MGL’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE As 2018 draws to a close, I cast my mind back to 1985, the year I was commissioned into the Army. Little did I know then that by 5 Apr 93, I would be an officer in the RLC and 25 years later, as MGL, I would be standing on the saluting dais with our Colonel in Chief, HRH The Princess Royal, as she addressed the Corps on its 25th Anniversary. Every RLC unit was represented on parade and she reminded us that since the Corps’ formation, there
hasn’t been a day when an RLC soldier hasn’t been committed in support of operations. She joined 450 of the serving members of the Corps that evening for a superb dinner, cooked by RLC chefs, to toast the Corps and to look forward to the next 25 years. We have also witnessed every RLC unit celebrate the anniversary in its own way. It has been fantastic to see and feel the esprit de corps and this makes me extremely proud and honoured to
have been part of the Corps since its formation. There is no doubt that the tempo of commitments and responsibilities continues unabated.Your contribution, individually and collectively, this year, has once again been imperious; your professionalism evident throughout and it has ensured that we remain highly regarded and respected across Defence. 2019 will undoubtedly bring much of the same and your involvement will again, I am sure,
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Welcome to the Winter edition of The Sustainer. With Christmas fast approaching and the fervour of the festive season upon us, it is good to take a few moments to look back on 2018 and reflect on what we have collectively achieved.We know that our tradition is “Centuries Old” and we have marked, along with the whole country, the 100th anniversary of the guns being silenced at the end of WW1, pausing to remember those of our forming corps who made the ultimate sacrifice. In addition to our service of remembrance, over the last few months the Corps has participated in numerous events to mark the Armistice. Reported on in this edition, they include: The Rugby for
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Heroes ride, the 90-day Pilgrimage and the Liberation of Ghent event. Our ‘Lest We Forget’ centre spread depicts our forming corps in action during WW1. The year has also seen the 100th Anniversary since formation of the RAOC, the 60th anniversary of the QOGLR and the RLC’s 25th anniversary, all of which have been well supported and appropriately celebrated. As a Corps, we are “Decades New.” 2018 has been a landmark in terms of the Corps’ future both operationally and structurally. Within this issue, you will see reports on Ex SAIF SAREEA 3 and Ex TRIDENT JUNCTURE 18; two of the biggest overseas FTXs Defence has seen since 2003. Our soldiers are at the heart of these exercises delivering capability in a professional and dedicated manner. Ex TRIDENT JUNCTURE saw rail used to deploy large amounts of equipment for the first time in many years and given the expeditionary nature of future deployments, its use will become a viable component of the Army’s inter- and intra-theatre movement and materiel distribution capability. Currently our rail capability sits with 29 Regt. At the Corps Conference, we heard about exciting developments resulting from the Defence Network Transformation Programme; the renewed emphasis on force enablement and sustainment.We also learnt more about our new home at Worthy Down and the resulting restructure of our training proposition that will be a more appealing offer for recruits and will get soldiers into the Field Army more quickly. You can find
An RHQ Perspective more detail on this exciting initiative later in this edition. As I look forward, 2019 promises to be another exciting year for the Corps. One full of opportunity. It already includes another Public Duties commitment and a unit deployment to Cyprus for Op TOSCA. The Corps HQ’s main effort will continue to be the inflow of new soldiers, regular and reserve. Whilst regular manning figures have remained stable, predominantly due to the excellent retention of our people and the significant numbers of re-joiners and transfers-in, we do need to address the numbers joining the Army. This is whole Corps business and I need you all to play a part in ensuring success; the vitality of our Corps depends on it. The Corps is nothing without its people and I include not just our serving soldiers and officers, but our cadets and veterans, civilian staff and all our families; it is good to belong. #WeAreTheRLC. As we go to print we are proud to announce that the Army’s Male sports personality of the year award was won by LCpl Chez Nihell (Boxing) of 27 Regt and the runner up award in the female category went to LCpl Fern Davies (Netball) of 9 Regt. A hugely impressive achievement; well done to you both. Finally, wherever you are around the world, I would like to wish you and your loved ones the very best for the festive season and a happy and prosperous 2019. We Sustain C J Francis Colonel RLC
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