a mix of sorts with barely half the troop composed of the valiant members of B Sqn HCR and the rest coming from all over. Close to home LCpl McGoldrick of 2 Yorks gave us our fill of Northern pessimism and Cpl Nicholas, 1 RW, a hint of Welsh logic. The gaggle of Sgt ‘Scouce’ Kerray, Cpl Walker and Spr Richards from 28 Engr Reg paid such diligence to their technical skills to be the only vehicle in the troop to maintain a scolding hot BV heater for brews for the entirety of the six months. Further afield from the depths of the Himila yas, LCpl Limbu, while most likely a master of jungle warfare and Shao-Lin trained, kukhri fighting expert, thought it better to grace us with his erratic driving techniques. Instead the knife skills were left to 2 Troop’s answer to Jamie Ol iver, LCpl Waisele, with his own take on Kentuckey Fiji-ed Chicken. LCoH Butchard spent most of his time clearing up Officer’s Admin (Capt Bourne-Taylor). The old stalwarts such as LCpl Parry provided the Cavalry wisdom and Tpr ‘Dobby’ Morris, well he just provided…. The glue that would bond this rabble together came in the form of CoH ‘Luggs’ Allwood who, with the occasional angry turn, but otherwise thor oughly charming, led from experience and won the hearts of his men. Oh, and who could forget Gdsm Bennett? If you ever need anything shot, with any weapon system you chose, he’s your man. As I’ve already vastly exceeded my word limit our summary of events will have to be to the point. PDT good…. HERRICK 11 much, much better.
Rather than start with selfcongratula tory and very insightful look in to the Three troop inception, I’ll cut to the chase. Commanded by Captain Andy Breach and Sgt Stewart Cain from Recce Platoon, 2 Yorks, as with the rest of the BRF, our strength is definitely in our diversity. LCpl Hall adds his laid back Jamaican flavour, as well as ensuring the Troop commander’s admin is relatively done and Trooper Stock a lways manages to raise morale with his dour South London comments. LCoH Ridge still struggles to read a map and recently promoted LCpl Sedgewick has brought his considerable Afghan experience to bear. Trooper McNiell’s erratic and al most constant laughter ensures there is never a dull moment and when there is, fills it with his Yam Yam ramblings. Not having quite adopted the Household Division dress standards, LBdr Askew manages to astound with his ability to look so much scruffier than anybody else. Also recently promoted, LCpl Castle’s medical skills have been put to good use, thankfully not too often so far. Trooper Hopper loves his GPMG and it would seem, can never carry enough ammunition. The Three troop entry wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Team Sapper, Sgt Fox, Cpl Barnicoat and Sapper Hosegood, who always provide a Gerber, hot brew and continue to want to blow stuff up. 4 Troop commanded by Lt MackayLewis, since its formation has grown from strength to strength. CoH Quick fall, using his charismatic and proactive approach, has been the driving Sqn Ldr, LCoH Bradbury and Cpl Williams
12 ■ Household Cavalry Regiment
force throughout pre-deployment training and the tour so far. LCoH North and LCoH Woodgate have both added their fair share of experience and knowledge to the mix, making sure that the troop was ready for the different roles and environments we’ve encountered so far. The latter also ensuring that he set the standard of how ‘ali’ to look in the field. LCpl Thapa who bravely fought off snakes during Ex Kalahari Thorn has continued to show such courage and hold up the fearsome reputation of the Ghurka’s. LCpl’s Collinson, Gardyne and Rincon are all BRF veterans and have been the bedrock of the troop, not only providing solace and morale, but also that much needed sniper cover during the slightly more sticky moments of the tour. Tprs Ross and Coul son, who between the two always seem to carry the largest of weapons, have fair ed far better being mounted on Jackals rather than Horses. And then there’s the infamous SAS-MAC (Tpr McAuliffe), I’d need say no more. A slight late comer to the troop, Tpr O’Callaghan brought with him, that suburban Slough slang when the occasion called for it. Also originals Riflemen Rawson and Mir, adding their infantry expertise, and regularly paying tribute to their regimental motto ‘Swift and Bold’. And finally last but not least, Fus Lee, our representative from the valleys, who added that slightly more laid back attitude to the party. 4 Troop BRF has performed to an extremely high standard since their formation. There are a lot of memories and sadness that the BRF must disband at the end of Op Herrick 11. However, all good things must come to an end.