Household Cavalry Regiment
Diary of Events Our first event of the year was the visit of 36 Defence Attaches in mid January and, as always, they were an extremely appreciative group who appeared to much enjoy the opportunity to meet our soldiers and tour the Barracks. A particular feature of the visit, and one that made it all the more interesting, was that some of the visitors were representing new independent states of the former USSR. In January we were also visited by The Colonel of The Life Guards, A Squadron conducted a 24 hour escape and evasion exercise and all SHQs deployed on a two day communications exercise. During the last week in January the Regiment held an inter—squadron boxing championship, the last major event to be held in our old Gymnasium before it was demolished in April.
Foreword by Lieutenant Colonel W R Rollo, The Blues and Royals, Commanding Officer. y predecessor, Lieutenant Colonel Falkner, closed his Foreword with the statement that the Regiment was in good shape for anything that the future might hold. 1 January 1995 finds more than half the Regiment deployed on operations with the UN in Bosnia, with the remainder at reduced notice to move prepared to join them. As I write we are planning to implement the latest of a long line of ceasefires, deploying the bulk of the Regiment’s troop leaders on to the Serbian side of the lines as Liaison Officers, while the non~commissioned officers will take their troops across and along the Confrontation Lines. It is snowing hard. At this stage the future of the ceasefire has to be uncertain. What is
certain is that Lieutenant Colonel Falkner’s comments were entirely cor— rect, and that the Regiment was, and is, in excellent shape for anything that the
Lieutenant Colonel W R Ro//o
future might hold. For the next four months the Regiment’s main effort will be in Bosnia. Thereafter our attention will be refo« cused on our principal role of providing the armoured reconnaissance regiment for 3 (UK) Division. This is not to imply that life will be dull, although it may lack
Bosnia’s complete absence of certainty. 3 (UK) Division will have a dual role in
that it belongs to both NATO’s ACE Rapid Reaction Corps, and to the newly formed UK Joint Rapid Deployment Force, the land element of which might initially be based on S Airborne and 3 Commando Brigades. At a lower level the MoD is considering adding an armoured reconnaissance element to the Spearhead Battalion Group, which is permanently at a reduced notice to move. In essence the Regiment will have a very high chance of being involved in any operation in which British troops are deployed, anywhere in the world. Training for this role should be simi-
larly varied. Squadrons will deploy with each of 3 (UK) Division’s brigades on field training, including airborne and amphibious exercises, all in anticipation
of a major airborne and amphibious exercise in the USA in 96. In addition, we plan to send a squadron to Belize for jungle training, to conduct a further exchange with the Royal Canadian Dragoons, with whom we have worked closely in Bosnia, and to extend our affiliation with 3 Commando Brigade to include an Arctic training season. The aim will be to produce a cadre of soldiers within the Regiment who have experience ofevery environment within which we are likely to operate. We should then be able, with a minimum of cross posting, to produce a squadron which can train itself to work anywhere at very short notice. In the meantime we have continued to have above average pass rates for parachute training, and have recently had our first successes for some time in selection for 22 SAS.
always Providence may help those who help themselves.
If we can make our
training interesting and exciting enough (and with the programme planned we should have no difficulty with that) retention
should
be
no
problem.
Recruiting will be more difficult.
We
clearly need to start by reviewing our existing arrangements. However, in out—
In mid February the Regiment deployed to Salisbury Plain for two weeks’ squadron training. As so often happens, the weather took a turn for the worse as we deployed and although it was sufficiently cold for snow, the ground remained extremely soft and muddy. Indeed, the low lying areas 0fthe Plain were so bad that Major Onslow’s Landrover was nearly lost in a sea of mud. Despite these conditions and the limited visibility, which led at least one troop leader several miles outside the southern perimeter, the training was a success and we managed to conduct a
In May the new Adjutant, Captain
Tarling,
from
Captain
Squadrons. On 5th June three members of the Regiment (CoH Coles, LCoH Tovell and LCoH Matthews) together with Colonel Ellery, took part in the D Day commemorative parachute jump. It Normandy Memorr‘a/ D Day parachute drop.
5 June 7 994. Col E/lery, CoH Co/eman, LCoH Stevenson,LCoH Tove/l, LCoH Matthews.
was an extraordinary and memorable experience for them all, particularly so for those who were met on the dropping zone by veterans who had landed there
short competition in which we concentrated on crew skills. Also during February, A Squadron deployed on Exercise NORTHERN CRUSADE with
fifty years earlier.
5 Airborne Brigade and we conducted a Junior NCOs’ cadre course.
Holbrook, took over from WOI Sackett and the Regiment held an
In March we formed a composite troop under the command of Lt Avis to take part in the VERDI 2 trials (see separate article later in this Journal) and B Squadron deployed on the l Meehanised Brigade FTX, Exercise FIRST CRU» SADE. At the end of March we provided
In June we conducted a JNCOs’ cadre course, the new RCM, WOI
interesquadron athletics meeting and a cricket competition. June also saw the beginning of our Bosnia preparations
support to The Year of the Yeomanry Parade during which we accommodated some 800 Yeomen and women in Combermere Barracks.
At
the
beginning
of April
D
Squadron departed for Canada for a
Op Grapp/e Reece » Split August 1994. D Squadron Leader, Second rn Command,
Commandr’ng Of/cer and Quartermaster three week exchange with the Royal with B Squadron conducting a GRAP~ Canadian Dragoons based at Petawawa.
line we aim to commit the whole
At the same time we received their
Regiment to a recruiting drive in the
Reconnaissance Squadron who spent an
autumn, if possible in conjunction with
enjoyable stay here before returning to
the Mounted Regiment, and based on a
Canada for a further month of exercis-
PLE training exercise on Salisbury Plain. In July B Squadron continued its training with live firing and A Squadron took
part
in
Exercise
PEGASUS
STRIKE, a S Airborne Brigade exercise on Salisbury Plain.
combined Household Cavalry Summer
ing. During the exchange we were visit—
Camp. In the meantime I would be grate-
ed by the Commanding Officer of the
ful if all who read this, of any generation,
Royal Canadian Dragoons and by their
were to aim to produce at least one high
Colonel, Major General Clive Milner
quality recruit for the Regiment in 1995
who, as UN Commander in Cyprus a
that we would be deploying our first
— and thereafter!
few
squadron in August, the second squadron in November and a further
years
earlier,
had
several
The future is therefore, as always,
command. Also in April — a troop from
full of uncertainty, variety and challenge.
A Squadron deployed on Ex DYNAM—
Bosnia dominated the second half of 1994 particularly when it became clear
squadron in early 1995. Because the composition ofa Bosnia squadron was to
It is also an immensely interesting and
IC IMPACT, a NATO exercise in
be significantly different from a normal
exciting time in which to soldier e and,
Sardinia, and the Regiment conducted
for those with the drive and energy to
Troop Tests on Salisbury Plain. GW
reconnaissance squadron, the Commanding Officer decided to nomi-
enjoy it, a great time to be a Household
Troop, A Squadron won the competi—
Cavalryman.
tion but only after a recount!
the Union. There are many reasons for this, not least the residual effects of recruit capping. However, successful recruiting and retention will this year, be the key to the Regiment’s future. As
over
ducted Annual Firing for B and C
Household Cavalry squadrons under There is, however, one small black cloud on the horizon. We will be understrength this year for the first time since
took
Woodward, Command Troop went adventure training in Devon and we con-
nate three squadrons for deployment with the fourth providing a troop to each
Household Cavalry Regiment Household Cavalry Regiment