating and drinking what effort by Sig ‘Newbie’ Ray. The 3000m steeple chase and when you want was extremely frustrating and emotional, followed. Sig ‘Bam-Bam’ Dakeyne and Cpl ‘J’ Withers led the ask my family and friends!!! Sgt ‘Elf’ Watson on the other pack from the off and it became apparent after the first two hand lost his weight instantly and reached his weight group laps that the race was between them. With the final lap upon earlier than most, giving him adequate time to train and them they were neck-and-neck on the home straight, had we condition at his fighting weight. I on the other hand took done it? until the week before the fight to reach my fighting weight. We would be weighed three times a week to make sure we Formed up in a hollow square all the Sqs eagerly awaited the didn’t slip down a slippery slope and keep our weight results. Victory was awarded to 252 Signal Squadron with 300 manageable if we needed to loose a lot close to the fight. points to our name. Pride glowed from each of the Sqn’s Losing all this weight felt worthless when I injured myself five athletes as the medals were awarded. Thanks to the days prior to my fight, I was gutted. I tore the tendons and organisation skills of Sgt ‘Superman’ Grice, 252 took home the ligaments in my left foot as a result I could no longer fight and win for the Inter Sqn Athletics Competition 2013. my fight went to someone at 30 Signal Regiment.

ARRC Sp Bn Boxing Night - by Sig Emery The morning of the fight was a 0630 start. All the fighters were weighed and briefed for the day ahead. This led onto a Weeks of training had taken place before the main event, the medical at the Med Centre to check the fighters are still fit to night of the boxing would commence on the 05 Jun 13. fight. After our team breakfast we had the rest of the day to prepare and relax for the fight ahead. 1800 came about and it Six weeks prior to the fights, intense training sessions had was my job to warm up and make sure that the fighter had been planned out to get us in the best possibly shape, the correct kit and were ready physically and mentally. The preparing mentally and physically for the battle ahead. Six fighters were introduced by the speaker and then had a weeks, 7 days a week, 3 x 2 hour sessions a day. smoke filled entrance lead by either a drummer or a piper, with a lap of honour of claps and cheers. Sgt Watson was the Sessions ranged from long distance endurance fat burning first fight of the night, it was a fast paced fight packed with runs to circuit training developing muscular endurance and hard punches, fast footwork and blood. Unfortunately he lost strength, the boxing sessions taught us the technique needed his fight on a points decision but was cheered on by 252 Signal to be successful. The fat burning runs would increase our Squadron which had the best turnout for any fighter. After all fitness and to loose and prepare to loose weight in order to the fights had finished and the awards ceremony was over, meet our weight groups. Lessons such as shadowboxing the party continued into the Sgts' Mess for food and beer!!! worked on our footwork, teaching the fighters to move as well as punching making us a hard target to hit. The circuit Exercise HOPTON STAFFORD - by Sig Purvis and Sig Robertson training would involve exercises that slowly built up fitness and technique. This is because a lot of the exercises would As we set off from Imjin Barracks for Sennybridge training mimic boxing techniques and the circuits would strengthen area, no one was looking forward to sleeping in the field as our muscles so that they are more consistent and last longer we knew it was going to be a week of rain and general poor doing the correct technique. The crucial fundamental weather. We turned up at Sennybridge Camp and were given punches such as jabs, uppercuts, hooks and forehand were grid references for the 3 farm buildings that 22 Sig Regt had practised on equipment such as bag and pad work. We did booked for the duration of the exercise. We arrived at farm 6 two different types of bag and pad work technique and and were split down into 3 different sections ready to do a endurance. Endurance would be punching constantly for a weapon handling test and collect rations, BFAs, blank mags number of rounds dictated by the coaches. Before you would and some specialist equipment. We then set off onto the change partners this would be done relentlessly throughout area. the session involving different combos of punches.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 57 We got to the first harbour area and set the bashers up and night; after all, the race started at 0530 the next morning! we were immediately glad to get under them as all it was An early rise of 0400 was followed by a good breakfast and doing was raining. The first couple of days were ‘relaxed’ as consuming plenty of energy drinks, before heading off to the we went through the teaching phase of the exercise, starting start line just outside Keswick. We lined up on the start and off with casualty drills and then covering house clearance and at exactly 0530, the klaxon sounded to set us on our way. section and platoon tactics. The lessons were conducted on With the promise of severe rain and wind, we were keen to separate hills so there was walking in the rain between each stick to the plan early on. We stayed at a steady 8 minute 50 session which needless to say was as fun as it sounds. second per mile pace for the first ten miles, staying as a team and reaching the support vehicle for the first time in good Once the exercise started properly we had to put the past spirits. A brief flapjack, banana and drink break and we were couple of days into practice. We started off by tabbing on our way again toward the 18 mile point; the next around the area, up and down hills for 6 miles as we scheduled meeting with the support vehicle. We had planned approached the line of departure. Sig Garrard was looking as to stay as a team until this point. As the weather closed in happy as he always does, and giving the rest of his section the and the gradients increased, it became evident that this was morale that they needed for the next 4 hours of uphill not realistic, so we split into a group of four and another of platoon attacks. We reached the final harbour area of the two. week, setup a triangular harbour area, and were then contacted throughout the night until the next morning. The group of four of us reached 18 miles, and the welcome sight of the support vehicle, still feeling strong. A similar As first light came we packed up all the kit ready for the best routine as before was quickly followed, before (as planned) part of the exercise, the move into the FIBUA village. This we set off at our individual pace. With the support vehicle was the highlight of the exercise for all of the troops as it was not due to make another appearance until 26.4 miles, this going to be something different and it gave us a chance to meant some of us were now in unknown territory. In spite of put all of the training that we have been given into practice. this I, (and others agreed after the event), felt good. As It all came together well and it was actually a lot better than individuals, we trickled through the next checkpoint, might have been anticipated. refuelling as we went.

2 section was the first to clear one of the abandoned houses As I reached the 30 mile point, the route followed by 1 section and then 3 section. After the break in left the more populated areas, winding there was a chance for some admin but we still had to keep up steep hills and into the rapidly on our feet as we were always under attack. Before we got approaching poor weather. The stretch into our night time stag routine, the sections separately went between the 30 and 35 mile points was out to the live range, which was another highlight of the bleak, freezing cold and lonely. By now, exercise. After that we got into our routine and defended the runners had spread out a long way the houses from constant attacks during the night and and a period of around 20 minutes putting our night vision to good use in the process. passed without me seeing a single Ultimately this lead to the final attack at about 0500hrs which person. lasted until about 0700hrs; a lot of rounds went down that day. At around 35 miles, the route As ENDEX was called there were a lot of happy soldiers! After wound its way the debrief we split down into smaller groups and patrolled into the the training area to collect all of the brass and pyrotechnics Cpl Hunt digging in! outskirts of that we had used that week. Everyone was looking forward Barrow-in- to getting a nice shower and a cold beer by this point, as it Furness, becoming more populated had been a hard but enjoyable week. as it went. The 1 mile to go sign was the most welcome sight of the day, SUPPORT SQUADRON resulting in an almost sprint finish! As I crossed the finish line, it was an OC Maj J Renshaw emotional point, elation almost SSM WO2 (SSM) N Marshall taking over. A couple of guys had Sig Abreu making it look already finished, and the others came easy! Keswick to Barrow 40 Mile Walk - by Cpl Tom Hunt in over the next hour or so. In all, 5 out of the 6 of us finished, with Sig After several weeks of progressive build up training, and with Nendick having to withdraw at 26.4 miles with a calf injury. a team of six scraped together from a very busy Regiment, The individual results were: we set off for Cumbria on the morning of 10 May. We had varying levels of experience in the team, from a Trailwalker Sig Kiran 7th 5hr 44min champion to a couple of us who had never run over 20 miles. Sig Bikram 19th 6hr 7min With the Regiment having taken 3 team trophies at last year’s Cpl Hunt 21st 6hr 9min event, we were slightly disappointed that we had not Sig Scullion 103rd 7hr 7min managed to enter a qualifying amount of ten runners, in order Sig Abreu 217th 7hr 53min to defend the titles, but we were still keen to do well. These are great individual and collective results, from several We had accommodation booked at Ambleside Hut, and made hundred runners, considering the pace of Regimental life our way there to settle in and unpack. Though the hut had before and during the event. We hope to enter a full team limited facilities, it was perfectly suitable for our brief stay. next year and compete for titles again! Once we were ready, we set off to Barrow-in-Furness to register. A quick and simple process, which also saw us Exercise HOPTON STAFFORD (Regimental Battlecamp) begrudgingly hand back the trophies from the previous year. - by Sgt Mark Hopkinson A quick peek at the records board assured us we were better sticking to our plan! A quick trip to the supermarket for food On a suspiciously mild morning on 7 May 13 a number of shopping, and we were back to the hut to settle in for the highly motivated and professional soldiers from 22 Signal

58 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Regiment Training Wing bolstered by two steely eyed RLC Chefs and a collection of battle hardened REME personnel deployed on Ex HOPTON STAFFORD.

This was to be the start of two 5 day exercises concentrating on low level Infantry skills at Section level with an introduction to operating as part of a Platoon. As the phrase “contingency operations” seems to be in vogue at the moment it was decided that a FOB based scenario would a bit “last year” and not present the challenges that may be faced by soldiers deploying on future operations.

To that end it was decided that there is no finer location within the United Kingdom to train soldiers in the art of being cold and wet than Sennybridge Training Area. Imagine if you can the disappointment of the DS (mainly Sgt ‘Kit Junkie’ Fish & chips!!! Hopkinson) when they got onto the training area only to see the sun shining, lambs bounding around the fields and the The morning of day 3 saw the troops in an FUP around Bivvy occasional butterfly fluttering through the air. Area 2 and at 0900hrs they crossed the line of departure into where the wild things are. The first wild thing happened to With grumbles of “Training areas weren’t like this in my day” be an IED, injuring one unlucky soldier Rifleman Paddy and “soldiers aren’t as tough as they used to be” the Townley (who was up until that point up for most improved disgruntled DS set about preparing for the arrival of the field soldier) required CASEVAC (up hill naturally) to the CSM. exercising troops, and arrive they did. From there, the plucky Platoon moved on only to have some bounder, namely Cfn ‘CJ’ Cauldwell, open up on them from Looking like a well armed faction of the Staffordshire his lair in the middle of a bog, where he spent the majority of Rambling Society the soldiers for the first week slowly made the exercise. The cad was quickly dispatched but to their their way to Farm 6 where they were issued with lots of kit dismay, as the rest of the Platoon moved up, another enemy and equipment to carry by SQMS Sgt ‘who needs a washbowl position was discovered and by that I mean they got shot at anyway!’ Evans. The DS were again slightly perturbed as this again by SSgt ‘Sniper’ Hutch, the greenest chef in the Army seemed to have no effect on the morale of the soldiers who ever! This pattern continued throughout the day, the brave seemed more than happy to get extra burdens such as rations troops battled through enemy after enemy with only the and water. With all briefs and administration complete the manic cold laugh from Sgt ‘Stinky’ White for comfort until troops were led to their home for the next 3 nights, Wood finally they reached their abode for the evening, Wood Block Block 61. With grumblings of “this isn’t a FOB” etc the spirits 1. With comments along the lines of “it still ain’t a FOB” of the DS began to rise slightly, if only it wasn’t so sunny and echoing in their ears the nasty DS left the troops to lick their warm. wounds, or did they?

The next day the DS awoke to find the training area they After a night of enemy probing attacks the troops made their know and love, so with slightly manic grins and a brisk walk way to Cilieni Village to conduct the FISH (Fighting in they set off into the sideways rain and grey hills to conduct Someone’s House) and CHIPS (Causing Havoc In Peoples day 1 of training. Streets) phase of the exercise. Once all allocated buildings had been secured they then rotated through a live fire The next two days saw the troops rotate through a series of defensive shoot which was very well received by the Battle Lessons (FIBUA, BCD, Section Attack and Platoon exercising troops. By this stage the malevolent DS had Attack) and Battle Exercises confirming what had been taught developed a grudging respect for the troops who had, overall, on the BLs. proven themselves to be robust enough to survive not only the fickle weather system of Sennybridge but also a physically and mentally demanding exercise. So with slightly heavy shoulders the DS allowed the troops from week one to depart and began to look forward to week two where the process would start again.

Fear me at your peril!

The evil DS led by the RTO Capt ‘anyone for golf!’ Ingham and the RTWO WO2 ‘Tier 1’ Duncan tested the troops to their limits but still morale remained high so it was decided that things “needed to be stepped up a level”. Stream Bed Babies Heads or Up Hill

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 59 Field Catering Demo to Newport ACF - by Catering Tp out by another member’s surf board. All he can remember is a surf board flying through the surf towards him when he Four chefs from 22 Sig Regt deployed to Newport on 1 May 13 started to see stars, but instead of flipping burgers, as his to conduct a training day with the Newport ACF detachment. normal day job would entail, he flipped his surf board over The day was a great success with cadets, local press, parents ready to catch the next wave. and even a local politician very excited to see a Field Catering Kitchen setup along with an improvised section. The evening On the final day of Coasteering the OC Sqn, Maj Renshaw, consisted of lessons on the field and improvised kitchens, 10 pushed himself to his limit by jumping off a 10 metre cliff into man and 24 hr ration packs and a quick 5 minute look around the raging sea. Once consumed by the swell he clambered the MANN truck. The evening ended with all 43 cadets having back on to the rocks ready for his second attempt. For the a 3 course meal made from the 10 man ORP. final part of the activity the group was given an opportunity to jump off the quay, this is where the OC and SSM, WO2 Marshall, brought their competitive streaks to the party in the form of a diving competition. The SSM started with a single somersault and successfully landed feet first. When it came to the OC, he tried to beat this with a double somersault but unfortunately he didn’t make the second turn and ended up face planting into the water, with a massive oohh from the remainder of the group.

22 Sig Regt chefs demonstrate an improvised oven

The OC literally throws himself in at the deep end!

Other activities included mountain biking, rock climbing, sea kayaking and inland kayaking. On one occasion, while rock climbing, we had our very own spiderman, with Cfn Daniels wearing a spiderman onesie while climbing the rocks.

A visit from the CO and RSM gave them a glimpse of the inland kayaking. One group was set up to do a fun backwards race, which was no easy task, proven by Sig Brunton capsizing right in front of the watching hierarchy, much to the delight of his fellow kayakers.

Feeding time!

Exercise DRAGON SUSTAIN - by LCpl Mechan

Support Squadron Adventure Training (AT) was fast approaching with a two week training package organised by Sgt Parry, containing a number of different activities. The AT was due to be held at Castlemartin ATC from 8 - 19 April 13.

The Sqn set off from Stafford to Castlemartin with a 6hr journey. On arrival at Castlemartin the Sqn was detailed into their groups for the forthcoming week and received a brief on the week’s activities, the lads happy to hear that they could relax in the bar with a beer and Sky Sports after what would be an arduous, challenging but enjoyable week.

One of the activities was coasteering; an activity that most of the guys had not done before, which involved traversing the coast and jumping off into the sea. Due to the time of year this was not exactly the warmest of activities! The cold tested even the hardest soldiers and you could hear most of the Spiderman gets involved grown men screaming like little children. However this was followed by surfing, an event which was found enjoyable by all that took part. During the second week, Sgt Oliver was All in all, Ex DRAGON SUSTAIN was a massive success and was demonstrating his awesome surfing skills, until he was taken enjoyed by all ranks taking part.

60 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 30th SIGNAL REGIMENT BRAMCOTE

A/CO Maj D Rook QRF IC and 2IC. The practical navigation lesson which was RSM WO1 (RSM) Setchfield conducted by Cpl Dipak Gurung as part of MATT 5 was also challenging due to wet weather and the nature of the training 250 GURKHA SIGNAL SQUADRON area. To add training value the weather remained wet, which was ideal, not only for the Individual Fire and Movement OC Maj J Malcolm shoot but also for the MATT 4 lesson which was conducted by SSM WO2 (SSM) Tirthabahadur Rai Cpl Resham Thapa.

Exercise SHINE KHUKRI – Squadron LFTT IN Sennybridge On day 4 the Sqn OC, Maj Malcolm, accompanied by the Sqn - by LCpl Suman Shrestha OpsO Capt Sillito, visited the training area when we were going through the pairs Fire and Manoeuvre. In adverse On Sun 5 May 13, all available members of 250 Gurkha Signal weather conditions, soldiers demonstrated their efforts and Squadron deployed to Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) for enthusiasm whilst maintaining the high standard of skills a week long Live Firing Tactical Training (LFTT) exercise. The taught during the week. Watching the soldiers on the exercise was led by SSgt Gyanendra Rai and included various ground, he was impressed with the skills that had clearly stages of live firing, including GPMG shoots. The exercise also improved over the week, and he then delivered MATT 6, included BCCS lessons and MATTs as part of the concurrent Values and Standards, as the background activity. and evening activities. The main aim of the exercise was to deliver training in order to maintain the readiness of the Finally, on Friday, we went through the live firing fire team personnel assigned to support contingency operations and attack, which was again a great opportunity for JNCOs and provide tactical live firing training to the Squadron. As the potential NCOs to improve and demonstrate their leadership Squadron has been extremely busy on various skills. It was a huge achievement for every one of us. The communications exercises over the year, it was a great exercise has definitely sharpened soldiers’ skills and has built opportunity to get away from the normal routine and be up confidence to carry out any task whilst under pressure. involved in some rather different and challenging activities. The whole week can be summed up as very successful and a brilliant training package. On Monday 6 May, with sunny blue skies, the exercise commenced with Grouping and Zeroing followed by the Nepali Long Language Course - by Lt John Fraser ACMT. Concurrently a GPMG shoot was also conducted which was a great experience for the majority of the soldiers as they On 6 Feb 13 I deployed to Nepal to begin my long language were firing the weapon system for the first time. The course. The aim of the course is to give the foundations of highlight of day two was the defence shoot, which was based the Nepali language in an intensive 10 week package, as well on communication site security with a QRF. The shoot as the chance to learn much about the culture and life of the included various scenarios such as a casualty, IDF and ammo Nepalese people. The course itself takes place in British resupply which were genuinely relevant to the nature of our Gurkha Pokhara, a beautiful camp located in the shadows of job on current operations. In addition, the shoot also the sacred mountain Machhapuchre. The course was provided an opportunity to improve and demonstrate challenging and the Nepali language can be confusing (I am leadership and command and control skills for the appointed still struggling with the difference between 4 and 6) but the

Group photograph of members of 250 GSS during LFTT in Sennybridge Training Area

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 61 excellent instructors did a good job of guiding myself and location and were able to get communications established. colleagues through. FALCON proved to be an extremely good piece of kit and it dropped in extremely quickly once we had the Skylark in and We also had the chance to visit an AWC, an outpost designed working. The new telephone hand sets proved to be very to be a point of contact for the welfare pensioners and user friendly and were fully embraced by the HQ Staff who service pensioners in the region. The AWC also takes were impressed by the functionality they provided. The responsibility for local projects that can be anything from new exercise phase for X Troop passed without any major dramas buildings for schools to hydroelectric projects for the and the primary role of the Troop, in addition to ensuring that villagers. I was lucky enough to get sent to AWC Chitwan in the systems stay in and working, was manning the HQ SPOC, the very south of Nepal, a hot, flat, jungle region that was providing level 1 and 2 support to the Staff. home to a vast array of exotic animals. During my week long attachment here I visited several schools and Nepal’s biggest Working in a Brigade HQ is something new for most of the cancer hospital, as well as the chance to ride elephants and soldiers in the Troop, allowing them to get exposure on a go on jungle safari. Seeing the schools was a very humbling wide range of different kit, not just ICS equipment. As a experience but very enjoyable and the hospital was very Troop Commander it is of great benefit to see the Brigade impressive and clearly a huge benefit to the country. Towards planning cycle in action and framed all the lessons learned on the end of the course, we had the chance to go white water JOLP and JOTAC. Overall the Troop performed extremely well rafting down the Trishuli River. This was a brilliant Adv Trg and as I leave them in the capable hands of Capt Rupkumar experience and the picturesque scene of seeing the monkeys Gurung Saheb, I depart with equal measures of pride and playing in the water along the way will live long in my sadness. Despite only spending a year with the Troop I have memory. enjoyed being part of the QGS family and will miss the functions and get togethers that make up an important part The course culminates in a two week trek in a remote part of of the Regiment’s Kaida. I did not expect to be embraced as the country. The aim of the trek is to go and meet the fully as I have and any successes the Troop has had are due to pensioners in the more inaccessible areas and ensure that my excellent team of SNCOs led by SSgt Gyandra Rai. I wish they are in good health and have no welfare issues. The all members of the Troop the best of luck for the future and opportunity to meet many of the old and bold who served in hope we serve together again soon. conflicts as far back as World War 2 was very good and they had many exciting stories from their time in the Brigade of Jai Queens Gurkha Signals! Gurkhas. I also visited many school projects and it was very interesting to meet and greet the teachers and children who 256 SIGNAL SQUADRON obviously work hard to learn and teach in conditions that are not always ideal. My trek was from AWC Bagmatti just west OC Maj A Aylward of Kathmandu and finished in the mountain town of Gorkha. SSM WO2 (SSM) Lane

The course was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and Exercise UNCERTAIN LENS - by Sig Jones and Sig Russell the experience was truly incredible. As a British officer in the Queens Gurkha Signals, the chance to see where it all began Ex UNCERTAIN LENS is located in sunny Cyprus on Episkopi and experience the culture and lifestyle of the Gurkhas is Garrison. It has been a bit of a change from the usual something that will benefit me greatly for the rest of my time exercises on Salisbury Plain, Catterick and Scotland. In at 250SS and my career. Nepal is a truly stunning country and September 2012 Charlie Troop, 256 Squadron deployed out to perhaps the most naturally beautiful place in the world and I Cyprus on a JTFHQ exercise to set up Reacher, Cormorant, would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit. JOCS, and also 2 Bowman Land Rover dets. When comms were in and everything was working the lads went into Exercise JOINT WARRIOR 13 - by Capt Dan Tope working shift patterns. When they were not working they enjoyed their time off visiting different places on the island. X Troop currently provides the strategic communications for Also getting a tan was high on the list of priorities. the Air Assault Task Force (AATF). This means that whenever the AATF deploy on exercise, there is a fairly strong chance Charlie Troop were out on exercise for just 2 weeks, after this that the Troop will deploy with 216 (Parachute) Signal it went down to the minimum manning of 5 people on a 3 Squadron. When we arrive in location we will bolt on to the month rotation. The team comprises of one ‘SME’ on each of Tier 3 Headquarters (T3 HQ) or Brigade Main and then provide the dets, a MT representative and a Sgt, currently Sgt Ingoe. the HQ with a bearer system (usually Skylark however it can be Reacher) and then a number of IT systems and telephones (normally Housekeeper and JOCS working through Baseband in a Box (BBiaB)). Ex JOINT WARRIOR 13/1 was different however as we were going to be deploying FALCON and DII(LD) into the field on a tactical exercise for the very first time. FALCON was used to replace BBiaB and also provide the telephones, whilst DII(LD) replaced JOCS and provided the UK SECRET data.

The first stage of the exercise was Ex FIRST FLIGHT in South Cerney, where we had to ensure the readiness and Troop’s ability to deploy. We were only in location for 24 hrs as we were able to get through all the vehicle and personnel checks with the minimum of fuss, despite some last minute lashing down of the equipment before we were allowed to be loaded onto our aeroplane for the deployment.

Our “aeroplane” turned out to be a 6 hour convoy move to Carlisle and after the minor miracle of moving a convoy, which included a DAF, without anyone breaking down we arrived in Sgt Ingoe maintaining the Det with Sig Russell

62 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Whilst out here the team maintain the dets on a day to day Once all personnel had arrived, the building of JTFHQ 1 began. basis. We carry out a PACEX every other week to ensure all With the weather being cold and wet all personnel came communications are working fully, just in case there is a need together to get the complex built. After a day and a half the for us to stand up the comms for operational commitments. tents were up and it was time to get the comms in and During the PACEX we report back to Northwood and Colerne working within the 72hr period given. The comms equipment once everything is up and running. being deployed on the exercise was Dii (LD), Falcon, Reacher and Magpie provided by 22SR. After 3 long days and all Our day to day life consists of normal detachment preparation complete, JTFHQ 1 was ready to welcome the maintenance and we also help out the J6 cell which is based staff. on camp. This has its perks because they like to treat us to a meal every now and then which keeps us sweet. We are able With the exercise spanning all over the UK, JTFHQ’s role was to keep on top of out personal fitness because the gym the command and control of 12,000+ personnel spread over facilities on camp are of a high standard and we also have numerous AO’s. This was facilitated by the robust CIS that access to the swimming pool where we are able to sneak in a 30SR and 22SR provided. Comms worked well throughout the bit of sun as well. exercising period, with the exercising staff being able to use the systems to their full capabilities. Successful We get most weekends off which allowed us to explore the communications between German and Dutch naval vessels island in more depth. Thankfully we had been able to get and JTFHQ was a breakthrough for interoperability. ourselves some transport which makes life a while lot easier (although we struggled to get our hands on the keys due to Once the staff arrived it was time for personnel to continue LCpl Stan Turner sneaking off doing jack runs to the beach). their hard work; manning the service desk and providing support to the staff from their respective systems. With a shift pattern plan drawn up, those who were not working were able to have some down time. FIFA tournaments around the accommodation on the X-box provided morale and entertainment; as you can imagine it got quite competitive.

Prior to the EUBG exercise starting, a reshuffle in accommodation was necessary. Towards the end of JOINT WARRIOR the blocks were getting cleaned and handed over. The night shift had just finished and retired to the block when the work party arrived to clean around the bed spaces. Working their way through Block 32, the body of LCpl Payne sleeping in his bed did not stop them from lifting the frame and cleaning under it. This didn’t just disturb him but managed to disturb a bolt from the head board. Once finished, LCpl Payne’s relief lasted momentarily, as when he climbed back into bed it collapsed. It’s safe to say this provided morale for the rest of the day and put a smile on everyone’s face.

After three weeks of hard work and graft, Brig Felton CBE addressed all JTFHQ personnel to thank them for their efforts and hard work. He expressed his gratitude for the consistent and reliable CIS 30SR and 22SR provided. With the exercise considered a huge success, it was now time to prepare for the EU Battle Group exercise, Ex NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR.

Exercise NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR - by Lt Laurence Brind

For Ex NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR, 256 Sig Sqn, 250 Gurkha Sig Sqn, 217 Sig Sqn (22SR) and 23 Pioneer Regiment deployed along with the European Battle Group (EUBG) over the period LCpl Turner in Jimmy pose prior to beach break! 7 - 17 May 13 to the lovely site of Westdown Camp for the second phase of a busy exercise period.

Since we have been out here we have been able to drive to Once the Staff arrived on 7 May after a weeks break, Ex various different beaches and book ourselves in for some NORTHERN ENDEAVOUR began and JTFHQ became the excursions such as boat trips and activities in a water sports Formation Headquarters (FHQ). The aim was to train, assess facility. The Sun Tan competition is underway as well with Sig and certify the UK-led multinational Battle Group (FHQ and Nathan Jones and LCpl Stan Turner buying ‘Short’ Shorts to manoeuvre force) in preparation for the EUBG commitment maximise the area to be tanned. The white bits need to be between 1 Jul and 31 Dec 13. kept as small as possible. We are currently planning on more cultural trips to see the Cypriot way of life in places such as The UK has taken the ‘lead’ responsibility for the delivery of a the United Nation Buffer Zone and Aphrodite’s Rock. mission capable rapid response EUBG. Together with Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden and Netherlands, it creates the Partner Exercise JOINT WARRIOR - by Capt Nick Perkins Nations, who have offered Force Elements at readiness.

For Ex JOINT WARRIOR 1/13, 256 Sig Sqn, 250 Gurkha Sig Sqn, The exercise consisted of over 700 troops, the core being the 217 Sig Sqn (22SR) and 23 Pioneer Regiment deployed on 8 Royal Marines, out on the ground in Salisbury Plain Training Apr 13 to Westdown Camp on what would become one of the Area with 79 Staff officers occupying the HQ. busiest exercises of the year.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 63 between art and pornography! Having finished our dinner we all met in the Roadhouse in Covent Garden where we were able to bring the evening to an eventful end.

The HQ from the top of a Reacher Det Similar to Ex JOINT WARRIOR, the communication systems deployed were: Bowman, Dii (LD), Falcon, Housekeeper, MPTE, Reacher, TacSat, VTC and Magpie supplied by 22 SR. In FHQ, Magpie provided the core CIS services whilst Bowman Roadhouse fun with 2Lt Josh Woulfe, Capt Nick Perkins, was used for the Tactical CIS. The role of 30 SR was to 2Lt Alex Orme and Capt Dan Tope facilitate all Headquarters staff by setting up the CIS infrastructure and maintaining it over the exercise period. The following day we shook off the previous indulgence and travelled to Chelsea where we visited the National Army The exercise phase ran smoothly with the communications Museum. Here the subalterns were informed that we would holding out for the duration making another successful be required to each give a briefing on one exhibition in the period. Although the morale was low due to being away for museum. I chose the Boar War, not particularly because I the past 7 weeks, Sig Wright was on hand to keep everyone’s knew anything about the subject but mainly because I could spirit high as halfway through the exercise he received his wear a Boar War style helmet from the gift shop to distract LCpl promotion, presented by Brig Felton CBE. The exercise the audience from my distinct lack of knowledge. also saw ministers from all nations come and visit on the final day, first FHQ and then the men out in the field.

With everything going to plan, everyone was poised for a quick tear down. The prospect of a full weekend off after the long exercise period was a good incentive. Before the dust had settled from the VIP’s cars the tear down had begun. In an impressive time of 20 hrs, all kit was packed and the area handed over. Another success, another exercise complete and time to look towards Cyprus in November.

The Corps Dinner Night, Exercise CEREBRAL SWAN - by 2Lt Alex Orme

For 30 Signal Regiment the Officer’s Corps dinner night was part of a two day exercise called Ex CEREBRAL SWAN.

This consisted of a visit to PJHQ in Northwood for a series of briefings on current operations in Afghanistan alongside the other commitments and contingencies for UK forces. We were given a tour of main building by our new CO, Lt Col Niall 2Lt Alex Orme briefing 30SR officers on the Boar War Stokoe. The building is state of the art and is like no other working environment I have seen in the Army so far! Having learned a great deal over the two days we returned to Bramcote still buzzing from a thoroughly enjoyable time in After lunch we made our way into London where we were London. graciously hosted by the London Regiment for the duration of our stay. We immediately donned our dinner suits and began Alderney Dinner Night - by 2Lt Alex Orme the search for the infamous ‘Boris bike’ which we were hoping to use as transport to the evening's event. However 30 Signal Regiment has enjoyed an association with the Island this was deemed to be impractical and therefore after of Alderney for many years. As such the Regiment holds an visiting one of London’s classic corner pubs we moved by annual dinner celebrating this valued relationship inviting the minibus to the Savoy hotel. President and First Lady of Alderney as well as their honoured guests from the Island. As my first experience of this dinner I Not all of us attended the main event in the Savoy, some initially expected it to be another Regimental dinner with the dined elsewhere in a rather eccentric and theatrically themed usual toasts and traditions. However I was surprised to see restaurant nearby. Here we enjoyed a three course that our honoured guests had brought along some of their meal alongside some officers from 22 Signal Regiment with own toasts which turned out to be more complex than the whom we discovered some intriguing illustrations in the usual calls to raise our glasses. toilets that could only be described as treading a fine line

64 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 The first of these toasts was called the ‘Loving Cup’. It consisted of passing along what resembled the FA cup from one person to another. However each sip required three people, one to pass on the cup and turn their backs to stand guard, a second to turn and bow to the next person then drink from the cup and finally a third to simply hold the lid before receiving the cup themselves. A fun and unique way to finish off a dinner but perhaps not quite as enjoyable for those who received the cup after twenty or so others. A further toast was proposed which involved members and guests turning to their partners, raising a glass of rather strong brandy liquor and stating the following oath: “Never above you, never below you, but always with you” at which point all took a sip or an unwise gulp for some.

After dinner we were able to mingle with the various guests who regaled the Troop Commanders with experiences and tales of when they were Troop Commanders in Korea; quite log into the masterpiece it finished up as. Overall, it was a an apt topic considering modern day tensions in the region. successful Troop effort on behalf of 256 Signal Squadron.

Having convinced our guests to continue celebrations a few A few days later we had to present our log to the CO and hours past their pick up time, we bid them farewell and look then raced with our outstanding looking cigarette! We raced forward to raising the Loving Cup again next year. to several stands and answered questions on the dangers of smoking and the effects it has on the body. After the No Smoking Day - by LCpl Maughan competition finished, the CO came to the simple conclusion that our log was by far the most outstanding and presented No Smoking day this year took place around a log run! It 256 Signal Squadron with the best looking cigarette award and required a log to be painted for a competition between the we were given six 30 Signal Regiment t-shirts. The day was an Squadrons. The task was to make the most realistic cigarette overall success and the Regiment learned the implications of looking log whilst displaying factual information as to why smoking on your health and wallet! smoking is not healthy for the human body.

When I mentioned to the Troop that we had been given this task, proud members of Alpha Troop jumped at the opportunity to help me decorate the log. So we set to work having Sig Dan ‘Aspy’ Aspinall check the dimensions of the log from the cigarette butt to the end of the cigarette and then start with the first coat of white paint. MeanwhileLCpl Stu Helin acquired some wire mesh from Nuneaton so we could burn fake money in the end to make it look like smokers are just wasting money. Cpl Paul Saunders created the ‘fake money’ so that we could burn it when presenting the finished cigarette log. When Sig Aspinall finished painting the log we placed pictures and facts on it. LCpl Sam ‘Potsy’ Potts and LCpl Kirsty Maughan were the true artists in making the

37th SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS) REDDITCH

CO Lt Col Cairns TD RSM WO1 (RSM) Moore

The Regiment would like to say farewell to Capt Tom Lappin (QM) on posting and to Capt Hazel Ashton for her short, but informative spell as Adjt, we wish them both well for their future careers. Farewell and happy retirement also to SSgts Thompson (PSI Tech) and Farnes (Sp Sqn SPSI) as they leave the regiment on retirement at the end of their colour service; we wish them and their families well and hope to see them in the near future as reservists! The Regt welcomes SSgt Backhouse (SPSI 36 Sqn) and his family to the Regt and congratulations go to the QM Capt Tom Lappin and his partner Helen on the birth of their son James.

37 Sig Regt - Royal Signals Corps Triathlon

Since its inception 3 years ago, 37 Signal Regiment have participated in the Royal Signals Sprint Triathlon which takes place at Colerne, courtesy of 21 Sig Regt (AS). This year was Successful Regimental Triathlon Team

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 65 no exception and 13 personnel from our Regiment took part, faster than this” (SSgt Milton). This is when the excitement including TA, NRPS, FTRS and Regular soldiers/officers. began with the drivers of the RRCs opening up the throttle and showing us what the craft can really do. Despite high winds and heavy rain, our individuals and teams battled through as they went on to win: the Minor Unit male competition (Capt Martin Smith, SSgt Mark Reynolds and Sig Darren Roland), Minor Unit female competition (LCpl Michelle Hughes and LCpl Becky Selvey); best junior woman (Cfn Jenny Callow) and best veteran woman (LCpl Becky Selvey). Congratulations to all who took part and we fully intend to participate again next year; however, regrettably we will have to do so without the motivating influence of Capt Tom Lappin who is unfortunately posted.

37 Sig Regt Command Board 29-31 May RRC at full throttle - by Capt NA Amis (PSAO 36 Sig Sqn)

Chickerell Camp in Weymouth, provided the perfect setting After a good soaking and a bumpy, but thrilling ride we for the latest CO's Command Board. It also provided a good disembarked from the RRCs in Lulworth Cove. We sorted out opportunity for permanent staff to complete some AT and our kit and were then split into our 3 groups to start the MATTs serials in the process. It started early on the morning coastal route back to Weymouth. Having previously been of 29 May 13 with the long drive from the various Squadron posted to Bovington for 2 years along with SSgt Milton, both locations to meet up in time for lunch; where we were briefed of us were fully aware of what lay ahead of us and the rest of on the MEL by the event organiser, SSgt (SQMS) Milton and the group! We were given a map, 4 check points and told to his team. The rest of the day was taken up with MATTs for crack on to CP1. Luckily for us the weather was good, as was the permanent staff and briefings for the PSAOs evening. the visibility; so when we eventually managed to reach the top of some of the many hills on route, we were treated to The following day started with an early breakfast and after some fantastic views of the coastal scenery and across the the morning brief, it soon became clear why we had also been water to Weymouth and Portland. told to bring a good pair of boots and waterproofs along for the event; the Jurassic Coast from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth Bay lay ahead, with a surprise along the way. We jumped onto the transport, but only to be driven the short distance to HQ WRAT, where we received a water safety brief and realized that the trip to Lulworth would actually be by sea! We were provided with life vests and safety helmets before being split into 3 groups and shown to our new mode of transport. This consisted of two Rigid Raiding Craft (RRC) and a third craft being used as the safety boat – it was a lot slower, had comfortable seats and gave shelter from the wind, water and cold. As you would expect, the more mature members of the Regiment opted for this boat, led by the Ops Major and Quartermaster. Perhaps they wanted to stay dry, but this was not to be. The Jurassic Coast between Lulworth Cove and Weymouth

After a long, but enjoyable day and with some of us suffering from a blister or two; the day was rounded off with the CO’s Comd Board. The whole event was extremely well-organised and for myself, who is relatively new to the Regiment, it was a great opportunity to finally get out of the office and to meet other members in person rather than via DII or the telephone.

36 (EASTERN) SIGNAL SQUADRON

OC Maj K Humphries Leaving the Harbour area SSM WO2 (SSM) Tara Pun The new training year has started apace with a number of As we set off and made our way through Weymouth Harbour Squadron infantry exercises in preparation for the Regimental at a very slow 2 mph a voice was heard to say “I hope they go Annual Deployment Exercise (ADE) in September to Elmpt, as well as a MATTs package in Weymouth. Various members of the Squadron also attended the Class 3 CS Op Trade Camp, represented the Regiment in sporting events and taken part in AT activities. OC 36 Sig Sqn represented the Squadron at the reunion Dinner on Saturday 11 May, held in the impressive Hall of Selwyn College, Cambridge, and brings together current and former serving Officers from 54 Sig Sqn/36 Sig Regt. The guest of honour was Brig David Hargreaves, who was a former Tp Comd in 54 Sig Sqn and Comd 2 (NC) Sig Bde.

The Squadron bids farewell to SSgt Lee Fraser who has been On RRC getting we SPSI Tech for the last two years and is now heading out to

66 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Kenya to take up the role of BAKUK TQMS. We thank SSgt downloaded our results from the timing chips we wore during Fraser for all his hard work in the Squadron and wish him all the race. the very best in his new posting. His replacement, SSgt Backhouse, joins the Squadron at the beginning of June from It was a very successful day for the Regt. Myself and LCpl 10 Sig Regt. Also departing for pastures new are Cpl Tom Selvey (48 Sqn) were the female Minor Units winners, Cfn Burke and Cpl Ben Morris who have decided to hang up their Callow (Sp Sqn) was the female Junior winner and LCpl boots, and LCpl Zoe O’Connell who was successful in her Selvey also won the female Veteran category. The men’s transfer to LICSG; the Squadron wishes them all the best for teams were first and second in the Minor Units competition, the future and thanks them for their work. so as a Regt we won everything that we entered!

Congratulations go to Capt Raj Sherchan and SSgt Robert Rock Climbing Foundation Course 3-6 May 13 Aldridge for coming 2nd in the pistol competition and 3rd - by Pte Sara Flatters respectively, in the OSC held in April 13. The Rock Climbing Foundation course took place in Wales Royal Signals Triathlon May 2013 - by LCpl Michelle Hughes over five unusually sunny days in May. Organised and instructed by Lt Col Coffin and Lt Beal of Essex ACF, this was On the evening of 8 May, myself and Cpl Kelly made the cross by no means a course for the faint hearted. Each student was country trip to Colerne, the home of 21 Sig Regt, to take part assigned their own individual instructor and there was much in the Corps Triathlon. This was only my second triathlon and competition between the instructors to see who could scare Cpl Kelly’s first, so we were excited and apprehensive at the their student the most by pushing us onto more complex and same time. This triathlon was a sprint distance, so we had a higher multi-pitch climbs. 400m swim in the pool, a 21.5km bike ride and a 5km run to look forward to the following day. The course was primarily focused on teaching the skills and techniques required to ‘second’ on a multi-pitch climb. Thursday morning dawned and the weather was not looking However, in preparation for the next level course and to great at all. After setting up our kit in the transition area, we become an instructor, there was also the opportunity for headed into the PT hall for the race briefing. During this time students to take the lead on simple routes and to set up top the wind began to gust strongly and knocked a lot of the rope climbs and abseils that can be used by groups. This was bikes off their stands, causing many dropped chains before a fantastic, well organised and at times terrifying course. A the event had even begun, which was not a great start. The big thank you to all the instructors from the ACF and other first wave of the triathlon began at 11am. Waves contained 16 students who made it such a success. competitors and were spaced at 15 minute intervals. The waves were based on swim speed, with the fastest swimmers 48 (CITY OF BIRMINGHAM) SIGNAL SQUADRON going off first. However, triathlon is a three discipline event and it is your overall time that counts, so if you have a fast OC Maj L Mayell swim, you could still drop down the order on the bike or run. SSM WO2 (SSM) Potts It took me 15 minutes to complete the swim. It was very choppy with 15 other people in the pool and 4 to a lane, but 48 Sqn have continued the year a pace, with numerous 14 lengths later the lane marker was tapping me on the head recruiting Outreach events, including support to 2 abseiling to give me my 2 length notice. Unfortunately, during my activities in the heart of Birmingham City Centre (off the swim the heavens had opened and by the time I was outside House of Fraser building) and on the Exercise and training in the transition area, everything was soaked through. I front, the Sqn has supported a range of activities as we quickly put on my t-shirt and trainers and headed out to support UK Ops and train for the Regt ADE. complete 3 laps of the site on the bike. There was also a short section on the main road, which required a stop/start approach at a junction. Between the wind, rain and hail, there were times when I actually felt I was not moving forward despite moving my legs round.

An hour later I was back in the transition zone racking my bike and then set off running around the perimeter of the site. We were told to ‘keep the fence on your left shoulder and you’ll not get lost’ – 28 minutes later I’m back in and finished. Now time to change and have something to eat, while the marshals

Successful Female Triathlon Team House of Fraser abseil event

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 67 CS Op (V) Class 3 part 1: 14 Students attended part 1 which included training in the following areas:

BOWMAN VHF and HF Radios Antennas and Propagation and 12m Mast Voice Procedure and BATCO Message Procedure EW, Infosec and Compusec Army Org and Map Symbols

CS Op (V) Class 3 part 2: 31 Students attended and passed this part which included BOWMAN Adv Sig Sys and Level 1 Maintainer. All of these were awarded their TRF on the graduation parade.

Sig Griffiths from 37SR was awarded top student by Col Edwards, Asst Comd 11 Sig Bde closely followed by Sig Saunders from 39SR in second and Sig Dodds from 32SR in third. Congratulations to all three. The view from the top Most of the students on Part 2 had passed Part 1 on the On 6 Jun 13 Command Support Team (CST) 48A was tasked to previous trade camps held in Swynerton earlier in the year. deploy to Stafford Police HQ in support of 143 Bde Ex TRITON; The general consensus of opinion was that the facilities and the scenario was based around severe flooding in the learning environment in Blandford are vastly superior to the Staffordshire area, how ironic, it turned out to be the hottest main square of Swynerton Training Camp! It is now intended day of the year. The exercise also involved multiple civilian that all TA trade training will take place in Blandford. agencies, emergency services and military units. The crew consisted of Sgt Montague, Sigs Henderson, J Hussain, O 54 (Worcestershire) Support Squadron (V) Hussain and Lennon. On arrival we were met by several large modern buildings and in most cases each room had OC Maj C Quincey broadband and fixed telephone lines. Then came the call SSM WO2 (SSM) M Evans “hope you got your tent lads”, as we were ushered outside! Since the last issue 54 (Worcestershire) Support Squadron has For those that don’t know, our Sqn/Regt mission is to provide been working at full steam. Alongside the usual training and Robust and Resilient Information Communication Systems; so recruiting commitments, the Squadron produced a number of this gave us an ideal opportunity, not only to demonstrate competition wins and hosted the Regimental visit of GOC just how robust we are, but to showcase the recently Theatre Troops, Maj Gen T Radford OBE. standardised layout of the detachment. Within 90 minutes the tent, power and all communications equipment were up The Squadron honed its military skills at Nescliffe training area and running. Despite being in location for only 3 hours on Ex GLOBAL TROT; skills which were later tested when a followed by a further 60 minutes tear down, we were section from the Squadron, made up from REME and Royal promptly relocated to Tamworth Community Fire Station for Signals personnel, won the national REME patrol competition the next serial. Ex GRIFFIN SPANNER (congratulations to the Team).

The second location proved far more challenging in more Squadron members have been rubbing shoulders with ways than one; after arriving slightly late at 1800 due to Redditch MP Karen Lumley at a recruiting fayre in Redditch rush hour traffic, having nowhere to park, no area to set up and members of the Squadron recruiting team also attended inside or out and requiring a VTC conference call at 1900 hrs, the North East Worcestershire College community day as part the realisation of that magical building of opportunity of the national recruiting drive. promptly withered away. At this point I would like to say just how hard the lads worked, within the tight time frame of 15 On the sporting field, a mainly 54 (Worcestershire) Support minutes and being parked in a lay-by next to the Fire Station, Squadron team celebrated success at the Corps triathlon we managed to deploy the Generator to the smallest of competition and Sig Darren Rowland became the only TA grassed areas, the satellite on the path, put the VTC and two soldier to be selected for the Corps Football team. canvas chairs in the back of our Crew Cab and coned off the whole area; we were ready for our “user” who turned out to be Comd 143 Bde, Brig G Wheeler. Not only was it a first time for us to set up the VTC in the back of a van, clearly by the expression on the Brigadiers face, it was his too!

53 (WALES & WESTERN) SIGNAL SQUADRON

OC Maj M Longcake SSM WO2 (SSM) Cash

11 Bde Trade Camp - by SSgt Chwieseni (53 Sqn SPSI Tech)

37 Signal Regiment ran a Trade Camp from 4 – 17 May 13 at the Royal School of Signals in Blandford, for all TA units within 11 Sig Bde. Various Regiments contributed instructors and training was provided to qualify TA personnel to Class 3 level, Sig Roland in the CS Op (V). WO2 (YofS) ‘Scouse’ Lloyd once again managed to control the course to the highest standards.

68 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Exercise GRIFFIN SPANNER

Ex GRIFFIN SPANNER is a National REME patrol and trade skills competition which tests military and REME trade skills. The Sp Sqn team took part in 10 stands including a march and shoot, assault course, post crash incident management of a simulated helicopter crash and a vehicle recovery stand.

The Squadron team came 1st overall and also took home the March and Shoot trophy, despite being up against much larger and more specialised units.

Cpl Russ Taylor acted as the section 2IC and signaller during the competition; he said “It was great fun to have a go at some of the trade challenges as I’m not from a REME background. Most of the stands were easy enough to get to grips with, it was a bit like being on Scrap Heap Challenge at one point when we found ourselves producing a catapult.” Ex GRIFFIN SPANNER successful team

38th (STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS) SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS) SHEFFIELD

CO Lt Col S A Smith A few good hits, and few not so good but all in all the left RSM WO1 (RSM) S Hook handed rock throwing competition was the highlight of the archery competition. The PSAO, Capt Kev Taylor arrived at Update From RHQ this point and took photos of the left handed rock throwing that was the concurrent activity whilst others were shooting Since the last edition of The Wire the Regiment has welcomed arrows. The furthest left handed throw actually went to Capt a number of new faces into new jobs. Capt Steve Clarke GM Taylor, who I think may be left handed, but no one quizzed QGM*as our new RCMO and WO2 Jane Batchelor as the new him on this matter and instead took pictures of his lengthy ROSWO. The Regiment said a sad farewell to our Adjt Capt throw. Tuni Masi, who will be sorely missed, especially as he’ll be gapped until November! We wish him well in his new employment.

1 SIGNAL SQUADRON

OC Maj S Osei-Agyemang SSM WO2 (SSM) M Gott

Squadron Adventure Training Weekend - by LCpl Graham Martin

As adventure training weekends go this promised to be no different. Water and “concurrent activity” were involved.

The weekend began at Bletchley TAC, where those attending formed up to be briefed about the events of the next 48 hours. Kayaking and archery were on the cards for the following day. The evening’s events involved getting everyone together in the Squadron bar for a few games of cards with OCdt James Bond. Rummy and Crib were not on Cpl ‘Fish’ Sammon conducting concurrent background activity the cards (boom, boom) but some interesting games were, of left handed throwing! which involved everyone wearing socks on their hands or touching the ceiling every 5 minutes. These games went on After thanking the archery instructors, and having a team for quite a while and the new recruits certainly enjoyed the photo with our best shots of the day, and there were some bar events that were laid on in front of them. great shots, we moved onto the kayaking part. Mixed with emotion of whether it would be a dry or wet experience it The following morning the troops were split up into soon became apparent that the experience would be wet, so I syndicates, one adventure training and the other recruiting at wore a wetsuit for the occasion. the infamous Bletchley Fair. I was in the first syndicate to take part in kayaking and archery and so jumped on the bus in The kayaks were open top and fitted 3 to 4; our kayak was me anticipation of what lay ahead. We arrived at a scout camp in - LCpl Martin, LCpl Parry-Hall and Cpl Sammon at the helm Caldecott Lake and went straight into some archery on the 10 taking on full responsibility of steering our vessel. We were metre “live” firing range. After quizzing the local archers on caught in the wind and couldn’t keep up with the rest of the the best medieval fight scenes and how far an arrow could kayaks, soon enough we were wedged firmly against the go, we donned our archer arms and had a go. bank. After some evasive action we were plain sailing again and out on the open water. Unlike one kayak who had

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 69 managed to sink before they even got in the water soaking interest in the recruiting stand and there were some real their whole team, not wishing to embarrass anyone but this hopeful candidates that we spoke to throughout the day. kayak was lead by SSgt Mark Taylor. All in all a very good weekend laid on by senior staff, so on behalf of everyone thank you. It was a very good Adventure Training, Recruiting, BBQ and card playing weekend.

From L – R, Sig Constantine, SSgt Taylor, LCpl Wragg, Rct Evetts, LCpl Mudie, Cpl Allen, LCpl O’Sullivan, LCpl Martin, LCpl Parry-Hall LCpl Robson and OCdt Bond conducting recruiting at the West and Cpl Sammon Bletchley Carnival

Washed about by the speedboat making waves on the lake 2 (CITY OF DUNDEE & HIGHLAND) SIGNAL SQUADRON we soon made it to the dam where the instructor started playing games with everyone. After 10 minutes the kayaks OC Maj Alex Scott were filling up with water and we headed back for the final SSM WO2 (SSM) Dave Honeyman race to the finish line. At this point kayaks began to go down, LCpls Andy Mudie and Clive Wragg were soon in and unable Exercise MERCURY RISING - by SSgt George Cowan to bring their kayak back up above the water and had to be rescued by the safety boat. They were fair to their fellow EX MERCURY RISING is the Sqn’s Bi-annual Low Frequency kayakers and soon dragged them under too! Fall Back (LFFB) deployment that was conducted on the airfield at RM Condor, Arbroath and this year was SSgt Kev Mclean and Sgt Rod Hamilton’s first deployment as the main Flight Control Officers (FCO).

After a long day building the site, the Met Office forecasting was pointing to a window for inflation at 0100hrs Sunday morning (which is the usual ungodly hour when it's good to do Aerostat business). The weather window appeared and the inflation went ahead successfully. The inflation complete it was time for some well earned head down time and then setting to work for our VIP visit the next day.

On Monday it was the first visit of our new Bde Comd, Brig JJ Cole OBE, Comd 11 Sig Bde to be able to see the Sqn on a full LFFB deployment, meet the Sqn Comd Team and receive a number of briefings before deploying to the site to see the LFFB for the first time and meet members of the Sqn. The Cpl Allen and Rct Evetts make a hasty retreat for dry land!

There was a final game to play at the dock, and eventually everyone was swimming, thank God for that wetsuit!

In the afternoon we were invited over to Bletchley Park where many old members of the Special Comms Association were having an annual meeting. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking in the history of the Enigma and were surprised about the role of pigeons in the Second World War. This was followed up with a rather wintry Sqn BBQ. Although a few people where feeling a little ill we put this down to the vast amounts of green water swallowed at the kayaking earlier in the day (or perhaps the KFC?!). The evening was filled with more card games and Guinness and pulled Sgt Lesley Bayne briefing Comd 11 Sig Bde and his team with CO everyone together for a real good laugh again. 32 Sig Regt in the background

Our syndicate came across to the Banbury Fair on the Sunday morning for a day of recruiting. The weather was fine and the visit went well even though the Comd had a lot to see and do main arena was putting on a good show. There was a lot of in the short time he had to spend with us and the sun even

70 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 came out!! (shame it was still blowing 30 knots however). The Comd also presented SSgt George Cowan with his CGS’s Certificate for Outstanding Service.

Team 1 finally at the top of “Culardoch” L - R: Sgt Trev King, Cpl Kath McKenzie, Sig ‘WD40’ Deaves, Capt Kat Mee, Cpl ‘K-Z’ Krawczyk and Sgt Joe Wiggins

hot spot on the foot, which was quickly remedied by a quick dry sock and powder change. The second injury was Cpl ‘K to Z’ Krawczyk who braved an old rugby injury which required some anti-inflammatory drugs to keep it in check. These two Comd 11 Sig Bde presents SSgt George Cowan with his CGS’s walking wounded were efficiently dealt with by our resident Certificate for Outstanding Service medical person Sgt ‘Mr Vain’ McDonald. Then the team quickly headed south-east down the track; taking the direct route back down to Invercauld House and then to the car Training for Exercise NORTHERN PEAK - by Sgt Trev King park for the pick up point.

Ex NORTHERN PEAK will be the Regt’s annual trekking exped All in all a decent six hours in the hills collecting a Corbett and and this year will be venturing to the sunny US of A in Oct. In reversing some of the damage of a week in post, but I feel the preparation for the exped the organiser, WO2 (YofS) Chris Munro Monster is still not satisfied. The parting comment Powell, held a trg come selection weekend. Maj Alex Scott, from the OC was “Corbetts are all well and good, but it’s been OC 2 Sig Sqn, led a team from across the Regt to the too long since we bagged a Bidean (a larger peak – Ed)!” periphery of the Cairngorms, more specifically the Corbetts of Culardoch and Carn Liath. “Sir, the forecast looks promising!”

Access to the high ground is straightforward thanks to a 41 (PRINCESS LOUISE’S KENSINGTON) SIGNAL SQUADRON proliferation of paths and tracks. But when it comes to attaining the summits themselves, trails are rather OC Maj Bob Lovett intermittent and while Culardoch is defined by a trig point at SSM WO2 (SSM) Simon May 900 meters, the situation on Carn Liath is less clear, as the hill has two tops both of which are 862 metres high. The Sqn’s growing enthusiasm has been reflected in increasing attendance and appetite for the variety of training On completion of the brief the troops were divided in to two on offer. Much of this can be attributed to our outgoing OC, teams, team one lead by Capt Heather Lawrie to advance on Maj Bob Lovett, who leaves us on promotion for the dark(er) to the 900 metre trig point on Culardoch via the Eastern side at UK Ops, 11 Sig Bde as the SO1 G3 and we wish him a approach and team two lead by Sgt Joe Wiggins to advance fond farewell and look forward to seeing him in the near on to the 900 metre trig point on Culardoch via the Western future in his new role. approach. Simples! Exercise KENSINGTON FIREPOWER - by Sig McIntyre-Barn With the teams crossing the start line at the allocated time it was good to view seemingly proficient drills. Equally Our weekend began on Fri 15 Feb with a minibus journey to impressive to observe was the result of the previous Lydd camp in Kent thanks to our driver Sig Calder. Arriving evening’s extra curricular map reading, which did not go to quite late we put weapons away and went to bed, ready for waste on our support team driver SSgt ‘Danny Boy’ Drennan an early start and a full day's shooting the next morning. who eventually dropped the team at our start point - Keiloch After a standard Army healthy breakfast, it was off to begin on the Invercauld estate. MATT 1. Our first shoot was zeroing the weapons and dusting off cobwebs before we moved onto the 100m range. The ascent to the trig point was steady (and with some hugely beneficial nav lessons from our team leader, Sgt Joe In between shoots with the SA80, details were also Wiggins) and once there the view at the top being the familiarised on the Carbine and Demarco rifles, by our new spectacular Beinn a’Bhuird and Ben Avon to the north west, SPSIs SSgts Mick Lawrence and Fruity Fielding, enabling us to and to the south The Old Military Road the A93 and Braemar. fire the weapons on Sunday.

After 5 minutes rest, including a photograph of Capt Kat Mee Taking a short break from the prone position for lunch, we planking the trig point, the team descended south to a pre- had some beautiful (horse) meatballs which the Kamanda determined grid point to rendezvous with team one. The first brothers were not impressed by, and a lovely wee brew made casualty of the day was Capt Kat Mee suffering badly from a by SQMS SSgt Andy Kermode. Lunch provided fuel for the

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 71 brutally competitive stretcher races and other activities After dinner we were taken to the Menin Gate memorial to between C and K Troops, in which C Troop performed watch the last post ceremony, which takes place every admirably with a brilliant effort by marathon runner Cpl evening at 2000 hrs. This always attracts many hundreds of ‘Lungs’ Finnegan, enabling C Tp to win; after all we are the people, so we had to get there early. After the main service better and more attractive Troop in general. the Squadron members located the panel attached to the Menin Gate that listed the names of the Kensington’s who The weather stayed clear and dry all day Saturday and had fallen. WO2 Simon May said a few appropriate words through to Sunday, which I am told is rare as Lydd is infamous and laid a wreath on behalf of the Squadron. for being windy. Saturday finished with all members of the Sqn passing MATT 1 and heading for an amazing Gurkha curry The next morning, after an early breakfast, we left the hotel and trip into Lydd (just for SSgt Anderson to get his Kebab). to head to the Somme, Gommercourt and Hebuterne, locations where the Kensington’s had fought on 1 July 1917. On Sunday morning, following breakfast, it was onto the We then journeyed on to Ginchy Leuze Wood and Combles, ranges again, this time with moving targets which was a big where the Kensington’s served on 9 September 1917, visiting learning curve and a great experience, especially for myself as the “Dickens Memorial”, who was an officer serving with the it was something I’d never done before. We also got to shoot 1/13th and a direct descendant of Charles Dickens. with the Carbine and Demarco rifles. Although these were quite similar to the SA80, they did provide a very different Our final location was Beaurains where we learned about the shooting experience, as did the SUSATs they were fitted with. role that the Kensington’s played in the attack on Vimy Ridge during 1917 and then visited the London Cemetery to lay a The weekend was wrapped up with a wee tab, nothing we wreath in remembrance of other Kensingtons who had fallen couldn’t handle, and a bit of prep for those hoping to go on near by. Nijmegen in July. Overall, it was a great weekend with a good turnout, providing some great shooting and some team Finally we headed back to Calais to catch the shuttle, arriving bonding within the Squadron. Those who didn’t attend back at Coulsdon TAC at 1745 hrs. definitely missed out on this trip but hopefully they will be on the next one! Everyone agreed that it had been a very good experience, learning about World War One and the historic events that Ypres Battlefield Tour 2013 - by Sig Searle the Kensington’s had participated in. We would like to thank our tour guide, Jo Hook, for bringing the events to life and for The Battlefield Tour to France and Belgium commenced on all the time she spent in researching the topic. Everyone had Sat 18 May when members of the Squadron departed a good time and truly appreciated the emotional experience. Coulsdon TAC at 0500 hrs heading towards Folkestone to catch the 0830hrs Euro Tunnel train. On route the battlefield Squadron Adventure Training - Hill Walking - by Sig Watkinson tour guide, from Anglia Tours, was picked up at Maidstone Services. The tour guide was Jo Hook, who is an Ex TA On the morning of Fri 7 June we were all ready for our AT member and wife of our current RSM, WO1 Steve Hook. weekend to Brecon. Myself, LCpl ‘Kad’ Rose and SSgt Before catching the train the obligatory McDonalds was ‘Scouse’ Kermode went out in the advance party, meeting consumed. SSgt Mick Lawrence and SSgt Fruity Fielding down at the campsite to set up all the tents and cooking equipment. When we reached France we headed along the coast to Belgium to visit Lijssenthoeek Commonwealth War Graves That night, at around 1am, I was awoken by a rather loud Sig Cemetry (CWGC). At our first location we were given an Currie shouting “Shhh! People are trying to sleep!” However outline of the battles that were fought around the Ypres it did not disturb me for long. Salient in the First World War and an explanation of why the different nations became involved in WW1. For many of those Then finally the new day dawned, 7am, 16km to go. All the on the tour this was their first experience of visiting a CWGC way to Pen-Y-Fan, down Jacobs’s ladder and along the and they found it a very moving experience. ridgeline – the reward would be a BBQ waiting for us made by our Michelin star chef, LCpl Shand. After a full Army breakfast From Liijssenthoeek we travelled to the Hooge crater, near fry up of mystery meat in the form of sausages we were set; Ypres, and the café, where we stopped for lunch and which we had been given the teams and the briefing; finally we were also has a very interesting museum that we could have looked on our way. around for hours. In my team we had SSgt ‘Fruity’ Fielding, LCpl John Corfield, After lunch we travelled to Hill 60 where we viewed the Sigs Taza Salamut, Chutoo, Sahr and Kamanda. We raced up remains of some of the WW1 trenches, learning about the the first two peaks and arrived at the tope of Pen-Y-Fan way early use of gas in warfare. We journeyed on to Sterling ahead of schedule. During this time we had a long pause to Castle, where the Kensingtons served in September 1917. wait, while waiting for the other team to meet us there and Here we heard extracts from “Johnny Get Your Gun” and take the picture. After about 45 minutes we finally saw them. readings from the 56 Div War Diaries. As soon as the picture was taken we were off, not a moment to lose. Jacobs Ladder was a treacherous decent. However it LCpl Young gave us all a very good demonstration on the use was soon over and then we were back on a semi even of the Lee Enfield 303 rifle and bayonet which were used by ridgeline where we all decided to double our pace for a short British soldiers in the First World War. Our final location for while, then finally we reached the half way point for lunch. the day was Perth China Wall CWGC, where Major Flower of 1st/13 Battalion is buried. This was however no time for reflection as we had the hardest hill yet to conquer. Trig point 642; a “steep” hill that We returned to our hotel, aptly named “Flanders Lodge” in nearly requires ropes and crampons. Sig Kamanda however Ypres, after an interesting and informative day and after did it with ease and I was second and while we waited we showering and changing we headed for the town centre. At observed the plaque to soldiers. As soon as the last man was our restaurant we dined on a traditional Flemish meal of soup, up, we were off again, around a 2 mile stretch of massively Flemish stew and apple pie and a couple of Belgian lagers. windy ridgeline, which was still relatively flat and then a gentle downhill pace back to where the minibus was.

72 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 By this time there was still no word of the other team, so foreign weapon stand (the AK-47 - the most numerous while relaxing and showering back at camp we had time to weapon system in the world). Following all the excitement of reflect on what we have done. Overall we thought it was the day a most excellent evening’s entertainment had been time well spent. put on for everybody. A truly international atmosphere was enjoyed by all. Then finally around 2 hours later the other team arrived, we had a BBQ and sampled the local pubs, (in this village there The fun was not over though folks. Following another tip-top was only four houses, two of which were pubs - it felt like a breakfast it was time for the falling-plate competition. I love true soldier's home!). All in all the Squadron AT weekend was the smell of fresh cordite in the morning! Before we knew it, a very successful one which everyone enjoyed throughout. I it was all over. All that was left was the clean up, the journey would personally like to thank WO2 Watson and SSgt Fielding home and the satisfaction of winning the trophy for most for organising the excellent hill walking event in the sunny excellent team performance on the BCD stand. Roll on 2014. Brecon Beacons. 46TH (HALLAMSHIRE) SUPPORT SQUADRON 64 (CITY OF SHEFFIELD) SIGNAL SQUADRON OC Maj Thelma Ward OC Maj Stu McHenery SSM WO2 (SSM) Bedford SSM WO2 (SSM) Ross Exercise YELLOW ANVIL - by Capt Jim Walshe ALTCAR CHALLENGE MAY 2013 - by Sig Mead This weekend was a follow on from the much enjoyed Ex I was a last minute replacement. I had never been to Altcar GREEN ANVIL last month in Beckingham. Ex YELLOW ANVIL Ranges before but it was a warm day and who was to know saw the Squadron basking in an almost tropical heatwave, what would happen. I jumped in the Mini Bus and there was now summer appears to have arrived in Ripon, based at a team of 4 people smiling and waiting for me. Smelling the Deverell Barracks. The weather, along with some excellent fresh sea air we arrived after 3 hours on the road and we nosh in the cookhouse, the great enthusiasm and humour of immediately registered the Squadron Teams with the DS. all who took part, all combined to create another rapturous After a briefing for the team leaders it was off to the land of weekend from the Squadron's point of view, once again put nod in the oh-so comfy accommodation. together by our very competent and amiable SPSIs SSgt Rob Vickers and Sgt Jonathon Atkinson. The UKFRA (United Kingdom Reserve Forces Association) International Military Skills Competition is an annual multi- The object of the weekend was to go into more depth on the national challenge for Reserve Forces personnel. This year practical side, with MATTs subjects practiced on Ex GREEN the teams came from far and wide for the event; South Africa, ANVIL, and give the younger LAD elements of the Squadron Canada, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands to name but a additional opportunities to hone their instructional skills, few. It was a badge spotters dream! The South Africans were which, in front of such a “seasoned” (a phrase used so as to competing for the first time and they looked like they really not upset the old fogies) was no mean undertaking, but they enjoyed themselves… they were so chuffed there were beds all carried it off with great aplomb, to their credit. after such a long journey to the UK. Twenty six teams battled it out over the two days with a place for everyone. After a nice clean deployment (escape) from Sheffield on Friday evening, out of the gate by quarter to eight, it was an On to the first challenge of Saturday morning… who to lend uneventful trip, despite SSgt Dave Hallewell’s driving. to Support Squadron to make up their team numbers, Cpl Saturday morning kicked off in brilliant sunshine; a great McMullan gallantly got “volunteered”. Thanks TJ! After that omen for the rest of the weekend. Walking around Deverell it was on to the stands. They were many and varied and Barracks was like a tour through a ghost town as we were the offered a new and interesting challenge every 30 minutes or only troop there after other units cancelled, which left us all so. My particular favourites were the dune run in NBC kit (the overfaced in the JRC mess at meal times. Saturday morning sand got everywhere you know); the brutally effective assault training was taken up with further in depth elements of MATT course (knees and elbows have only just recovered) and the 6 during which SSgt ‘Babs’ Bedford embarrassed all the lads with her oratory on sexual health. The MTWO (V), WO2 Tommy Simpson, then scared the bejeezus out of everyone with his lesson on what can go wrong when driving regs are not followed to the letter.

Altcar Challenge Team Rear L – R: LCpl Clarke, Cpl Rowell, Sig Mead LCpl Ricky License, or his legs anyway, giving the “Kipping under Front L – R: Cpl Hewitt, Cpl McMullan a Wolf” demonstration

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 73 Saturday afternoon, after another liberal dowsing in sun tan lotion, was taken up with the youngsters again practicing their instructional techniques. To start with, Cfm Mason gave a lesson on first working a Wolf (landrover that is) before LCpl License gave a very good lesson on how to change a wheel, and I have to say, even the old and bold know it alls took something away from these lessons. Later, Sgt Presley and LCpl Howe gave a com-pulling (ok compelling) lesson on how to set up a Tirfor winch. Then, however, the £$%&*ers had organised a race after splitting us down into two teams, first to winch a landrover out of a ditch winning, and those Tirfor anchor plate pins take some knocking in.

After Ripon was duly painted red on Saturday evening, the guys showed no ill effects during the Sunday morning potted sports, despite the weather putting somewhat of a downer on it. The practical orienteering exercise that followed went on to dismiss the premise about officers and compasses, after the 2IC, Capt Jim Walshe, came well up the results field (if not the farmers rape field). Another cracking weekend enjoyed Cfn Mason and Thumper, giving it some hammer in the Tirfor by one and all. winching race!

39th (SKINNERS) SIGNAL REGIMENT (VOLUNTEERS) BRISTOL

CO Lt Col M Cosgrove MBE Squadron is already impressed by her commitment and ability RSM WO1 (RSM) W Scarrott to split her time between the needs of SHQ and 884 Brighton out-troop. One of her early duties was to promote Cpls Ben Operationally the Regiment is now preparing to mobilise a Carter and Kris Grace to Sgt. Both have been outstanding number of personnel on Op HERRICK 19 as well as supporting JNCOs working in recruitment, comms detachments and the G8 in Northern Ireland whilst recruiting on the home turf training. is keeping the remainder busy. Our Squadrons continue to maintain a good balance of support to exercises with a little The Squadron took part in the annual Eastbourne Carnival and bit of fun thrown in for good measure… was given the honour of leading the procession, which was an ideal opportunity to be visible in the community. Under the 93 (NORTH SOMERSET YEOMANRY) SUPPORT SQUADRON - guidance of Capt Steve Hall and SSgt Eric Gardyne the BRISTOL Squadron took the lead along Eastbourne seafront and was given a warm reception by the crowds. Keeping our good OC Maj A Morris relationship with the local council and MP, Steven Lloyd, the SSM WO2 (SSM) K Butcher Squadron organised the collection and storage of donation buckets much to the appreciation of the event organisers. The Squadron has seen another evolution of the Regular assignment plot – Maj Phil Hay recently handed over the QM mantle to Capt Wayne Dunbar who joins us form 21 Signal Regiment (Air Support). All ranks of the Regiment would like to congratulate Maj Hay on his promotion and we wish him all the best as he takes over command in the Falkland Islands. We would also like to formally welcome Capt Dunbar to the fold.

56 SIGNAL SQUADRON - EASTBOURNE

OC Maj S Trevelion SSM WO2 (SSM) R Vincent

The Squadron said a fond farewell to Maj Keiron Francis whose tenure as Officer Commanding 56 Signal Squadron has now come to an end after three years in the post and after 12 years at the Squadron. Maj Francis started as Radio Troop The Eastbourne Carnival Commander during Lt Col Sarah Streete’s command, then as 2IC under Lt Col Anthony Lamb and then Maj Ian Holland until finally assuming the position of OC himself. Maj Francis is On the AT front, LCpl Barry Heanes, Sigs Matt Morley and now working with Southampton UOTC. After such a long James Pritchett all took part in Ex DIAMOND ZEPHYR II, the time in the local TA Centre he will be missed and is sure to UK coastline expedition with 2 SE Brigade, culminating in remain a close friend of the Squadron family. basic Competent Crew qualifications for all involved. Soon after this 8 Squadron seniors and officers, Capt Steph Barron The Squadron welcomed in Maj Sarah Trevelion who now and Steve Hall, WO2s Timothy Still and Rob Vincent, SSgts takes over as OC. Maj Trevelion is a returner to the Regiment Eric Gardyne and Mark Langley and Sgts Pete Mills and Pete having previously commanded 57 Signal Squadron. The Paine joined 50 others from the 2 South East Brigade area on

74 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 their Battlefield Study Tour, Ex DIAMOND STORM covering by the Special Forces to test determination, agility, stamina the Normandy area and the D-Day Landings. and sanity! Raising money for Help For Heroes they completed the course wearing cheerleader costumes - something different for their SJARs!

Pegasus Bridge

The study took in Omaha Beach, Pointe Du Hoc, British and US cemeteries, Longues Battery, the Hillman Strongpoint and Pegasus Bridge. As well as the locations around these areas and associated museums, Capt Hall and SSgt Gardyne couldn’t resist getting a cup of tea from the first building to be liberated by Operation Overlord in 1944, served by the owner who remembered the liberation as she was a young girl living in the same building at the time. ‘Tough Mudder’

57 (CITY AND COUNTY OF BRISTOL) SIGNAL SQUADRON - BRISTOL

OC Maj P Rodenhurst SSM WO2 (SSM) R Vise

Following his recent return home from a civilian work posting, Maj Paul Rodenhurst has resumed command of the Squadron, allowing a relieved Capt Ben Newby to revert back to his more inconspicuous 2IC role. The Squadron is also pleased to welcome SSgt Moffat into the SPSI post, and his influence in contributing to a raising of the standards of training in the Sqn is keenly anticipated. A further change on the personnel front has seen Sig Baily transfer to W Tp in Gloucester from 37SR. He has already earned himself the nickname of ‘zero’ following on from his exploits on the recent Ex WYVERN TOR (Ten Tors) weekend!

In addition to providing Communications support to Ex WYVERN TOR (see report below), the Squadron has provided manpower to support various weekday tasks on Ex SHORT BILL, as well as support to 43 X UK Ops training with a CST crew involving SSgt Bev Bevan, LCpl Steve Allen and LCpl Josh Seller. The Sqn’s Comm’s capability has been further boosted by Sig’s Saunders, Flagg and Friday completing their respective Phase 2 Trade training packages, and SSgt Moffat, Sgt Hyde and Cpl Allaway attending REEBOK training. Congratulations go to Sig Perceau-Wells on completing his Phase 1 training, and Sig Bowe on passing the PTI course.

A Cup of Tea! Exercise WYVERN TOR (Ten Tors)

In the late spring of each year, 43 (Wessex) Bde provide Tough Mudder manpower and equipment in support of the Ten Tors Challenge for young people. This competition involves teams Finally, three tough Brighton Troop soldiers, Sgt Kris Grace of 6 individuals following routes of 35, 45 or 55 miles across and Sigs Paul Gendre and Matt Morley took part in Tough the rugged Dartmoor countryside. 39SR is tasked to provide Mudder, a 12 mile obstacle course in South London designed ICS support and this effort is led by 57 Sqn, with additional

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 75 support from 93 and 94 Sqns. 57 provide airwave nets to enable monitoring of team progress, with a RADCON/ COMCEN collocated with Bde HQ at Okehampton Camp and 19 Operators dispersed over the Tor checkpoints. A CST was also on standby for any UK Ops contingencies. 21SR’s 43 Sqn established a Bowman net for air to ground Comms, providing a link up with the RN Support Helicopters.

Busy in the Ops Room

environment very similar to a UK Op. 39SR in general and 57 Sqn in particular helped to deliver a safe event for over two thousand youngsters in challenging conditions.

About to board the Heli to the Tors

The voice nets proved very busy this year with poor weather leading to a lot more teams and individuals “falling out” during the event than usual. The system became so overloaded that the intended “zap number” type references for the competitors became unworkable and names had to be used over the airwave net to ensure that the youngsters were properly accounted for. Regrettably, the poor weather continued into Sunday and as the event ended there were a few missing competitors still to be found by Dartmoor Rescue, whilst the overworked Navy were unable to find resource to fly our Tor operators back to camp. This led to a very late finish and many were not back in their TA centres until after midnight on the Sunday evening. Thanks go out to all who attended and persevered during such a long and arduous weekend. The event provides the Sqn with an excellent opportunity to rehearse supporting our Sgt Downs copes with the pressure local brigade HQ in a Joint Service and multi-agency

39 Signal Regiment outstanding in their field

76 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 94 (BERKSHIRE YEOMANRY) SIGNAL SQUADRON - WINDSOR

OC Maj A Hawes SSM WO2 (SSM) Dean

Visit of the Mayor of Windsor to Windsor TAC

The Sqn were honoured to host The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for a visit to the TAC, in which he presented Olympic Coins to various members of the Sqn. As a long established Windsor based unit, 94 Sqn enjoys close ties to the Town and the wider local community. During his visit, the Mayor was shown around the TA Centre and was able to watch soldiers demonstrate some of the Communications capability that would be deployed in the event of the Sqn needing to provide ‘Military Insert photo 10 - The Berkshire Yeomanry with the Mayor Aid to the Civil Power’ in a UK Ops scenario. He was then Back: L – R: Sig Kimble, LCpl Compton, LCpl Brownlees, Sig shown around the Berkshire Yeomanry Museum, where he Hazlegrove was able to view the many artefacts bearing testimony to the Front: L – R: Sig Plater, Cpl Brown, The Worshipful the Mayor of Regiment's 220 year association with the Royal Borough of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Maj Harris (OC), Windsor. WO2 Steve Collins did a fantastic job of organising Sgt Hearn, LCpl Buckle the event at short notice and in assisting the Mayor with a medal presentation whilst the SSM was engaged in business The Mayor was most complementary about the support overseas. During the presentation of Olympic Coins to those provided by the military during the Games, and in particular who participated in Op Olympics last summer, the following for the rowing events that took place within the Royal message from the Prime Minister was relayed to each soldier: Borough. Once the parade had completed, all personnel retired to the bar for a curry and a drink. The Mayor was “Please accept this commemorative medallion as a symbol of our clearly very impressed with the levels of commitment shown gratitude for your efforts in helping deliver the safe and secure by many of the soldiers over the past number of months, and London 2012 Games. Thank you for a job well done and be proud by the Sqn’s enduring commitment and support to the of your contribution to this spectacular moment in our history” Borough.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 77 NEWS FROM SQUADRONS

4 MECHANIZED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (204) CATTERICK

- by Lt David Cummings few months; being professional, well disciplined and getting the job done. It has been an almighty whirlwind 6 months for 204 Signal Squadron. First; the exciting and adrenaline pumping deployment to Afghanistan in September, then the emotion and relief of returning home safely in April. But the news of the disbandment of the Squadron at the end of the year is hard to believe with what we have achieved. However, that was all put to one side whilst we focused on our welcome home party kindly prearranged by the Rear Operations Group. This involved a lot of soldiers subsequently remembering the taste of alcohol and enjoying themselves right into the night. They would then go on to have 2 weeks off before coming together again for their Medals Parade.

On a glorious morning in the April the Officers and Soldiers of 204 Signal Squadron formed up properly for the first time since returning safely from operations in Afghanistan. After Impeccable lines that any RSM would be proud of what was an extremely successful tour with a lot of soldiers deployed all over the AO, the week acted as a great get- together for some good reminiscing. The first day back The party acted as a great opportunity not only for the involved SSM Sweeney and WO1 RSM Kidd doing a lot of Officers and soldiers to unwind, but also for their dependents shouting, not because of any wrongdoing, but for tick-tockers to come along and once again show their undisputed support forgetting how to march over a period of six months! All the for their loved ones. There was also a mini heroes medal practice would be for the medals parade in Richmond Castle parade organised by Cpl Thwaite, which involved the RSM on Friday. Soldiers quickly got back into the way of things, and Capt Jones distributing medals out to the children of the and by the end of the week we found our twisties and quickly soldiers that were deployed. After the normalisation period resembled soldiers who could effectively put one foot in front back at work, it was now time for some well earned of the other and put on some sort of show in Richmond. warranted leave for everyone to go on holidays, spend time with family and continue where they left off previously!

204 Signal Squadron getting presented with their campaign medals

On Friday, the stage was set. The sky was blue, the streets lined unexpectedly with well-wishers and most importantly The OC Maj Jamie Balfour proudly marching his squadron the whole Squadron formed up ready to march into the castle through the Market Town of Richmond to be presented with their campaign medals. The OC, Maj Jamie Balfour, proudly led the parade into the castle exercising our Freedom of Richmond; to halt them before the Work is now underway to prepare the Squadron for its Brigade Commander, Brig R Bruce, the Corps Colonel, Col GR disbandment parade on 9 August at Helles Barracks, Catterick Norton, the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor of Richmond. Garrison. A Royal Signals presence has always remained here, After receiving their well-deserved medals, we left the castle and with that due to end, it makes for an emotional farewell. and completed one last lap of Richmond before heading back Any past officers, soldiers or anyone wishing to attend should to Gaza Barracks to enjoy a party organised by the Rear make contact with the editor who will give them the Operations Group. The parade epitomized everything 204 organising officer's number. Signal Squadron was about and had achieved over the last

78 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Exercise NORTHERN ANNAPURNA RAT – by Sig Kayll had headaches from altitude sickness. Team spirit brought the whole group to the top. The aim of the expedition was for a group of 14 to trek up to Annapurna Base camp which sits an altitude of 4130m. Before Sunrise at Annapurna Base camp was special. We had a few we set off on our trek we had the opportunity to acclimitise hours to take in the views before making our descent back to the altitude in Kathmandu for a day. We took this down the mountain. The pace down the mountain was good. opportunity to visit a few of Kathmandu’s tourist attractions We had covered in just over half a day what we had in 2 full like the Monkey Temple and the wooden city of Bhaktapur. days trekking, making our overnight destination in Bamboo in The Temple sits above the city and gave the group a view of good time. the extent of Kathmandu. Bhaktapur was full of ancient buildings, narrow streets with a brilliant atmosphere.

The journey up to Pokhara, where we would set off on our trek, was an experience. The heat and humidity was at times almost unbearable. The roads were aggressive and at times dangerous whilst driving just a few metres from huge drops. It also gave us an opportunity to see rural Nepal which was a beautiful backdrop of rolling mountains.

The trekking began with a 2 hour drive to our starting point in Nayapul. We handed over our bergans to our porters and set off with our daysacks. The pace was naturally military, overtaking all the civilians who were walking the same route, but still taking in the views. After walking for a few hours, a few of us decided to see what it would be like to be a porter. Four of us swapped our bags with the heavier porter’s bags. These consisted of 2 of our bergans and the porters kit tied Everybody enjoying the views from our destination, Annapurna together. With natural competitivness the situation turned Base Camp into a competition for 3 of us. I gave in first, taking a look at an upcoming hill and deciding against it. LCpl Steve Sands finished second, leaving A/LCpl Oli Holyoake to take the After 10 days of trekking we said our goodbyes to our porters crown. We arrived in plenty of time at our first Tea house and guides before making our way back to Pokhara. We all accomodation in Tirkhedhunga, beating the rush for hot enjoyed a nice hot shower and some clean clothes before showers. hitting the bar.

The second day of trekking was much different to the first. Steps. Thousands of steps. Painful on the thighs. There would be no repeat of the porter challenge! Lunch gave us a brief respite, allowing us to look at the huge valley we had just climbed. Our destination of Ghorepani was welcomed, it gave us our first real look at the views of the peaks that we wanted.

Our third day began early. At 0430 we set off for Poonhill to give us a view of the Annapurna range at sunrise. After sunrise we moved back down to Ghorepani for breakfast before setting off for Tadapani.

Capt Murphy and LCpl Sands enjoying a dip in the freezing river

With our heads a little worse for wear, our final day in Pokhara was spent visiting the local museums. The Gurkha museum was the most interesting.

The final part of our trip was a visit to Chitwan Resort. This gave us a chance to view some of Nepal’s wild animals. Over the 2 days there we sailed in some canoes through crocodile infested water. Sig Faye Tanner had a habit of freezing and nearly capsizing the canoe just as we were passing the crocodiles, claiming she had always had a fear of water. In Cpl Kennedy enjoying the range the afternoon we saw the elephant breeding centre before making our way to the river to get an opportunity to ride and bathe the elephants. The next few days of trekking were the same spectacular views and relentless steps and steep rises. It wasn’t until our The jeep safari turned out to be a real experience. After fifth day of trekking from Deurali to Machhapuchhare Base seeing our first bit of wildlife, a lone rhino walking about the camp then onto Annapurna Base camp that the views got bush, the rain started. At first the rain was light, but it wasn’t more interesting. We were walking through the clouds. long before the wind picked up and the torrential rain started. Reaching our objective was a good achievement. A few of us Monsoon like rain soaked us through. After deciding enough

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 79 was enough, we made our way back. Needing to cross a river home units and the ROG had switched fire and focused in a canoe to get back to the hotel, a truck full of tourists got attention on the up-coming RSIT. More long days were spent in front of us. A brave 6 of us swam the crocodile infested focusing on the Squadron’s vehicles in order to be ready for water, before walking back to the hotel. the inspection team’s arrival. RSIT came and went and by the end of November the last of the FTX vehicles had been The journey back to Kathmandu was insane. We saw, on a collected which meant the ROG could then concentrate on few occasions; lorries and buses being pulled from the sheer routine maintenance on the Sqn vehicles. drops that we followed, before joining the hussle and lunacy of the Kathmandu drivers. Next up for the ROG was the ECI inspection. The ROG, under the leadership of the LAD, made sure all the correct The 3 weeks in Nepal went very quick. We had done so much procedures were in place and that all the new additions to the in our short time. There were so many highlights that ROG were aware of what actions to take and what choosing a favourite would be very difficult. A few of us procedures they should set in motion if they were to find any didn’t want to leave, no doubt that we wanted to visit again. faults on the vehicles. By the end of November the ROG were able to settle into the daily routine of Det maintenance and organised AT, as well as taking advantage of the new PT programme that saw the ROG parade with the Bde HQ personnel that were left behind.

In the New Year the ROG’s focus again moved onto new tasks. The most important of which was that of the Squadron’s homecoming penciled in for late May and early April. While the SSM and OC went over plans for the parade itself and what role the ROG would play in it, taskings were still coming in for the Comms Troop to deal with, the foremost of which was that of an HCDR Trial down in sunny Blandford for 3 weeks. The ROG MT began to receive a massively increased workload as they provided drivers and vehicles for returning Bde Staff Officers who were either returning on R&R or end of touring from Afghanistan. The next few months would see many of the ROG personnel The Group posing at Annapurna Base Camp making the return trip to RAF Brize Norton on a daily basis. After the SQN had returned from OPS and all of the guys ROG ACTIVITIES - by Cpl Chambers were on their well deserved POTL, the ROG began its last month in existence by preparing the Troop lines, garages and The ROG was successful in its assistance with FTX 1 and 2 stores for the eventual reforming of the Squadron at the down on Salisbury Plain back in September of last year. The beginning of June. The ROG also said goodbye to Cpl Pailing ROG was also responsible for the return of all vehicles (50 as he completed 22 years of Colour Service; The ROG plus) back to Catterick via rail, as well as all other supporting celebrated this by throwing a formal dine out of which all equipment from the pre-deployment exercise. The last few ranks were invited. The Squadron as a whole had also been weeks and months were spent turning the vehicles around in briefed that 204 was to be no more and extra effort was then order for them to be handed back to the units of which we paid to the vehicles and stores to make sure that a quick and had borrowed them from. This was particularly arduous given easy handover could be done between ROG and Squadron the state that the majority of the vehicles were left in. So personnel. With everyone back in 204 lines once again and many long days and nights were spent by the ROG getting all with all ROG members now fully integrated back into the the kit sorted out back into some sort of order. Squadron, our focus now looks towards the fast approaching disbandment of 204 and the rapid posting out of all personnel By mid-November the vast majority of vehicles that were onto their next units. borrowed for the FTX had been successfully returned to their

Reclaim of Presentation Items to 4 Mechanized Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (204)

4 Mechanized Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (204) will be disbanded on 31 December 2013. Any individual who has presented an item to the Squadron in the past may reclaim their item on a collect only basis.

Anyone wishing to reclaim their presented item should contact Capt Catrin Jones to arrange collection of the item by the following means:

Civilian Telephone: 01748 874101 Military Telephone: 94731 4101 Email: [email protected] Post: 4 Mech Bde HQ & Sig Sqn (204) Gaza Barracks Catterick Garrison North Yorkshire DL9 4AU

Items that have not been reclaimed by 31 October 2013 may be sold or auctioned off with the proceeds supporting the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund.

80 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 7 ARMOURED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (207) BERGEN - HOHNE

OC Maj CEJ Davies OC’S Cup Hockey Competition - by Sig Chadwick RSM WO1 (RSM) S Wedge On Wednesday 8 May 2013, 207 Signal Squadron took part in Around 3 months from the first elements of the Squadron the OC’S Cup Hockey Competition, in which Alpha, Bravo and deploying to Afghanistan, the pace is not slowing. The men Support Troop took part. and women of 207 Signal Squadron are currently supporting no less that 6 exercises ranging from Kenya, Denmark the UK With lovely weather and the teams all ready and raring to go, and Germany, not forgetting a number of Squadron the first match kicked off between Support Troop and Bravo personnel who are detached with the Battle Groups. Those Troop. The goalkeepers, Sig McLoughlin (Sp Tp) and LCpl left behind are continuing their good work in facilitating and Eccles (B Tp), were keen to get started. After a relatively carrying out vital MST. uninspiring 40 minutes, the match finished 1-0, with Support Troop the victors. Still allowing time for the more social aspect of army life, we are in the midst of preparing for the Corps’ 93rd Birthday and Next in line was Alpha vs. Bravo. After playing two games on tonight we will be holding the 7 Armd Bde HQ and Signal the bounce Bravo Troop were starting to struggle, especially Squadron (207) Summer function where I am sure a good with Alpha Troop having some strong players on the team. It time will be had by all. didn’t help that Cpl ‘Shakey’ Shakespeare spent more time on the floor than he did on his feet. Alpha Troop were just too BA(G) Orienteering Championships – by Cpl Tuite overpowering and as a result they had the advantage and became victorious with a 2-1 win. On the morning of Tuesday 7 May 2013, myself and two novice runners set off from Hohne camp to Augustdorf to The final match of the day was between Support and Alpha participate in the BA(G) Orienteering championships. As most Troops. With both teams having a win under the belt the last of the Squadron were busy the other two members were game was crucial. Support Troop’s aggressive start was too selected from the Squadron Cross Country team. After a much to hold back, this led to there first goal of the game short drive down the route against a talented keeper, Cpl Muhl, who up to that point was two we turned off toward faultless. Augustdorf and the first day’s event. The first day Alpha Troop came back fighting with Sig Chadwick managing saw the individual to score a sneaky goal against Sig McLoughlin who had kept a Championships competition. clean sheet throughout the whole tournament. Alpha Troop There were many individuals continued to keep the pressure on but Support Troop battled competing on the A course through and scored the final goal of the competition in the with the B course being final minutes of the game, thereby taking the trophy. open to U21 and females. On the whole the Squadron Overall the Hockey Competition was a fantastic day, it had a good showing with showed good team spirit, stamina and skill. The next OC’S myself finishing 8th on the Competition will be the swimming competition to be held on A course with Sig Davies Wednesday 19 June. coming second in the under 21s event. PASHTUN HAWK Exercise Series – by Sig Stones

The next day we repeated On 15 July 2013 members of 207 Sig Sqn held a range package the drive down from Hohne and registered for the Harris relay Ex PRE-PASHTUN HAWK on Hohne Ranges in preparation for event which was to serve as the team competition for the Ex PASHTUN HAWK, which was to be hosted by 2 Medical BA(G) Championships. Once given our map pack we moved Regiment in Sennelager the following week. The aim of Ex away from the bunch to plan who would be visiting each PRE-PASHTUN HAWK was to allow Squadron members to control. Following a meticulous planning session we split up sharpen up on their skills and marksmanship principles as and began the run. Each runner had to visit eight mandatory most hadn’t completed a range day for several months. It spine controls with a further four controls each. We planned was a straightforward week and all members from the to meet up before the finish and confirm each control before Squadron deploying on Ex PASHTUN HAWK successfully punching in. Our competition was a team from 5 Rifles and as completed their weapon handling test, zeroing and ACMT. I came over the last hill I saw two of their team were finished and only Sig Davies waiting from the 207 team. After a nerve On the afternoon of 21 April 2013 members from 207 Sig Sqn racking wait of a few minutes we saw Sig Smith approach the departed Hohne Barracks to join 111 Company RMP and 2 finish. Once we carried out our confirmation we punched in Medical Regiment on Ex PASHTUN HAWK. On arrival the and handed in our EMIT cards nervously wondering if we had Squadron members were briefed on timings and the specifics done enough to claim the Minor Units Trophy. of the training for the following week, issued body plates for their Osprey and were split into groups comprised of Prize giving happened soon after with an impressive result for members from all units. the Royal Signals, 16 Signal Regiment took Major Units 1st place with ourselves taking 1st place in the Minor Units. On Monday 15 the exercise began with weapon handling test, zeroing and ACMT. Having already completed weapon Overall it was a fantastic two day event and special thanks to handling test and ACMT, members from 207 simply zeroed Sig Smith and Sig Davies for volunteering and producing their weapons again, were cleared off of the range and then brilliant results despite being fairly new to the sport. treated to 2 ½ hour lesson in the cookhouse on how to

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 81 operate a Valon. On Tuesday the exercise began to pick up Sig Sharp took part in the 400m where after a strong start the pace as exercising troops carried out individual fire and finished 2nd fading away and appearing to be blown movement (with an advance to contact), there was also a backwards by the wind. He also took part in the Long Jump practical Valon lesson, and a lesson in ground signs and and Pole Vault, (the latter for the first time) finishing awareness. The level of training continued to rise throughout respectfully in both. the week with an IBSR range, pairs fire and movement, top cover shoots, night shoots, how to load stretchered casualties Sig Smith’s events were the 800m and 100m where he into a field ambulance, sangar shoots and a practical showed his whippet speed to get 2nd in both events, some simulation of a mastiff being flipped by an IED blast. Some would say an aging whippet. SSgt Hemming took part in the members also required 9mm Glock weapon handling test and javelin event in which he showed his experience and got the ACMT which was also completed. team some more valuable points. The last two events of the day were the 4x100m Relay with a team of Sig Sharp, Sig Friday 26 was the final day of the exercise and by then, all Eady, Sig McDermott and Sig Smith and the 4x400m Relay members of the Squadron felt their skills had improved since with a team of SSgt Hemming, LCpl Harland, Sig Sharp and the start of the week. These were put to the test one last Sig Smith. In the 4x100m the team worked well to finish 2nd time with in the form of a section attack. and in the 4x400m did well to get some points on the table, SSgt Hemming showing you’re never to old to compete. There was also a lot of training squeezed into the week and much of it was done concurrently whilst other sections were After an eventful 2 days in Blandford all the points had been on the firing points. The Exercise was well organised and a counted and out of 7 teams 207 Sig Sqn finished Minor Unit fantastic opportunity for members from the Squadron to runner-up for the second year of asking. So after all the hard improve their military and shooting skills prior to deploying on work it was time to unwind at the annual Party in the Park Op HERRICK 19. where there was food, drink and also a live band. But more importantly chance to catch up with old friends and forge Morrison Cup – by Sig Sharp new friendships across the Corps.

We arrived at Blandford on 20 May, the night before the Special thanks must go to Cpl Paul Kelly and his wife Tina for Morrison Cup was taking place so that the team could meet their hospitality and cold beer, especially the first night. Once up to decide which events we would be competing in. Our a rat always a rat! team included SSgt Hemming (Team Captain), Sgt Foulkes, LCpl Harland, Sig Smith, Sig Sharp, Sig Eady and Sig Exercise RED RAT ROPES – by Sig ‘Paddy’ McLoughlin. McDermott. On 15 May Support Troop took part in Ex RED RAT ROPES, a On the morning of the event we all met up at the track where high ropes team building exercise. Under the guidance of we were handed our team strip which displayed the Red Rat LCpl Gaffer and Sig Sackey we headed out shortly after 1300, synonymous with 7 Brigade. Compared to some of the other thankfully the training area was just 30 minutes away. team strips they weren’t that bad; apart from the shorts which coming straight out of the seventies could have been a Soon after we arrived we were kitted up in our harnesses and bit longer. safety equipment, in which I might add Sgt Hickey was sporting what can only be described as a massive front The first day was mainly heats to decide who went into the wedgie. Soon after we were let loose on what was in essence finals for the Major Units participating. As a Minor Unit Sgt a massive jungle gym! Joviality soon ensued as we started to Foulkes took part in the Hammer and Discus as he was the tackle the obstacles, legs and arms where falling about in all biggest and probably the strongest of the team, which he directions, much to the amusement of those observing. showed when taking part in the event and finished up with good scores in both.

The second day was the finals where Sig Eady excelled whilst taking part in the Steeple Chase and 1500m, finishing 1st in both events with fantastic performances and also competing in the triple jump where he again finished with good points. Sig McDermott did well in the 5000m and after a long race finished a respectable 3rd and also got a good score in the 200m showing his ability at both short and middle distance events. He also completed in the high jump where he was runner up. LCpl Sgt Hickey taking a breather Harland took part in the hurdling events at distances of 400m and As we progressed, the obstacles soon became more 110m, finishing 2nd in challenging as we made our way skywards. I recall seeing one both of them, surprising Sig Brown wedged between two tractor tyres some 15 metres himself and showing the in the air with a rather puzzled look about his face. LCpl dogged determination Harland found this rather amusing, which from his vantage of an RSE. point, a suspended picnic table, on which he had decided now What Sig Sharp may have looked like! was a good time as any to take a NAAFI break!

82 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 soon found himself the butt of many jokes. The next hour or so was awash with the screams of those not to comfortable with heights, as LCpl Rydeard liked to keep reminding anybody who would listen. Again to all those who found themselves well within their comfort zone, this was hilarious!

As always the rain soon decided enough was enough and called halt to our fun, as good a time as any to get the BBQ burning. Everybody was soon chilling out, boasting about their daring feats of bravery, their gymnastic ability, their poise on the zip line and of course, how easy they really found it!!

A massive thank you to all our Support Troop Chefs, who put on an amazing spread, nobody was left hungry. A few of the men just hanging around A great day out was had by all, and again a big thank you to Sig Clapperton had to be rescued after his attempt to monkey both LCpl Gaffer and Sig Sackey who organised the event. swing across one obstacle left him suspended in mid air, and

The men of Sp Tp after an excellent day out

16 AIR ASSAULT BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (216) COLCHESTER

OC Maj M Fayers with WO1 (RSM) Paul Henderson returning to the Squadron RSM WO1 P Watson from Blandford as his replacement. Capt Dave Phillips returns to the Bde, replacing Capt Nelson Reynolds as 2IC. Capt Paul With the halfway mark of the year fast approaching, the Johnson is replaced in the Ops-O hot seat by Capt Charlie Squadron has enjoyed yet another busy period, with Jones, whilst the impending departures of OC Maj Mike deployment on exercises both inside and outside the UK Fayers, WO2 (YofS) Neil Port and WO2 (FofS) Scotty Davis taking the limelight. First the entire Squadron deployed on will finalise an almost completely new Top Corridor. We wish the long anticipated Ex JOINT WARRIOR to locations around all those posted on new assignments the very best of luck, the UK. Shortly afterwards, a small contingent commanded whilst wishing a warm welcome to our new and returning by Lt John Dodson deployed to France in support of Ex members of the Squadron. PEGASUS working with 11 (Fr) Parachute Brigade, our partners in the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force. In the Alpha Troop on Exercise JOINT WARRIOR – by Cpl Tucker meantime 10 lucky individuals from the Squadron found themselves exploring the highlands of Scotland on Adventure After a lengthy build up, the end of March saw the Squadron Training, chancing the Northern weather that was said to on Ex JOINT WARRIOR (Ex JW). The exercise represented not have been inconsistent at best! The Squadron has also only the biggest exercise of the year for 16 Air Assault continued its run of success in the Lanyard Competition, once Brigade, but the biggest exercise of the year in Europe. The again bringing the Lanyard Trophy home. official statistics state 9,999 Troops were deployed on the exercise from around HM Forces – the actual deployment Continuing with the busy theme of the period, there has been likely to have significantly exceeded that! no restbite for the ‘Top Corridor’ at Squadron HQ with wholesale changes. Bde RSM WO1 (RSM) Pete Watson Ex JW was an opportunity for Alpha Troop to deploy our Tier moves on to 2 Signal Regiment following his LE Commission, 2.5 Step-Up HQ, with our new Troop Commander Lt John

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 83 Dodson deploying for the first time. The Headquarters the working relationships that we enjoyed with the previous represents the Squadron’s most likely HQ to deploy at the team. After a few minor mishaps, to which neither side would start of Operations, so the pressure was on our small team of admit fault, the TNG was in and working come the third day. 8 to show what the Air-portable Headquarters was capable of With the fact that the French do not work weekends, it was when deployed. time to explore what France had to offer.

Our first task was to enable Staff to provide Command and Friday saw 12 of us depart for a day in Paris. It was only a 2 Control from South Cerney during the insertion of the hour drive away, however Cpl Mick ‘Fred Flintstone’ Pathfinders, in addition to the Setup of the Tier 3 Main HQ in Qualtrough managed to make it a 5 hour epic before we Carlisle. Murphy’s Law of Combat ‘If it can go wrong, it will finally found a place to park up – only to be faced with a go wrong’ was prevalent in the early stages, but with the bargain 250 Euros parking fee for the 2 vehicles! After teamwork and ethos associated with our Squadron we pulled splitting up into groups around Paris we all met up under the together to ensure the staff were given all the tools they Eifel Tower at 7, with the park relatively peaceful; that was needed to do their job effectively. A hard week led to a until LCpl Chris ‘Buzz Lightyear’ Hardy came crashing through Change of Control (CHOC) to Bravo Troops Tier 3 HQ, and our with a rugby ball shouting “it’s ok the Brits are here”. Step-Up HQ was torn down in preparation for a Rapid Air Land (RAL) move to Carlisle – a forward mounting base for Saturday saw the remainder of the group who had not had our next deployment in West Freugh, Scotland. the opportunity to explore Paris given the opportunity to explore the town of Trios . After a brief look at the cultural West Freugh offered a change in scenery and with the help of history of the impressive town, the group found themselves Tier 1 Para TAC, of who were already on location following trying out their impressively un-impressive French on the local their Para jump with the Brigade Commander, our team waitresses. With no luck but full stomachs, Trois offered a began their rapid build with a tight timeline before Staff were high street of bars in which to relax whilst we could before due to arrive. Once established more hard work and a CHOC real work started on Monday. back to Tier 3 enabled yet another move for the deployed members of the Troop back to Carlisle for the final stages of Monday, and all the lads were back conducting final testing the Exercise. before the start of the French CAST Ex. With the shift rotor up we began our 12 hour shifts, with the usual jobs such as Ex JOINT WARRIOR culminated in a final assault which saw officers purging hard drives or forgetting passwords taking up many members of the Squadron deployed in unfamiliar roles. the majority of the manpower! ENDEX was called just after Outgoing Alpha Troop OC Lt Coterrill deployed in command evening meal on the Thursday and with our own beds of a small Man Pack Rebroadcast Team, whilst Cpl Tommy beckoning, we managed to tear down the British part of the ‘actually called Colin’ Tucker and LCpl ‘Jimmy will fix it’ Dale HQ in less than 2 hours. deployed as drivers for the Pathfinders assault. A worthwhile exercise for the Troop with regards to further familiarisation The drive back was relatively uneventful, with the minor with our Tier 2.5 Step-Up HQ, as well as bonding those who matter of a flat battery being the only hindrance. We now had worked closely together for the 3 weeks, the Exercise look forward to the opportunity to work with our French endured. We look forward to our next challenge as a Counterparts 11 (Fr) Parachute Brigade in the future – their Squadron - with our hopes strongly pinned on an operational cookhouse cuisine excluded! deployment in the near future!

French Signals compete in the Lanyard Trophy following One of many CH47 drop offs during Ex JOINT WARRIOR 13 Ex PEGASUS

Exercise PEGASUS - by LCpl Hillary Even Some Adventure Training – by Sig Farminer

After a quick turn around after Ex JOINT WARRIOR, a small One of 10 lucky members of the Squadron to get a place on portion of the Squadron deployed to France to take part in Ex Adventure Training, I was relishing the opportunity to travel PEGASUS. The aim of the exercise was to support 16 Air up to Balmacara House in Scotland for a week of Assault Staff Officers as they work with their French mountaineering and mountain biking. Monday’s arrival saw counterparts from 11 (Fr) Parachute Brigade, however for the us split up into 3 teams and after being given our timetables Squadron it posed the perfect opportunity to further test the we were given the necessary briefs and kit issue. Tactical Network Gateway (TNG) used to facilitate interoperability with the French. My team’s first day of activities were centred around mountaineering, led by Maj John Higginson. After being Faced with a new French interoperability team to who we had briefed on the route, together we navigated steep down-hill worked with before, the first day of setup was spent forging climbs and ridges, with a couple of descents requiring us to

84 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 don our less than flattering helmets. After a few shaky ALPHA TROOP – by Sig Billingham moments, and some even shakier knees, we were relieved to overcome the challenges that many of the obstacles OC Lt Dodson presented. This activity took up much of the day, gratefully SSgt SSgt Steel split up by a short lunch at a spot overlooking some remarkable views of the Scottish Highlands. The start of the period saw the Troop deploy on Ex JOINT WARRIOR, with the newly posted in Troop Comd Lt Dodson at the helm. This was closely followed by Ex PEGASUS which saw Cpl Tommy ‘Colin’ Tucker once again deploying to France in support of 11 (Fr) Parachute Brigade and a number of 16 Air Assault Brigade Staff Officers. This period also saw Sig Wood successfully complete All Arms Pre Parachute Selection qualifying himself for the British Parachute Course – well- done! Time for Sigs Williamson, Cox, Oostuizen and Tobbell to step up to the plate next – Stay on that log!

Cracking performances from Cpl Milson and Sig Pollock while competing for the Lanyard Trophy helped the Squadron come home as competition winners once again. An additional well- done goes to Sig Pollock who has won 3 Lanyard Trophies in as many years – Well-in! The experience of Sgt ‘Tricky’ Rickie Dowds must also not be underestimated with the admin support team contributing to the team’s performance. A final congratulations goes to Sig ‘Pascal Cygan’ Lonorgan for his impressive start to his Army Football Career being awarded Army Player of the Year.

Departures have been minimal this period with only Sig Iatsenko deploying to the Falklands for 6 months, whilst the Troop welcome newcomers Sigs Bimpson, Nunn, Oostuizen and Wotherspoon – P Coy is waiting for you boys! The Troop also gives a warm welcome back to Cpl Carver on his second tour with the Squadron and Alpha Troop.

BRAVO TROOP – by 2Lt Jackson

OC Lt Mapplebeck SSgt SSgt Weir WO2 (RQMS) Sherlock navigating downhill shortly before losing balance The start of this busy period saw the vast majority of Bravo Troop deploy with the Squadron on Ex JOINT WARRIOR. On The remainder of the AT was dominated by mountain biking. return, the Troop had a quick turn around before a portion of Led by Sig Harman, a trained Mountain Bike Leader, we the Troop deployed on Ex PEGASUS, supporting 11 (Fr) navigated both steep and technical routes around the terrain Parachute Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade Staff Officers in – with only a few comical falls! As the weather closed in after France. Ex PEGASUS was largely made up of Bravo Troop two days of solid sun, the muddy trails proved more fun for soldiers, with team building days to Paris and Trios sticking our saddle worn group. Further to this, the legendary out as two of the highlights during a busy period. Scottish delicacy of the ‘Battered Mars Bar’ kept energy up later in the week. Bravo Troop played a significant part in the Sqn’s success at bringing home the Lanyard Trophy, with Lt Mapplbeck, Cpl The final ascent of the week was followed by the fastest and Pinnington, LCpl Rose, Sig Barfield and Hale-Mullin from the possibly most difficult descent back to Balmacara House, and Troop making up 5 of the 8 winning team members! following a good old fashioned ‘chippy’ we readied ourselves for the journey home. A quality week, the long drive back to Arrivals wise, the Troop give a warm welcome to Sigs Colchester was hardly noticeable to any of us from behind the Brewster, Malin and Yarranton. Welcome to the Troop lads, back of our eye lids! look forward to a steady start to what will prove a busy and exciting few years – now get yourselves on P Company!

SUPPORT TROOP – by LCpl Moorby

OC Capt Fensom SSgt SSgt Springett

From joint exercises with the French Army to ECIs it’s been a busy period for Support Troop. A large portion of the Troop deployed on Ex JOINT WARRIOR after which LCpls Moorby and Mauger deployed on Ex PEGASUS. On return from exercise our attention shifted to 2D bar-coding, with its completion leading us to our current challenge with regards to BCIP 5.5. Meanwhile, in the world of buckshee, LCpl O’Brien recently attended a photographer’s course and is now the Squadron ‘Go to bloke’ for anything that makes us Members of the Sqn pose at the top of a challenging ascent look ‘Ally’.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 85 Departure wise, LCpl Lamb has been deployed to the variety of exercises. First up was Ex JOINT WARRIOR up in Falklands for a 6 month tour, chasing penguins and Carlisle which saw most of the Troop deployed, followed by pretending he has a job in the glorious winter weather he’ll be LCpl Jay Hollis deploying with the French on Ex PEGASUS. having. LCpl ‘The Kraken’ McCoy has been attached to the BCIP 5.5 uplift team, whilst LCpl Jason Conway deployed to A well-done goes to our own Sgt Jon ‘Buchy’ Buchan as the Kenya supporting the BATUK team. One more long term Senior NCO on this year,s winning Lanyard Trophy Team, as departure leads us to bid a special farewell to Sgt Deans, who well as a big well done to LCpl Jowers – a frontrunner is leaving us in the near future after his recent promotion to throughout. A big extended congratulations goes to all that SSgt and subsequent posting to 21 Signal Regiment (AS). took part and led the Squadron to another great success.

MT/LAD Troop Despite recent redundancies, morale is high within the Troop and a series of outings are in the process of being organised OC Capt Jordan for the near future, one of which will be Thorpe Park. Last SSgt SSgt Dunn but not least, we say a fond farewell to Cpl ‘Sean’ O’Connor who has put a lot of hard work in for the Troop over the past The MT/LAD has once again been busy over the last couple of few years; good luck with whatever future challenges you months, getting ready for our ECI/LSI and also deploying on a face.

12 MECHANIZED BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON (228) BULFORD

OC Maj S Irwin The final day of the exercise took us to Fishguard fort, which RSM WO1 (RSM) D Windsor was the last place in mainland Great Britain was invaded by a foreign force. We were fortunate to have some insight from a Exercise ACE ADVENTYURE – by Cpl R Morrison surviving member of the invasion from Cpl ‘Daz’ Reed who settled in nicely next to the rest of the relics. Our cultural day After returning from Op Herrick and adjusting to the tempo of finished with a visit and tour of a local micro brewery. normal work it was time to embrace Wales for some multi Obviously it would have been rude to have left without activity AT. Wales being a country that has its own weather sampling some of the produce. system we fully expected a myriad of weather conditions. What a pleasant surprise it was then to see people returning from their first day of activity with sun burnt faces. There was growing concern for the ginger members of the group.....you know who you are. The Ex took place in and around Tenby, Pembrokeshire. The main body were split into smaller groups to rotate around activities. Mountain biking took place in Brechfa forest and climbing at St David’s Head. Mountain biking took many by surprise with the steep climbs and the fast descents. Complaints that night around Penally Camp of sore bums raised many eyebrows. During the mountain biking Cpl Normans’ technical dismount from his bike scored him some high points, however he let himself down with a poor finish.

LCpl Jacobs showing off his Mountain Biking ability

228 Sig Sqn Getting stuck in to the AT Spirit Climbing proved popular mainly due to the choice of location and various sunbathing locations. LCpl Jacobs’ reluctance to accept he isn’t spiderman resulted in him adopting a very The exercise was deemed successful by all parties involved unattractive foetal position mid climb, colourful language and and we look forward to our next opportunity to get away on perseverance prevailed and he returned to ground safely. some more AT.

86 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 228 Tug Of War ‘Heroes’ – by Sgt Mickey Luxford The Second game saw us go head to head against the French Signals. These boys were big and pushed us into a gritty ruck This year's Morrison Cup gave the newly formed 228 Signal and maul game and we were constantly being pushed off the Squadron tug of war team a chance to compete against a ball by the French who were just too tough for us. We number of units from across the Corps. narrowly lost by only one try. Battered and bruised we picked ourselves up and warmed up for our third game hoping for After a successful inter-Brigade competition earlier in the year our first win. we were dealt a severe blow, learning that we would be weighed in this competition. The previous method of We knew 11 Sigs have always been a strong side so with choosing the biggest lumps within the Unit was no longer an words of wisdom from RSM WO1 Windsor, we went out to option. play the game in which we had trained hard for. With fantastic runs from LCpl ‘I’m a crow and forgot my boots’ After a selection process and a range of severe crash diets for Farley and Cpl ‘Damo’ Amos we pushed the opposition hard the majority of the team (mine being the KFC – finger licking running in fantastic tries from Sig ‘Baz’ Harris and LCpl ‘I’m good diet) we arrived in Blandford ready to go. The weigh-in still a crow for forgetting my boots’ Farley. We went into saw us achieve both the 640Kg and 680Kg with only half a half time with a comfortable lead. In the second half we kilo to spare in both weights. Even the judges couldn’t started to play our set pieces but the highlight of the game believe the scales! came when LCpl ‘I’m a machine’ Watson chased down the breakthrough runner across the entire length of the pitch to Both competitions started in the form of a league, with the make a try saving tackle. With more tries coming from LCpl top 2 teams competing in a final. After a successful league ‘dance floor diva’ Middlecoate and LCpl ‘I should be fined for campaign, 11 pulls later and some interesting battle cries from forgetting my boots’ Farley we closed the game off and with LCpl ‘Gap tooth’ McComb, we reached the final of both the final whistle we had won our first game of the categories against a formidable, well trained and well tournament. equipped 22 Signal Regiment. Our winning run came to an abrupt end when we faced Team The final saw us move location onto fresh ground in front of Hereford for our fourth game. This team was made up of the seating stand by the running track. Cpl Grant was quick many talented Corps players who threw the ball about to point out in his typical loud fashion that being the only creating gaps and running several tries past us. The second team in issued boots, it was like pulling on an ice ring. half was a completely different game and we kept our defensive line together and rushed the opposition at times, The day finished with the team finishing runners up in both even pushing the Hereford boys back to make them ‘kick and competitions. We were pleased to receive runners up medals chase’. We lost this game heavily but we definitely won the and a trophy that the Squadron hadn’t won since 1978. second half.

Going into the last match having only won one game, we looked certain to be in the bowl when the knockout stages started. However, having now played four hard games, we had improved and even first timers LCpl ‘I can now catch the ball’ Middlecoate and Sig ‘Forrest’ Smith were starting to play intelligent sevens rugby. The pressure was now off and we showed some amazing team play, slowing the ball down and drawing the opposition in, we passed up and down the line creating the gaps and pushing the fast runners through putting several tries past the Baa Baa’s. With several bursts from LCpl ‘see if you can catch me’ McComb. There were some outstanding tackles and performances and at the final whistle we knew if we could play to our potential we would do very well.

Winning two games out of five put us into fourth place which Strong effort lads qualified us into the plate play-offs. We were drawn against a strong 14 Signal Regiment (EW) side but undaunted we went

Corps Rugby 7’s 2013 – by Cpl Staples

228 put a team in for this years Corps 7’s competition on 1 May 2013. Although only a Sqn we decided to use the competition as a good training session for the lads who had shown commitment in giving up their lunchtimes and own time to train during a very busy period for 228 Signal Squadron. Leaving ridiculously early on 1 May we travelled down to Cardiff arriving at Harlequins Rugby club later that day.

We were drawn in the hardest group and had the task of playing against 21 Signal Regiment, the French Signals, 11 Signal Regiment, Team Hereford and the Baa Baa’s (a team made up of locals and unit subs). Although it looked daunting we set up ready for our first game of the tournament against a strong 21 Sigs team. On the final whistle we were only down by three tries so with our heads held high we looked forward to our next game. 228 Sig Sqn - Corps 7’s Plate Winners 2013

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 87 into the game with experience and high spirits from the group touch line from LCpl ‘bolt’ McComb we placed the ball down games. The game was hard and the opposition had some for our first try. An amazing drop kick (be it slightly illegal) pace but undeterred we again slowed the ball and even put in from LCpl ‘I will never live it down for forgetting my boots’ to practice our secret weapon, the Peter Pan move. It Farley put us in the lead. The French had run out of steam worked and the other team stood bemused as we ran in an and the tries mounted and even when they did manage to get amazing try by Cpl ‘Damo’ Amos. 14 Sig Regt couldn’t the ball their largest player was taken out with crunching compete and we had now won our third game! tackles by Lt ‘I want to be Damu’ Simpson. The game was won and 228 Signal Squadron had done the unexpected and The French lined up against us for the Final of the Plate and won the Plate final. after a pep talk from assistant coach Sig ‘don’t get me angry’ Damudamu we set out to play to our strengths this time and The team should be very proud of their achievements as I am not get dragged into a hard fought forwards game. Our very proud of them. Well done boys and now it’s back to sevens rugby flowed and with an impressive run along the training ready for the Corps 10’s in September.

HQ 101 LOGISTICS BRIGADE & SIGNAL TROOP (661) ALDERSHOT

Following a well deserved Easter break it has been straight the only female in the team running round and enjoying back into a normal work routine with a couple of extra ourselves, 16 miles down and it had only taken us 4 hours. We activities thrown in for good measure. With the Nijmegen were all happy with the pace and just waiting for the end to Marches looming the Troop has again entered a team. The arrive but then LCpl Outhwaite was complaining of blisters, qualifying march brought back memories to survivors of last so at rest camp 3 she went to the medic tent to have them year and was certainly an eye opener for those who were new seen to. When she came out she seemed OK to carry on with to it. The Troop also entered a team in the Corps’ Operational the remainder of the march, however a bit further down the Shooting Competition and repeated last year’s success. road all hell broke loose. She was in so much pain that she Slightly less successful but just as rewarding was our entry couldn’t take it any more and we had to stop, but the team into the Corps’ Triathlon Competition with our team of would not let her drop out. So her day sack was given to one novices. of the other lads and WO2 (YofS) Tucker piggy backed her for a mile to give her a rest on her feet. She was able to finish Welcome back from BATUS to Sig Dawes who confounded all the remainder of the march but we walked at a slower pace, expectations by not finishing the tour early. Good luck to Cpl completing day one in 7 ½ hours, an average time. Once Shiner and Sig Giles who both leave us for pastures new on everyone was showered and refreshed we all met in the bar posting. for a well deserved drink whilst once again the TL went for a brief on Day 2. He reported all important information back to Royal Air Force Walking And Road Marching Association us and that we should all check our boots because somehow (RAFWARMA) March Nijmegen Qualification - by LCpl Shone a cadet had managed to walk the whole of Day One in two left boots. The team met at the Troop ready to depart to RAF Cosford in Wolverhampton for the 50 mile 2 day march in order to Day 2 was an earlier start, this time we were out the gate by qualify for the Nijmegen Marches 2013. 0620 but the pace was definitely slower as everyone had their own aches and pains from Day One. However, the Grenadier On arrival the designated Team Leader (TL) SSgt (FofS) Guards were not so quick off the mark. Morale in the team Johnston went and booked the team in whilst I, LCpl Shone was down due to LCpl Outhwaite not being able to walk and went and found out what accommodation we would be in. as a result was out of the march all together. We slogged To my surprise we were told we were accommodated in Block away at the remaining 23 miles and at rest camp one, which E. We all thought that we had been given hard standing was the longest and hardest leg of 14 kilometres, another of accommodation but NO we arrived at our BLOCK to find it the team could not continue. Cpl Patterson, who had was a marquee in the middle of a field. Of course it was my fault. Not a good start to the weekend.

The TL went to a team brief at 2000hrs to be given all information about the first day's march, whilst the remainder of the team waited in the bar. The march was to commence at 0710 on Saturday and the cut off time to complete the 27 miles was 1700hrs which was plenty of time to get round.

0430 on Saturday 27 Apr and the majority of the team was woken up by the lights coming on and Cpl Patterson rustling around. This irritated some of the team but luckily breakfast was at 0530, so not much sleep was lost. Once we were all fed we formed up with the many other teams ready to march and in high spirits. At 0710 we were rolling out of the gates at a slow pace due to a Cadet team in front of us. This annoyed the team behind us, the Grenadier Guards, so they decided to double past every one and set off like a bat out of hell. Once out of the camp and on the main road we opened up the pace and stormed past countless teams just getting into our stride. The team was in high spirits with myself and LCpl Outhwaite Happy faces on Day 1 of the Nijmegen Qualifier

88 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 problems with his legs and feet, was out, so again our morale plan to get out of the shooting team. Unfortunately I hadn’t took another dip, but knowing that the next 3 legs were all damaged my trigger finger so carried on. below 10 kilometres each, we pounded away at the road slowly increasing the pace as we went. LCpl Mann was trying There were many admin mishaps on the range, mostly made to boost morale by interacting with the cadet teams and by LCpl Stewart. All forgettable except my own; leaving my having a laugh. At each rest camp people were popping pills rifle by the targets after hurriedly patching up to prepare for like they were going out of fashion just so that we could get the next detail. Only realising it was missing after quickly over the pain and complete the march. bombing up and spending a few minutes searching for it, then losing my ear defenders in the process of fetching my rifle. We reached rest camp 3 and only had 9 kilometres to go until the end so morale picked up. For the last 9 kilometres we After gathering all the scores from training the team was picked up the pace once again, overtaking teams to get back picked, which consisted of two A class shots, SSgt Turnbull to camp and complete the 50 miles. We arrived back at camp and Sig Giles, two B class shots, Pte Green and Cfn Redshaw at about 1530 and had 30 minutes to spare until the parade to as the gunner. LCpl Stewart and myself took on the role of announce who was the best team in each category. The individual shooters. Grenadier Guards were nowhere to be seen, apart from half of the team who had dropped out. Myself, Cpl Patterson and Competition. On the first day of the Corps Operational LCpl Williams went to the bar to get a cold beer and then Shooting Competition we arrived at Ash ERT for Match 43, received our medals from SSgt (FofS) Johnston. the Defence Match. Sig Giles and myself formed the biggest Unfortunately our team did not win any team trophies but we detail of the day, consisting of the two of us! We managed to were just happy that we had completed the march. As soon keep the safety staff busy though. as the parade was over it was a mad hobble to the minibus so that we could get on the road and home to rest. During match 44, the Advance to Contact, SSgt Turnbull wasn’t impressed with his score and appealed because Completed both days: WO2 (YofS) Tucker, WO2 (RQMS) someone ran into his lane. He was allocated a reshoot Turner, SSgt (FofS) Johnston (TL), Sgt Loughton, Cpl meaning he would have to do the 500 metre run beforehand Saruwaka, LCpl Mann, LCpl Shone, LCpl Williams, Sig Dawes and then the shoot. His second attempt didn’t work out as and Sig Quintero. the targeting system did not register his hits meaning he’d have another reshoot. His third attempt left him exhausted. Completed day one: Cpl Patterson and LCpl Outhwaite. He dropped points leaving him with a lower score than he started with. Arriving back at camp at 2130 every one was in one mind set, shower then bed. After all these mishaps the team still won the Royal Corps of Signals Minor Unit Champions. The team managed to finish in 11th place overall, earning a reserve position for the Army OSC. The team also walked away with best British Firer - SSgt Turnbull, best Other Arms Firer - Pte Green and best B Class Gunner - Cfn Redshaw, earning Cfn Redshaw the nickname Billy Oneshoot.

With a repeat of last year’s success many congratulations go to the team for their dedication to training prior to the event. Special thanks to SSgt Turnbull for his guidance and management of the team.

Not so happy faces on Day 2

Shooting Team - by Sig Grindlay

Zeroing. SSgt Richie Turnbull, LCpl Rosstopher Stewart, Sig ‘Gilesy’ Giles, Pte ‘Greeny’ Green, Cfn Billy Redshaw and myself, Sig ‘Grinners’ Grindlay arrived on Ash 2 range to start our training. Only to be met by a bitter wind with snow still on the ground and the firing trenches filled with ice cold water, what a wonderful day for shooting. The successful Shooting Team Training. During our training we had one pistol shoot on a Sunday. This happened to be the only sunny day that we had. Corps Sprint Triathlon - by Sig Barker-Magowan This did not help Cfn Redshaw complaining that he had the sun in his eyes because he could only manage to suppress the On Thursday 9 May three members of 661 Signal Troop set off target by shooting above it into the trees beyond the bank. to 21 Signal Regiment for the Royal Signals Sprint Triathlon.

Due to the cold weather I accidently trapped one of my We had originally planned to leave St Omer Barracks at 0700 fingers in a van door. Everyone said this must have been a but SSgt (FofS) Johnston decided to have a lie in and rang Sig

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 89 Quintero at 0710 to tell him to pick him up from the Sgts’ some speed up, soon the first lap became the second lap and Mess. After the little delay we set off our way to 21 Signal then finally the third lap. As I was going back up the hill to Regiment (AS). Navigating to the camp was worthy of a the gym I heard SSgt (FofS) Johnston coming behind me and medal as the roads leading to the camp gate were narrow and moaning about how he got lost on his first lap and was trying bendy country lanes. to catch me up for the reminder. Clearly somebody didn’t listen to the race brief. When we arrived, stepping out of the vehicles we got hit by gusts of wind. Then to add insult to injury we saw the quality After the horrendous bike ride we had what we thought was of the bikes the other competitors where going to be using the easiest leg of the triathlon the run. As we started both compared to our three mountain bikes. As we waited at the mine and SSgt (FofS) Johnston’s legs felt like lead. The start gymnasium for the race brief to take place we were amazed of the run was the hardest but it gradually got easier the at some of the clothing the other competitors had compared further along the 5km route we went. The finish line was to our shorts and flip flops. The race brief took place and finally in sight and as I crossed it I turned around and waited myself and SSgt (FofS) Johnston were going to be set off for SSgt(FofS) Johnston to finish, but he was nowhere to be before Sig Quintero at 1100. As we started the swim I had seen. Eventually all our team had finished our first triathlon realised that we should have done more training rather than and all of us said we would do it again but with more training just a few lengths. I was the last one out of the pool out of and better equipment. the 16 that started at the same time as me. Overall our team managed to finish 3rd overall in the Minor I had just started my bike ride of 21.5km and seriously felt like Unit competition with myself finishing 43rd, SSgt (FofS) throwing in the towel as the wind was horrendous, but soon Johnston 44th and Sig Quintero 45th. Overall it was a enough we were sheltered from the wind. Managing to get enjoyable day yet at the same time a very tiring day.

90 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 OTHER UNITS

HEADQUARTERS BRITISH FORCES SOUTH ATLANTIC ISLANDS

J6 – by Sig ‘Tags’ Tagiteu keep the RSO less grumpy) RADCON set up an Ops room and a BV. SO2 J6 Sqn Ldr Paul Kennedy RAF SO3 J6 Capt (Tfc) Clarke Fatchett R SIGNALS This exercise has been the highlight of my tour as it involves YofS SSgt (YofS) Mat Burton all the assets that BFSAI provide including the Typhoon fighter jets, helicopters and the occasional RAF fire BV. There are a Introduction few interesting relics from the 1982 conflict to be seen including the Argentinean FMA IA 58 Pucara aircraft that was Headquarters British Forces South Atlantic Islands (Falklands) shot down in Port Stanley by Harrier Jump Jets. The Pucara is is a Joint and integrated command formed of personnel from now used on the range for target practice. all three services charged with delivering a very real operational effect; the deterrence of any aggression towards There is much to do in the Falklands both on and off camp the South Atlantic Islands. these include things such as a bowling alley, cinema, fully equipped gym and pool, choice of several bars and most RADCON is the Tactical Communication section and are sports facilities. When venturing out, Port Stanley is a good responsible for the provision of secure and insecure strategic place to escape, being the most populated town on the and tactical reach back communications enabling Command islands which boasts a population of around 2500. Stanley and Control (C2) to support HQ BFSAI activities. These also has a few bars (4 if you count a shed where you bring communications take the form of rapidly deployable your own beer). For reasons unknown all the bars close at Operators and Crash Out Detachments (CODs). midnight in Stanley but if you're friendly with the locals you would find yourself at house parties as LCpl ‘the man, the Exercise/Activities legend’ Keynon (self titled) and myself found out. You do get some interesting characters in the bars, mainly Chileans that There has only been one occasion on the tour so far that the come across the water for employment or you could bump COD team have been crashed out in a real life situation. Back into a familiar face like Capt ‘I’ve got the moves like Jagger’ in February a patrol from an infantry company accidentally Fatchett, don’t worry sir I won’t go into detail about those left a fire burning which rapidly spread on West Falkland dance moves but judging from the expression on LCpl Jenny Island. The fire ravaged the west for over three weeks and Lyons-Negus face you deserve a place on “You’ve been this allowed the dets to hone in on our communication skills. Framed”. I would pay £250 for that!

As well as the FFRs, RADCON also hold BVs. The BVs are all Charity terrain vehicles which allows ease of movement on the Islands, they are also kitted out with Bowman. The BV is The section has also taken part in a charity event, the mainly for the Range Safety Officer (RSO) Marvin Clark who is Standard Chartered Bank's Stanley Marathon which is an Islander and a veteran of the 1982 war. His primary role is officially the world’s most Southerly AIMS Certified Marathon. to ensure that the live firing exercises by the RIC run smoothly Gradients, wind and the threat of bad weather makes this one and without any casualties. The RIC carry out their live firing of the toughest marathon courses. Running for a cause: phase as part of their training on Ex CAPE BAYONET, during Seeing is Believing (SiB) is Standard Chartered Bank's global which an element of RADCON deploy to provide safety programme to help tackle preventable and curable blindness. communications. Armed with a week’s supply of Haribos (to Our relay team consisted of LCpl Jenny Lyons-Negus, Sig James Lory, Sig ‘Coley’ Cole and myself. The event was extremely enjoyable and RADCON gave it their all for a worthy just cause.

Welcomes and Farewells

Welcome to Sgt Vicki Gurung and LCpl Rajen, both from 22 Sig Regt. Also we welcome LCpl Pranesh from 30 Sig Regt

Farewells to Sgt ‘Raj’ Rajendra Rai who heads happily back to 30 Sig Regt. LCpl ‘Bilbo Baggins’ Owen who returns to “the Shire” otherwise known as 22 Sig Regt. Also leaving us via MEDEVAC because he had something in his eye LCpl Keynon back to 216 Sig Sqn. Rumour has it that they’ve all put a down payment on a boat and have decided to venture into the shrimping business.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 91 628 SIGNAL TROOP 1st NATO SIGNAL BATTALION

OC Capt Moore Initially all was well as the equipment was setup in a well SSgt Sgt Grills rehearsed fashion with a healthy bit of competition as we raced alongside our Danish counterparts! The Danes however Troop Update – by Cpl Gritt did amuse as their inflatable tent was prone to deflating, and on occasion trapping its occupants inside! Once Since the turn of the year it has been non stop in 628 Signal communications were in a routine was established, most Troop. We all got back from Christmas Leave on 7 January notably with our resident PTIs Cpl Apao and LCpl Georgio 2013 ready for a new year and the challenges it could present. offering a multinational service, proving sweat and tears know no borders! Then as soon as it started we departed, Our first tasking was to take over the Linc-E Detachment from waving a tearful farewell to our Polish hosts and the ever our German Counterparts (DCM B) at the Brigade HQ of 1 vigilant Guard Force which defended our camp within a camp, NATO Signal Battalion in Weisel. This started on 21 January which was within a bigger camp and always insisted on with a week long PACEX were it was monkey see, monkey do, checking our passes. be it setting up, packing away or the general running and set up of the Detachment, all supervised by DCM B. The next Upon return to Elmpt station the obligatory turn around week we were set loose on the Det to make sure we were all started and preparation to hand over the equipment to our capable of the setting up, running and packing with DCM B in supporting German Troop. the background keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Operation ENDURING FREEDOM – by By WO2 Paterson Come February we were onto the first 3 day range package set up at Arsbeck range to get everyone through the APWT. Three members of 628 Signal Troop, namely WO1 (FofS) Pat Paterson, Sgt Bob Yuille and Cpl Sam Tamang from WIESEL CLOUD, our first Real time exercise was just around Deployable Communication Module (DCM) D have been the corner but first it was a week Tacex starting on 18 deployed with DCM A, a German DCM for the period from February, a shack up for the lads to get their heads back on May to Sept 2013 with the primary role of providing a core the comms. The 25th February saw the Troop deploy to NATO network for interconnecting coalition forces with voice Darden, a German training camp for a Battalion Exercise and data services. which saw 628 Troop deploy our New Linc-E Detachment. Over the 3 week period we were put through different Effective communication and teamwork are the pre-requisite scenarios and tests to see if we were able to cope, which I am for different nations to work as one. Deploying with the happy to say we passed with flying colours. German Troop on pre deployment training, understanding their procedures and relaying messages have been key factors March saw the Troop stand down for a well deserved Easter for the operational success. Even with differences such as Break. April saw the Troop deploy on the second exercise, language each member works as a team, even under pressure COBALT FLASH, for a ten day testing and training exercise to meet its primary objective. This could not be achieved where we were able to see what we could make better and without outstanding leadership of German Capt Koehne (OC) smother when deploying Linc-E. and FofS Paterson (2IC), putting their experience into context and bringing the best out of rest of the DCM. Moving head first into a 5 week Battalion exercise held in Poland from 15 April to 24 May, the Troop are now back in Even the department heads carry a great deal of responsibility camp and have started our pre tour training for our by managing, assessing, motivating, conducting training plans deployment to Afghanistan in January 2014. and leading teams into working solutions to any problems. As the Army advertisement quotes “the ability to step back Exercise STEADFAST COBALT – by LCpl Neilan from a situation, plan and them move forward with a strategy is a key factor for implementing effective work”, this has On 26 April 2013 628 Signal Troop embarked on what would been put into practice. be the culminating exercise of a busy period starting in January of the same year. Having been put through our When a team is facing an issue with no straight forward paces on the newly acquired equipment we drove from solution and under pressure, they have been able to adapt Battalion HQ located in Wesel, Germany and embarked to and overcome by taking a step back and looking at what has Poland where we would be showcasing our newly honed to be done and using initiative to adapt to different skills to the multi-national Battalion and our co-located sister circumstances. For example, even though we share similar Battalion. core values, differences do exist especially when they boast about an all German Champions League final but they forget After an arduous drive we had our overnight stop in Prenzlau the fact that the score stands 12-7 (England-Germany), Barracks just east of Berlin. The camp has been there since Champions League winners. the dawn of time and in the darkness was an eerie sight! Within 3 hours of leaving Prenzlau we were in location at Walcz in Poland.

92 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 SPORT

Royal Signals Cycling and Triathlon Update Exercise Alpine Rider 2013 (Corps Alpine Road Cycling Training Camp) – by LCpl Will Barker

On a sunny Saturday 1 June 2013, 14 members of the Corps met at 21 Signal Regiment Guardroom ready to depart. Bikes and personal kit were loaded onto the transit van and we set off on our overnight journey to the Alps. Right from the off there was a wide variation of nutritional strategies; SSgt Kes Greenham opting for yogurt and granola compared to the Whoppers and fries enjoyed by many others. At the ferry port we turned down two very brave French hitch-hikers – probably for their benefit more than ours! However, we were fortunate to be allowed on an earlier ferry than planned.

With regular driver changes throughout the night, we made good time and we were in prime position to watch the professional riders climb an intermediate summit on the opening stage of the Team Photo by Lac du Passy with Mont Blanc in the background ‘Criterium du Dauphine’, which is considered to be the final warm up race to the Tour de France. Watching Chris Froome and Alberto Contador et al race up the 9% gradient faster than we could ride on the flat certainly provided a ‘look-forward’ to what we might become at the end of the training camp! We also had some local food which some members had been very excited about eating, which was a cheese and ham sandwich.

Later in the day we reached our campsite and settled into our accommodation for the week, small chalets for 3 to 4 members of our team, which were ideal for our purposes. We met the training team from ‘Green Training’, headed up by Shaun Green, an ex-REME ‘Tiffy (which we won’t hold against him) plus three others, all of whom were well versed in Squaddie banter.

We each put our bikes together and went for a quick test ride. Then Shaun and his team gave them the once over. The next day was a short 37 miler to get rid of the cobwebs from being sat in a minibus for 10 plus hours. The ride was a good chance to let the team assess each other for team talent, and look at everybody’s prized bikes and kit, with some members choosing titanium over carbon fibre. I think the mountain miles were a wake-up call to all members of the team with the length of the long hilly ascents Good to see the ‘suffer’ faces on the pros too – it never gets that only the Alps can provide. Though on leaving the camp, Kes easier, you only get quicker! Greenham’s wheel fell off due his very poor bike admin! Apart

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 93 from that the first ride was uneventful and surprisingly quite cheeky, I think the quote of the day was “these hills drag and are very long”.

Day 2 (111km, 2090 m climbed, 5hrs 15mins duration) was going to be much more testing and longer with a Tour De France mountain Col. The Col de Joux Plane was still closed due to snow, however a ‘suitable’ replacement was found. The Col de Araches which was a very brutal long climb, with many alpine switchbacks. The climb started off at a quite a nice pace and the slower group seeing the faster ones in the distance just added to their suffer score. After a re-group at the top it was a descent back down over into the next valley, before a much longer slower climb to Col de L’Encrenaz. This had a ‘lovely’ ramp to the summit then onto a poor road where WO2 John Howe had a moment with a massive crater in the road descending into Morzine. A lunch break followed before a very tiring climb to Les Gets, which led onto a super long fast decent on super smooth roads. Then a hard slog back to Araches before a run back to the camp where the train of riders was led by Maj Sue Jeffery at a very fast pace.

Day 3 (5 Jun) was a race day with a Hill Individual Time Trial to begin with. It was 1.7 miles uphill with the quickest time being set by Kes Greenham, perhaps some of the others were saving themselves for the race later on in the morning? After a short break the handicap race started, which was in teams of 4. All of the times from the Hill Time Trial were used and the first team set off, then there was 3 min between the next team. The fastest team had a tough but achievable 7 minutes to make up. There were some good race tactics going on like making people do all the work at the front, while people sat behind on a wheel saving themselves. Also, there were allegiances being formed to get into the last half of the last lap until Kes Greenham, with his vast amount of race knowledge, was used to kick and win the second of the 2 races. Following that we then had a bit of R&R in Chamonix, allowing the team to have a nice chilled out coffee. Some members did a double duff ice cream and cake, making light of all the cycling nutritional advice.

Day 4 (106km, 1886m climbed, 5 hrs 30 mins duration) started with people starting to complain about slightly stiff tired legs, sore seat bones and undercarriages. The ride was going to be another tough day with a Tour de France mountain Col; the Col de Aravis. On route to it was MT Saxonet only 1200 meters in height which was then rewarded by a lovely 4 mile descent. Then started an epic long slow alpine climb from the valley bottom up to Col de Aravis, which was a very tough climb up to 1459 meters. The team had a much needed café stop before a steep descent.

On Day 5 (7 Jun) – 68km, 1017m climbed, 3hrs 10mins duration). The team was given the option of a recovery ride of 20 or 40 miles. I think with the soldier mentality Race practice

only the 40 miler was the option on everyone’s mind - a steady ride out to the start of a climb before a slightly tougher climb up to the village of Romme. Some members of the group (Capt Lloyd Dobson) thought it would be a good idea to race the training team! Then it was a very steep descent back to the valley bottom, with a steady ride back to the campsite.

Day 6 (8 Jun) - 100km ridden, 2010m climbed, 5 – 6 hrs duration. This was going to be the biggest test for the team with 2 mountain cols used in the 2010 Tour De France. A fairly tough 1000m climb up, before a slow descent before the dreaded climb up to the Col de Aravis. I think that everybody found this surprisingly easy, if climbing 600m could be described as that. A short lunch and photo opportunity, then a nice descent down before the big hill of the week, the Col de la Colombiere (1590m). It was a long slow hot climb where the added gearing (for those that had it) was most useful. Members of the team did take the token photo by the name and height sign then had a quick bite to eat and short break before a very long descent back to the valley bottom before the ‘slowest ride’ (not!) back to the camp site.

Day 7 (38km, 871m climbed, 1hr 50mins duration) was a recovery/finish your legs off, with a 10-mile hill climb up it to a café for a quick coffee and photo in team strips before a very long last pleasurable long descent back to the camp site, before the very sad time of stripping bikes into bike bags and boxes, before our journey back to the UK via Calais and Dover. The total mileage by the group was a SSgt Michelle Margrie on Col de la Colombiere grand total of 339 miles including a massive 9000 metres of climbing. So all in all, it

94 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 was an amazing opportunity, everybody’s fitness had increased massively, and Alpine Rider was enjoyed by the whole team. Hoping we can do it again next year? R Signals Corps Cycling Championships 19/20 June 2013

We held our first Corps cycling championships over 2 days on 19/20 Jun covering both the Road and XC MTB disciplines. The Road Race was held at Ludgershall (REME Test Track) and the men’s event, in particular, was very well contested. The XC MTB event used a 5km circuit based around Blandford Camp, which was really enjoyable, involving single track and open fields. After the event prizes were presented by our President, Brig Cole.

Sgt Steve Hughes working at the front of the group

SSgt Kes Greenham crosses the line first with Capt Lloyd Dobson and Sgt Billy Watt a close 2nd and 3rd

Next Event – Training camp for the Inter-Corps Champs RR team at Capel Curig 17 – 19 Sep 13. Look out for future event information on the Facebook pages Jimmys in Sport and Royal Signals Cycling and Triathlon.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 95 Ex EVEREST TIGER 1 was a ‘Type 3, High Risk and Remote’ expedition to Everest Base Camp (EBC) (5364m/17,598ft) and even further to Kala Pattar peak (5545m/18,192ft), Nepal. The expedition took place over the EXERCISE EVEREST TIGER 1 period 6 - 27 Mar 13 and the team comprised higher peak of Kala Patter (5545m). Eventually on day 6 our of 20 permanent staff rank ranging from LCpl to Maj. This bags were loaded on to the Yaks and we set off on the first was the first ever team from Blandford Garrison to undertake leg of the trek to Mojo (2835m). such an arduous and once in a lifetime expedition

The views and scenery as we advanced through the A year in the making, the expedition was organised by Capt Sagarmatha National Park for Namche Bazar (3440m) were Rab Lundie and Sgt Surendra Limbu who were delighted simply breathtaking. Namche Bazar would be our home for when the team departed from Heathrow on 6 Mar. Following an extra day and a half for a mandatory acclimatisation a 15hr flight with Qatar Airways, we finally arrived in Tribhuvan period. International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal late afternoon on 7 Mar 13. On arrival the team were greeted by the manager of The next phase was to Tengboche (3860m) through the Adventure Tansen Trek Ltd, Mr Ashok who presented all team stunning Blue Pine Forest of Phungi Thanga. The members with a traditional marigold garland. After the short going was tough, especially the last meet and greet the team moved to Hotel Moonlight in leg into Tengboche, Thamel, which was home for the next 4 days. however when we arrived we were treated to the beautiful views of the largest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery and views of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. Unfortunately due to altitude sickness and illness we sadly lost Maj Moulton, Capt Rush and also Cpl Bhesh as he volunteered to take them down, The expedition team welcomed in Kathmandu Airport with selflessly sacrificing his marigold garlands own trip. The next phase was a 6hr trek to Pheriche (4240m) taking us through Following 3 days of early rises and flight delays due to poor Pangboche, Syomare and weather at the widely acclaimed ‘World's No1 Worst Airport’ – Pheriche Pass. Pheriche Lukla, the team were reunited after some had made it into would be our home for two Lukla before the delays occurred. The flight into Lukla lived nights for a second up to its reputation as the aircraft was thrown around by mandatory period of turbulence and then there was the runway, which soon acclimatisation. Unfortunately arrived with a bump. Relieved and excited the team were we lost another three reunited and the trek could commence the following morning. team members due to the effects of altitude Three days of delays meant that the ascent had to be and a further three to shortened by half a day and descent by two days. We also sickness and diarrhoea made the decision not to go for EBC and concentrate on the after eating a chicken dish.

Sad to leave friends behind we continued to Dughla (4620m) and then on to Lobuche (4910m) when altitude and illness claimed Sgt Ford who was flown out by helicopter to Kathmandu hospital for a check-up. Following a rapid descent he soon recovered and retired to British Gurkhas Nepal until the team The expedition team presenting memorabilia t-shirts to the returned. The remaining owner of Tashi Delek Lodge in Namche Bazar team of 11 plus a guide

96 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 EXERCISE EVEREST TIGER 1 – by SSgt (FofS) Ishwor Gurung advanced to the penultimate was raised by 11(RSS) destination at Gorak Shep Sig Regt Gym Staff and (5140m) and we arrived just the Blandford Garrison before last light and in biting Gurkha Community. sub-zero temperatures. The cheque was gratefully received by On day 11, we woke up early Ms Anuradha Koirala, at 0430hrs and after a well- founder and director received warm brew we set of Maiti Nepal (she off for our final destination was awarded CNN Kala Pattar (5545m) in the Hero of the year 2010). dark, with head-torches on. An additional £400.00 The extreme altitude took its was donated to toll on one of our guides who enhance educational had to descend as we facilities of various painstakingly and slowly villages by Capt Rajeev. advanced to our objective. Similarly, finger The sun slowly came up over puppets and stationery the summit of Everest as we collected by WO2 Ian ascended we saw views that Lewis and his wife Mrs will be tattooed in our minds Anne Lewis were forever. We eventually Ex Everest Tiger 1 team on top of Kala Pattar 5545m distributed to the summited Kala Pattar at 0635hrs children throughout and we were all overwhelmed by the expedition. the achievement and the stunning panoramic views of Pumari, Everest and the Khumbu Glacier. Following the We were finally bid farewell by Tansen Trek on the night of 25 mandatory photographs and individual periods of reflection Mar 13 at a dinner hosted by Mr Ashok in the Hotel Mandap we began our decent back to Lukla, which was as memorable Restaurant in Thamel. Final presentations along with prizes in as the ascent. various categories were awarded and an outstanding poem of our adventure was produced and recited by Maj Lewin. On the final day we were hosted by the OC Nepal Signal Troop, Our last night in Lukla was a memorable one. We hosted our Capt Kedar and his team for a farewell BBQ before leaving for guides and Yak Drivers for a meal and presented them with our flight home at 2330hrs on 26 Mar 13. gifts and donations for all of their support and hard work. The team then had a few well deserved beers and All expedition members thoroughly enjoyed this tough, mind participated in a traditional ‘Kushiro Dance’ which is Nepalese blowing and hugely rewarding expedition. We were blessed folk music used to celebrate a successful ascent and safe to have superb support provided by Instructors QMSI return. Over the next two days and more departure delays, 13 Johnson and Capt Addison along with the experienced of the team flew out on a memorable helicopter flight and the guidance of Maj Moulton and Maj Lewin who were all remainder had the unique and frightening opportunity to take incredible throughout the trek. Finally, special thanks go to off from Lukla. On 22 Mar 13 the team reunited in Kathmandu Capt Lundie and Sgt Surendra for organising such a fantastic, and over the following 3 days we had R&R, which included mesmerising and once in a lifetime trek to Nepal. Without trips to Pokhara and Kathmandu. The 3 days R&R treated the such a wonderful team, Ex EVEREST TIGER 1 would not have team to the cultures of Nepal as we visited the Gurkha been possible. Museum, visits to Bouddhanath Stupa, Stupa Thanka Art Centre, Pashupatinath Temple and took part in a Holy Day resulting in many of the team being covered by traditional multi coloured powders.

On the final day before flying home the entire team visited Maiti Nepal in Kathmandu, which is a charity that supports the rehabilitation of sex trafficked girls, women and boys. The team donated The expedition team at Maiti Nepal presenting the charity over £1,100.00 which cheque to the founder, Ms Anuradha Koirala

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 97 History

The history of the Lanyard Trophy goes hand in hand with the history of 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron itself. Having been re-rolled after the Second World War the Squadron found LANYARD TROPHY 2013 itself as part of 6 Field Force during the height of the Cold War. As part of a lightly armed, un-armoured Infantry Brigade Faced with the now famous ‘yomp’ to Port Stanley they the Squadron faced down the nations of the Warsaw Pact reported on their return that they had felt fully confident in which boasted air superiority and a ‘massive’ armoured their ability. It has always been the case that the British Army superiority. It became clear that such a lightly armed, will be required, sooner or later, to march long distances with un-armoured formation could only last for a matter of hours heavy loads and that signallers’ loads will inevitably be in the event of hostilities. It was as part of the reaction to this amongst the heaviest. apparently dire set of circumstances that the first Lanyard Competition came into being… The Modern Competition

The Lanyard Trophy is now held annually and is still largely faithful to its original incarnation. The only major exception being that the race is held as a team event, each team consisting of 8 soldiers with one Senior NCO and one Officer. The aim remains the same; to cover 40 miles with 40 pounds in less than 24 hours. The event now draws teams from across the Corps with several Regiments entering multiple teams. There are 7 trophies to be won in the modern Lanyard Trophy; Competition Winners, Runners Up, TA Competition Winners, Female TA Competition Winners, Veterans’ Prize and Saxony Lanyard Trophy. 21 Sig Regt (AS) lead the initial charge As well as representing a demanding competition and training tool, for the wider Corps the competition also serves as a recruiting platform for 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron and In order to give the men of the Squadron the best chance of other specialist units within the Corps. Individuals who ‘breaking clean’ from the enemy it was decided that they perform well on the competition and have demonstrated the should train to cover 40 miles in 24 hours with a weapon and physical robustness and mental hardiness required to finish a load consisting of essential ammunition, water, food and the race are seen as ideal candidates for P-Coy and service NBC kit; assessed as weighing not less than 40 pounds. All with Britain’s Airborne forces. ranks of the Squadron took part in this training with the emphasis being on ‘endurance’; the ability to keep going. The Lanyard Trophy 2013 March was an individual test on the basis that ‘on the day’ soldiers could well be alone. The Lanyard Trophy Competition is organised each year by the unit that won the competition the previous year. As such, 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron had the honour of running the 216 (Para) Sig Sqn enduring the midday heat , holding onto event once again this year. The Squadron set about that 30 minute lead organising the event in the vicinity of Warcop Training Area. Situated in the idyllic landscape of Cumbria, right on the edge of the Lake District National Park; the terrain would be picturesque but challenging.

On 6 May 13, members of 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron descended upon Warcop Camp for the beginning of what was going to be an arduous period of training for the Lanyard Trophy competition. Wanting to make themselves at home for the duration of their stay in Warcop the Squadron soldiers decided to ‘maroon’ the place up by adorning the windows and walls with various maroon T-Shirts. LCpl Rose added to the airborne aura of our allocated sleeps by mounting a goat’s Certificates were awarded for completion of the ‘Endurance head on the door, which was met with approval by all March’ and an individual competitive element was introduced. members of the Squadron who were present. The March was also welcomed as being tough and challenging training, helping to keep alive the tradition of airborne fitness. So whilst accommodated in this slightly satanic looking hut, the men of 216 began in earnest their training and preparation In 1979 the March was opened up, competitively, to other R for the upcoming Lanyard Trophy. Giving up more than one SIGNALS units and the Lanyard Trophy was offered to the weekend to scale mountains and fight extreme winds the winning unit. It retained its essential simplicity of testing team showed immense commitment to the training program endurance over distance, with a load, and developing the and gave it their all. Training included several early starts, soldier’s confidence in their ability to do this. several long marches and even a few visits to the swimming pool, where the team demonstrated their collective In 1982 many soldiers who had completed the Lanyard Trophy discomfort with the idea of swimming. The training program were deployed on Op CORPORATE, the Falklands Conflict.

98 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 penultimate checkpoint. After battling heat exhaustion for half the course he demonstrated true airborne ethos and a will to ‘crack on’ in an exemplary manner. Alas, the Saxony Trophy remains just out of the Squadron’s reach for another LANYARD TROPHY 2013 year. Our warmest congratulations to all the competitors at this – by Lt Mapplebeck, 216 (Para) Sig Sqn year’s Lanyard Trophy; it truly was an excellent competition and we look forward to next year’s event. Special thanks and congratulations to our French cousins who powered round Another hard fought competition, 21 SR(AS) come in 2nd place the course with nothing but EVIAN bottled water and came 216 v 21 is becoming a bit of a habit! away with the Saxony Trophy.

culminated in a 25 mile forced march across the Warcop area which resulted in the following team having the honour of French Signals come in to claim the Saxony Trophy as the first being selected to represent 216 (Para) Sig Sqn:- team to finish with all their starting members

Lt Mapplebeck, Sgt Jon ‘Buchy’ Buchan, Cpl Stuart ‘Pinners’ Pinington, Cpl Adam ‘son of QM’ Milson, LCpl Jowers, LCpl The Runners-up were the Male team from 21 Signal Regiment Rose, Sig ‘H and M’ Hale-Mullin and Sig Pollock. (Air Support), the female winners team was also from 21 Signal Regiment (Air Support) so well done to them. The team was supported by an excellent admin team on the day led by Sgt Dowds, with his able assistant LCpl Laval- Chesterton who performed admirably The winning teams were: during training but unfortunately succumbed to a knee injury. Male – 216 (Para) Sig Sqn (10:56) With the team selected and the admin Female – 21 Sig Regt (AS) (12:48) team prepped and ready the 216 Lanyard Trophy Team 13 made up for the bank Male (TA) – 63 (SAS) Sig Sqn (14:47) holidays they’d missed and the weeks leave Female (TA) – 39 Sig Regt (TA) (15:43) they’d forgone by indulging in a long weekend prior to the competition. With Veterans (Male) – 14 Sig Regt (EW) (15:29) four consecutive days off, the team was Veterans (TA) – 43 (Wessex) Sig Sqn (18:07) ready to go back to Warcop for a the final day’s prep and a little bit of psychological warfare with the other teams who were now beginning to arrive.

The race itself began with a reveille of 0200 hrs, a very early breakfast and on the start line for 0400 hrs for a 0500 hrs start. With a The winning team joined by the OC and RSM, both unbeaten during their tenure motivational playlist on loop, the team was raring to go. The starting whistle went and the race began with 21 Signal Regiment (Air Support) leading the stampede, the Squadron team simply pulled out to the left overtook them, and proceeded to build a nice steady lead. By the third checkpoint the Squadron was about 30 minutes ahead and maintained that lead until the finish.

Sig Pollock, two-time Lanyard champion, unfortunately succumbed to the heat of the day and despite insisting that he be allowed to continue, he was dropped at the

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 99 Around 650 members and their guests along with four ‘In Pensioners’ from the Royal Hospital Chelsea attended the 2013 Royal Signals Association Reunion. All of those attending made the annual pilgrimage to Blandford for this year’s reunion and despite rather unseasonably cold weather, which threatened and indeed produced rain at times, spent a very enjoyable weekend renewing old acquaintances and making some new ones.

The RHQ organizing team for this year was headed up by Maj (Retd) Mark Tivey, Asst Regt Sec. Our sincere thanks go to everyone in Blandford Garrison who provided us with superb support throughout, their time, professionalism and expertise are once again hugely appreciated. We would also like to publicly thank Mr Dave Lancaster for the Vintage Vehicle display; Mr Terry Inman for organizing the Christchurch Cruisers Motorcycle Group, Mr Tony Helm for bringing along his display of Warsaw Pact Radio Equipment; Mr Jim Heck from the Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society and Mr Richard Hardy for organizing the attendance of the Pimpernel Beagles. Finally a big thank you RSA Reunion - 22/23 June 2013 - by Caroline Addison

must go to 11 (Royal School of Signals) Signal Regiment for an outstanding Princes Royal Day Parade (PRD) and for their manpower support to the whole Reunion.

We hope that the eight static displays from current units were enjoyed by everyone who visited them. This is the first year that we have been able to add these displays to the programme and our very grateful thanks go to those serving members of the Corps who supported us by bringing examples of their contemporary equipment and photographs from their recent deployments along for us to see (as well as explaining exactly what we were looking at!).

We are eagerly anticipating keeping these arena displays as an integral part of our Saturday programme for future years.

Lt Gen R Baxter CBE, The Master of Signals, inspected those members of 11 (RSS) Sig Regt who were on the PRD parade and then the Corps RSM, WO1 Mark McMullan, conducted the Standard Bearers’ Preliminary Competition. He was assisted by WO1 (RSM) Matt Derby, WO1 (GSM) Kent Oliver, Mr Barry Moody from Scarborough Branch and Mr John Mumford from Reading Branch. The final took place as part of the afternoon activities. This year the winner was Bill McNamara from Glasgow Branch, with Bill May from Edinburgh Branch second and Ben Revell from Lincoln Branch third. Our

100 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 thanks go to the Standard Bearers who took part in the competition and to all Branch Standard Bearers for their enthusiasm and for supporting the RSA by taking on this important role. The Master of Signals made two presentations; firstly to the Standard Bearer prize winners and secndly a 75 Year pennant to Mr Graham Christian, the Standard Bearer from the Liverpool Branch, to mark the 75th anniversary since the formation of the Branch. This pennant will now be flown from the Branch Standard.

During the afternoon there was a wonderful programme of music provided by The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, followed by The Corps Northern Band, The Royal Signals Pipes and Drums, and then the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team ‘The White Helmets’. The Vintage Vehicles and Christchurch Cruisers drive past marked the end of this programme of events, and as we have come to expect, each provided us with varied and wide-ranging entertainment. The afternoon was closed by The Sunset Retreat Ceremony which was a fitting end to the official displays. RSA Reunion - 22/23 June 2013 - by Caroline Addison

During the evening, the greatly anticipated social gathering in the 11 (RSS) Sig Regt WOs' and Sgts Mess was again possible courtesy of the Presiding Member, WO1 (RSM) Matt Derby, who allowed us to use his Mess as the backdrop for many tales of derring-do! The hospitality of the Mess Members and Staff couldn’t be faulted and added greatly to our enjoyment.

The final official event of the weekend, The Drumhead Service, began on Sunday morning at 1030 hrs on Hawke Square. The RSA Honorary Chaplain, the Rev Peter Clemett and The Padre of 11 (RSS) Sig Regt, The Rev Stephen Lodwicke, conducted the service. Mr Dave Walker BEM from the Dorset Branch turned the page of the Book of Remembrance. The collection during the service raised £500. In addition Liverpool Branch formally presented the Chairman with a cheque for £1200 for the RSBF. The money came from a donation by Branch Member, Grand Master RW, Bro Peter Connolly.

Following the service, members were invited by the Corps RSM to form up for the march past on the square. The contingent was made up of: RSA Standard Bearers; ex-National Servicemen; Colonels Commandant, led by the Chairman RSA; Retired Officers; In-Pensioners from the Royal Hospital Chelsea; RSA Members and EPV users at the rear. The Master of Signals took the salute, bringing to an end the 2013 RSA Reunion.

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 101 ROYAL SIGNALS ASSOCIATION

Patron: HRH The Princess Royal President: The Master of Signals Chairman: Brig NF Wood Welfare Secretary Association Office Tel (mil) (9)4371 2089 RHQ Royal Signals Tel (civ) 01258 48 2089 Blandford Camp Email: [email protected] Col (Retd) Terry Canham Mrs Linda Sizeland Blandford Forum Tel: 01258 482081 Tel: 01258 482089 Dorset Membership Secretary DT11 8RH Tel (mil) (9)4371 2090 www.royalsignlalsassociation.co.uk Tel (civ) 01258 482090 Email: [email protected] General Secretary and Treasurer: Col (Retd) T Canham Assistant General Secretary: Maj (Retd) M Tivey Welfare Secretary: Mrs L Sizeland Maj (Retd) Mark Tivey Membership Secretary: Mrs C Addison Mrs Caroline Addison Tel: 01258 482082 Tel: 01258 482090

The 2013 Reunion took place at Blandford over the weekend of 22/23 June. The report can be found in this edition of The Wire and on the RSA website.

Branch News. Congratulations go to:

Darlington Branch member, Bob White who has recently been installed as the Mayor of Richmond (N Yorks).

Newark Branch on reaching the fifty-fifth anniversary since the Branch was formed in May 1958. The celebrations to mark this event were attended by two of the founder members, Fred Dixon (Chairman), and Ron Dixon (Treasurer).

Trevor Holyoake who has been chosen by the majority of Branches in Area 3 to be their Area Rep

Welcome to: Bill White, the new secretary for Peterborough Branch, and thanks to Michael Court who took on the task at short notice last year and has stepped down due to the many pressures on his time.

On 3 July the NMA was the setting for the Annual Cycle Ride and Memorial Service. The teams of cyclists arrived at the Arboretum in good time to enable them to change and recover from their journeys. There were seventy cyclists from teams representing 11 Sig Bde,14 Sig Regt, 21 Sig Regt, 22 Sig Regt, 30 Sig Regt, 37 Sig Regt and 38 Sig Regt. They travelled from their unit locations with 14 Sig Regt having to ride the furthest. The RSA were represented by thirteen Branches: Spennymoor, Birmingham, Harrogate, South Staffordshire, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Loughborough, Colchester, Preston & Blackburn, Lincoln, 19 Sig Regt, 20 Sig Regt and 21 Sig Regt. Eight Standard Bearers were also in attendance. The Chairman, was joined by the Corps Colonel, members of RHQ and 70 RSA members at the moving service conducted by the NMA Chaplain, The Rev Vic Van Den Bergh. The photograph shows the Standard Bearers around the Corps Memorial. The full gallery of The Standard Bearers around the Corps Memorial photographs from the service can be found on the RSA website.

New Life Members. A warm welcome to the following members, enrolled since the last issue of The Wire;

Sig Darren Angel 1983-89 LCpl Adrianus Dellius 1976-89 Sig David Hartley 1973-77 WO1 Peter Appleton 1959-83 LCpl John Donne 1979-88 WO2 Jon Hatch 1990-date WO2 Peter Barnett 1952-75 Cpl Steven Douglas 1996-02 SSgt Anthony Havlin 1966-92 Sgt Karl Bartlett 1991-09 Cpl Brian Duffus 1983-90 LCpl Thomas Hawkwood 1969-75 LCpl James Billing 1951-53 Maj Peter Forster 1969-91 Sgt Robert Hay 1966-77 Sig Jolene Blackburn 1999-02 Sgt Karl Francis 1988-12 Sgt Philip Heron 1988-01 LCpl Patrick Breslin 1974-80 Sig Michael Frost 1973-76 Sig Colin Hill 1996-00 Sig Shaun Brock 1995-00 LCpl Mark Gibson 1976-87 Sig Andrew Howe 2003-07 Cpl Geoffrey Buxton 1983-93 Sig Steven Goodall 1985-95 LCpl Andrew Jenkinson 2004-date LCpl Geoffrey Collier 1955-57 WO1 Mick Gordon 1958-83 SSgt Teresa Lake 1978-05 LCpl Frank Cooney 1997-86 Sgt Stuart Green 1992-date SSgt Anthony Livsey 1996-09 Cpl Christopher Cupper 1969-79 LCpl Stuart Hamilton 1978-82 SSgt Patrick Lowe 1962-77 Cpl Stephen Davies-Williams 1978-92 LCpl Reg (Chris) Harley 1981-90 Sig Ronald Lockley 1979-82

102 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Sig Angus MacDonald 1977-82 LCpl Daniel Perdue 1995-03 LCpl Andrew Stoker 1989-99 LCpl Geoff Malthouse 1957-59 WO2 Thomas Powell 2004-date Cpl Michael Storey 1985-10 SSgt Richard Marklew 1989-date Sig John Ritchie 1974-79 SSgt Tony Taylor 1980-07 Cpl Stephen McBride 1989-98 LCpl Steven Rothwell 1978-97 WO2 Gerard Tierney 1995-date Cpl Paul Mitchell 1996-09 WO1 (FofS) Crawford Samuel 1989-12 LCpl Jonathon Wade 2007-date Sgt John Montgomery 1996-10 Sig Androcles Scicluna 1975-79 LCpl Eric Waldron 1985-90 LCpl Daniel Munns 2002-date WO1 David Showell 1975-99 Cpl Dale Wallace 1991-98 Sgt Paul Musson 1985-09 Sgt Alan Skells 1960-85 Sgt Mark Wareing 1977-01 Sgt Reg Norton 1952-54 Cpl Christopher Smith 1964-89 Sgt Ralph Webster 1964-73 Cpl Shelley Pardoe 1996-13 SSgt (YofS) William Stack 1971-94 Sgt Neil West 1977-93 LCpl Ryan Parker 1998-04 LCpl Michael Stather 2003-date Sig Bryan Whittaker 1973-81 Sig Martin Parr 1996-00

Royal Signals Museum Shop, from RSBF DONATIONS wristband donations £275.00 Royal Signals Museum donation boxes £100.00 Collecting box, Museum café £20.93 Mr R Waldron £20.00 Corps Colonel £50.00 Collecting box, Officers’ Mess Blandford £23.12 Mr Derek Fisher, RSA Tameside Branch £94.42 Middlesex Yeomanry Association £333.33 Mr J Billing £10.00 Brian Buckley £10.00 Mr Peter Forster, RSA Newcastle Branch £10.00 In memory of the late Maj JT Fowler TD: Mr J W Banks £50.00 John Everfield £25.00 Mrs Clare Bruce £100.00 West London Branch RSA £25.00 Mr David Robinson, RSA Chester Branch £190.00 From the funeral £85.00 WO1 Simon Kenny, sponsorship from Charity Current Active Fundraising: Bike Ride £82.64 Charles Hoar £100.00 Paul Day, Beaufighter Troop Runs Tough Mudder Mrs EB Martin in memory of the late Ishworprasad Gurung Lt Col (Retd) Victor Henry Martin £100.00 Jon Ford, SP Sqn 3 DSR Middlesex Imperial Yeomanry Chapter No 3013 £250.00 Paul Moscardini, Scott Sqn Reunion

ROYAL SIGNALS BENEVOLENT FUND – LOGO & STRAPLINE COMPETITION

The Royal Signals Benevolent Fund is in as much demand now as it has ever been. The fund provides aid for Signallers, both serving and retired, and their families who have fallen upon hard times or who are in distress. You might need this aid in the future, you just don’t know.

Although the fund is as relevant now as it has always been, it needs an image makeover (don’t we all) and rather than use our ageing brains to think of something modern we thought we would ask the Corps instead. Refreshing eh, just like a good lager! What’s more there are prizes on offer.

So here’s what we need: A logo (we currently use the “Jimmy”), sketched free hand or digitally drawn and a strapline. Think of a common burger outlet, their emblem and catchy phrase and you’ll get the picture.

Here’s what you’ll need to know before you start designing/composing:

The Royals Signals Benevolent Fund makes charitable grants to provide relief from hardship or distress and is there for those who serve or have served in the Corps and their families.

We need a new modern logo that will appeal both to our veterans and the new recruit.

We need a logo we can use graphically to replace or merge in with the “Jimmy” that we currently display. The logo should contain an image and the letters “RSBF”.

The strapline will be used in conjunction with the logo. When writing a strapline you might want to consider: humour, getting the message over and using something with a twist or a hook.

In recognition of your time and talent we will award a prize of £100 for the best logo and another £100 for the best strapline. The cut off time for entries is 15 Oct 13, we will select a winner by the end of that month. We will happily review hand-sketched work that we can subsequently re-produce digitally if necessary.

Please email your designs into: [email protected] or post to Marketing Officer, RHQ Royal Signals, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8RH.

Contact [email protected] or phone 01258 48 2819 or 01258 48 2090 Text 70070 with message RSBF11 £(amount) to donate

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 103 CATTERICK BRANCH

We have been out and about as a Branch over the past few months and a couple of photographs are attached for your interest.

Firstly there were at least a dozen members supporting the homecoming medals ceremony on a very cold bright day in April when members of 204 Signal Squadron accompanied by the Brigade HQ staff exercised their right to march through the town of Richmond accompanied by a band. The ceremony took place within the walls of the Castle and even though bitterly cold it was well attended by families and friends of the serving soldiers. The two local standards; one of the Branch and one of the Royal British Legion were on parade organised by Mr Jim Rogers in close co-operation with the Squadron RSM WO1 Kidd. Our standard was ably paraded my Mr Jack Thorpe. Proving that two eyes are better than one, Mr Ian Forbes and the Branch Secretary Mr Iain Scrivin posed for the official Branch photographer, Mr Boomer Moore (if anyone has a photo of Boomer hang onto it as its quiet a rarity). The Brigade Commander gave a passionate and personalised address thanking the families for their continued support whilst on deployment. Mr Scrivin, the noted Harry Secombe lookie likey, has been asked to get a bigger beret, or a smaller head.

opportunity to catch up with old friends from our close sister Branch as well as walk off with a lot of the raffle prizes. Unfortunately the bingo was won by the locals, still you can’t win them all can you? Our thanks go to the committee and members of the Middlesbrough Branch for a very simple and effective way to spend an afternoon in pleasant company. We will now be looking forward to the “gathering of the clans” in Hartlepool later in the year and have our thinking caps on for a similar “do” at the ancestral home of the Corps, perhaps in the autumn.

Our next function is the annual BBQ in August at the Catterick Garrison Golf Club and our meetings take place in Gaza Barracks on the third Friday of the month either in the WOs’ & Sgts’ Mess or the 204 Sig Sqn Admin room, 19:30 for 20:00. For more details please contact Iain on 01748 836074 or [email protected]

LIVERPOOL BRANCH

President Jimmy Carruthers Chairman Bob Taylor Secretary Tony Mullin Treasurer Paul Smith Standard Bearer Graham Christian

On Tuesday 2 April 2013 the Liverpool Branch of the Royal Signals Association met for its monthly Branch meeting at Alamein TA Centre in Huyton. The Branch meeting was followed by the presentation of two 50 Year Badges and Our Chairman, Mr John McIlree and Welfare Officer Mrs Certificates to Capt (Retd) Chris Dennis TD and ex Sgt George Elaine Edwards were official guests of the outgoing Mayor of Suffler. Richmond and we thank him for keeping the strong relationship between the town and the garrison alive. Before these two important presentations, the Provincial We have also been out to Middlesbrough for their “Pie and Grand Master of the Mark Province of West Lancashire Peas” dinner in May. This gave 17 members of the Branch an Freemasons, Peter Connolly, formerly a Captain in the TA;

104 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 Royal Corps of Signals, Connolly enjoyed himself so much during the evening that he presented a cheque for £1200 joined the Liverpool Branch that very night. for the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund to the Also amongst our distinguished guests was Mr Ian Meadows, Chairman of the Branch, Bob Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Hon Colonel of 33 Taylor. Signal Squadron (V) and High Sheriff designate of Merseyside. Ian Meadows presented the 50 Year Certificate and badge to The money had been raised George Suffler. on Remembrance Sunday 2012 at Garston Masonic Hall and After a bout of speeches the night was followed with a the amount raised was buffet, raffle and further entertainment, everyone having a matched by the West Peter Connolly handing over wonderful time. Lancashire Mark Charities. a cheque for £1200 Peter Connolly then went on to present a Certificate for 50 years service to the Royal Corps of Signals to an old school LOUGHBOROUGH BRANCH pal, Chris Dennis, who he had not seen for forty years or more. This came as a great surprise to Chris as he was totally unaware that Peter Connolly would be there. Peter, who was a former captain in the TA and Chris, also a former captain in President Andy Riddell the TA had served together for several years. Chairman Gerry Kane Secretary/Treasurer Bob White

With its relatively small membership (just short of 50) the Branch remains fairly active. We have visited the National Memorial Arboretum on a number of occasions. Many of our stalwarts are from a “Y” Service SIGINT background, so in April we attended the re-dedication of the “Y” Memorial Plot at the NMA. Funds had been raised through various sources, and the refurbishment of the plot was undertaken by members of the Joint Service Signal Unit (Volunteers) based a Digby, whose Honorary Colonel is Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach. His strong support of the “Y” organisation enabled the work to be carried out. The memorial is now looking in fine condition.

Chris Dennis being presented with his 50 Year Certificate by Peter Connolly

The entrance to the “Y” Memorial Plot at the NMA, together with the dedicated plinth

George Suffler being presented with his 50 Year Certificate by Ian Meadows

Accompanying Peter was his wife Lynne and one of our Branch Members Jim Coglan, Andy Riddell, Janice Coglan, members, Colin Svenson, whose idea it had been to give the John Rosson, Shirley Motion and Chuck Speed donation to the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund. Peter

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 105 personnel present, made up from many cyclists. Arranged by 37 Signal Regiment (V) (who now look after the memorial) the short service was poignant and moving. The Bugler from the Minden Band played Last Post and Reveille, which was note perfect. A wreath was laid by Brig Hargreaves, and a bench dedicated to WO2 Perran Thomas. The memorial is now looking really good, as indeed is the whole site. So well worth a visit for those who have not been before.

Gerry Kane with the Branch Standard and Bob White reading out a letter prior to the service

The Branch Standards raised prior to the service

The Branch is now enjoying its summer recess, with many members taking a well-deserved holiday. Our meetings start again on the first Tuesday in September at The Beacon Public House, Beacon Road, Loughborough. If you are around our way the please feel free to join us. You can be assured of a warm welcome. Saturday 7 December 2013 will see our annual Dinner/Dance, which is held in the Carillon Rooms, Ashby Square, Loughborough. This is always a well-attended event, and tickets can be obtained from the Secretary.

MIDDLESBOROUGH BRANCH Maj Graham Barber (OC JSSU (V) with Branch members Gerry Kane & Jim Coglan and Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach Honorary Colonel JSSU (V) Chairman Audrey Grainge Secretary Richard Grainge On the 30 June some members attended the 30 Signal Regiment Open Day at Bramcote. On a very hot day, shade On Sunday May 12 the Branch held an Area 1 (North) Lunch was needed at regular intervals. Many thousands of people with over 100 RSA members joining us from Catterick, turned out to support the event, which appeared to be very Darlington, Hartlepool, Newcastle and Spennymoor, also two successful. At our age we declined the many fun fare rides!!! members from Leeds making the journey. Brig David – but enjoyed the Gurkha presentations and motor cycle displays.

Band Members of 250 Queens Gurkha Sig Sqn in full flow

On 3 July 2013, we again visited the National Memorial Arboretum to attend the dedication of the Corps Memorial. An excellent attendance in fine weather saw around 140 Some of the guests attending the lunch

106 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 and then in September for a meeting and lunch at a venue chosen by the Mansfield members.

SALISBURY BRANCH

Chairman Maj (Retd) Dick Offord Brig David Hargreaves presenting Richard Grainge with his 50 Secretary John Bryant Year Badge and Certificate The Salisbury Branch membership continues to maintain Hargreaves and Kathleen kindly accepted our invitation. Brig momentum. Over the last 4 years it has been 16, 20, 23 and Hargreaves presented Branch Hon Sec Richard Grainge with now stands at 25. This steady progress is as a result of many his 50 Year Badge and Certificate. The day was a huge factors, possibly the most important of which is having active success with good food and good company. Thank you to all members, particularly Committee members who had lengthy who attended. We are all looking forward to August 25 when careers in the Corps during which they made many contacts Hartlepool Branch have their fifth Gathering of the Clans some of whom now live in the local area. These personal Sunday Lunch. contacts are helpful in encouraging new members to join the Branch. The Branch also encourages widows/widowers and partners to join which help it to be more inclusive.

NEWARK AND MANSFIELD BRANCH Recent events include our annual lunch held for the third year running at the Rose and Crown Hotel on the outskirts of Salisbury, with every seat taken as usual we were joined by Lt Col (Retd) Jack Wraith and his wife Margaret. Friends of Dick The inaugural meeting of the Branch was held on May 6 1958 and Marilyn Offord, Jack and Margaret were invited so that at the WOs’ & Sgts’ Mess, 3 Sqn, 3 Trg Regt Hawton Road he could tell us about his high profile appointment in London Camp Newark on Trent and the first Branch was formed one where he is Chief Executive of the Telecommunications Users week later on 14 May 1958. Fraud Forum. His talk to us included a number of interesting and amusing anecdotes from the industry’s continuing efforts The committee at that time comprised: to combat mobile telephone crime. President: Lt Col TS Foster Chairman: Maj JF Widgery In May the Branch held its Springtime Lunch at the Grasmere Vice Chairman: Maj HT Hill Hotel in Salisbury where we were joined by the Royal Signals Hon Sec: Mr CF Ransom Association Area 5 Representative Lt Col Mike Macklin and his Treasurer: Mr F Dixon (Our present wife Hilary. Chairman) The Branch meets monthly either at the Salisbury Branch of Our first standard was purchased on 8 May 1959 at a cost of £15.3.6d plus 1/8d purchase tax. This committee remained in post until the February 1961 when the Sqn returned to Catterick.

The decision to formalise the Branch title to “The Newark and Mansfield Royal Signals Association Branch” was taken by unanimous vote on 19 October 2007.

The venue for meetings was changed in September 2007 to The Fox at Kelham, Newark where we continue to meet in February for our AGM and lunch. In view of the distance between the two centres we hold further meetings in the summer at our President’s home at a time to suit their diary The Branch Springtime Lunch

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 107 the Royal British Legion or at a local Pub restaurant where the members enjoy an informal meal along with a pint of their favourite amber nectar or in the case of the ladies, something BLACKPOOL BRANCH a little more appropriate.

Retired members of the Corps as well as serving members are always made very welcome by the Branch. Those living in the A new association for Royal Signals ex-servicemen living on local area who would like to find out what they are missing the Fylde coast has been recognised as a formal institution, are invited to get in touch with the Chairman Dick Offord: and the group is now hoping to buy its own standard, which [email protected] or the Secretary John Bryant could cost up to £1,500. [email protected].

SOUTH LONDON BRANCH

“Is this a record?” - by Steve Bland

The members of The South London Branch believe that one of our members - David Greenbrook - may be able to claim the longest service (consecutive years) in the Corps and Association. His details as follows:

1942 - 1968 (26 years)

David enlisted at Catterick direct from The Duke of Yorks Royal Military School Dover (1939-1942), in October 1942 as Boy A/T on an 8 and 4 engagement, to commence 22/08/46 on The Fylde Coast Association for Royal Signals is the brainchild attaining the age of 18. He was given Regt No 2547738. This of former Royal Signals officer Ernie Howe, who has been engagement was later changed to one of 22 years straight. elected Chairman. He served in Ireland in 1972, Germany in David was discharged on 22/08/1968 when he was serving at 1976 and Bahrain in 1968. He said: “In my work volunteering 10 Signal Regiment in the rank of WO2, aged 40. at the Supporting Our Brave Shop, people have always stopped me and asked about my Royal Signals badge, and it 1968 - 1989 (21 years) gets them talking. It went from there to seeing how many people would be interested in forming an Association in Employed at Association Headquarters Chelsea to maintain Blackpool, which has never been done before, and here we Association Membership Records and Branch Newsletters. He are with our own recognised group. I am very pleased with also assisted in the organisation of the Annual Reunions, held the response we’ve had so far, and now we have a couple of every year in Catterick. Two notable events that took place officers on board it’s going really well.” during his time at HQ were the 50th Anniversary of the Corps Formation, which was held in Salisbury and in 1975 the 50th The group is also looking into whether member 99-year-old Anniversary of the Corps in Catterick. On this occasion the Michael Jack is the oldest living Royal Signals Officer. Mr Corps were graciously honoured by the presence of Her Howe said: “It’s the highlight of his month coming here. We Majesty The Queen who unveiled a Statue to commemorate spend the first half an hour of our meetings going through the Royal Corps of Signals through the years 1920-1975. the formalities, and then we just chit chat and share our stories from the services. We have a whole range of 1989 to date experiences here, from Signalmen to Captains, and all different trades. Our youngest member is 23-years-old.” David joined The Association as a Life Member, whilst serving at ALFCE Signal Squadron in Fontainebleu, France, on 22 Nov The association meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 1956 and given LM No:13667. That Association HQ was at 88 the Wainwright Club on Hornby Road, Blackpool. Ecclestone Square London SW1.

On retirement from HQ David first joined the West London Branch, Hounslow and later changed to the South London BIRGELEN VETERANS ASSOCIATION Branch, Croydon. The reason for the change was, as David has a Son living in Croydon, he can provide B&B for attending Branch meetings so that doesn’t need to travel home late at night by public transport. The Birgelen Veterans Association (BVA) has over 520 members who have settled into civilian life in a broad Footnote: David was born on 22/08/1928 as the 2nd Son of a community around the world. Regular contact is maintained Regular Soldier (RA 1914-1936). Both Dad and David served through a central web site, group email and annual re-unions. over 20 years as Regulars, both married in uniform Dad as a The Association is dedicated to bringing together and BDR (2 stripes) in 1923 and David as a CPL (2 stripes) in 1949. sustaining contact with the professional men and women of Both held/hold 5 medal bars, the last of which in both cases is all Corps and Agencies who served with: 1 Wireless Regiment The Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. Munster, 13 Signal Regiment Birgelen or any of their sub-units, and is working to uphold the family spirit of those units From this you can see, except for ages 8 & 9, the whole 84 years of David’s life has been spent in a Military Environment. We offer a warm welcome to Regimental veterans, including wives and children, who have had the privilege of working Some Record don’t you Think? Can anyone beat this?” and living at these memorable locations.

108 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 weekend he did reluctantly watch some football (England v Germany in the final) and remarked “Well, anyone can endure two hours of world class sport.” Back in the present, preparations continue for our annual get- together at the Cavendish Hotel in Torquay. Our tireless committee have been working hard to get all the arrangements in place. Currently, around 50 people have signed up for the weekend long event. Torquay always supplies reasonable weather for us and there are plenty of local attractions when you want to spend some time away from the hotel. The dates for this year are 4-7 October 2013. Full details of the weekend can be found on the association web site and the link is included below.

Contact the Secretary: Cyril Harding: secretary@birgelenvets. org or join via our website http://www.birgelenvets.org where 13 Sig Regt front gate you will be made most welcome.

We extend a welcome to Peter Davidson who joined the association in May. John and Eileen Rosson (John is CEO of Terrafix) recently celebrated their Golden Wedding REUNIONS Anniversary in Stoke on Trent at the British Pottery Manufacturing Club. Amongst those attending were, Maj Gen Peter Baldwin and his wife Gail, Bob Wells, Peter Ellis and Jan On Friday 12 October 2012 a group of men set off from all over Leavesley, Ernie and Sheila Callaghan and Fred and Uschi the UK to meet up for our 3rd reunion, after serving together Searle. There were around 50 guests in attendance and the for ONLY 10 weeks training 30 years ago and leaving for trade Gala meal was superb, training and further on civilian life we all lost touch. Through Facebook 5 friends were reunited and our adventure began. Fond memories of the Regiment stay with many of us and we often reminisce about our time there. Former Signalman This year on our 3rd reunion (AR3) we were given permission Dennis Boylan, who was at the Regiment from 1964-1967, has to polish the jimmy on the plaque left on the guard house at remembered a special time around the World Cup in 1966. His Helles Barracks, Catterick Garrison. On the Friday we decided story reminds us all of the favourable travel opportunities to have a few beers and a meal together in Richmond , it got that were there on our doorstep. Dennis was not looking a bit messy but we recovered . On Saturday morning we were forward to weeks of football talk and many of his football joined by 2 more boys from 11 Sigs, then there was seven. mad colleagues had already pestered him to swap shifts so they could catch the key matches. However, they were to be We set off on our mission, driving to Helles Barracks, parking disappointed. The Stores Sergeant, a well travelled WWII on our old parade square where we proudly passed out 32 veteran, listened to his plight and suggested he take leave years ago. We strolled across to the guard house were we and do some travelling. saw the plaque. After 30 minutes of intense polishing using an electric polisher we had returned it to its past glory. We So, kitted out with a borrowed Bergen, pup-tent and sleeping are very proud of what we archived and will, with permission, bag, he made his way to the Station at Munchen Gladbach return. and caught the midnight Lorelei Express down the Rhine Valley. After changing trains for Innsbruck, he found himself The thing is, and to me the moral of the story, is the years surrounded by some absolutely breathtaking scenery. Over have gone by but the friendships that were bonded 30 years lunch in Innsbruck, surrounded by the mountains, he was ago are stronger today than ever and all being well will carry attracted to a signpost “Brenner, 40km”. Suitably intrigued, on for many years to come. So all you serving Signalmen and he set off along the mountain road, reaching the summit after ladies just take a look at your friends you serve with now, three hours of hard climbing. Spectacular views were his just never lose touch and maybe in 30 years time you will return to reward. At about 9pm, he found a clearing in the forest, Catterick , the original home of 11 Signal Regt and pay homage pitched his tent, and crawled into the sleeping-bag for some to OUR jimmy and put well earned rest. Rain lashing his tent and water pouring in a bit of brasso on him woke him with a start. Realising it would not improve, he and carry on the work packed his gear and headed back to the road. It was 2:30am. we have began. Truly He trudged through the rain to the village of Steinach where Friends reunited. dozens of other back-packers were heading for the cafe. Cold and wet, they ordered cognac and coffee before sharing Daniel Parkes, Tony stories for what remained of the night. On hearing that the Walker, Gavin storm would last three days, he put the hiking on hold and Symons, Charlie Kelly, caught the train to Brenner where he booked into a small Tommy Johnson, John hotel. After three days the skies duly cleared, so he set off to Reay and Peter explore the Tyrol. He remembers pitching his pup-tent in an Brudenell upmarket campsite, much to the amusement of the German tourists who referred to him as “Tommy”.

After a glorious stay he travelled back to Innsbruck on the narrow-gauge railway and then caught the “Lorelei nacht schnell-zug” back to Munchen Gladbach. On his return to barracks he walked past RHQ just as the CO and RSM stepped outside. The CO asked where he had been and was unimpressed by his tale of adventure. Bringing him back to reality, the RSM told him to get his hair cut. The following

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 109 his Regiment, this time being involved in action against the German Afrika Korps. Early in 1942 he was posted to Cairo where he took command of the Royal Signals OCTU. After LAST POST this tour he joined 1st SAS Regiment, undertook parachute training, and was based first at Kufra oasis and then in Cpl AD Bell 1946/71 04-Jul-13 Palestine where he helped provide communication links with Lt Col B Brewis 1961/93 27-May-13 special forces operating in Crete and the Aegean. In May 1943 Sig FH Chappell 1939/46 ?/05/2013 he was promoted to Major and joined the Middle East JH Day 1948/50 04-Jun-13 Combined Operations Centre as Signal Staff Officer and Cpl P Dews 1958/81 05-Jun-13 Instructor where he trained forces destined for assault Sig K Finnerty 1959/69 u/k landings in the Mediterranean. With the desert war coming WO2 R Hughes 1955/78 ?/11/2012 to an end he was sent to India and the North West Frontier rd Sig WJ Hulse 1953/55 03-Apr-13 and, in 1944, to Burma where he joined the Indian 23 LCpl SA Hunt 1991/98 13-Jul-13 Infantry Division which he helped train for amphibious assault LCpl SL Knight 1996/02 30-May-13 landings in 1945. Victor was not to take part in these as he Sgt EW Lerigo 1945/56 27-Jun-13 was repatriated to Britain after almost five years overseas. Sig H Lownsborough 1945/48 ??-Dec-12 On return, he married Betty who he had met before the war Lt Col VH Martin MC 1934/72 20-May-13 and they remained a devoted couple until Victor’s death. Cpl GP McAuley 1961/71 06-Dec-12 WO2 G Miller 1952/1974 09-Jun-13 After the war, Victor joined the Airborne Development Centre Sig J Mountford 1961/76 23-May-13 where he helped develop methods for including high power SSgt AB Mullins 1956/78 01-Jul-13 radios in airborne payloads and prepared instruction manuals. Sgt AC Munroe 1962/83 10-Jul-13 In 1947, he joined 6 Airborne Division in Palestine, in what he LC Owens MM 1940/46 04-May-13 described as “an unpleasant policing role with little airborne LCpl GWC Packer 1939/46 01-Jun-13 activity”. On returning to the UK, he helped the Middlesex Maj D Petchey 1947/64 10-Jun-13 Yeomanry convert to an airborne role and in 1951 joined the Cpl TW Place 1940/47 29-Jun-13 Brigade and again returned to Egypt at the time of the Suez Sig LG Powell 1953/56 12-May-13 Crisis. In the aftermath he was stationed in the Canal Zone Capt C Schwartz 1939/41 06-Mar-13 and was joined by Betty and family, one of the first families to Maj RJ Sheldon 1962/92 10-Jul-13 set up home in temporary service accommodation at SSgt D Shrives 1957/81 21-Jun-13 “Pegasus Village”. Returning to the UK, Victor was then WO2 MW Teague 1953/1976 08-Jun-13 involved in further training appointments at the School of N Thomas 1943/47 23-Dec-12 Infantry (Warminster) and the School of Signals (Catterick). Lt Col P Valder 1958/83 03-Jun-13 In 1958 Victor took part in an officer exchange programme which allowed him to spend two years at the Canadian Army HQ in Ottawa and to take the family on an 8,000 mile holiday OBITUARIES driving across Canada to Vancouver and returning through the United States. Returning to the UK in 1960 he was promoted to Lt Col and given command of 58 Signal Regiment (TA) in MARTIN – Lieutenant Colonel Victor Martin died 20 May 2013 Wolverhampton. This was followed by two years in the Ministry of Defence and a posting to NATO Naval HQ Victor was born in 1919 in Herne Bay, Kent, where (NAVSOUTH) in Malta where he was responsible for the cable his father worked on a farm. Attracted by the network linking communications between naval facilities in opportunities for technical training, he entered the Mediterranean. Victor spent two further years at the the Army as a boy soldier at 14 and was trained Ministry of Defence before retiring in 1972. He then took up a as a technician in the Royal Corps of Signals at retired officer’s appointment in Hong Kong where he was Catterick Camp. He showed considerable responsible for the liaison between military communications promise and was promoted to Senior Boy NCO and those provided by the Hong Kong Telephone Company, and recommended for entry to the Royal Military Cable and Wireless and the Postmaster General. He stayed in Academy Sandhurst. After successfully passing the this position until 1983, building up close links with the Entry Examination, he started his officer training course Queen’s Gurkha Signals over this period. in 1938. In July 1939 he was commissioned into the Royal Signals and, after a brief training period at Aldershot, was Victor and Betty then retired to New Zealand where they sent out to the Western Desert where he joined an Infantry joined their daughter Vicky and her family. Victor mostly had th Brigade Signal Troop in the 4 Indian Division in 1940. good health in his retirement and enjoyed being close to his family, boating, painting, and was a keen member of his local Following a very successful campaign against Italian troops PROBUS group. He was a sociable, selfless person who had a from Libya which had crossed the border into Egypt, Victor’s deep sense of duty to the Army, his family and others. This Brigade was sent to Suez to prepare for an assault on the was combined with tremendous enthusiasm and patience, so Italian colony of Eritrea. In 1941, during this campaign, he was that he was both well-liked and respected by all with whom involved in very fierce fighting around Keren, a strategically he came into contact. In adversity, and even after breaking important mountainous area where there was a pass which his neck in a fall in 1983, his stock phrase was “things could be had to be secured to capture Asmara, the colony’s capital. a lot worse”! He loved the Army and had particularly warm Italian troops occupied the massifs overlooking the pass and memories of serving with Indian and Commonwealth forces. Victor was responsible for establishing and maintaining the His military career was diverse and distinguished but, to the telephone cable networks as the assault on the Italian end, he remained modest about this. He will be remembered positions progressed. During this action he was wounded by as a gentle man who was a devoted husband, patient father a mortar bomb and was awarded the Military Cross. He was and grandfather and warm friend to many. then withdrawn to Suez where he took over command of the Signals Troop of the First Field Regiment Royal Artillery and Victor died in hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, on 20 May accompanied them into Syria to take control of the country 2013 after a brief illness. He will be sadly missed, especially by from Vichy French forces. He returned to North Africa with Betty, their children, spouses and partners and grandchildren.

110 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 7th Armoured Division - by ex-SSM Len Burritt MiD, Royal Signals

‘Red Rat Day’ is being held at Hohne, Germany on 30 - 31 July 2013 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the formation of 7th Armoured Division. Hohne is currently the home of 7th Armoured Brigade. I have been invited to the celebration as one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Desert Rat at the age of 95.

I joined the Corps in 1936 at the age of 18. Basic training was at the Depot in Baghdad Lines Catterick. I then moved to Eddie Company, also in Catterick, to train as an Operator Wireless and Line (OWL), the Corps trade for sending messages by morse code. I first learnt morse in the Boy Scouts. Driver training followed at Mons Barracks in Aldershot together with further training in preparation for an overseas posting.

In January 1938 I went by Troopship SS Neuralia to Egypt to join 2 Coy Egypt Signals. My first glimpse of Egypt was dozens of native labourers carrying baskets of coal up gangplanks to refuel the ship’s bunkers before continuing the journey through the Suez Canal to India. 2 Coy provided communications for HQ British Troops Egypt based at Qasr-el-Nil in Cairo. I worked in the radio shack on the roof of the headquarters; this was the Egypt station on the Army Wireless Chain, a fixed network of wireless stations linking Aldershot, Catterick, Hong Kong, Cairo, Jubbulpore and Singapore. Morse at 28 wpm, operating in high grade cipher, was a comfortable speed working over long shifts. The Army Wireless Chain was the forerunner of the Commonwealth Communications Army Network (COMCAN).

2 Coy was billeted in the Irish Guards barracks near the Lion Bridge by the River Nile. My brother was in the same barracks with the Coldstream Guards in 1933. Every morning we had to ‘blow torch’ our cast iron beds to rid them of bed bugs and we always slept under mosquito nets. Egypt was a very good peacetime station with plenty of opportunities to visit the Oasis night club, Shepherds Hotel and Groppi’s Restaurant. We played cricket and tennis and climbed the Pyramids. Travel was by ‘Gharri’ a horse drawn carriage, donkey cart or bicycle.

At the end of July I moved to ‘A’ Troop Egypt Signals near Abbassia. The troop commander was Lt John Anderson, later Maj Gen Sir John Anderson, Signal Officer-in-Chief (Army). My job was wireless operator on ACV 1, the command vehicle of the newly formed Mobile Desert Division. I was also the GOCs personal wireless operator and travelled with him in his armoured car ‘charger’, whenever he moved away from Divisional Headquarters. I operated a Wireless Set No 9.

The mobile division became 7th Armoured Division during the Munich Crisis in 1938. Early GOC’s were Maj Gens Percy Hobart, Michael O’Moore Creagh and William Gott. The Signal Regiment then became 7th Armoured Divisional Signals. One day in February 1940 I was sitting outside ACV 1 with Gen Creagh when a small Arab boy came to the vehicle selling eggs. He entertained us with a pet Jerboa and the general decided the Jerboa would become the divisional sign. We collected small stones and Gen Creagh drew a Jerboa in the sand and we became the Desert Rats. Nurses in Cairo Military Hospital made a few hand sewn arm badges and Gen Creagh presented me with one and said “Sew it on your uniform” and I became the first ‘Desert Rat.’ My brother was in the desert and sometimes we were less than 50 miles apart. It was only when I was evacuated to an Army hospital that I met him, also a patient, for the first time in twelve years.

I was crew commander of ACV 1 throughout the North African campaign and on 15 September 1943 the Division landed at Salerno. After capturing Naples the Desert Rats returned to England in January 1944 to prepare for D-Day and the Normandy landings. On arriving home I was given 7 days leave and saw my parents for the first time in seven years.

Eight generals had commanded the Division from the back of ‘my’ ACV and many CR Signals. I had the privilege of meeting King Farouk of Egypt, Winston Churchill and Generals Hobart, Wavell, Montgomery, Gott, Creagh, Campbell, Wilson, Carver and Harding.

On 4 June 1944 as SSM of 1 Squadron 7 Armoured Divisional Signals I embarked on an LST and landed on Juno Beach on the morning of D-Day. I continued with the Regiment through France, Belgium, Holland and Germany and on reaching the Rhine I was repatriated back to England having served more than 5 years overseas. It was sad to leave the Regiment and Division, my home for over seven years.

Each year I attend the Desert Rat reunion at Thetford in Norfolk. In 2011 I was invited by Rodney Scott, Chairman of the Desert Rats Association, to return to the battlefields of North Africa for the 69th anniversary of the battle of El Alamein. The eight day tour started on 20 October. It was a most exhilarating tour although at times a rather sombre one and a journey I never thought I would achieve. The thoughts of that visit will remain with me forever, especially the number of graves in the El Alamein Military Cemetery. I laid a wreath at the El Alamein memorial on behalf of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

‘Dear Desert Rats, May your glory never fade….may the glorious pilgrimage of war which you have made from Alamein to Berlin never fade….it is a march unsurpassed in the history of war.’ Winston Churchill 1945

THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013 111

The Corps Looking After Its Own

I did my time in the Corps and left after 31 years. When I was younger I never asked for help, I never needed it and I wasn’t minded to provide much in the way of charitable support to others. I wasn’t the only one, most of my mates had the same idea and we made our contribution to the One Day’s Pay Scheme under duress. I never really understood why people needed financial support; after all, my life was squared away.

It’s taken me a long time to get it, but now I have. Life’s building blocks can quickly tumble and our perception of security can be blown away in seconds. One moment you’re riding high, next minute you’re injured on ops, lost your job or your kids have become very ill. You might never need to ask for welfare support and I hope you don’t but if you do then it’s good to know that your insurance policy is still valid. Join the Royal Signals and you and your family have access through the welfare network to a fund that quickly and effectively enable financial solutions that will enhance your quality of life. This isn’t just about you; it’s about your spouse/partner, family, mates and those who have served before you.

I never realised how active the Benevolent Fund was until I became involved with it. It constantly provides funding for the good and requests for support are dealt with promptly and decisively. The Corps, past and present, is a big family and in order to deliver financial aid effectively we need your continued support.

We need you to help us maintain our funds during these testing economic times. We need fundraisers to help us set up activities and collect and we need individuals or groups to collect on our behalf. Running a marathon and looking for a good cause, able to fundraise during your adventure training trip? If so, then consider supporting your Corps Charity – the RSBF.

This Year So Far - 324 Charitable Grants!

36 grants to serving soldiers dealing with issues resulting from disablement and injury through to the need for a respite break.

288 grants for ex-signallers including TA, War Service including ex POW, ex-spouses, widows, national serviceman and WRAC; providing wet- rooms, stair lifts, mobility aids, employment related training and the purchase of household equipment.

Value of Total Grants Awarded in last six months = £174,530.95

It’s time to make a difference. Please contact me, Alan Herbert at [email protected] or phone 01258 48 2819 if you would like to get a fundraising information pack, would like to donate in any way or if you would just like to know more about the good enabled through the fund.

Text 70070 with message RSBF11 £(amount) to donate Need to access welfare support? Go to the welfare page at www.royalsignalsassociation.co.uk

112 THE WIRE, AUGUST 2013

THE ROYAL SIGNALS

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