WINTER 2015/16 LONDON BRIDGE The Journal of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association for Greater London IN THIS ISSUE: Gold and Silver Awards for London organisations Supporting the National Citizen Service Bomb Disposal – BD75 commemorations Reservist honoured by Sikh community Canoe Slalom World Championships www.glrfca.org VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Contents Colonel Hugh Purcell Chief Executive > View from the Bridge Opportunity beckons as a result of Keeping ahead of the times will be 2 the good news that much of the 2015 possible if RFCAs also have the opportunity > London Poppy Day Strategic Defence and Security Review to reinvest – the Paterson Review made this 3 will redress the faults of the 2010 point – and an efficiency of 5% may be > Employer Engagement update Review and the Government’s achievable within our current manpower 4 > National League Signing commitment to sustain the NATO count, should such a figure be required. > Gun Salute for Chinese State Visit target of spending 2% of GDP on However, with reinvestment, any new 5 > Exercise SHARPE SHOOTER Defence. However, some capability model would probably look similar to what > Gold and Silver Awards enhancements will not be usable we have already, provided we remain both 6 until 2025 which, coupled with the imaginative and innovative. There is the > National Citizen Service requirement to deliver major potential as an Arm’s Length Body to 7 > Royal Yeomanry Veterans Party efficiencies over the period, can only operate more as a Regional Association > Lord Mayor’s Show increase the challenges faced by this and to make better use of our Professional 8 generation of military personnel. Support Staff to provide more services. > HAC Awards 10 > HAC Ex VAMBRACE HORIZON The carrot is reinvestment, but failure Examples are a cadet administrative to make demonstrable efficiencies will support model for the ACF and ATC, > 106 Regiment Slalom Champion undoubtedly be penalised by the building on the current 4Cs model and 11 > Supporting 16 Air Assault Brigade Treasury. As some military programmes provision of ‘best value’ across London’s > 101 Regiment BD75 are currently unaffordable, we wait to estate by delivering work on the Regular 12 > Sapper Blanchard Challenge see where the pain will fall, especially estate as well; building on six current > DIY SOS as manpower ceilings will be uplifted projects – two earlier projects having 13 > Employer Reception slightly and Cadet Strategy 2020 has been delivered to specification, on time > 144 Para Med Sharing Best Practice been endorsed. and within budget, to the satisfaction of 14 > 103 REME Honing Field Skills the customer. > 151 Regiment Courier Awards 15 > Liaising with the US Army > Reservist receives Sikh Honour ••• Stop PRESS ••• Stop PRESS ••• > Lord Mayor honours Reservists 16 > Briefing for HR specialists Huge congratulations > 600 Squadron Marking Milestones to Major Henry Dowlen of RMR London who > 600 Squadron Parachute School was awarded ‘Best Reservist’ at the Sun’s 17 > Ex TITANIUM FALCON 15 ‘Millies’on 24 January. > 135 Geo Squadron in Mongolia 18 > OP TRIG MED London Bridge and Cadet London Bridge are published twice a year > T he LONDONS – in January and July. We always welcome feedback, so if you have any 19 Commemorate Loos comments or suggestions please contact us. Equally if you would like to > It’s a Wrap! submit an article for future issues of either newsletter, please email it by > Royal Yeomanry 1 December or 1 June to Mark Demery: 20 Ex COCKNEY TOUBKAL [email protected] or call 020 7384 4676 > 256 Field Hospital 21 Passing out from Sandhurst The best article in London Bridge submitted by a > 150 years in Braganza Street unit or individual will receive £100. The star 22 > 3 MI Battalion Ex COCKNEY SKADI £100 article for this issue can be found on page 20. > 7 RIFLES Display Webb Ellis Cup 23 > WW1 Soldier’s Tale update > Scotland – Coast to Coast 24 > Alternative Venues Front Cover Gunner Greg Pitt from 106 (Yeomanry) Regiment RA taking part in the 2015 Canoe Slalom World Championships for Team GB. Edited, designed & produced by DNA Ltd. www.dnal.co.uk LONDON POPPY DAY On London Poppy Day, as always, there was a splendid turn out of Reserves and Cadets collecting money at tube and mainline stations throughout London. 600 Squadron targeted British Airways headquarters at Waterside where ten Reservists joined with colleagues from British Airways and a party from RAF Halton to raise an amazing £13,000. The total collected by Armed Forces personnel in London – Regular and Reserve – plus Cadets and Veterans was £850,000. LONDON BRIDGE WINTER 2015/16 3 Niall Ahern – Employer Engagement update Although we are now in 2016, it’s important to look back at an incredibly successful events programme in 2015. Just a few highlights have been selected for you in this edition of London Bridge. All of these wouldn’t have been possible without the Regular, Reservist and Cadet Instructors who turn up to help ensure these events go smoothly for employers. Thank you for all your work in 2015 and we Greater London RFCA has added its name to the growing list look forward to replicating a similar successful events programme of organisations that have signed up to the Armed Forces throughout 2016. Covenant. The Covenant was signed by GL RFCA’s Chairman, Colonel Marc Overton, a business leader and senior Army In addition to events, 2015 built on the success of the inaugural year Reservist and GL RFCA’s Chief Executive, Colonel Hugh Purcell. of the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). For the Greater London region, 18 organisations were successful in obtaining the prestigious Silver Award ranging from small charities couldn’t encompass. DRM continues to support Reservists and to international banks and professional bodies. Successful organisations employers in exactly the same way SaBRE did, but now includes were treated to an exclusive afternoon at RAF Northolt – see page 6. support to service leavers, Cadet Instructors, spousal employment On 14 January, 16 national Gold Award winners were announced and and the wounded, injured and sick. Throughout 2016, you will begin received their Award in Downing Street. Nominations for 2016 will be to see the MOD logo and brand being used more widely. open soon and we encourage all readers to nominate organisations large and small through the dedicated ERS website (details below). If you would like to get in touch about any of our events or defence initiatives please contact me via my email or the web link below. Finally, some of our readers will have heard that the SaBRE Campaign (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers), which had been running for over 12 years, has now come to an end. In its place, Niall Ahern Defence Relationship Management (DRM) has now taken on defence Regional Employer Engagement Director for Greater London engagement initiatives. Having started in response to call outs during the OP TELIC & HERRICK years, defence employer engagement has Email: [email protected] now progressed and covers several other elements that SaBRE simply Web: www.gov.uk/mod/employer-relations A National League The National League, which covers the fifth and sixth tiers of football in England and Wales, has joined an ever-growing list of leading organisations (over 800) in signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant. The event took place at Horse Guards with the Chairman, Brian Barwick, signing on behalf of The National League and Major General John Crackett, Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, signing on behalf of the Armed Forces. Further recognising the close link between the Army and the game of football, two players from Aldershot Town – the home of the British Army – were present alongside soldiers from the London Irish Regiment and HQ London District. 100 years ago members of both these were among those soldiers who took a break from hostilities on the Western Front to play the ‘beautiful game’ – the WW1 Christmas Aldershot Town are the first football club to sign the Covenant with football match which has become an icon of how sport can transform others of the 68 member clubs planning to sign individual pledges at lives, even those enduring the horrors of war. the League’s half-yearly conference in Telford in January. 4 LONDON BRIDGE WINTER 2015/16 EMPLOYERS OBSERVE A ROYAL GUN SALUTE Employers who support defence initiatives and who have an interest in China were given the exclusive opportunity to observe a Royal Gun Salute in honour of the State Visit by the President of The People’s Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan. Soldiers from the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-Gun Salute in Green Park – just after midday on Tuesday 20 October. At the same time, Army Reserve Soldiers from the Honourable Artillery Company fired a They watched as the 68 soldiers with 86 horses from the King’s Troop Royal 41-Gun Salute at the Tower of London. Horse Artillery pulled the six guns into position for firing the 41-Gun Salute The guests, hosted by GL RFCA, included representatives from Alexander – which took place at eight minutes past the stroke of midday. This was the Hughes, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, BNY Mellon, Bouygyes, CBRE, exact moment when the President of China was received by HM The Queen. ICBC Standard Bank, J.P.Morgan, London Chamber of Commerce and After the Salute, the guests saw the Royal procession return to Buckingham Industry, Marsh, Moody’s Investors Services and Standard Chartered Bank. Palace, escorted by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Metropolitan Police Team Scoops Top Prize Ten teams from Greater London’s employers got The winning team from the Metropolitan Police Service joined together at the Honourable Artillery Company in runners-up from PwC with teams from Defence Relationship October to battle it out at 2015’s Exercise SHARPE Management, Financial Reporting Council, GL RFCA, J.P.