REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERSWellington Barracks, London - PDF document

4 REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERSWellington Barracks, London Regimental Remembrance Day. The RHQ Marathon Team Regimental HeadquartersRegimental Headquarters is staffed by 15 permanent staff,of whom three work on a part-time basis. Captain JamesFox masterminds our Officer Recruiting, which isprogressing well; last year we commissioned 7 OfficerCadets from RMA Sandhurst, and two young officerstransferred in to the Regiment, one from the HouseholdCavalry and one from the Royal Engineers. RQMS AndyHill is responsible for the general administration of RHQ, isresponsible for the smooth-running of Regimental Storesand assists in the detailed planning and execution of allRegimental Events. In the Stores he is assisted by LSgtOffice by LSgt Tony Bayliss (who has replaced LSgt JoeTack) and Mrs Jill Lindsay. Gdsm BiscuitsŽ Brown is theRHQ Orderly/Driver and provides invaluable support. TheAssociation General Office is run by Captain Trevor Rolfe,who also wears the hat of Regimental Treasurer , and he isably assisted by LSgt Jay Ellingham and the redoubtableMr George Turton. The Archives are under the control ofand he is assisted on a day to day basis by Mrs Nayna Shah;Major Philip Wright is an invaluable part-time Archivistand Chris Sharp helps out with photographs.In additionto the usual annual activities of RegimentalRemembrance Sunday, the 1st Guards Club Dinner,Grenadier Day and the Sergeants Mess Past andPresent, the Regiment was honoured by the grant of theFreedom of the City of Lincoln, and Kings CompanyBridge was named at Aalten in Holland in recognition ofthe Kings Company, supported by No 2 Squadron,capturing a bridge on the outskirts of the town on 30thMarch 1945. And then there was the fund raising appealfor the Colonels Fund, but more of that on the followingpages; suffice it to say here, that it was a major focus forRegimental Headquarters throughout the year.As a little extra pastoral activity, Captain James Fox,RQMS Andy Hill, LSgt Joe Tack and LSgt JayEllingham ran the London Marathon on behalf of themanaged to raise just under £3000.The Ceremony at Aalten, covered in more detail later inthis edition, took place on the 5th May on a gloriouslywarm sunny day. There were representatives fromRegimental Headquarters, the Battalion and theAssociation, along with 3 musicians from the RegimentalBand. We formed up at the Town Community Centre andthen marched behind a Dutch Civic Band and a numberof WW2 Jeeps (belching asphyxiating fumes!) to theBridge where the naming ceremony took place. Thereafternumerous speeches. It was a most enjoyable day.Hot on the heels of the Aalten event, came theFreedom of the City of Lincoln on the 7th and 8th ofMay. On the 7th May, the Mayor and City Council gavea lunch in the Guildhall. This was followed in theevening by an excellent Band Concert, given by theRegimental Band in Lincoln Cathedral. On the 8th May,the Lieutenant Colonel accepted the Freedom of the Cityon behalf of the Regiment, and the Mayoral party thenwent outside to find the Queens Company, NijmegenCompany, and the Regimental Band, commanded by theCommanding Officer of the 1st Battalion formed upopposite the War Memorial, after a General Salute,inspection, speech by the Mayor and response by theLieutenant Colonel, the Regiment marched through thestreets of the city with bayonets fixed, drums beatingand Colours flyingŽ. It was a most moving occasion, andCity. Events culminated with the Annual Dinner Dance 6 R E G I M E N T A L H E A D Q U A R T E R SHRH The Colonel and guests were given a movingpresentation by Lieutenant Colonel Carew Hatherley,Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion. Then The Colonelcirculated through the room meeting a number of thosewho had been wounded and some of the families of the fiveGuardsmen who were killed, in addition to many of theother guests. The evening ended with the Regimental BandBeating RetreatŽ outside the Guildhall. It was a mostsuccessful evening and got the fund off to a flying start.The next major event for the fund was a Band Concertin Lincoln Cathedral on the evening before the Granting ofthe Freedom of the City. The Mayor of Lincoln, CouncillorHilton Spratt, kindly agreed that half the proceeds of theevening would be donated to the Colonels Fund.In June, there was a Clay Pigeon Shooting Day atBisley Shooting Ground, generously donated byAnthony Roupell. It was a thoroughly enjoyable daywith lots of shooting for the 27 teams that took part, adelicious lunch and a successful auction after lunch. Asubstantial amount was raised for the fund. The next major event was the Band Tour by theRegimental Band which toured the country playing at13 venues in as many days. It was an enjoyable tour and£47,000 for the fund.The final large event was the Closing EventŽ at theHippodrome in Central London on 18 Nov 08. TheSalisbury Family, who own the Hippodrome, gave it forone night to The Colonels Fund. The resident show wasa burlesque cabaret act called La Clique. About 650people came to the event, including many members ofthe Battalion, and beforehand we held a smallReception, which was attended by The Colonel, to saythank you to those who had been particularly helpfulduring the year. The Colonel was on excellent form, LaClique performed brilliantly, and people danced into thesmall hours to the Regimental Dance Band. It was anoutstanding and original evening, and in the unlikelyevent of anyone thinking that Grenadiers can be a bitstuffy, THINK AGAIN!Of course there have been many other fund raisingevents and initiatives by individuals, groups andAssociation Branches throughout the year; the VintnersHall Dinner, The Mayfield Concert, the Three PeaksChallenge and the London to Waterloo Bike Ride toname but a very few of many. All these efforts havebeen extremely hard work for those involved and boththe hard work and the results are greatly appreciated.The fund raising year has been characterised byrather more than they could readily afford, and byorganisations both great and small. The fund will remainopen for donations in the future, but active fund-raisingwill be reduced to a minimal level. At the end of the year,just upwards of £930,000 had been raised which in thecurrent economic climate is a fantastic result.So what has it all been for? The fund is designed toassist Grenadiers and their families who have beenaffected by recent active service. To date, the fund haspaid out under £5000 and this is because those whowere severely wounded are looked after very well bythe systemŽ in the period following their wounding.Nonetheless, there are areas when help is less easy toobtain, and this is where the fund has been able to helpthe few cases that have arisen. The area where thesystemŽ is less able to cope is the area of mental illnessor Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially when thesymptoms are only recognised after a number of years,often after the soldier has left the service (10 to 15 yearsuncommon). Often, the Welfare Committee will onlyhear about a problem after it has become critical, andwe will be left trying to help rebuild ruined lives.However, we are seeking to be pro-active: one ideathat is being carefully considered is to try and set up asystem to improve communication throughout theRegiment encompassing both the serving Regiment,past members of the Regiment and the Association.This may take the form of a Regimental FacebookŽ typeof the whole Regiment, but a spin-offŽ advantage mightbe that it would help people stay in touch and possiblymean that the Regiment would become more easilyaware of people in need of help. Allied to this idea, is the concept of a RegimentalBuddy BuddyŽ system in which all serving members ofthe Regiment (or non-serving for that matter!) wouldbuddy up with someone else and then look out forthemŽ for life (?). Obviously, an idea such as this wouldrequire a massive buy inŽ by individuals, but if itworked, again it would improve the chances of theRegiment knowing about people in need of help and insome cases, might prevent a drama becoming a crisis.These are embryonic ideas, and any readers whowould like to put forward ideas of their own are morethan welcome to do so, and should email the RegimentalAdjutant (regtladjt@grengds.com) in the first instance. 7 R E G I M E N T A L H E A D Q U A R T E R S SERGEANTS (PAST AND President 2007 … Maj D Bradley BEMPresident 2008 … Capt A J KeeleyVice President 2008 … Mr D AdkinsHon Secretary … WO2RQMS Hill AVice Hon Secretary … LSgt Tack JCurrent MembershipPast 581, Serving 203, Honorary 21 - Total 805he Annual Sergeants (Past and Present) Clubdinner was held on Saturday 1st November 2008 atthe Thistle Hotel Marble Arch, London. The hotel lookedafter the Club very well and the benefit of holding thisprestigious event in Central London was obvious for allto see. Once again the administration and attention todetail by WO2 (RQMS) Hill and LSgt Tack ensured asuitably impressive successful evening for all.Our Guest of Honour was to have been BrigadierGeorge Norton CBE who commands 38 (Irish) Brigade.Unfortunately due to planned marches on Sunday 2ndNovember by Sinn Fein and Loyalists (Yes, we thoughtPeace reigned in Northern Ireland) during a welcomehome parade for troops returning from Afghanistan, hehad to cancel at the last minute. However in goodGrenadier tradition the Regimental Lieutenant ColonelBrigadier David Maddan stepped up to the mark andthe Regimental Adjutant Major Grant Baker read avery warm, sincere letter of explanation from BrigadierNorton which was well received by club members.The Regimental Lieutenant Colonel gave an update onthe Regiments activities referring to recent activities,and also the qualities of the Sergeants Mess whichdrew sound applause from all present. LSgt Tack, Maj Bradley BEM, WO2 (RQMS) Hill.Other Guests were Mr Victor and Mrs Maxine Barley.Division circles, particularly within the SergeantsMesses. Their attendance marked the 50th year ofVictor working for Carringtons, Mappin and Webb andhis association with the Household Division and theRegiment in particular.The President Major Dennis Bradley thanked him onbehalf of the Sergeants Mess for his service, loyalty andWe were superbly entertained by Fifth Avenue DanceBand and many enjoyed dancing until the early hours.Many of the more professional and dedicated socialitesthen moved to the 1st Battalion Sergeants Mess tocontinue the movement! Well done the Sergeant Major!The Annual General Meeting was held prior to theDinner. Once the routine business had been conductedthe President handed over to Captain A J Keeley as thePresident for next year.The Committee now consists of:Captain J A KeeleyPresidentMr D AdkinsVice PresidentWO2 (RQMS) Hill AHon Secretary & TreasurerLSgt Bayliss AVice Hon SecretaryServing Committee Members:WO1 (RSM) Chant DSgt Major 1st BattalionWO2 (CSM) OHalloran MNijmegen CompanyWO2 (CSM) Gillham SERENon Serving Committee Members:Lt Col C E Kitchen MBEThe President would like to thank all who assisted himand the members for their kind support over the last yearwhich was very much appreciated. We now look forward tothe next Annual Dinner on Saturday 14th November 2009. 1 x Framed Grenadier drawing with roll of honour 1884Silver Dish inscribed Lt Col G.A.I DuryŽ from the Corpsof Queens Messengers 1950 - 1959 1 x Framed City of Lincoln Freedom scroll 8 R E G I M E N T A L H E A D Q U A R T E R S The Regimental Bandour naïve dreams of a somewhat more sedate pace of life inthe coming year were well and truly dashed as we quicklyrealised that the Bands workload for 2008 was to beexceptionally heavy. As expected, the year was to be largelydominated by engagements in support of the Colonels Fund,Grenadier Guards. What we had not quite bargained for wasthe additional commitment of duty tours to Sandhurst andGermany at either end of the busy ceremonial season; it allmade 2008 one of the busiest years in recent memory.The turnover in personnel has been particularly high in2008, with a steady stream of departures and arrivalsthroughout the year. Our sincere appreciation and heartfeltbest wishes for the future go to Musician GemmaClydesdale and LCpl James Brincat-Smith on completionof their service; to Lance Corporal Shane ONeill onattachment to the Royal Military School of Music where hestarted three years on the Bandmaster Course lastSeptember; to Sgt Mark Hamilton on his recent posting tothe Coldstream Guards Band; to WO1 (Bandmaster)Stewart Halliday on commissioning and appointment asDirector of Music of the Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Bandin Catterick, and to WO1 (Senior Band Sergeant Major)Kevin Bird on retirement from the Army after 25 yearsKing, who joins us following a spell as TrainingCorps of Army Music; Sgt Richard Plampin on posting fromthe Band of the Welsh Guards, and Musicians Ben Hull,Sam Petchey and Alan Shellard fresh from Phase 2training at Kneller Hall.The year began with the welcome news that theeminent composer, NigelDirector of Musics invitationto take up the position ofAssociate Composer to theBand. As a former memberof the Irish Guards Bandand long-standing friendof the Grenadiers with ahost of quality wind bandcompositions to his credit,Nigel was an ideal choice forthe appointment and wassoon hard at work on his firstcommission for the Band; acomposition that would form the centrepiece of our effortsin support of the Colonels Fund later in the year.Our first notable engagement came in early Februaryas we headed for Camberley and a ten week tour of dutyproviding musical support to training at the RoyalMilitary Academy, Sandhurst. An unquestionable (?) highlight of the tour was the three long days spent on OldCollege Parade Ground undertaking our annual SpringDrills under the ever compassionate command of WO1(College Sergeant Major) Butcher and his merry band ofGrenadier Drill Instructors. Thanks to you all … the thirdslowly coming to terms with the psychological injuries! Abrief respite from the seemingly endless round ofparades, dinner nights and unfamiliar RegimentalMarches came towards the end of March in the form ofthe much publicised State Visit of the President of Francewhich saw the Band on parade with the Guard of Honourto greet Her Majesty and her guests on their arrival atWindsor Castle. We did manage to take advantage of thestructured nature of life at Sandhurst to spend somequality time in the rehearsal room in preparation for arecording of music by the talented English composer,Philip Sparke. The recording was made over two daystowards the end of our tour in the pleasant surroundingsof Charterhouse School in Godalming and is due to bereleased early in 2009. Our time at the Academyeventually drew to a close on a blustery April morningwith the customary end of term Sovereigns Parade; on thisoccasion in the presence of the Princess Royal.earned leave we hit the road once again … this timebound for the city of Lincoln on the occasion of thegranting of the Freedom of the City to the Regiment. Weperformed a highly successful evening concert to apacked cathedral as a prelude to the following dayscelebrations as we led the 1st Battalion through the citystreets to the obvious delight of the local population.The following weekend saw our first visit to the newWembley Stadium where we accompanied the singersLesley Garrett and Kathryn Jenkins in the traditionalpre-match ceremony at the FA Cup Final. The end of Maybrought another two gruelling days in the studio as werecorded the CD which was to accompany our forthcoming Associate Composer Nigel Clarke. Recording at Charterhouse. Folkestones Leas Cliff Hall on 16th August, we steadilymade our way as far north as Harrogate before returningsouth for the tour finale at Guildford on the 30th. A major point of interest to our audiences throughoutthe tour was the presence of three slightly dodgy lookinginsignia, parked either in or outside each of the thirteenconcert venues. In an effort to boost the tours fund-raising capacity, four members of the Band decided topurchase motorcycles worth no more than £500 to ride toeach concert venue, inviting sponsorship for every milesuccessfully covered. Those in the know will appreciatethat £500 does not go particularly far in the purchase of aquality motorcycle and will therefore understand theDirector of Musics concern as to whether or not he wouldbe bringing the baton down on a full band each night.Working on the principle that what he did not know wouldnot hurt him, it was decided not to brief Major Wassell on 10 R E G I M E N T A L H E A D Q U A R T E R S Sun 22 FebGuards ChapelWed 13 … Sat 16 MayWindsor Castle Royal TattooSun 17 May Memorial Sunday; Guards ChapelSat 30 MayMajor Generals Review, Horse Sun 31 MayGuards Chapel, Castle Hill; WindsorWed 3 JunHousehold Division Beating Retreat; Horse GuardsThu 4 JunFounders Day; Royal Hospital, Chelsea - Household Division Beating Retreat; Horse GuardsSat 6 JunColonels Review; Horse GuardsSat 13 JunQueens Birthday Parade; Horse Sun 14 JunGuards Chapel, Castle Hill; WindsorSun 28 JunGrenadier Day; LondonWed 1 … Sun 5 JulHenley Royal RegattaSun 26 JulGuards Polo ClubSun 2 AugGuards Chapel, Castle Hill; WindsorTue 8 AugArmy Benevolent Fund - Beating Sat 19 SepIzegem Tattoo; BelgiumSat 3 … Sun 4 Oct11th World Band Festival; LucerneSun 18 OctGuards ChapelFri 23 OctRoyal British Legion Concert; MargateSun 8 NovRemembrance Parade; CenotaphSun 20 DecGuards Chapel Where to see the Regimental Band in 2009NB: These dates could change as a result of service commitments. The Bikers on parade at Guildford (LCpl Adrian Snood, LCplShane ONeill, Sgt Ian Ballard, LCpl Nathan Jim Bowen).the number of bits that fell off Sgt Ballards bike on thejourney to Folkestone for the first concert! Amazingly theventure was a complete success with some 3,000 milescovered, no absences on stage and a healthy sum raisedAll agree that the tour was an immense success and afantastic experience we will all remember for a long timeto come; the highlights for us undoubtedly being themarvellous evening at Southwell Minster and the finalconcert at Guildford Cathedral. Our sincere thanks go toall members of the regional branches of the GrenadierGuards Association involved in the organisation,marketing and staging of this memorable series of events,which overall raised a creditable sum for the ColonelsFund and brought immeasurable pleasure to thousands of Standing ovation at Guildford. avoiding numerous pitfalls that training civilians inpreparation for the realities of operations inAfghanistan involve, have also had to deal with thedisappointment of missing out on the Battalionsdeployments. All non commissioned officers who takeup the challenge to train potential guardsmen in the21st century undertake a difficult task, mentallychallenging but equally rewarding and in all cases areal career enhancing experience. 1 4 T H C O M P A N YLt Nigel Torp-Peterson shares his viewsabout the Infantry Training Centre:I took over 2 Platoon, Number 3 Company during Herrick6 in 2007 and was fortunate to stay in command for therest of the tour. The guardsmen in that platoon were of ahigh calibre, robust, determined and trustworthy andlargely because of them we all came through in one piece asa platoon despite some close calls. I became interested atthis stage in taking a job at the Infantry Training CentreCatterick (ITC(C)) to see how trainee guardsmen (TGdsm)are transformed into the robust and ultimately smartindividuals found in as contrasting locations as theForecourt of Buckingham Palace and the Green Zone inITC(C) is where the Army trains all infantry soldiersand the Foot Guards operate a training company withinthe second of the two Infantry Training Battalions. TheFoot Guards course is 28 weeks long, two weeks longerthan the line infantry courses, so that extra emphasis canbe placed on drill turn out and bearing. Most Foot Guards platoons are made up of traineeguardsmen from all five Regiments. Care is taken in eachplatoon to introduce the different Regimental customsearly on. In my platoon, for example, the etiquette for theapproach to the platoon office by TGdsm of different capbadges is up on the wall so there can be nomisunderstanding. Furthermore it is normal practice to put as many of the same cap badge into one section as possiblewith a section commander from that Foot Guards Regimentso as to install Regimental identity as much as possible.The trainee guardsmenarrive during the afternoon ofthe Sunday before Week 1 and come from all over theUnited Kingdom and further afield. They are a range ofages too. I have TGdsm from Botswana, Grenada andKenya as well as from Bridgend, Stoke, Plymouth andChelmsford. The oldest is 31 and the youngest 17.They undergo a programme of lessons which start at arelatively slow pace and build to turn civilians with nomilitary experience into guardsmen who could fit into arifle section going away on operations on finishing theA great strongpoint of the course is the experience of theinstructors. Everyone in my training team has been toAfghanistan or Iraq at least once. This puts them on a firmbasis to answer questions and explain why it is necessaryto do certain drills. They are picked from the top 10 percent of the Foot Guards Non Commissioned Officers andspeaking about the individuals in my training team theirenthusiasm and motivation is limitless. In Guards 26Platoon I have 1 Scots Guards, 1 Grenadier Guards andthree Welsh Guard constituting the training team.Currently I am in week 9 which will see 26 guardsmenhead out into the training area to the rear of ITC toembark on a four day exercise. An essential part of thetraining occurs in this environment. All the infantrytactics are reinforced from personal drills up to platoonattacks and later on in the course training converts fromdry training using blank ammunition to live firing, oncethe TGdsm have mastered operating the rifle! 17 1 S T B A T T A L I O N The Javelin Platoon in South Georgia - Ex Cape Reach 26 May … 07 June 2008By Capt B J R JestyDuring its Falkland Islands Deployment, the JavelinPlatoon had the good fortune to be given the opportunityto take part in Exercise CAPE REACH, a forceprojection exercise intended to demonstrate that BritishForces South Atlantic Islands have the capability tooperate on South Georgia at very short notice. South Georgia is located 800 miles to the east andslightly south of the Falklands. It is mountainous terrainwith many glaciers and has a population of elevenscientists and government workers, none of whom live onthe island permanently. The island is most famous forbeing Ernest Shackletons final destination when he set offto find help for his shipwrecked men on Elephant Island in1915. It is now visited every year by cruise ships that bringtourists to enjoy its unspoilt natural beauty and richwildlife. Interestingly the only land-based animals are ratsand reindeer, which were both introduced by settlers,The land component on Ex CAPE REACH consistedof a section of the Falkland Islands Defence Force(FIDF) lead by Major Pete Biggs and WO2 (CSM) ToobyRM and a section of the Javelin Platoon. Pete grew upon South Georgia when it was a thriving whalingeconomy and WO2 Tooby is a Royal Marine MountainLeader.Hence they drew upon a huge amount ofexperience of mountains and South Georgia in particular.The soldiers of the FIDF have a dual role as a localmilitia and also mountain rescuers. The concept was thatthe FIDF would therefore provide the mountain expertiseto train and guide us novice mountaineers on the islandso that we could carry out military/civil operations. Thetime taken for us to sail aboard HMS Liverpool, a RoyalNavy Type 42 Destroyer, from the Falkland Islands toSouth Georgia was used to carry out lessons in coldweather survival, avalanche awareness, kit andequipment preparation, mountain movement andmountain climbing amongst other things. A destroyer isnot really ideal terrain for trying to teach such lessons. Atone point we were practising mountain movement byattaching ourselves to folded tables and wall fittings,using them to simulate a rock face. The view. LCpl Garrett and Gdsm Swann make friends. 20 1 S T B A T T A L I O Nheightened by pleas of the deleterious effect of tents andhard ground on LCpl Jacksons childbearing hips.On the second day, the expedition set out at 3am tocatch the sunrise on the face of the towers themselves, butpoor visibility limited the view. Over the following days,the park threw most types of weather at the expedition;wind that bent the poles in the orange Vango tents, aswell as a peculiar fridge-like chill of the campsites nearthe glacier, and a few solid downpours. In the main, thisfortuitous, unlike Welsh rain which soaks you while nevermoving above a fine drizzle, the combination of temperatewind and showers meant you could be rained on withoutbeing wet. Fauna proved a further challenge; we lost adays rations to local wildlife, some of which gnawedthrough rucksacks to get the food. Whilst there were somesound fieldcraft lessons learnt, the transition to non-tactical field life proved unsettling for some. When told atthe first days route brief that there might be a late finish,a tentative question was raised by Guardsman ThompsonSir, does that really mean we can cook after last light?Ž.The latter stages of the trek were dominated by theGlacier Grey, an outcrop of the Southern Patagonian IceField, and the lake it flowed into. We skirted the glacier,with a clear view down into the crevasses and a Foxesmint blue of the main ice flow, and camped beside thelake. Guardsman Mellor proved his mettle one morningwhen caught stripping down in the water, as a smalliceberg washed past! One of the Chilean guides suggested that we roundoff the expedition with a barbecue, and that he knew alocal gaucho who could provide. Thoughts immediatelyturned to chicken legs and sausages in a Surrey garden- what arrived were three staked-out sheep and abonfire. After a week on rations, being passed a wholeleg-and-shoulder of lamb was a notable challenge, butthe guardsmen rose to the occasion. The gaucho also In PatagoniaBy Lt Jonathan LindleyHave gone to Patagonia famously served as a one-lineresignation telegram for Bruce Chatwin as he set off onthe journey that made his name as a travel writer. To myrelief, the suggestion that I should do likewise wasdelivered with coffee.Making the most of the deployment to the FalklandIslands, 19 members of Number Two Company crossed tosouthern Chile to undertake the Torres del Paine W andextraction. This 100km mountaineering circuit crossesfrom open pampas to mountain glaciers around the south ofthe Towers of Paine massif; named (as a number ofexpedition members were keen to note) after the localmountaineer rather than the sensation. The group wouldalso complete the Summer Mountain Proficiency AdventureTraining Award.After a brief stop over in the Falkland Islands, theexpedition had some familiarity with feelings of remoteness.Arriving in the principal staging post, the town of PuntaArenas took these to a new level. Perched on the edge ofChile and the shore of the Straits of Magellan, Puntalast time it featured in European newspapers was whenShackleton used it as his base to extract his 1915expedition from Elephant Island. The town centre felt likea combination of a French ski resort and the OK Corral,with a sharply segregated naval base bolted on.Soon leaving the town behind us, the expedition movedup into the Torres del Paine National Park. Condors andguanacos started to appear. Setting out with mappingthat lacks a national grid system, using only latitude andlongitude, contributed to a sense of endeavour, whilstintermittent rope bridges provided a further touch ofIndiana Jones. These atmospherics could only be Gdsm Martin with the Torres del Paine in thebackground. Gdsm Dawson enjoying a rope bridge. Gdsm Clark andEduardo, a local guide, look on. 23 N I J M E G E N C O M P A N Y methods of insertion and extraction were varied withboth the Royal Navy Patrol vessel, HMS Clyde, andBritish International helicopters. Those who had notexperienced either helicopter or ship borne operationsfound themselves faced with new challenges and newexperiences. Some guardsmen discovered that they werenatural sea-farers whilst others turned green andwelcomed their delivery by rigid raider, (renamed rigidblender) onto the distant beach. The local population were very welcoming andhospitable wherever we encountered them, with mostpatrols seeking shelter in outlying barns from theincessant wind. All patrols kept civil and militaryrelationships at the forefront of their minds with manybecoming dapper hands at mending fences, castratingsheep and general labour in the outlying farmsteads. Allbecame very adept at walking across the very soft spongyground, which sapped the strength from ones legs in aninstant. The terrain throughout the Islands proved to bevery arduous and great for physical training. Rock rivers,proved hazardous, whether wet or dry, and took hours tocross with heavily laden guardsmen gingerly leapingfrom rock to rock. All patrols soon became adept atnavigating their way over this difficult terrain and livingout in often extremely windy and challenging conditions.The highlight of the deployment to the FalklandIslands was a large scale week long Company exercise,which employed all the assets available to us in theatreand was designed to be demanding at all levels. Theexercise started with Platoons initially conducting platoonattacks onto selected targets, inserting by Rapid AirLanding out of low flying C130 aircraft and by RigidBlenders. This was followed in the second phase by ahelicopter insertion and beach landing from HMS Clyde into Ajax Bay. The objective was a Company levelclearance of the Wreck Point peninsular. The Vice Chief ofDefence Staff, General Sir Timothy Granville-Chapmanpaid a visit to the Company during the attack and wasdelighted to speak to as many guardsmen, seniors andforces, the Company extracted by helicopter to OnionRange, a fantastic facility, for a seriously demanding livefiring package, which had been put together by CompanySergeant Major OHalloran. With all three platoonschallenged over two days of live firing, the Companyfinished the exercise with a march and shoot competitionfollowed by a platoon race in CEFO, on foot, in time for teaIt was not all hard work during our stay in theFalklands. Every platoon took the opportunity to utilisethe fantastic adventurous training facilities and visit someof the local tourist attractions. Company Headquartersspent an afternoon riding some seriously badly behavedhorses with Company Sergeant Major OHalloran onceagain proving that he has equally good control over otherforms of life than soldiers. A visit to Sea Lion Island forsome of the Company saw guardsmen coming face to facewith some imposing Elephant Seals and vast numbers ofpenguins who were as curious in us, as we were in them.Christmas Day saw those that had not departed on thefirst flight back to Blighty assembled in the cookhouse forthe Christmas Day lunch, served by the officers andseniors, to the utter bewilderment of the RAF, and theinevitable food fight with the Mercian contingent whohad recently arrived. As a parting gift CQMS Williamswas selected from a cast of many to have a familiarisationflight in a Tornado. After his flight many enjoyed hisanimated account of observing his favorite poster on theNijmegen Company at Ajax Bay. 24 N I J M E G E N C O M P A N Y The Falkland Island KAPE tour was not drawing the right calibre of potential recruit. Reference penguin, Half left of penguin... Wise words from the Vice Chief.roof of the Rapier Battery outpost from the rear seat at 300knots, much to the amusement of the assembled culprits.Altogether the Company had had a very successfultour with some excellent training having beenconducted and some valuable lessons having beenlearnt at all levels. I was sitting in the shade, contemplating the lot of theHelmand Task Force as it grappled with the Taliban intemperatures exceeding 45°c, when the Task ForceCommander wandered up to me. Great news, GeorgeŽ hesaid, youve been selected for Type A command, but I betyou will never guess which brigade youve been given.Ž Andhe was right. This was my second operational tour inAfghanistan in as many years, and I had assumed that, iflucky enough to be given command of a brigade at all, thechoice would play to this experience. But I was wrong, forin 4 months time I was to return to Northern Ireland tocommand 38 (Irish) Brigade, having left the Province forthe last time about 7 years before as the Captain of theQueens Company. So the Military Secretary did indeedwork in mysterious ways, but was I complaining?When I received this welcome news, I was mid waythrough Op HERRICK 6 as Deputy Commander of TaskForce Helmand. I had spotted the job as I sat in theMinistry of Defence, and the choice of having my workgreen inkedŽ by the VCDS for another year, ordeploying to Helmand with 12 Mechanized Brigade …which included our own 1st Battalion … was somethingof a no brainer. So what was my role? As witheverything in the military, it broke down into 3 parts:first and foremost, it involved deputising for andworking hand-in-glove with the Brigade Commander,John Lorimer, a Parachute Regiment officer. Secondly,I was to represent the military within what was knownby a 1* from the Foreign Office, was responsible for thedelivery of the overall campaign in Helmand, in whichthe military played just a part. The theory was thatprogress in Helmand could only be made if weof a comprehensive approach, with the militarydelivering a level of security sufficient to enable thesocial, political and economic progress necessary toconvince the people to support the legitimategovernment rather than the Taliban alternative. I hadto ensure that the Brigade never lost sight of thecampaign context as it planned and conducted itsoperations, whilst at the same time providing themilitary input to the cross departmental planningprocess. The third part of my existence was very muchlinked to this, and involved working on a daily basis,alongside the 1* Foreign Office representative, withthe Provincial Governor and his Provincial Council.Isadullah Wafa, for that was his name, was a likeablerogue in his latter 60s who by instinct favoured thelong established tribal approach to governance, ratherthan the quasi democracy imposed on Afghanistan bythe International Community. This contradiction wasto account for hours of my existence, drinking tea andeating an array of meals the origins of which didntbear thinking about … the sacrifice of ones intestines onbehalf of Her Majesty made by generations of ourforebears in this and other parts of the world. So thatwas my lot, which could not have been more stimulatingor rewarding, and as I left Helmand at the start ofSeptember 2007, I even flattered myself into thinkingthat we had made some progress. So I returned home; packed my boxes; and set off forthe Emerald Isle, but to find what? After 38 years,Operation BANNER had drawn to a close only 3 monthsbefore as the process of normalization had edged forward, Ian Paisley, former First Minister of Northern Irelandwith Martin McGuinness - the Chuckle Brothers. Lashkar Gar to Lisburn - Sublime to the Ridiculous? Brigadier George Norton CBE F E A T U R E Secretary of States Security Policy Meetings alongsidethe Chief Constable and the Head of the Security Service,just as did my 3 and 2 star predecessors.But what of the military presence in Northern Ireland?Normalization has seen us capped at 5,000 RegularServicemen, and command reduced first to 2 star (Aug 07)and more recently to 1 star level (Jan 09). HeadquartersNorthern Ireland is gone, as indeed are 3, 8 and 39 InfantryBrigades and 107 (TA) Brigade, all of which have beenreplaced by the single 38 (Irish) Brigade. Of the 50 formermilitary locations, only 10 now exist, with the principalRegular locations now centred on Ballykinler, Lisburn,Belfast (Palace Barracks) Antrim and Aldergrove. ThiepvalBarracks in Lisburn is now the home of Headquarters 38(Irish) Brigade, which looks inwards and is increasinglyTerritorial Army in nature, and Headquarters 19 InfantryBrigade, which recently moved from Catterick and ispreparing to deploy to Helmand in March. All of the SouthArmagh patrol bases are closed; the Baruki sangar andSouth Armagh observation towers have been dismantled;and both Bessbrook Mill and Drumadd Barracks inArmagh are awaiting alternative use.So is it fun? Unquestionably, although I fear for myliver, for the choice of starred officers available to theNorthern Irish community is limited pretty much to one,and the people remain remarkably generous. Recruitingis very much on the up, with numbers increasing bothfrom the North and from the Republic, to the benefit ofthe Micks and the Royal Irish in particular. We continue,meanwhile, in our efforts to convince people from allparts of the community that the Army is based inNorthern Ireland to train and prepare for operationsoverseas … just as it is in GB … and not to support thePSNI. It will take a long time to change perceptions, andmany will continue to hate us for years to come, but manyothers are passionate in their support of a militarypresence … as the turnout of over 50,000 in Belfastdemonstrated when troops returned from operations inNovember 2008 … and an increased maturity in thepolitical situation allows for those diverse positions toexist side by side. So would a member of either Battalionwho deployed to the Province at the start of the Troublesrecognise the place? Possibly not. But would they enjoy ittoday? You bet! HMS Illustrious The Grenadier Guards are proud to have a maritimetradition as ancient as any Regiment can boast. Duringthe 17th Century the 3rd Battalion of the Regimentserved and fought as Marines in His Majestys ships inthe wars against the Dutch. As a consequence theDrums of the 3rd Battalion continued to play RuleBritannia before the National Anthem at Tattoo. Thisrelationship with the Senior Service has continued andthe Grenadiers have forged a strong relationship withour affiliated ship, HMS Illustrious. This relationship has manifested itself in numerousexchanges of which the Grenadiers seem to have enjoyedthe more favourable. 10 guardsmen flew to Gibraltar inlate 2008 and accompanied the aircraft carrier on itsreturn journey to Portsmouth. In return, the QueensCompany hosted Lt Jim Thompson in a South Atlanticwinter where he was introduced to a particularly wetOnion Range complex covered in snow! In January 2009HMS Illustrious docked in Greenwich and amongst manysenior guests including the First Sea Lord, AdmiralBand, the Commanding Officer, Senior Major andAdjutant were invited to the Taranto Dinner Night on11th November. This particularly auspicious daycommemorates a significant Fleet Air Arm battle duringwhich the Italian Fleet was virtually neutralised in oneattack from HMS Illustrious swordfish aircraft. Anexcellent night was follow by a reciprocal arrangement on dry land in the confines of the St James Palace OfficersMess where a chosen few from the Ships Ward Roomwere invited to dine with the Captain of the QueensGuard. A fantastic night was had by all on both occasionsand as the Grenadiers bid farewell to their CommandingOfficer Lt Col Carew Hatherley so do HMS Illustrious toCaptain SJ Chick RN who is to be succeeded by CaptainBen Key RN. We wish them both continued success in theFuture and hope that our affiliation will only bestrengthened in 2009. Taranto Night Dinner, HMS Illustrious, 11th November 2008. 28 F E A T U R E The State Opening of Parliament While boisterous jostling and confused shouts echoed in thecorridors of the Palace of Westminster as MPs registeredtheir traditional irritation at being summoned to the Lordsthe 108 Grenadiers of the large Guard of Honour for theState Opening of Parliament; it was stood at ease andgratefully patrolling in pairs during what was the shortestQueens speech in recent times (upon hearing which onewaggish Lance-Corporal was heard to wonder whetherstood Guard outside and shortened it on purpose as afavour). The Queens Company had time to reflect on a busyyear and a short sharp return to state ceremonial duties.Barely had the Falkland Islands snow melted from thetreads of their boots before the Company were beingbounced around the square at Wellington for a bout ofAutumn Drills to warm them up to the coming publicduties season. The arguments over the origins of SpringDrills are fierce and wide but there can be have been fewmarking time under the watchful eye of the SergeantMajor and Drill Sergeants who did not wonder if thingshad been taken a tad beyond whatever Queen Victoriahad once intended.Half-measures, however, have never been theGrenadier way and certainly not for the Queens Companyunder the Captain, Major Cartwright, and WO2 (CSM)Hampson, marching and dressed off the easy target ofGdsm Smith D, the right hand man at 6ft 11in.Rehearsals for the event were crammed between QueensGuards and over precious weekends and even,incongruously in the 4am dark, involving surely theshortest bus trip the Army has ever made from WellingtonBarracks to Parliament Square. And it was from thewindows of the said bus that even the most reluctantnaysayers on the Early Morning Rehearsal were able totheir pride in being foot guardsmen, ensuring they haltedthat bit sharper and stood that bit straighter.The Ensign, 2 Lt Olly Holcroft, persevered manfullywith the leviathan Queens Company Colour, the RoyalStandard of the Regiment … billowing in resplendentcrimson and lowered in solemn salute to the electric crackof the rifle drill behind reserved only for those very specialoccasions when the Company Commander herself istaking the salute. The well-picked words of the GarrisonSergeant Major had fallen on receptive ears and wererecalled during arm aching minutes as the final ranks ofthe mounted escort made their way back towards the Malland thoughts turned to camp and Christmas lunch. Itsays much about the current commitment of the ArmedForces that there were guardsmen on their first Guard ofHonour who have already completed two, even threeoperational tours in the last three years; young non-commissioned officers who have spent more time in thedeserts of West Asia than on the tarmac of London. It saysas much about the panache of the Household Divisionthat they were as smart as ever and that a fine traditionwas immaculately upheld. 2Lt Olly Holcroft, the Queens Company and the Leviathan.Streetlining. 30 F E A T U R E remains one of retention although there are signs thatthe economic downturn is persuading people to stay.Two officers have rejoined in the last 6 months. The Household Cavalry has an excellent model withthe armoured reconnaissance regiment in Windsor andthe Mounted Regiment in London. This worksextremely well. 90% of new troopers pass throughKnightsbridge first so the mounted ceremonial roleprovides an excellent common bond for HouseholdCavalrymen. It is truly remarkable that young menstraight out of initial training achieve so much on ahorse so quickly and move on more mature andconfident to reconnaissance duties. The Guards Division is now adjusted to the newdeployment following the Future Army Structurereorganisation. 1st Battalion Scots Guards left Munsterlast Autumn ending the Foot Guards relationship withthe town that has existed since the end of the SecondWorld War. They are now the Guards armoured infantrybattalion and reside in Catterick. Guardsmen fromacross the Household Division can and do serve in it. Theremaining battalions move every two to two and halfyears in the light infantry role between Aldershot (indeployable brigades) and London (in the Public Dutiesrole, though also deployable as we have seen these lastfew years). Following this plan, 1st Battalion GrenadierGuards replaces 1st Battalion Welsh Guards inAldershot in late 2010 early 2011 (subject to ongoingwork) while the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in Aldershotand 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards in Windsor swapin February 2009. THE LONDON REGIMENTOne of the consequences of the Future Army Structurereorganisation in 2004/05 was that the Territorial ArmyInfantry battalions were aligned with Regular Infantryregiments. All regiments, less the individual regiments ofFoot Guards and the Gurkhas, were allocated one or twoTA infantry battalions which now bear the name of thoseRegular Infantry regiments. In the case of the FootGuards, the London Regiment was affiliated to the GuardsDivision as a whole (rather than to any individual FootGuards regiment). This was a very positive step as theHousehold Division, never having had any TerritorialArmy, has much to gain in terms of reinforcement foroperations, Regular posts, a logical TA regiment forleavers to go to, and a network in London that shouldsupport recruiting. The Household Division now providesthe Training Major, Adjutant, Quartermaster, RegimentalSergeant Major and a few Permanent Staff Instructors.Soldiers of the London Regiment wear the blue-red-blueflash on their sleeve. As far as the Army is concerned, theLondon Regiment is in the Guards Division and acompany served with much distinction alongside 1stBattalion Grenadiers on its last tour of Afghanistan.Indeed the London Regiment is set to provide anothercompany to support 1st Battalion Scots Guards in 2010. The Army estate in London remains in poor conditiondue to lack of funding, and some battalions, companiesand bands are not well-located with regard to theirroutine work. Meanwhile, there is much improvement ofthe estate elsewhere in the Army which means that thecomparison is getting worse. Consequently the MajorGeneral has decided that the battalion must not be leftin Wellington Barracks in the long term because therooms for that number of people, let alone futurearmoured vehicles and sports facilities. Equally,Nijmegen and 7 Companies must be moved to CentralLondon from Woolwich and all five Foot Guards bandsgiven proper facilities in Central London. Therefore, the Major General plans to move theWellington Battalion to a much-improved HounslowBarracks, and to concentrate the three independentcompanies and all five Foot Guards Bands in a refurbishedWellington Barracks, in short creating a forwardmounting base for Public Duties and State Ceremonial.The proposal has been endorsed by the chain of commandalthough the detail remains to be finalised.Meanwhile, the Line Infantry battalion will haveat Woolwich. For the Foot Guards, this plan will leave twobattalions in Aldershot, one in Windsor and one inHounslow. Because these are all within easy reach ofeach other, families will not have to move whenbattalions change station thereby getting the stabilitythat the rest of the Army is achieving. This laydown willalso enable us tofurther stabilise the rotation of FootGuards battalions between stations which will makethem more permanent members of their brigades. Thisshould avoid any feeling that Foot Guards battalionswhich some attribute the frequent splitting up of FootGuards battalions on operations. Septem Juncta in Uno 36 F E A T U R E Infantry-Tank Cooperation The last 100 daysŽ of the First World War marked theend of trench warfare on the Western Front. Fightingbecame more mobile once again until the Armistice wassigned on 11 November 1918. A series of Allied victoriesbegan with the Battle of Amiens on 8 August 1918where the British demonstrated their ability to fightmaking use of every arm, infantry, tanks, engineers andartillery in which they not only broke into, but brokethrough the German lines. Despite the large number ofsurrendering German forces, these advances were not astroll behind a retreating army. The German army didnot give any indication of disintegration in the field. TheGerman machine-gunners in particular continued tofight with indomitable courage.The 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, as part of 3rdAt 3pm on 23rd they were sent to protect the right flankof the 2nd Brigade and take the heights south of St Leger.They were commanded by Major the Hon W R Bailey, asthe Commanding Officer, Lord Gort, was awaytemporarily commanding 1st Guards Brigade. There wasjust time to issue verbal orders and to collect theCompany Commanders for a conference. Starting at aboutthe Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the Regiment,wrote; They were magnificently manoeuvred by theircompany and platoon commanders in great depth on avery wide extension. ƒthe finest attack in open warfarethat has ever been made.ŽAt 7am on 24th August, the Battalion attacked oncefire with all communications with the leading companiescut off for the remainder of the day. During the morningGermans could be seen moving forward in small partiesand the sniping and machine-gun fire became moreintense. By the time Lord Gort returned to the Battalionthat evening, Bailey had been wounded and the losseshad been such that the total fighting strength was downto seven officers and just over two hundred men. Onfollowing day supported by tanks, Lord Gorts first actwas to go round the line and impress on the survivingofficers that the men should get as much rest as possibleand that defensive measures that night should beundertaken mainly by patrols. After conferring with the officers commanding the 2ndBattalion Scots Guards, the 1st Battalion Welsh Guardsand the tanks, Lord Gort explained the details of theattack and issued orders to his Company Commanders.At 4.30am next day the attack started. A very thickautumnal mist covered the ground which made itdifficult for the three tanks supporting the Battalion tofind their way. Communications from the tanks werelimited to a red flag meaning Out of actionŽ and a greenflag meaning Am on objectiveŽ. Carrier pigeons weretransported in some tanks. The rate of advance was 50yards a minute over good ground but this was reduced to15 yards a minute over heavily shelled ground. 3Company led the advance supported by one tank, whichbroke down. When the fog lifted Lieutenant E GHawkesworth, the Company Commander, was badlywounded. He was down to forty men quite unsupportedand ordered them to fall back. The Kings Company and 4 Company moved upsupported by one tank with another working on thesouthern flank. The fog was still dense and as the firsttank advanced, it was engaged by an isolated machinegun. Guardsman D Llewellyn, having reconnoitred aheadHowever, armour-piercing bullets were used and theengine and water tank were penetrated. Llewellyn thenset off to find the other tank which could be heard workingthe right direction, it eventually succeeded in movingforward at 8.30am supported by the Kings Company anda platoon of 4 Company. Soon afterwards the fog liftedand it was immediately put out of action. The enemyengaged the disabled tank with a field-gun and theBattalion was pinned down by very heavy andwithdrew and wasrelieved by the 2ndcasualtiesduringof a total of 18officers and 489other ranks. TheBattalionc250 prisoners, oneaddition to severaltrench mortars. Itneeded to rest, ARTICLES BY MAJOR P A J WRIGHT Acting Lt Col Viscount Gort, VC 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards 37 F E A T U R E reform and reorganise before pushing forward to attack thestrong defences of the Hindenburg Line, the Canal du Nord.Llewellyn, a former coal miner from Glamorgan, wasawarded the DCM. His citation reads: Duringoperations he displayed magnificent gallantry and asuperb contempt of danger worthy of the highestcommendation, inspiring all around him by his personalcourage. In the major portion of the attack the fog wasdense, and hostile fire was directed on a Tank. Hereconnoitred ahead, and led it forward to the enemymachine gun nest, which he located. Later he went offin the fog to find another Tank, whose engine could beheard, meeting on the way several parties of the enemy,whom he killed. Although wounded he continued inaction until the objective was gained.ŽLlewellyns actions demonstrated the importance ofcommunications between tanks and infantry and that,in certain situations, infantry needed to take theleading role, not tanks. The idea that tanks would lead,infantry would follow, ignored the fact that tanks wereacutely vulnerable in close country with poor visibilityand were subject to the attention of an ever-growingarsenal of anti-tank weapons. The need for mutualsupport between tanks and infantry would make theintroduction of new tactics essential. Major W E Nicol DSO, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. Gallantry and Ability at Neuve ChapelleThe battle of Neuve Chapelle, which began on 10thMarch 1915, was called off after 3 days fighting. Britishcasualties were some 13,000. The German losses wereabout the same. The 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards 100 days of the First World War. casualties amounted to 16 officers and 325 men. Aprivate letter written by command of King George V tothe Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding the Regimentread: The King has read your letter of 17th March, andis much distressed to hear how terribly the Battalionhas suffered. It is indeed heart-breaking to see a goodBattalion like this decimated in a few hours.ŽTen days after the battle Major-General T Capper,commanding the 7th Division, sent the following messageto the Battalion: The Divisional General has nowreceived the report of the action of Neuve Chapelle onMarch 10-14. He desires to express his appreciation ofthe 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, which maintained adifficult position in the open under very adversecircumstances. The conduct of Lance-Corporal W Fullerand Private E Barber and the grenade-throwers of theBattalion commands the admiration of everyone whoheard of their exploits and testifies in the highest degreeto the gallant spirit which animates this Battalion.ŽThe grenade-throwers were commanded by Captain W ENicol, who had joined the Battalion with a draft of 65 menon 11th January. He was appointed Bombing Officer andhis advance with his bombers on 12 March was watchedwith admiration by the whole line. The Germans could beseen streaming away pursued everywhere by the Grenadierbombers and surrendering in large numbers. Nicol wassubsequently awarded the DSO. His citation reads: Forgallantry and ability at Neuve Chapelle from 10th to14thMarch, 1915, when he was largely instrumental in thecapture of a great number of prisoners by reason of his ablehandling of the hand grenade company.Ž No less than seven VCs were won on 12th March atthe height of the British offensive. Two of them wereawarded to Lance-Corporal W D Fuller and Private E