RLC The Sustainer Spring 2021

Sustainer THE

Journal of The Royal Logistic Corps ❘ SPRING 2021

World-class • Innovative • Adaptable

Sustainer THE

Corps Motto: We Sustain Regimental March: On Parade by Albert Elms Regimental Slow March: Lion, Sword and Crown by Craig Bywater

formed in 1993

Volume 29 No 1 ❘ Spring 2021

32

13

24

22

64 43

Contents 2 11 EOD&S Regt RLC Exeter bomb drama ends in controlled detonation

7 Cover story 9 Regt RLC saving lives on NHS frontline

8 MGL Commendations Three recognised in inaugural awards

12 Army photographers 32 Felix Fund turns 10 Annual awards showcase outstanding imagery

16 Working with Army Reserves A day in the life of an SPSI

22 Professional development In-service higher education opportunities explained

30 Making a difference Mission; Give the kids a Christmas

Bomb disposal charity celebrates landmark birthday

34 Thought leadership Neil Jurd OBE asks: ‘What is leadership?’

37 Unit news A round-up of reports from across The RLC

70 Ex SATON SOLENT RLC ATs sail off for some much needed AT

EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the spring 2021 edition of The Sustainer.

The theme for this edition is ‘making a difference’. It is abundantly clear from the content submitted that RLC personnel have been making a profound difference to vast numbers of the British population. This ranges from saving lives on the NHS frontline, making a real difference to the Coronavirus vaccination rollout, conducting mass COVID testing and disposing of World War Two Hermann bombs, to charitable work.

Never has one of our themes been so dramatically illustrated. Thank you for your contributions.

In this edition there is a wealth of information about personal and professional development. The RLC’s apprenticeship programme, the further education opportunities it offers and the career paths that can be followed, must be the envy of the rest of the Armed Forces. This is probably why The RLC team at the Army Personnel Centre have reported in this edition, that ‘the Corps is up to and beyond its full strength’ – see p14.

People & Ethos is one of The RLC Corps Strategy objectives. On the Corps Strategy Cross Brief held on 25 Mar 21, one of the syndicates working on this objective, highlighted a need for better awareness of real-life career profiles and employment opportunities for RLC personnel away from regimental duty and their career benefits. The Sustainer would like to play its part to achieve this. The theme of the autumn 21 edition will be a focus on the RLC personnel working in roles

across the wider Army and Defence. We would also welcome individuals to share their career profile in the magazine, to help and inform others: the successes, the not so brilliant moves, the what’s next and lessons learnt. Please get writing. The deadline for submissions is 12 Jul. In my winter 20 editor’s notes, I asked for thought leadership articles to publish in the magazine. My thanks go to former RLC officers, Neil Jurd OBE for his article on leadership (p34/35) and Viliame Nanovo for his article on ‘The Whole Force Approach’.

This article will be published in the 2021 RLC Foundation Review. The Review will publish in early April and will also be available online via The RLC Foundation and RLC Association websites. Thought leadership is not an officer only sport; so, whatever your rank is, please contribute.

And finally, we have conducted a root and branch review of The Sustainer’s print circulation. Part of the justification, is the magazine is now being read online by over 3,500 people. But also, this exercise had not been completed for several years. If you are entitled to receive a printed copy of and haven’t, please email us at: rlcsustainer@gmail.com

Charter: The Sustainer records the activities and achievements of the Corps family, its units and personalities, as well as the organisations of the Forming Corps and their Associations. It keeps soldiers of today in touch with each other and soldiers of yesteryear in touch with the Corps of today. The Journal is not only a means of cohesion and communication within the Corps but also a source of research material for posterity.

Associations. The Sustainer only uses your personal data for the purpose of sending you the magazine. The mailing data is treated in the strictest confidence, is password protected, is only shared with our printer and is deleted after each use.

If any serving RLC personnel have concerns with regards to the storage and use of their personal data they should contact RHQ The RLC’s Data Protection Officer, Richard Stockman.

Richard is Assistant Regimental Secretary and can be contacted at: Richard.Stockman256@mod.gov.uk

Editorial Staff Editor: Peter Shakespeare Communications Support Administrator: Miss Katherine Lack Email: rlcsustainer@gmail.com Graphic Design: David Blake Copy deadlines for THE SUSTAINER: 12 Apr 21, 12 Jul 21, 11 Oct 21, 14 Jan 22 Change of Address: Serving members of the Corps who are due to move into or out of non-RLC appointments (eg E2) and other subscribers are requested to notify the Editor of their change of address. No information, no magazine!

Publisher: The Regimental Association of The Royal Logistic Corps, RHQ The RLC, DCLPA Worthy Down, Winchester Hampshire. SO21 2RG. Email: peter.shakespeare100@mod.gov.uk Tel: +44 (0) 7901 676309 Typesetting, Printing, Binding and Distribution: Holbrooks Printers Ltd, Norway Road, Hilsea, PORTSMOUTH, Hampshire PO3 5HX. Data Privacy: We distribute The Sustainer using mailing data held in a secure contacts database within RHQ The RLC. Your inclusion on this database is by virtue of the fact you are serving in the military, or you are a current member of the RLC or Forming Corps

8 Peter Shakespeare Email: Peter.Shakespeare100@mod.gov.uk Contact: +44 (0) 7901 676309.

Photographs: The Editor accepts photographs for publication on the understanding that those submitting them have, where required by data protection legislation, obtained consent to publication from those depicted. Anyone who believes this is not the case or has a DPA related concern should contact the Editor. peter.shakespeare100@mod.gov.uk Advertising: There is normally no space for commercial advertising, please contact the Editor.

Security: This Journal contains official information. It should be treated with discretion by the recipient. © Crown Copyright: All material in this Journal is Crown Copyright and may not be reproduced without the permission of the Regimental Association of The Royal Logistic Corps. © Cartoons are copyright.

Disclaimer: No responsibility for the quality of the goods or services advertised in this Journal can be accepted by the publishers or their agents. Advertisements are included in good faith. The contents of this Journal and views of individual authors or units does not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Corps or Ministry of Defence.

Front Cover: Cpl Tom Bennett 66 F&GT Sqn, 9 Regt RLC

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THE SUSTAINER | NEWS HEADLINES

#BritishArmyLogistics

On Fri 26 Feb 21, following the discovery of a suspected unexploded bomb by civilian construction workers, near Exeter University; Devon and Cornwall Police were alerted and drew upon the expert knowledge of the Joint Service EOD Operations Centre to confirm suspicions were correct.The item was identified as an unexploded WW2 German bomb containing 600kg of High Explosives. A specialist Air Dropped Weapons (ADW) team from 11 EOD & Search Regiment was brought in to deal with the incident.

SSgt Pay and Cpl Toms of 621 EOD Sqn’s Air-Dropped Weapons team and Capt Bannister (OIC) and LCpl Gilliland, HQ 721 EOD Sqn, headed to the scene. They were joined by a mitigation team of Royal Engineers from the 29 EOD & Search Group Support Unit, equipped with plant and the military materiel that would be needed to conduct the task.

After being buried in the ground for nearly 80 years, the bomb’s fuze had degraded to an extent that the bomb couldn’t be moved to a different site for disposal, because of the risk of it functioning en route. Multi-agency coordination started immediately with up to 50 people participating in emergency planning conferences. As the bomb was located in central

RLC EOD specialists safely detonate Exeter WW2 bomb

Exeter, surrounding residential dwellings, Exeter University, a major A-road and the main SW railway line were going to be affected by the task.

All of this needed to be managed, in addition to evacuating around 2,500 people within the cordon, whilst maintaining compliance with COVID-19 regulations.

Once complete, the military mitigation team began preparing the site – no small undertaking because while the ADW team needed a flat surface to work on, the site was a fairly steep uneven slope that had been churned up by the building contractors. Military assets worked through the night to prepare the ground and build the initial elements

8 The unexploded WW2 ordnance found near Exeter University

of the mitigation structure using 400 tonnes of sand to surround the bomb in a Hesco Bastion structure, prior to detonation.

By Saturday morning, the 400m evacuation had been confirmed and work started on a render safe procedure. Additional mitigation structures were built to reduce the risk to the nearby buildings and a controlled detonation of the bomb took place later that evening. In the 24 hours that Army assets were on site, they managed to ensure the safety of the people of Exeter, whilst minimising the collateral damage to property nearby.

SGT STEER GETS THE GREEN LIGHT TO INSTRUCT AT RMA SANDHURST RLC Air Despatcher, Sergeant Louisa Steer of 85 (Herring VC) Squadron, has successfully passed the four-week Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) Instructors' Cadre 2021.The first ever Air Despatcher to be successful, she will now complete the eight-week Infantry Section Commanders’ Battle Course, prior to joining RMAS as a SSgt instructing the next generation of Army Officers and leaders.

Sgt Steer has overcome many personal and professional challenges in pursuit of her instructional dream.

In 2015, Sgt Steer began an assignment at ATR Winchester as a Section Commander, initiating the instructional pathway that has led her to this fantastic achievement.

Sgt Steer said:“The RMAS Cadre was extremely mentally and physically 2

challenging, but also enjoyable.The hardest challenge was Exercise LONG REACH, where we covered approximately 40 miles over Dartmoor carrying 20kg of weight. I am so happy to be selected as a RMAS instructor; six-years of preparation and hard work has been worth it and I’m looking forward to being able to influence and shape the next generation of British Army leaders."

OC 85 (Herring VC) Sqn, Major ‘Herby’ Herbert commented:“Both myself and my predecessor, Major John Frame RLC, take great pride in celebrating Sgt Steer's accomplishment.

Sgt Steer represents a growing lineage of first-rate instructors and is an inspiration to all aspiring instructors within all spheres.”

8 Sgt Louisa Steer, newly appointed RMAS Instructor

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#BritishArmyLogistics

NEWS HEADLINES | THE SUSTAINER

Major General Angus Fay CB has taken over the role of Chairman of The RLC Foundation.

Gen Angus is a lifelong logistics professional who brings a wealth of public and private sector experience to the role. He is currently Vice President Strategic Development at World Fuel Services, a Fortune® 100 global energy, logistics and technology solutions provider.

He also sits on the Cranfield University School of Management, Centre for Logistics, Procurement & Supply Chain Management Advisory Board.

During his significant military career, he led logistics delivery at all levels and on most contemporary operations, culminating as the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff charged with delivering Defence’s global logistics operations. Latterly, he was the author and chief architect of the Defence Support Transformation Programme, leading transformational change in Defence logistics, with the digital

Major General Angus Fay CB appointed as RLC Foundation Chairman transformation of the logistics enterprise at its core.

Gen Angus said:“I am thrilled to have been asked to take on this leading role for the Foundation.

Building on well-established roots, I look forward to contributing to its growth at a time, during this terrible global pandemic, when logistics has never been more visible or more critical.”

MGL, Lt Gen Sir Mark Poffley KCB OBE and President of The RLC Foundation said: “Angus Fay has the perfect combination of military, industry and academic credentials to lead The RLC Foundation. I am delighted that he will be our next Chairman and look forward to the development of the Foundation under his stewardship.”

8 Major General Angus Fay CB MMAS FCILT FCMI

HONOURS AND AWARDS Congratulations to the members of the Corps who were awarded honours in the Military Division of the New Year Honours 2021.

CBE: Col C Francis CBE OBE: Col N D Jurd OBE MBE: Lt Col S Dunlop MBE WO2 C V Graham MBE A/WO2 H V Jenkins MBE WO2 S S Scott MBE Capt P Todhunter MBE WO1 S D Whitfield MBE Queen’s Volunteer Reserves medal: Cpl Anthony John French VR Meritorious Service Medals: WO 1 C W Chubb WO 1 J K Edwards WO 1 M A Jones WO 1 S J W Hall MBE

CGS Commendations: Sgt M L Anthony Capt W A Barkess LCpl A Champion Maj P D Eaton Sgt S J I Johnson Capt B A Morgan WO 1 A J Saupe Commander Field Army Commendations: Maj E S Andrews LCpl M L Crombie WO 2 (now WO1) A J Dunmore WO 1 M Greaves Pte (now LCpl) B Gumble WO 2 Harrower Maj D L Holden WO 2 N N Taukei LCpl A P Whelpton Commander SJC (UK) Commendations: WO 2 P Baker SSgt C A Hart Maj M Hayes WO 1 M P Hobson Capt R McGarrity

Maj R Melly Lt Col N J Stanford Commander Home Command Commendations: Capt G W G Wealthall Operational Honours and Awards: Congratulations to the members of the Corps who received awards in the recent Operational Honours and Awards list which recognises the bravery, commitment, leadership and commendable service of those within the military.

SSgt S Cockburn - Queen’s Commendation for Bravery Maj K Schultz - Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service Capt K Williams - Queen’s Commendation for Bravery WO 2 B Wright - Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service

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A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE The Colonel RLC

‘‘

We also look forward to being able to resume the usual calendar of Corps social events and we will be releasing a revised forecast of events shortly, in line with the easing of restrictions

4

The Prime Minister’s road map for the easing of Coronavirus restrictions, provides welcome hope that we are nearing the end of a very demanding year for everyone. It has been a tough winter and certainly unique, in our lifetimes.

The Corps continues to play a leading role in the pandemic response.We are very proud to have RLC officers and soldiers embedded with the NHS; at the heart of the Vaccination Delivery Programme, which is critical to the successful route out of the pandemic, and since before Christmas; hundreds of RLC soldiers have been on task supporting Ambulance Services across the length and breadth of the UK.This task is providing much needed resilience and respite for ambulance crews.

Our soldiers have responded to thousands of incidents and have been directly responsible for saving many lives.Together with the Corps Sergeant Major, I have had the privilege of visiting our soldiers on task in Wales (9 Regt), the South-East (29 Regt/9 Regt), the North West (1 Regt/4 Regt) and the North-East (7 Regt). I have been fascinated to hear the stories of their outstanding professionalism and courage and I have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback and messages of thanks from regional Ambulance Service chiefs. Our soldiers really are amazing people doing extraordinary things. I was particularly encouraged to witness our junior commanders thriving on the empowerment afforded to them, making a huge difference to the nation’s resilience.You will be able to read more about our soldiers’ experiences on pages 5, 7 and 20.

On 25 February the RHQ hosted an online RLC Strategy Cross Brief, to engage with you on the on-going work to develop the Corps for the future.This type of event was a first for the Corps and it was great to see well over 300 people participating, with individuals attending from as far away as Afghanistan and Greece.The feedback from the syndicate sessions was extremely valuable and as a result we now have a whole new group of people supporting the 1* led working groups, for the four strategy objectives: People, Exploiting

Technology, External Integration and Communication.We will build on this success by holding a larger Corps Conference at Worthy Down later this year.With physical and online attendance, we will reach out even further and continue to build the network across all ranks, regular and reserve.

As normality returns, there is much for the Corps to look forward to.We look forward to welcoming you all to the brand new RLC Museum at Worthy Down which opens in May. It really is fantastic and perfectly showcases our rich heritage in a state-of-the-art setting.We also look forward to being able to resume the usual calendar of Corps social events and we will be releasing a revised forecast of events shortly, in line with the easing of restrictions. I am pleased to announce that in October 2021, 25 Regt, together with the Defence School of Transport, will be hosting this year’s RLC Military Skills Competition at Leconfield. This represents a real opportunity to bring the whole Corps together post-COVID and establish a focus for the Corps in the North.

Despite COVID limitations the Corps remains fully committed to supporting the programme of operational and exercise commitments globally. 9 Regt and 104 Bde are completing preparations for Ex DEFENDER 2 in Greece with USAEUR, and 10 QOGLR is providing the real-life support to 3 UK Div for Ex WARFIGHTER in Fort Hood Texas; as well as the running the PreOperations Isolation Facility in Crowborough. Meanwhile, 27 Regt is undertaking ceremonial training for Public Duties in London during May and June. This month, 6 Regt has undergone pre-deployment training in Nesscliffe, before deploying on operations to Cyprus with the UNFICYP on Op TOSCA at the end of March.We wish the deploying force and the Rear Operations Group best wishes for a safe and successful tour.

As we gradually return to normality, I am very much looking forward to catching up with as many of you as possible. In the meantime, I hope you and your families and friends stay safe and well, and keep up the fantastic job you are doing for the Corps.

Colonel J C West ADC

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#BritishArmyLogistics

The global COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our already overburdened Emergency Services, who are providing heroic levels of dedication and care in the fight against this unseen enemy. These Emergency Services are also susceptible to the virus and when their staffing levels fell due to sickness and isolations, 104 Logistic Support Brigade was called upon to assist.

On 24 Jan 21, 20 C1 driver qualified Movement Controllers and Postal Courier Operators from across 29 Regiment RLC and 16 Service Personnel (SP) from 9 Regiment RLC deployed to Crawley. Many of these SP had limited military careers to date, let alone operational experience.Tasked with a rapid deployment, the team was to provide support across South East England as ambulance drivers.

Partnering with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) Paramedics, the aim was to increase the number of assets on the road in order to reduce waiting times for those members of the community in need.

Within the first hour of the deployment, the sheer scale of the task at hand was realised.The initial role of purely supporting the nonemergency patients, changed to having military drivers responding to all manner of call outs across the area of operations. Some of the most junior members of the Brigade, utilising qualifications gained as part of the new Combat Logistician course, were experiencing emergency events comparable in some respects to those experienced on Op HERRICK and TELIC tours of old. During MATT 3, soldiers learn to treat a wounded soldier on a battlefield. They look like us and wear the same uniform. Now imagine you are a junior soldier

ARTICLE | THE SUSTAINER

South East Coast Ambulance Service MACA task – The lived experience

responding to a call out at a family home.The patient is an unconscious three-year-old child and the hysterical family are on scene.This type of incident, or worse, could happen multiple times a day for the 104 Bde SP on the ground.

Throughout the deployment, SP responded to 1,438 callouts, with incidents including strokes, heart attacks, mental illness, suicides, COVID and deaths.The SP experienced daily hardships but excelled in all aspects and were applauded for their professionalism and adaptability under stress.The variety of serials were almost unreal at times. Soldiers could be called upon to support paramedics with basic life support,

8 The Thanet team on the final day of the task

witness a declaration of death, then be involved in moving the deceased back into their bed, making them presentable for the family to say their goodbyes. In direct contrast, there were also good memories, with one SP responding to an elderly patient callout, making a cup of tea, doing the dishes and discussing with the patient the finer things in life, especially the Royal Family.

Despite the challenges, the morale of all those on task never dipped once. Continually in awe of our civilian counterparts, all left with a tremendous level of respect for those fighting on the NHS front line, personal pride at having supported the nation and many have investigated ways they can continue to help in a voluntary capacity within their local communities. Outside of their normal trades, these logisticians displayed versatility and professionalism as ambulance drivers, bettering and in some cases saving the lives of members of the UK’s civilian population.

8 Sgt Wilson of 29 Regt RLC loading his ambulance at the start of his shift

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FROM THE RANKS

‘‘

The Corps is enjoying another period of heightened reputation and we have you to thank for this. We have amazing people within our Corps, doing amazing things, always.

We are so proud of you all, thank you!

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I hope you are all well and staying safe. It is hard to believe that it has been 12 months since the country went into the first COVID-19 lockdown. In the last two editions I have written about how COVID-19 has impacted on all of us, no matter where we have been or whatever we have been doing.

The Prime Minister has now set out his road map to end this national lockdown. However this is not a time to relax and undo the excellent work you have done to get us this far.We have all played our part over the last 12 months and now, more than ever, must continue with our combined effort to ensure that we beat this virus.

National statistics are pointing in the right direction, but while the vaccine programme is reducing death rates, too many people are still dying. The NHS remains under pressure, but the good news is less cases are being reported. But new virus strains serve as a reminder that we are not out of the woods yet.

21 June is the day the government says it aims to end all lockdown restrictions and what welcome news.

Like you, I cannot wait to see family and friends and hopefully arrange and attend Corps events. I am excited at the prospect, but continually remind myself to remain cautious and to follow the rules.We must plan ahead with the ability to postpone or even cancel events, should there be any changes or delays to restrictions being lifted. I don’t intend this as a negative message, but we should be prepared and not be deflated should the situation change.

You will all be aware of the antivaccine messaging. If you have doubts, I encourage you to seek professional advice, not Social Media opinion, before deciding not to have the vaccine. The Broom family will certainly be having it when it is offered.

Recently I have been lucky enough to visit our troops supporting the fight against COVID. In particular those deployed in support of ambulance services across the UK. I can honestly say that what I have witnessed has absolutely blown me away. The way in which you have approached the situation has been nothing short of outstanding; delivering on all fronts showing professionalism and leadership skills

in abundance, sometimes in unimaginable circumstances.You have dealt with situations without question, eager to help and with total professionalism.

The Col RLC and I, have been inundated with compliments and kind-hearted messages from members of the NHS, veterans and general public, expressing how much you and your efforts are appreciated.

The Corps is enjoying another period of heightened reputation and we have you to thank for this.We have amazing people within our Corps, doing amazing things, always.We are so proud of you all, thank you!

The past year has been harder than any I care to remember. I am sure that you, like me, are fed up and cannot wait to be free again, or at least safe in the knowledge that you have had the vaccine. But please think about all those around you, sparing a thought for how others have felt. Put others first and reach out to support them.

We all have a different story to tell, so just because you haven’t been deployed on Op RESCRIPT, it doesn’t mean that you haven’t had a tough time. Everyone has had difficulties to adjust to, so please continue to look after one another. If you are struggling, reach out, speak up and tell someone. Don’t suffer in silence.

Sometimes all it takes is a quick chat to get things off your chest, it really can make a difference.We all have a moral duty to listen, to help and not judge, but if you are unsure who to speak to or don’t want to confide in friends, family or your chain of command, speak to your doctor, welfare officer or phone one of the help lines listed below. Please, make sure you do something!

OPSMART can be accessed via The Army Knowledge Exchange through the Defence Gateway. There is a mass of mental health information on the site to help you and is presented in PDFs or in video presentations with links to various websites designed to help.

Help each other and look out for one another!

Samaritans – Phone: 116 123, email: jo@samaritans.org, website: www.samaritans.org NHS – Phone: 111 Combat Stress – Phone: 0800 323 444 SSAFA – Phone: 0800 731 4880 WO1 P S Broom Corps Sergeant Major RLC

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#BritishArmyLogistics

Since 18 Dec 20, RLC and RAMC soldiers have been supporting the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WAST). Facing sustained pressure due to COVID absences and an increased call rate, the WAST Driver Support Force (WDSF) was formed as the result of a MACA (Military Aid to Civil Authority) request from the Welsh Government.The goal…To increase availability of frontline emergency ambulances and clinical support to the Welsh community by fielding army drivers alongside the WAST frontline clinical staff.

The WDSF’s main role has been to provide support to the WAST clinical lead.This could be from driving ambulances under non blue-light situations (often with patients being treated in the back), the provision of equipment to the clinical lead, porterage (movement) of patients, to assisting with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).This often lifesaving role is being fulfilled by 56 soldiers, drawn mainly from 66 F&GT Sqn (9 Regiment RLC) and 13 RAMC Combat Medical Technicians (CMT) drawn from 101 Log Bde’s medical regiments. All RLC personnel have been trained and assured to a minimum standard of a Community First Responder by the WAST. In the first seven weeks of driving, they have manned over 1,400, 12-hour shifts and responded to over 3,600 call outs from relatively routine patient transfers to road traffic incidents and everything in between.

On shift across Wales, the soldiers have come to expect anything.They have reacted with the professionalism expected by the Army and the Nation, with many soldiers going above and beyond to give patients the best care and support possible. Receiving praise from patients and WAST colleagues alike, the WAST Ops team commenting the Army has:“a level of soldier that is used to dealing with certain circumstances, some of the things we see on a daily basis can be quite traumatic… It takes a certain kind of person to deal with those situations”.

Soldiers of every level of experience have driven ambulances and contributed to this national effort, from veterans of kinetic operations to newly arrived Combat Logisticians. Speaking about his role, one soldier stated the task was:“quite different to the

ARTICLE | THE SUSTAINER

9 Regt RLC drivers reinforce NHS frontline

experience I’ve had deployed on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. I am seeing a lot of elderly patients, especially those with COVID-19, which is very different to what I have done in the past.”

Ensuring that the Ambulance drivers can sustain their 12-hour shifts, 25 support drivers have become crucial in maintaining the force.They have also acted as that important ‘first contact’ following traumatic events, someone to talk to after a difficult shift, and having positive effect on the soldiers’ mental wellbeing as an addition to the TRiM process.This peer support has been strengthened by unit gym equipment and mountain bikes, keeping the soldiers not just physically fit but mentally fit to perform on task.

Upon their return on the 31 Mar 21,

8 An RLC soldier looking on at the WAST trainer

8 RLC and RAMC soldiers receive training

all soldiers will be supported through a three-stage Post Operational Stress Management (POSM) course planned and delivered by 9 Regt RHQ and supported by Op SMART. In the ever-changing operating environment, the British Army currently finds itself in, its people have had to become familiar with the unfamiliar, expect the unexpected and to adapt to the unknown.

This operation has seen some soldiers working at times within sight of their own homes, in an area they recognise, but employed on a task that they had not expected to be a part of.This truly extraordinary operation in ordinary settings has demonstrated the resilience, flexibility and strength of the British Soldier and will have a lasting impact. Rightfully proud of their lifesaving actions these soldiers will retain their qualification as a WAST Community First Responder, enabling them to continue to save lives in their communities should they choose to volunteer in their own time.The Army has not only unlocked an opportunity to truly make a difference, but reinforced its role to serve communities at home as well as abroad.

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THE SUSTAINER | MGLs COMMENDATION The newly instigated Master General of Logistics’ Commendation (MGL Commendation) looks to recognise the hard work and efforts of servicemen and women (Regular or Reserve) and civilians serving with or attached to the Royal Logistic Corps, who have gone above and beyond in their line of work.The award formally recognises valuable service or attainment, which has enhanced the reputation of the Corps through leadership, professional accomplishment or individual achievement.The MGL Commendation is also open to those outside of the Corps, whose achievement has directly benefitted the Corps or enhanced its reputation.

The H12 series of the Royal Logistic Corps Instruction details the conditions for nominations and the application form, that should be completed and forwarded to the Corps Adjutant (Capt J Ardley RLC).

Nominations can be submitted at any point throughout the year; however, the selections will only take place in November and June.

In November 2020, three selections were made, out of a total of 12 nominations. The grading was carried out by a Board of RHQ The RLC Officers and Warrant Officers and the decisions were scrutinised by MGL. Maj D I Jarman RLC “Maj Jarman has excelled in the identification of new and credible threats that are developed to target security forces on operations.This year he has tracked and researched the development of a new IED switch, its fielding and subsequent migration routes to operational areas. He has led the collation and analysis of available sources to provide a valuable insight of the threat to the deploying force in Mali. Furthermore, utilising relationships with UK agencies, he has identified and assessed new threat networks.

Normal COVID working practices would have disrupted this work, however, due to the critical nature of the assessments and the necessity for access to above secret IT and tools, he has remained on station. Instigating COVID safe novel working routines.

Having rowed the Atlantic in January, it is heartening to see he is 8

#BritishArmyLogistics

The Master General of Logistics’ Commendation

equally tenacious dealing with the sea of information finding the detail, providing an intelligence picture for decision makers. As a result of his actions, capability development has been intelligently informed, new threat equipment has been acquired and exploited, and deploying forces have been able to configure themselves for counter IED operations. In assisting the efforts to ‘Attack the Network’, Jarman and his team’s inputs contribute to a picture that was built to apprehend a key IED facilitator associated with a number of fatal IED attacks.

Maj Jarman’s actions provide instant impact on operational force protection and risk to life by enabling Defence to fully understand IED threats.The scale of this activity and the broad awareness he underpins, enhances the reputation of the Corps and its high profile ATO capability.

His actions are worthy of formal Corps recognition.”

Sgt (now SSgt) K Bale “Sgt Bale has been the catering lead for a game changing initiative to develop packed meals and amend existing policy.The unique nature of soldiering means that there is a requirement for proper nutrition

8 Col Tim J Symonds and SSgt Bale MGL Certificate Presentation

before, after and during training.

However, the contents of packed meals have been dictated by a list of items that have not changed significantly since the publication of the 1956 Catering Manual. Sgt Bale’s intelligent focus on improving nutritional content and sustainability has led to an amendment to JSP 456.

When 32 Regiment Royal Artillery was selected to embark on a trial to develop packed meals, Sgt Bale took the lead. Her remit was to review packed meal content - the prescriptive list in JSP 456 - which included frozen D-Shaped Pasties. It was ripe for review and she focused on removing anything that was unhealthy, undesirable and inefficient.Trialling several different options in-barracks and then through field trials, she developed various menus that were healthy, packaged sustainably and robust enough to withstand daysack transit.Working with the soldiers in her unit, she worked out what went down well and conducted an education programme to explain why we were changing the content to improve nutrition.

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Using initiative and diplomacy, she dealt with significant institutional obstacles to the proposed changes and skilfully handled the project’s technical work to ensure timely progress.This involved working closely with the industry providers to ensure that all items (including packaging) could be obtained through existing channels, whilst any increase in costs could be minimised.

Her work has been shared with the Institute for Naval Medicine and Defence Logistics and all results have been submitted to the Army Messing Working Group. Based on the evidence and results from the trial, the JSP will now be amended, frozen D-Shape pasties will be removed and funding will be increased.

Sgt Bale exemplifies the unique expertise the Corps has to offer. Her innovative ideas and passion, enabled the project to succeed despite major challenges. A consummate professional, military chef and soldier, she proved herself to be a fine Corps ambassador worthy of recognition.”

LCpl H Gorsuch-Wright “During the COVID-19 pandemic, LCpl Gorsuch-Wright‘s ability shone through, as the engagement activity moved to the virtual space. Most notably his delivery of the Army LGBTQ+ virtual open day was held up by GOC HC as an excellent example of best practice. A talented presenter he took centre stage at the DCGS People Conference in RMAS. Here, he regaled his positive experience of working as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and deservedly received a standing ovation.

LCpl Gorsuch-Wright is incredibly proactive in his approach, he assumed the mantle of ‘roving reporter’ and such is the quality of his work he is now welcomed and sort after at every event across the Corps.

He is often asked to host the Army HQ social Media pages for a day.

Such is his skill, he was the natural choice when the Corps looked to refocus its Instagram account. He embraced the responsibility and sort to increase the 3000 followers that the Corps already had. He undertook deep analysis of the analytics of Instagram and identified that the social media targeting was incorrect.

LCpl Gorsuch-Wright then developed a targeting strategy to

MGLs COMMENDATION | THE SUSTAINER

realign the content with the desired audience. As a result of his efforts alone there are now 13,308+, an increase of 10,000+ in a 9-month period. A truly outstanding achievement. The impact of this reach directly impacts on our Corps branding, recruiting and reputation.

LCpl Gorsuch-Wright is a highly respected member the RLC Headquarters. Receiving regular praise from the Corps Strategy 1* leads and Commanding Officers on a weekly basis.Through his efforts of supporting the communication objective in the Corps strategy utilising social media, his actions alone have informed, inspired and

8 The Royal Logistic Corps (royallogisticcorps) Instagram photos and videos

influenced the Corps and wider stakeholders. His unique skill set has already been identified for a future posting within 77 Brigade.This soldier has well and truly put the RLC on the social media map and uses his skills to ensure MGL’s intent from within the new Corps strategy receives its greatest reach and exposure.”

Due to COVID restrictions at time of publication, it has not been possible to present Maj Jarman and LCpl Gorsuch-Wright with their commendations face to face.

SSgt Bale “The evidence we provided to Divisional Headquarters was shared across Defence and will result in a change that will benefit all three Services.

I am passionate about my trade.

We as chefs, are here to provide the very best, which we all strive to do daily. Our incentive was to do exactly that during the trial and moving forward. It is important that Soldiers are provided with proper nutrition before, during and after training, when it is vital to fuel the body correctly. Not only to optimise performance but to fuel the body correctly to aid recovery time.

Packed meals will now be based on nutrition and sustainability and will improve the lived experience of my fellow soldiers.”

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9

THE SUSTAINER | THE RLC MUSEUM

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All new £2.5 million RLC Museum to open in May The Royal Logistic Corps Museum can announce that it will open to the public in May 2021, after an extensive two-year £2.5 million re-design, having moved into a brand new purpose-built building, supplied by the MOD at the Corps’ new home of Worthy Down.

The Museum has gone through a radical transformation to maximise access to, and engagement with, the Collection. In partnership with museum design specialists, PLB,

10

the RLC Museum team led by director, Major (Retd) Simon Walmsley, has created a more welcoming, accessible and flexible environment. The new museum aims to tell the story of 200 years of military logistics, in an exciting, engaging and innovative manner.

The bright new building will include over 1,000 exhibits, spread over two floors which include: vehicles, archives, uniforms, weapons and equipment. A new

temporary exhibition space, a study centre, presentation room, as well as a brand new café and museum shop await the visitor.

Simon Walmsley says: “Your museum journey starts in our state of the art immersive cinema, playing a specially commissioned film, introducing the museum and over 200 years of military logistics. Additional films, audio and visual displays are spread throughout the museum, along

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with touch screens and other electronic wizardry. Interactive displays ranging from driving a truck to defusing a bomb, are sited through the main gallery to keep visitors engaged with the story.”

The specially designed showcases are split into 12 time zones, starting in the medieval period and ending with the RLC of today. A full-size working reproduction Marlborough Cart from 1704, the world’s first purpose built military logistic vehicle, has been created using an image found on a tapestry at Blenheim Palace. The museum also

THE RLC MUSEUM | THE SUSTAINER

houses the RCT Medal Collection, hither too, hidden away in an Officers’ Mess. This world-class collection is now open to the wider public and is a must for any military enthusiast.

Other exhibits include: an EOD Humber Pig and Bomb Disposal Wheelbarrow from Op Banner; WW1 horse drawn vehicles; Monty’s Rolls Royce and several WW2 vehicles; a Field Kitchen in a recreated FOB from Afghanistan; an Eager Beaver; many Victorian uniforms, plus weapons and swords from many eras.

The RLC Museum’s first temporary exhibition, housed on

the top floor, displays art and poetry produced by logistic soldiers at war. From a love poem about a soldier of the Royal Waggon Train at Waterloo, to a gritty panting of life in Afghanistan; this exhibition captures a different side of our story. Easels, paper, paints and pencils allow visitors to have a go themselves, with a prise for the best examples.

For our opening times and further information, please look at the museum website: www.royallogisticcorps.co.uk/ museum/

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11

THE SUSTAINER | ARMY PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARDS

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The Army Photographic Competition

Three video submissions have earned the RLC’s Cpl Ben Beckett the title of British Army Photographer of the Year.

The 26-year-old, a former LBdr in the Royal Horse Artillery, transferred to The RLC in 2019 on successful completion of his nine-month Army Photographer trade training. Cpl Beckett is currently based in Tidworth, supporting the South West Press Office and is part of a combat camera team at Army HQ in Andover. He won and was runner up in the professional Long Video category and also had a highly commended video piece within the Video Edit category.

Command Master Photographer WO1 (SSM) Daniel Harmer, said:“I was really blown away with the amount and quality of the submissions in all of the photographic and video categories, especially during a very challenging and demanding 2020.”

Corporal Nathan Tanuku from Fiji was the winner of the Professional Portfolio category for his piece entitled Dark Places.

This year was a very different year with COVID-19 restrictions. Physical prints were missing and all judging and submissions were done electronically for the first time in the competitions history.

Former Army Photographer and now a competition judge, Russ Nolan said:“We were really surprised and 12

pleased to be asked to judge the video categories of the Army Film and Photographic Competition.“The creativity and camera skills that were demonstrated were truly of a high standard making our job as judges a difficult one. An example of this was Cpl Ben Beckett’s submission; not only did it show great camera work and dedication to the craft, but it was fantastic to see some of the photographers tackling a longer form video, with his coming in at 33 minutes.”

The RLC winners: Professional Portfolio: Cpl Nathan Tanuku (above) Professional Long Video: Corporal Ben Beckett Professional Short Video: Corporal Becky Brown Professional Edit Video: Corporal Sam Jenkins Best Online Image: (voted by the public): Corporal Danny Houghton The RLC runners up: Professional Portfolio: Corporal Danny Houghton Best Overall Army Image: Sergeant Tom Evans Professional Long Video: Corporal Ben Beckett Professional Short Video: Sergeant Donald Todd Professional Edit Video: Sergeant Obi Igboebisiokwu Amateur Portrait: Cpl Adam Wakefield

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ARMY PHOTOGRAPHIC AWARDS | THE SUSTAINER

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13

THE SUSTAINER | CAREER MANAGEMENT

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YOUR CAREER, YOUR CALL Career management team RLC soldiers - SO1: Lt Col Stewart SO2: Maj Brown WO1: WO1 Neilson

SOLDIERS

HotTOPIC

SO1: Lt Col Stewart SO2: Maj McHugh WO1: WO1 Neilson QOGLR: SSgt Subba

Comm Specs have you looked into the Financial Retention Incentive?

A message from the SO1 Welcome to the APC’s spring 21 Sustainer update. The effects of COVID are still far reaching. Many Service Personnel (SP) have reversed their NTT or wish to delay their departure from the Army. We aim to help where we can. I would draw your attention to ABN 060/2020, which provides guidance regarding limited extension opportunities and I commend it to all SP to read before approaching the APC, particularly in the area of resettlement.

military career beforehand, Billy has been a Career Manager on the LSS desk for his whole time at the APC. He has managed a whole generation of suppliers through their careers and been a cornerstone of Section 4. We wish Billy and his wife Margaret a long and happy retirement.

What a difference a year makes.

The effects of the COVID pandemic over the past year have reached us all. Whether it be the challenges of working from home, splitting units into COVID bubbles to maintain outputs, or deploying in support of the NHS… Everyone has “dug out blind”. Whilst our civilian friends and neighbours may have been struggling with layoffs or furlough, we have enjoyed the security of being in the Armed Forces. A job security that shouldn’t be underestimated. Before the first lockdown in Mar 20, the overall strength of The RLC stood at around 8,500, way short of our

Making a difference In a break from our normal policy of wanting to talk about what’s good for you rather than talk about us, the theme of making a difference, coupled with the start of a new year; gives us the opportunity to highlight an individual who has made a real difference for the Corps. We would like to highlight Mr Billy Hendry’s contribution.

Having retired in February after 20 years in the Civil Service and a Calendar of Events: Key Dates

Event

Action

31 Mar

LCpl SJAR due

LCpls, have you had the 1 RO’s report delivered?

1 Apr

Sgt – SSgt Board results

No joke, the results are out today.

Log onto MS Web at 0900

10-14 May

Cpl – Sgt Board

No action

31 May

Pte SJAR due

Pte, have you had your 1 RO’s report?

3 Jun

Cpl – Sgt results

Cpls, log on to the MS Web at 0900 for results

30 Jun

WO1 SJARs due

WO1s, check your SJAR has been finalised

liability, or potential strength of 9,279. The table below shows The RLC’s strength as at Jan 21 and of note is the number of SP we have in training: a total of 1,007 across Phase 1 & Phase 2. When you add this inflow to the current strength of The RLC, the Corps is back up to and beyond its full strength, which is great news for us all.

OFFICERS SO1: Lt Col Kemp SO1 LE Offrs: Lt Col Summerell SO2 Snr Maj: Maj Cooke SO2 Jnr Maj: Maj Summerfield SO2 Capts: Maj Marples New developments making a difference For those of you that access to MS Web, you may have noticed a new link to the Career Management Portal. This is a new tool being developed between APC and the Project Castle Team. In use now for boarding, the next development that affects everyone is the ‘My Career’ App. You can watch a short video about it in on SharePoint. One ambition of the App is that you will be able to see what KSE you have recorded and identify jobs that you would like at your current and next rank. The benefit is, it will enable you to begin to shape your career direction with known aims.

As the focus of job selection moves further towards emphasising on KSE-B being able to identify early the jobs (or type of jobs) that you wish to move into, this will make a difference in how you plan each stage of your career.

It should allow you to focus your

UKTAP TOTAL

PH1

PH2

PTE

LCPL

CPL

SGT

SSGT

WO2

WO1

TOTAL

TOTAL + DST

Strength (Sub Rank)

553

454

2788

1743

1741

1018

720

547

262

8819

9826

JPA RLC Liability

2876

1956

1891

1080

729

515

232

9279

9279

Delta

-88

-213

-150

-62

-9

32

30

-460

547

Gross Manning

96.9%

89.1%

92.1%

94.3%

98.8%

106.2%

112.9%

95.0%

105.9%

14

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Sustainer Spring 2021zz_Layout 1 09/03/2021 14:19 Page 15

#BritishArmyLogistics

CAREER MANAGEMENT | THE SUSTAINER

short, medium and long-term aspirations and identify any shortfall you may have in the essential and preferred job requirements. This will give you time to address these, gain the extra qualifications you may need and more accurately represent your short and medium-term goals to your Chain of Command. This additional context will then allow your reporting chain to ensure that your annual report identifies and highlights performances that support these aims.

This drive for focus on KSE-B does not impact solely on individuals and gaining qualifications, but also employers.

Job specification owners need to ensure that the essential and desirable criteria, accurately reflects the needs of the job. Be over ambitious and the risk is you either miss out on ideal candidates, or the

job you hold doesn’t get filled. The filtering process, when there are considerable runners for a job, can be ruthless and therefore stating something as simple as ‘ICSC essential’ could exclude a highly competent LE officer who hasn’t attended. With the ready access to information that the CM Portal will bring, it will be important that job specifications are able to hold the test of time or are ever evolving.

These developments will make a difference to you as both an employer and employee – hopefully assisting with getting the right person, into the right job, at the right time. Individuals will be empowered much more, as they will have more access to information and will be able to influence their career direction by making informed decisions.

Whilst technically it is nothing new in APC delivery, it’s all there if you

look and your CMs are there to answer your questions.

All this will mean that we can spend less time finding things out and more time assisting with your career management.

Right now, though, the emphasis is on making sure the information is correct, as it will be a critical component in ensuring success.

This means much ploughing through data up at APC, but you can make a difference too. Check your JPA details are correct courses, training and qualifications gained added (liaise with your admin cell if necessary) and begin reviewing and refining job specs at all ranks.

This will be a welcome addition to the tools you need to manage your career. Here in APC we are confident of the difference it will make, in how we support you and in how your career develops.

Follow #BRITISHARMY #BRITISHARMYLOGISTICS #BRITISH ARMYLOGISTICS LOGISTICS on Social Media @TheRoyalLogisticCorps royallogisticcorps @UKArmyLogistics The Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps - W World-class orld-class Innovative Adapatable

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15

THE SUSTAINER | A TOUR AS AN SPSI

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A day in the life of a Senior Permanent Staff Instructor with the Army Reserves

By Warrant Officer Class 2, Simon Bond, 203 (Loughborough) Squadron As a Regular Warrant Officer Class 2 ‘Q’ SPSI working at sub-unit level with the Army Reserves, the daily regime can vary in a number of ways.

It spans from the management of training databases at my desk, to being out in the field getting hands-on with teaching and everything in between! Army Reserve training years revolve around being ready for deployment and so are fairly well forecasted – never before have I known about a training event I was going to be delivering 12 months from now, but the Reserves have to plan that far out to ensure employers can assure their attendance.

The SPSI is the training delivery lead for the Squadron which includes drill nights, monthly weekend events and the annual two-week Field Training Exercise. I am also a mentor for the Army Reserve Squadron Sergeant Major (SSM) and the training team. More than likely, the SSM and OC will seek your view on issues as they rear their heads – so experience is key. Arriving to the role on promotion has certainly tested me, but more

8 Carrying out driver checks prior to cross-country driving

16

8 Demonstrating the use of Trip Flares and other pyrotechnics

importantly, has made me think independently as befits the post of a senior regular within the Squadron. Be under no illusion, this is not a role for someone driven by geography or with one eye on the door – it’s time consuming, requires compassion, patience, trade knowledge and a network of contacts to ensure delivery of the best training opportunities possible for a small band of determined men and women who want to learn. That coupled with enthusiasm, is what preps our reservists to compete with the best of their regular peers when they are mobilized.

I have to say, I’ve been impressed with the variety of backgrounds and experience I’ve witnessed with the Reserves. From a new 18-year-old recruit at college to a 55-year-old ex-regular; doctors, teachers, paramedics, IT engineers, plumbers, solicitors and hauliers to name but a few. While a drill night could be a busman’s holiday for regular soldiers, our reservists bring a fresh approach and strive to enjoy every challenge – fundamentally they give their time and it is up to me as the SPSI to ensure it is spent productively with fun at the heart of it.

It should also be noted that although the role is fulfilling in itself, it also now opens up the opportunity to go forward to the Regimental Sergeant Major board; a solid career-enhancing benefit of the SPSI post that isn’t as well-known as it ought to be. Of note, our SPSI 201 Squadron (Bedford) has recently taken up his Regimental Sergeant Major post so the route is tested and proven.

So, during my time with 158 Regiment RLC, I have developed a real appreciation for Reservists - they volunteer their time, enjoy what they do and always endeavour to meet the standards required no matter the challenge, and more often than not, it’s with a smile on their faces. If you think you can add value, consider it as a future posting – you won’t regret it.

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#BritishArmyLogistics 7 Regiment RLC led from the front with COVID Mobile Testing Units (MTU) in spring 2020. This set it up for success moving into WINTER PACKAGE 2020 (WP20).

This has involved conducting Lateral Flow Tests in the North West of England, a region significantly affected by COVID. 9 Squadron’s WP20 output so far has been massive. Pushing for more and more tasks, it has tested a total of 11,308 people and training as many as 637 testing operatives (as at 10 Feb 21). With 2.42% of tests being registered as positive the Sqn has been at the forefront of the COVID threat.

Spring 20 saw the Sqn move to the East of England, to conduct COVID testing, from MTUs. Teething issues were not uncommon, with junior commanders having to adapt to new ways of thinking… Health Protection Measures and PPE not vehicle capability and load carrying. The language barrier was a big issue with MTUs. Test subjects from the culturally diverse East of England, don’t necessarily have English as their first language.

Junior leaders also had to gain the trust of the local communities.

Many were living in fear of contracting the virus. Encouraging them to come forward to be tested was difficult, but they were successful by remaining approachable and professional.

Once comfortable, people came forward for weekly tests, amounting to circa 11,300 individual tests.

Communication issues at the MTUs also included the proximity between testing operatives and test participants, but was resolved through the participants being ushered to a holding area and notifying the testers of any issues by flashing their vehicle hazard lights.

Conversing with the drive-in test

ARTICLE | THE SUSTAINER

7 Regiment RLC leads COVID testing charge

participants through the closed window of their vehicles, brought further problems with some soldiers ringing the participant as they stood in front of them. But modern vehicles with Bluetooth connectivity, meant calling the occupant would create a feedback loop. Old-school methodology, overcame this in the form of written instructions and charades on how to conduct the swab.

Over summer 2020 the Sqn’s focus returned to military training in preparation for deployment on Ex ASKARI STORM in Jan 21. It wasn’t long before MACA commitments returned in the form of WP20. 9 Sqn generated around 70 soldiers, to establish COVID testing teams for the North West. These soldiers were potentially missing out on BATUK, but gained a second Op RESCRIPT deployment, following the MTUs. Their previous knowledge of the MTU infrastructure assisted in the setup of new testing locations throughout industry and social settings. Junior commanders, had to be fluid in nature (because flexible is too rigid),

8 2Lt Alex Warnes and his SMART team outside Barton Manor Hotel Preston after a busy few months supporting Lancashire SMART testing

in order to see the new tasking from inception to eventual success.

WP20 continues into to 2021.

After Christmas leave, 9 Sqn reconstituted at Kendrew Barracks and returned to Holcombe Moor Training Centre to deliver a larger effect than in 2020. This saw an increase in taskings with 100 percent of the teams deployed on training tasks, most days.

Training civilian testing teams is the imperative task. The more civilian teams trained, the more COVID resilient Lancashire can be.

This allows 7 Regt’s training teams to move on to the next mission, delivering similar effect to another local authority. This has meant commanders have had to engage with civil authorities and industry, in order to push for training, emphasising its importance to the wider plan and how it’s possible for these sites to become self-sufficient.

Looking back, 7 Regt RLC has much to be proud of. We have provided overwhelming support to the NHS, with test numbers completed in the thousands and hundreds of civilian volunteers trained thanks to 9 Sqn’s collective experiences from MTUs and Lateral Flow Testing.

8 A SMART team conducting LFT (Lateral Flow Testing) at Fox’s biscuit factory in Lancashire

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17

THE SUSTAINER | TRAINING MATTERS

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The Defence School of Logistics Commandant: Col Colin Francis CBE The spring period traditionally represents a period of renewal and a chance to look ahead at the opportunities that are emerging on the horizon.This year, spring also represents another period of significant challenges as the Nation, Defence and the Army continues to tackle COVID-19.

The Defence School of Logistics is no different, having worked through significant frictions as we continue to deliver essential training for Defence.

I have been awestruck by the way my team has continued to tackle the diverging challenges of maintaining their essential training outputs; innovating to allow virtual and remote training where practicable and working from home to support training where possible - all while looking after the wellbeing of their families, teammates, communities and themselves. Even as we entered the third national lockdown they continued to rise to the occasion.

You will see from the following updates, that each of the Wings have continued to go the extra mile to ensure that this training year’s Statement of Training Task (SOTT) is met; whether that be relocating to Longmoor Training Area to enable training output in Worthy Down, working extended weeks and many weekends to increase trainee throughput, or adopting rigorous Force Protection measures, which becomes wearisome, particularly in such environments as those experienced in the heat of the kitchen classrooms of the Food Services Training Wing. In order to bring that to life, I thought I would share just one example of what has been achieved.

In January 2020, the Supply Training Wing had a training plan (SOTT 20/21) that saw 209 course instances scheduled.With a pause in training to accommodate the move from Deepcut to Worthy Down, which was compounded by the COVID-19 imposed pause in training, a revised programme was required. Once again the plan quickly unravelled when the requirement to support holdover in Leconfield (with RLC instructors), was enacted.

The next iteration of the plan sought to address the obvious shortfall in capacity and their ability to make good on the SOTT 20/21.They did so by introducing a new plan, that saw greater remote delivery, removal of any ‘white space’ from the programme (deleting any time for professional development or prep between courses) and introducing dozens of new course instances to the programme; most of which were to be delivered through extended days and across weekends.The result sees the Wing delivering 266 course instances in this training year (a 25% increase).This herculean effort has been replicated across the School by many extremely positive and forward leaning permanent staff and will in every case prevent a Defence-wide capability gap. Impressive.

You will also read about the various examples of our 18

people supporting their local communities throughout this testing period. So, in addition to maintaining core business output in truly demanding and challenging circumstances, they are making a difference to their local communities too.

As we look ahead, I have absolute confidence that the School, thanks to the efforts of its staff, will continue to meet its training outputs.We will be prepared for the eventual return to something resembling normality and all the life-enriching and professionally rewarding opportunities that will bring whilst ensuring that the training continues to be focussed, challenging, yet rewarding and a positive experience for all.

Command Wing Chief Instructor – Lieutenant Colonel Andy Moss OBE RLC

Who said it’ll all be over by Christmas? Command Wing has continued to deliver as much as it can, as safely as it can, over the final months of a disease-ridden 2020. Fd Log 1 has pushed Troop Commanders Course 084 out to their units, having delivered another tightly planned and controlled Ex TIMBER TRUSS.We were supported magnificently by 3 Regt RLC, with the mighty 31 Sqn in the lead and with important contributions from across the Regt.The exercise perfectly highlighted the mutual benefit to be had, with the training objectives of the course being achieved whilst simultaneously providing invaluable low-level collective training for the Regt – a true win-win for all involved. Fd Log 2 has delivered a couple of Captains’ courses and are working through the constraints of COVID-19 to deliver as much of the Defence Logistics Contract Management Course as we can. Fd Log 3 has got into the swing of delivering Majors’ courses and has radically reshaped the second week to more precisely focus on the practical issues of supporting operations at pace, at reach, against a near-peer enemy. More emphasis is now placed on tactics and planning dilemmas, rather than simply the mechanics of the planning process.

Finally, Maj Herbert and 85 Sqn, continue to drive forward training our junior and senior commanders on ALDP. The Corps has got much to be grateful of here, as 85 Sqn has been unrelenting in its pursuit of the target for the Training Year, to ensure no-one is disadvantaged as they approach promotion.

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Food Services Training Wing Commanding Officer – Commander Gary Manning RN As we head into the third lockdown, it has become increasingly difficult for staff to volunteer in their local communities.Yet, despite this, some of the FSTW permanent staff have managed to continue with some fantastic opportunities to make a positive difference to others. Many of our chefs have been helping to run and staff various homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the local community over the winter months. One such example is SSgt Paul Maidment who has, for the last three years, managed a team of military chefs who volunteer at The Bridge drop-in near Andover. He and his team of chefs volunteer their time and expertise to run the soup kitchen on Tuesday and Thursday evenings every week, preparing meals and spending time with those less fortunate.

Another cause close to our hearts is the Royal Hospital Chelsea, with whom FSTW has enjoyed a close and rewarding relationship over the years. In order to bring some much-needed Christmas cheer to the Chelsea Pensioners, who had seen all their normal Christmas engagements cancelled, FSTW decided to send them a variety of Christmas cakes to enjoy. Sgt Alisha Henderson and Cpl Ryan Elsbury, ably assisted by chef instructors from the Army, Navy, and Civil Service, volunteered their spare time to bake and decorate some festive Christmas cakes - and a few mince pies for good measure. Staff from across FSTW were only too happy to assist with this fantastic cause and ten splendid cakes were produced. On 3 Dec 20, we were fortunate to be able to host Lt Col Johnny Lowe and WO2 Robert Miller from the Royal Hospital, who collected the cakes on behalf of the Chelsea Pensioners.We were delighted to hear from them that the pensioners were keeping their spirits up and that they were facing the ‘unprecedented’ times we all find ourselves in with the same good humour that served them so well when they were on active service.

Many of our staff, who volunteer in a variety of other ways within their local communities, have found that they have been unable to do so of late due to imposed restrictions. However, with the news of vaccinations being rolled out, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel and FSTW staff will look forward to a time when they can once again support their local communities in a voluntary capacity.

Logistic Specialist Training Wing (LSTW) Commanding Officer – Wing Commander Liz Corry RAF LSTW provides 115 basic, pre-employment and specialist courses to circa 3,500 logisticians per annum for the ‘Light Blue’ and ‘Green’ members of the Services. In addition, the civilian staff and international students make up a small but important part of LSTW training output.

The recent assignment in of Capt Glen Peebles (Australian Army) to the Officer Petroleum Course highlights the international flavour of LSTW. Our training locations are the most varied in DSL, with sites at RAF Brize Norton (Air),Worthy Down DCLPA (Land) and Marchwood SMC (Sea).This full Defence spectrum only enhances the diverse nature of the training outputs from LSTW. 73 Squadron On 2 Dec 20, 73 Squadron’s Mariner Class 1 course received a ‘May Day’ call during one of their night-time

TRAINING MATTERS | THE SUSTAINER exercises from Pegasus, a 23ft fishing vessel located in the Looe Channel, four nautical miles south of Selsey Bill.

Workboat 44 headed for the Looe Channel and aided the vessel thanks to its towing capability.The vessel's engine had failed and both it and the crew were stranded. The ‘on the scene lifeboat’ handed over the situation to the crew of the workboat, who towed the Pegasus into Langstone Harbour. The Class 1 Course and the 17 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC crew, utilised their navigation, boat handling, communications and advanced seamanship skills learned on the course, to execute a successful rescue of the stricken vessel and its crew who returned to shore unharmed.

Defence Petroleum & Specialist Training Squadron (DPSTS) DPSTS consists of highly motivated specialist logisticians, who have continued to deliver high quality trade training throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite strict government and international COVID travel legislation, the RAF Fuels and Postal Courier Services departments have successfully delivered essential trade training from Cyprus to Northern Ireland.

The versatile staff of DPSTS utilised their military prowess by also supporting 110 Squadron at the Defence School of Transport, assisting the return of Initial Trade Training trainees into the pipeline.The instructors provided Duty of Care and various administrative support roles to a multitude of Army and RAF students as they completed their driver training.

8 Sgt Niumataiwalu, LSTW, preparing boxes for hurricane disaster relief

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Sqn have also been providing support to vulnerable citizens within the local community.This involved collecting prescriptions from pharmacies and delivering them to individuals at home.The Postal Courier Instructors continue to make a difference, carrying on charity work after Cyclone Harold devastated Fiji. DPSTS organised the collection of clothes and shoes to be sent over to support the local community.The support was well received and is an ongoing commitment.

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19

THE SUSTAINER | TRAINING MATTERS

8 Postal Courier Operator training under new Force Health Protection measures

Defence Movements Training Squadron (DMTS) Both SSgt Zoe Burrell-Knipe and Sgt Sean Jordan have been active in volunteering their time and services for the benefit of their respective communities, providing invaluable assistance and help for those vulnerable or isolating.They have assisted locally established community groups, utilising their DBS clearance on established platforms, or through personal links and relationships established with local facilities.

The support they have provided for those impacted by COVID has included shopping, dog walking and the pickup of and distribution of prescriptions; tasks that although simple to some, to others, a daunting mission they cannot undertake without putting themselves at risk.

Supply Training Wing Chief Instructor – Lieutenant Colonel Devendra Ale MVO MBE QOGLR In mid-Oct 20, STW bid farewell to Lt Col ‘Dutch’ Holland RLC who retired from the Army after a remarkable career.

Lt Col Holland was responsible for co-ordinating the logistic training elements of the Navy, Army, RAF and CS, 20

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from four disparate sites to form today’s STW at Worthy Down. Displaying outstanding leadership throughout, he successfully led the team through adversity to ensure success. Lt Col Holland handed over to Lt Col Devendra Ale and left with the best wishes from those who have served with him. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the 2IC (Sqn Ldr John Hook RAF) managed to mark the occasion with several notable events including Lt Col Holland being driven off site in Viscount Montgomery’s Rolls Royce (special thanks to The RLC Museum). Goodbye, Dutch and welcome, Dev. Despite the constraints of COVID-19, the Wing continues to exploit innovation to ensure cohesion and camaraderie during these difficult times. COVID-19 compliant activity remains a challenge but four members of the Wing submitted entries for the DSL Bake-Off in December 2020.

In the face of some stiff culinary competition for our nonspecialist would-be chefs,WO2 Ben Cordy’s Yuletide Log wowed the judges and he was crowned the DSL Bake-Off Champion for 2020… Next stop, Ex JOINT CATERER! Whilst social distancing has impacted on the Wing’s ability to support charitable activity, the team continues to support those less fortunate. In Sept 20 the team sponsored and participated in a mental health virtual challenge by running 150 miles in 25 days.The event raised £280 in support of ‘Rethink Mental Illness’, a charity that raises awareness and support for people affected by mental health, in order to improve their quality of life. Great work by everyone involved.The Wing closed the year with some great news; WO1 Ian Scholes RN of Navy Division was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in the New Year’s Honours List.Well done, Mr Scholes!

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 challenges, STW personnel continue to deliver first-class training for Defence logisticians. Exploiting blended learning techniques, including classroom-based activity and virtual learning, the results continue to be impressive. A total of 989 trainees have graduated from STW to date with a pass rate of 98%. All credit to our trainers who have worked miracles to achieve so much, following the spring ‘operational pause’ in the training space. Despite the Force Health Protection challenges, the new, joint STW has landed well at Worthy Down and continues to make the most of the state-of-the-art facilities at DCLPA.These facilities provide an excellent living and working environment for trainees and trainers alike, providing fantastic training opportunities for Defence.

8 Handover of Lt Col Dutch Holland to Lt Col Devendra Ale

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RLC FOUNDATION | THE SUSTAINER

Launched in spring 2020, the MGL Reading List has been specifically devised to enhance the RLC’s professionalism.The list offers a potential baseline of eclectic knowledge, ranging from politics and international relations through numerous campaign studies to analysis of the latest innovations in global logistics.The list offers a number of advantages.

Created by the RLC Foundation, it is inexpensive to maintain, offers all ranks the opportunity to contribute to its composition, whilst tendering an entry level format for those wishing to embark on a programme of self-study whose tempo is solely dictated by the reader.

To aid the RLC Foundation to maintain the list, contributions, especially from those who are thinking of volunteering to review books and/or journals that may subsequently be entered into the Foundation’s growing pending catalogue, are welcome.The following books have been reviewed by Mr Rob Ladell and Col (Retd) Neil Llewellyn.

MGL’s Reading List

DIVIDED - Why we’re living in an age of walls

By Tim Marshall Publisher - Elliott and Thompson 2018 This book is a whistle stop tour of the world’s ‘walls’ and covers the tangible; walls, barriers and fences and intangible; religious, ethnic and sociological, divisions that separate millions of people across the world.

Initially focussing on physical walls, the author takes the reader on

Review by Rob Ladell, Squarcle Consulting Limited Pacific Crucible

By Ian Toll Publisher - W.W Norton & Co. 2012 Ian Toll’s Pacific Crucible is the first book of his award-winning Pacific War trilogy, which currently features on MGL’s Professional Reading List. Many will be familiar with Roosevelt’s day of infamy speech after the Imperial Japanese Navy’s surprise raid on Pearl

a journey of some of the most recognisable contemporary border divisions and shines a light on the anxiety behind the modern-day upsurge in walled infrastructure building programs. Consisting of just over 300 pages, while this is not an academic tome that covers the breadth and depth of each region introduced, it is however a plainly written, engaging and factual account that summarises the motivation behind the various boundary structures and the complexities they deliver.

China, the USA, Israel and Palestine, the Middle East, India, Africa, Europe and the UK are all covered in their own individual chapters that explain, at times in a blunt matter-of-fact approach, the causes of the division.

Many contexts of division are explored, from the physical USA/Mexico border wall to the great Chinese firewall and all the rich gated communities between.These easy-to-read examples go some way to explaining the fears behind the innate human need for physical and psychological boundaries.

The author does a fantastic job of distilling and simplifying some of the world’s most complex problems by examining the history, geopolitics and ideological viewpoints from both sides. Full of insight and enough facts to back them up, the book does not automatically decry the need to build walls but rather examines the reasons behind them. On reflection, it is a sad fact that in many cases a wall is the best and sometimes the easiest solution, which would explain why a third of the world’s nation states have built walls on their borders since the end of WWII.

Harbour, but Toll provides the historic context by vividly describing the volatile geo-political situation in the 1930s which ultimately led to the attack. Pacific Crucible reads like a novel with all the main characters described in detail (including their personality flaws) together with a broad supporting troupe, composed of politicians, civil servants, soldiers, sailors and air personnel of all ranks.

This is no sentimental history of the Pacific War.The narrative switches constantly from the political debates in Tokyo and Washington, to the life and death consequences for the troops engaged in combat. In many ways, Toll’s analysis of the 1930s to the Battle of Medway sets the scene for what is to come later in the war. Both Japan’s and America’s tentative and often floundering Pacific strategies are exposed with initial allied ignorance of the potency of carrier-based aircraft and Imperial Japan’s overextension of their lines of communication to their perimeter defence. With a contemporary pivot to Asia now being played out, and in the knowledge that Britain intends to once again send a carrier group into the theatre, the book offers some startling parallels for professionals contemplating the potential effects of demonstrating sea power on future international relations across the region.

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THE SUSTAINER | FURTHER EDUCATION Did you know there are a range of degree level opportunities for RLC personnel to gain academic qualifications in Logistics Management, including a PhD? Headquartered at RAF Cranwell, the Defence School of Logistics’ Logistic Management Training Sqn, provides a conduit into a range of higher education qualifications. Led

by Wg Comd (Retd) Mike Eagles, it is specifically responsible for the Defence Logistic Staff Course (DLSC), which can lead to the award of an MSc, and RLC personnel have taken up the lion’s share of places on recent cohorts.What follows is a comprehensive guide to the range of opportunities out there, for soldiers and officers, ranging from Foundation Degree to Doctor of Philosophy.

This academic year has seen again a significant number of RLC personnel, at all rank levels, graduating with a Master of Science (MSc), a Post Graduate Diploma (PG Dip), a Bachelor of Science (Honours) (BSc (Hons)), or a Foundation Degree (FD) in Logistics Management awarded by the University of Lincoln (UoL). This academic year has also seen the development and delivery of the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Logistics Management programme.

This provides those RLC personnel who have gained an MSc or MA with the opportunity to study logistics management at the highest level.

The FD offers JNCOs and suitably qualified other ranks, an opportunity to gain academic recognition and professional accreditation for their military training and experience. The

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Military higher education

FD presents military logisticians, at all levels, with the opportunity to enhance managerial and academic skills within their operational expertise. The first year of the FD is accredited through previous academic qualifications and/or relevant professional experience, leaving the student to complete the final year modules via work-based distance learning. Students are expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete this part-time programme, but this may vary according to each student’s individual personal circumstances, work commitments and deployments.

Similar recognition and accreditation is available to officers and suitably qualified WOs and SNCOs through the BSc (Hons)

8 UoL graduation

course. This is a final year ‘top-up’ course, which presents military logistics specialists, at all senior levels, with the opportunity to enhance managerial and academic skills within their area of operational expertise. The aim is to to underpin a high level of managerial capability, with an associated high level of academic expertise, that is required to ensure battle-winning effective and affordable resource management.

The high standard of Phase One and Two training received by officers, is recognised through formal accreditation of the first two years of study on the BSc (Hons) programme, leaving only the last year to be studied. In addition, through an agreement with the DCLPA, study on the Troop Commanders’ Course is recognised, leading to the award of 45 credits in the last year; leaving only 75 credits to be studied in the final year with the UoL. Therefore, successful RLC graduates from the Troop Commanders’ Couse complete the four final year modules before being awarded the BSc (Hons) in Logistics Management. Students are expected to take 12 to 24 months to complete this part-time programme, but this may vary according to each student’s individual personal circumstances, work commitments, and deployments. For RLC WOs and SNCOs, recognition of their ranks and managerial position is applied to their experience, to allow them to be

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similarly accredited to the first two years of study. This leads onto the final year of the degree, where they will study six modules. Funding of the FD and BSc (Hons) courses can be offset by use of the Enhanced Learning Credit scheme and/or, a personal contribution.

The MSc (Hons) is a first-class educational opportunity designed to meet the needs of the Service and the individual. The Defence Logistics Staff Course (DLSC) is a fully-funded MOD academic and work-based CPD programme, delivered in contracted partnership with the UoL, leading to the award of a Post Graduate Diploma (PG Dip) in Logistics Management. The DLSC provides Defence logisticians with a framework for improving their own professional practice. This is achieved through the systematic acquisition of advanced academic knowledge, coupled with work-based support to explore and develop high-level skills in the field of logistics and is intended to act as a catalyst for change at both a personal and organisational level.

The programme is aimed at recently promoted officers of SO2 rank and equivalent civil servants, but applications from more senior and junior officers and WOs and SNCOs will also be considered. Students are expected to attend eight one-week residential (Module) weeks over a 23-month period and submit, after each week, a 4,000 to 5,000-word academic paper assignment ,in answer to a question set by the UoL. Students who successfully complete all academic assignments are awarded a PG Dip in Logistics Management. Students who gain a PG Dip are afforded the opportunity

FURTHER EDUCATION | THE SUSTAINER

to complete their studies for the award of a Masters (MSc) in Logistics Management through the submission of a dissertation. Funding of this element can be offset by use of the Enhanced Learning Credit scheme and/or a personal contribution.

The MPhil/PhD in Logistics Management provides an opportunity for RLC personnel, to study logistics management to MPhil/PhD level. The programme is delivered as an individual arrangement between the candidate (applicant/student) and the UoL. The MPhil/PhD is a first-class educational opportunity designed to meet the needs of Defence and the individual.

The programme provides candidates with a framework for improving their own professional practice and hence the fitness for role of their own departments, commands or organisations. This is achieved by the systematic acquisition of

8 Annual Logistic Awards Dinner

advanced academic knowledge coupled with work-based research and support to explore and develop expert knowledge in the field of Logistics Management.

8 Further details on the FD and BSc(Hons) programmes can be obtained from the UoL Military Programmes group: MPG@Lincoln.ac.uk or https://www/lincoln.ac.uk/home/ lbs/militaryprograames/ Alternatively you can telephone: 01522 835514.

8 Further details on the DLSC, PG Dip, & MSc programme and the MPhil / PhD programme can be obtained from the relevant DINs and/or from OC LMTS on: 01400 266503 or RAF College Cranwell: Ext 6503.

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THE SUSTAINER | RLC APPRENTICESHIPS

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The RLC Apprenticeship Programme – the new offer to RLC soldiers by employer members of the Workboat Association, with whom The RLC now has a productive working relationship. Workboat crews in the civilian world are often just two individuals, so the “Number 2” has to be capable of taking control of the workboat should the “Master” of the boat become incapacitated. This apprenticeship therefore specifies and accredits all the knowledge and skills, including sea-survival, navigation and watch-keeping, required to safely operate a vessel of this type at sea.

By Maj Jay Goodchild – RLC Designated Officer for Apprenticeships and Maj (Retd) Peter Ramsden – RLC Apprenticeships Project Officer In the last issue of The Sustainer, we outlined the major changes to apprenticeships initiated by government and what the overall impact is on The RLC Apprenticeship Programme. In this article, we outline the complete range of new apprenticeships now available to RLC soldiers.

Military trade determines which apprenticeship a soldier follows.

Not all military trades have an equivalent role in the civilian world and there is not always an ideal match between military roles in The RLC and apprenticeships based on roles in the civilian world.

However, by liaising with the groups of civilian employers who have responsibility for defining apprenticeship standards in the civilian logistics sector, it has been possible to achieve an appropriate apprenticeship offer to soldiers in all trades to which The RLC directly recruits.

Driver trades All soldiers in RLC Driver trades (Driver, Driver Tank Transporter, Vehicle Specialist, Driver Air Dispatcher, Driver Petroleum Operator and Driver Communications Specialist) are enrolled on the LGV Driver Apprenticeship. This apprenticeship is endorsed by a large group of employers in the civilian logistics sector including: Wincanton, Kuehne+Nagel, John Lewis and the Road Haulage Association. The RLC Apprenticeships Project Officer played an active role, on behalf of the MOD, in ensuring this updated apprenticeship is fit-for-purpose in the military workplace. It is 24

designed to equip professional drivers with the knowledge and skills to safely and efficiently operate both articulated and rigid vehicles.

Logistic Specialist (Supply) Soldiers in the LS(S) trade are enrolled on the Warehouse Operative Apprenticeship. This apprenticeship specifies and accredits the knowledge and skills required to work productively in the supply environment: goods-in, goods-out, picking, packing and despatch, stock management and replenishment activities are all covered, together with health and safety awareness and an introduction to mechanical handling equipment (MHE).

Port Operator This is a similar role in both military and civilian environments. RLC Port Operators are enrolled on the Port Operative Apprenticeship which has been updated and endorsed by employers such as AB Ports and the Port of London, with the involvement of The RLC Apprenticeships Project Officer to ensure it is fit-for-purpose in the military workplace. RLC apprentices will focus on the knowledge and skills required for cargo-related operations, including the use of mechanical handling equipment (MHE).

Marine Engineer RLC Marine Engineers train alongside REME Vehicle Mechanics for a large part of their trade training and are enrolled on the Engineering Technician Apprenticeship. This apprenticeship specifies and accredits the generic knowledge and skills required of a technician in the engineering environment. It includes the achievement of specified vocational qualifications in engineering and enables professional registration as an Engineering Technician.

Postal & Courier Operator There is no longer an apprenticeship for Post Office counter staff and apprenticeships in the civilian mail

Mariner The Workboat Crew Apprenticeship is a new apprenticeship designed

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#BritishArmyLogistics and delivery sector have changed radically. The best fit for RLC P&C Operators is now the Express Delivery Operative Apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship specifies and accredits the knowledge and skills required to ensure that items are delivered to the correct addressee at best speed and with appropriate customer service, observing safe working practices.

Movement Controller There is no equivalent civilian role to the broad range of activity undertaken by RLC Movement Controllers, but a key strand of their work is managing the movement of personnel through airheads. This area of activity in the civilian world is captured in the new Aviation Customer Service Apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship specifies and accredits the knowledge and skills required to manage the safe and efficient dispatch of people through airports with appropriate customer service while observing regulatory requirements and dealing with incidents as and when they arise.

Chef RLC Chefs have been at the forward edge in implementing apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in the Army since the late 1990s. Apprenticeships in the hospitality and catering sector have been recently updated by civilian employers, with the involvement of personnel from the Food Services Training Wing at DCLPA. RLC Chefs are enrolled on the Production Chef

RLC APPRENTICESHIPS | THE SUSTAINER Apprenticeship, which focuses on the knowledge and skills required to produce food of high quality in large volumes. There are opportunities for progression to the Senior Production Chef Apprenticeship on promotion to LCpl and to the Facilities Management Apprenticeship for SNCO Chefs.

RLC Chefs are unique in managing their own apprenticeships within their trade.

Ammunition Technician The new Ordnance, Munitions and Explosives Technician Apprenticeship has been designed by employers such as British Aerospace, the Atomic Weapons Establishment and DSTL, together with the active engagement of RLC representatives to ensure this apprenticeship is appropriate for RLC ATs. This apprenticeship specifies and accredits the knowledge and skills required in explosives testing, storage and evaluation using safe working practices. It includes a grounding in engineering and chemical principles.

This apprenticeship is designated as Level 4, so equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree and is one of the very few Level 4 apprenticeships offered across the Army. It enables professional registration as an Engineering Technician.

Communication Specialists After initially completing the LGV Driver Apprenticeship, the intention is that RLC

Communication Specialists will be able to enrol onto the new Information & Communications Technician Apprenticeship, when this is approved for use later in 2021, aligned to their Class 2 and Class 1 training.

Secondary trades Photographer and Systems Analyst – RLC Photographers are enrolled on the Photographer Apprenticeship during their initial training at the Defence School of Photography. Work is underway to map the training undertaken by RLC Systems Analysts to the Network Engineer Apprenticeship, another Level 4 apprenticeship.

Having weathered a period of massive change, the future for The RLC Apprenticeship Programme looks bright. Working in partnership with our two contracted service providers – the Army Catering Training Trust and Pearson TQ – we have rightly judged our performance in the current year’s annual self-assessment review to be “OUTSTANDING”.

RLC Apprenticeship Highlights 2020: • 850 RLC soldiers were enrolled onto an apprenticeship and 815 successfully completed their programmes during 2020.

• LCpl Amy Chapman (29 Regt), Pte Moesha Creighton-Schwarz (6 Regt), WO1 Jonathan Double (1 Sig Bde), Pte Stuart Dunn (4 Scots), Pte Keiron O’Neill (6 Regt), LCpl Charlie Phillips (29 Regt) and Maj (Retd) Peter Ramsden (RHQ The RLC) were all shortlisted in various categories for the Army Apprenticeship Awards 2020.

• Pte Kazim Jones (17 Regt), - Pte Lovepreet Singh (27 Regt) and Pte Christine Valdez (2 Bn REME) were shortlisted in the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Apprenticeship Awards 2020.

• Pte Lovepreet Singh (27 Regt) and Sgt Michelle Vansittart (27 Regt) were shortlisted as Apprentices in the 2020 National Festival of Learning Awards.

• Pearson TQ and the Army Catering Training Trust continued to support soldiers in working towards successful completion of their

apprenticeships, despite the challenge of social distancing created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Army was awarded “Number 1” position in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2020. This national league recognises employers who are leaders in implementing apprenticeships. The Army enrolled 8,400 soldiers on apprenticeships in the year ending 31 Mar 20 and had 14,000 soldiers working on their apprenticeship during that year.

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THE SUSTAINER | TRAINING MATTERS

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The Defence School of Transport Commandant: Colonel Chris Henson QGM COS: Lt Col Ben Aumônier RLC

Community It has been a busy few months for Padre Daren Brown, who has not only continued his work within DST but also among the wider community including being a regular speaker on BBC Radio Humberside’s “Pause for Thought” feature.

In order to keep up his good work, the Padre adapted his normal services and with the help of technology produced virtual Remembrance and Christmas services for the local authorities and primary schools.With the help of the Unit Welfare Team, he also delivered gifts to the MQ’s in Leconfield and Driffield - socially distanced of course!

Father Brown continues to offer an open-door approach and a listening ear to anyone who requires it, whether it be by Skype, in person, phone or email. A great comfort to those facing difficult times.

Over the last 12 months, the Defence School of Transport not only maintained, it also increased its output and success rates, making a real difference by delivering Defence capability.

Some of the 2020 achievements (listed below) were recorded and published in a Christmas message on DST’s Facebook page.

Congratulations The Queen’s Birthday Honours List DST saw an unprecedented number of awards in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2020. Among them were Cpl Davies, a full-time RLC Reservist and specialist driving instructor, who was awarded an MBE for his work with over 4,000 Sea Cadet volunteers, while continuing to deliver operational driver training at DST. 26

8 Cpl Davies MBE

WO Marley RAF receives a Meritorious Service Medal, an award in recognition of good, faithful, valuable and meritorious; for several outstanding achievements in his military career.

SSgt Helen Ling AGC (SPS) received a Chief of General Staff Commendation, recognising her work on Op SHADER where she initiated a new and improved visa handling process.

RLC Commissioning Board Congratulations also go to WO1 (SSM) Mark Gill RLC on his recent success on the RLC Commissioning Board. Not only was he successful on the board, in Feb 20 (pictured) he received the news that he was to be given the prestigious appointment of Conductor.When guidelines allow, Mark will be presented with his “Warrant of Appointment” in an official ceremony.

8 Padre Daren Brown ‘Pauses for Thought’ on BBC Radio Humberside

MOD Crown Copyright

• Over 6,000 practical test passes, including 2,220 Cat B, 1,867 Cat C, 1,735 Cat C+E, 161 Cat D • Introduced a fleet of 54 new vehicles • Opened Lady Smith House Welfare Facility • Adapted and continued to treat patients in new PPE in the Dental Centre • Virtual Christmas and Remembrance services for DST and the wider welfare community • Introduced a QR code for near miss accident reporting – streamlining the reporting process • Ensured the operational training continued by maintaining 547 fleet vehicles • Military training vehicles covered over 4,000,000 miles • Accidon’t covered 2,000,000 miles, five times the distance to the moon • Raised over £5,000 for charity • Produced 320,000 meals for soldiers • Moved over 20,000 tonnes of aggregate to improve and maintain the training estate • Given a home to over 20,000 new bees • 23 members of staff were recognised for honours, awards and commendations.

8 WO1 Gill with Col Henson QGM (Feb 20)

The Welfare Team at DST enjoyed a little Halloween spookiness with families living in Normandy Barracks.

Cpl Turner was at the helm of a socially distanced Halloween trail.

Each participating family had an allotted time slot for their spooky trail, complete with zombies, witches, monsters and a series of cryptic clues, which eventually led to a pumpkin stand where families demonstrated their artistic pumpkin carving talents. A happy Halloween was had by all.

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TRAINING MATTERS | THE SUSTAINER

8 Happy Halloween

Conservation Like many other MOD establishments, DST has a dedicated conservation team manned by volunteers from both military and civilian staff.

The 700-acre site boasts forestry consisting of 166,000 mixed woodland trees, planted in the late 1990s, which at the time was the largest single planting in modern history within the East Riding of Yorkshire. Today, the trees provide a superb habitat for a range of species.

Leconfield Carrs, DST’s conservation group, was first set up in 1996 and went on to achieve awards for various conservation projects, including the Silver Otter Trophy, for best environmental project on the Defence Estate. The recently reformed group has lots of plans in the pipeline for 2021, including its very own leaf trail, that will be making a return in the spring.

The route will encompass much of the natural beauty of the training area, including the newly instated beehives and fishing lakes – a perfect place for our personnel and their families to enjoy.

Charity event – Race the World, which had them running, cycling or tabbing the distance equivalent to crossing all seven continents; an astounding 33,720km.

The team set its standards high and went for the top-level standard, and not only successfully completed all seven continents qualifying for the Gold Award, but also being crowned champions of the “Race the World” challenge 2020.

DST’s Race the World organiser, Sgt Jason Clark said:“I am extremely proud of the team, not only have we achieved a gold standard, but we also covered the most distance with the minimal number of participants.We went for gold and we did it!”The team raised a fantastic £1,491 for ABF, The Soldiers Charity.

On presenting DST with the "Race the World" 2020 Champions Shield and Gold Award Certificate, Jim Duffy, from ABF said: "A fantastic effort by DST, totally smashing the challenge. I hope to see DST at the starting line next year, fighting to retain their title! Well done to everyone involved and a big thank you from ABF The Soldiers Charity."

The challenge raised over £18,000 in total for the charity and will now become an annual event.

Enduro Motorcycle Championships For the first time in 20 years DST had the pleasure of staging the British Army Motorcycle Enduro Championships 2020. The event was held on DST’s vast training estate and attracted more than 90 riders.

Event organiser Maj Sandy Mack said:“Because we were at DST, we had the training area to ourselves and everything was socially distanced – I cannot thank them enough. It was a great success, there were many smiling faces and it was fantastic to have that smell of two-stroke again.”

The year ahead As DST moves into its 25th year, it aims to mark this landmark despite the COVID restrictions. The requirement to continue training is imperative in order to ensure individual and unit operational capability at readiness. Whilst places have been reduced for some courses, in order to ensure a safe working environment, the courses are running. As we approach the last quarter of the training year, we see that available course places are not being completely filled. RLC units are urged to take the opportunity to get individuals loaded on courses while space exists.

Sport and charity DST crowned Race the World champions Team DST really tested its endurance and ability in the 2020 ABF Soldiers www.royallogisticcorps.co.uk • Facebook: The Royal Logistic Corps • Twitter: @UKArmyLogistics

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THE SUSTAINER | CILT MEMBERSHIP

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The Professional Logistician – why YOU should join CILT!

By Capt Jake Ardley – RLC Corps Adjt and MOD CILT Champion With two of the key objectives of our Corps’ future1 focussing on expanding the accreditation of soldiers and officers and integrating with external organisations, membership of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) should be on your radar.

Whether your desire is to promote, become a deep specialist or to broaden your knowledge of the great logistical industry we sit in, professionalising ourselves plays a key part in reaching those goals.

CILT is the chartered body for professionals involved in the movement of goods and people and their associated supply chains.

It was established in 1919 and is a registered charity with over 33,000 members across the world. CILT has forged strong relationships with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), through the sharing of knowledge, opportunities for networking and co-operation on best practice in logistics and it is time The RLC harnesses this rapport!

There are a range of benefits from being a CILT member, some of which are outlined below: Forums As you know, logistics is a massive beast. To allow members to focus on specific areas, forums have been established. These forums provide the means for likeminded individuals to discuss areas they share an interest in, from Maritime Logistics, to Transport Management. There is even a Defence Forum. Forums often host monthly ‘meets’ and will contribute to the FOCUS! Magazine (CILT’s answer to The Sustainer).

Transport Managers course. As a member, you can receive a discount of up to 20% for courses.

Events Both virtual and physical events take place frequently, drawing in the very best professionals to talk about topics dear to their hearts.

Meet with likeminded individuals, learn about a topic you’ve always wanted to explore and engage with the world’s best logistics professionals. Events cover a range of topics, often in line with the forums available to join.

8 Corps Adjt feature in CILT’s FOCUS! Magazine 20 in their 20s edition

your fingertips as a CILT member.

This could provide the research you need for your degree or dissertation, or simply a weekend read of the FOCUS! Magazine to get the grey matter going.

8 Focus Magazine – Jan 2021 edition

News, research and publications From weekly logistics news bulletins sent straight to your email, to on-demand studies for reference, there are a host of publications at

Networking and community There is an online community, where CILT members can start conversations on topical issues and seek advice from other logisticians – a fantastic way to network and integrate within the logistics community.

Mentorship scheme CILT offers a mentoring scheme that has been developed to support members with Continuing

Education and qualifications CILT has its own bespoke courses, from Level 2 to Level 6, which are internationally recognised and it hosts a variety of other courses from Lean Six Sigma to CPC 1

RLC Strategy 2020-2025+

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Professional Development activities, regardless of their experience or age. The scheme seeks to align a mentor that is experienced in the areas you wish to develop and explore, with the onus on the mentee to control the learning, activities and frequency of mentoring. A mentor is a great way to develop knowledge and skills, particularly as CILT mentors will often be from industry and be able to provide a different perspective. The CILT Mentorship Scheme is FREE to MOD personnel.

There are other benefits available, such as legal support, discounts on books and equipment and membership to World Newspapers Today.

Becoming a member CILT membership comes in two forms: Assessed Membership and e-Membership.

Assessed Membership contains three levels – Member (MILT), Chartered Member (CMILT) and

CILT MEMBERSHIP | THE SUSTAINER Fellow (FCILT). These levels require assessment by the CILT Membership Board and is graded based upon your previous experience in logistics, your highest level of relevant education and competencies demonstrated.

Assessment is conducted by review of a CV and covering sheet, outlining key competencies developed throughout the applicant’s career. Once a grade is determined, the member may use the post-nominals associated with the grade. e-Membership is an online only membership to the institute, giving individuals access to all key resources and benefits, for a fraction of the cost. This includes access to all online events and forums, the mentoring scheme, online FOCUS! Magazine and news

and research publications. It does not come with post-nominals and you are not ‘assessed’ for this membership.

Fees – Non-MOD fees included to see the discount you receive as a MOD member!

Find out more To find out more about membership with CILT, contact the Corps Adjutant – Capt J Ardley RLC, who is a CILT Champion for the MoD. Jake.Ardley100@mod.gov.uk 01962 887655/07770 736398

Grade

MOD Fee - Annual

e-Member

£22 (first year, then £32) £65

Member (MILT)

£124

£155

Chartered Member (CMILT) £152

£189

Chartered Fellow (FCILT)

£232

£186

Non-MOD Fee - Annual

Hear from British Army CILT members!

8 Sergeant Maxwell Simel John, a RLC Information Systems Manager said: “I signed up to CILT while doing my BSc in Logistics Management. CILT has various resources for study and helped a lot in my research project and study for the degree in general. CILT has a newsletter as well, which details all the latest developments in the supply chain and logistics industry, which I like keeping abreast of.

“I would encourage soldiers and officers, who are interested in matters of supply chain and logistics to join CILT and take advantage of its resources and study opportunities. They help to advance your knowledge of logsitics; excellent to have when the time comes to leave the Army.”

8 Captain Jake Ardley, The RLC Corps Adjutant said: “I became a member of CILT in Apr 20, just as lockdown #1 was starting to really affect UK supply chains. I realised that my understanding of end to end supply chains and logistics was pretty minimal and was really interested in the mechanics behind them. It was only two-weeks later, that I was deployed to the NHS Supply Chain Hub, in Daventry, working under 101 Logistic Brigade to bolster the team responsible for procuring, fulfilling and distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the NHS and care homes.

“I was thrown in at the deep end, working with Clipper Logistics (a third-party logistics company) and Hatmill (a specialist supply chain consultancy), to develop

processes to assure the quality of PPE before they were distributed to indivudial NHS Trusts. The jargon, complex phrases and general operation was completely new to me and I can certainly say that if I wasn’t a CILT member, my understanding of the situation would have lagged.

“Fortunately, I was able to delve into CILT’s resources, to understand the terms and processes of a large warehouse operation, which greatly complemented the skills I brought from the military.

My time away was a great success, enhancing both the operational outputs and my own education and I can thank CILT for making it enjoyable.”

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THE SUSTAINER | CPL BOFFY ‘MAKING A DIFFERENCE’ During a phone call in November with my sister Racheal, head of the children’s ward at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, she explained that the hospital, like many others, had been suffering greatly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were difficulties not only in terms of the heavy workload on the staff, but also a lack of donations to the ward which were usually far more substantial.

Many of the children wouldn’t be able to go home for Christmas, which in itself is upsetting.

However, causing further distress to the children and their families was the imposed COVID-19 restrictions meaning that only one family member was allowed on the ward to visit. The inability to be surrounded by their families and in the comfort of their own homes (something many of us take for granted) was a distressing thought. I realised that something had to be done.

My initial response was to create posters to display around Carver Barracks. I hoped from these that I would receive donations of toys and gifts that could be given to the hospital in time for Christmas.

Normally, hand-me-downs would suffice in a toy appeal, however, due to the complications caused by COVID-19 and sterilisation being imperative, it meant that I could only accept brand-new gifts. As if this wasn’t difficult enough, we now only had two weeks until the Christmas stand down. But not to be beaten, I engaged Regimental Part One Orders to all three Regiments within the barracks; 29 Regt EOD & Search Group Support Unit, 33 Engineer Regt EOD & Search and 35 Engineer

#BritishArmyLogistics

Mission ‘Give these kids a Christmas’

By Cpl Emily Boffy – 821 EOD&S Squadron, 33 Regiment Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search (EOD&S)

Regt EOD & Search, as well as their relevant Welfare departments.

Between all involved on the Station, we managed to collate two boxes of brand-new toys, books, toiletries and teddies; all destined for new owners.

Now that we had our donations, the next step was to deliver them.

With numerous calls to my sister to arrange a delivery date, the story grew legs, and before we knew it the local papers were involved; however, we respectfully declined. The purpose of this donation was first and foremost to give these children a Christmas, not to get attention for it.

8 Nearly 100 donations were received worth over £650

When the day finally came for the delivery, an inspection of the boxes for cleanliness, suitability and security revealed that we had almost 100 items, worth approximately £650. I was humbled by the generosity of those who donated; a truly great team effort.

Christmas this year was a very different experience for everyone, but knowing we had delivered a smile to nearly 100 children and teenagers at Christmas was a very rewarding feeling. This feeling was complete when, in early January, I received a lovely letter from a young five-year-old boy thanking me for his new toy and telling how much he loved it. The strength of character for someone so young, whom had spent the majority of 2020 in hospital, is remarkable.

Mission ‘Give these kids a Christmas’ – done!

8 Cpl Boffy and hospital staff with the donations outside Queen’s Medical Hospital, Nottingham

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By 2Lt F White, B Troop Commander, 154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC When the country first went into lockdown, Pte David Ingram of 239 Transport Squadron, 154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC, initially volunteered for Operation RESCRIPT in a short-notice trawl for volunteers. However, he was told that he would not be needed immediately. Still wanting to help others through what was developing into an unprecedented and challenging period, he turned to what he could do in his community and thus ‘Falkirk Responders’ was born.

Pte Ingram realised that he had an opportunity to team the skills and qualifications he had gained in the Army Reserves with his wife’s Masters in ‘Social Enterprise’.

Armed with an initial budget of just £40, a laptop and a keen sense of duty to help others, he and his wife printed and distributed over 2,000 leaflets around the local community in order to identify those most in need. They also contacted Social Services to get the details of other vulnerable people, including those self-isolating after being released from hospital or prison. They registered with the local council and the volunteer database, which enabled them to access a weekly food supply and find people to assist with their charitable mission.

Once they had identified likely recipients of their assistance, they worked out how best to help them by asking each a series of questions such as their age, health

8 Delivering food supplies was just one of many services offered by Pte Ingram and his team

PTE INGRAM ‘MAKING A DIFFERENCE’ | THE SUSTAINER

Falkirk Responders Pte Ingram supports local community during the pandemic

8 Private David Ingram

issues, dietary requirements, whether they had any pets and which service they would like to use. The services they offered were: deliveries of food supplies, packed lunches for children, personal hygiene products, baby food, prescription collection and letter posting. In addition to these, they offered a mental health and wellbeing pack that consisted of activities such as: arts and craft projects, puzzle books and novels, as well as a befriending phone line -this service was the offer of a friendly chat for those suffering from loneliness or feeling low.

The operation was a triumph of teamwork. Keen volunteers from the local area carried out food preparation, stock checks, deliveries and made phone calls, while Westfield Community Park Hall let the group use the venue as a base for their operations at no cost.

Pte Ingram noted how he had called upon his experience in the Reserves, using his food hygiene and first aid qualifications as well as some of his route planning and

logistics experience. He also utilised the network of people he had become a part of upon joining the Regiment in order to reach potential volunteers, raise funds and ask for advice on planning healthy food packs. This demonstrates the value of the community that we are a part of in the Reserves and the success of this operation is a fantastic example of how our military and civilian lives can work together.

Orchestrating and delivering this service has been a lifeline to many in the local community and has enabled lots of families and individuals to have an improved quality of life in what has been a very challenging few months. Not getting complacent, however, the group continues to look for ways to assist people in this unpredictable climate and has most recently turned to helping families acquire school uniforms. Pte Ingram is recognised in the Regiment for his compassion and infectious sense of optimism and, although he is keen to highlight the necessity of team work for the success of his project, it is thanks to him and his wife that help has reached, and will continue to reach, so many people.

8 Donations of school uniforms for families in the local community

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THE SUSTAINER | FELIX FUND

#BritishArmyLogistics

Felix fund at 10 'making a difference'

By Melanie Moughton, CEO Felix Fund

8 In 2018, Felix Fund was proud to help former RE Glyn Hayes purchase a new SmartDrive wheelchair

This year, Felix Fund - the bomb disposal charity is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. Born out of a need for specialist help for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search (EOD&S) communities following their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, Felix Fund has spent the last 11 years striving to meet many challenges and provide the expert, tailored support needed.

From normalisation breaks for those returning from deployment in

the early years, to the evolution of preventative stress training based on mindfulness - ‘Dashboard’, the charity has delivered support in many different ways. The Dashboard program, for example, provides serving personnel and veterans with the tools and techniques to recognise warning signs of stress and helps them to be able to develop their ability to relax and focus on positive aspects of their lives. Success from the course has given many people more productive and positive work and home environments. ‘’My life has honestly changed.

I have no built-up anger and can communicate with my wife without

8 Felix Fund always takes time to listen to the exact needs of the communities it helps

arguments. I am far more considerate of others. It has made such a difference.” Corporal, 11 EOD&S Regiment RLC. “This is the only course I have ever attended where I paid full attention throughout - no heavy eyelids in the afternoon for the only time in my life! Thank you for this, it has made the world of difference to me and my family.” Staff Sergeant, 11 EOD&S Regiment RLC. In addition to different programs, Felix Fund provides financial assistance in times of need. Grants to veterans have included: home adaptations, mobility equipment, sports equipment and counselling.

For serving personnel and their families, specialist counselling, emergency childcare costs, medical equipment and funeral costs have all been given. Other grants have also gone towards welfare facilities on camp and community projects for military families.

Felix Fund has always prided itself on its ability to listen to what is needed and to provide support 8 A grant from Felix Fund helped Clive Smith to get a bespoke wheelchair allowing him to play wheelchair rugby

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Sustainer Spring 2021zz_Layout 1 09/03/2021 14:19 Page 33

#BritishArmyLogistics

FELIX FUND | THE SUSTAINER

rapidly. Being a small charity has its advantages as limited ‘red tape’ means it can turn a grant request around in a short space of time. For example, a young reservist ended up with rent arrears whilst trying to care for his unwell mother and now had bailiffs visiting his home.

With the help of Felix Fund, an agreed stay of execution was put in place and funds sent to him within a couple of hours to help towards his repayments.

As the charity moves into its tenth anniversary year, it not only hopes to mark the occasion with a calendar of events and activities, but also looks to renew and adapt the help it provides.

With a board of trustees made up of serving personnel and veterans from The Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Engineers and Royal Navy, the charity is in a good position to move forward ensuring it can provide help and support for everyone across the wider EOD&S communities.

An exciting project for 2021 is the ‘Healing Allies’ television series.

This is a joint venture involving

8 The charity is looking forward to taking part in the new TV series ‘Healing Allies’

individuals from both the United Kingdom and United States which sees 14 participants undertake a week of challenges in the Sahara Desert. The aim of the programme is to showcase those who have worked within the EOD&S communities, as well as putting a spotlight onto this often secretive, highly skilled and dangerous profession. The series will also highlight the work of Felix Fund in the UK and the EOD Warrior Foundation in the US.

The future for many of us is unknown following the effects of COVID-19, but like many charities, Felix Fund will continue to work to ensure it is here for the next 10 years to help those in need across the wider EOD&S communities. For more information about Felix Fund, visit www.felixfund.org.uk or follow the charity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

THE ROYAL LOGISTIC CORPS STRATEGY We will professionalise and value our people, strengthen our ethos and maximise talent:

We will embrace the opportunity for data-led technology enabled transformation:

• We will promote pride, ethos and belonging • We will maximise the full potential of our diverse talent

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• We will develop our integration with the Defence Support community

• We will drive forward professionalisation including education and accreditation

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• We will showcase who we are and our enduring utility to the nation

• We will improve how we communicate binding together the whole of the Corps and wider RLC family.

WORLD-CLASS INNOVATIVE ADAPTABLE

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THE SUSTAINER | THOUGHT LEADERSHIP I developed an interest in leadership and learned a great deal about it while in the Army.

I saw some great leadership and on a few occasions, I saw or suffered abysmal leadership.The effective leaders were generally comfortable with themselves; the poor leaders were often insecure, career-focused and didn’t really understand how to lead.When I look back on my own leadership, there were things I got right and things I got wrong. Leadership is not complicated and with a little time and effort, can be easily developed and applied.

On leaving the Regular Army, I became a course director at the Leadership Trust and clients included Commonwealth Games Team Scotland. As a reservist, my final appointment was as a Deputy President of the Army Officer Selection Board. I recently published ‘The Leadership Book’ and have launched a range of videos on the subject, which are in use with a range of organisations, including the NHS. I would like to discuss a few of the concepts that I explain more fully in my book. I hope that you find them useful and that you might be able to apply them wherever you wish to make a greater difference.

Leadership and management In effective organisations there is a balance of leadership and management. Leadership is about connecting with and inspiring people and focussing their energy on a clear and compelling purpose (more on this later). Effective leaders spend time connecting with, understanding and supporting people. If you have nothing else to do, and you have a leadership position, then a really good use of your time is to go and chat with people. I deliberately say ‘go and chat’, because people are more at home in their own space.

Management applies to resources, such as time, space, equipment and money; and it is just as important as leadership.You cannot ‘lead’ a piece of equipment to pass its PRE, or LSI. But with sound management ,you

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#BritishArmyLogistics

What is leadership?

Since 2016 and the publication of the British Army’s formal leadership doctrine and the creation of the Centre for Army Leadership, there has been a growing conversation around leadership at every level. Stimulating healthy debate is about discussing a variety points of view. Former RLC Officer, Neil Jurd OBE, developed the leadership experience and training he gained in the Army into a civilian career.

In this article he adds to the leadership conversation. will make the most of your resources. Where there are well-led people managing resources well, the organisation thrives. If management is stronger than leadership, then the organisation is usually turgid, with too much process and too many meetings. Where leadership is strong, but management is weak, ideas and inspiration outpace the ability to deliver.

Clear and compelling purpose

I mentioned a clear and compelling purpose earlier. For a military force to operate successfully and to win, it must be clear what it is trying to achieve. The same applies in any organisation, whether it is an RLC squadron or troop, or a civilian charity or business. Everybody in the organisation should be working together in pursuit of the same thing.

I have developed the term ‘clear and compelling purpose’ because the purpose needs to be clear enough that people understand it well and compelling enough that people feel motivated to achieve it.

Where the clear and compelling purpose is right, and well understood, the energy and effort in an organisation is directed and harnessed: people and resources are usefully employed.Where there is no

clear and compelling purpose, you will find people or departments - or in military terms sub-units and units competing for resources and subtly working against each other. People are working hard and seemingly committed; but because there is no clear purpose, their activity is partly or largely irrelevant.

Leadership flows in all directions Leadership is often tied up with the idea of positional power and authority. In management-heavy, bureaucratic organisations leadership flows downhill, and generally it isn’t really leadership at all, it is just direction; senior people telling junior people what to do. In the civilian world, some people imagine that is the military way. My experience is that it is not, or at least not in the best led units or organisations. Where people are excited by purpose and where there is a culture of trust and mutual understanding, leadership can flow in any direction. Anybody who understands the clear and compelling purpose, and who feels trusted and safe to speak and act, can have a leadership effect.

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Organisations that work in this way are dynamic and can be highly creative; ideas and action can come from anywhere in the team. Team members feel empowered and valued; and senior leaders can focus on thinking ahead, instead of managing every activity and detail.

This whole concept only works if everybody in the team has bought into and understands the clear and compelling purpose. Therefore, senior leaders need to put effort into thinking about where the organisation is going and then share that information.

One of the most effective leaders I worked for was my commanding officer on TELIC 9, Lt Col David Golding REME. He was very disciplined in making thinking space for himself. Most days he created solitary thinking time, from which he always seemed to return with increased clarity and direction.

Positive culture Positive leaders have a clear sense of purpose and are usually calm and focussed. They treat people with respect, taking the viewpoint that their role as a leader is just another role in the team and that they are no better than any other member of the team. They focus on leading without meddling and micromanaging.

Leaders who behave in this way get the best back from the people they lead. I call this ‘Blue Zone Leadership’. People will feel empowered, will create, will be excited by the purpose and will be supportive of the leader.

The opposite of this is ‘Red Zone Leadership’, where the leader gets it wrong and the result is that team suffers. They feel constrained, undervalued, unable to make decisions and disconnected from the purpose. I have worked for leaders with both styles; but I was always happiest and at my best, working for a Blue Zone leader. On the two

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP | THE SUSTAINER occasions where my boss was very Red Zone, I devoted a great deal of my spare time and some of my work time looking another job. I am sure that some readers will be able to relate to this experience.

Making good decisions One measure of organisational success is how quickly and how well the organisation makes decisions. In military terms, this can mean a commander outmanoeuvring their opponent, or logistics staff making informed and timely decisions to keep the force supplied and agile. In the civilian world, the same concept applies. I heard Mark Logan who had been CEO of the company SkyScanner explain that their rapid growth was down to fast and sound decision making.

The model I use to explain this concept is the OODA Loop, which explains the decision-making process. I have added ‘Values and Beliefs’ at the centre of the model, as individual and organisational values and beliefs have a major impact on our decision making.

The ideal is for organisations to move around this cycle smoothly, without missing any stages and without losing momentum. In the ‘Observation’ stage, we notice the situation, in ‘Orientation’ we make sense and interpret it, then we move to ‘Decision and Action’. It is common for bureaucratic slow-moving organisations to get stuck in ‘Observation and Orientation’, struggling to make decisions and I have seen other organisations leap straight to ‘Decision or Action’, leading to rapid but poorly grounded decision making. I remember once when I was working on the Army Officer Selection Board at Westbury, a panicking candidate leading a

command task, with the clock ticking, shouted:“Come on red group, just do something”.Whatever action that generated would almost certainly not have been useful.

As Sqn Comd 94 Sqn QOGLR in Iraq, I started one or two mornings every week chatting with small groups of young soldiers, making sure I understood them and they understood me.

Bringing it all together I hope this article has been interesting and useful. It was probably interesting if you read this far. It will have been useful if it has made you more interested in leadership. A good way to develop your own and others’ leadership is to spend time talking about it. Think about how my ideas and models might apply to you. Explore how the Army’s leadership development resources can help you.You might discover you need to make some changes, which involves a bit of a leap of faith. The leader does not need to know all the answers, they just need to create the right conditions for those answers and ideas to flow. Good luck developing your leadership, it is a vital component of high-performance.

8 Neil Jurd OBE was an RLC Officer from 1992 until 2018. Initially a regular and later a reservist, Neil’s appointments included a tour as a platoon commander at Sandhurst, TELIC 9 as Officer Commanding a QOGLR squadron and a short tour in Yemen with the Joint Counter Terrorist Advisory and Training Team. Since 2010, he has worked in leadership and team development.

The Leadership Book by Neil Jurd is available on Amazon

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THE SUSTAINER | RLC FOUNDATION The Royal Logistic Corps Foundation exists to foster the relationship between The RLC, industry and academia; sharing best practice, knowledge and mutual understanding amongst logistics professionals.

Since Apr 20, the RLC Foundation has had to concentrate on virtual reality to stage the majority of its events due to Coronavirus social distancing restrictions. On 26 Nov 20, we celebrated The RLC Foundation Awards ceremony and eight awards were presented to our deserving recipients. Over 700 people tuned in to watch this on You Tube. We would like to congratulate the following on their well-deserved awards: 5 Mentoring Support Award WO2 Susan Keir, 13 AASR 5 Industry Professional Development Award – Leidos 5 Regional Partnership Award – The Worshipful Company of Carmen 5 Thought Leadership Award – Kuehne & Nagel 5 Junior Initiative award – LCpl Alan Fuller, 17 P&M Regt 5 Apprentice of the Year Award – LCpl Mirran Duffy, 29 Regt 5 COVID-19 Individual Support Award – Lt Bethany Capon, 27 Regt 5 COVID-19 Unit Support Award – 156 Regt RLC FOUNDATION EVENTS 2021 On 17 Feb 21, Accenture hosted the RLC Foundation Winter Lecture entitled: ‘From the Stone Age to the Digital Age’. Accenture told the story of how digital, user and data centricity was applied to improve productivity, reliability and safety of a global mining and quarrying enterprise.

#BritishArmyLogistics

The RLC Foundation

On 25 Mar, the Foundation and the Logistic Leaders Network will co-host a “Digitisation and Big Data” event. How do we implement a digital mindset within the military and commercial landscape? As supply chains are increasingly global, connected, reliant on offshored manufacturing and operated within finite resources, it is recognized that sharing experiences and new concepts between the commercial logistic sector and military logisticians can be beneficial to us all.

On 29 April, we will co-host an event with the Worshipful Company of Carmen. This event will focus on “Leading in Challenging Times: building resiliency in yourself and your organization”. How do we build the resilience mindset through leadership from the individual viewpoint and, crisis response resilience through process and capability? We will investigate these aspects through the academic,

military and commercial perspective.

On 18 May, TVS Supply Chain Solutions will host a MS Teams’ Career Transition Workshop for RLC service leavers from 1400 – 1600. TVS Supply Chain Solutions is a very supportive member of the RLC Foundation and have run two very successful Career Transition Workshops for us in the past. This is an excellent opportunity for service leavers to have proper facetime with the TVS team, who have an intimate knowledge and experience of RLC trade structures.

This event is designed to complement the excellent work that the Career Transition Partnership does with its resettlement training.

As your Corps, we just want to give you that bit extra!

Events to be held during Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct and Nov are in the planning stages. Further details will be released on the RLC Foundation website once confirmed: http://rlcfoundation.com/events/ The RLC Foundation is now working from home.

New contact details: Director: Alan Woods: rlcfwoods@gmail.com Business Support Manager: Chrissie Ross: therlcfoundation@gmail.com Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook by searching for Royal Logistic Corps Foundation or visit our website: www.rlcfoundation.com

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UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

1 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps BICESTER CO: Lt Col H Cook • Adjt: Capt E Thompson • RSM: WO1 R Conway 1 Regiment RLC was fortunate enough to enjoy some fantastic training in the last quarter, all with the aim of preparing its forces for operations and readiness commitments in 2021.

2 Close Support Squadron In November, the Sqn organised and executed a complex two-week regimental live firing package at Lydd ranges. There was a variety of mounted, dismounted, offensive and defensive shoots, that challenged the marksmanship of our soldiers. The exercise saw 150 soldiers cycle through the challenging, yet enjoyable, training.

The Sqn also completed a driver training package prior to Christmas. It was a welcome opportunity to brush up on trade skills, with highlights including the opportunity for the most junior soldiers to practice the application of convoy drills and setting up distribution points.

This quarter has also seen Sgt Detheridge and LCpl Church complete 10 half marathons over a 10-day period, raising £1,600 for the Poppy Appeal. An awesome achievement!

12 Close Support Squadron 12 CS Sqn used the autumn term to charge forward with the STRIKE sustainment development, corralling and cohering the vast expertise across the Regt.

Capt Ede, led with the creation of three different structural laydowns, complete with job descriptions and equipment requirements, which show the way the Sqn could employ people, to match delivery methods. Concurrently, Lts Young, Tobin, Gwyn-Powell and Page focussed on doctrine and how to deliver sustainment support to STRIKE. The Regt’s concerns are how readable its current doctrine is to junior commanders, so it has developed a comprehensive set of STRIKE CSS SOIs, using simple language, which will be tested over the coming year.

8 Members of the Regt enjoyed mounted GPMG training on LFTT

The team’s great work was shared with Commander 101 Log Bde, Brig Phil Prosser CBE during a unit visit. Cpl Hogg, Cpl Allen, LCpl Koranteng and LCpl Townsend explained hides and harbours, as well as scalable C2 nodes; sharing their considerations for protection, mobility and firepower.

23 General Support Squadron Op CABRIT 8 preparations are coming to a close and deployment is imminent. The troops, led by Lt Campbell and 2Lt Rai are certainly ready! Preparations have covered dismounted soldier first and live fire training, cold weather training and new kit issues, as well as driver training.

The Supply Training Facility at 9 Regiment RLC was used to test and validate the competency and currency of the Supply Specialists on a range of LogIS. The Sqn has also raised funds for Movember, in support of men’s mental and physical health. Cpl Greenhalgh from the MT Dept set the challenge of raising £250. He smashed it, reaching a £350 total.

A super effort for which he, and the Sqn, should be proud! The Sqn now begins the New Year with the remainder of Op CABRIT PDT in its sights, culminating with an MRX on Caerwent Training Area.

74 Headquarter Squadron 74 (HQ) Sqn has initiated a semiformal mentoring scheme for the

Regt. Mentors received training from external speakers so they have a strong understanding of the mentor’s role and the benefits for mentees. The mentoring network is aimed at enhancing inclusivity in the Regt and to help others achieve their full potential.

The Regt celebrated Black History Month (BHM) in October by participating in a photoshoot and audio recordings, which were shared across the Regt through Defence Connect and Social Media. Members of the Regt’s BAME network held pictures of a person of significance to them and briefly spoke about the impact they have had on their lives.

It was humbling and educational to hear the meaning behind their chosen personality.

Light Aid Detachment The LAD’s main effort this quarter has been preparing vehicles for the divisional readiness commitments, under the banner of Op IRON PHOENIX. In total, the Regt has been tasked to provide 107 pieces of equipment, the majority of which are held with the VJTF(L) fleet. One of the biggest challenges was repairing the PM fleet consisting of MASTIFF and RIDGEBACK, which required numerous modifications before they were deemed fit for role. The LAD, ably assisted by their RLC counterparts, was able able to achieve the 85% availability target set by Division for the 1 Nov 20 deadline.

8 Cpl Greenhalgh proudly displaying his mustache for Movember

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THE SUSTAINER | UNITS

#BritishArmyLogistics

3 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps ABINGDON CO: Lt Col G Wincott • Adjt: Capt A Baldwin • RSM: WO1 G Millar It has been an extremely busy quarter. 3 Regiment RLC has supported a wide range of commitments, from humanitarian aid in the UK, to war-fighting operations around the world.

Whilst on High Readiness, the Regt has shown resilience and cohesion in the face of adversity, with national lockdown and tough localised tier restrictions over the Christmas and New Year period. Soldiers from 3 Regt have continued to impress while doing their part to support our NHS during the pandemic. This article will highlight soldiers who have stepped up and shown their character by going the extra mile to help local and international communities.

32 Squadron EPLS Troop, while deployed on Op CABRIT in Estonia, volunteered to take part in the Danish Dancon - an arduous march which required each soldier to run and walk for a total of 25km, carrying 10kg of weight in sub-zero degrees temperatures. The Danish Dancon has been a tradition with the Danish Defence Forces since 1972, when the Royal Danish Army was deployed to Cyprus. The march invites foreign troops, allied with Denmark, to participate in a 25 or 40km march. The Dancon event helped raise 3,000 Euros in aid of Danish veterans. Those soldiers who completed the course showed an enormous amount of grit and determination, whilst building international relations and establishing new friendships.

During the festive season, soldiers from 32 Sqn volunteered their time to work with local charity (South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance) SOFEA. SOFEA is part of the national FareShare network. 16 soldiers under the leadership of Cpl Gurung and LCpl Whiting, volunteered their time to make a positive difference. Their team spent long hours receiving and sorting through food donations from a wide variety of sources to support struggling families through 38

the holidays. 3 Regt is based at Dalton Barracks in Abingdon, where one soldier from 21 Sqn went the extra mile to ensure there was enough Christmas cheer to go around. LCpl McKenzie gave up her time to pack up food parcels and hand out meals, at the local Abingdon Food Bank, along with her friends from the Regt. Over £300 worth of items were donated by her colleagues in support of their local community and those in need.

8 The Regt raised over £5,000 to help rebuild homes damaged in cyclone YASA, Fiji

8 Soldiers from the Regt volunteered to help local food banks over the festive period

At the beginning of 2021, 3 Regt and the Fijian community came together to organise a charity appeal to help all those effected by the category five cyclone called YASA. The cyclone hit Fiji on the 17 Dec 20 destroying hundreds of homes and damaging key infrastructure. Great leadership was shown by Cpl Lilo and Cpl Ragia, who led the small team to victory, cycling 10,000 miles in just five days. The appeal raised over £5,000 and the money was used to help rebuild homes damaged in the cyclone. The charity appeal was a major success and a huge thank you goes out to all those who showed support and donated both in the UK and abroad.

3 Regiment RLC has now emerged into the New Year and continues to conduct vital training, keeping the Regt at readiness, alongside making a difference and helping local and global communities. There is no doubt that out of the ashes of 2020, will emerge a Regt ready to tackle any challenge that 2021 brings.

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4 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps ABINGDON CO: Lt Col C Yates • Adjt: Capt S Kennedy • RSM: WO1 G Johnson It’s a delight to open the year with some extremely positive news; the most recent New Year Honours List has recognised the achievements and service of two of the Regt's talented individuals.

Maj Paul Eaton and Capt Bren Morgan are awarded CGS Commendations for their sterling work on Op RESCRIPT, Defence’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both individuals are superb ambassadors for the Corps and the Regt is extremely proud of their achievements.

Making a Difference – The Power of the re-joiner. By Maj John Parkes – OC 4 (Close Support) Sqn When we think of ‘making a difference’ in the British Army, we usually focus upon a specific task or event; we seldom concentrate on how we have leveraged the experience of an individual in a broader context.

Stuart McAteer joined the British Army in May 1994 and following 23 years of service, he retired in 2017. With his departure, the Army lost a wealth of experience, including instructional qualifications, operational experience and leadership/management skills honed throughout a full career.

In 2020, having spent three years successfully developing a civilian business, the itch to be part of the military community tempted former WO2 McAteer to explore opportunities to re-join the Army and in August 2020 he re-joined The Royal Logistic Corps as a SSgt in 4 Regt RLC.

8 BCS Training

8 SSgt McAteer So what? As an OC, I immediately recognised the KSE of this SSgt, who had not only completed a full career and reached WO2, but was also brimming with an unparalleled level of enthusiasm at the prospect of restarting his military career. This made SSgt McAteer the ideal person to assume the Sqn Training SNCO appointment, giving him a baptism of fire in a sqn which had

been heavily committed to Op RESCRIPT and had upcoming obligations to assume several readiness commitments.

Since arriving in 4 (Close Support) Sqn, SSgt McAteer has become the ‘go-to’ SNCO for projects, training, AT planning and advice; all of which has seen the Sqn harness and exploit the depth of his knowledge. He immediately took a leading role on a sqn LFTT package – seamlessly covering as the SQMS – and has since transitioned to developing BCS training, driver training, AT packages and most recently the training required for readiness commitments under The London Augmentation Battalion (TLAB).

Quite simply, in terms of making a difference, it has been a ‘breath of fresh air’ to receive a talented SNCO with such a wealth of experience into the Sqn. There will undoubtedly be similar individuals who have recently left the Army and could be re-joiners in the making. As a Corps, we must seek to exploit this potential and welcome individuals like SSgt McAteer back with open arms.

Staying Tuned Keep updated on all 4RLC activity by following the Regt on Twitter (@4RegimentRLC).

8 Navigation Training

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6 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps DISHFORTH CO: Lt Col A Richardson • Adjt: Capt H Suff • RSM: WO1 M Hickey This period has mainly seen the safe return of the 6 Regiment RLC Public Duties detachment and the focus has shifted towards the Op TOSCA deployment and ensuring all deploying soldiers are fully trained for their roles.

Sporting prowess has remained a key feature and the Regt's eyes are set on winning the Army Sports Trophy for a second consecutive year! Although many sports have been cancelled, the Regt is still striving to win every virtual event possible. The key activity however has been its soldiers’ - deployed on Op RESCRIPT – involvement with mass testing and training the testers of the future in Lancashire.

Op RESCRIPT From the beginning of December, 75 personnel from 6 Regt have been deployed as part of UKRU13 to support Lancashire County Council. Their main priority has been to conduct Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) in local businesses, with the goal of identifying asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers and allowing greater understanding to the effects of COVID-19.

The deployed team was composed of soldiers from the LAD and all three sub-units. Following completion of a five-day training period at their new Preston base locations, the first stage of the deployment saw the teams head out to local businesses and organisations, including Lancashire County Council, to conduct mass LFT of workers.

Following a short stand down for Christmas, the teams redeployed to Lancashire and by the end of week one, the teams had tested four times the number of people they had in December. Week two saw the focus shifted to training future testers, including staff from the council, in order to allow an enduring system post redeployment of the soldiers back to the Regt. The final phase will be the assuring the trained units and our soldiers will remain in situ until 40

all local organisations have the ability to test staff, either through their own in-house trained personnel, or through one of the many LCC teams.

After high praise from the Director of Public Health for Lancashire, Dr.Sakthi Karunanithi, a ‘best practice document’ has been modelled from the deployment for future use by other units.

Op TOSCA 34 With collective training beginning on 2 Feb 21 followed by isolation and then TOA from 6 Rifles on 1 Apr 21, there has been a ramp up in individual training within the Regt for the deploying personnel on Op TOSCA. The Ops Coy ran a highly successful CT1 exercise prior

8 Pre-deployment training

to the Christmas stand down, to allow for completion of the Battlefield Craft Syllabus training objectives to be met. This included refreshing the deploying personnel’s skills on: patrolling, cordoning, voice procedure and a plethora of other useful skills the soldiers may need to use whilst deployed. The Regt welcomed soldiers from 158 and 159 Regiments, who joined the training bubble to begin collective pre-deployment training. A huge thank you goes to the Regimental Training Wing for managing to deliver all the mandated qualifications during this tumultuous period. Lockdown and social distancing preventing normal training made this a difficult task.

Promotions and goodbyes 6 Regt wishes Capt Terry Furlong good luck in his next assignment.

He leaves on promotion and the Regt has welcomed Capt Hollie Suff as the new Adjutant. Also congratulations to Capt Zabina Holt, WO2 Furey, WO2 Sweeney and WO2 Macpherson for promoting on the BeL 21 and WO1 board in December.

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7 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps COTTESMORE CO: Lt Col J Edwards • Adjt: Capt D Smith • RSM: WO1 D Todd 7 Regiment RLC had a busy 2020 and has begun an even busier 2021. The Regt has maintained its commitments to BATUK and will support both Ex WARFIGHTER in Apr 21 and Ex DIAMONDBACK in Oct 21. This is in addition to continuing to support UK Resilience Unit 13 (UKRU13) in the fight against COVID-19.

With the Mobile Testing Unit tasks complete in the summer of 2020, enduring commitments continued, with both CT1 and CT2 exercises taking place prior to 9 Sqn’s Jan 21 deployment to BATUK. Soldiers focussed on core skills and junior commanders focussed on planning and orders, working through complex issues that differed massively to that of the years’ experience with Op RESCRIPT. WINTER PACKAGE 20 (WP20) saw 75 soldiers from across the Regt deploy to the north west along with sub-units from 1 REME, 2 REME and 6 Regt RLC to conduct testing of locals and training of volunteers in various community locations and industry settings, including: BooHoo, the clothing giant based north of Burnley, through to Beaumont College Lancaster - a school for adults with severe learning difficulties.

68 Sqn has also readied for deployment to the East of England, for a task involving the provision of drivers for driving ambulances and other NHS vehicles, to relieve the pressure put on NHS first responders.

Meeting its enduring commitments, 7 Regt has balanced the ability to have output and manpower for the Op RESCRIPT taskings, but also the rotation to Kenya, meaning troops were split between the two, with manning being bolstered by 68, 617 Sqns and the LAD. The challenge for Troop Commanders and SNCOs has been knowing where their people are and ensuring that the rate of tasks are balanced with the soldiers’ home lives. This also applies to their

professional development, ensuring deadlines are met for any academic work, continuing with Army Apprenticeships and even pre-training for the All Arms PTI course. Soldiers’ professional development has not been hindered and if any issues do arise, the Regt will ensure personnel are supported.

Deploying on MACA tasks with a massive mixture of experience, ranging from the operationally accomplished SNCOs to the newest soldiers, some of whom were straight from Leconfield, has been a steep learning experience.

The mix has enabled the quick development of the Regts most junior colleagues, improving their public speaking, enhancing teaching ability and boosting their general confidence, with soldiers having to learn fast and team commanders having to become experts in an unfamiliar environment.

WP20 team commanders have adapted the gold standard of testing, taking it to platinum. The NHS concept (where a test participant enters a test booth and partially conducts a Lateral Flow Test to the swab stage), has been improved to reduce the likelihood of contact with a potential positive.

The participant receives detailed instruction and conducts every stage of the test, meaning the only

8 UK RU 13 Sub Unit 5 receiving a signed shirt as gratitude for training staff to set up a community testing hub

time a testing operative comes in to contact with the test is when logging the result. This improved process not only plays to the strengths of the LFT, such as speed and ease of use, but coupled with strict PPE protocols, has ensured the safety and effectiveness of 9 Sqn’s testing teams. The Sqn’s Force Protection Measures (FP) involve strict adherence to, and improving on, the existing direction.

Having sanitising stations at every major touch point; rotors for meal timings and use of the social areas; mandatory cleaning of any area after use; strict social-distancing between team bubbles and mask-wearing. This has ensured it has remained operationally effective throughout the duration of WP20 Whilst deployed to the north west, 9 Sqn managed to find time to do some charity-work, raising money for a veterans’ charity.

Broughton House, established in 1916 to help soldiers returning from the trenches of WW1, it is now an accredited charity and nursing home for veterans. The Sqn raised money by issuing some wellneeded haircuts, raising nearly £250 for the cause.

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9 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps HULLAVINGTON CO: Lt Col J Brown • Adjt: Capt L Brooks • RSM: WO1 P Douglass During this period of national and global uncertainty, 9 Regiment RLC has been busier and more committed than ever. The Regt has been held at very high readiness and deployed across the UK (Op RESCRIPT); in the Middle East (Op CATTALO) and the Regt is planning for a European deployment on Ex DEFENDER 21 alongside the US Army. The Regt has continued to learn and adapt in order to ‘make a difference’ for the Regimental family, the UK population and overseas partners.

Supporting our NHS 66 Fuel and General Transport Sqn deployed 55 drivers to support the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST), alongside 14 Combat Medical Technicians from the RAMC. Since Christmas Eve, the drivers have assisted the Paramedics on over 1,000 call outs.

The drivers are getting involved in critical medical assistance and helping those that, due to seasonal and COVID-19 stress, would not have seen an ambulance arrive without this military support.

Talking about the task, Pte A Palmer said: “It’s been an eye-opener and it has been good to do something that is actually helping the country in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Additionally, 40 support drivers and a liaison officer are based in the WAST HQ. The positive impact of this tasking on the Welsh healthcare sector is notable. With the commitment due to continue until

late March, current predictions show 9 Regt’s soldiers will have answered over 5,000 calls and contributed to over 33,000 hours of cover.

In mid-December, 68 personnel from across the Regt were mobilised to distribute high-priority testing equipment for schools across England. They are now being held at readiness for deployment as Ambulance Drivers for the South-East Coast Ambulance Service Trust.

Supporting the local community The week before Christmas, the Regt was approached by the residents of Hullavington, who had received a donation of 134 boxes of mince pies for the elderly members of the village from Chippenham’s Morrisons. The Regt was asked to help with the delivery of both the mince pies and some extra festive cheer. The surprise of some of the recipients was evident and they were all thrilled to receive a little something from the community and enjoyed chatting with the soldiers. Sgt Harry Gurung and volunteers from the Regt’s Nepalese community, organised the raising of

8 Team currently working at Carmarthen the village Christmas tree. It was a wonderful opportunity to support the local community and for them to get to know 9 Regt a little better (within the COVID restrictions – of course!).

Supporting a growing family With no traditional mess functions or soldiers’ Christmas lunch, the Sergeants’ Mess decided to give something back to the families that support the soldiers throughout the year. The mess committee and mess members got together over three consecutive COVID compliant evenings. After gift wrapping over 300 selection boxes and writing out 250 Christmas cards, they split down to groups of four and delivered the gifts to the married quarters. The gifts were greatly appreciated by the families, particularly by the children.

Welcome to intake 20!

16 new recruits have joined 94 Squadron QOGLR from intake 20.

On 18 Dec 20, they were officially welcomed by the CO, RSM and 94 Sqn SHQ. Each recruit was presented with a 94 Sqn and 9 Regt T-shirt and keeping with tradition, were also presented with a “Khada” – a traditional ceremonial scarf.

After the presentations, a Gurkha messing was conducted in line with social distancing. The Sqn looks forward to the intake 20 soldiers joining their new troops officially and wishes them luck with their futures in 94 Sqn QOGLR. 8 Intake 20 welcome parade

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10 The Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment ALDERSHOT CO: Lt Col G R Sugdon • Adjt: Capt R Melhuish • RSM: WO1 M Rana Following the unprecedented events of last year, 10 Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment returned to work in January invigorated, determined and prepped for, no doubt, a challenging and unpredictable 2021.

For 28 Squadron, this meant maintaining the lead for a key Op RESCRIPT task, of running the Land Quarantine Facility at Crowborough. The Sqn, supported by a RLC Movement Controller and attached medical team, continue to provide a tri-service pre-deployment quarantine facility for British Forces and contractors deploying overseas.

The magnitude of the task cannot be underestimated, as the Sqn has found its actions could directly impact Defence’s ability to meet operational requirements. Even with the ever-changing requirements and the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, all of the deployed troops have expressed how professionally rewarding being on such an essential task has been.

Elsewhere, the focus has been on supporting Ex WARFIGHTER 21.

The preparation for this multinational overseas exercise has pushed the QM's department to capacity with an influx of kit, including the arrival of 25 ISO containers, 1,500 mosquito nets and several kilometres of power cables! 36 (HQ) Squadron has led, co-ordinating the Real-Life Support to the exercise, with over 100 individuals deploying to the USA. In addition, Commander QOGLR and a number of RHQ elements are providing the LOCON for HQ 101 Log Bde, a relished opportunity to practice the combat estimate.

1 Squadron continues to run the live Custodial Account, maintaining a key logistic capability for the wider Army, whilst supplementing the workforce of both the Quarantine Facility and Ex WARFIGHTER. The Sqn’s innovative execution of virtual and socially distanced training, has set the bar for the wider Regt. Under

8 28 Sqn at the Land Quarantine Facility at Crowborough

8 Pre-deployment COVID testing the guidance of the ever-exceptional Training Wing, 10 QOGLR remains a current and professionally trained force.

Despite the demands of assuming an extended period of

readiness and working tirelessly to support the Op RESCRIPT effort, there is always time to celebrate. Of note, January saw the historic appointment of two Gurkha Majors within the QOGLR capbadge: Major Basantodhoj as selected Gurkha Major QOGLR and Major Baldeep Tamang as selected Gurkha Major ARRC Support Battalion. An absolutely outstanding accolade for both individuals. The Regt wishes them fortune and support in maintaining kaida from here on.

Jai QOGLR!

8 Maj Baldeep Tamang QOGLR (left) and Maj Basantadhoj Shahi QOGLR

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11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal & Search Regiment RLC DIDCOT CO: Lt Col M Miller • Adjt: Capt R Kelly • RSM: WO1 A Turner It has continued to be an operationally demanding time for 11 EOD & Search Regiment during this period of changing national COVID-19 restrictions; with the unit being dispersed across England and the devolved nations. The Regt has maintained its operational outputs and made a significant difference to people’s everyday lives, by responding to an increasing number of tasks which have been 15% higher than an average year, allowing the public to go about their lives in a safe manner.

An update from Sgt Howe, 521 EOD Sqn on Cowden ranges Situated in the East Riding of Yorkshire, RAF Cowden was once used as a coastal air weapons bombing range. The bombing range was active between 1959 to 1998 and at its busiest, an estimated 1,000 practice bombs a day were dropped on top of the cliffs above Mappleton Beach.

This coastline is the fastest eroding coastline in the UK with 10 - 15m lost between March October 2019. As the coastline erodes, munitions dropped on Cowden Ranges are deposited on the beach below and sometimes carried anywhere from Skipsea to Withernsea along a 34km stretch of coastline. The initial responsibility of clearing the beach fell to Catterick Troop, 521 EOD Sqn. Over a seven-day period, bomb disposal operators from Catterick Troop managed to safely dispose of 575 bombs and recover thousands of 30mm projectiles. Due to the sheer amount of ordnance dropped, erosion of the cliffs and the spring

8 35 Engr Regt’s first day on task

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8 Catterick Troop at Mappleton Beach continue with the seemingly endless and hard beach work, so Catterick Troop could get back on task. All in a week’s work!

8 A demolition on Mappleton Beach tides meant that each new day on the beach revealed more and more items of UXO, including some items that had fused together and formed something resembling a coral reef!

After a week of conducting demolitions on the beach, a decision was made to hand the task over for Explosive Ordnance Clearance (EOC) and subsequently 35 Engineer Regiment was tasked to

An update from 621 EOD Sqn The last quarter has seen a very busy period for 621 EOD Sqn, with numerous exercises but also multiple overseas deployments of sqn personnel to operations such as Op CABRIT and Op HELVETIC. As sqn personnel have been committed to operations on the homeland and overseas, it has been critical that the wide variety of exercises and EOD courses that enable them to operate, have been enduring over recent months. These exercises and courses have included Ex HARD PREP (preparation for the Advanced EOD Operators Course), the Defence EOD No.2 Operators Course and the 0064 Defence EOD Operators Course (a course that focusses on Conventional Munition Disposal); these were all completed whilst maintaining all EOD task lines for Op TAPESTRY.

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13 Air Assault Support Regiment RLC COLCHESTER CO: Lt Col J Beere • Adjt: Capt O Todd • RSM: WO1 N Waring

13 AASR continues to prepare for and support exercises and operations both domestically and globally, reinforcing its commitment to being ready, accountable, anywhere.

Sqn also provided other niche capabilities, such as Helicopter Underslung Loads (HUSL) and Drop Zones (DZ) for live Container Delivery System drops, the latter deployed by 47 AD Sqn.

Ex JOINT ENDEAVOUR In the summer of 2020, 13 AASR provided a key enablement and execution function for Ex JOINT ENDEAVOUR, a multinational airborne deterrent operation that saw NATO forces deploy into Eastern Europe. The exercise involved the first operational jump of British Paratroopers in over 65 years and included 17 personnel from the Regt deploying via parachute.

Simultaneously, 47 Air Despatch (AD) Sqn delivered quadbikes and trailers to the deployed battle group, also by parachute.

Ex BLACKTHISTLE 82 Air Assault Support Sqn deployed on a 500-mile road trip to Barry Buddon, Scotland, where it took part in a 10-day GPMG live fire package, culminating in firing GPMG from the top of armoured EPLSs by day and by night. For many, this was their first experience firing the GPMG and it is a credit to their commitment that some of the Sqn’s newest soldiers earnt the highest scores on the GPMG ACMT - Pte Stone topped the leader board with an exceptional 101 points out of a maximum of 125.

Ex WESSEX STORM In November 2020, 63 Air Assault Support (AAS) Sqn deployed on Ex WESSEX STORM in support of the 2 PARA Battlegroup (BG). The six-week long exercise included the largest aviation assault serial in over 20 years, with American, French (Foreign Legion) and British paratroopers jumping in mass to assault an objective. The assault also included nine Chinook, six Puma, two Wildcat and two Apache helicopters. In addition to its normal supply function, 63 Sqn provided marshalling for the loading of assaulting elements onto aircraft, rigging a total of 23 loads ranging in size from quadbikes, trailers, Pinzgauers, 105mm Light Guns and a heavy-duty tractor in the process.

This equipment was then flown forward throughout the day and night to enable the BG assault. The

COVID-19 13AASR has also been involved in supplementing the COVID response force. 63 Air Assault Support Sqn’s Close Support (CS) Troop has been busy assisting the Essex Resilience Forum (ERF). After a short notice request from the ERF, CS Tp, 63 Sqn supported the delivery of medical materiel and equipment from three hospital locations in

8 82 Sqn Ex BLACK THISTLE Essex to three newly established vaccination centres across the county. Additionally, CS Tp has been utilised for the redistribution of medical oxygen in support of the establishment of Defence COVID Bedding Down Facilities (DCBDFs).

Charitable endeavours 13AASR personnel have also contributed to the national effort of raising money during these difficult times, with 47 AD Sqn’s Pte Green cycling 102 miles to mark 102 years of the 1918 Armistice Day and raising £1,120 for the Royal British Legion in the process.

Training and education 13AASR has maintained its commitment to supporting operations and very high readiness throughout the period. In January, 63 Air Assault Support Sqn conducted an RWMIK Platform Weapon Operators’ course, completing Live Fire Tactical Training (LFTT) on Salisbury Plain.

47 AD Sqn ran a successful Survive Evade Resist Escape (SERE) package on Dartmoor, practising these skills for its personnel who may find themselves downed behind enemy lines.

Look ahead Major exercises still continue; Ex JOINT WARRIOR and Ex AGILE SPEAR, where 13AASR personnel will deploy to further develop the Log Drone capability, but also provide support to the RAF’s PUMA force. 47AD Sqn is looking forward to supporting Op NEWCOMBE pre-deployment training for the Queen’s Dragoon Guards.

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17 Port & Marine Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps SOUTHAMPTON CO: Lt Col V Crompton MBE • Adjt: Capt N Brown • RSM: WO1 M Calverley It’s all change at 17 Port and Maritime RLC. The first quarter of 2021 has seen the Regt bid farewell to Lt Col P Eaton MBE and welcome Lt Col V Crompton MBE as Commanding Officer. Lt Col Crompton MBE returns to the Unit after serving as Officer Commanding 52 Sqn in 2015. The Regt has continued to support tasks across Defence, with Port Task Groups (PTG) being tasked to Belize, Beirut, Estonia and Oman to name a few of the locations. Most notably the Unit has supported Littoral Response Group Experimentation providing a PTG to operate throughout the Mediterranean.

Littoral Response Group Experimentation (LRG(X)) In September 2020, amidst the global Coronavirus pandemic, 22 members of 17 P&M Regt deployed on Littoral Response Group Experimentation (LRG(X)). The personnel deployed on board Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Lyme Bay for three months. The detachment comprised Mariners, Marine Engineers, Port Operators and a REME Metalsmith. The Regt facilitated the LRGX task group to support NATO’s Sea Guardian Mediterranean security operation and conduct exercises in Cyprus – Ex OLYMPUS WARRIOR and Autonomous Advance Force 3. This was the first deployment to test the capabilities of the Vahana Class vessel in supporting commando missions. Whilst deployed, all personnel on board RFA Lyme Bay were held at readiness to assist nearby countries in Non-Combatant Extraction Operations (NEO).

Despite being busy with wider operations, the detachment showed their mental robustness, team ethos and virtuous spirit by raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support. This was a virtual charity race against the ship, organised by Pte Richard Mitchell, one of the Regt’s more junior Mariners. This saw the team race 46

RFA Lyme Bay from the UK to Cyprus, 3,597km. The target was to complete the distance in less than eight days, which is the total time for the ship to arrive at its destination. Using predominantly static bikes and a static rower, the team completed the challenge in just under five and a half days. A total of £770 was raised during the event, an outstanding effort by all those that took part.

Throughout the deployment there were other opportunities to raise funds for charity, such as quiz nights and a Christmas meal to regain some normality, in such unprecedented times. Although we had a busy deployment, there is

8 CO handover

8 LRGX Remenbrance Parade on RFA Lyme Bay

always time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service.

This was a vastly different deployment to what the soldiers have been used to. However, in the current climate of uncertainty, it was one that will be remembered by all that deployed.

Ex SEAHORSE INCREMENTUM In November 2020, the newly established Regimental Driver Training Wing (DTW) took the lead on the Vehicle Support Specialist (VSS) trade concentration, Ex SEAHORSE INCREMENTUM (SI).

Normally this month-long exercise focusses on delivering currency and competency training on armoured vehicles to the VSS. This iteration, however, took a different approach.

With the recent influx of Combat Logisticians across the Regt, the aim was to provide an uplift of capability and training to every trade group throughout the Regt. The training focussed on familiarisation with Land Rover, MAN SV and a full EPLS operators’ course. The first test for the DTW proved their worth. It managed to train a total of 85 personnel over the period. The upcoming Ex SI, March 21, will return its focus to delivering C&C training to the VSS pan Army.

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25 Training Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps LECONFIELD CO: Lt Col R Amor• Adjt: Capt C Woods • RSM: WO1 J Girvan 25 Regiment RLC has been supporting the Plant a Tree Today Foundation and The GREEN TASK FORCE, on tree planting projects, in addition to the delivery of training throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare ITTT & STTT for the Field Army.

Andrew Steel, an ex-serviceman, and the founder of Plant a Tree Today Foundation and The GREEN TASK FORCE, helps veterans and blue light service personnel recovering from PTSD, by using nature-based tasks in a relaxed environment. It has proven to have a positive effect on the wellbeing of PTSD suffers.

25 Regt has supported The Plant a Tree Today Foundation and The GREEN TASK FORCE on three different tree planting projects at: Baysgarth School, Field House Farm and Alderman Cogan School.

Over the course of these projects, the Regt has planted over 9,000 trees. Each project has been supported by two Section Commanders and twenty ITTT’s over the course of two days. ITTT’s have found working collaboratively with groups of Veterans insightful.

The relaxed atmosphere, despite social distancing, has allowed the veterans to share stories about their different cap badges and experiences, especially in regards to their operational tours. The veterans have also benefitted from the contact with the ITTT’s, as the familiar camaraderie allows them to discuss their past with people who have little understanding but a common ethos, which has proved for some, difficult to find in the civilian environment. The ITTT’s have shown great interest on the effect we have on the world today and our carbon footprints. Cpl Penfold said: “It is great to get an opportunity to help plant 3,000+ trees at Baysgarth School; knowing that 110 Sqn is making a difference to reduce the worlds carbon

8 Cultural day Fijian stand

8 Cultural day Nepalese stand

footprint. The ITTT’s have enjoyed listening to the veteran’s personal experiences and the Veterans took a great interest in the ITTT’s training, this left us feeling proud”.

25 Regt is looking forward to supporting future projects with Plant a Tree Today Foundation and The GREEN TASK FORCE and is delighted to do its part by helping the environment and supporting the work Andrew Steel does with helping our ex-service people.

finishing with cultural stands run by the ITTT’s; overall this made a great visual impact to showcase their cultures. Well done to Sgt Gurung and her team.

Cultural diversity training is important to 25 Regt because the Corps is one of the most diverse in the Army. Poor understanding of cultural diversity can affect the work environment in numerous ways, that can include miscommunication, creation of barriers and dysfunctional behaviours, which in turn create a negative effect on morale. Creating opportunity to learn from one another, can facilitate better collaboration and co-operation to ensure that everyone feels they belong.

Cultural training Sgt Gurung and Cpl Ranatora successfully co-ordinated a cultural training day andrew for all members of the Regt. The constraints of COVID-19 made this a demanding feat, but they managed a successful day and with rotation of ITTT’s and PS, the day was a hit. The day consisted of three parts. Starting with a central brief delivered by ITTT’s on their country’s culture, history and food; followed by the Gurkha’s Kukri dance, Fijian war dance and a Caribbean dance,

110 Sqn Maj D Rusk handed over to Maj C Brown. The Regt would like to thank Maj Rusk for his support over the last two years, especially helping 25 Regt’s relocation to Normandy Barracks.

8 The 110 Sqn tree planting team

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27 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps ALDERSHOT CO: Lt Col D J Fisher MBE • Adjt: Capt R Francis • RSM: WO1 R Coleman

27 Regiment RLC welcomed HRH The Princess Royal and Colonel RLC in the latter stages of 2020 to celebrate and congratulate The Wolf Pack on what has been a tremendously productive year.

Operation TOSCA, Exercise MUDMASTER, Race the World, Exercise CERBERUS and numerous charity events are but a few of the triumphs from the Unit.

This year, the Regt now shifts its focus to preparing for readiness.

Exercise MUDMASTER 27 Regiment RLC sent five teams to compete in Ex MUDMASTER and entered three Land Rovers, one MAN SV 6T and one Enhanced Pallet Loading System (EPLS). Ex MUDMASTER is a multi-venue, multi-phase, cross-country driving and navigation event organised by the British Army Motorsports Association. The competition took place in Dunfermline, Scotland and the first challenge was getting there!

After several hours of driving, the teams and service crew entered Scotland where the lead vehicle incurred its first issue. Fortunately, the crew’s quick-thinking and engineering knowledge got the vehicle back on the road and the teams continued their journey without further delay.

Early on the Saturday morning, the crews navigated to a number of technical driving stations where their knowledge was tested. The service crew were kept busy throughout the event attending to recovery tasks 48

and repairing the competing vehicles. After a grueling, muddy, yet extremely enjoyable twenty-four hours, all teams successfully completed the event. The Regt's first team placed first overall out of the military teams and sixth overall in the event, with the remainder of the teams not far behind. A truly exceptional achievement.

Race the World challenge The Regt was joined by the Army Sergeant Major to ‘Race the World’ in support of the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF). The challenge itself was epic, as you would expect, the clue is in the title. However, there were some parameters. It was open to all Regular and Reserve Army Units, Army Training Regiments, Regional Officer Training Regiments and their families. The event ran from 11 Sept - 27 Oct, and within these dates, the seven continents were to be completed within a deadline. Teams signed up to complete either the Gold – all seven continents, Silver – five continents or Bronze – three continents challenges.

Units partaking in the challenge could pick how they completed the distance and were encouraged to tab, run, row, cycle or swim to cover each of the seven continents across the world in the time allocated. 27 Regiment RLC chose to complete all seven continents and picked the disciplines of running, cycling and tabbing to complete the required 33,720km or 20,995 miles. In order to make the challenge an

8 The Wolf Pack head out on their daily cycle

accomplishment for those taking part, and to test the mental resilience of those completing it, The Regt added an extra restriction – the same 35 personnel would complete each of the seven continents.

At the finish line, the Regt can safely say it achieved what it set out to do. Competitive throughout, it was pipped to the gold medal, but received the silver medal and raised an awe-inspiring £4,700 for the ABF (which surpassed the target of £2,700). The importance of raising money for the ABF speaks for itself, but it is the underlying positives of this challenge that have been the most impressive, such as bringing the Regt together post operational deployments and COVID-19 dispersal, giving people a common goal and purpose, as well as providing a sense of team unity.

8 Putting driving ability to the test in the Scottish wilderness

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UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

29 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps SOUTH CERNEY CO: Lt Col J Symons • Adjt: Capt J Broad • RSM: WO1 A Burrell This quarter initially saw the Regiment return to a routine far more familiar in contrast to the remote working from earlier in 2020. Whilst staying compliant with the current COVID-19 guidelines, the Regt saw 59 Squadron deliver a Collective Training (CT1) exercise in Caerwent, 55 HQ Squadron deploy to Grantham to test their vehicle fleet and the Training Wing deploy to Brecon, delivering the Army Leadership Development Programme to develop future leaders. All this activity was conducted balancing the needs of the Army with risk to life - no easy feat.

The Joint Air Mounting Centre (JAMC) has also continued to deliver round the clock support for Defence deployments, processing personnel and equipment through the sterile environment. Between Oct 20 and Jan 21, they completed 152 tasks with 3,193 personnel being processed alongside 148,767kg of baggage, 143,762kg of freight and 15 vehicles, all whilst operating on reduced manning in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Support to ABF This winter has seen the continued spread of COVID-19 across the UK, with the introduction of stricter restrictions and multiple national lockdowns. This affected how the Regt was able to engage with each other and the local community.

Several of the Regt’s soldiers decided to organise charitable events during October and November in order to maintain community engagement and support charities close to the Regt’s heart.

Cycling seemed to be the flavour of the season as the Regt saw two charity events both in support of ABF - The Soldiers’ Charity. In October, Sgt Andrew Featherstone of 59 Sqn succeeded in the herculean effort of 24 hours of continuous cycling, raising a total of £390. The fundraising continued into November, where 69 Sqn,

spearheaded by Sgt Anil Prasad and LCpl Neeraj Gurung, set out on completing a cumulative effort of cycling 1,944km on static bikes, outside of Cirencester Tesco. This was done over three to seven hour shifts to ensure only four cyclists were present at one time, maintaining COVID-19 social distancing regulations. The event was a huge success with 69 Sqn raising over £1,600 - a huge thank you to the local community for their support and generosity.

Christmas post In preparation for the Christmas surge, 24 Postal Courier Operators were detached to British Forces Post Office, Northolt. This was to ensure all those deployed on operations received their parcels and mail prior to Christmas Day, with an impressive 230,000 items being processed prior to their stand down.

Concurrently, the Regimental Welfare Team created 41 individual Christmas parcels for the soldiers

8 Providing support to BFPO, Northolt during the Christmas post surge

8 JAMC staff continue to deliver support to Defence deployments

who were deployed over the festive period. Parcels were received in Belize, Kenya, Iraq, Afghanistan, The Falkland Islands and many more theatres across the globe.

Operation RESCRIPT Like almost all regiments across the Corps and wider Army; 29 Regiment has been, and will continue to be, committed in the fight against COVID-19. The Regt continues to hold its commitment working in quarantine facilities for personnel deploying overseas, as well as assisting in the operation of detaching drivers to assist the NHS across the UK. In conjunction to this, 100 soldiers, fronted by 59 Sqn Squadron Headquarters and the Regt’s own Regimental Headquarters, stand-by on readiness to deploy in support of the Vaccination Task Forces to support the NHS. Closing comments In addition to JAMC operations and support to exercises and operations around the globe, Operation RESCRIPT will be the focus for 29 Regiment in the coming months. The Regt is also looking forward to its deployments on Exercise WARFIGHTER, operational commitments across the globe and conducting Adventurous Training and battlefield studies where possible.

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The Defence EOD, Munitions and Search Training Regt BICESTER CO: Lt Col M Long QGM • Adjt: Capt B A Miller • RSM: WO1 Tom Kowalewski RE Over the last quarter, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the tempo at DEMS has not subsided. Like many of its fellow regiments in The RLC, COVID-19 has had a dramatic effect on the way in which it has delivered its core output – training. However, the prevalence of the virus has ignited in the permanent staff and trainees a remarkable sense of duty and commitment to drive forward in course delivery and to maintain its output, ensuring that it continues to provide qualified men and women for operations and front-line national security.

As in all challenging times, DEMS personnel have been able to find within themselves determination, ingenuity and the resolve to continue to operate even in the most threatening periods of national lockdown and their unwavering commitment is cause for huge praise.

Through the ebb and flow of COVID-19 restrictions, tier systems and national lockdowns, the Regt has been lucky enough to have welcomed visitors through its gates and as usual, it has relished the opportunity to show off the fantastic capabilities within its four squadrons. In Sept, the Regt welcomed Director Land Warfare (DLW) Major General James Illingworth OBE where he received a first-class tour of the facilities, inclusive of a turn in a bomb suit!

November saw the Regt host Commandant Royal School of Military Engineering Brigadier Peter Rowell MBE and he presented many members of the Regt with Long Service and Good Conduct (LSGC) awards. In December, the Army Sergeant Major (SM) WO1 Gavin Paton visited both the Bicester and Kineton sites, meeting soldiers from all ranks and listening to innovative ideas proposed by the soldiers as well as issuing Army Sergeant Major Coins to Sgt Sean Nicholson, Sgt Alex Porter, Sgt Michael Wickens, LCpl Joshua 50

Lucas and Pte Connor Davies for stand out performances respectively. The Army SM also met Military Working Dog Shirley, the Belgian Malinois, who was certainly un-phased by the social distancing guidelines!

The Regt also paid its respects to the fallen in a Remembrance Day service held outside the EOD and Search Memorial Garden in St George’s Barracks. Hosted by Revd. Steve Hayes of St. Mary’s

8 DLW Maj Gen Illingworth OBE is put into action in a live demonstration by CMD Sqn

8 Army Sgt Maj WO1 G Paton meets Shirley the Belgian Shepherd Malinois, one of the Regt’s Search Military Working Dogs

Church, Ambroseden, the congregation gathered to remember all those who have given their lives for their country, not least the 826 EOD and Search personnel who are remembered in the garden. The garden provides a vital focal point at the Regt and is a permanent, respectful reminder of the sacrifices made.

As the Regt looks forward into 2021, and as it enters its third national lockdown period whilst delivering its training output, it is once again asking the very most of its people. For all of those that DEMS will welcome through its gates, it will ensure that the culture of the Regt, the ‘one team ethos’ and the extreme vigilance in terms of COVID-19 compliance is always at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Finally, the Regt is delighted to congratulate WO1 Simon Hall on his receipt of a Meritorious Service Medal in the 2021 Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.

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150 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps HULL CO: Lt Col D Aspin • Adjt: Capt B Walters • RSM: WO1 P Berry 150 Regiment RLC currently has five officers and soldiers deployed, who are making a difference to the organisations they are serving with and playing their part in Defence. Three officers are employed as individual augmentees on Op RESCRIPT and two soldiers are serving with the MT Department in the Falkland Islands. Below are some of their experiences so far.

2Lt Matt Ovens – JMC (East) JMC East is run mostly by the famed Desert Rats (7 Bde). Like their predecessors they find themselves in the eye of the storm, but this time with an imperceptible enemy rather than the might of the Afrika Korps. Its AO covers vast swathes of Eastern England.

JMC East has had a significant input into the response to COVID-19 - first under Op RESCRIPT and then into Op WINTER RESILIENCE. In early summer, JMC East provided planners in Derbyshire to organise military support to testing and beyond this, it provided a legacy planner to assist in the complex handover between the military and civilian staff. That work enabled the county to continue to run mobile testing with little input throughout the remainder of the pandemic and baked-in excess capacity has allowed massive expansion where needed.

When an upper-tier local authority was offered whole-town testing, the Regt stepped up and supported their planning. With five working days till launch, JMC East pulled together an experienced five-man team spanning the RAF, RLC and the Intelligence Corps – with a refreshing mix of reserves and regulars. Working from the grand setting of a Victorian committee room, the team produced a fully costed, resourced and written plan, co-ordinated and built the sites and handed this over within timescale.

Throughout the pandemic, personnel from all three Services

have about turned from their day jobs, where they are immersed with their contemporaries and have been thrust into the very different world of local government. There is no SSM to depend upon, there is no ability to play rock-paper-rank slide and there is no swearing! Rather, a very different and very civilian way of working has had to be adapted to, and this is the crowning glory of JMC East. In the midst of the gravest circumstance the Regt has slipped seamlessly into the local area, provided troops to hospitals, plans to authorities, counsel to mass vaccination efforts and tests to the populace.

Cpl Bennett and Pte Warrillow - BFSAI Cpl Bennett and Pte Warrillow are currently deployed to the Falkland Islands as part of the ongoing British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) mission.

Deploying as individuals a few weeks apart, Pte Warrillow underwent pre-deployment training soon after demobilising from a previous deployment on OP RESCRIPT and Cpl Bennett from his job as a lorry driver.

The Falkland Islands have an enviable record with COVID-19 and after a few months’ lockdown at the outset of the pandemic, they have reopened society with very few restrictions. To maintain their

8 JMC East providing military support to COVID testing

COVID-free status, every person arriving in the Islands is required to quarantine for two-weeks prior to or following arrival.

Both soldiers are working in the DI & Tyre Bay where all drivers of military vehicles perform their daily and weekly maintenance in proximity to fluids and spares for their use in remedial action for Level 1 vehicle faults. 748 Troop RLC, the only Army unit in an otherwise exclusively RAF MT department, also handles deliveries of fuel around Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC) and the outlying sites. 748 Tp is also responsible for clearing the MPC roads and pathways of snow and ice in winter and the maintenance of the vehicle wash down area. The soldiers have also been conducting driving details to remote installations on the West Island.

8 150 Regt soldiers work on the vehicle park at MPC

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151 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps CROYDON CO: Lt Col D Taylor • Adjt: Capt T Joyce • RSM: WO1 C Sutherland Ending 2020 with training momentum, 151 Regiment RLC conducted two Ex TRIDENT TRADES and an Ex TRIDENT LEADER II. Extra-curricular activities, such as a socially distanced regimental golf tournament and the development of an E-Gaming team, were critical in maintaining morale during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ex TRIDENT TRADE II Deploying on 5 Oct 20, 151 Regiment RLC saw its squadrons based out of Longmoor Camp for the weekend. The exercise focussed on creating a safe and professional learning environment for the variety of trades within the Unit. The design saw the classic round robin of trade stands including camouflage and concealment, cross-country driving, route planning and reconnaissance which cumulated in the occupation of a harbour and distribution point.

Whilst the field training for the Clerks, Chefs, Radio Operators and Drivers was tested by the elements, it was a welcomed return to Physical Training.

Regimental golf competition SSgt James McKenzie organised the Regimental Golf Competition, an acceptable sport under COVID-19 restrictions. The 18-hole course at North Ockendon saw a variety of standards of golf and the overall winner was WO2 Michael Hart.

Return to virtual training Due to the fluctuating COVID-19 situation, hybrid virtual/physical training and activity was always an element of contingency planning.

One of the major changes for the Unit was Remembrance Sunday, which was turned from a physical event into a larger, virtual church ceremony held by Padre Hull.

Another last-minute adaption was Ex TRIDENT LEADER II held between the 21 – 22 Nov 20, which saw an educational package delivered to all members of the Regt and was virtually attended by The RLC Corps Headquarters.

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8 240 Transport Squadron personnel on Remembrance Day

Ex TRIDENT LEADER II was able to teach soldiers on leadership theory.

The Officers and SNCOs were taught about the Reserve Force Generation - the moral component and history of the Reserves, by Subject Matter Experts. Mr Andy Robertshaw also presented an interesting brief on 1917 to cumulate the learning from the first day. The exercise concluded with a Defence writing exercise given by 30 Army Education Centre.

November also brought the Regiment’s first online gaming tournament. The team consisted of ten soldiers and officers who were able to test and develop their social, communication, teamwork and leadership skills. Noticeably, the junior Private soldiers within the Unit have taken the lead on this. There is now an inter-unit competition scheduled between 151 Regiment RLC and 157 Regiment RLC. Social events As 2020 ended, the Regt had to celebrate the festivities virtually.

The first celebration over this period was the 10-year anniversary of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, which saw it receive its Royal Charter. As 151 Regt RLC’s paired livery company, key members were invited to partake in the virtual celebrations, which were also attended by The Lord Mayor of London.

The next event was the Officers’ Mess virtual wine tasting night, which was attended by just under 30 officers and their families. Here, the Regt’s wine connoisseurs, Major Neil Whitewick and Major Alex Janaway, were able to guide the Mess through some serious French wines. The Warrant Officers and SNCOs’ Mess also celebrated the festivities with their own quiz night.

Officer Commanding disposal weekend ensured that soldiers were able to participate in fancy dress Physical Training on Zoom and attend various events with colleagues to finish off the year.

Another reason to celebrate was the Regimental Sergeant Major’s successful appointment to Corps Sergeant Major. WO1 Christopher Sutherland successfully selected off the Late Entry Officers’ Board and was subsequently appointed Corps Sergeant Major designate.

Looking forward On entering the New Year, the Regiment continues to maintain capability with a plethora of training opportunities including Ex TRIDENT SOLDIER III and Ex TRIDENT TRADE III.

8 The Regimental Golf Competition

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152 (North Irish) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps BELFAST CO: Lt Col C Sykes • Adjt: Capt J Reehal • RSM: WO1 G Furlong 152 (North Irish) Regiment RLC has continued to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances driven by COVID-19. Whilst Physical Training has been significantly limited, the Regt has continued to support both its personnel and operational commitments through a blend of online training and COVID-19 compliant Physical Training. The Regt has continued to use innovative methods to ensure it can continue to ‘make a difference’.

Charity events 211 Squadron has led the way in continuing to make a difference to the local community. Through utilising Strava, sqn personnel biked the distance between RLC battle honours in the month of November, providing vital support to the local community and military charities. This focus on using technology to conduct charity events whilst supporting everyone’s physical and mental resilience will continue.

Operations Despite the complexity of deploying on operations in the current climate, members of 152 Regt are in the midst of pre-deployment training for British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), with 9 Regiment RLC, the Regt’s Regular counterparts. The Regt successfully conducted its own pre-deployment package consisting of MATT completion, physical testing and visiting the ranges prior to traveling to mainland Great Britain for mobilisation under 9 Regt RLC. Members of 152 Regt have also been making a difference through continued support to Operation CABRIT. The hostile winter conditions have proven to be excellent training for soldiers who continue to provide real life support to the battlegroup. Providing fuel support to the battlegroup is truly ‘fuelling the fight’ and keeps the

exercise moving (and heated!).

Operation RESCRIPT support has also continued to be a focus.

Most recently, Combat Medical Technicians within the Regt have completed vaccine training and are ready to support the incredibly successful UK vaccine rollout programme. The Regt remains ready to support the battle against COVID-19.

Essential physical and online training The Regt has continued to support 104 Logistic Support Brigade and the wider Army through facilitating essential training courses where possible. Completion of HAZMAT courses were curtailed in 2021 with the heavy COVID-19 restrictions, however the completion of courses in late 2020 has supported the wider Army’s overall operational effectiveness.

The Regt continues to support its personnel through online training.

8 The Regt continues to support Op CABRIT Due to the mental strain of the second lockdown, the Regt has refocused on mindfulness and mental resilience, whilst continuing to facilitate essential MATT training. Further to this, the Regt supported the ‘2020 Hackathon’, ensuring it remains innovative and forward leaning.

The Regt also began its ‘Potential Officer Development Programme’ in Jan 20 using the extensive knowledge of the Regt’s Commanding Officer. This voluntary training has been offered to all Potential Officers within 104 Logistic Support Brigade and has been well received thus far.

Continuing to provide personnel with career development opportunities remains a priority.

Closing thoughts Lockdown continues to change the way we think, operate, and interact. The Regt remains focussed on continuing to make a difference to both operations and its people. It remains hopeful that an ease of the national lockdown will enable a return to the physical environment, however, it is also confident that it can continue to perform, deliver and make a difference during these testing times.

8 Completion of HAZMAT courses in late 2020 has supported the wider Army’s operational effectiveness

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154 (Scottish) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps DUNFERMLINE CO: Lt Col J Yates • Adjt: Capt F Hunter • RSM: WO1 W Marquis 154 (Scottish) Regiment RLC has continued to work hard to develop the professional skills of its soldiers over the winter, while responding to the fluctuating circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and enforcing force health protection measures.

Driver training has continued to be a focus with five soldiers gaining their Cat C+E, two their Cat C and three their Cat D1 licences since September’s Annual Continuous Training exercise. The much-anticipated safe skilled driving competition, Exercise MUDMASTER, took place in October for the 30th year running.

45 military teams from across the Army - in a mix of MAN SVs and Land Rovers - entered the competition for purposeful, realistic and enjoyable training. The 2021 exercise is planned for 23 to 25 Oct 21 – all RLC units are welcome and encouraged to take part.

In October, 2Lt Gregory led a group of 12 people to gain their Summer Mountain Foundation qualification, based from 221 Sqn in Glasgow and the Arrochar Alps.

During the exercise, individuals were challenged by difficult navigation and the weather, with yellow warnings for rain over the expedition phase. Despite this, all those that took part felt the benefit

of time in the outdoors after extensive lockdowns. November saw the Regt pay its respects during Remembrance services.

Although different this year with no parades, many members of the Regt, wearing No 2 Dress, paused to reflect and observe the two-minute silence either at their homes or at local memorials.

Ahead of Christmas, the RSM instigated a 5km-a-day challenge, where individuals can walk, jog, or run to feel the benefit of time spent outdoors. This challenge has created a community and mutual support across participants, if not a little competitiveness. The final training event of 2020 was Ex

8 The Ex MUDMASTER driving course TARTAN YULE, a regimental briefing weekend that utilised technology to connect the Squadrons across Scotland, virtually. While the Regt looks forward to the resumption of face-to-face training again in the future, everyone is doing their part, supporting each other, and the wider community until normality resumes.

Promotions Congratulations to LCpl Makwero, Cpl Conway, Cpl McNally, Cpl Grand, Cpl Woods, Cpl Duthie, Cpl Docherty, Sgt Black, Sgt Gillespie, SSgt Devaney, Capt Berry, Capt Hunter and A/Maj Francis on their recent promotions. The Regt is extremely proud of the hard work and commitment that has been put in by each of these individuals.

Looking ahead The Regt looks forward to the alternative annual camp, planned for February. Soldiers will get the opportunity to progress their driving skills and qualifications, completing their B3-B2 driver training or receive training on specialist vehicles.

This is in preparation for when the Regt provides the lead reserve unit for 101 Log Bde’s Ex IRON VIPER in November.

8 The team completing the Summer Mountain Foundation qualification

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156 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps LIVERPOOL CO: Lt Col K Haigh • Adjt: Capt A Maclaverty • RSM: WO1 R Armour In the lead up to the Christmas stand down, 156 Regiment RLC returned to a more normalised training approach, whilst still ensuring events in Army Reserve Centres were held in a COVID-safe manner.

The Regt conducted an inter-squadron fitness challenge (The Lamsdorf Cup), held socially distanced Remembrance parades and delivered training including squadron level Military Skills Competitions and drill nights.

Members of the Regt were called upon by Joint Military Command (JMC) north west to assist with initial recces and Liverpool City orientation briefings in support of Operation MOONSHOT. Additionally, personnel completed recces of key testing and C2 sites, which were used within the ‘Liverpool Whole Town Testing’ initiative. Finally, over the last three months, the Regt has seen 28 personnel selected for promotion including 20 Pte – LCpl selections, five LCpl – Cpl promotions, two WO2 – WO1 selections and one Capt – Maj promotion.

RLC Foundation COVID-19 (Unit) Support Award for Operation RESCRIPT 156 Regt RLC was humbled to receive the RLC Foundation COVID-19 (Unit) Support Award for the Regiment’s efforts and commitments to the initial COVID response during Op RESCRIPT in early 2020. The Regiment initially deployed 75 reservists to two distribution centres across northwest England in less than 24 hours’ notice, rising to over 120 personnel at the peak of operations.

Reinforcement of these civilian distribution sites was vital to ensure Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) distribution to enable the initial NHS success in combating the COVID-19 first wave.

Liverpool Whole Town Testing 60% of 156 Regt RLC is located within the Liverpool City region,

8 Lt Col Haigh presenting Mrs Tina Speare with her Imperial Service Medal

positioning the Regt superbly to provide immediate local knowledge in support of the activation and establishment of Op MOONSHOT in November. Primary assistance focussed on identifying and checking over 50 potential testing sites across Liverpool in order to secure operational locations ready for the Whole Town Testing initiative. Eight personnel deployed in four pairs across the Liverpool Area of Operations over a four-day period to identify sites and liaise with key site owners/managers to secure facilities in preparation for 8 Engineer Brigade.

Lamsdorf Cup The Lamsdorf Cup was initiated as a six-week inter-sqn fitness competition where sqns would compete to achieve the highest overall running mileage by the end of the allotted time. 381 Sqn were the overall winners, with a combined mileage of 620 miles, 234 Sqn came second with 441 miles and 235 Sqn in third place with 378 miles. Notable mentions to must go to WO2 Daniel O’Donnell who clocked 103 miles, Pte Helen Robertshaw with 56 miles and Pte Anna Trowler who achieved 52 miles.

156 Regt RHQ Christmas competition Despite COVID restrictions, the Regt’s RHQ team conducted a Christmas-themed shooting competition in preparation for the well-earned stand down period.

The teams utilised the newly acquired air rifles after completing an obstacle course in the indoor 25m range to determine the best shot across the RHQ team. The CO also took the opportunity to present Mrs Tina Speare, a recently retired long-serving civil servant her Imperial Service Medal for 25 years’ service, as well as presenting Mrs Maria Percival her Liverpool Lord Lieutenant’s award for her outstanding contribution to the RHQ site throughout 2019/20.

Looking forward The imposition of the national lockdown has resulted in the review and adaption of planned training activity for the remaining period of the training year 2020/21. Much of the Regt’s activity will be delivered via virtual training platforms, with the first major event being the Regt’s annual Chalker Cup competition on 23/24 Jan 21. Thereafter, focus will be on the maximisation of annual operational capability through the attainment of individual Certificates of Efficiency for the Reserve personnel in the Regt.

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157 (Welsh) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps CARDIFF CO: Lt Col B D N Beaumont • Adjt: Capt A J Gutzu • RSM: WO1 R J Bould When you consider the commitment of the Reserves, it’s surprising to imagine how anyone can juggle other employment, family and hobbies too. On the theme of ‘making a difference’, it appears the Regt has so many dedicated individuals who go above and beyond, with just a few highlighted in this article.

Rhondda (Polar Bears) Disability Swimming Club The Regimental Corps of Drums (CoD) put on an amazing Black Light Show at the Rhondda Polar Bears Disability Swimming Club Annual Awards Ceremony on 7 Mar 20. This was an opportunity for WO2 Phill Masters, the club’s disability swimming instructor, to combine his work with his volunteering. He has supported the club since 2016 in various guises and was awarded the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ that same evening. Since Sept 20, he has added more to his plate, now also aiding ‘The Dewis Centre for Independent Living’, specifically 34-year-old autistic gentlemen with high-level anxieties. He is committed to supporting the norm (groceries etc), but more importantly, WO2 Masters is an emotional arm to lean on in times of stress.

MKA UK key worker goody bags Pte Muhammad Hashmi of 580 Sqn is a member of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya (MKA) UK which is a unique, dynamic and vibrant organisation with charitable initiatives across many sectors. In Jun 20, MKA UK kindly donated goody bags to the COVID-19 key workers community - including the military personnel deployed in support of Operation RESCRIPT in Wales.

Christmas Day volunteering Cpl Adam Davies of 223 Sqn once again gave up his Christmas Day to volunteer with the Swansea Bay Community Mental Health Team 56

with 2020 being his seventh Christmas. Adaptable to the COVID-19 restrictions, Cpl Davies stepped up once more to deliver the Christmas dinners door to door, ensuring that some Christmas cheer was received despite the circumstances!

MLO, Op RESCRIPT Capt Rob Wilkinson of 580 Sqn is mobilised to act as a Military Liaison Officer (MLO) to Swansea Bay University Health Board. He is one of many in the Unit deployed at the heart of making a difference to the community in the current climate. Margam Park Orangery, one of Swansea Bay Health Board’s vaccination centres was quickly established over two days

8 Volunteering on Christmas Day with the Swansea Bay Community Mental Health Team

8 The Regimental CoD at the Rhondda (Polar Bears) Disability Swimming Club Annual Awards Ceremony

and was ready to see patients by 11 Jan 21. The centre successfully vaccinated over 1,000 pre-booked patients over the first three days.

The site is now hoping to operate daily to increase capacity by 50%.

CO’s Cup competition The Commanding Officer’s Sword competition sees sub-units compete against each other through a series of military skills/physical events throughout the training year. 2020 was obviously going to be different.

Four new challenges were set and collectively the Unit ran, walked, climbed, cycled and swam the distances to Berlin, across three continents and even summited Everest over 30 times on the new online events. The final event, which was structured around mental health, encouraged the team to take someone (from within their household) to walk to the moon with them to extend the family ethos the Regt is proud to promote. Not only an astounding physical feat, but the new competition series also raised £2,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund and Better Life Appeal to build a new bespoke cystic fibrosis unit in Wales.

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RESERVE UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

158 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps PETERBOROUGH CO: Lt Col R Futter • Adjt: Capt S Milligan • RSM: WO1 P Anderson Improvise, adapt and overcome… but whilst maintaining social distance. This has been the challenge for 158 Regiment RLC this quarter, as it has for the whole Corps. Keen to breathe new life into its training, whilst ensuring that its people did not get ‘Zoom fatigue’ from online training, the Regt has had to collectively innovate and share good ideas at every opportunity.

As well as this, 158 Regiment must still meet its mandated outputs, the main one being that it is able to provide a Transport Squadron at readiness to its paired Regular Unit, 7 Regiment RLC. This has meant pushing hard to get people on essential trade courses and training at a time of reduced training capacity, whilst keeping everyone engaged and safe. Underpinning this has been the Regt’s efforts to continue recruiting and preparing recruits for their Alpha and Bravo courses – this has been an exercise in keeping the plates spinning and with over 100 recruits in the pipeline, the results speak for themselves.

Engage to attract!

There were a few windows of collective training between periods of lockdown; a successful MATTs weekend which was visited by 1 (UK) Division Deputy Commander (Logistic Support) and former Commanding Officer of 158 Regiment, Colonel Andy Parker MBE who took the opportunity to present some CO’s Coins and award hard earned promotions. This was followed in lockdown with a ‘Virtual Leadership Weekend’ delivered by the Regimental 2IC and the Regimental

Sergeant Major, with support from the Army School of Leadership – a fantastic virtual resource the Regt strongly encourages all to utilise.

Looking ahead, there are more online innovations that 158 Regt are trialling, including a ‘Virtual Health Fair’, utilising people’s day-jobs of working in the healthcare sector and testing the limits of technology with a virtual battlefield study to the Balkans.

An Army Reservist’s view by 2Lt H Middleton Following a two-year period since commissioning, I was able to attend the Regular Troop Commanders’ Course in Oct 20. I had gained vital experience as a Troop Commander on multiple training weekends and two Brigade level exercises prior to this, so felt I had a reasonable understanding of how a transport squadron operates in the bigger picture. This proved useful during many phases of the course, enabling me to pass this knowledge on to my course mates as we grappled with the practicalities of the Squadron operating in the field.

There were several elements of the course, one of these being the

8 SSgt Hill being presented his CO’s Coin alongside Col Parker and Lt Col Futter

Virtual Battlefield Simulator (VBS). It is a useful tool to practice the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) we would be using later in a realistic virtual training environment. It would be fantastic to see more of this training, especially as Army Reservists have to prioritise their activity around personal/professional commitments in order to conduct focussed training. The VBS led onto probably the most important part of the course which was conducting a number of individual Tactical Exercises Without Troops (TEWTs) to test our planning skills. This also allowed the Troop Commanders to improve their orders preparation and execution.

The culmination of the course is Exercise TIMBER TRUSS. This was an opportunity to put the lessons learnt through the TEWTs into practice. It was great to have equipment and resources available en masse that aren’t always available during reserve training such as Enhanced Pallet Loading Systems and Unit Support Tankers, and the crews that operate them. There were some challenging times and as the tasks ramped up in complexity throughout the week, it was really satisfying to see everybody gel well into a coherent team. Overall, it was an enjoyable and professionally challenging course with immediate dividends into my role as a Troop Commander in 158 Regt RLC. 8 Ex TIMBER TRUSS was a great opportunity to put the TEWTs into practice

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THE SUSTAINER | RESERVE UNITS

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159 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps COVENTRY CO: Lt Col S Dines • Adjt: Capt D Gibson • RSM: WO1 S Muir It was identified that 3 SCOTS required immediate logistic support within its Quartermaster Department. Several critical issues had been raised and due to limited suitability of qualified Service personnel within 51 Bde, HQ 1 UK Div directed 102 Log Bde to provide a Tiger Team to support the Battalion.

There were several essential areas on the Unit’s accounts which required urgent reconciliation, with the total amount of unaccounted items approaching £12 million.

159 Regiment RLC was asked to assist and deployed two Supply Specialists to 3 SCOTS to join the LSS Tiger Team and help complete assurance checks, account husbandry, account reconciliation and to compile a comprehensive finding report and action plan.

Cpl Walton and LCpl Wydra (237 Sqn) headed north, ready to make a difference.

LCpl Wydra says: “I just wanted to share my experience working with 3 SCOTS. First of all, many of us have a moan about not being able to use the skills we have learned on the courses we have attended, so when the opportunity came up to go and work on a live account, I grasped the chance with both hands. 3 SCOTS (The Black Watch) is an infantry Battalion based at Fort George in Inverness, Scotland, which is about 7hrs 30min drive from our base in West Bromwich.

8 Cpl Walton sorting making a dent in the stores

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8 The stores before the team started

8 LCpl Wydra completing the paperwork to support the mammoth task

I worked within a six-man team there to look at the Battalion account that had some issues. I got hands on experience of using MJDI, either doing interrogations on the account or putting through demands for the Battalion. I also learned how the 1LO (1st line optimisation) is embedded within the QM’s department and how vital a logistics team is to the running of other arms of the British Army. I also managed to complete my class 3 to 2 workbook which was great.

The reasons why I volunteered for the task were to gain experience of working on such systems as MJDI and seeing how a QM’s department is run and getting the chance to mix with our regular counterparts.

Would I recommend volunteering for such tasks in the future? Yes, I would! Getting the chance to see how a QM department is run and the ability to work on a live account is invaluable.”

Cpl Walton adds: “For two weeks, I was attached to the LSS Tiger Team, which had been tasked to go through the stores account at Forte George. LCpl Wydra has taken this opportunity and run with it. When I arrived, the team there made numerous mentions of what a great job LCpl Wydra has done, which is also very evident to see when walking through the stores where he worked.

Some of the stores have no room

to move with kit all mixed up. Some of this kit was over six years old and was not showing anywhere on the account. The total amount of unaccounted items was valued at £12 million at the start. After one week, it was down to £9 million and after a lot of items were taken off the account, which we could not identify or find, it was brought down further.

This was a fantastic learning experience and if something like this comes up again, people should seriously think about it, as either their two-week camp or just to get some extra reserve days in to get hands-on experience.”

159 Regiment would like to congratulate Cpl Walton and LCpl Wydra, for doing themselves, 237 sqn and 159 Regt RLC proud.

8 The stores after some significant work in accounting and writing off

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RESERVE UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

162 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps NOTTINGHAM CO: Lt Col T Hope MBE • Adjt: Capt N Covington • RSM: WO1 J Parker Life continued at pace for 162 Regiment RLC during the last few months of 2020, with the fresh challenges of 2021 ever-present in the minds of all Regimental members.

British Forces Post Office (BFPO) For many years, the Unit has held a solid relationship with its brethren at BFPO and this winter period was no different. With training plans cancelled, 871 Squadron answered the call for support from HQ BFPO, and along with personnel from 29 Regiment RLC, swarmed into RAF Northolt to support the preparation for the busy Christmas period.

These individuals execute the international final mile delivery across the globe, thus ensuring much needed morale is received by troops on operations. This collegiate approach to operation support defines 162 Regiment RLC and is one of the reasons BFPO was able to remain operationally efficient during what was its busiest month in four years.

Community support With the NHS needing support more than ever, two individuals from 883 Squadron stepped forward to offer direct assistance in their local areas.

Pte Lee Hughes was employed as a Handling Operative working within a regional testing facility in Middlesbrough. So impressed with their professionalism and work ethic, both individuals were further

8 OC 281 Sqn, Maj Judith Gallagher, presents the new SSM, WO2 Nathan Buckell, with his pace stick

employed as data analysts where Pte Hughes proved it’s not only suppliers who are able provision. Not to be out shone by his colleague, LCpl Holland also supported their local testing facility. As a JNCO, they have led soldiers in the field.

However, during their time working with the NHS, both individuals realised that the skills and leadership qualities they had built up over years in the Army Reserve readily translate to the civilian world and ensured they were able to offer the NHS, and the country, the best possible support they could.

Charity Capt Paul Shepherd of 280 Squadron completed a charity cycle from Manchester to Morecambe in aid of his local children’s charity and in the process raised nearly £15,000.

Sport Ever the competitor, the CO tasked OC 280 Squadron with continuing the Unit’s sporting success in the latter half of 2020. With many events cancelled, individuals were biting at the bit to test their mettle against their peers from across the Corps and The RLC Orienteering Championships was the place to do it. Under the OC’s leadership, the Unit’s female team blitzed through the field to come out as the top

8 162 Regiment RLC and 29 Regiment RLC personnel outside BFPO at RAF Northolt

female team, with a special mention going to Capt Paul Shepherd who finished second in his age category.

Goodbye As the Regiment celebrates the promotions and endeavours of its individuals, it is also appropriate to wish the following all the best for the future as they move on. Firstly, it’s a goodbye to Maj Mark Orr who for his final tour of duty assumed the role of Executive Officer (XO) in RHQ. After 38 years of service, he has achieved an inordinate amount and the Unit is sad to see him go.

The second goodbye is to Maj Bruce Spencer, who after many years with the Unit is retiring from the Army Reserve and leaves big shoes to fill. Finally, a sincere goodbye to Sgt James Stainsby, who after 20 years is retiring from the Army Reserves.

Awards Members of the Unit have also been busy collecting medals; Sgt Lee Tape and Cpl Christoper Cook received their Volunteer Reserve Service Medal with LCpl Elvis Kyei being awarded his Operational Service Medal with Afghanistan clasp.

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THE SUSTAINER | RESERVE UNITS

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165 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC PLYMOUTH CO: Lt Col R Williams • Adjt: Capt N Hand • RSM: WO1 S Ware Throughout the COVID Pandemic, many units have maintained their operational outputs, via rapid innovation and adoption of new technologies and approaches. This has certainly been the case for 165 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC, where virtual training delivery has proven particularly successful. The Regt now plans to integrate it in FY21/22, while looking forward to returning to hands-on training. During lockdown, a three-year regimental strategy and vision has been developed.

The value of virtual training to Reserve Units A typical Reservist has a total of 34 days a year to devote to all role related training activities. Virtual training reduces time spent travelling and enables the Regt to provide training for individuals who may be overseas with their primary employment. This has resulted in a greater training up-take and new opportunities to deliver training that would otherwise have been prohibitively expensive. A great example was the Units’ Op CORPORATE battlefield study, focussing on Port and Maritime capability. Maj John Reynolds, supported by, Capt Andy Eke and WO2 Jim Parry, delivered a fully interactive study weekend.

Individuals attending from across the UK and overseas, were transported virtually to sites throughout the Falkland Islands, gaining insights into the conflict.

With a higher number of attendees than would have ordinarily been possible, the study was also accessed by individuals from outside the Regt.

Operations and commitments The Regt has continued to support a range of operations and commitments across the UK. It has been a particularly busy period for 710 Operational Hygiene Sqn with a range of tasks including supporting 60

Op RESCRIPT and the ARRC’s Ex LOYAL LEDA 20. As we moved towards spring, personnel benefitted from training opportunities gained while supporting 17 P&M Regt RLC, loading and unloading of ships at the SMC and others have taken part in essential trade courses.

Capability development With the arrival of the new training year, the Regt has received 2xEPLS vehicles that will augment the existing SV fleet and enable the Regt to self-deploy the Operational Hygiene Units. In addition to additional vehicles, the Regt has also developed and pre-positioned deployable C2 nodes to each Sub-Unit, enabling the Regt to respond more effectively to UK Resilience tasks.

People recognition People are very much the centre of 165 P&M Regt’s capability.

Rewarding and recognising their hard work is an essential part of military ethos. The CO has revigorated the CO's Coin as a means of recognising outstanding work. LCpl Malpass from 232 Sqn

8 The Regiments new EPLS have arrived enabling the Unit to deploy OH Units without external assistance

8 Members of 165 (P&M) Regt RLC work on the SMC

was the first 2021 recipient, for his efforts to maintain fleet availability during lockdown. A huge ‘well done’ must also be extended to OCdt Champion, who was awarded a CGS Commendation in the NYH list, for his work developing the Army’s 3D printing capability – see Sustainer winter 20. The spring has also seen the promotion of WO1 Brian Wills to Recruiting and Mentoring WO1, the departure of XO, Maj Kev Carpenter, on promotion to Lt Col and the retirement of Ammunition Storeman, Cpl Easterbrook.

Sadly, March also saw the passing of WO1 Jonathan Payne.

He served with both 17 & 165 Regiments and was an exceptional individual who was known, respected and liked throughout the Regiment and the wider Corps. He will be sorely missed by us all.

Look forward The Regt is preparing for new training and engagement events throughout the SW of England, underpinned by a new three-year regimental vision and strategy. The FOE is quickly filling-up, with a range of training events to attract, recruit and retain. A great example of this is the Regt’s entry in the Rolex Fastnet race under the expert guidance of the RAWO, WO2 Audas. Whilst COVID has taken its toll on us all, we are looking forward with optimism for what the rest of the year will hold.

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RESERVE UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

167 Catering Support Regiment RLC GRANTHAM CO: Lt Col J Young • Adjt: Capt J Gajdus • RSM: WO1 P Jordan As soldiers, we are taught to operate in teams, supporting each other to achieve tasks that would be beyond our capability as individuals. With only very limited opportunities to conduct tasks and training of this nature over the last year, the lack of physical interaction can take its toll on even the most stoic of personalities. Since the resurgence of restrictions on all but essential training and operations, the Regiment has been careful to monitor and support soldiers as much as possible.

This was the main goal of the training weekend Exercise WELLNESS CAULDRON. The first week back in work after Christmas leave has traditionally been a low point for service personnel over the years. 167 Regt looked to change this by making it one of its main training weekends of the year, focussing on physical and mental wellbeing and fitness. All training would be delivered remotely, but participants would be required to be active for much of the weekend.

Individuals competed in the 1 (UK) Division four-mile virtual race and practiced yoga as part of the physical aspects of the training. For nutrition training, there was an

8 LCpl Dalton delivering healthy eating training

CABRIT and the Falkland Islands Roulement Infantry Company (FIRIC). The Regiment has also contributed Junior Non-Commissioned Officers to support training at the Defence School of Transport, Leconfield and Army Training Regiment, Grantham.

8 WO1 (RSM) P Jordan with his Chef Class 3 certificate

in-depth lesson on advantages and disadvantages of many popular diets delivered by a 167 Regt Chef, Private Joe Hymas, who is also a personal trainer in his civilian career – the best of both worlds. Subjects such as the Soldier Conditioning Review and menopause were also covered in depth. For a regiment with an average age over 40, an understanding of the effects of menopause are essential to effective collaboration.

There was a cooking session hosted by LCpl Shaun Dalton, a chef in both civilian and military careers, who took recipes from the Soldiers’ Healthy Cookbook and demonstrated how easy it was to quickly make delicious and nutritious meals. One of the highlights of the weekend was an OPSMART brief by WO1 Kerry Devine, focussing on mental health, where she continued the fight to destigmatise mental health and provided tools to help individuals deal with the unique challenges of our current social situation. The weekend was well attended and even hosted the Brigade Commander, Brigadier Jo Chestnutt, for much of the training.

Deployments The Regiment continues to support Operation RESCRIPT with eight Chefs deployed in total. Four Chefs are on Operation TOSCA in Cyprus with 6 RIFLES and the Regt also has soldiers supporting Operation

Training The Regiment conducted a virtual battlefield study of the Crimean War on Exercise CRIMEAN CAULDRON. Unfortunately, the ability to walk the ground was not available, but with the input of military historians and well-structured pre-reading, it was the next best thing.

The Reserve School of Catering has continued to deliver trained Chefs into Reserve Regiments, albeit at a reduced number per course to enable proper distancing to be observed. The pinnacle of the cooking courses is the Production Supervisor Course and although there may have been fewer students than normal, but the quality was higher than ever.

There have been several Driver training weekends delivered, with an aim to increase the flexibility of soldiers in the Regiment, increasing their employability and capability.

Continuing this theme, the RSM has attended the Class 3 Chef Course and qualified as a Class 3 Chef to better understand the requirements of the soldiers he leads. It also puts him in line for any arduous deployments that may be undersubscribed.

8 SV Driver training aims to increase soldiers’ employability and capability

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British Army Training Unit KENYA SO2 CSS: Major RJ Crane MBE • Adjt: Wayne Derham AGC (SPS) • BOWO: WO1 Z Khan Throughout the turmoil and uncertainty caused by COVID-19, the BATUK RLC cohort has continued tirelessly to deliver support to BATUK, in both Kenya and the UK. Mechanical Transport (MT) preparations for Exercise ASKARI STORM 21/1 are well underway, boosted by the return of the Mechanical Transport Warrant Officer (MTWO) and SSgt Paddy Ellis following six months living as ‘evacuees’ in the UK. The MTWO aided the Community Engagement Team in delivering road safety briefs to children in Thingithu School and a couple of orphanages in the Nanyuki area in Oct 20. Sgt Brad I’Anson remained in Larkhill providing support to those remaining BATUK families. BATUK has managed to get a qualified Enhanced Pallet Loading System (EPLS) instructor into the workforce, meaning that it can now fully utilise the new EPLS fleet received earlier this year. With 10 EPLS and only six operators, the instructors have their work cut out.

The constantly changing situation has meant that planning has evolved accordingly and in-line with restrictions. Times are challenging but it is all being met by good humour and a ‘can do’ attitude.

The new Movement Control Warrant Officer, WO2 Andre Charles has focused on Movement Control activities supporting the training of Force Elements (FE) in preparation for operations.

Supported by two JNCOs, this small team has been involved in passenger and freight handling for the battle group, recovering and deploying to Kenya utilising Jono Kenyatta International Airport. The team has provided support to returning families, assisting in a smooth transition as these dependants re-adapt to life in Kenya. Alongside ongoing preparation, the next Maintenance Sail will arrive in Mombasa discharging essential equipment and stores ready to support the ASKARI series exercises and 62

the daily operations in and around BATUK. BATUK regeneration, from the Unit Catering Warrant Officer’s (UKWO) perspective, has been an ongoing, extended and complex process. The number of flights coming in and BATUK’s enforced policy on five days’ isolation, means there have been various numbers of Service personnel isolated in different accommodation blocks and all requiring provided meals. The UCWO and his team have become a ‘meals on wheels’ service as they have been delivering meals three times a day. The constant change in flight manifests, and not always knowing when people have flown back until they have arrived, has made it difficult for the majority of the BATUK departments that are RLC managed, as they all play a part in the process. The feedback the

8 Movement Control activities supporting the training of Force Elements in preparation for operations

8 The Community Engagement Team delivering road safety briefs to children in the Nanyuki area

Chefs have received from isolated pax on camp has been positive, namely the high standard of food delivered, and how it was managed – not one range stew in sight!

From the Combat Service Support (CSS) perspective, essential Service personnel have returned in order to facilitate the firm base and exercise requirements in Nyati Barracks.

This return of key personnel has provided much appreciated assistance for SSgt Kemar Hudson, who for four months, was the sole supplier for BATUK. SSgt Caz Mwangi ran the UK CSS team taking on both supply and unit G4 matters. CSS bade farewell to WO1 Cassey Patterson and WO2 Akuila Dresa, who left BATUK for pastures new. The new team will feature in the next edition. Even under COVID-19, the Logistic Support Assurance & Inspection self-assessments have taken place as well as the receipt of the 49 ISO Container Caravan from Operation TRENTON. Now safely in camp, and all the drivers paid and departed, the team are tackling the task of receipting and issuing the contents – just another day in the BATUK second line. Members of the department also took full advantage of an Adventurous Training package to Mount Kenya, climbing Peak Lenana, a total of 4,985 metres over five days.

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OTHER UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (JHSS) BENSON, OXFORDSHIRE OC: Maj J Wells • SSM: WO2 P Devine After a challenging year, culminating in the Sqn’s annual Ex HOOKERS SWORD (more to come in the next article!), the majority of JHSS personnel took a well-earned rest over Christmas, while maintaining operational output, personnel at readiness and national standby commitments.

The break gave the Sqn a chance to reflect on what has been an extremely busy 12 months and to recognise that; despite the challenges COVID-19 has presented, there have been moments of inspiration, innovation and individuals that have risen to the occasion, putting others before themselves. Hence, an additional category was added to the annual JHSS Awards - the Make a Difference Award. This award is designed to recognise individuals in JHSS who have demonstrated selflessness, team spirit and professionalism to benefit the Sqn, Station and the wider community.

Nominations for the award were submitted by peers and the Chain of Command, with an impressive number of individuals put forward.

The OC, alongside the 2IC and SSM, narrowed the list down to a runner up and the overall winner.

Runner up: Pte Euan Hodges (RLC) “Pte Hodges of Task Troop, showed a keen awareness of flight safety whilst on the load park, conducting

a standard triple hook with the Chinook. Whilst hooking, Hodges noticed a farm animal was loose on the park. After connecting the underslung load safely, Hodges faced the downwash of the Chinook to catch the animal and managed to wrestle it safely into the FOD Officer’s vehicle. Were it not for his quick-thinking and air-mindedness, a more serious incident could have occurred, including temporary closure of the airfield.”

Winner: Pte Craig Robinson (RLC) “Pte Robinson is employed in the MT Dept within Support Troop, responsible for all the CES kit and stores. This year, he has stepped up to the Transport Manager Assistant (TMA) on numerous occasions throughout the year, covering for the MT NCO. Pte Robinson is the one person in the Sqn and LAD personnel go to for all driver-related tasks and questions. He played an active role in the Station drink driving campaign at Christmas and volunteered his free time to service ssuitability ofqn vehicles prior to exercise.

One evening last year, when Pte Robinson was leaving work, just outside the entrance to RAF Benson, he noticed a civilian HGV had got stuck whilst manoeuvring

on the narrow road. With his vast driving experience and considerate manner, Robinson did not hesitate to offer his assistance to the distressed HGV driver, helping them to free the vehicle.

Pte Robinson doesn’t need to be told if someone is struggling or needs assistance, he is always the first to respond and give his time up - no matter the time of day or at the weekend if required - to help others.”

JHSS is proud to have individuals such as Pte Robinson and Hodges working within the Sqn. They set a strong example, which is aspirational to their peers and promotes the ethos of JHSS: “Together We Deliver”.

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2 Operational Support Group RLC (2OSG) GRANTHAM CO: Lt Col A Chambers • RSM: WO1 M Hobson 2 Operational Support Group RLC (2OSG), despite the COVID-19 pandemic, has enjoyed another extremely busy but rewarding period. The Group has been fortunate to have personnel deployed to many locations supporting Operation RESCRIPT as Military Liaison Officers for the NHS and in support roles for Standing Joint Command. Due to the hard work and dedication of the training team, most routine training has now been adapted and transferred onto online training platforms. Delivering digital training packages in a National Unit has proved a challenging task but it has received a very positive response and kept everyone fully engaged and current for their specific roles.

The Group, including 500 Comms Troop, have been able to take part in field exercises within the UK at local and multinational levels, including Exercise LOYAL LEDA 20.

In the autumn, the Group deployed a Specialist Logistic Analysis Assessment and Intelligence Team to support the exercise which brings together multinational units from across Europe and North America. This key NATO exercise helps to validate the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

The Group was fortunate to be able to hold a face-to-face Annual Continuous Training (ACT) between 26 Sept - 4 Oct 20. During this, the Group had the opportunity to run a socially distanced training package on Sexual Offences and Consent Training (courtesy of 3 Royal Military Police), and a captivating ‘Health and Wellbeing’ workshop delivered by Dr Sally Bell, a qualified GP who gave the Unit a very helpful presentation on keeping both the mind and body fit.

Recruiting With the restrictions on attending events, the Recruit, Retention and Mentoring Team had to be creative in keeping the channels open for Service leavers who wanted more 64

information on joining the Army Reserve. With help from the British Forces Resettlement Services, the Group was able to create a ‘virtual recruiting stand’ online which saw over 4,000 Service leavers and other individuals looking at transferring to, or joining the Unit.

Promotion and awards The Group would like to congratulate WO2 Steven Allison and WO2 Justin Bancroft (RSWO) who have both been selected for promotion to WO1. Congratulations must also go to Ptes Tim Shaw and Maria Timson on passing their Defence Train the Trainer course.

Well done to the RSM who was awarded a ‘Commander Standing Joint Command (UK) Commendation’ in the 2021 New Year Honours list.

Welcomes and farewells The Group would like to welcome the new Commanding Officer, Lt Col Andrew Chambers and wish him all the very best in his new appointment with 2OSG. On the same token, the Group bade farewell to the outgoing Commanding Officer, Lt Col Aidan Hoey and wished him well in his new post at 77 Brigade. The Group is also losing the Senior Permanent Staff Instructor, WO2 Alistair Booton, who leaves after seven

8 Deputy Commander 104 Logistic Support Brigade with the Chief Instructor of the Labour Support Course

years at Grantham and on completion of 24 years Colour Service. Finally, the Group would like to take this opportunity to say a collective farewell to Sgts Paul Finnemore and Anthony Durose who both leave to take up positions with other units.

Future On reflection, 2020 proved to be one of the most demanding and difficult years the Group has endured to date, but it showed that it can still deliver excellence and professionalism. In 2021, 2OSG will be working hard to ensure that training will continue to be delivered to the same high standards either virtually or, if practical and safe to do so, on a face-to-face basis.

8 2OSG RLC is a Nationally recruited unit based in Grantham which offers real time roles supporting 104 Logistic Support Brigade, HQ ARRC, Labour Support and Contract Management across the Field Army and communications support to the Army Medical Services (Reserve) Field Hospitals.

For further information, call the RRMT on 0115 957 3137.

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OTHER UNITS | THE SUSTAINER

20 Transport Squadron The Royal Logistic Corps LONDON OC: Maj M Pasalk • SSM: WO2 B Griffiths Undoubtedly 2020 has been a challenging year for us all and it has been no different for 20 Squadron. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected normal bonding and work routines and this can especially be felt in the congested London area. In order to keep each other safe, and in line with Force Health Protection guidelines, Sqn routine simplified to key physical training, exercises and driver training, whilst continuing to deliver for London District, MOD Main Building and the Royal Household.

To adapt efficiently in the current environment, the Sqn has been operating in a dispersed manner; working from home for those who can, whilst also being on standby to fulfil tasks at short notice when required. The most challenging part has been to ensure that the Sqn is still performing to the high standards expected from it and so far, it has succeeded!

A taste of tasks in London Although COVID-19 had an immense effect on the Sqn’s daily routine, B Troop continued to provide transport and remained flexible. Key outputs have been maintained no matter the situation in London District, including guard changes and support to Buckingham Palace, St James’ Palace, the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. Outside of the public eye, the Troop have been key in the collection and delivery of vehicles for Operation RESCRIPT, moving them to various units around London in support of the deployment of Mobile Testing Units.

Moreover, the Sqn has also provided transport for the District’s bands, allowing them to rehearse at various COVID-19 compliant locations around the city for the upcoming ceremonial season.

Furthermore, the Sqn has continued to support units on range days, training exercises as well as those returning from the Falkland Islands.

A Troop Commander and WO2 Ian

Winks were deployed at short notice to provide support to the Department for Education in the planning of re-opening schools in the Northwest of England and West Yorkshire after the first lockdown.

This involved ensuring there was enough public transport to support schools whilst maintaining a secure COVID environment. Meanwhile, the team in A Troop continued to provide their stalwart support to MOD Main Building.

Charity and community engagement Three names deserve a special mention: Cpl ‘Blue’ Mckay has been heavily involved in his local community, running a non-profitable charity football club for children aged between 6-18 years old.

The charity provides children with a fun and safe environment to

8 Sgt Emma Russell and her team during the ‘Walking Home for Christmas’ charity event

acquire football skills and also serves as a place for them to interact with their friends. Players have gone on to be scouted and signed to Premier League Football Clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Millwall, Wimbledon and Brighton & Hove.

Sgt Emma Russell led a team of four, walking 24.5 miles for the ‘Walking Home for Christmas’ event being held by charity ‘Walking with the Wounded’. They walked from the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to Sgt Russell’s front door in Oakwood, Derby. It took a total of seven hours to complete in wet, muddy conditions and on testing ground. The team managed to raise funds for an online mental health session for veterans.

Pte Allie Jarward also organised a charity fundraising event for Service personnel in his home country of the Republic of Sierra Leone. The aim was to raise awareness of COVID-19 and to give donations of masks and water to vulnerable ex-servicemen. Well done to all.

8 Cpl ‘Blue’ Mckay with his charity football club

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132 Aviation Supply Squadron Royal Logistics Corps IPSWICH OC: Maj K Desai • SSM: WO2 G Fisher 132 Aviation Supply Squadron RLC, like most units, has been presented with some unique challenges to deal with and a ‘new normal’ to understand as a result of the ongoing pandemic.

The Squadron has nonetheless continued to provide logistic support to enable the Army Air Corps (AAC) Regiments to continue flying. The Sqn has adapted to maintain a functional supply chain despite the measures required to protect the workforce.

The challenge of acceptance of the new E-Model Apache helicopter has been constantly burning in the background with the first airframes arriving in the UK in November. The team at 3 Regiment AAC have been eagerly poised to begin utilising their new state of the art Attack helicopters and 132 Sqn’s work in commissioning a new warehouse to facilitate the issue of Equipment Support Materiel has been instrumental in this process.

The new warehouse (Hangar 1) was opened in Nov and the flow of spare parts has been a continual process, landing in Heathrow Airport from the US and then being transported down to Wattisham to begin being issued to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the workshops.

Despite the warehouse being predominantly run by Kuehne & Nagel subcontractors, 132 Sqn has remained influential in the smooth running of the process and maintaining the operational output and account management. It is going to be a very busy period

Pack (DSP) to Norway in support of Exercise CLOCKWORK. Cpl Paul Walker and LCpl Connor Davies subsequently travelled to Bardufoss to conduct the Cold Weather Survival Course (CWSC) in order to prepare them for their deployment to the Arctic Circle in January. Having both now deployed, the exercise has commenced with Attack helicopters now practising manoeuvres in sub-zero conditions.

8 The Sqn took part in the Movember Foundation event to raise money for charity

through to 2024 with 132 Sqn now taking up multiple roles and managing two of the highest value accounts in the British Army at circa £650M and growing. The soldiers in the Sqn continue to be recognised for all their endeavours and recently three members, Sgt Andy Warnock, Cpl Cherbie Lubin and Pte MD Iftekher Ahmed were rewarded with Commanding Officer’s Coins for their continued efforts in a range of tasks.

Exercise support 132 Sqn has maintained its commitment to deployed support to the AAC. Cpl Kwadwo Opong Poku and Pte Nathan Taylor both deployed to RAF Leeming in support of 4 AAC’s enduring commitment to MAB support. This exercise saw helicopters launch from North Yorkshire to support several intense training serials in Scotland. The Sqn also saw the deployment of a Deployable Spares

Charity work Numerous members of 132 Sqn took it upon themselves to raise money for charities that have been hit hard by the pandemic. The most notable efforts saw Captain James Kelly take a team of soldiers from Wattisham Station down to Liverpool Street Station as part of the London Poppy Day appeal. His work, in conjunction with a team from 16 Air Assault Brigade, saw the station raise a total of £18,000 in 12 hours for the Royal British Legion (RBL). Cpl Chris Clelland conducted a tab, run and cycle in support of his friend who became a quadriplegic as a result of COVID-19 complications and he raised an impressive £22,000. The Sqn also contributed their efforts to the Movember Foundation with some hideous moustaches, but all for a great cause. The winner, Sgt Andy Setterfield earnt a day as the OC in return. From charity runs to watt bike challenges, 132 Sqn has managed to raise a grand total of £51,273.14 across 11 different charities since May 2020; an exceptional effort by all involved!

With 2021 now in full swing, 132 Sqn remains poised to deliver support to its dependencies. From exercises in Oman and Estonia to contributions to 1 Aviation Brigade HQ, everyone in the Sqn is eager to tackle new challenges head on and hopefully return to a level of normality not seen in months.

8 Sgt Warnock, Cpl Lubin and Pte Ahmed with their Commanding Officer’s Coins

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Defence Munitions (DM) Kineton Station TEMPLE HERDEWYKE CO: Lt Col J N Williams • RSM: WO1 M Banks Whilst much of the Corps has been supporting the NHS in delivering vital supplies to help contain the transmission of COVID-19, DM Kineton has seen an increase in output not experienced since the days of Operation TELIC and Operation HERRICK. The additional measures implemented in Kineton Station for COVID-19 have seen the department for Design, Development and Prototyping (DD&P) rapidly produce protective screens for Station. DD&P also manufactured and supplied Personal Protection Equipment ancillary items for wearer comfort to local NHS staff.

In normal times, the run up to Christmas would be full of festive cheer and merriment, however, given the national restrictions implemented by the Government, these were somewhat curtailed.

WO2 (SQMS) Nick Gillan orchestrated a breakfast visit for the CO to the cookhouse, this provided the CO with the opportunity to acknowledge some of the Station’s ‘rising stars’ in a COVID-19 safe environment. To name but a few, SSgt Tom Odamtten won the highly coveted award for ‘Best SNCO’, Sgt Graham Wilson won ‘Best Contribution to the Lived Experience’, Cpl Rhys Evans won ‘Best JNCO’ and LCpl Joe Turay won the ‘Best Character Award’. This also provided a perfect opportunity to present the Commanding Officer’s Cup for 2020 which had seen a year-long battle between

8 WO2 (SQMS) N Gillan

8 WO2 R Burnett with the Commanding Officer’s Cup

the Sqns to be the winner. This year, 121 Sqn prevailed and they have been ‘peacocking’ in a socially distanced manner ever since.

The Operations Team in the Regimental HQ have seen a significant shift in how they are doing their day-to-day business.

The requirement to keep a keen eye on all movement within station is now at the forefront of how they work. This has seen SSgt Ron Cameron explore new and innovative ways of presenting the CO with the site attendance statistics as part of the station COVID-19 meetings. Needless to say, his IT skills are now in greater demand across the Station, especially from the Regimental Sergeant Major - a self-confessed luddite. These stats and figures are then communicated to 11 Signal Brigade and Defence Equipment & Support (Abbey Wood) in order to assist with the wider data collection and analysis.

The Sqns within the Ammunition Technical Support Group (ATSG) have now gone into a duty working pattern which sees them split into three separate teams thereby forming working bubbles. The pattern for this is one week in work, one week on standby and one week working from home. The

latter has now turned into a married persons nightmare as there is always a string of domestic chores and DIY projects to be completed that usually could be avoided due to work commitments! However, this isn’t the case for all our married personnel - Cpl Evans bid farewell to his partner who is currently deployed overseas; he is now relishing being the sole employer of the TV remote control and his minimalist choice of loungewear goes unnoticed!

This unprecedented time has also seen some inventive ways to engage in mental health activities.

LCpl Bewley of 121 Sqn has set up ‘Mental Support Sessions’ and has created various networks where he promotes and educates personnel on the importance of mental health awareness. This has proved invaluable to some of the Stations’ soldiers who have been affected by the current pandemic.

The Sqns were also afforded the chance to provide technical support to HQ London District. This opportunity came from the Divisional Ordnance Warrant Officer (DOWO) London District and saw Ammunition Technicians and Suppliers deploy to London and hone their skills and drills. Cpl Greg Rigamoto was so effective in this role that the DOWO even tried to influence him in becoming a DOWO Clerk in the future. Posting Preference Proformas aside, this was an amazing opportunity for the soldiers of DM Kineton to enjoy a new experience and practice the Corps’ Knowledge, Skills and Experiences (KSEs).

8 Cpl Rigamoto helped to provide technical support to HQ London District

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Logistic Support Squadron CLR RM BARNSTAPLE OC: Maj M Murphy • SSM: WO2 T Ormiston At the end of 2020, members of Commando Logistic Support Squadron deployed on 3 Commando Brigade’s routine annual exercise to Norway, Exercise AQUILLA 21. The exercise, where troops learn to operate in what is the world’s harshest environment, enables the Royal Marines and its supporting elements to specialise in mountain and cold weather warfare, as well as reassuring Norwegian allies through integration and combined arms training - strengthening Europe’s northernmost flank.

Initially deploying in November 2020 to facilitate theatre establishment and training, troops learnt how to survive, move and fight in extreme cold weather environments. A favourite of LS Sqn personnel is the survival exercise where they learned to build bivouacs in the forest and to live off the land. Shelters are built from materials found in the woodland, protecting troops from temperatures down to -30°, and the exercise finishes with the infamous ice-breaking drills, which see each individual fully submerse themselves in an icy lake before extracting themselves and their equipment.

Seaton Troop played a key supporting role in this deployment,

8 Troops built shelters out of chopped wood and maintained fires throughout the night to keep everyone warm

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responsible for the waterguard of all materiel deployed by the entire Brigade. This procedure ensures that stores are protected for their journey by sea to Norway and are compliant with international dangerous goods and customs regulations. The Troop processed thousands of packages in over 100 containers, ranging from vehicles, spares, weapon systems, water and rations.

The beginning of 2021 saw Seaton Tp begin its transition to ‘Operate’ Troop, taking over Ajax Troop as the lead for supporting elements of the Brigade during deployments. This involves an extensive handover of accounts, vehicles and equipment, as well as conducting ranges, kit checks and a plethora of qualifications and courses to make them fully employable in support of the new Littoral Response Group.

Dieppe Troop has been busy continuing to develop new fuel concepts to support the Future Commando Force. Tests are ongoing with developmental equipment, including pop-up bunds, portable storage solutions and new fuel testing suites. In the background, members of the Troop have been instructing a Pre-Class 1 course, passing on their knowledge to the wider trade which has reaped some good results, with the first 100% pass rate on the course

8 The Cold Weather Warfare Course – troops learnt how to fight in the freezing conditions

entrance test in recent memory.

Members of the Sqn have also deployed across the country to support the NHS as part of the UK Resilience Support Unit. Tough work in difficult times, they have adapted to working in new environments and received high praise from hospital staff across the south. With no doubt, 2021 will continue to offer up challenges and LS Sqn is ready to step-up to the task.

Pre-Commando Package (PCP) LS Sqn, on behalf of Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines, is a main donor unit for the All Arms Commando Course (AACC). The PCP is a mandatory four-week course that develops both military skills and physical fitness in order to give students the best opportunity to pass the AACC. The PCP is a progressive yet demanding course starting on day one with an eight-mile loaded march carrying 25kgs and the Royal Marine Basic Fitness Test. Candidates should arrive being able to pass both tests within the allotted timeframes. If you feel you have what it takes to earn the coveted green beret and serve in 3 Commando Brigade, contact the Chief Instructor, SSgt Craig Birley at: craig.birley175@mod.gov.uk

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44 Support Squadron Royal Military Academy SANDHURST OC: Maj C Swift • TCWO: WO1 M Regan Sandhurst Support Unit by CO Lt Col Samantha Hull RLC I am thrilled to have broken out of Army HQ to become the next Commanding Officer of the Sandhurst Support Unit. Thanks to Lt Col Chris Boryer MBE RGR for all of his hard work and dedication over the last couple of years. I’m looking forward to getting to know the members of 44 Support Squadron over the next few months and gaining a better understanding of their roles and tasks as a diverse driver and communications sub-unit.

44 Support Squadron by Section 2IC LCpl Ethan Smith 44 Support Squadron RLC has been preparing its junior ranks for Army Leadership Development Programme courses. The training has ensured that the Drivers, Signallers and Mechanics who have been selected from the Sqn are ready for the challenge. Here is what we got up to: The training days focussed on physical robustness, orders extraction and delivery and how to use the All Arms Tactical Aide Memoire (AATAM). The gruelling PT included Command Tasks, a Gun Run and a 1.5km CASEVAC (casualty evacuation). Each soldier was given the opportunity to command during this which was key to test their ability to think when tired and under pressure.

8 Lt Col Samantha Hull RLC, CO Sandhurst Support Unit

8 Learning how to deliver orders (L to R) LCpl Ethan Smith, Sig Bijay Tamang, LCpl Fern Cookson

After some classroom lessons on the AATAM and orders extraction, the learning moved onto model pits, orders and basic tactics. We were

taught how to build model pits - a task that if often assumed knowledge by the time you get to a promotion course. The Sqn 2IC, Capt Thomas Newman, then delivered a set of Platoon Commander’s orders using the model we had prepped.

The evening was ours to prepare and write our own Section Commander’s recce orders, extracting what had been briefed to us. The next day, we dug new models for our orders and delivered them to the OC, Maj Swift, Capt Newman and SSgt Mehar, a Troop Commander of 44 Sqn. For many, this was their first-time delivering orders and was therefore a task of great training value, helping to alleviate many fears of the process.

From there, we rolled into lessons on basic patrolling tactics, including moving into and out of an RV and FRV, obstacle crossing, actions on and contact drills. This culminated in a night-time Recce Patrol on the BAROSSA Training Area which also tested our night navigation.

This extremely useful training has now best prepared the Sqn’s soldiers for their future career courses and their Army careers in general.

8 (L to R) LCpl Ethan Smith, LCpl Hementa Gurung, LCpl Kevin Gamble, LCpl Arjun Gurung during Combat PT

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THE SUSTAINER | EXERCISE

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Exercise SATON SOLENT

By LCpl Chris Mirk From 26 - 30 Oct 20, six members of 11 EOD & Search Regiment RLC participated in Exercise SATON SOLENT, a one-week introduction to sailing exercise on board one of the Joint Services Victoria class yachts based in Gosport. The crew consisted of: Skipper, Captain Stefan Hurst (521 Sqn), Competent Crew, Corporal Lauren Stanford (421 Sqn) and the four willing novices, Lance Corporals Chris Mirk, Kenny Donnelly-Graham, Jamie Lunt and Hannah Pearcey, all of 521 Sqn. The aim of the exercise was to provide the four novice crew members with some basic sailing knowledge and to use it as a stepping stone to complete their Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Competent Crew Course later in the year. It was also a great opportunity to deliver extra miles for the skipper and first mate to build on their existing qualifications.

The journey began on the Sunday evening with the crew travelling the distance from Edinburgh to Gosport ready to spend the night in Fort Blockhouse where the team enjoyed their last nights sleep on dry land.

The following morning saw the team receive its ‘wet and warm’

8 LCpls Donnelly-Graham, Mirk, Lunt, and Pearcey

8 Sailing into the sun with Cpl Stanford on the helm

gear for the week whilst Joint services Adventurous Sail Training Centre’scompliant (JSASTC) Captain Hurst and Cpl Stanford carried out the last checks on the yacht. Reality began to set in for the team as they realised that living and operating on the yacht for the week was going to be interesting in such a small space, even with one less than a full crew of seven!

Hoping to beat the tides, the crew set sail around lunch time on route to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately, the first few hours of sailing saw them battling strong winds with less-than-ideal conditions to learn in, however they arrived safely a few hours later, shortly before dusk and

eagerly awaiting their first meal on the yacht to warm up. Once fed, it was off for a quick leg stretch on land and a visit to the nearest public house.

During the rest of the week, the crew proceeded to visit Lymington, Southampton and Port Solent before finally arriving back in Gosport, covering a total of 85 nautical miles. Each day saw the team grow in confidence as the novices were pushed out of their comfort zones and faced with a challenging first week of sailing; contending with strong winds and large waves, certainly making the experience an exciting yet arduous bout of Adventurous Training. The highlight for many of the crew, including myself, was the challenge of winching the jib sheets. This is normally a dry job, but when the winch is in the ocean, it can be rather wet and difficult!

Overall, the exercise was enjoyed by all, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the ability to do carry-out Adventurous Training was welcomed during such an unprecedented time. Many of the crew have also decided to continue their sailing careers by completing their RYA Competent Crew Course and planning to attend Ex WESSEX EXPRESS. For more information on sailing within The RLC, check out The RLC Sailing Association and Joint services Adventurous Sail Training Centre on Facebook.

8 The crew motoring past Portchester Castle

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8 Major M A Fenwick RAOC/RLC

8 Private Alison Evans

OBITUARIES | THE SUSTAINER Major Matthew Fenwick passed away suddenly at home on the 27 May 2020 with his wife Sue at his side. Born in Hamburg in 1954 and was brought up in an English/German speaking household.

Educated at St Hughes Preparatory School and St Edmunds College, Hertfordshire, Matt completed his education at Welbeck College, before going on to Sandhurst. He was commissioned in 1972. Postings to Germany were a prominent feature in his career, including FOD Dulmen, the Vehicle Depot Recklinghausen, JHQ Rheindahlen and NATO HQ in the Netherlands. Assignments to British Forces Cyprus and British Gurkhas Nepal (BGN) in Kathmandu spiced things up a little!

The years were interspersed with time spent as OC Petroleum Platoons, OC Petroleum Depot West Moors, OC Vehicle Depot Ashchurch and at Army HQ Andover.

The family made Salisbury their home for twenty-five years. Matt saw his share of the action, which included two tours to Northern Ireland in the 1970s. In 1982 when Matt was serving with 9 Ord Bn, he deployed on the Falklands Task Force as 2IC of the logistics company. Joining 5 Bde, he sailed from Southampton on the QE2, having learnt the intricacies of 3 Cdo Bde’s petroleum system over the long weekend before. Matt established the initial bulk and pack petroleum farm, although this was

complicated by the loss of much technical equipment on the Atlantic Conveyor. He established the vital role of refuelling the brigade and task force helicopter squadrons using the concept of Air Portable Fuel Containers (APFC) which had not previously been used in Army roles. In October 1990 Matt found himself on Op GRANBY. His destination was Al Jubail port, eventually moving forward to Iraq and Kuwait as SO2 Combat Supply.

Matt enjoyed the camaraderie and lifelong friendships that Army life brings. He was passionate about adventure training and his first expedition was a cross country adventure by road to Iran as a young subaltern. In 1999 his expertise was called upon for the Tri Service Millennium Expedition ‘Himalayan Dragon’. Matt relished the opportunity of the logistical challenge and also the chance to spend time in Nepal.

On retirement Matt worked for a Danish company operating a large petroleum facility at the airport in Kabul. After two years he changed direction and became a consultant for Oil Spill Response Ltd in Southampton, establishing standard operating procedures and equipment facilities worldwide. In 2013 Matt retired again and with Sue, travelled extensively. He is sadly missed by his beloved wife Sue, children Adrian, Helen and Sarah, their families, Sandra, Jason, Andrew and grandchildren Harley, Archie, and Benjamin.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of a young RLC soldier and chef.

Private Alison Evans (26) died after a long battle with cancer on Friday 2nd October 2020. Our thoughts are with her husband Gareth, daughters Isabella and Ellie, family and friends.

Alison was born in Harrogate and joined The RLC in March 2013, completing her Phase 1 training at the Army Training Regiment Pirbright. She then moved to Worthy Down to complete her specialist chef trade training.

Alison’s first assignment was with 21 Signal Regiment based in Colerne where she stayed for a year. Following this she was assigned to The Light Dragoons in Catterick till December 2016 before being posted to 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in January 2017. In her short career, Alison achieved a great deal and was employed in a variety of roles. She spent time working in various military kitchens and messes and displayed operational capability and prowess whilst deployed on exercise. She showed huge potential right from the start and her work ethic and ability ensured she was marked out as a rising star within her peer group. After initially starting as a Chef Class 3 working within the Main Kitchen environment, she

completed her NVQ Level 2 in Catering and Hospitality which upgraded her to Chef Class 2, again, a role where she displayed great potential and received a recommendation for promotion as a result.

Throughout her service, Alison was held in extremely high regard by her peers and superiors alike. She consistently proved herself to be hard working, trustworthy, loyal and professional, thriving on responsibility and always producing results of the highest standard.Well-mannered, polite and very popular, Alison was always a valued and respected member of any team within which she worked. Her strong team ethic also ensured she enjoyed and excelled at Hockey, Netball and Basketball.

She was funny and friendly and very much loved by her family and friends. In adversity, she showed incredible courage and strength to face her battle with cancer head on, she fought every step of the way. Alison and Gareth had two beautiful daughters, Isabella and Ellie. She was an incredible wife and fantastic mother. Alison made a huge impact in her relatively short career being highly effective and enormously talented in all areas and her loss is felt hugely by her family, the Corps and the Army.

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LAST POST Anderson - On 9 November 2020 Mr J W Anderson RAOC Andrew - In November 2020 Mr JH Andrew RCT Antcliff - On 30 October 2020 Mr A Antcliff RAOC Bellamy - On 27 November 2020 Mr K Bellamy RAOC Boucher - On 28 August 2020 Maj B J Boucher RAOC Brierley - On 26 January 2021 Mr S Brierley MBE RAOC Briggs - On 4 September 2020 Mr D Briggs RAOC Brooker - On 19 December 2020 Mr P Brooker RCT Brown - On 30 August 2020 Brig E H Brown late RAOC Brown - On 5 January 2021 Mr D Brown RCT Brown - On 7 January 2021 Mr J Brown RAOC Bruce - On 1 February 2021 Mr R Bruce RAOC Burrell - On 5 December 2020 Mr D Burrell RAOC Cail - On 8 December 2020 Lt Col H H Cail OBE RAOC Cartwright - On 20 February 2021 Mr K Cartwright RAOC Cook - On 1 December 2020 Col J F G Cook late RAOC Cowell - On 1 August 2020 Col G F V Cowell OBE late RAOC Cross - In May 2020 Mr C Cross RASC/RCT Davy - On 14 December 2020 Mr M Davy RASC Ditchfield - On 4 November 2020 Mr A Ditchfield RASC Dodworth - On 26 January 2021 Col C P Dodworth late RAOC Dunn - On 10 October 2020 Mr GB Dunn RASC Edwards - On 25 November 2020 Col R Edwards late RAOC Evans - On 15 September 2020 Mr S Evans RAOC Fenwick - On 27 May 2020 Maj M A Fenwick RAOC/RLC Fitzgerald - On 31 January 2021 Mr K Fitzgerald RAOC Fongwa - On 19 April 2020 Pte Njoh Fongwa RLC Franks - On 2 September 2020 Maj R L Franks RAOC Futrell - On 1 November 2020 Col A C Futrell late RAOC Gilleard - On 13 November 2020 Mr P Gilleard RCT Gillett - On 3 July 2020 Lt Col CA Gillett TD RASC/RCT Goodson - On 18 February 2021 Maj E C Goodson RAOC Greenwood - In January 2021 Mr KA Greenwood RASC/RCT Hadlow - On 18 February 2021 Maj B Hadlow RASC/RCT Harper - On 13 December 2020 In Pensioner R Harper RAOC Head - On 28 January 2021 Maj J K Head RAOC Hesketh - On 27 December 2020 Mr D W Hesketh RAOC Hill - On 7 December 2020 Mr DV Hill RCT/RLC/SAS Hobday - On 21 September 2020 Maj M E Hobday RAOC/RLC Hopping - On 7 December 2020 Mr KP Hopping MBE RASC/RCT Hurst - On 4 January 2021 Cpl Paul Hurst RLC Hylands - On 19 November 2020 Mr F Hylands RCT Jackson - On 13 February 2021 Lt Col (QM) DJ Jackson RCT/RLC Jones - On 31 July 2020 Mr G Jones RAOC Kavanagh - On 17 September 2020 Capt C J Kavanagh RAOC Kenyon - On 17 September 2020 Mr C Kenyon RAOC Lowthorpe - On 6 August 2020 Mr G M Lowthorpe RAOC Lucas - On 27 August 2020 Maj H D Lucas RAOC Lund - On 16 February 2021 Mr D Lund RAOC MacDonald - On 20 November 2020 Maj G MacDonald RAOC

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Martin - On 3 December 2020 Mr HJ Martin RASC Massey - On 18 January 2021 Lt Col JB Massey RASC/RCT Mathews - On 26 January 2021 Col R Mathews late RAOC McCulloch - In February 2021 Mr G McCulloch RCT McEnhill - In December 2020 Mr B McEnhill RASC/RCT McKinven - On 20 January 2021 Mr M McKinven RCT McNaught - On 14 September 2020 Mr A McNaught RAOC Metson - On 27 December 2020 Mr AR Metson RCT/AAC Moor - On 7 January 2021 Mr SJ Moor RASC/RCT Noble - On 18 February 2021 Mr AE Noble RASC Nordmann - On 22 November 2020 Maj P Nordmann RASC/RCT Northcott - On 7 November 2020 Mr R I Northcott RAOC Oakley - On 24 September 2020 Mr D Oakley RAOC Page - On 11 January 2021 Brig M B Page MBE late RAOC Page - On 18 January 2021 Mr F Page RCT Pain - On 7 September 2020 Col A W E Pain MBE late RAOC Panks - On 1 January 2020 Mr P Panks RCT Payne - On 4 March 2021 WO1 Jonathan Payne RLC Peacocke - On 29 November 2020 Mr R L Peacocke RAOC Peterson - In December 2020 Lt Col NV Peterson RCT/RLC Pickett - On 6 January 2021 Mr J Pickett RAOC Powney - On 22 August 2020 Mr J Powney RAOC Rae - On 25 November 2020 Mr A Rae QRIH/RAOC/RLC Ramsbottom - On 12 October 2018 Mr P Ramsbottom RAOC Ransom - On 8 February 2021 Mr L Ransom RASC Rose - On 24 November 2020 Maj M J Rose RAOC Sharp - On 19 August 2020 Mr W Sharp RAOC Sharrocks - On 5 December 2020 Mr TO Sharrocks RASC Simmons - On 14 December 2020 Brig JK Simmons late RASC/RCT Skitt - In September 2020 Mr W Skitt RCT Stewart - On 10 October 2017 Capt R M Stewart RAOC Sutton - On 22 January 2021 Mr T Sutton RAOC Sweatman - On 27 December 2020 Mr J Sweatman RAOC Taylor - On 2 April 2019 Mr J Taylor RASC Timmins - On 6 January 2021 Cpl David Timmins QGM RLC Tomkins - On 26 February 2021 Capt Marissa Tomkins RLC (VR) Turnbull - On 20 January 2020 Maj JC Turnbull TD RASC/RCT Turnbull - On 20 January 2021 Maj JC Turnbull RASC/RCT Turner - On 4 February 2021 Mr W Turner RAOC Venables - On 29 September 2020 Mr R Venables RAOC Wardle - On 26 March 2020 Capt S D Wardle TD RAOC Warner - On 17 December 2019 Mr T Warner RAOC Webb - On 28 December 2020 Mr B Webb RAOC Webster - On 29 January 2021 Lt Col F N Webster RAOC Webster - On 5 December 2020 Mr J Webster RAOC Welford - On 22 June 2020 Mr R Welford RASC Whitley - In September 2020 Mr T Whitley RASC/RCT Williams - On 4 September 2020 Mr I Williams RAOC Worsfold - On 31 January 2021 Mr DJ Worsfold RASC/RCT Wright - On 17 September 2020 Lt Col J B Wright RAOC Wynn - On 9 September 2020 Lt Col J H Wynn RAOC Young - On 18 September 2020 Maj D R Young RAOC Young - On 20 December 2020 Maj J R Young RAOC

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