that done and the dust settled, we could carry on the normal day to day life of supporting an extremely busy operational regiment such as ours. Normality hit with a bang in the form of a Combined Arms Inspection Week (CAW). This consisted of a number of brigade staff, all subject matter experts in their own field, coming to Windsor to have a look at most departments to ensure standardisation and efficiency of accounts. For the QM’s Dept, that meant a load of RLC punters crawling around the QM’s and the RQ’s office with their ‘hangers-on’ inspecting the stores and stocks. LCoH Broxholme in the Accommodation store and LCpl Elder in Clothing batted them off and proved to be water tight as expected. With all questions answered and everything scrutinised, we came away with a welldeserved ‘Green’ pass. Having only just converted to MJDI, I must congratulate all concerned and thank them for their efforts in the build up to the inspection.
Crowfoot which is still as basic and welcoming as ever. A mixed bag of QM and QM(T) personnel came together to support the HCR OPFOR BG. After a good ‘Blue Red Blue’ handover from the Scots Guards we cracked on, with all in the mixed department working tirelessly to keep the various sub-units rolling. It was a productive couple of months with LCoH Rose sending what
The summer saw the regiment deploy to BATUS for Ex PRAIRIE STORM 3. Some might remember these large Battlegroup exercises as Medicine Man, but believe me when I tell you nothing much changes, especially Camp
must have been half of Walmart back to the UK in the post! We forward to 2015. We should start to see the first plans for the camp rebuild to accommodate SCOUT SV (the CVR(T) replacement) and begin to visualise what Combermere Barracks will look like in the future. A good time to be QM at HCR.
The Quartermaster’s Dept 2014
Quartermaster (Equipment) Department by Captain A C Gardner, The Blues and Royals
R
eturning from Op HERRICK 18 at the end of 2013, the Department was in need of some well earned rest. This was certainly welcome by all and we knew that as we headed towards 2014 new challenges would be afoot. Of new challenges, the first and most welcome of these would be the arrival of the 1st Line Optimisation team. A team of four headed up by SSgt Lutunatabua, better known as ‘LT of the RLC’. For those old and bold from the G4 World,
LCoH Rose and LCpl Abdulahi conducting First Aid training on a dummy
this is the old Logistic Support Team (LST) that was requested in the past to support the Regiment on larger Exercises, now permanently integrated within the Regiment. The RLC Soldiers couldn’t have arrived at a better time for the Regiment as we marched onward to the major business change of MJDI. Conversion to the new Stores accounting system took place in March and we said our farewells to the UNICOM System. Alongside this major change, which had a considerable impact on our working days and nights, we had to implement the 2D Barcoding of all our serialised equipment so they can be read by a scanner. (Not that we have the said scanner as yet!) If this was not busy enough, the Standards Parade kept the Department going, ordering vehicles, spray-painting and preparing for the Parade in May. SCpl Davies had a grip on this situation before leaving us for the Falkland Islands. In June, the Department deployed with the Squadron on CT1 Training in Bordon, before deploying forward to Westdown Camp to support the Squadrons as they conducted training and troop tests on SPTA.
controlled humidity environment hangers at Ashchurch. This alongside the Equipment Care and Logistic Support Inspections. (Who said G4 is not Sexy!) Again the team, led by SSgt LT and CoH Bond, had to step up to the mark to ensure the Regiment’s good name was maintained. We weren’t disappointed achieving Green grades throughout. No mean feat with the amount of activity that was happening on every front. At the end of the month, the Regiment were in Castlemartin once more for Gun Camp. Over this three week period the Department provided the Real Life Support, with Tpr Green deploying forward and Pte Evans controlling the forward movement of spares.
The month of July saw the return of D Squadrons 235 Fleet of CVR’T into the
August hasn’t stood still either with the majority of the Regiment deploying
A2 Echelon set up on CT1 Training
Household Cavalry Regiment ■ 21