wireTHE June 2010 The Royal Corps of Signals THE WIRE, JUNE 2010 THE SIGNAL OFFICER IN CHIEF’S GREAT ROYAL SIGNALS BIKE RIDE During June 2010 a team of us will ride our bikes from John O’Groats in northeast Scotland to Land’s End at the western tip of Cornwall. First and foremost the trip will be a physical training exercise, during which we will test our strength and stamina and push the boundaries of our endurance and determination. However, it will also be a farewell tour for the Corps RSM and myself before we hand over to our successors, and for this reason the route has been extended to visit several Royal Signals units. Moreover, as we pass through Catterick we will visit the Corps Memorial Chapel, from which I will personally carry one of the Corps’ smaller treasures to All Saints Church at Blandford Camp. We will arrive at Blandford just in time for the Royal Signals Association Weekend, during which the Princess Royal will be inaugurating All Saints as the new Corps Chapel. Finally we will use the Bike Ride to raise awareness of the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund in this, the Corps’ 90th year. I am proud of the rich and broad network of friendships that links the soldiers and officers of our great Corps, young and old, serving and retired. I am therefore particularly pleased that the bike ride team will include a number of junior ranks from 19 Light Brigade Headquarters and Signal Squadron (209) as well as the Regimental Colonel (Colonel Olly Halstead), Colonel Charles Turner, Lieutenant Colonel Guy Richards, the Corps RSM (WO1 (CRSM) Dave Taylor) and myself. We will also be joined, on each of the nineteen legs, by riders from the units that we will be visiting. This is a military endurance and team building exercise rather than a charity event. However, donations to the Royal Signals Benevolent Fund are always needed in order to help Royal Signals personnel and families, past and present, who have fallen on hard times. If you would like to make a contribution, then please visit www.royalsignalsassociation.co.uk/bikeride Ted Flint June 2010 Vol. 64 No: 3 The Magazine of the Royal Corps of Signals Established in 1920 The Wire Editor Maj Keith Pritchard Published bi-monthly Tel: 01258 485249 Annual subscription £12.00 plus postage Editor: Maj Keith Pritchard Deputy Editor: Mrs Amy Petersen Deputy Editor All correspondence and material for publication in The Wire should be addressed to: Mrs Amy Petersen Tel: 01258 485248 The Wire, RHQ Royal Signals, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8RH Email: [email protected] Welfare Contributors Deadline for The Wire : 15th February for publication in the April. Mrs Linda Sizeland 15th April for publication in the June. Tel: 01258 482089 15th June for publication in the August. 15th August for publication in the October. 15th October for publication in the December. 10th December for publication in the February. Accounts / Subscriptions To see The Wire on line or to refer to Guidelines for Contributors, go to: http://www.army.mod.uk/signals/heritage/1311.aspx Miss Ruby Stanley Subscribers Tel: 01258 482087 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 EDITORIAL CONTENTS It is appropriate that my first words in The Wire should be to thank Alan for all his support in the lead up to me taking over as Page editor and to wish him and Sue all the very best for when they finally retire to France. It is my aim to try and maintain the high Movements 2 standard that Alan has set, achievable, I hope, through a continuation of the numerous quality articles submitted and, News from Regiments 3 thankfully, the support of my Assistant editor Amy. News from Squadrons 58 My first impressions – there is a lot of news coming in from units, Other Units 73 organisations and individuals with only a limited amount of space to publish it all. As we try to maintain a level of currency the Adventure Training 77 preference is to publish articles as close to the event as possible, so to get as much in as possible we may have to edit down some Sport 80 of your contributions or leave out some of your photographs. The Royal Signals Association 83 Please do not be offended, it is not a slight on your article but a solution to what we see as a problem we are happy to have. Donations 85 The other request that is becoming more popular is the inclusion Last Post 88 of a montage of photographs with articles, principally from Units Obituaries 88 returning from operational tours. We are happy to provide this service but the key areas to consider are that firstly it does take Lost Communications 91 up a lot of space and secondly please consider the quality and variance of the material submitted. The subjects in the Miscellaneous Stories 91 foreground may change, but if the background is the same, any Book Review 91 montage will not have the desired impact. Advertisements 92 Enough said on my first impressions. The simple fact is that Amy and I are here to produce your magazine with your news, reports TA Paintings 95 and information. Please keep submitting your articles and we will continue to try and meet all your aspirations. FRONT COVER (L to R) LCpl Harry Keen (2 Sigs), Cpl Alan Moffatt (1 UK ADSR), Capt Gareth Davies (10 Sigs) and Cpl Ben Ronner (10 Sigs) in the semi-finals of the Corps Snowboard Cross Championship held in Rauris, Austria. Photo by Maj Stuart Gunson, Royal Signals. Authors alone are responsible for the content of their articles. The opinions expressed in the articles of this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Royal Corps of Signals or the Ministry of Defence. All articles and submissions are published at the discretion of the Editor. This publication may contain official information. It should be treated with discretion by the recipient. Printed by Holbrook Printers Ltd, Norway Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth © Crown Copyright MOVEMENTS Name and Rank Unit to which posted Name and Rank Unit to which posted MARCH 2010 Capt D Winfield .............. HQ ARRC Lt CM Karumba ………… HQ 19 Lt Bde - 209 Sqn Maj K Grice ............... 102 Log Bde HQ Sig Sqn Lt RG Tudhope ............... 228 Sig Sqn Maj P Whitehouse ............... 71 (Y) Sig Regt Capt JA Crowe ………… CSD, DCCIS Capt MS Rai ............... 1 Mech Bde - 215 Sqn JUNE 2010 Maj K Gurung .............. 261 Sig Sqn HQ APRIL 2010 A/Maj KW Kerr .............. HQ Land - CTS Div Maj MJ Cowie .............. RC (S) A/Maj T Khamcha .............. DGISS, DES A/Maj DB Longmuir .............. CVHQ Maj CP Gill .............. DGISS, DES A/Maj AB Lothian .............. 3 (UK) Div HQ & Sig Regt Maj PA Horton ………… 22 Sig Regt HQ Sqn Capt P Ale ………… 30 Sig Regt Maj PJ McElwee .............. 21 Sig Regt HQ Sqn Capt MPE Angove ………… 7 Armd Bde - 207 Sqn Capt JEG Barr .............. 102 Log Bde Capt JJ Cade ………… CSD, DCCIS Capt AR Bunting ………… HQ 52 Inf Bde - 258 Sqn Capt D Clarke ………… CBFFI Capt J Calder .............. 4/73 (Sphinx) Bty Capt DW Dunbar ………… 21 Sig Regt HQ Sqn Capt SL Calland ………… JAG Capt SE Fidler ………… 7 Sig Regt HQ Sqn Capt NS Clay .............. 2 (NC) Sig Bde HQ Capt L Gurung .............. 22 Sig Regt Capt JN Copeland .............. 11 Sig Regt, DCCIS Capt PT Haughton .............. 2 Sig Regt Capt JVB Corrin .............. Maternity Leave Capt W Howard ………… DCI Capt RJ Faramus .............. HQ SOinC(A)-CSD Ntwks Capt TJ Lappin .............. 37 Sig Regt (V) Capt MI Fawcett .............. 3 (UK) Div HQ & Sig Regt Capt GE Middleton ………… DGISS, DES Capt NM Jefferson .............. 16 Air Asslt Bde Capt RA Moody ………… 7 Sig Regt RHQ Capt AR Kelly ………… ECM Tp Capt AA Nicholls ………… 30 Sig Regt Capt JG Phillips .............. DGISS, DES Capt KP Overton .............. AFC(H) Capt AC Roach ………… 1 (UK) Armd Div Sig Regt Capt T Rai .............. CSD, DCCIS Capt DG Sleigh .............. ATC (P) 2 Regt Capt J Reeves .............. 14 Sig Regt (EW) Capt R Shrestha .............. HQ 11 Sig Bde Capt CR Scott ………… FD Trg Gp CISTAT (UK) Capt SM Watts .............. 21 Sig Regt Capt PR White ………… 10 Sig Regt - 251 Sqn Lt TM Collins ………… 3 Para A/Capt AK Burki ………… 90SU - FGW ES Sqn 2Lt MA Bennett ………… 14 Sig Regt (EW) Lt HH Barter ………… 10 Sig Regt - 225 Sqn 2Lt BJ Brown ………… 3 (UK) Div - 206 Sqn 2Lt LT Crane ………… 16 Sig Regt - 230 Sqn 2Lt A Gifford ………… 3 (UK) Div - 202 Sqn JULY 2010 2Lt GAK Hawke ………… 21 Sig Regt - 244 Sqn Maj EF Clee .............. JSSU Digby - JMSC 2Lt AH Hynes ………… 22 Sig Regt - 217 Sqn Maj TP Crane .............. 2 Sig Regt 2Lt JS McEvoy ………… 30 Sig Regt - 256 Sqn Maj Y Gurung ………… HQ 2 (SE) Bde 2Lt SA Mitchell ………… 7 Sig Regt - 229 Sqn Maj M Keech .............. DI, ICSP 2Lt DW Prady ………… 16 Sig Regt - 255 Sqn Maj SC Keilty .............. 22 Sig Regt HQ Sqn 2Lt PJ Roberts ………… 14 Sig Regt (EW) Maj MC McCorry ………… 1 Sig Regt, DCCIS 2Lt MS Rose ………… 10 Sig Regt - 251 Sqn Maj A Patterson .............. School of Transport 2Lt BPDC Rowson ………… 7 Sig Regt - 232 Sqn Maj MP Purves .............. HQ SOinC(A)-CSD Ntwks 2Lt JP Triddon ………… 22 Sig Regt - 217 Sqn Maj B Williams .............. Eng Div Trg Ops, DCCIS Maj PA Williams .............. JCUFI MAY 2010 A/Maj WJ Cardwell .............