THEwire December 2015 www.royalsignals.org The Magazine of The Royal Corps of Signals A Christmas Message From The Corps Colonel Col S G Hutchinson MBE ADC As we move into 2016 The Corps can reflect on what has been an extraordinarily busy 12 months; it has not been one for the faint hearted. From success in the sporting arena to formal acknowledgement of technical excellence whilst deployed on Operations, our Officers and soldiers have been right in the thick of it, in many cases delivering beyond expectation, but always within the spirit and ethos of our Corps. One of the highlights of the year was standing alongside the Master of Signals whilst our Retired community paraded during the Royal Signals Association weekend; having our future, present and past cohorts together on one square was a poignant reinforcement of the 3R’s message. Further parades to celebrate the Freedom of York and farewells to Germany were interspersed with commemorations at St Paul’s Cathedral and the National Memorial Arboretum; reflective moments when The Corps has assembled and remembered as a family. Whilst on the theme of family we have also introduced a new assignment policy that has sought to better facilitate and support stability, especially for the more junior elements of The Corps. It’s full implementation is going to take time and there will be frustrations on the way but having consulted widely it is clear that we are doing the right thing. For many our return from Germany will also bring back some poignant memories. The closures of Elmpt and Herford have marked the end of a significant period in our history, but with our footprint in Germany all but gone we were all thrilled to welcome our Colonel in Chief, HRH The Princess Royal, to the formal opening of Stafford. With further visits to 30 and 3 Signal Regiments our Colonel in Chief has continued to deliver unparalleled support and we look forward to hosting her in 2016. Our Reserves have also played their part and from supporting UK Operations to getting right alongside their paired Regular counterparts they are delivering where and when it matters. With recruiting buoyant I am hopeful that the Reserves are ideally placed to respond to any new and emerging challenges. From promotions and success on respective New Year and Queens Birthday Honours and Awards Lists to technical and engineering accolades our Officers and soldiers continue to be formally recognised for their herculean efforts; it is a theme that I hope continues. As we move into 2016 it is clear that there are some significant challenges on the horizon but collectively we are well placed to meet them. I will therefore close by wishing you and your families, wherever they may be, a very Happy Christmas and successful New Year. Certa Cito DECEMBER 2015 Vol. 69 No: 6 The Magazine of the Royal Corps of Signals Established in 1920 A Christmas Message From The Corps Colonel Col S G Hutchinson MBE ADC Find us on The Wire Published bi-monthly Annual subscription £20.00 including UK postage Editor Editor: Mr Keith Pritchard Deputy Editor: Mrs Steph Hamlett Mr Keith Pritchard Tel: 01258 482817 All correspondence and material for publication in The Wire should be addressed to: The Wire, HQ Royal Signals, Blandford Camp, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 8RH Email: [email protected] Accounts / Subscriptions Contributors Deadline for The Wire : 15th February for publication in the April. Mrs Jess Lawson 15th April for publication in the June. Tel: 01258 482087 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. To see The Wire on line or to refer to Guidelines for Contributors, go to: 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 Editorial News from Blandford As we draw ever closer to the end of 2015 I would 3 like to take this opportunity to say thank you to News from Training everyone who has contributed to The Wire. As I 5 keep saying, without your input there would be no News from Formations magazine. Once again there has been an excess of 9 submissions, so I also offer my apologies to those News from Regiments 10 who submitted, but did not make the magazine. This is not a reflection on individuals but the News from Squadrons 75 practical limitations of the magazine, so please do not lose heart but keep contributing. Other Units 79 Finally, on behalf of The Wire office and all the Sport 90 members of the Headquarters staff involved with the subscriptions, publication and delivery of each Adventurous Training 96 edition, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Last Post 110 Obituaries 110 2016 Corps Calendar - Page 56/57 FRONT COVER BACK COVER Blandford Poppy Appeal - well and truly launched 1 Sig Regt on the Herford farewell parade 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 1 The 2015 BAOR Corps Commission “Zeitgeist” Spirit of the Times by Stuart Brown ©2015 www.skipperpress.com The task of sponsoring the BAOR picture commission was accepted in January 2014 by 1ADSR (now 1 Sig Regt) then under the command of Lt Col Jules Hill. The lead was taken by the 2IC, Maj Alan Garrett, with Capt David Malortie as project officer. The task of representing such a long period of service in Germany was a challenge, and the concept adopted was that of representing the changes in equipment and uniform through time to the present day. The eventual painting produced by the selected artist Stuart Brown, is shown above. The approach chosen was to create a single scene, at first sight looking quite natural, but on closer inspection revealing the chronology and significant landmarks of our presence in BAOR. The former Soviet listening station on the Brocken is shown in rather sinister low cloud, redolent of the all-pervasive Soviet threat of the time. Just visible through the trees is the Bismarckturm, named after the Iron Chancellor who played a key role in the development of modern Germany, with the Schloss at Bisperode, the focus of many exercises, indicated left. Flying above the forest are a pair of RAF Harrier ground attack aircraft, for which Royal Signals provided tactical field communications. The first element (left) is a Bruin communications vehicle, with soldiers erecting the radio mast, wearing 1950s battle dress. Included are a Lineman and a Dispatch Rider. The next element depicts an armoured headquarters with interconnecting penthouse tents. The vehicle on the left is an AFV 439; the figures wear 58 pattern webbing and carry the SLR personal weapon. The third element shows a Bowman Land Rover with operator, the foreground figures wearing CS95, and carrying original pattern SA80 rifles. The final scene reveals a modern day operator on TacSat, wearing Osprey body armour and carrying the SA80 with the new fore grip attachment. A female soldier is included in this group, which is complemented by a MAN truck with communications mast. The Rhine defines Germany both physically and emotionally, and identified the role of so many signallers, namely those of the British Army of the Rhine. It has featured prominently in the consciousness of Royal Signals, bisecting the rear and forward zones, in which so many of the Corps operated, exercised and lived. The progression of equipment and soldiers demonstrates the evolving role of the Corps, from NATO defence to Out of Area operations, and exemplifies the combination of our Corps ethos with the environment and soul of our hosts across the decades – the Spirit of the Times, or in German, Zeitgeist. Limited and Open Edition prints of the painting are available in high resolution. These lithographic pints are available in two sizes with the Limited Edition being the larger of the two, both will be printed on 350gsm art board. Limited Edition prints will be despatched with a certificate of authenticity. Further detail is available at www.royalsignals.org/zeitgeist or email zeitgeist@ royalsignals.org. 2 THE WIRE, DECEMBER 2015 NEWS FROM BLANDFORD CORPS ENGAGEMENT TEAM Scotland Skills Shows - by LCpl Lee On Saturday 24 October 2015 we arrived at the historic town of Aberdeen, checked into our hotel and spent the afternoon walking up and down the dense high streets looking to bag a bargain. These bargains included some rather extravagant winter hats being purchased by Cpl Charlie Horniblow and LCpl Aaron Mills and they were donned almost immediately after handing over the cash. After making good use of our fur lined hats and finding the local Nandos we stuffed our faces with as much chicken as possible we then headed back to our hotel to get our heads down for the night. The next day we turned up to the Aberdeen skills show and took it in turns to man our recruiting stand.