SOLDIER

MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH ARMY

JULY 2011
3.50
THE SHAPE OF
SUCCESS
28 Elite equipment
Apache clocks up 100,000 flying hours
33 Simulated combat cell
Preparing for war in virtual-reality bubble
37 Kit conveyor belt
Rapid reissue braces troops for battle
41 Inside story
Intelligence experts give Helmand heads-up
45 Dogged pursuit
Pooches hound-out IED threats
48 Ready to fire
Gunners perfect skills for Herrick tour
50 Driving ambition
Wagons roll on new proving area
54 Ground force
Soldiers go green on road to recovery
87 SoldierSport

Regulars
7 The Informer
57 Talkback
66 Bullet points
69 Home truths
78 Movies
80 Games
82 Music
84 Books
98 Final word

in this issue
50
Cover picture (left): The Apache attack
helicopter is a worthy emblem of the British
Army's ongoing success Picture: Steve Dock
Background image: Cpl Robin Ardis (RAVC)
and arms explosive search dog Travis are
guaranteed a warm reception from troops
thanks to their life-saving skills (pages 45-47)
Picture: Graeme Main
87
48
JULY 2011 Vol 67/7
SOLDIER
41
Est 1945 incorporating the
Territorial Army Magazine
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SOLDIER is published by the Ministry of Defence
and printed by Wyndeham (Roche) Ltd. Print contract
managed by Corporate Document Services (CDS).
CROWN COPYRIGHT 2011
Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily
those of the British Army or the Ministry of Defence.
A
S government ministers stake their political
careers on emphasising withdrawal
deadlines to the UKs media, it can be easy
for those of us outside Afghanistan to forget the
nature of daily life there.
So its a welcome relief to offer you a magazine
packed with exciting detail about what will truly
determine a successful Helmand handover
quality equipment and, even more crucially, the
right brains operating it.
One British Army team who can already
quantify their success in this area is the Army
Air Corps, who have marked 100,000 hours
of Apache ying time (pages 28-31). Proudly
chosen to front Julys edition, this
remarkable gunship stands at the
forefront of the Services war-
winning arsenal of equipment.
Training advances in the world
of virtual combat (pages 33-35)
show furthermore that no stone
is being left unturned when
it comes to deploying troops
to an operational theatre in the most effective
way possible. By its very nature, the Army is a
quick-paced organisation: departing Herrick-
bound ights quickly give way to drills within
the landscapes of Otterburn (pages 48-49),
Bovington (pages 50-51) and further aeld.
But amid the haze of pre-deployment training
and forward-planning it is also important to
pause and reect on what is happening in theatre
right now.
To this end, BBC Threes documentary series
Our War has given important insight to myself
and countless other civilians who admittedly
struggle to comprehend the nature of southern
Afghanistans daily challenges.
This programmes makers and with all due
respect to producers I refer to troops here can
feel proud. Your personal on-screen reections
have undoubtedly won you respect from those
who were watching a respect based on empathy
rather than awe.
Our Wars real-time, heat-of-the-moment
helmet footage captured a world that even the
best of magazines would struggle to portray.
At which point (ahem) it would seem timely for
the Soldier gang to indulge in a brief moment of
self-congratulation.
We are truly delighted to have again
been awarded the crown of best internal
magazine in Britain both from the Chartered
Institute of Public Relations
and the Institute of Internal
Communication (page 9).
On scooping the accolade, our
team received a letter from the
Chief of General Staff, Gen Sir
Peter Wall.
Your ability, not only to pass
important information down to
the front line but to reect opinions and concerns
back up, is testament to the honest credibility of
the publication, he told us.
Please get in touch and tell us how we can
continue to serve you all in this way.
In the meantime, I will leave readers to decide
the shape of our Services collective success from
the articles in this issue.
You do the ghting and Ill do the talking,
were the Prime Ministers words about military
leaders last month.
Although daily pressure certainly mounts
on Mr Cameron to ensure our Force meets his
departure date, to say he has the simpler job in
realising this task would be the understatement of
the century. Sarah Goldthorpe, Editor Q
Beyond the world of deadlines
SOLDIER
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 5
It can be easy
for those outside
Afghanistan to
forget the nature
of daily life there

Bit late for your blessing, Padre... save it for the 200,000!
O Elite equipment pages 28-31
Apache joins alliance assault on Gaddas forces
B
RITISH attack helicopters
have been deployed to support
operations over Libya.
Days after their use was approved
by the Prime Minister, the Apache
gunships destroyed two military
installations, a radar site and an armed
checkpoint near Brega.
The MoD said the aircraft, own
by Army Air Corps personnel and
supported by the Royal Navys
response force task group, offered
Nato commanders greater intelligence,
surveillance, target acquisition and
reconnaissance capabilities.
The deployment follows an
agreement by the alliance to extend
military action against forces loyal to
Col Muammar Gadda for another 90
days from the end of June.
Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said:
This was the rst operational mission
own by British Army Apaches at sea.
The minister explained that the
decision to use the helicopters in
support of Operation Ellamy reected
their exibility and very high
readiness for contingency operations
around the world.
The additional capabilities now
being employed by Nato further
reinforce the UKs enduring
commitment to ensure that the people
of Libya are free to determine their own
future, Dr Fox added.
The state-of-the-art aircrafts, which
reached the milestone of 100,000 ying
hours in May (pages 2831), were
tasked to the troubled North African
country from HMS Ocean.
It is hoped the move will send the
message that the UK is determined to
keep up pressure on the Libyan leaders
military forces.
Dr Fox said: With the extension of
Natos operation plan agreed, it is right
to reect on the progress weve made
and what we should do next.
Now is not the time to reduce the
pressure on Col Gadda.
Prime Minister David Cameron told
a news conference that time is on
our side, not on Gaddas side, and
added that enthusiasm for the job was
extremely high among British airmen.
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BRITISH TROOPS GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE ASSET news@soldiermagazine.co.uk
informer T
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 7
QA KEY Nato control centre in the
UK will remain operational after
discussions by ministers about how to
reform allied missions.
The maritime command hub
at Northwood, Hertfordshire, is
responsible for directing various
international deployments, including
counter-piracy missions in the waters
around Somalia.
Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox
said that keeping the headquarters
was a fundamental objective for the
coalition government.
As one of the leading contributors
to allied operations it is only right that
Nato retains a command presence on
British soil, he said.
Army must advance from Afghan-centric stance
8 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
T
HE British Army is facing a
transformational opportunity, a
summit of senior military staff has
been told.
Generals from Britain, the US, China
and other countries spoke about what
the future holds at the Royal United
Services Institutes Land Warfare
Conference in London.
The high-level discussion focused on
how the Army should prepare for the
mid-term target of 2020 and the best
way to work with international partners
in an unpredictable global environment.
In his opening address, the Chief of
the General Staff, Gen Sir Peter Wall,
said: We are approaching in the British
Army a transformational opportunity
that will allow us to shape Land Forces
t for the demands of the 2020s.
But in the decade ahead we do have
to surmount a number of hurdles and
challenges. We have to take the Afghan
campaign to a militarily successful
conclusion, succeed in coping with
whatever the unexpected throws
at us and implement the design of
Future Forces 2020 as laid out in the
recent Defence Review but, of course,
tempered by the nancial realities of
successive programming rounds into
the future.
The head of the Service added
that Afghanistan remains the UKs
main defence effort and the Armys
overriding preoccupation.
The 2014 timeline [] for
transition of the combat role to the
Afghan security forces now gives us a
very clear programming mark against
which to work out what has to happen
successfully between now and then,
he added.
Gen Wall explained that new bilateral
relationships such as the France-UK
treaty are being forged, but emphasised
that threats remain unpredictable.
Wars pick us, we dont pick them,
the senior ofcer said.
Just look at the Arab spring; look
at the global impacts of things that
we would rather were more localised.
And the national response to these
things. The promotion of our values
the aversion to humanitarian crisis,
oppression and potential genocide
means that to a greater or lesser extent
we tend to get involved.
[The conict in] Libya is the latest
reminder of the need for balanced
capability at readiness.
The Chief of the General Staff,
pictured above, was clear on the Forces
need to work in different environments
simultaneously. He said: We do
over this decade in the Army have to
transform ourselves from our current
focus, which is very much Afghan-
centric, to something that gives us a
more broad-based military capability.
Combined arms manoeuvre remains
a part of our repertoire but it has to
be modernised and coupled with our
ability to handle irregular threats.
It also has to take account of
additional dimensions in battle space
for example the cyber domain.
Gen Wall stated that the Service
has become too used to hard-wired
technology and advanced facilities such
as those at Camp Bastion. He added:
We need to transition our thinking to
a more expeditionary psyche where,
in the early days of a campaign, we
will be forced to operate without the
sophistication that weve managed to
grow in to the Afghan landscape.
Another problem highlighted was the
assets that could be needed in future.
The Army has an excellent suite
of equipment at the moment, but it
is specic to the Afghan challenge,
CGS explained. If we look at our core
equipment programme, its rather a
different story.
Closing his speech, a determined Gen
Wall said: We need to shape ourselves
for a world that has recently been
demonstrated, notwithstanding the
way others would wish it to be, to be
fundamentally unpredictable.
We need to grow a contingency
capability that we can be proud of.
In Gen Sir Nick Parkers keynote
speech, the Commander-In-Chief also
spoke about the need to transform.
The former Deputy Commander of
the International Security Assistance
Force is working to ensure the British
Army will be out of combat operations
in Helmand by the end of 2014.
We need to think very carefully about
what the core elements of our capability
are both those which we need to
transfer from our Afghan experience
and others which we need to regenerate
because we have not been practising
them over the past few years, he said.
The commander added that
personnel needed to be taught basic
soldiering to a high level: tness of
mind and body must be inherent.
If we have people who are
concerned, who are troubled, who dont
believe in their chain of command,
then we are not going to have the level
of commitment that we need to bind
together the battlegroup, brigade or
whatever it is.
Gen Parker insisted more work
needed to be done on internet and
cyber warfare.
We do not understand how to
exploit the social networks and the
extraordinary levels of connectivity that
exist out there, he said.
INTERNATIONAL INSIGHT
GEN MARTIN DEMPSEY,
CHIEF OF STAFF, US ARMY
The killing of Osama Bin
Laden was a great moment
in terms of taking out the
leadership of al-Qaeda and
creating difculties for their
organisation.
But there is the undertone
that these types of organisations
are in some ways leaderless, so
I dont know that we have yet
come to understand what his
demise might mean and what it
could spell for the future.
The world is not safer; it
certainly feels more complex
and unpredictable now.
APPROXIMATELY 50 MILLION WORTH OF EQUIPMENT HAS PASSED
THROUGH OUR HANDS AS WELL AS 210,000 WORTH OF SPARES
CAPT GUY THEWLIS (RLC) REFLECTS ON HIS TEAMS TASKING, PAGES 37-39
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 9
A TEAM of Royal Engineers has built a major bridge in Helmand province in less than three hours.
Members of 39 Armoured Engineer Squadron erected the structure in an area being cleared of
insurgents during Op Omid Haft.
Im extremely proud of what the boys have managed to achieve, said commanding officer Maj
Simon Bradley. This bridge will enable our troops to move north of the [Nahr-e Bugrah] canal to
disrupt enemy activity up there.
X-RAY REVOLUTION
Q MEDICAL teams on the front line in
Afghanistan will be equipped with mobile whole-
body scanning technology within months, the
MoD has said.
The cutting-edge kit will give doctors access
to high quality three-dimensional images
and allow them to rapidly x-ray patients and
investigate trauma injuries more thoroughly.
The senior Army ofcer responsible for
bringing the hi-tech equipment into service said
the clinical asset could be introduced to theatre
within seven months.
Col John Abbott added: Lives will be saved
by the addition of this mobile CT scanner as part
of the UKs deployable hospital capability.
This project illustrates how state-of-the-art
medical technology can be sent on operations
and how future eld hospitals may well develop
with properly engineered and integrated complex
treatment systems.
SOLDIER SHINES
Q THIS publication has cemented its standing
as best internal magazine in Britain for a third
successive year.
Experts from the Chartered Institute of Public
Relations crowned the British Armys title at
an awards ceremony last month, praising the
good writing,
striking imagery and
attractive design.
Hot on the heels
of this success
and for the second
year running the
Institute of Internal
Communication
also awarded the same accolade.
Soldier is excellent in every regard and so
superior to other Service and MoD publications,
the judges said. Who are we to argue?
CASH COUNTDOWN
A TIME limit has been set for those claiming
bounty payments after rejoining the Army.
Personnel qualify for the cash sums if they
apply no less than six months and no more
than six years after discharging or transferring
to Reserve. They must also have less than 15
years Service and submit their claim within nine
months of reporting for duty.
Trained re-enlisters need to have served for
six months after completing Phase 2 training in
order to be eligible.
Qualication for a rejoining bounty is subject
to medical grading, character assessment and the
existence of an employment vacancy.
Those who have already returned to the Army
and think they are entitled to money have until
the end of March 2012 to submit a claim.
Former Service personnel interested
in rejoining can apply online at https://
applicationform.armyjobs.mod.uk
Alternatively call 0845 600 8080 or visit your
local Army careers ofce.
NEWS IN BRIEF
W
ORKS by a prominent war artist
embedded with British troops in
southern Afghanistan go on show
at Bonhams auction house in London
this month.
Suffolk-based painter and printmaker
Jules George was stationed with soldiers
from 2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire
Regiment for two months at the start of
last year.
He was based at Shorabak, the
Afghan National Army training site
near Camp Bastion, and visited smaller
bases in the Nad-e Ali district, in a trip
sponsored by the MoD.
All my preconceptions of
Afghanistan were based on what I had
seen in the media, but the reality was
completely different, George said.
The beauty of the landscape
overcast with the shadow of war; the
contrast is simply incredible.
The artist, who lled ve
sketchbooks during the placement,
lived with troops in Helmand. He
accompanied them on foot patrols and
experienced rst-hand the threat of
IEDs. While out on the ground with the
Household Cavalry Regiment in Musa
Qaleh he was caught up in a reght
with insurgents, who had been laying
explosives in the area.
A roadside bomb narrowly missed the
vehicle he was travelling in but hit two
others in the same convoy. There were
no serious casualties.
I tried to convey what it is like
to be on the front line; the fear and
the energy, the camaraderie and
determination of the troops, George
added. It was a huge challenge but one
that has served to sharpen my skills.
I have huge respect for these men
and women.
The exhibition will run from July 22
to August 5. A percentage of the prots
from sold artwork which ranges in
price from 180 to thousands of pounds
will be donated to Combat Stress and
matched by the auction house.
Portraits from the province
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 11
I
MPROVEMENTS are needed to
the education system for military
children, Ofsted has said.
In a report, the watchdog found
problems with school admissions, slow
support for youngsters with special
needs and a lack of awareness of Forces
families requirements.
Inspectors found that many schools
visited had difculty in setting accurate
academic targets for those Service
children who were mobile, to ensure
that they could achieve to their full
potential, the document said.
However, by the end of all key
stages inspectors found that Service
childrens progress was broadly in line
with other pupils whether educated in
English schools or overseas.
The report requested by the MoD
identied that military children were
generally susceptible to social and
emotional disturbance while parents
were on active deployment.
Other shortcomings identied in the
paper included:
O siblings in the same key stage being
sent to different schools because places
were unavailable;
Oyoungsters missing parts of, or
repeating, the curriculum;
Opoor transfer of records between
schools, especially for children with
special educational needs;
Oa general lack of awareness of
Armed Forces families and their
additional needs.
The report, Children in Service
families: the quality and impact of
partnership provision for children in
Service families, said the MoD should
allow greater exibility in family
movement dates to minimise the impact
on childrens education.
Inspectors visited more than 40
schools across England, Germany and
Cyprus, interviewing children, their
parents, school staff and governors.
According to the Department for
Education, Service children make up
about 0.5 per cent of the total school
population in England.
IN MEMORIAM
CPL LLOYD NEWELL
THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT
KIA JUNE 16 AFGHANISTAN
A DEVOTED husband has been killed, nine
weeks after the birth of his daughter.
Paratrooper Cpl Lloyd Newell was
fatally wounded by small-arms re during
operations in Helmand province.
A statement from the MoD described
the Serviceman as a man of integrity and
principle. It said: He was a natural and
talented soldier who loved his work and the
military lifestyle.
Cpl Newell personied the great British
paratrooper seless, humble, cheerful and
utterly reliable. He did his duty, relishing
discomfort as a personal test and always
acting in the greater interests of the team.
The statement added that he had attracted
friends easily and cared deeply for those
around him.
Cpl Newell leaves behind his wife and
young daughter.
BRITISH troops have been helping to keep
one of Afghanistans busiest roads open.
Soldiers from the 9th/12th Royal
Lancers are working alongside the Afghan
National Army (ANA) on Highway One
a crucial route that covers more than
2,000 kilometres and are advising their
counterparts on checkpoint control and
accompanied patrols.
Security of Highway One is critical,
said Maj Simon Doherty, officer
commanding the units C Squadron.
Its like the M1 in the UK; it carries a lot
of traffic.
In the past, insurgents have targeted the
key transport route but regular patrolling
and use of counter-IED units is starting to
have an impact.
The situation has seen a significant
amount of progress, even in the short time
weve been here, said Maj Doherty.
He added that Afghan soldiers were
helping to prevent incidents by carrying
out in-depth patrols among communities
living along the road.
Every kind of patrol needs an Afghan
face, explained Sgt Christopher Liburd,
also from C Squadron. The local
population are more inclined to talk to the
ANA than to us.
School system must try harder
COMBAT CAMEO CALL
Q A CASTING company is looking for extras
with a military background for a feature lm
called World War Z. The agency wants men
aged between 18 and 55 for the movie, which
will be shot in Glasgow in August. Visit www.
castingcollective.co.uk for details.
HERRICK HUMOUR
Q THE BBC plans to air a new sitcom about
bomb disposal units in Afghanistan.
The programme, called IED, will be shown
on BBC Three a channel aimed at younger
audiences. A statement from the broadcaster
said: Its about what people forget; soldiers really
enjoy being soldiers.
ATTITUDES ANALYSED
Q SOLDIERS and ofcers are being invited
to complete an e-survey to identify changing
attitudes in the Army.
Around 1,500 individuals from across the
Service have been asked to ll out 15-minute
online questionnaires every three months.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Success for Helmands highwaymen
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ASPIRING REFEREES WITH THE ARMY FA HAVE A VERY GOOD PROFILE
BECAUSE OF THEIR BACKGROUND, DISCIPLINE AND TRAINING
PREMIER LEAGUE OFFICIAL WAVES THE FLAG FOR THE FORCES, PAGE 95
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 13
Service son tackles Prime Minister
A
N EIGHT-year-old boy has
received a letter from David
Cameron after writing to demand
higher wages for his soldier dad.
Marcus Kipling felt strongly that
his father Sgt Tony Kipling, currently
with The Yorkshire Regiment, deserved
better after spending 21 years in the
Service and ghting for his country.
The youngster put pen to paper to
challenge the Prime Minister on the
issue during an extra tuition class at
Lulworth and Winfrith School in Dorset.
He wrote: I am writing this letter
because I am angry about the wages of
a soldier. I think soldiers who go to war
should get more money in their wages;
they risk their lives for their country.
I get cross when I hear how much
footballers and politicians get paid do
they risk their lives for their country?
Marcus asked the PM why troops
buy their own equipment. He ended by
stating that if Mr Cameron was a good
leader he would answer his questions.
Two months later, Marcus and his
teacher were shocked to receive a
personal reply.
The Prime Ministers letter said: I
agree that soldiers like your dad are
incredibly brave and I am very proud of
all they do for our country to keep us
safe. I also think that it is important that
our soldiers, and their families like you
and your dad, are properly taken care of.
I agree that we should give them the
equipment and support we can we are
always looking at ways we can get better
at this.
Mr Cameron explained that he
has already doubled the amount of
operational allowance given to troops.
His letter concluded: I would not
be happy if I thought we were not
providing your dad with the best
equipment he needs but I do know
that sometimes soldiers like to buy their
own equipment.
Sgt Kipling said he had no knowledge
his son had written the letter, but that
he was extremely proud of Marcus
for having the condence to do it.
South Dorset MP Richard Drax said:
It is fantastic that a boy of this age
should take such an interest good on
him. Sometimes going to war is hardest
on the families left behind who live in
dread of bad news.
SHORTCOMINGS SHARED
Q MOD programmes that fail to live up to
expectations will be named and shamed, Dr Liam
Fox has said. The Defence Secretarys Major
Projects Review Board met for the rst time last
month. It will aim to stop reckless spending by
highlighting initiatives running over-budget or
behind schedule.
SAPPERS BANK JOB
Q ARMY bomb-disposal experts were called into
action when a man walked into a bank in Watford
town centre and threatened to blow himself up.
Soldiers from 11 EOD Regiment arrived at the
scene but the suspect device was declared a hoax
and no further action taken.
After a three-and-a-half hour stand-off, a
23-year-old suspect was arrested.
HERRICK HERO HONOURED
Q A BOMB disposal expert who defused a record
number of devices during a single operation has
been honoured at the Scottish Daily Records
annual Our Hero awards.
WO2 Iain Martin (RLC) from Edinburgh made
safe 12 pressure plate-initiated improvised
explosive devices in the Gereshk area of Helmand
province, Afghanistan, earlier this year.
The 39-year-old Serviceman was presented
with the Forces Hero prize by the president of The
Royal British Legion Scotland, Lt Gen Sir Alistair
Irwin, and Ultimo bra creator Michelle Mone.
Lt Gen Irwin said the honour recognised the
warrant ofcers commitment, skill and bravery.
We werent just impressed, we were amazed,
he added.
WO2 Martin dedicated the award to his
military colleagues, saying: I dont do anything
unless I am backed up with a team. This award
goes to them too.
MARITAL MEDICINE
Q HAPPILY married soldiers can protect
themselves against post-traumatic stress
disorder by writing to their spouses regularly
during deployment, according to a US study.
The Journal of Traumatic Stress found that
regular communication through delayed means
such as letters, care packages or emails was
linked with less symptoms but only for those
content with their relationships.
When you receive letters they can be read
again and again and when you write them it can be
therapeutic, said the studys co-author Ben Loew.
NEWS IN BRIEF
ROWING FOR THE ARMY HAS GIVEN ME A SOLID BASE FOR THIS ADVENTURE
BUT BEING AT SEA FOR A LONG PERIOD IS GOING TO BE INTERESTING
POLAR EXPLORER CAPT DAVID MANS (PWRR) HEADS NORTH, PAGE 93
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 15
SECOND World War-style blimps packed with
cutting-edge surveillance kit are helping to
preserve the lives of soldiers in Afghanistan.
Air balloons hovering over patrol bases
stationed along the regions main carriageway
Route One are giving troops on the ground
a birds eye view of Helmand province and
improving freedom of movement.
Maj Gen Bill Moore, Master General of the
Ordnance, told Soldier that the assets were making
it easier for international forces to dominate their
areas of operation.
They are a deterrent to insurgents and allow
us to catch people before they put bombs in
the ground, as well as letting us know if the
population is under threat, he said.
The resulting freedom of movement means
that guys can get out and do their job without
being hit straight away.
Tens of the huge airborne surveillance ships
were put up by the Americans around a year
ago and are transmitting vital intelligence to
international troops across Helmand province.
Maj Gen Moore said: Its a success story. We
used them to good effect in southern Iraq and now
they are working brilliantly in Afghanistan.
T
HE ground-breaking pelvic
protection issued to troops on Op
Herrick has become an instant hit
in Helmand province and is playing a
key part in tackling the threat posed by
improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Initial reports from staff at Camp
Bastions eld hospital suggest the
scientically-developed underpants and
detachable outer padding are helping to
prevent serious injuries.
Maj Gen Bill Moore, Master General
of the Ordnance, told Soldier that the
feedback he received from Servicemen
and women during a recent visit to
theatre was equally positive.
I was talking to the EOD [explosive
ordnance disposal] people who were
all wearing it and they told me it was
very comfortable, allowed them to
get on with their work and gave them
much more condence about their
protection, he said.
The senior ofcer responsible
for delivering urgent operational
requirement equipment to the Army
added that the pelvic guard had served
as a morale boost to personnel by
addressing a sensitive issue.
Because of the deep psychological
scars that come with losing your
genitals, its vital that we now have
something that is a cracking piece of
kit, he said. Its been very well received
by troops but also by the doctors and
surgeons who were saying that it is the
piece of protective clothing that has
made the most signicant change to
injury patterns from IED blasts.
The clothing
known as the
combat nappy and
combat codpiece among soldiers is
just one part of a growing suite of state-
of-the-art equipment that is helping to
combat the menace of roadside bombs
in Afghanistan.
Maj Gen Moore revealed that further
new technology was on its way to
theatre that will enhance the ability of
troops to detect where explosives have
been hidden.
Its a continual process of trying to
improve the capability soldiers have and
theyll see a big difference in counter-
IED this summer, he explained.
As well as the new detectors we are
putting out on Herrick there will be
more use of dogs to nd things that
have been buried [pages 45-47].
While a whole system approach
is in place, the major general warned
that there was no single silver bullet
capable of defeating the IED threat.
Counter insurgency underpins
everything we do because we want to
try to stop the bomb being put in the
ground in the rst place, he said.
That goes back to the operation
of persuading the people that they
shouldnt be harbouring the terrorists
and cutting off the supply of bomb-
making kit to the insurgents.
Maj Gen Moore added that
intelligent surveillance and the passage
of information to the right people
are key objectives. He said: We are
absolutely doing our very best to keep
those on the ground safe because our
soldiers, sailors and airmen deserve the
best possible protection.
Protective pants win plaudits in theatre
Armoured underwear: The pelvic protection worn by British Service personnel deployed on Op Herrick
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IT IS THE PIECE OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING THAT HAS
MADE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO INJURY
PATTERNS FROM IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES
MAJ GEN BILL MOORE, MASTER GENERAL OF THE ORDNANCE
Balloons help beat bombs
THERE ARE GUYS IN THE BRITISH ARMY WHO ARE REALLY PROUD
TO BE BOXERS, SO WHY CANT I BE PROUD OF WHAT I DO?
BOOK CHARTS CATWALK CAREER OF CPL KATRINA HODGE, PAGES 84-85
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MNE SAM ALEXANDER (28)
42 COMMANDO,
ROYAL MARINES
KIA MAY 27 AFGHANISTAN
PERSONNEL from 1st Battalion, The Ries are
mourning the loss of an esteemed colleague and
professional commander who was killed while
on patrol in Helmand province.
CSjt Kevin Fortuna was engaged in a mission
to disrupt enemy forces in the Saidabad Kalay
area of Nahr-e Saraj District when he was fatally
wounded by an improvised explosive device.
The 36-year-old joined the Army in 1991
and deployed to Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland,
Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan in what was an
exceptional Service career.
His vast experience, intellectual approach and
calm manner ensured he was held in a position
of high regard within his battalion.
Lt Col James de la Billiere, CO of 1 Ries,
said: He was remarkable for many reasons, not
least his complete and unwavering commitment
to his riemen and their care. He was restless
until he had achieved the very best for them
and encouraged them to be restless until they
achieved the very best for themselves.
Maj Paul Kyte said: He excelled himself time
and again tactically in the eld, as an instructor
in the classroom and as a highly intelligent,
thinking member of my command group.
CSjt Fortuna leaves behind his wife Nia,
mother Sue and brother Kris.
In a statement, the family said: Kevin was a
true professional who loved his job and lived
life to the full. He gave 19 loyal years to the
Army and will be sadly missed.
IN MEMORIAM
CPL MICHAEL PIKE (26)
4TH BATTALION,
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND
KIA JUNE 3 AFGHANISTAN
LT OLLIE AUGUSTIN (23)
42 COMMANDO,
ROYAL MARINES
KIA MAY 27 AFGHANISTAN
CSJT KEVIN FORTUNA (36)
1ST BATTALION,
THE RIFLES
KIA MAY 23 AFGHANISTAN
SOLDIERS from 4th Battalion, The Royal
Regiment of Scotland are mourning the loss of
a charismatic and respected colleague who died
while on patrol in Helmand province.
Cpl Michael Pike deployed with his multiple
to Pupalzay, on Highway 601, in a mission to
prevent insurgents from intimidating locals
and attacking an Afghan National Police
checkpoint. The 26-year-old was leading the
patrol in a contact with the enemy when he was
killed in action.
Cpl Pike joined the Army in 2002 and, after a
tour of Iraq, served with 4 Scots in Afghanistan
in 2008. A qualied physical training instructor,
he used his experience to the full as he put
his company through a demanding period of
conditioning prior to their latest operational tour.
Lt Col A J Aitken, CO of 4 Scots, said: As a
junior commander he was entirely dedicated to
his soldiers, leading from the front with every
step. They would follow him anywhere.
He was the perfect role model.
WO1 Euan Philbin added: He was a true
professional and a great character who had
a wicked sense of humour. He was the heart
and soul of his platoon, a good friend and
dedicated leader.
Cpl Pike leaves behind his children Joshua
and Evelynn along with wife Ida, who said: My
husband would want everyone to know that he
died doing a job he loved and that he loved our
children with all his heart and soul.
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 17
A MISSION to expand local government
inuence in the Nad-e Ali district claimed the
lives of two Royal Marines who showed seless
commitment to the campaign in Afghanistan.
Mne Sam Alexander and Lt Ollie Augustin,
both 42 Commando, were on patrol in the Loy
Mandeh area when they were fatally wounded by
an improvised explosive device.
The duo had been tasked with disrupting
insurgent activity as part of the effort to support
a clear, hold and build operation to the north of
the settlement.
Mne Alexander joined the Marines in 2006
and later deployed on Op Herrick 9. His actions
during the tour led to him being decorated with
the Military Cross.
The 28-year-old excelled during his Service
career and his professional attitude and courage
ensured he was held in high regard.
Lt Col Ewen Murchison, CO of 42 Cdo,
said: He embodied all the nest attributes of a
Royal Marines commando: he was courageous,
seless, resolute, loyal and cheerful in the face
of adversity.
He inspired those around him to reach the
highest possible standards and, in doing so,
was an exemplary role model for those younger
and less experienced than himself.
LCpl Adam Perkins added: Sam was a
character who never dropped his smile or
charms, either on camp, in the accommodation
or in the eld. He was a lad who would never
say no and would do anything for anyone.
Mne Alexander was married to Claire and had
a son Leo, who was born in 2010.
In a statement, his wife said: He was the
gentlest of men but tough when he needed to
be. He risked his safety for his friends but never
batted an eyelid.
It was his job and a job he did well.
Lt Augustin began ofcer training in 2009
and passed t for duty a year later. His rst
appointment was in command of Fire Support
Group, Juliet Company, where he made a
considerable impact within a short space of time.
Lt Col Murchison said: A charismatic young
man with a keen sense of humour, he was the
life and soul of any gathering and he touched all
those who had dealings with him.
As a leader he was inspirational, passionate
and seless, putting the welfare of his men
above all else. They adored him and looked to
him for direction but looked on him as a brother
in arms.
Lt Lloyd Fallesen added: His ability to
make all around him smile, even in the most
adverse circumstances, meant that he was
always someone you could turn to if you needed
cheering up.
A loyal friend, Ollie was someone you could
count on regardless of the circumstances.
The 23-year-old leaves behind father Sean,
mother Jane and sister Sarah. In a statement,
his parents said: His warmth and humour lit a
room and infected all around him. He dealt with
people in a thoughtful and compassionate way.
His independence and sense of adventure meant
that he embraced life and his chosen path.
18 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
RFN MARTIN LAMB (27)
1ST BATTALION,
THE RIFLES
KIA JUNE 5 AFGHANISTAN
A ROYAL Marine who lost his mother just weeks
before deploying to Afghanistan was killed by
small-arms re while on patrol in Helmand.
LCpl Martin Gill, of 42 Commando, had been
tasked with meeting the Afghan people and
disrupting insurgent activity in Adensee when
his multiple was attacked. The 22-year-old was
hit and, despite receiving immediate rst aid,
died of his wounds.
LCpl Gill joined the Marines in 2008 and was
promoted within a year, taking responsibility
of a four-man team guarding the UKs nuclear
deterrent. He later moved to 42 Cdo and during
his tenure he regularly stepped up to take the role
of section commander. His professionalism and
enthusiasm earned the respect of his peers.
Lt Col Ewen Murchison, CO of 42 Cdo,
said: Despite his mum dying only weeks
before the start of the tour, he was exceptionally
keen to deploy. This was the mark of the man:
passionate and dedicated to his profession and
utterly loyal to his friends and fellow Marines.
CSgt Scott Ferguson added: He was always
willing others to smile with his cheeky grin.
The butt of many a joke and maker of more, he
maintained a type of morale that hopefully we can
sustain throughout the remainder of our tour.
He leaves behind his brother John, sister
Rebecca and girlfriend Lauren, who said:
Martin was proud to be a Marine. He was
always up for a challenge and unfortunately died
doing what he always wanted to do.
IN MEMORIAM
PTE GARETH BELLINGHAM (22)
3RD BATTALION,
THE MERCIAN REGIMENT
KIA JUNE 18 AFGHANISTAN
CFN ANDREW FOUND (27)
CORPS OF ROYAL ELECTRICAL AND
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
KIA JUNE 16 AFGHANISTAN
LCPL MARTIN GILL (22)
42 COMMANDO,
ROYAL MARINES
KIA JUNE 5 AFGHANISTAN
A TOUGH, mature and dedicated soldier
who was committed to helping the people of
Afghanistan was killed as he carried out a patrol
in the Upper Gereshk Valley of Helmand.
Pte Gareth Bellingham, of 3rd Battalion,
The Mercian Regiment, was deployed to Khar
Nikar, where his company had been tasked
with assessing the ground situation and
meeting people who had recently returned to
their compounds.
During the patrol, an improvised explosive
device injured an Afghan citizen and when the
22-year-old moved to provide security for the
area he was fatally wounded by enemy re.
Pte Bellingham joined the Army in 2007 and
quickly emerged as a soldier with considerable
driving experience. However, it was his
personality and determination that saw him
excel in a light infantry role.
Lt Col Giles Woodhouse, CO of 3 Mercian,
said: He was an extremely hardworking and
committed warrior who was wholly respected by
his peers and chain of command alike.
Pte Bellingham was one of those soldiers
that you had to have in your section; fearless,
utterly professional, a prankster and a loyal
friend who never let you down. Quite simply he
was a force for good.
Pte Bellinghams parents Leslie and Suzanne
said he would be sorely missed by his family,
friends and all who knew him. They added: We
are all proud of the job he did.
A TALENTED, capable and naturally-gifted
soldier whose passion for Service life never
wavered was killed by an improvised explosive
device while on patrol in Helmand province.
Rfn Martin Lamb, of 1st Battalion, The Ries,
was supporting people from the Nahr-e Saraj
district in their ght against insurgent forces
when he was caught in the blast.
The 27-year-old joined the Army in 2003 and
excelled on the combat infantrymans course
at Catterick, where he won an award for his
exceptional tness levels.
He completed a challenging tour of Iraq in
2008 and, having recently completed his junior
non-commissioned ofcers cadre, was due to
be promoted to the rank of lance corporal.
Lt Col James de la Billiere, CO of 1 Ries,
said: Rfn Lamb was one of my very best. As a
reconnaissance operator he made it to the elite
of the elite within the battalion.
He will be remembered for his energy, zeal
and commitment.
Maj Carl Boswell added: Outstandingly brave,
if there was a ght to be had he was always at the
front. But he was not only a warrior, he also had a
unique ability to force a laugh from anyone with
his dry and wicked sense of humour.
Rfn Lamb was born in Gloucester and leaves
behind his wife Melissa and two-year-old
daughter Rosie. Capt Mike Tattersal said: While
at work he could not stop talking about his
daughter and how proud he was to be a father.
A PROUD Yorkshireman affectionately known as
Foundy by his colleagues has been killed in
an explosion in Afghanistan.
Cfn Andrew Found, from Whitby, was serving
with The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in the
Gereshk Valley area of Helmand province when
he was fatally wounded.
Lt Col Jonathan Biggart, CO of Scots DG,
said: Cfn Andrew Found was an intelligent,
seless and brave soldier as well as a devoted
family man.
It was for others that [he] gave his young
life and his memory will live on, both within
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Corps
of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
whom he served so loyally and with such pride.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife
Samantha, their young son Jaxson and his elder
son Michael.
Capt Jamie Irwin, second in command of D
(Warthog) Squadron, Scots DG, added: The
loss of [our] gentle giant has been felt acutely
by all ranks.
He was an inspiration not just to his
colleagues in the tter section but to all he
worked with.
Never complaining and always taking on
any task with relish and enthusiasm, he applied
himself fully to the job in hand, whether he was
elbows-deep in an engine or working out of role
as a troop dismount.
We have lost a true hero.
S
OLDIERS from 20th Armoured
Brigade have been involved in a
spiritual outreach programme as
part of their pre-deployment training
for Op Herrick 15.
Jamie Kidd, who served with 3rd
Battalion, The Parachute Regiment
for eight years, visited the troops in
Sennelager to talk about his experiences
in the eld and highlight the important
role faith can play during troubled times.
I have been on tours of duty in Iraq
and know what it is like to stare death in
the face, he told Soldier. I understand
the stresses that go with that.
I always considered myself to be a
Christian and a lot of soldiers will say
the same. But it was not until I almost
lost my life that I started thinking
about what it meant. I was caught in an
explosion while on ops in Iraq and then
had a parachute malfunction on one of
my jumps.
I was living my life recklessly. I was
drinking and was involved in a ghting
culture but realised I should start
listening to the claims of the Bible.
I took the message to heart and it
made me see my life was a mess.
I now have peace and it is that hope
which I have been trying to transmit to
the soldiers.
Kidd was accompanied on his visit by
the brigades senior chaplain.
Hopefully we have been able to
sow the seeds so that when they nd
themselves in difcult times they know
God is there for them, he added.
Sennelager sermon for Afghan-bound troops
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THE DOMESTIC HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION IS PRETTY POOR AT THE
MOMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE FOR THE TAKING
EX-RIFLEMAN JOHN LOVEDAY TARGETS BRITISH CROWN, PAGES 88-89
OPERSONNEL from 16 Air Assault Brigade attended a special remembrance service at
St Edmundsbury Cathedral to mark the sacrice of colleagues killed in action.
Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey, Chief of the General Staff Gen Sir Peter Wall and
relatives of the 22 soldiers killed during the deployment to Afghanistan were also among
the congregation in Bury St Edmunds.
Brig James Chiswell, who commanded the brigade on operations in Helmand
province, said: It was a very moving and poignant service that was a tting tribute to
the remarkable people we lost.
It is important to give our soldiers a chance to pause and pay tribute to the lives of
their friends and join with their families.
QUEENS BIRTHDAY HONOURS
QTHE release of British Army-themed
toys to the high street brought the child
out in everyone at
Soldier last month.
And for similarly
young-at-heart readers
who enjoyed Toy Story
3 last year, the names
printed on the side of
Junes cover may have
seemed familiar.
(Tim) Allen, (Don)
Rickles, (Jim)
Varney and (John)
Ratzenberger all lent
their voices to the
animated box ofce hit that
had adults sobbing.
This month we have ve
copies of Main Battle Tank,
Niall Edworthys explosive
account of British armour on Op
Telic 1, to give away.
To stand a chance of winning, simply
tell us what links the words adorning the
side of this issue.
Answers to Spine Lines, Soldier,
Parsons House, Ordnance Road,
Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 2DU or
comps@soldiermagazine.co.uk by July
29. Winners will be drawn at random.
Usual rules apply.
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SIZING-UP CYPRUS
Q THE MoD is to conduct a study of
the sovereign base areas in Cyprus
as part of the follow-on work from the
Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The assessment will consider wider
developments within the Armed Forces
such as the end of combat operations
in southern Afghanistan in 2014, the
Gulf initiative and the withdrawal of
British Army personnel and assets from
Germany. A full report is expected to be
completed by December.
NEWS IN BRIEF
20 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
KCB: Lt Gen B W B White-Spunner, late Blues
& Royals.
CB: Lt Gen A J N Graham, late A&SH; Maj Gen
R A M S Melvin, late RE; Maj Gen M J Rutledge,
late 9/12 L.
CBE: Brig A D C Clacher, late RLC; Brig S D
Hutchinson, late Lancs; Brig J T Jackson, late
RGJ; Maj Gen A D Macklin, late RE; Brig T R
Urch, late RE; Brig D G Wilson, late AGC (ETS).
OBE: Col A Alderson, late Hldrs; A/Col D I
Fuller, ACF; Col T D Hyams, late RDG; Lt Col
M H W Joy, REME; Lt Col G A MacIntosh, WG;
Col D J McArthur, late QARANC (TA); Lt Col J R
Mead, RA; A/Col J W Nicholl, ACF; Lt Col D R
Orr Ewing, Scots; Lt Col M C Proctor, Int Corps;
Col M G Redmond, late RA; Lt Col J M Ryan,
RAMC (TA); Maj W J Strickland, QRH; Col J M
Woodham, late R Anglian.
MBE: Maj G J Boxall, RE; Maj N P Brady,
RLC; Maj G H Briscoe, Lancs; Lt Col J A J
Calder, Scots; Maj C W Carter, RRF (TA); Maj
R J Christopher, RA; Maj N R Coatsworth,
R Signals; Maj N J Cowey, RTR; Lt Col E A
Dallyn, R Signals; WO1 C L Davies, Int Corps;
WO2 A R C Faupel, R Anglian; Maj J C Fisher,
Blues & Royals; Maj J S Fotheringham, ACF;
Maj F J Gargan, Para; Capt D J Gregory, RLC
(TA); WO2 L I Hamilton, RE; Capt P J Hatton,
R Signals; Maj S N Haw, CAMUS; Lt Col N R
Holmes, Ries; Maj E R James, RE; Maj D O
W Jarvis, Para; Maj P A Keetley, Scots; LCpl
A Khadka, RGR; Maj J J S Lane, RDG; Capt A
R Lepage, RLC (TA); Maj A D Lightfoot, RA;
WO2 J M McConnell, IG; Pdre P J McCormack,
RAChD; Maj R L Parr, RLC; Capt T G Persse,
RA (TA); Capt M A Pledger, Int Corps; Maj B
P N Ramsay, WG; Lt Col H J Singh, QARANC
(TA); Maj M S J Steventon, Lancs; WO1 P D
Symns, Ries; Maj S J Taylor, PWRR; Maj C A
Waterworth, AGC(RMP).
ARRC: Sgt L Devonport, QARANC.
QVRM: WO2 D A Holley, PWRR (TA); Maj R G
Rogers, R Anglian (TA); Lt Col A M G Smyth, RE
(TA); Col R K Wilkinson, late R Signals (TA); Maj
C Woodrow, AGC (SPS) (TA).
22 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
T
HE Army has taken a giant stride
towards offering improved care
and support to injured soldiers by
opening a state-of-the-art Personnel
Recovery Centre at Tedworth House.
Wounded troops will start arriving at
the Wiltshire site on July 4, when they
will have access to a host of medical,
welfare, education and rehabilitation
facilities aimed at preparing them for a
return to Service life or a new career on
civvy street.
Help for Heroes has covered the cost
of converting the historic building,
located near Tidworth Garrison, and
the charitys co-founder Bryn Parry told
Soldier it will be a rst-class centre for
future residents.
He said: When you go to Headley
Court you see it is set in stunning
grounds. We have got the same thing
here at Tedworth. It is the most
beautiful building in this area and I
think that is appropriate for people who
have served their country.
It overlooks the polo elds and
grounds and is close to the garrison,
which will help the transition process.
This is a fantastic house with a
lovely atmosphere and I hope the guys
and their families appreciate what their
country has done for them.
A total of 29 residents will be
accommodated at the centre in the rst
phase of the project, with the capacity
rising to 50 when work on a new north
wing is completed next year.
Personnel will undergo a two-week
assessment course before beginning
individual recovery programmes. These
will include help and guidance with
education and job opportunities along
with access to a gym and other sporting
facilities.
Plans are also in place to create
an all-encompassing support hub
that will have links to key charities
and organisations such as the British
Limbless Ex-Service Mens Association,
Combat Stress and SSAFA.
Maj Peter Smith (Mercian), the
centres OC, has been delighted with
the rapid progress of the project since
work began in February and is looking
forward to welcoming the rst residents.
He said: We will be able to run
courses enabling soldiers to take part in
an individual recovery plan and provide
facilities for guys who would otherwise
be stuck at home.
We are here to look after wounded,
injured or sick troops and we will work
very hard to meet their needs.
I am delighted to be involved in
a project that will prove to be really
important for all Service personnel.
Once complete, Tedworth House will
be jointly run by the Army and The
Royal British Legion.
It forms part of the Defence Recovery
Capability, which
will include facilities
in Edinburgh,
Colchester,
Catterick and
Plymouth.
Tedworth House set to open doors to troops
IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND I THINK THATS APPROPRIATE
FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED THEIR COUNTRY
BRYN PARRY, CO-FOUNDER OF HELP FOR HEROES
NEWS IN BRIEF
SCOTTISH CENTRE
Q VETERANS who have lost their sight will
receive help from a new facility in Scotland.
The Duke of Gloucester opened the 3 million
Linburn Centre, which will be run by the charity
Scottish War Blinded.
The facility in Wilkieston, West Lothian,
includes a gym, training kitchen, IT centre and
sensory garden.
LCpl Rob Reid (1 Scots) was among those
present at the opening ceremony. The 27-year-old
from Jedburgh has been helped by the charity
since losing his right eye when a roadside bomb
exploded in Iraq in 2008.
I think its really important there are people
who can help and understand what has happened
and what you are going through, he said.
Youve got people here who can assist with
anything people need.
EAST ANGLIAN ASSISTANCE
Q A WALK-in unit offering care and emotional
support to soldiers has opened in Kings Lynn.
Run by The Bridge For Heroes charity, the
Contact Centre offers advice to troops and veterans
on issues including pensions and healthcare.
Rapid renovation: Maj Peter Smith (Mercian), OC at Tedworth House, believes the former officers mess will play a key role in the recovery of wounded troops
THIS IS THE BEST FACILITY IN THE WORLD. THE STAFF HERE ARE AMAZING
AND IF YOU WANT TO WORK HARD THEY WILL LET YOU DO EXACTLY THAT
PTE SCOTT MEENAGH (2 PARA) ON LIFE AT HEADLEY COURT, PAGES 54-55
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IN time-honoured tradition, troops from the
Household Division marked the Queens
birthday by Trooping the Colour in London.
The ceremony included 25 Royal Air Force
aircraft performing a fly-past over Buckingham
Palace. More than 1,300 soldiers took part
in this years parade along with 241 horses
and 321 musicians, who provided a colourful
backdrop to the day. Picture: Sgt Andy Malthouse, RAF
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 25
28 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 29
Ugly but devastating: The multi-faceted
Apache attack helicopter is dominating
the skies over Afghanistan and Libya
Picture: Graeme Main
Apache clocks up
100,000 flying hours
Elite
equipment
Report: Joe Clapson
HE CREAM of the British Armys
equipment crop recently reached a
symbolic landmark in its career as
an all-round asset.
A stalwart of operations in Afghanistan,
the Apache attack helicopter now has more
than 100,000 flying hours to its name a
third of which were accrued in the skies
over Helmand.
To mark the milestone, Soldier was
given a rare look behind the scenes of the
machine that is recognisable by its unsightly
appearance something that does not
correlate to its handsome capability.
The phrase dont judge a book by its
cover could have been invented for Apache
because although it might be ugly, its
awesome, said one proud member of the
Army Air Corps.
With the ability to stay in the air for up to
seven hours at a time and a flying range of
475 kilometres, it is no surprise this aircraft
is in high demand by Regional Command
South West on Op Herrick. >>
>> Of the prized piece of
eight-tonne kit, Col Neale Moss,
attack helicopter force commander,
said: Its a big stick in the sky and gives
a deterrent capability that Mr Taliban does
not like.
They call it the mosquito and it makes
them run away and hide in a bush.
In some ways the Apaches crews have
become victims of this success, with
insurgents viewing them as prize scalps.
As a result, many wish to be known only by
their first name.
As well as pinpoint air strikes, the gunship
is proving invaluable for its intelligence,
surveillance, target acquisition and
reconnaissance capabilities and as an escort
to sister helicopters and land convoys.
It has been an ever-present feature in
theatre since first deploying
in 2006.
We have got aircrew here
now that have completed five tours of
Afghanistan, said Col Moss.
At any one time I would expect 150 of
our men to be out there.
Now, with the airborne gunship
surpassing what is equivalent to 4,166 days
in the sky, Nato has employed its services
over Libya on Op Unified Protector.
The fighting machine started its new
mission on June 4 by destroying two
military installations, a radar site and an
armed checkpoint near Brega.
The four-blade twin Rolls-Royce engine
helicopters sophisticated avionics mean it
can operate in all weathers day or night
and detect and prioritise up to 256 potential
targets in seconds.
However, because of the complex
nature of the airframe, a rigorous training
programme is required for anyone selected
to operate onboard.
After learning to fly and being taught
other core skills at RAF Middle Wallop for
six months, Apache
personnel head to RAF
Wattisham in Suffolk for instruction
in fighting with the aircraft.
Explaining the difficult nature of this
training, Andy (3 AAC) said: This course is
like being fed volumes of water from a fire
hydrant. Any other instruction is like having
a relaxed drink.
The Apache is an extremely complicated
platform and its a long conveyer belt for
people to get trained.
The machine does anything a normal
helicopter does and on top of that it has
numerous sensors and systems.
Personnel loaded on to the training
which has an 88 per cent pass rate are
drilled to operate in both the front and back
of the platform. Once at Wattisham, they
enter the conversion to role phase where it
is decided whether they will work in the front
as co-pilot and gunner or in the rear as pilot.
You can fire weapons from any seat but
the guy in front operates the sights and
sensors, added Andy.
Both crew have the ability to fly, so if one
30 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
did get the good news the other would be
okay to carry on flying.
Once through training, the Apache crew
are considered elite soldiers with skills that
are envied across the
military world.
The two-man team
dominates the air,
responding to orders
from the ground,
providing intelligence
and making life-or-
death decisions.
In the event that the
ground commander does
not want a certain target
to be damaged I have
a choice of weapons,
said Andy.
If someone runs into a structure and
were told destroy building we put a Hellfire
missile in, but if we want the construction to
remain we wait for the person to come out
and use guns.
Cpl Graham Carr (3 AAC) added:
Sometimes the ground commander might
say for this situation I need
this weapon system but they
let us decide what is best.
The main focus now is
hearts and minds so we have
to look out for civilians and
local properties.
As well as being
devastatingly accurate
in attack, the Apache
acts as a protective force
when escorting Chinook
helicopters carrying the
highly-skilled Medical
Emergency Response Teams.
Flight commander Simon (3 AAC)
explained that insurgents often attempt to
attack medics while they are evacuating
casualties on the ground.
Ive been out with the team many times
when its become pretty sticky and the
enemy are doing anything they can to pick
them off. Its our job to stop that threat,
he said.
Cpl Carr added: If the helicopter landing
site is hot the Apache can react but on
hearing that were around, the insurgents
will stop firing anyway.
The Taliban are fully aware of our
capability and of those that have tried to
attack us, there arent many still alive.
In an era when equipment is under
constant scrutiny and the MoD is required
to balance the financial books, there are no
complaints about the Apache.
We are an extension of the Infantrys
role all we are is support to those guys,
said Andy.
Weve got the right bit of kit in the right
place at the right time. Q
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 31
Apache Vital
Statistics
ecnvicc c=+c: 2001
cncw: 2
M=ximLm =LL-L= m=ee: 7,746kg
&cice: & x eec ei=v+
= ncLLe-nccc n1M-&&
cici+: 4.9m
Lcc+i: .em
M=x e=ccc: c=m
n=cc: em
M=i nc+cn ci=mc+cn: .em
nm=mc+:
- Mcccniecc 1=ncc+ ccLiei+ic
cceic=+ic eici+/=iLc+ ~ici+-
Vision Sensor
- Lccecw rinc cc+ncL n=c=n
- e x cLLvinc mieeiLce
- e x cmm cnv- nccc+e
- M&c & cL wi+i ,&cc x
cmm c=c ncLce
- x =in-+c-=in mieeiLce
Main picture, Two-man team:
Apache crews provide precise and
lethal attacks in response to the
requests of ground commanders
Picture: Cpl Steve Blake, RLC
Left, Geared up: A helicopter is towed
to the airfield at RAF Wattisham
Picture: Steve Dock
+ civce =
cc+cnnc+
capability
that mr
taliban
ccce
not like
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 33
Report: Sharon Kean
Pictures: Steve Dock
P
LAYSTATION-style war games
helped 5th Battalion, The Rifles
get ready for their tour of Iraq two
years ago.
Before departing for theatre, troops
spent hours in simulators and replica
operations rooms at the Sennelager
Training Centre in Germany, driving
virtual vehicles and commanding
computer-generated
ground patrols.
Many of those soldiers are now
gearing up for Op Herrick 15 and once
again the early stages of their pre-
deployment preparation took place in
cyber space.
Maj Jim Faux (Rifles), the officer
who oversees mission-specific training
at the Sennelager facility, said the aim
was to give personnel a full picture of
southern Afghanistan.
We replicate Helmand as closely
as we can without getting the real
people its not immersion,
its teaching theatre tactics,
techniques and procedures
as well as command and
staff drills, he said.
The simulation is
absolutely critical to what
we do because there is
nowhere else we can
exercise like this without
putting hundreds of
soldiers and vehicles
out on the ground.
He added: Its
not quite Call of Duty
but its getting there,
were seeing the guys
go out the door and do
very similar missions.
On Herrick 12, 1
Royal Irish carried
out an air strike they had rehearsed
here and it was a huge success. 42
Commando have also just undertaken
an aviation insert with a ground link-
up in Nar-e Saraj district that was
similar to one they practised.
Two different training units use the
cutting-edge video game technology.
The Combined Arms Staff Trainer
allows headquarters personnel to fight
on-screen battles during a week-long
exercise which tests commanders
plans and the performance of
operations room staff.
A separate five-day course at the
Combined Arms Tactical Trainer
(CATT) sees drivers and ground forces
drafted in to digital missions, using
vehicle simulators to increase the level
of tactical complexity.
Life-like imagery from theatre is
beamed onto flatscreens and backed
up by real Afghan actors who are on
hand to role-play situations with the
exercising troops.
Vehicle commander LCpl Saul Brunt
(5 Rifles) said he was impressed with
the futuristic CATT facility.
I will be working in Mastiff and
Husky armoured vehicles in Helmand
and these exercises are exactly what we
will be doing on operations, he said.
Its good being able to look in-depth
on the ground and the zoom is amazing
34 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk

ITS NOT QUITE

CALL OF DUTY BUT ITS
GETTING THERE

TACTICAL TECHNOLOGY
THE Combined Arms Tactical Trainer
(CATT) is one of the largest simulation
systems in the world, allowing hundreds
of soldiers at a time to take part in battles
based in virtual reality.
More than 140 mock vehicle cabs,
turrets and firing points are housed in
metal containers in a huge warehouse-like
space that is roughly the same size as a
football pitch.
Troops under training fight digital foes,
with on-screen operations viewed through
a simulators periscopes or weapon sites.
An adjacent room contains a
headquarters from where commanders
and intelligence officers can plan and view
missions as they unfold.
Entire battlegroups can be connected in
cyberspace through a local area network
that hooks up hundreds of control stations
and allows their actions to interact and
contribute to synthetic serials.
Personnel are routinely immersed in
virtual wars for hours and the level of
reality is such that some will experience
simulation sickness similar to the effect
of a roller coaster.
As well as life-like graphics, realistic
terrain and sound effects, small details
such as engines overheating if left idle for
too long are played out.
The level of detail is fantastic, said
Maj Edward Whishaw (RE), the officer in
charge of the 330 million facility, which
boasts one the largest air-conditioning
units in the world to prevent the mass of
computer equipment from overheating.
We used to have stick men running
around on screen but now we have game-
quality features with 3D life-like human
figures, he added.
Its a modern gaming environment
that hopefully a young 18- or 19-year-old
soldier will appreciate, replicating theatre
with a carbon copy of reality and getting
vehicle crews and multiples to come
together and train.
It doesnt replace the real thing but it
complements it by making sure troops are
prepared to get the most out of field
exercises that follow.
HERRICK-bound headquarters personnel get a
taste of computerised conflict during a week-long
course at the impressive Combined Arms Staff
Trainer (CAST).
The focus is on taking a problem and turning it
into a set of military orders, with soldiers working
in a brigade or company command setting.
Operations rooms are set up to replicate those
found in the forward operating bases in theatre,
which instruct combined forces responsible for
specific areas such as Lashkar Gah or Nad-e Ali.
All major units deploying to Afghanistan will
pass through the CAST at either Sennelager in
Germany or Catterick and Warminster in the UK.
The trainers see between 100 and 120
personnel coming together for the first time to
form a mission control hub.
We start them off with the basic stuff for
day-to-day living on operations, such as patrols,
leader engagement and moving food, water and
ammo, said Lt Col Nick Channer (Scots), the
officer responsible for running the course at the
Sennelager site.
Then we build up the complexity by giving
them a number of intelligence feeds that lead them
to an objective, which they will plan to strike.
Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and
reconnaissance detail from Afghanistan has been
added to simulations and those deploying on Op
Herrick 15 will be the first to benefit.
Its as realistic as it can be, Lt Col Channer
told Soldier.
A commander will come in and sit with an
Xbox controller and take his patrol out on the
ground, and headquarters will see
their men moving
around on
the screens.
HEADQUARTERS HOOK-UP
I can see details such as groups of
civilians and herds of goats, and also
where IEDs have been laid.
He added: Its a bit odd when
someone knocks on the simulator door
and I have to pull out my best Pashtu
but its good because its another thing
to think about.
Mastering close-quarter weapons
and new vehicles such as the
Sharpshooter rifle and Mastiff remains
a key part of pre-deployment training,
but modern warfare skills such as
language and cultural awareness are
playing an increasingly important role.
We are checking that these young
boys corporals and riflemen have
the ability to talk to someone through
an interpreter and show themselves to
be professional and in command of a
situation, said WO2 James Byrne (4
Scots), who oversees the simulator-
based learning in the tactical trainer.
The Afghans will not speak to him
if he doesnt appear confident and
starts asking them stupid questions.
I look to see whether they are using
the language they have learnt correctly
and how they interact with people
because thats a big part of being a
vehicle commander.
He added: In the Army today you
need to be able to communicate as well
as fire a weapon.
Every effort is made to ensure
the simulated experience is as close
to reality as possible so troops get
maximum benefit from the real-life
mission rehearsal exercises that follow.
We had the Close Support Logistics
Regiment in here a few weeks ago
replicating their communication kit,
weapons systems and spacing drills for
vehicles, said WO2 Byrne.
They were all sorted out before they
got behind the wheel. Its excellent
preparation for them.
Perfecting their drills in Helmand-
themed simulations will stand
personnel from 5 Rifles in good stead
for their battlegroup role.
The next lesson for the Infantry unit
will be in using their cyber-honed skills
on the proving grounds of Stanta and
Salisbury Plain.
But they will have to wait until the
autumn to see the true benefit of the
virtual training, when it is put to the
test in southern Afghanistan. Q
Clockwise from above, Eyes on target: A soldier
gets a virtual taste of Op Herrick from a simulator
cab at the Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT)
Operations desk: Headquarters staff hone their
skills in the staff trainer
Simulation shed: Air-conditioned units containing
vehicle simulators fill the floor in the CATT
On-screen mission: Soldiers assess the progress of
a virtual objective on computers set up to represent
a forward operating base operations room
KIT
CONVEYOR
BELT
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 37
Rapid reissue braces troops for battle
Report: Sharon Kean
Pictures: Mike Weston

B
RITISH soldiers stepping outside the wire in
Helmand province are equipped with a suite of
specialist kit tailored to their role.
The expanding range of weapons, optics and
communications technology used by ground
troops includes Sharpshooter rifles, state-of-the-
art laser sight systems, night vision goggles and
personal radios.
When personnel from 16 Air Assault Brigade
deployed to Afghanistan last winter they took with
them nearly 25,000 pieces of dismounted close
combat on the man equipment, all of which have
since been passed to units preparing for Op Herrick
15 in the autumn.
Capt Guy Thewlis (RLC) was the officer tasked
with overseeing this mammoth logistical challenge,
which was carried out by a specially-formed team
the Return Stores Group at the brigades base
in Colchester.
>>
Weve received 24,500 items from 26
units and by the end of this process we will
have reissued about 25,000 components,
he told Soldier.
Approximately 50 million worth of
equipment has passed through our hands
as well as 210,000 of spares thats little
widgets and lens caps and other bits and
pieces that weve needed to replace.
The ten-week handover process
known as Op Silverstone saw a
team from 13 Air Assault Support
Regiment tasked with booking
in, inspecting and repairing
(where possible) every item
before delivering it to the
soldiers of 20th Armoured
Brigade.
The logistics officer
estimates that his 62-strong
team put in some 22,500 man-
hours dealing with the return and
reissue of kit, which arrived in batches
of varying sizes the largest receipt
being from 1 Royal Irish Battlegroup who
checked in 3,836 items.
Predictably the infantry units take the
most equipment, while combat service
support units the medics, loggies and
engineers have less, Capt Thewlis
explained. And some people carry a
lot more than others. For instance, the
Sharpshooter man would have his rifle, his
advanced combat optical gunsight attached
to it, a Magnum night sight and laser range
finder and light marker on the side of the
weapon thats around 15,000 worth
of kit.
Even in my unit
[13 Regiment RLC]
we had light machine
guns, helmet-mounted
night vision systems,
laser light markers and
personal role radios a
ARSENAL AUDIT
25,000 items of dismounted close combat kit
heading on Op Herrick 15
22,500 man-hours involved in Op Silverstone
62 different components handled by the Return
Stores Group
3,836 number of items returned
by 1 Royal Irish
943 number of items per
unit (on average)
62 personnel in the Return
Stores Group team
4,438 value in pounds of the
helmet-mounted night vision system
RAPID REDEPLOYMENT
Combat kit such as night vision goggles and laser markers used
by 16 Air Assault Brigade during Op Herrick 13 were passed
to logisticians who checked it and handed it over to units
deploying on Op Herrick 15 within the space of four to five days
1. RECEIPT
Personal combat equipment was passed to the Return Stores
Group by units at the end of Op Herrick 13
2. ACCOUNT
Logisticians booked in every item, recorded serial numbers and
input details of each piece of kit onto a database
3. INSPECT
A team of technical experts checked for superficial signs of
damage and either passed equipment as fit for use, repaired it
where possible or sent it away for servicing
4. REISSUE
Items were packaged and picked up by units due to deploy on
Herrick 15
broad spectrum of items.
Weapon engineers, electrical
technicians and optronics experts were
drafted in to support the RLC troops as
they set about completing the gargantuan
administrative task.
We took basic tradesmen from
the brigade and trained them up for
specific items so they could do a 12- or
20-point check on a piece of kit, said
Capt Thewlis.
Cfn Dominic Lewis (7 Para RHA) lent his
expertise as an armourer to Op Silverstone
to inspect the underslung grenade
launchers used with SA80 rifles.
Ive been looking for cracks in the
plastic, damage to the top cover springs
and checking the barrel and chamber for
dents, he explained.
Im looking for superficial damage
making sure the trigger
mechanism works and

the safety catch functions.
Roughly four per cent of items passing
through the Return Stores Group had to be
backloaded and sent to the Joint Supply
Chain Services team at Donnington for
repairs or modifications.
The rest of the kit was quickly passed as
fit for action, labelled and boxed up ready
for its next user.
Soldiers visit to the Return Stores
Group coincided with the final day of
Op Silverstone and a team from 2nd
Battalion, The Mercian Regiment were on
site to pick up equipment ahead of their
deployment to Afghanistan later this year.
We brought it in here and turned it
round in approximately five days, said
Capt Thewlis. The most important thing
is to get this kit in and out again as
soon as possible.
He concluded: Troops
from 20th Brigade
now have everything
they need to start
training for Op
Herrick 15 and
thats our reason
for being here.
50 MILLION
WORTH OF KIT HAS
PASSED THROUGH
OUR HANDS

www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 39

Q

Inside story
Herrick intelligence experts tip off Helmand-bound troops
Afghan advice: The first-hand experience
of troops who have served in Helmand is
helping those preparing to deploy
Picture: Sgt Rupert Frere, RLC
Report: Sharon Kean
P
RIOR knowledge of a foreign countrys
culture and customs can be reassuring for
anyone travelling to a strange land for the
first time.
But for those embarking on vital and potentially
dangerous missions to southern Afghanistan,
knowing what to expect is essential.
To ensure troops hit the ground running in
Helmand, a team of experts has been set up to
pool the experience of personnel returning from
theatre and pass it on to those preparing to deploy.
The Land Forces Intelligence Fusion Centre
(Afghanistan) [LIFC(A)] was established little
more than 18 months ago to coordinate
information on everything from religious festivals
and Afghan cultural customs to insurgent tactics
and Taliban leaders.
Lt Col Ben Kite (Int Corps) is the officer in
charge of the forward-thinking facility, which
has significantly raised the game of knowledge
gathering on Op Herrick.
Its about understanding the environment [in
Afghanistan], not about whether someones body
armour worked or not, he told Soldier.
We are immersing people in the understanding
of Helmand this is not just about reading books
in Colchester, its about sitting next to someone
who has done the job.
The centre of expertise at 4 Military Intelligence
Battalions base in Bulford, near Salisbury Plain,
is ensuring the British Army has long-term eyes
on target.
A 40-strong group of Service and civilian
personnel focus on small sections of Afghan
territory, making sense of events as they happen
and, crucially, retaining knowledge as it is
gathered by troops on the ground.
Before the LIFC(A) existed, battlegroups
that were deploying to theatre didnt really know
their patch, how the insurgency fought in the
area, what the villages were like, who was the
Mullah and whether he was a good or bad guy,
explained Lt Col Kite.
Our process training was strong but we
needed a deeper insight into Afghanistan to
understand the context of tribes and religion, the
culture and pattern of life.
With that in mind, staff from the centre now
routinely debrief International Security Assistance
Force personnel at the end of their tours, heading
out to interview them at Camp Bastion before they
fly back to the UK.
We speak to platoon and company
commanders and intelligence officers of all ranks,
anywhere between 80 and 120 people on each
rotation, for between three to six hours at a time so
they can effectively download six months worth of
information, said the commanding officer.
The units remit is restricted to Task Force
Helmand within which the majority of British
forces operate and gathering facts at the tactical
battlegroup level.
Our focus is on the ground although some
details will be used at a higher level, explained
the senior officer.
If youve got a sniper operating around Sangin
and the casualty rate goes up then it becomes a
strategic issue that London will want to be briefed
on as well.
Many of those staffing the intelligence hub have
returned from postings in theatre.
An information analyst who deployed to
Lashkar Gah during Op Herrick 12 is one of those
now advising troops as they go through training.
Having been out on the ground we can give
a good steer on what they will see so its not just
pointing at maps, the corporal told Soldier. We
have lots of photos and we can talk about what it is
like to work with the Afghans, our own experience
with elders, the army and police, who to trust and
who not to trust.
He added: We establish personal contact with
guys who have trained here and they continue
to get up-to-the-minute information because we
email them and speak on the telephone after
they leave.
As well as British troops, Danish and
American military personnel are stationed at
the LIFC(A) along with civilian anthropologists,
political scientists, economists and an
Afghan expatriate.
Groups of between 30 and 50 troops
are immersed at one time and more than
500 members of 16 Air Assault Brigade and 3
Commando Brigade passed through the centre
last year.
A former Infantry battalion intelligence officer
who served in Sangin in 2009 and is now a full-
time member of the units staff said the set-up
marked a step change for Op Herrick.
When I deployed, there was very little
connectivity prior to getting out there so we had a
limited ability to train our men and inform them of
what to expect, he told Soldier. Guys deploying
now hit the ground running because we feed in to
so many of the intelligence officers.
By briefing them on the area and the key
leaders and cultural sensitivities, commanders
can identify any issues and plan what they will be
doing in theatre.
This has got to be the way forward.
An equally important part of LIFC(A)s work
involves maintaining several key websites,
which compile up-to-date knowledge on areas of
Helmand where British forces are based.
Weapons intelligence, electronic warfare
reports, cultural advisers diaries and stabilisation
team summaries are available to those readying
themselves for Herrick.
WO2 Paul Brelsford (Int Corps) is
responsible for managing the digital resource,
much of which can be accessed via Armynet
or the MoDs restricted Defence Information
Infrastructure system.
It includes significant events which can be
used to predict things such as changes in power
dynamics, tactics and whether there might be
more attacks in an area, he said.
For example, making people aware if a known
IED facilitator moves into an area or of the position
of insurgent commanders.
Resources are roughly categorised into four
areas: the Talibans governmental and military
structures; criminals, insurgency and drug
activity; tribal structures and the legitimate Afghan
government and security forces.
Its a one-stop shop for intelligence, WO2
Brelsford told Soldier.
Prior to the centre there wasnt anywhere you
could get these assets in one place.
With the future transition of security to Afghan
forces rapidly becoming a reality, efforts are
already under way to translate some of these
products into Pashtu and Dari.
Briefing troops on the areas of Helmand in
which they will work is giving them a battle-
winning advantage.
The LIFC(A) is proving to be a key contributor
to operational success in Afghanistan and as
homegrown forces begin to take responsibility for
the security of their country, the UK-based centre
of expertise will continue to play a crucial role in
preparing their coalition mentors. I
42 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
One stop shop: Troops from The Queens Royal
Hussars Battlegroup visit the Land Forces
Intelligence Fusion Centre (Afghanistan) to
learn about the areas where they will deploy
Pictures: Steve Dock, Graeme Main and Mike Weston
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 43
BRITISH troops bound for Helmand
province are being issued with Lonely
Planet-style guidebooks packed with vital
information about the company or sub-unit
locations they will be operating in.
Nearly 30 different versions of the Forces
fact-file exist, covering specific areas of
Afghanistan and compiled by Intelligence
Corps experts.
They discuss the terrain, friendly forces,
insurgency and
the people they
will meet its
like our version
of Wikipedia,
explained the
warrant officer
responsible for
producing the
publications,
which are revised
according to
developments on
the ground.
The accurate
and up-to-date
information
comes directly from the experiences of
those on Op Herrick all their knowledge is
regurgitated and we ensure it is given to the
right people at the right time.
He added: I went out to Afghanistan
on Op Herrick 8 and would have loved
something like this. Its the stuff I would
want to know if I was going out there.
A former company intelligence officer
who served in Sangin on Op Herrick 12
said that the pamphlets given to British
troops up to a year before they deploy are
getting personnel up to speed before they
arrive in theatre.
They have seen pictures and profiles
of influencers and the lie of the land. They
also know who they will be working with
from the Afghan National Security Forces,
where they have trained and their level
of experience, he said. As soon as they
are told where they are going they get this
rough guide for their patrol base area.
People are saying it is saving lives.
HELMAND
HEADS-UP
ROUGH
GUIDES
MONTHS ahead of Op Herrick 15, soldiers
from 20th Armoured Brigade have been at
the LIFC(A) getting the lowdown on areas
where they will be based.
This was our first real look at Lashkar
Gah and my guys can dive in and see
what the issues are and get a feel for it at
an early date, said company intelligence
officer Capt Matthew Paterson (QRH).
We are finding out about land
problems, where the police are doing
well, where new roads have appeared
and where we have troops, so that when
we go to theatre it wont be a shock to
the system.
He added: At this stage we dont
have to know where every police officer
lives but we should be aware of the force
laydown in our area.
The deploying troops need to know
where they are going and why its
enormously valuable.
Tpr Jonathan Carline (QRH) will be
collating information ahead of pre-patrol
briefings and told Soldier the one-week
immersion at LIFC(A) had helped him put
a face to the name Lashkar Gah.
Its the first
time Ive had an
in-depth look at our
area of operations,
important land
features, where the
threats are located,
the key figures in the Afghan police
and army and where they are situated,
he said.
One of his roles ahead of deploying
in the autumn will be to share that
knowledge with the rest of his company,
in particular the soldiers who will be
working with the Afghan security forces.
Capt Paterson said he was confident
that his men would be heading to
Helmand fully equipped with the
knowledge to cope with Operation
Herricks challenges.
If we arrived without that, we could
potentially make mistakes which could
create unnecessary risk but might also
waste effort by duplicating things that
have already been done, he added.
G Final word page 98
44 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk

Dogged
pursuit
Popular pooches hound-out threats in Helmand
Canine colleague:
Arms and explosive
search dog, Travis
Report: Joe Clapson
Pictures: Graeme Main
READING the deadly paths of
Afghanistan to uncover bombs
that would otherwise kill their
human colleagues, dogs have
become an essential asset in conflict.
But unlike troops, the military
animals in Helmand province are
blissfully unaware of what is being
hunted or the daily risk they face. All
they know is that a ball or treat follows a
successful find.
Soldier visited 103 Military Working
Dogs Squadron at Camp Bastion to
see the sought-after canines in their
living quarters.
Pte Patrick Medhurst-Feeney, a
veterinary technician in the Royal Army
Veterinary Corps,
explained that
Infantry personnel
on patrol are happy
to see the animals
because of their
ability to
detect IEDs.
The lads always
give these dogs a
good reception
because they inspire
confidence due to
their proven track
record, he said.
We get out and go
from compound
to compound with them, looking for
weapons and IED-making factories
and searching for devices. We recently
had a find where we uncovered an
ammunition cache.
Each handler usually works with a
single dog an entire operational tour,
allowing the animals to learn their
companions traits and forge a strong
relationship built on instinct.
Cpl Robert Webb (RAF Police) works
with a search dog as part of the counter-
IED task force on route clearances.
Together, they step out with patrols.
We do a lot
of planned
operations
but if
there are
Infantry
units that
need us
then well
be called
were here
and ready to
be used,
he said.
Its my
third time out
as a handler
and the demand
has increased ten-
fold because the
insurgents have
become more
sneaky in planting their devices.
Regardless of the dynamic nature
of the threats, one thing that does not
change is the ability of the canines.
If something is not supposed to be
in the ground, a dog will find it, said
Cpl Robin Ardis (RAVC), an arms and
explosive search handler.
They dont know when theyve
found something dangerous to
them its just a game but it just so
happens that their discovery could be
life-saving.
Cpl Ardis companion is a black
labrador called Travis, named after
the Scottish indie band. He has a
growing reputation as a cool customer
in his field.
The dogs here have been selected
because they can work while bullets are
being fired and they
dont get frightened
when explosions
happen, said the
former member
of 2nd Battalion,
The Parachute
Regiment.
Call signs are
always glad weve
arrived because
we bring another
detector to the
party.
As well as the
valuable searchers,
more vicious
attack dogs are used as protective
assets in theatre.
Pte Medhurst-Feeneys Belgian
malinois named Vinko is one such
creature, who will bring down a
suspected enemy as soon as he is
instructed to do so.
Once unleashed, the highly-trained
animal will take hold of a targets arm
and persist until ordered to stop.
We patrol around the camp to
ensure people are not where they
shouldnt be, said the technician.
If we found someone, we would be
obliged to release the dog in accordance
with the rules of engagement. Again,
its a game to them and the dog will
bite the arm until the suspect has been
taken down.
As a single unit, 103 Squadrons
primary operational role is to provide
protection and specialist skills to
commanders on the
battlefield.
Far from acting as
pets, the talented four-
legged soldiers are
proving a menace to the
insurgency and a symbol
of morale for British troops
in theatre.
To them they could be anywhere
and they just work for a reward, said
Cpl Ardis.
A bouncing ball is all the dogs expect
in return for saving hundreds of lives.
Pooch on patrol: Cpl
Robin Ardis (RAVC) with
his search dog Travis

They don t
know when
they ve found
something
dangerous
it s just a
game to them
TOP DOG
GALLERY
Pedigree chums: Cpl Robert Webb (RAF Police)
with search dog Oslo, pictured above, during an
exercise to look for hidden IEDs and Pte
Pat Medhurst-Feeney (RAVC) with protection
dog Vinko, pictured below, practising attack
skills at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 47
ready to fire
Gunners perfect skills needed for
Herrick deployment
48 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Report: Richard Long
Pictures: Steve Dock
F
OR ground forces operating in the heart of
Helmand province there is nothing more
reassuring than knowing considerable
support is at hand should a mission go wrong.
Guns, mortars, attack helicopters and fast
air jets can all be called upon to offer a rapid
and ferocious response in the event of enemy
ghters launching an attack on UK personnel.
While this impressive arsenal offers
undoubted repower for those who need it,
coordinating these prized assets is no easy feat.
Responsibility for such a crucial task rests
with the Royal Artillerys re support teams,
close-knit units that work on the front line to
deliver immediate assistance in times of trouble.
These soldiers will be called into action
once again on Op Herrick 15 as part of 20th
Armoured Brigade and to prepare for this role
the gunners have been put through their paces
on Exercise Pashtun Sabre.
This is a crucial two-week period for us,
explained Brig Dickie Haldenby, the commander
of Royal Artillery, 1st Armoured Division.
All the attachments will be rotated through
a challenging series of stands and by the time
they leave they will be ready to bring those
weapon systems to bear in Afghanistan.
This is probably the most complex joint-re
exercise we run. We understand the exibility
re support teams require when they are
engaging targets.
But they have to consider the impact on
locals while training heavily on counter-IED and
medical drills.
The Otterburn-based course saw soldiers
coached on contemporary rules of engagement
and how to coordinate multiple assets in a
counter-insurgency environment.
A practical simulator featuring input from
fast jet pilots, attack helicopter crews and
US Marine Corps personnel offered further
learning opportunities, while live-ring serials
provided valuable experience in the eld.
These tasks featured a range of assets that
included mortars, guns, Apache helicopters
and xed-wing air support.
This is the development of an exercise that
has been running for about ve years, Lt Col
Tim Law, commanding ofcer of 26 Regiment,
Royal Artillery, told Soldier.
It has been altered incrementally as
things in theatre have changed. On this
occasion we have placed a greater
emphasis on re support teams and
their progression.
The lay down is now very
different. We have gone through
a period of kinetic engagement
with targets to a stage where
we do not mind if we
leave Afghanistan
having not red a single
round.
To say we might
not be needed is a
good thing. We are
not going to win the war by destroying large parts
of the country.
The opening stand saw teams aiding a clearing
patrol that had encountered enemy forces.
The serial ended with danger-close ring
which involved coordinating an array of weaponry
and ensuring clear, precise communication
between unit members.
In Helmand province they might
not get all these assets but it is
typical of the missions they will be
doing, explained instructor Maj
Charlie Holland (RA).
It is very complicated. Target sites
may involve collateral damage and it
is not just about what they shoot at.
You now have to think in 3D and
consider where everything is.
There is a lot of pressure on
young guys. Before, you would have
junior soldiers doing signals and taking down
missions. Now, they are going out and using
these skills the ground.
They are all qualied, but to pass the course
and do it for real is a huge responsibility.
Fire support team commanders were also
given a taste of running missions from a forward
operating base.
This scenario saw troops working with ground
forces to detect improvised explosive devices and
clear them from a designated area.
But when insurgent forces targeted the position
in retaliation, the mission swiftly changed from
a hearts and minds clearance exercise to a full
attack on the enemys location.
Capt Axel Bolin (RA), the operations ofcer
for the task, said: For a re support team
commander deployed with a ground-holding
company, this will give them their rst taste of
working in an ops room with live feeds coming in.
He will get a lot of information to lter.
The forward operating base is a facility to
work from. The fact they have got guns
ring over them at the enemy adds to
the confusion. That creates the fog of
war they will face.
Elements of 5 Regiment, Royal
Artillery were also involved in a
serial to help locate enemy positions,
mortars and gun batteries using a
range of equipment found in theatre.
We are doing training for our
soldiers but are also giving injects to
the re support team commander,
said Lt Rik Karadia (RA).
Most of this kit is quite familiar particularly
the Cobra, Mamba and Asp so the guys are
very competent with it.
But the base ISTAR [Intelligence, Surveillance,
Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance] is
relatively new and is proving to be very useful.
We are helping the commanders and giving
them more realism, but it is also very worthwhile
training for us.
While the blustery Northumberland
countryside is far removed from the conditions
troops will face when they deploy, it is playing a
crucial role in the Op Herrick campaign.
Not only are Royal Artillery soldiers gaining
experience that only comes with ring live rounds
and coordinating assets, they are also learning
valuable lessons about the all-important hearts
and minds philosophy. Q
This is
probably
the most
complex
joint-re
exercise
we run

Friendly fire: Multi-launch rocket system takes aim

Battery power: Gunners prepare to open fire
Close support: A Royal Artillery soldier defends his FOB
DRIVING
AMBITION
50 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk

Report: Sarah Goldthorpe
Pictures: Mike Weston
ITAL teamwork skills are being passed
on to armoured vehicle personnel at a
new centre in Dorset.
The Crew Training School in Bovington has
been running for little longer than a month but has
already turned out some 500 troops in preparation
for Op Herrick 16 next year.
The site, currently manned by staff from
12th Mechanized Brigade, boasts a eet of 106
vehicles including the Jackal, Husky, Ridgback,
Mastiff and Wolfhound.
Crews comprising a gunner, commander and
driver spend ve days training as a group, testing
the machines capabilities in various scenarios
including over a cross-country range.
Maj Charles Valdes-Scott (KRH), ofcer
commanding the school, said the centres mission
was to produce units with increased condence
on urgent operational requirement platforms. The
teams later move on to combined arms live-re
exercises after leaving the school.
Until very recently we didnt have the ability to
do crew training like this because all the vehicles
were being sent straight to Afghanistan, Maj
Valdes-Scott told Soldier.
Now, though, I am happy
to say we have our own eet.
Guys get the chance to
put the vehicles through their
paces and get condence to
operate by day and night.
Then when it comes
to the real thing in theatre, they know what the
vehicles can do.
Maj Valdes-Scott runs the school with the
support of 150 personnel from 12 Mech Bde. Each
unit of this formation will go through the training
package over the coming months. The facility will
then be handed over to Bovingtons Armour Centre
until a new brigade steps into the breach.
Courses cover driving, maintenance and tactics
and it is hoped the proving ground will become
well-established at the site.
Making a crew training school permanent is a
big progression, Maj Valdes-Scott said.
It would mean we could invest in
accommodation and infrastructure and create
continuity in training for each
unit at an all-singing, all-
dancing facility.
Behind the scenes at the centre,
a team from the Royal Electrical
and Mechanical Engineers work
hard to ensure the eet is in full
working order for students.
These vehicles are there every day for blokes
to train on and that in itself justies the expense
and inconvenience of them coming down to
Dorset, Maj Valdes-Scott added.
Among the facilities is a Roll Over Drills Egress
Trainer a simulator kitted-out like a real vehicle
which rotates, allowing crews to practise all
important escape methods.
This is a fantastic piece of equipment, said
Capt Garry Bartholomew, second in command at
the school.
When it comes to
the real thing they
know what the
vehicles can do

Troops test wagons
at top UK facility
V
BOVINGTON CREW TRAINING
SCHOOL IN NUMBERS:
2,556 personnel predicted to move through
the centre during its first four months
153 staff from 12 Mechanized Brigade currently
operating the school
15 different courses on offer
106 armoured vehicles on the site
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 51
All the crews that come through have to do it,
experimenting with different exit strategies and also
in the dark.
Further drills take place across eight kilometres
of all-weather track on Wool Heath, where teams
can operate in wet, dry and sandy conditions
that mimic those of Afghanistan. Groups of four
vehicles work together on the ranges.
Maj Valdes-Scott said it had been a massive
challenge setting the school up but one that was
already paying dividends.
This all had to be done with austerity in mind,
he explained.
So it made perfect sense to come here and slot
into the Armour Centre.
Pte Howard Dix, a gunner with 1st Battalion, The
Royal Anglian Regiment, said his time at the school
had been valuable.
I had never red from a vehicle before, which
meant standing up rather than crouching down.
Weve also been driving round the circuits, which
is good experience for Helmand. It has given really
great insight into the machines.
At the end of the courses, students work their
way through a scenario set up by their instructors,
such as an IED or human casualty removal.
This is about guring out how we would react
in different situations and different formations,
explained LCpl Barney Scrivener (R Anglian), a
crew commander.
Everything seems to be running well here
considering the school has only just started up.
At the end of their course, personnel are asked
for feedback on what could be improved.
As a result, the quality of instruction is already
getting better each week, Maj Valdes-Scott added.
Im very condent we have got the right
package here. Q
Roll-over: Simulators allow vehicle crews to practise escape methods that could be used in theatre
Report: Richard Long
Pictures: Graeme Main
F
OR injured personnel at Headley
Court it seems as though no stone
is left unturned when it comes to
planning exciting activities to aid
the recovery process.
Whether it is taking to the ice in the high-
octane sport of sledge hockey or horse
riding in the salubrious surroundings of the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, soldiers
rightly enjoy tremendous variety in their
rehabilitation programmes.
With this mantra in mind, an innovative
new gardening project has been launched
to deliver occupational therapy to those who
need it.
Medical evidence suggests that
horticulture can provide physical,
neurological, cognitive and psychological
benefits as well as testing patients motor
skills, strength and endurance.
To put this theory to the test, staff at
Headley Court have opened a newly-
refurbished greenhouse and allotment
area to challenge patients with complex
poly-traumatic injuries. During their green-
fingered duty they will have to overcome the
difficulties of working at different heights
and standing on slopes while moving and
lifting various objects.
Physiotherapist Maj Peter Le Feuvre told
Soldier the scheme
will deliver positive
outcomes on a number
of levels and is
hoping to see Service
gardeners blossom
over the coming
months.
A lot of
rehabilitation work is
carried out indoors,
he explained. We
were looking for a
way to bring the guys
outside and also contribute towards the
conservation of the grounds.
It is a way of helping those who need
to learn how to walk again and it can also
assist with things like balance and mobility.
There are psychological benefits as well:
working outdoors reduces anxiety levels and
improves wellbeing.
If we lower their stress levels it allows
them to concentrate and work through
different processes systematically.
We are working with soldiers who have
physical and psychological trauma and
this is one form of
treatment that applies
to everyone.
It is also about
tapping into personal
interests. Some soldiers
will gravitate towards
this type of project,
others will not.
I have had no
problems in getting
people down here. The
odd one may say they
want to work with wood
instead, but we need trellis and planters
building so we give them a nail gun and off
they go.
Occupational therapists will often take
patients into a kitchen, give them a budget
and tell them to cook a meal. The process
is all about them going out and getting the
54 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
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Working outdoors
reduces anxiety
levels and
improves
wellbeing
Maj Peter Le Feuvre
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 55
Green fingers: Gardeners Gdsm
Lamin Manneh (1 IG, far left) and
Pte Scott Meenagh (2 Para) get
to work on their hanging baskets
ingredients they need.
We can do the same within a
garden structure. The injured
personnel have to build it up
and plant it out.
Some of the guys may
also be looking to leave
for civvy street and this
project will give them the
chance to experiment with
a few ideas for the future.
During Soldiers visit
wounded personnel were
planting hanging baskets
and strawberries as the first
seeds of the project were sown.
Double amputee Pte Scott Meenagh
(2 Para) suffered severe injuries when
he stepped on an improvised explosive
device (IED) in Afghanistan and has been
determined to take full advantage of the
initiatives on offer at Headley Court.
Being a soldier is the only thing Ive
ever known, he explained. With no legs I
cannot really be a soldier any more so when
I get the opportunity to try new activities I
take it.
This project is quite therapeutic;
it takes your mind off the things you
think about a lot. It also helps with
physical rehabilitation as you have
to get up and move around. It is
very beneficial.
My father is a gardener
and Ive worked with him
before but that was more on
the landscape side. When I
first arrived here I saw the
greenhouses and pond
and they seemed run-down
and neglected.
It is great to see it being
revamped and to say I
contributed to these fantastic
grounds would be amazing.
Pte Meenagh has already mastered the
basics of planting hanging baskets and has
added his name to the horticultural rota so
his time in the greenhouse can continue.
I would love to stay involved and see
how the project evolves, he added. I have
never worked on anything like this before
and it is a great opportunity.
Headley Court is the best facility in the
world. The staff here are amazing and if
you want to work hard they will let you do
exactly that.
Gdsm Lamin Manneh (1 IG), who lost two
legs and an arm in an IED blast in December,
echoed his colleagues comments.
He said: I think it is important for
everyone to get involved.
I have got a horticultural background.
My father was involved in agriculture and
we used to work together in Gambia. When I
came to Headley Court and heard about this
project I wanted to be part of it.
Rehabilitation is all about taking you back
to where you were before you got injured.
We do most of our work indoors so it is
good to be engaged in an outdoor project.
People talk about climate change so it is
nice to know we are helping the environment
as well.
Although the scheme is still very much
in its infancy, the early signs suggest it will
provide a full bloom.
And with the strength and determination
of British soldiers behind them, the Headley
Court gardens can look forward to a bright
and colourful future. n
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 57
YOUR letters provide an insight into the issues at the top of soldiers agendas . . . but please be brief. Emails
(mail@soldiermagazine.co.uk) must include your name and location (although we wont publish them if you
ask us not to). We reserve the right to accept or reject letters, and to edit for length, clarity or style. Before
you write to us with a problem, you should rst have tried to get an answer via your own chain of command.
Service salute to Scottish show of support
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I
WOULD like to bring to Soldiers attention
a phenomenon which I had never
experienced prior to working in Scotland.
In my current job as a movement
controller, I escort the troops returning from
operations from their aircraft to the terminal
building at Edinburgh Airport to ensure they
transit smoothly prior to despatch back to
unit lines.
Almost every time that uniformed
troops have emerged from the arrivals hall
en masse, members of the public have
responded by spontaneously applauding.
As other travellers turn to see what is
going on, they too join in creating quite
a noise. Sometimes the returning unit has
a piper positioned close to the exit which
adds to the occasion.
Seeing such a reaction always brings
a lump to my throat and Im sure that it
makes the returning soldiers realise that
their efforts and dedication have not gone
unnoticed or unappreciated.
This experience is completely different to
the reception, or lack of one, when Service
personnel return from Afghanistan to RAF
Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
I write not to make a big deal about
this but simply to raise awareness of the
support that exists for the British Army and
to thank members of the general public
for their appreciation regardless of their
political views of what soldiers do.
I would be surprised if this greeting
doesnt aid the Jocks in their reintegration
and rehabilitation following what will
probably have been a traumatic operational
tour. WO1 (SSM) L Earnshaw, Ops WO,
DMOC, HQ 2 Div.
Warm welcome: British Army personnel returning to the UK from overseas operations have been greeted by applause from travellers at Edinburgh Airport
LOCATIONS for units returning from
Germany are currently under discussion.
While the canny Scots will make a
great deal of noise as to the importance of
utilising Royal Air Force bases there and
the need to support the Scottish economy,
I would like to know if the interests of the
soldier will be taken into account rather
than just political expediency.
For many Service personnel, Scotland is
a signicant distance from their home and
a potentially more expensive option with
longer journey times than from Germany.
While the addition of an Army brigade
may add favourably to the Scottish
economy it will not provide good
employment opportunities for spouses and
will ensure that families face crippling
travelling costs. In addition, if Scotland
is to seek independence a whole host of
other issues will arise.
May I suggest that Lincolnshire and
central England offer a much more
favourable base for most soldiers and their
dependants. Before any hasty decisions
are made to please the Scots, we should
look at the bigger picture of the expense to
our people and the associated travel costs
of being based too far north. Name and
address supplied.
Allowance
angst
Canine
caper
Medal
moans
Housing
headaches
This months ruminations from the ranks...
Slice of Service life
Pension
pains
Moving north would be costly option
Dress debate
O JUST a quick note reference
the review of Moving Pictures in
Junes issue.
I am a huge Rush fan and have
been since hearing Permanent
Waves for the rst time in 1980.
Steve King, who reviewed the
album in question last month,
needs to do a bit more homework.
The LP was not recorded 40
years ago as he claims but
originally released on February
12, 1981 making it 30 years old.
It is with this anniversary in mind
that the band are playing Moving
Pictures in track order on their
current live Time Machine tour.
I was at the Birmingham gig
in May and yes, yet again, Rush
were superb.
Steve tut, tut. Maybe a look at
the date on the back of the album
cover would have given you a
clue. SSgt Dave King, QRH.
58 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 59
FOR
I HAVE read with great interest the ongoing
discussion about dogs and the Army and whether
pets should be excluded from Service sites.
If you could permit me to relate a story, I will
tell you exactly why I feel mans four-legged
friends do have a place in the military workplace.
When I attended an Army officer selection
board at Westbury I was somewhat downhearted
to receive a category 2.12.
As I sat alone outside the briefing office
waiting for the minibus to arrive and take me
down the hill to the train station, a little dog
appeared, followed by a lead and a sergeant from
The Royal Welsh.
After a few paces the animal stopped in front of
me and started barking.
The senior NCO looked down at the dog, up at
me, smiled and said Oh, you must have passed,
sir. He only barks at officers, and then went on
his way.
This budding commander, sad at not getting
a full pass, ended up leaving Westbury with a
massive grin on his face. And this is why I think
dogs are important they have a role in military
affairs. Robert Evans, potential officer, London.
AGAINST
I WRITE in response to the Hound
em out letter in Aprils issue and the
subsequent replies.
Like the original correspondent, I am a
dog hater especially when it comes to
canines in the workplace.
Buying a pet is a personal choice
and, as such, animal owners should
make alternative provisions for their
companions while they are at work.
I cant imagine British Telecom
allowing labradors in their ofces or
McDonalds being happy with a member
of staffs Staffordshire bull terrier sitting
behind the service counter.
I am allergic to dogs and having them
running around while I try to go about my
job causes me serious discomfort.
Why cant owners be just a little more
considerate and acknowledge there are
those who feel differently about mans
best friend?
A pet is for your family to experience,
not to inict on others. Name and
address supplied.
Canine conflict continues
THREE-PRONGED ATTACK
I WISH to comment on recent letters
featured in Soldier.
Firstly, in response to T-shirt
troubles (June), if a commanding
ofcer wishes non-uniform items of
clothing to be worn they should be
provided free of charge.
Secondly, I as do no doubt many
others agree with Mr De Landahs
comments regarding pets at work
[Writer in the doghouse (June)].
Dogs owned by ofcers and soldiers
have been an integral part of Army life
for many years and the silly comments
made by name and address supplied
in the original letter [Hound em out,
April] beggar belief.
Thirdly, why are there so many
anonymous letters featured in
Talkback? Could it be that there is
a latent fear of open or underhand
retribution from the chain of command
for being honest?
If so then those from warrant
ofcers upwards should ask
themselves some serious questions.
It is incumbent on the individual to
ensure he or she states irrefutable fact
in Talkback.
Why? Because from this stems the
ability to have the courage to append
ones name to a justiable letter of
enquiry, complaint or interest.
I spent 27 years in the sergeants
mess and in my last ve appointments
it was impressed upon subordinates
that I didnt want them to tell me what
they believed I wanted to hear.
I preferred them to be honest with
me, and more importantly, honest with
themselves and feel free to say what
they thought.
Finally, thanks for a great magazine.
Peter Padley, ex-WO1 (GSM),
Alicante, Spain.
Dammit Jenkins, youre the 20th caller this
morning... I didnt mean the drinks are on me.
GOOD grief! A pay freeze, allowance cuts,
redundancies, VAT increase, food and
fuel ination and a summer without any
meaningful football tournament.
Anyone for a pint? Lt Col Steve Szalay,
SO1 Community Support, PS4 (A), HQ
Land Forces.
CAN someone explain why my Local
Overseas Allowance (LOA) was stopped
when I took relocation leave?
I was posted from one German unit to
another and moved quarters to be nearer
my new place of work.
On arrival I was told to use part of
my annual leave allocation rather than
relocation due to a glitch on the Joint
Personnel Administration (JPA) system.
As advised, I took ve days of my
entitlement and consequently had my
LOA stopped for that period. Name and
address supplied.
Brig Mike Grifths, DPS(A), responds:
The policy in Joint Service Publication
752 is clear and worth quoting in full:
LOA is not payable during periods of
relocation leave taken overseas either
before the commencement of the overseas
assignment or after its completion.
It is not a JPA glitch; the allowance is
not paid for relocation leave.
However, it is during periods of annual
leave so if your time off was classied
accordingly then you are entitled to
payment of LOA.
You letter raises a valid point. As many
serving personnel in your circumstances
elect to take their relocation leave locally,
they continue to incur the additional day-
to-day costs of living in theatre.
My staff are fully aware of this anomaly
and have pressed the MoD to recognise
the situation by ensuring that those
undertaking an intra-theatre move receive
LOA during their relocation leave.
This will require both a policy change
and, perhaps more fundamentally, the
reprogramming of JPA.
Due to major work already under way,
such a revision could not be introduced
before 2013.
Move meant I missed out on money
60 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
FALLEN COMRADE
I WOULD like to add a name to the roll
of honour featured in Soldiers salute
to those members of the British Army
who fell during the Gulf War [The
Bigger Picture, March]. I served with
39 Squadron RCT during the conict
and we sadly lost a colleague LCpl
Lee Wellington in a trafc accident
days before coming home. Ex-WO2
Wayne Fury.
NO FOLLICLE FAIRNESS
I HAVE closely followed the ongoing
debate regarding haircuts within the
Army and, while I despise having such
short locks, am resigned to the fact
that regulations are unlikely to change.
However, I believe there is a lack
of guidance or enforcement when it
comes to Servicewomens hair.
I acknowledge that those with longer
styles must wear a bun, but what
about females with slightly shorter
hair? It seems as though women can
have their locks at whatever length
they wish. The fairer sex also appear
to be able to change the colour of their
hair as they see t.
On another note, a high volume of
ofcers clearly believe that the Queens
Regulations on this matter dont apply
to them. A young lance corporal.
GIVE MEDAL TO MASSES
THE powers that be could easily risk
much of the affection felt for Her
Majesty if they do not arrive at the only
logical way of establishing eligibility of
the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal.
I believe the decoration should be
awarded to all serving and retired
members of the Armed Forces, police,
re brigade, emergency services and
any other ejusdem generis whose
contribution to the nation through their
period of service (of at least ve years)
has been during the Queens reign.
The cost will be insignicant when
measured against the groundswell of
sentiment and goodwill generated.
Nick Johnson, ex-Metropolitan Police.
PICTURE PARADOX
WHILE I enjoyed your Gingerbread
clause prompts changing of the guard
article [April fool joke], I assume that
the Fiscal fairness report which
appeared in the same issue and
detailed the rst of two years of our
zero per cent pay rise, was not in the
same vein.
I found it rather ironic that you
chose to print a picture of the Chief of
the General Staff, Gen Sir Peter Wall,
opposite an article which was billed
with the line Armys lowest earners
set to benet from Armed Forces
Pay Review Body. WO2 Graeme
Winning, British Embassy, Beijing.
Commissions take on tour tickets
I
WOULD like to take the opportunity to
respond to a letter featured in Aprils
issue, Are my lottery playing days
numbered, and clarify the rules on where
and when you can play.
It has always been the case that to
enter the National Lottery online by direct
debit or text, participants must be a
resident of the UK or Isle of Man.
However, since December 2010 the
rules have changed to state that those
playing must be physically located in
either location.
This regulation was introduced
following an investigation which found
that most overseas territories have laws
which make it illegal to play the UK
National Lottery.
Given the complexity and in some
cases ambiguity of legislation in other
jurisdictions, it was not always possible
for players to know whether or not the
purchase of a UK ticket was permitted.
In addition, as local laws are a matter
for the authorities in those countries and
subject to change, it is not practicable
for Camelot (or the National Lottery
Commission) to publish and maintain
a list of which international regions do
allow entry.
Players are reminded they should only
play in the UK or Isle of Man when they
sign in to their account or buy tickets
online, as well as when they initially set
up their direct debit.
Additionally, Camelot uses positional
software which displays a warning
message to any players who attempt to
access the website from outside the UK,
Isle of Man or from an unknown location.
Members of the Armed Forces who are
residents of the UK can continue to play
the National Lottery by direct debit, as
long as they are physically located in the
country or Isle of Man when they set up
or amend the arrangement including
buying additional tickets or changing their
numbers or payment details.
As long as they continue to meet these
eligibility requirements, their tickets will
be valid while they are posted overseas.
Alternatively, deployed members of the
Services can join a syndicate set up and
managed by a friend or family member
in the UK.
We would advise anyone forming a
syndicate to follow the advice on the
National Lottery website and to sign a
syndicate agreement.
And nally, if personnel are travelling
abroad on a short posting they can buy
tickets up to eight weeks in advance.
It is one of the main duties of the
National Lottery Commission to make sure
that players are properly protected but we
appreciate the current arrangements may
not suit all members of the Armed Forces.
We are therefore seeking to meet with
the Ministry of Defence to discuss how we
could support the Services without putting
players or Camelot at risk of breaking any
laws which might result in an individual
missing out on a prize. Jonathan Blay,
National Lottery Commission.
Juggling jurisdictions: The National Lottery Commission has refined its rules in light of laws overseas
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 61
I
AM a Territorial Army Intelligence Corps
soldier currently attached to various
departments within MoD Main Building
and working in direct support of operations
for extended periods of time.
I went to join the gym within the
headquarters and was informed that as a
Reservist, I am not entitled to free use of
the facilities and would have to pay quite a
considerable amount to do so.
To be fair to the duty physical training
instructor, he seemed quite embarrassed
by the situation especially when I
explained that I was working in Main
Building by dint of being a Reservist (as
apposed to being a Reservist and employed
there in another capacity).
However, I was told that as my unit
identication number was not associated
with the centre I was ofcially classied as
a contractor.
I enquired as to whether this applied to
Regular Service personnel visiting the site
for limited periods and was informed that
it didnt. I was particularly surprised, then,
that it did not seem to make a difference
when I was mobilised and returned to
Main Building for a short stint prior to an
operational deployment.
I do not wish access to facilities that I am
not entitled to and certainly do not expect
free gym membership per se. I willingly
already subscribe to a tness centre which,
ironically, offers a Forces discount, making
it cheaper than Main Building. I can also
(and do) go for a run and even use the
facilities at Wellington Barracks.
That said, I feel this state of affairs belies
the so-called One Army concept and
penalises serving Reservists. Name and
address supplied.
Lt N Bassett (Royal Navy), Joint Service
Administration Unit (London), responds:
Thank you for highlighting that Reservists
from all three Services have this problem
accessing the gym in MoD Main Building.
The reason for the issue is that the
facility is provided by the Civil Service
Sports Club (CSSC). It is not military
or publicly-funded and is classed as
privately/commercially-run. Consequently,
the owners charge for the gyms use.
When Main Building was reoccupied
there was a requirement, under
the Armed Forces Physical
Development Policy, to
provide access for
Regular personnel
to appropriate
facilities
that meet their
responsibilities to
remain physically t.
It was calculated that Servicemen and
women accounted for about a third of those
working at the centre and the Old War
Ofce Building. Therefore, in order to allow
military personnel free access, public
funds meet a third of the cost that the CSSC
estimates is required to run the facility.
The gymnasium contract is currently
under review and the issue of funding will
be considered.
While it is unlikely that visitors or those
working temporarily in Main Building
will be able to use the facilities, we will
now work with the Defence Infrastructure
Organisation to allow Reservists assigned
full-time to the headquarters the same
access as Regular personnel.
Reservists denied regular gym sessions
MY unit is based in Northern Ireland and I would
like to bring to Soldiers attention an issue I
believe could easily have been avoided.
Although married, I am currently serving
unaccompanied because my wife also in the
military is waiting for an assignment order
to join me. Due to my marital status, I am only
entitled to three travel warrants a year and not the
12 afforded to single soldiers. Consequently, it
costs my partner and I around 700 to see each
other twice a month.
My gripe, however, concerns my last leave
period. I had been given a warrant in order to
return to the mainland to see my wife, and made
arrangements to visit my parents. My partners
return from duty in the Middle East was delayed
by 24 hours and this, coupled with bad weather
and a car in need of a trip to the garage, prompted
a change of plans.
Rather than a visit to my parents, my wife and
I decided to attempt to return to our new home
in the Province. As the crossing had been pre-
booked I contacted the ferry company to bring
it forward. No, was the answer not without
authority from the movements clerk.
I managed to make contact with the
aforementioned who told me that unless I was
returning for operational or compassionate
reasons then the booking could not be amended.
My offer to cover any cost of the ticket change
usually a small administration fee and signicantly
cheaper than booking another crossing was
greeted with a further no. So too was my request
to cancel the original fare which was no longer
necessary in light of my early return.
This stance resulted in the MoD wasting almost
200 (the cost of the ferry ticket) and myself
having to pay out a similar amount.
Can anyone point out the sense in this policy?
At what age/rank is someone deemed mature
enough to make and amend their own travel
arrangements? Name and address supplied.

Brig Mike Grifths, DPS(A), replies:
Your letter concerns me and while I can
understand the need for processes to
prevent administrative chaos, what you
have described sounds overly bureaucratic.
In attempting to answer your question,
my staff have consulted HQ 38 (Irish)
Brigade who have reviewed their practices.
The decision to prevent individuals from
contacting ferry operators and airlines
directly has been made as a result of
years of experience and is designed to be
cost-effective.
Personnel frequently approach travel
companies demanding changes to their
arrangements at varying cost. However,
all changes to MoD bookings carry an
extra charge to the departments budget
and must therefore be accounted for and
authorised at the right level.
The ferry company need to know that
the change has been properly authorised
by the MoD before allowing the extra cost
to be incurred. Additionally, Northern
Ireland-based units need to maintain
awareness of alterations to soldiers travel
plans for security reasons.
That said, there is a system for
revisions that is applicable to all,
irrespective of rank or experience. This
appears to have broken down in your case.
The route followed on this occasion
seems to have been through the duty
mover, which is applicable only to
changes for duty or compassionate
reasons. In such circumstances, the MoD
will pay the relevant fee.
Where a change is made for personal
reasons the individual must bear the cost.
But alterations can be made through
the unit movements clerk and there
should be procedures in place to ensure
all Service personnel are aware of the
process to follow.
Your letter has usefully highlighted
the requirement for robust rear party
procedures during leave periods to ensure
that all personnel can make sensible
changes to travel plans. HQ 38 (Irish)
Brigade are reissuing direction to units
on the process to be followed and I would
advise staff to ensure they have the details
before departing the Province.
Ferry fury prompts sea change in Province procedures
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 63
Quartermasters bin parades prompt trash talk
PIONEERS AT PLAY
I READ the article on the HM Armed Forces range of toys in Junes issue of
Soldier [Brand leaders] and thought Id share with you some of the pictures
Cpl Jason Booth and myself have been working on while out in Afghanistan.
Cpl Anthony Bysouth, 522 Squadron, 23 Pioneer Regiment.
M
Y unit has recently received a
collection of bins and with them has
come a new recycling policy.
While I support such environmental
initiatives wholeheartedly, as Im sure
the majority of soldiers do, occasionally
a cardboard box, glass bottle or other
recyclable item can nd its way into the
general waste.
In the wake of the discovery of such a
piece of rubbish, the quartermaster has
ordered a compulsory, non-exempt bin
parade every Thursday afternoon for the
foreseeable future.
This process involves emptying all the
general waste bins and sifting through the
contents in search of recyclable items.
On a few occasions I have narrowly
missed being cut by razor blades and
had to dispose of the odd ladies sanitary
product and used contraceptive.
Surely there must be a more hygienic
and less hazardous way of educating the
regiment on the importance of recycling.
Name and address supplied.

The units quartermaster responds: The
MoD produces a large amount of waste
(around 170,000 tonnes per annum)
and 42 per cent of this currently goes to
landll sites.
This means of disposal has a signicant
environmental impact, including
ecosystem degradation and increased
greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to address this, the MoD
has set a target of reducing the total
amount of waste generated by 20 per
cent (relative to 2010/11) by 2016/17 and
to increase waste recovery (recycling,
reuse, composting and energy from
waste) to 80 per cent.
Studies suggest that 90 per cent of
rubbish is recyclable, so the only thing
preventing us achieving this gure is our
lack of effort.
The local county council currently
spends around 23 million each year on
waste management services. A signicant
element of this goes on landll tax
incurred by burying waste in the ground.
Recycling and diversion of waste
from landll are essential so that scarce
resources can be preserved for essential
public services.
As part of its drive to reduce the use of
landll, the local council will not remove
contaminated bins whether they are for
general rubbish or recyclable materials.
Under the Hazardous Waste Regulations
2007, it also has the power to ne units
for such containers.
It is very good to hear that the
correspondent wholeheartedly supports
green initiatives but unfortunately, despite
the fact that all personnel posted into the
regiment complete waste management
and recycling training as part of their
induction, our record as a unit is not good.
There have been several occasions
when the council has refused to remove
rubbish. This was not because of the
occasional item in the wrong place, but
as a consequence of whole general waste
bins being full of recyclable materials.
Clearly the non-removal of waste
has serious implications from an
environmental health perspective and the
unit is bound to resolve the problem. Bin
parades are the practical solution.
These sessions are not intended as
educational exercises or collective
punishment but are simply the regiment
fullling its responsibility to dispose of
waste correctly.
I agree entirely that this is not a
pleasant job but the risks are mitigated
as far as possible through safety briengs
and the provision of full personal
protective equipment.
Look what Ive found... one of the QMs
special interest magazines in the wrong bin.
64 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
O I MUST respond to the short note by SSgt Barnett in Aprils issue bemoaning a civil
servant reading Soldier.
While not the subject of his ire, I speak on behalf of us mere civvies of which the
letter writer in question is one, albeit in military uniform.
I may not have a beret but I do have a brain. You ask what a civilian is doing looking
at a magazine of (not for) the British Army.
Personally speaking, I nd it broadening to read and learn about what is going on in
the organisation, not least because I work alongside many of its ne staff.
Do not forget also, when you spout forth your invective about civvies, just how much
is done by us in support of Help for Heroes and the like. You may have the beret and the
gun but beware treading on the tail of a tiger.
Finally, the magazine is actually sold in outlets such as WH Smith. Am I to infer from
your letter that you would not read any title that is not directly related to the military?
Carl Portman, Kineton Station.
IT was welcoming to see the articles on mental
health issues in last months Soldier and the
publication of a DIN (2011DIN06-002) advising
Service personnel on how to seek advice,
support and help.
Reading the above made me wonder why
there is stigma attached to admitting such
problems. Surely it is normal and natural that
we should become low in spirit when having
to live in stressful conditions, whether in the
UK, Northern Ireland or on the front line in
Helmand province.
Add to this the sudden shock to the system
of combat and/or the killing of a colleague and
it is no surprise that individuals feel anxiety,
depression and all the other labels attached
to normal emotions that reject violence, are
sensitive to the brutal destruction of esh and
bone and the extinguishing of a human spirit.
Only a robot would not react. Some men and
women may say they are tough, resilient or
professional as sticking plasters to cover up
these feelings, but isnt it about time that we
all had the compassion to acknowledge that
we are not robots?
It is human to feel sad; to cry; to want to
withdraw our battered human spirits from
the eld of war; to rest; to grieve; to renew
the worn down and worn out nerve, brain
and blood cells; and to lie down in a dark
room until we are ready to open the window
and let the sunshine in. These feelings are not
mental health issues, they are being human.
Christine Rogers, 38 Brigade.
Un-robotic: Last months cover star LCpl
James Dean (Gren Gds) spoke
candidly about his own
suffering and recovery
Sharing your emotions is healthy and human nature
I
AM a non-Regular permanent staff
(NRPS) warrant ofcer serving as a
regimental quartermaster sergeant with a
Territorial Army Infantry battalion.
Having previously volunteered for two
tours of Iraq, I am keen to complete a third
operational deployment in Afghanistan
before I become too old.
However, when I made enquiries about
doing so I was informed that I would be
in breach of my contract, lose my job as
a consequence and that my existing post
would be advertised.
Even if I was to then reapply for my
current position and be selected as the
preferred candidate, I would have to enlist
on full-time Reserve service (FTRS) terms
and conditions.
I nd it hard to accept that the Army
would penalise me for serving overseas.
The Service has spent a lot of time and
effort to train me so it seems daft not to use
my talents. WO2 D Fisher, 3 PWRR.

Maj Kris Beauman, DM(A), responds:
NRPS personnel are recruited and
selected to ll particular appointments in
a single rank and unit.
The purpose of the permanent staff
(including NRPS) is to deliver continuity
and efciency through administrative and
logistical support that would otherwise fail
with a part-time staff.
NRPS personnel have no liability for
call out (mobilisation) outside the UK,
although you can elect to be eligible for
worldwide service.
This is registered as a preference (JSP
753, Part 3 and TA Regulations, Chapter
6 refer) but does not imply a greater
probability of deployment.
Your previous mobilised service
in Iraq and willingness to deploy are
commendable, but the former is not the
primary purpose of NRPS employment.
It is not clear when you hoped to
go on tour but despite operational
commitments, the majority of your unit
will be in UK for the next 24 months
and your deployment would deprive the
immediate chain of command of your
skills in a key part of the battalion.
Reservists are generally deployed
as part of a TA cohort for programmed
operations or as individuals where there
are no suitably skilled or available
Regular personnel.
Furthermore, Reservists are generally
employed on operations within the same
constraints as a Regular.
As a NRPS soldier and at 54 years
of age, the probability of you being
considered for mobilisation is very low.
Your commanding ofcer would also need
to justify your deployment, with approval
at formation level and conrm the backll
of your appointment.
While the terminology used in your
letter is not strictly accurate, NRPS is now
a legacy term of service and any vacant
post is duly considered for conversion to
FTRS liability.
In accordance with the regulations, if
voluntarily leaving your post there is every
likelihood it would be converted to FTRS
and potentially lled in your absence.
The critical nature of appointments such
as yours does not support the mobilisation
of NRPS personnel.
Your desire to deploy is a personal
matter and by retaining you in a key
appointment, the Army is making best use
of your experience, knowledge and talent.
Why am I being denied the chance to deploy?
THE SERVICE HAS SPENT A
LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT TO
TRAIN ME SO IT SEEMS DAFT
NOT TO USE MY TALENTS
66 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Spine line winners: D Walker, Defence
Clothing, Bath; J Mill, Dundee; SSgt J Clothier,
DSL, Beaconsfield.
Laputa winners: Pte J Dickinson, 217 Tpt Sqn,
Leeds; Michelle Dryden, MoD Abbeywood;
L Newport, Oxford; D Keeble, HQ 4 Div,
Aldershot; Pte P Sutton, 1 PWRR, BFPO 22.
The Ward winners: Cpl L Vernazza, APHCS
Tidworth; C Long, Grimsby; J Collins, BBTFM,
Abbeywood; Sharon Jackson, 201 Tpt Sqn,
Kempston; Mrs J Avis, 100 Regt RA, Luton.
DIRECTORY
July 3: Haileybury Military
Tournament. Gates open 1215,
events from 1400. Family fun
featuring military bands, a light
gun competition, parachute
displays, tent pegging and
sword jousting competitions. For
tickets and information call 0207
9077000 or visit the events website,
www.haileyburymilitarytournament.com
July 6: Concert in the Park at Kneller
Hall. The Band of the Royal Engineers and
the Parachute Regiment Band. Concert starts
at 1950 and finishes at 2140. Tickets available
by calling 0208 744 8633 or by post from
the Concert Secretary, RMSM, Kneller Hall,
Twickenham, Middlesex TW2 7DU.
July 9: Wimbish Station Support Unit
Open Day. Raising money for the Injured
Soldiers Fund. 33 (EOD) Engineer Regiment
and 101 (EOD) Regiment will be giving
demonstrations, plus bridge building, static
displays and events for all the family. Carver
Barracks, gates open at 1130.
July 13: Big Band. New season of Kneller
Hall summer concerts. Gates open at 1800,
tickets 10 (adults), 8 (concessions:
under 16s, OAPs), 5 (MoD personnel),
40 (season ticket with chair), 30 (family
ticket). Free tickets are available for injured
and ex-Service personnel plus one carer.
Payment in advance by credit or debit
card or on the gate. By post with cheques
payable to The Accounting Officer MoD,
Concert Secretary, Royal Military School of
Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham, Middlesex
TW2 7DU or order tickets by email from
e1coord@rmsm.mod.uk
July 16: Anthems in the Park. Concert at
RAF Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Kerry
Ellis, Brian May and the band of the Royal Air
Force, plus fireworks and an air display. Ticket
sales on 0844 888 9991. Gates open at 1630.
July 16-17: Paintballing for Heroes. Fund
raising in support for Help for Heroes at
Holmbush Paintball, Holmbush Farm, Faygate,
Horsham RH12 5SE. 10 for a full day. All
equipment included plus 100 paintballs and
insurance. For further information and to
book tickets phone 0800 279 2525 or visit
www.holmbushpaintball.co.uk
July 20: A celebration of Army Music. Band
of the Irish Guards and The Heavy Cavalry
and Cambrai Band. Tickets as for June 15.
July 22-August 5: Scenes of an Afghan
conflict by Jules George. Works by artist
embedded with the British Army in Afghanistan
displayed at Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street,
London W1A 1ASR.
July 23: ABF The Soldiers Charity are holding
an open-air theatrical performance of Pirates
of Penzance at Wintershill Hall, Durley SO32
3AL. Bring your own picnic suppers, rugs and
chairs. Tickets are 15 per person, 20 extra
for a gazebo. Apply for tickets by writing to JMJ
Armed Forces Christian Union: 01252
311221; www.afcu.org.uk
Armed Forces Humanist Association: www.
armedforceshumanists.org.uk
ABF The Soldiers Charity: 0845 241 4820
Army Welfare Service: 01980 615975; www.
army.mod.uk/welfare-support/welfare-support.
aspx
Army Families Federation: 01264 382324; mil
94391 2324; www.aff.org.uk
British Limbless Ex-Service Mens
Association: 0208 590 1124; www.
blesma.org
Career Transition Partnership:
0207 766 8020
Childrens Education Advisory
Service: 01980 618244;
enquiries@ceas.detsa.co.uk
Ex-Services Mental Welfare
Society: 01372 841600; www.
combatstress.com
Family Escort Service: 0207 463
9249
Forcesline: UK 0800 731 4880;
Germany 0800 1827 395; Cyprus
080 91065; Falklands #6111; from
operational theatres Paradigm Services
*201; from anywhere in the world (CSL
operator will call back) 0044 1980 630854.
Lines open 1030-2230 (UK) every day.
Forces Pension Society: 0207 820 9988
Joint Service Housing Advice Office: 01722
436575
Medal Office: 94561 3600 or 0141 224 3600
Mutual Support (Multiple Sclerosis group):
www.mutualsupport.org.uk
National Gulf Veterans and Families
Association Office: (0900-1700); 24-hour
helpline 0845 257 4853; www.ngvfa.org.uk
Regular Forces Employment Association:
0121 236 0058; www.rfea.org.uk
Royal British Legion: 0845 7725 725
RBL Industries Vocational Assessment
Centre: 01622 795900; www.rbli.co.uk
St Dunstans: 0207 723 5021; www.
st-dunstans.org.uk
South Atlantic Medal Association: 01495
227577
Services Cotswold Centre: 01225 810358
Service Personnel and Veterans Agency: 0800
169 2277 (from UK); 0044 1253 866043 (from
overseas locations)
bullet
POINTS
COMPETITIONS
The following Army Briefing Notes, Defence
Internal Briefs and Defence Instructions and
Notices can be found at www.armynet.mod.uk
DIB 39/11: Publication of the Armed Forces
Covenant
DIB 40/11: Armed Forces Bereavement
Scholarship Scheme
DIB 41/11: Withdrawal of around 400 UK
DIARY
INTELLIGENCE
Balfour (ABF), Wintershill Hall, Durley, Hants
SO32 2AL. Cheques should be made payable to
ABF The Soldiers Charity.
July 27: Salute to the Services. Bands of the
Coldstream Guards, Royal Marines and Royal Air
Force. Tickets and information as July 13.
July 30: The Premier League Stadia Challenge
Gala Dinner in aid of ABF The Soldiers Charity
and The Great Britain Disability Football
Association at the International Suite, Old
Trafford, Manchester. Platinum tickets are
1,500 per table (ten per table) and gold tickets
are available at 1,250 per table. Details from
AFV Events at info@afvevents.co.uk
August 5-7: The Gloucestershire Steam &
Vintage Extravaganza at South Cerney Air Field,
Cirencester. Family and concessionary rates
available. For information and ticket details visit
www.steamextravaganza.com
September 3: Soldiers Support Group Forties
Day at Darwen Market Square, Darwen,
Lincolnshire BB3 1BG (1000-1700). Includes a
commemorative parade at noon, brass bands,
singers and amateur boxing display. Free coach
and car parking. For more information call 07951
460414 or 07970 215399.
September 3-4: The Duxford Air Show. Enjoy
the sight and sound of the celebrated British
single-seat fighter aircraft in the year that marks
the 75th anniversary of the Spitfires inaugural
flight. Advanced booking discount of ten per cent
is available via www.iwm.org.uk/duxford
September 17-18: Salute to the 40s returns to
the Historic Dockyard, Chatham. Naval, military
and Home Front re-enactors, wartime vehicles
and lots more. Adult tickets 11, concessions
9.50. Book by calling 01634 823815 or email
groupsales@chdt.org.uk
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 67
TEN details have been changed on this
photograph of soldiers from 7th Armoured
Brigade taking part in an offshore sailing
training week and regatta at Kiel, Germany.
Circle the differences in the left image
and send the panel to HOAY 836, Soldier,
Ordnance Road, Aldershot, Hampshire
GU11 2DU by July 29.
A photocopy is acceptable but only one
entry per person may be submitted. First
correct entry drawn after the closing date
will win 100; the second and third will
receive 25 gift vouchers.
The results will be announced in the
September issue.
Mays competition: First correct entry
drawn at random and winner of the 100
was Lt Col D R Munro, RG Scotland,
Stirling. Runners-up Martha Tukagabeci, 3
RHA, Caen Barracks and Cpl Mika, RSME,
Chatham win a 25 gift voucher.
JUST HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU?
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6
military personnel from Afghanistan
DIB 42/11: End of Op Telic: completion of
Royal Navy training mission in Iraq
DIB 43/11: Message from Permanent
Secretary ongoing work to balance Defence
priorities and the budget
DIB 44/11: MoD sets out plans for successor
nuclear deterrent submarines
DIB 45/11: Review of British sovereign base
areas in Cyprus
DIB 46/11: Countdown to Armed Forces Day
2011 begins
DIB 47/11: Operation Ellamy: Prime Minister
announces the deployment of Apache attack
helicopters
DIB 48/11: The Materiel Strategy Programme
transformation of Defence Equipment and
Support
DIB 49/11: Voluntary Early Release Scheme
update
DIB 50/11: First maritime operational use of
Apache attack helicopters
DIB 51/11: Defence Secretary highlights
progress in Afghanistan and Libya and
announces Nato HQ decision
ABN 30/11: Uniform to Work Day
ABN 31/11: Mental health stigma campaign
DIN 2011DIN01-127: Guide to world faith
festivals
DIN 2011DIN01-128: Tri-Service policy for
training Return of Service
DIN 2011DIN01-129: Introduction of Civil
Service learning
DIN 2011DIN01-130: Army additional duties
commitments arrangements
DIN 2011DIN01-131: Army rejoining bounty
DIN 2011DIN01-132: Armed Forces
Bereavement Scholarship Scheme
DIN 2011DIN01-133: Civil Service Compensation
Scheme dismissal on grounds of inefficiency
DIN 2011DIN01-134: Online security awareness
campaign
DIN 2011DIN01-135: Minutes of the 65th
Defence Whitley council meeting, March
DIN 2011DIN01-136: Joint non-industrial civilian
personnel policy meeting
DIN 2011DIN01-137: Changes to the
redeployment pool process
DIN 2011DIN01-138: Revision of equality and
diversity policy and legislation documents
DIN 2011DIN01-139: BR3 issue of April 2011
edition, superseding BR 60A and BR 63A
DIN 2011DIN01-141: Utilisation of Defence
Travel
DIN 2011DIN01-142: Publication of revised JSP
893 policy on safeguarding vulnerable groups
DIN 2011DIN01-143: Band D long-term
temporary promotion and reversion
DIN 2011DIN01-145: Procedures for Defence
visitors to New Zealand
DIN 2011DIN02-008: Correct use of the user
sanction release mechanism for users of the
Enterprise Gateway Service
DIN 2011DIN03-020: Requesting support from
the Joint Helicopter Command
DIN 2011DIN04-071: Local purchase of the
revised Roman Missal
DIN 2011DIN04-073: Declaration of
obsolescence specified equipment as used
in the command post of the advanced sound-
ranging programme
DIN 2011DIN04-074: Termination of use 8m
mast as used in the command post of the
advanced sound-ranging programme
DIN 2011DIN04-075: Weapon equipment
declaration of obsolete/obsolescent status
DIN 2011DIN04-076: Salvage, marine
operations and emergency towing
DIN 2011DIN04-077: Minister (DEST)
Acquisition Awards 2011 calling notice for
nominations
DIN 2011DIN04-078: Weapon equipment
Declaration of obsolete/obsolescent status
DIN 2011DIN04-079: First-time demands
via deployed management of joint deployed
inventory systems
DIN 2011DIN04-080: Technical documentation
in the urgent operational requirement
environment
DIN 2011DIN04-081: Declaration of
obsolescent for pyrotechnic nature signal kit
pistol No 1 Mk 3 (all colours)
DIN 2011DIN04-082: AF G932(B) B vehicle
inspection form
DIN 2011DIN04-083: Defence support
solutions framework
DIN 2011DIN04-085: Non-destructive testing
support changes to parenting for search and
rescue helicopters and other minor changes
DIN 2011DIN04-086: Overarching vehicle
standardisation
DIN 2011DIN05-024: Use and development of
smartphone applications
DIN 2011DIN05-025: Defence unit identity
number policy and management
DIN 2011DIN05-028: Defence information
infrastructure exemption policy for networks,
standalone computers and applications
DIN 2011DIN05-029: Guidelines for the
provision of information infrastructure by
public/private partnerships and public finance
initiatives
Continued on page 68.
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68 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
43 Royal Pioneer Company, 1 CSB: Reunion
in Neiheim, Germany from July 1-3. Come and
have a beer and catch up on old times. For
further details contact Alan Liddle on 0208 773
1834 or 07800 543491.
Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters:
Pre-Crich supper will take place at Foresters
House, Chilwell on July 2. Admission by ticket
only, priced 12.50. For details contact 0115
9465415.
The Mercian Regiment: Pilgrimage to the war
memorial at Crich on July 3. Service starts at
1500. Details from Maj M Green, RHQ Mercian,
Foresters House, Chetwynd Bks, Chilwell,
Nottingham NG9 5HA.
Royal Green Jackets Regimental Association:
The annual veterans day will take place at
ATFC(W), Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester
on July 9. Attendance open to all past and
present riflemen. Ladies encouraged to attend.
Contact Maj (Retd) Roy Stanger, TSU Worthy
Down on 01962 887916 or email Trg_Sp_Unit_
spsvcs-gso@dclpa-wd.mod.uk
Operation Lecturer-Cambodia: Reunion at
Commando Forces Sergeants Mess, RM
Barracks, Stone House, Plymouth on July 22.
Any serving or former RM/RN/Army or attached
civilian personnel who served in Cambodia
1991/1992 as part of the UNAMIC/UNTAC
mission and is interested in meeting, email Tony
Jacka for details anthony.jacka219@mod.uk
Army Environmental Health Past and Present
Club: Reunion for all members and civilian
staff on July 30 at the WOs & Sgts Mess at
Copthorne Barracks, Shrewsbury. Spouses/
partners are welcome to attend. Cost is 20
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
WEB WATCH
www.twitter.com/soldiermagazine www.facebook.com/soldiermagazine
CLOTHING AND KIT
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We give ten per cent of our profit to The
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Quote SM5 for a five per cent discount
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0845 2575710.
SERVICES
www.forceshomes.co.uk
Finding homes for military personnel. We
organise your mortgage, search for your
ideal property, manage the complete
purchase, arrange the letting if required, and
we pay all your professional and legal fees.
per person. Max attendance is 150 and all
applications will be processed on a first come,
first served basis. Email Capt John Wood
ehreunion2001@hotmail.co.uk
144 Para Medical Sqn/144 Field
Ambulance/23 Para Field Ambulance OCA:
Past and present reunion dinner will be held
at the TA Centre, Hornsey, London N8 7QT on
August 13. Further information from WO2 Bill
Hounsome on 07762 490583/01732 743807
or email bill_hounsome@hotmail.com
45 Field Support Squadron, RE: Reunion
on September 3 at the Chiltern Hotel, Luton.
Tickets are 36 each and cover a meal, disco
and memento. Room rates at the hotel are
49 inclusive of breakfast. Former members
of the squadron should contact Gordon Brady,
51 Whipperley Ring, Luton, Beds LU1 5QS or
phone 07929 167451.
Army Musicians Association: All ex-Army
musicians are invited to rally at Kneller Hall for
a march past with serving CAMUS personnel
and a reunion lunch on September 16. Details
from Maj John Carter on 0208 744 8652 or
email corpssec@hq.dcamus.mod.uk
ROADSHOWS
The Army Presentation Team wants to hear
from members of the public who would like
a personal invitation to its hi-tech roadshow.
The event starts with a drinks reception, is
followed by a presentation and questions
and culminates with a finger buffet. There
will be a range of military personnel on hand
to answer any of your questions. Call 01276
417000 or email your name and address to
apt.mod@btinternet.com with the event you
are interested in attending.
July: 5, Ipswich; 6, Luton; 7, Northampton;
19, Burnley; 20, Warrington; 21, Stockport;
25, Hull; 26, York; 28, Newcastle. September:
Guildford, Crawley, Rochester (tbc).
DIN 2011DIN05-030: 1710 Naval Air Squadron
change of email addresses
DIN 2011DIN07-093: Exercise Medsail 2012
DIN 2011DIN07-096: Merger of Defence Food
Services School into Defence Logistics School
DIN 2011DIN07-097: The SO1/SO2
engineering and logistics forward
commanders pre-employment training course
DIN 2011DIN07-098: Authority for Army
orienteering 2011-12
DIN 2011DIN07-099: Joining instructions for
personnel attending the military training unit,
HMS Heron
DIN 2011DIN07-100: MK concentration
programme: 2011-2012
DIN 2011DIN07-101: UK Special Forces Group
volunteers selection course dates
DIN 2011DIN07-103: Managing MoD civilian
staff relaunch
DIN 2011DIN07-105: Tri-Service university
short course programme academic year
2011/2012
DIN 2011DIN07-107: Calling notification for
dental hygienist training
DIN 2011DIN07-108: Establishment of
P Squadron opportunities available to
personnel
DIN 2011DIN07-109: Project management
development programme
DIN 2011DIN07-110: Defence Centre of
Training Support specialist training course
schedule September 2011 to March 2012
DIN 2011DIN08-008: JSP 891 Charge for
returned cheques
DIN 2011DIN08-009: Revision of JSP 507
MoD guide to investment appraisal and
evaluation
DIN 2011DIN09-005: The George Beeching
Prize for Compassion
DIN 2011DIN09-006: Birthday Honours list
REUNIONS
2011 MoD civilian recipients
DIN 2011DIN10-028: Armed Forces parachuting
competition July 16-22
DIN 2011DIN10-029: Army lawn tennis
championships 2011
BOOKS
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Specialists in new and used military
books. Visit our website or for a printed
catalogue call 01303 246500.
A PERSONAL view from Julie McCarthy, Chief
Executive of the Army Families Federation. Log
on to www.aff.org.uk for more information
M
Y organisations mission is to beat
the drum for Army families. These
people need to have a consistent
and authoritative voice representing them
even more so in these uncertain times.
In the last two months we have held
conferences in both Northern Ireland and
Germany. These events gave people the
chance to air their concerns, not only to
the local chain of command but also the
Adjutant General, Lt Gen Mark Manns.
Whenever I visit personnel in Germany
I am struck by the sense of village
community that I find there. Perhaps
because they are so far away from home
they are always willing to lend a hand with
a neighbour. There are certainly lots of
volunteers for community groups such as
Brownies and Scouts.
Welfare support especially during
deployment is generally very good and
made much easier by the close geographic
location of the families who have
accompanied their soldier overseas.
Of course, those living back in the UK
understandably feel at a disadvantage but
that is one of the realities of choosing to live
in your own home and something that the
AFF and Army are still grappling with.
Housing is the most reported issue in the
UK and although waiting lists are a concern
in some areas of British Forces Germany
(BFG), the standard and size of properties
are good and the repairs and maintenance
services thrive due to German efficiency.
The personal attention offered to
occupants by estate managers and the local
housing offices cannot be underestimated
either, and I urge the Defence Infrastructure
Organisation to think very carefully before
tampering with the set-up in this country
and potentially breaking it in the name of
saving money.
That said, our organisation would not need
to hold a conference if life in BFG was not
without its challenges.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review
included the announcement that troops (and
therefore their families) would withdraw
from Germany by 2020 and that half would
be gone by 2015.
This was a surprise to many even senior
members of the chain of command. It has
thrown a number of planned projects into
disarray and we are still waiting for the
announcement on where
people will be based in as little
as three years time.
The uncertainty has caused
many to question not only
their future in Germany
but whether to accompany
their Service person on
assignment in the first place.
Overseas employment for spouses and
older dependants is a significant issue:
more than 70 per cent who answered our
recent survey on life in BFG expressed
dissatisfaction at the availability of jobs
in their garrison. Some 60 per cent of
respondents were unhappy with the number
of opportunities that meet their skills,
experience and training.
While families do not expect the Army to
create jobs for them, it can be frustrating
when spouses see people being employed
at great expense from the UK into roles they
are both qualified and keen to fill.
The employment of more spouses and less
civil servants overseas would save money
a compelling argument in todays economy.
I am often reminded that the Living
Overseas Allowance is not designed to
compensate for the loss of a spouses salary.
But given that so many partners give up a
career when moving abroad, the MoD must
surely soon acknowledge this sacrifice.
If the department is to continue to
support accompanied service and wants
good people to voluntarily take overseas
postings then, like our colleagues in the
Foreign Office, Forces spouses should
receive a compensatory allowance.
A perpetual headache the inability
of personnel and their families to vote
from foreign climes is
another problem that
could be solved rather
easily. Registration is
not the issue and postal
voting is not the solution.
There needs to be a
comprehensive review
of the system for the
thousands living worldwide.
The exclusion of overseas Army families
from the census earlier this year was also
concerning, not least because it means that
details of thousands will be lost to history.
In the autumn we will be visiting
Edinburgh, Catterick and Aldershot to hear
from dependants in those areas.
For their part, the Army and MoD do
take notice of the issues being brought to
the table. But following a month where it
was revealed that there are more volunteers
for redundancy than needed, they would
do well to achieve solutions or provide
explanations as soon as possible in order to
preserve the morale of those left. Q
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 69
HOME TRUTHS
The employment of
more spouses and
less civil servants
overseas would
save money

Finding employment is tough job in Germany

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70 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 73
CCF SENIOR STAFF INSTRUCTOR
Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey. From 1 January 2012
A fantastic opportunity is available for a talented and
suitably qualied individual to join one of the most
prestigious public schools in England.

Full time - 40 hours per week over 5 days. Benets
include membership of the School's sports centre and a
contributory pension scheme.
Reporting to the CCF Contingent Commander through the Adjutant,
the SSI is a key CCF staff member whose principal role is to organize
and deliver military and adventurous training to all four Sections of
the CCF (RN, RM, Army and RAF), and to assist with sports coaching
and Quartermaster duties. The SSI will be granted SNCO or Warrant
Ofhcer status.
The ideal candidate will be proactive and self-motivated, with the
ability to both lead and work as part of a team. You will possess
SNCO/Warrant Ofhcer or equivalent background, relevant experience
of working with Cadets or young people and qualihcations in outdoor
pursuits and adventurous training, such as mountain leadership,
climbing and kayak instruction. A current driving licence is required.
Normal working hours are primarily (but not exclusively) during
school term time which may include Saturdays and/or Sundays
depending on CCF and School weekend activities.
For further details and an application form, please see Employment
Opportunities under the Charterhouse section of our website at
www.charterhouse.org.uk or call the HR team on 01483 291500.
The closing date for the receipt of applications is 1 September 2011.
Charterhouse is committed to safeguarding and promoting the
welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child
protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with
past employers and the Criminal Records Bureau.
74 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
www. sol di ermagazi ne. co. uk/revi ews
Did you know that there are over 3000 qualied close protection
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The Directorate of Joint Capabilities is looking for personnel to learn
operational languages. Applications are invited from offcers up to OF3
and Other Ranks at any level, with at least 2 years seniority within their
service, to undertake language training.
Courses are conducted at the Defence School of Languages (DSL)
Beaconsfeld twice yearly, and we are currently inviting applications for
the May 2012 and October 2012 courses. The courses last 15 months,
and on completion you will deploy for 6 months as a Military Linguist to
Afghanistan.
Applicants who successfully complete the course will also be eligible for a
fnancial award under the Defence Operational Language Award Scheme
(DOLAS - DN 2009DN01-192). You will also qualify for additional
operational language pay.
Selection is by interview, and candidates must be physically ft. Applicants
must also have been released by their manning authorities for the
language training and subsequent operational tour.
For further information or to request an application form see
the following DIN: 2010DIN07-174 or contact Jt Cap-Dolsu wo
cap Gen (Baynes, Paul CPO) on (civ) 01980 615362, (mil) 94344
5362 or email JtCap-DOLSUWOCAPGEN@mod.uk.
Postal enquiries should be sent to:
Defence Operational Languages Support Unit, Bldg 190,
Trenchard Lines, Upavon, PEWSEY, Wiltshire SN9 6BE.
Operational Languages
Opportunities to learn Dari and Pashtu
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 75
PEN PAL
Debbie, (45), young single mum of one.
Enjoys watching motorsport. Looking
for male pen pals any age. P014
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length hair and blue/grey eyes. Enjoys
music, loves to dance, great DIY
fan, good jokes, walking, gardening,
unfortunately spends most of her time
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whatever it is you want to share. P015
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music, animals and reading. P016
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happy nature. Enjoys the countryside,
walks, watching old & new movies,
relaxing in front of the TV, listening to
relaxing music or drinking at the local pub.
Would like to write to soldiers serving in
Afghanistan and the UK. P017
FOR SALE
Cap badges, regimental ties, blazer
badges, medals, insignia. Send 2 for
list to: Cairncross (Dept S), 31 Belle Vue
Street, Filey, North Yorkshire YO14 9HU.
Website: www.cairncrossmilitaria.co.uk
BRITISH ARMY CAP BADGES. Many
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AGC SPS mess dress for medium
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George boots size 9. 350 Contact:
Shaun 07593522450
Email: shaun@wright-stainton.co.uk
HOLIDAYS
Peace and quiet, self contained flat
in country house offered to soldiers
returning from Afghanistan and their
families for short periods. Sleeps five,
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01665 589229.
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SERVICES
LOST PATROL, classic rock band and can
offer to play at your charity event for free!
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com www.lostpatrol.webs.com
Professional mess photography from
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Web: www.mess-photographers.co.uk
KEEP YOUR MEMORIES ALIVE. Writing
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SPORTS
LEARN TO SKYDIVE, ex-military
instructors, great locations abroad,
group discounts. 07866 306050.
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76 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
21 May 2011
1st prize (10,000); 2Lt MAWD
Perkins 1 SG, Catterick. 2nd prize
(5,000); Sgt PE Mumford 32 Engr
Regt, BFPO 30. 3rd prize (2,500);
WO2 NE Jackson 2 Mercian, BFPO
806. 4th prize (1,000); SSgt
JD Orton B (250 Hull) Med Sqn,
Kingston-Upon-Hull. 5th prize
(500); Sgt JE Cox 1 RHA, Tidworth.
15 consolation prizes (100 each);
LCpl AP Anderson 101 Pro Coy
RMP, BFPO 40, Pte AC Hillary Army
Foundation College, Harrogate, LCpl
RT McDonald 101 FS Bn REME,
BFPO 39, Cpl MD Castle 4 Rifles,
Bulford Camp, Cpl TD Wright 27 Tpt
Regt RLC, Bulford Camp, Pte CJC
Lunson Army Foundation College,
Harrogate, LCpl RBS Coulter HQ LF,
Andover, SSgt P Craigen 101 Pro
Coy RMP, BFPO 40, Cpl A Pearson
HQ Tidworth & Bulford Garrison,
2Lt SJM Lavery 3 Log Sp Regt RLC,
Abingdon, Lt Col R Crook HQ DLO,
Ensleigh, Cpl T Harrison JSSU (Cyp),
BFPO 59, Sig LT Campbell 1 (UK)
Armd Div Sig Regt, BFPO 15, LCpl
TO Osborn Army Foundation College,
Harrogate, Pte HL Jones 4 Med Regt
RHQ, Aldershot.
28 May 2011
1st prize (10,000); Sgt ZE Duce 72
Sect SIB RMP (G), BFPO 36. 2nd
prize (5,000); 2 LBdr NC Clarke 29
Cdo Regt RA, Plymouth. 3rd prize
(2,500); SSgt MJS Bain 42 Engr
Regt(Geo), Hermitage. 4th prize
(1,000); Cpl P Hunter ARRC Sp Bn,
Innsworth. 5th prize (500);LCpl AM
Horner 101 Pro Coy RMP, BFPO 40.
15 consolation prizes (100 each);
LCpl SJA MacLachlan 8 Regt RLC,
BFPO 17, LCpl BD Frost 2 MI Bn,
Netheravon, LCpl AM Wilding Scots
DG LAD REME, BFPO 38, Cpl T Main
25 Engr Regt, Cambridge, Bdr GJ
Grant HQ 2 (SE) Bde, Folkstone,
LCpl KJ Deacon 1 Rifles, Chepstow,
Cpl DR Rees 3 Log Sp Regt RLC,
Abingdon, Spr SS Stalgis 28 Engr
Regt, BFPO 31, Sgt G Slade-Jones
ASPT, Aldershot, SSgt GC Dudman
HQ Armour Centre, Bovington, Maj
TO Wood 16 Signal Regt, BFPO 35,
WO1 M Warwick 20 Armd Bde Sig
Sqn (200), BFPO 16, Pte GA Lodge
HQ 42 (NW) Bde, Preston, 2Lt MA
Dobson RMAS, Camberley, SSgt
MW Smith 7 Air Assault Bn REME,
Ipswich.
4 June 2011
1st prize (10,000); Spr LJ Minifee
26 Engr Regt, Andover. 2nd prize
(5,000); LCpl K Mekemeke 4 Regt
AAC, Ipswich. 3rd prize (2,500);
LCpl AC Gilkes PJHQ, Northwood.
4th prize (1,000); Kgn MB Barton
ITC, Catterick 5th prize (500);
WO1 R Stoddart WSU, Warminster.
15 consolation prizes (100 each);
Sgt J Corcoran Army Foundation
College, Harrogate, Cpl KM MacLeod
Jt CBRN Regt, Bury St Edmunds, Pte
SL Howell 25 Trg Regt RLC, Deepcut,
Pte CM Smith 1 PWRR, PFPO 22,
LCpl AB Kay 3 (UK) Div HQ & Sig
Regt, Bulford, WO2 MR Metters 26
Engr Regt, Andover, Cpl S Saunders
2 R Anglian, BFPO 23, Maj MC
Bowler 7 Tpt Regt RLC, BFPO 39,
Cpl MW Parkes 7 Sig Regt, BFPO 35,
Sgt PG Anders RDG, Catterick, Sgt
MG Smith 6 Bn REME, Tidworth, 7
LCpl B Rikalans KRH, Tidworth, Cpl
L Scott HQ DFSS, Worthy Down,
Pte DJ Jefferys Army Foundation
College, Harrogate, Pte CC Chunda 3
Log Sp Regt RLC, Abingdon.
11 June 2011
1st prize (10,000); LCpl G
Jamieson 1 PWRR, BFPO 22. 2nd
pize (5,000); LCpl C Duffy 16 Regt
RA, North Luffenham. 3rd pize
(2,500); WO2 DP Sowerby 5 Regt
RA, Catterick. 4th pize (1,000);
Capt RM Dawson AMTAT, Ipswich.
5th pize (500); Pte DJ Wilkinson 8
Regt RLC, BFPO 47. 15 consolation
prizes (100 each); Pte AP Foster
3 Mercian Regt, BFPO 38, WO2 MP
Crewes British Military Mission-
Kuwait, BFPO 5424, ATpr N Jenner
9 Regt AAC, Thirsk, Sgt SJ Riggott
42 Engr Regt (Geo), Hermitage, Sgt
LM Nolan 5 Medical Regt LAD REME,
Catterick, Capt SJ Cousen 3 Medical
Regt, Catterick, SSgt R Ricketts
USU, Pewsey, Lt AJ Purvis 2 RRF,
BFPO 23, Capt PJ Adams HQ DCCIS,
Blandford Camp, Sgt ML Hargreaves
1 SG, Catterick, Lt Col DR Evans
DEFAC HQ MDR, Shrivenham, Sgt
MM McKeown 8 Tpt Regt, BFPO 17,
LCpl R Buckley 1 Scots, Edinburgh,
Maj TJ Keates
2 Signal Regt, York, LCpl SA Stanley
7 Signal Regt, BFPO 35.
18 June 2011
1st prize (10,000); Gnr N Frier
26 Regt RA, BFPO 113. 2nd prize
(5,000); Lt Col RS Small Log
Div HQ Land, Andover. 3rd prize
(2,500); WO1 RA Parr HQ DRAC,
Bovington Camp. 4th prize (1,000);
Pte JG Short MDHU Frimley Park
Hospital, Frimley. 5th prize (500);
LCpl T Anderson 132 Avn Sp Unit
RLC, Ipswich. 15 consolation prizes
(100 each); Sgt MA Pocock 23
Engr Regt (Air Asslt), Woodbridge,
Cpl TJJ McGivern 1 R Irish, Market
Drayton, Cpl GG Davies APDO
Scotland, South Queensferry, Cpl MT
Pitt 39 Engr Regt, Waterbeach, LCpl
LW Mitchell 1 R Welsh, Chester, Cpl
DW Cullen 662 Sqn (AH) Section,
Ipswich, Spr SJ Pope RSMS,
Hermitage, Capt ADG Thorne RMAS,
Camberley, Spr JF Millward 26 Engr
Regt, Perham Down, Pte MD Roberts
Army Foundation College, Harrogate,
Capt JL Lee 3 Regt AAC, Ipswich,
Kgn B Richardson 2 Lancs, BFPO 53,
SSgt WA White 103 Regt RA LAD
REME (V), St Helens, Sgt ND Rutter
Security Heron, RNAS Yeovilton,
Cpl L Hayes 156 Pro Coy RMP,
Colchester.
sports
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REVIEWS soldier
A VERITABLE BEVVY OF BEAUTIFUL BUYS reviews@soldiermagazine.co.uk
P78 MOVIES COLD WAR FEVER
P82 MUSIC SCORCHING SCOTS
P84 BOOKS COMBAT BARBIE
P80 GAMES ROASTED ROBOTS
JULYS HOT STUFF
A
FORMER special forces Reservist is set to
lift the lid on a hidden war between British
and Russian security operatives in his first
feature film.
Sven Hughes, who has also worked on black
ops as a high-risk freelancer and adviser to
governments, has penned The Federation a
contemporary spy thriller that shines a light on a
modern-day Cold War.
In order to create a credible movie about the
murky world in which people vanish without trace
and slayings are framed as suicides, Hughes has
drafted in consultants from both sides of the story
Kremlin bosses and SAS personnel.
We are getting enormous support from
the military and political community, said the
37-year-old filmmaker.
I think we have got something different and
quite special as its not your average Bond or
Bourne film.
One of the movies experts is Alexander
Nekrassov, a former adviser to Boris Yeltsin, who
said: It is a fascinating depiction of the covert
game of chess that is currently being played
between East and West.
The film is written by someone who knows
what they are talking about. I think The Federation
will cause quite a sensation when it is released.
Hughes taps in to his experiences in uniform
and private security to create a realistic plot,
without giving away any sensitive secrets.
We are treading a very careful line with the
subject matter and recognise that we must talk
responsibly on the special forces issue, he said.
At the moment the Russians are angry that
they are always portrayed as the baddies and the
film industry is not taking it seriously.
In real life its not as black and white as good
and bad.
The controversial movie is being developed
by the London and Belfast-based production
company Generator Entertainment, which is
calling in big names to ensure a screen hit.
With the production experience of Mark Huffam
(Saving Private Ryan), Simon Bosanquet (Ripleys
Game) and Aidan Elliot (Killing Bono) on board,
there are high hopes for cinema success.
Charlie Cox (Stardust), Luke Goss (Hellboy 2,
Blade 2) and Julian Sands (A Room With a View,
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) are lining up to
take centre stage in the high-octane drama.
The Federation has also enlisted one of the
SASs most celebrated former members Soldier
I to act as a dark arts consultant.
On meeting Hughes, the veteran of several
secret missions said: Hes not messing around.
He has a good story and a clear vision of what
he wants to achieve with this project its going
to be a white-knuckle ride.
With an insistence on giving a real account of
life in the shadows, Hughes has vivid ambitions
for his film.
However, he is adamant that UK security comes
before a good story.
I have given service to Queen and country and
am not about to shaft the nation with my film
this is not a kiss-and-tell memoir, he said.
The Territorial Army veteran added that he
hopes to raise the profile of the British Services in
mainstream cinema.
I want to make films that celebrate our soldiers
and pay homage to the heroes, he said.
Im not seeing enough British war films being
made and if I can play one small part in rectifying
that I will be happy. Q
OThe Federation is due out in 2012
Silver screen secrets
Director Sven Hughes highlights the murky world of special ops in debut feature
78 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
VIVACIOUS VIEWING FOR FILM FANS reviews@soldiermagazine.co.uk
Interview: Joe Clapson
Dark art: Generator
Entertainment is set
to start production
on The Federation,
a controversial spy
movie, later this year
THIS horror film has to
rank as the worst motion
picture I have ever had the
displeasure of watching.
It is obvious that this had
a budget smaller than
your typical party political
broadcast. Added to
that, the actors have less
charisma and on-screen
presence than a dull-as-dishwater politician.
The acting is wooden and the script about
people terrorised by patrol men on a remote
island would appear to have been written by a
ten-year-old. The only saving grace for the film is
that it is so bad it actually has comedic value and
engenders a morbid need to see the ending. One
to avoid unless you are a gas mask enthusiast.
OH my life, what a dud.
This waste of a movie
has a spectacularly loose
plot about the re-election
campaign of a corrupt
politician. The acting
is reminiscent of a rst
rehearsal for a school play
and the special effects
are from the 1980s. The
complete lack of style if that is the right word
made me cringe more than the belt-fed cliches.
This D-movie disaster hopefully sped up the
inevitability of the cast and crew nding a new
career in the fast food industry. Zero audio-visual
continuity and only two cameras employed
throughout. I would not use this DVD to protect
my desk from tea stains.
A GROTTY student called
Yannick falls off his bike
while doing a recce of the
area that he has just moved
to and wrecks himself by
sliding along the tarmac.
He knocks on the door of
a house to seek help and
the owner just happens
to be the local religious
psychopath and provincial chess champion who
has vowed to save the world. Yannick ends up
taking a beating and is locked away in the guest
room for processing. He is then regularly
beaten up by the loonys gorgeous daughter. This
subtitled French film is not as bad as I thought it
was going to be. Predictable and low-budget but
actually fairly watchable.
Patrol Men out now Absence of Light out now 5150 Elms Way out now
Capt Marc Claxton, R Signals Capt Neil Johnson, AAC Pte Gary Parker, RLC
From low-budget acting to rampaging surveillance robots, Soldier checks out the latest DVD releases...
S
O
L
D
I
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movies REVIEW
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 79
THE birth rate is at zero
per cent and a virus is
turning the human race
into zombies. In order to
find a cure and produce
life, a doctor needs fresh
specimens on which to
conduct tests and uses
two hunters to collect the
dead bodies. The films low
budget is reflected in the poor acting and special
effects. The whole thing looks washed out and at
times this can make the subtitles difficult to read.
This foreign-language effort lacks action and the
dialogue is very slow. The one redeeming feature
of this horror flick is the interaction between the
hunters as they trawl the area for corpses and
virus-free humans.
SURVEILLANCE cameras
to aid law-enforcement
turn into killing machines
provoking suspicion and
paranoia in this action sci-
fi thriller. The eponymous
eyeborgs are deployed
by the US Government
in the wake of a terrorist
attack to monitor all
communications in the name of national security.
But after a series of murders, a cop serving with
the Department of Homeland Security fears that
bad guys have infiltrated the robots and are
planning to assassinate the president. If youre a
sci-fi fan then this film may be worth a look, but
if not the stilted performances and ridiculous plot
make this one to miss.
WITH Resurrected, director
Paul Greengrass (The
Bourne Ultimatum and
Green Zone) brings us a
powerful and provocative
feature. Pte Deakin, played
by David Thewlis, goes
missing presumed dead
during the Falklands
conflict and a memorial
service is held in his honour. Weeks later he
is found alive suffering from exhaustion and
amnesia. Soldier has teamed up with Second
Sight Films to offer five readers a chance to win a
copy of the DVD, released on July 25. To have a
chance of winning tell us who plays the lead role.
Answers on a postcard to the usual address or
send an email to comps@soldiermagazine.co.uk
Eaters: Rise of the Dead out now Eyeborgs out now Win... Resurrected
Sgt Wallace Stephenson, Int Corps Tracey Phillips, Army wife Closing date: July 29
Reserve judgement: Former TA soldier Sven Hughes (middle) is working with Kremlin chiefs and SAS operatives to ensure The Federation is accurate
W
ITH major movie titles taking months
even years to script, develop, cast,
shoot and release, it has always been
somewhat surprising that the inevitable gaming
spin-off is nothing more than an afterthought.
This well-trodden path has been littered with
hordes of notable disasters and one cannot help
but think that with a little more time and care
the transition from big screen to console could
ultimately prove successful.
However, publishers Activision have stood
firmly by this conversion strategy and their latest
effort coincides with the release of one of the
summers biggest blockbusters.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third
instalment in an increasingly-irksome movie
franchise, so it is fair to say that hopes for the
customary gaming tie-in were not particularly
high among those who have seen it all before.
This sense of underwhelming has done little
to dampen the spirits of Activisions executive
vice president David Oxford, who has predictably
pedalled the company line with an air of positivity.
The Transformers: Dark of the Moon game lets
fans experience the gripping battles and original
prologue story that precedes the film, he said.
The team at High Moon Studios has created
an amazing narrative that unfolds through an
epic single-player campaign and allows fans to
play as their favourite characters in head-to-head
multiplayer action.
This is all well and good, but this title fails to
break the mould of its flawed forebears.
But instead of being completely negative there
are a few highlights to mention as a number of
successful features from its predecessor, War for
Cybertron, have been retained.
Players experience a mix of third-person
shooter and vehicle combat and the game offers
an easy link between the two.
Each character has its own unique blend of
strengths and abilities and this is a welcome
addition to the options available, as is the array of
weaponry on offer.
However, these are only a glimmer of hope
and they, along with wise words from Oxford, fail
to gloss over the feeling of disappointment that
stems from playing this game.
As someone old enough to remember the
original Transformers cartoons, the robots recent
resurgence was always going to have to be
something special to win my affection.
Unfortunately, Dark of the Moon treads a
similarly clumsy path to the series 2007 and
2009 films.
Players engage in battle as both the
Decepticons and Autobots in a plot that makes
little sense other than to set the scene for the
recently-released movie.
The chance to control different Transformers is
appealing, but the action lacks variety and resorts
to the repetitive formula of explore and shoot
other robots, and then repeat.
The drawn-out levels mean there is little reason
to stay in robot form as you progress through the
story. This creates a somewhat strange gaming
experience as you remain as a vehicle until faced
with an enemy.
When this happens a quick transformation
ensues to help mount an attack, which is followed
by a prompt shift back to the characters previous
guise and off you go.
This is pretty aimless fare and the lack of
inspired and detailed design only adds to the
boredom created.
In conclusion, this is a lacklustre title that
offers nothing more than meets the eye. Q
Robots in decline
Console convert fails to deliver in disappointing transition from movie franchise
80 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Review: Richard Long
Shady stuff: Publishers
Activision attempt yet
another gaming spin-off in
Transformers: Dark of the
Moon, which is out now
CODEMASTERS have
created a racing title that
petrolheads will love and
the more casual gamer
will learn to love. Dirt 3
features cars from the
past 50 years of rally,
from the Mini Cooper to
the Ford Focus RS WRC,
with buggies and trucks
thrown in for good measure. The graphics are
stunning and the gameplay is very smooth, while
a laid back setting allows beginners to ease their
way into the action. The multiplayer options are
fantastic and locations such as Finland, America,
Kenya and Monaco provide hours of fun. On the
whole this is very impressive and its hard to find
any faults as quite simply there are none.
JUST like Star Wars
fans whose patience
was rewarded with the
Jar Jar Binks-inspired
monstrosity that was The
Phantom Menace, gamers
who waited a full 15 years
for the new Duke Nukem
game have been served
a similar car crash of a
title. Putting aside the fact that the misogynistic,
foul-mouthed Dukes toilet humour hasnt aged
well, the game itself is a confused mess. Boring
level design and long load times are coupled with
repetitive gameplay that lacks any form of subtlety
or finesse. You would be much better digging out
an old copy of the original Duke Nukem 3D and
reminiscing about the good old days.
THIS latest instalment from
Rockstar Games brings a
whole new level to single-
player entertainment. The
action centres on a post-
war LAPD detective who
finds himself embroiled in
Hollywoods golden era,
which is quite fitting as the
title takes a big-screen feel
thanks to a plethora of cut scenes and flashbacks.
This will keep users entertained for weeks as they
search for clues, chase suspects and interrogate
witnesses. The only negative is the driving, which
can be over-responsive, and youll find yourself
crashing into a tram or fire hydrant as the bad
guys get away. Overall, this is a great game that
would be even better with a multiplayer option.
Dirt 3 for all formats Duke Nukem Forever for all formats LA Noire for PS3 and Xbox 360
Pte Robert Owens, 168 Pioneer Regt RLC Stephen Tyler, ex-Soldier Neil Rodgers, civvy
From fantastic fun in the fast lane to puzzling panda punch-ups, we check out the best and the rest of the new releases...
EQUIPPING YOU FOR THE VIRTUAL WORLD reviews@soldiermagazine.co.uk
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 81
IT is a cliche among the
gaming community that
lm tie-ins are predictable,
rushed attempts to extract
more money from fans
of a particular franchise.
That is true of this Green
Lantern release, but its
not a reason to write this
mildly-entertaining action
title off completely. Yes, the large-scale battles
with wave after wave of manhunter robots has
been done before, but the variety of unlockable
weaponry provides a reason to ght through and
the chance to unleash deadly combination moves
is a welcome addition. Flying levels add further
fun to a release that goes some way to breaking
game-of-the-movie conventions.
Lunar lunacy: Transformers: Dark of the Moon follows the well-trodden path of movie-to-game disasters thanks to its lack of variety and repetitive formula
AS a regular user of
flight simulators, I felt
somewhat let down by
IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of
Dover. The game initially
took some time to load and
once I got started it became
apparent this title requires
the use of a top-of-the-
range gaming machine,
which is not clearly specified. As a result, the
action was rather jittery and the missions were
constantly stopping and starting, which is never
good when you are flying an aircraft. On the
positive side, the graphics are clear and detailed,
while the machines handle very well. This game
has undoubted potential, just make sure your
hardware has the power to handle it.
SURELY a game that
uses Kinect to allow you
to inhabit the body of
Kung-fu Panda Po to dish
out beat-downs to a gang
of crocodiles is a recipe
for success? Sadly not for
the second of this months
cinema-inspired turkeys.
This broken beat em ups
turn-based, prompt-driven system means that
rather than kicking and punching as fast as your
panda limbs allow you, gamers have to follow
on-screen prompts to perform combinations.
This tedious control device is further hampered
by a delay between your physical movement
being translated into attacks. Save your money by
watching the innitely better lm.
Green Lantern for all formats IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover for PC Kung Fu Panda 2 for all formats
Richard Long, Soldier Steven Jessup, ex-1 Glosters Stephen Tyler, ex-Soldier
I
T is fair to say that 2011 has marked another
busy period in the proud history of the Pipes
and Drums of 1st Battalion, Scots Guards.
The famed musicians had the honour of being
included in The Queens Birthday Parade last
month and also performed to US president Barack
Obama during his state visit to the UK at the start
of the summer.
In between these commitments the band found
time to release their new album From Helmand
to Horse Guards, a selection of tracks dedicated
to their colleagues who died while serving in
southern Afghanistan.
This is a culmination of my four years in
charge, Pipe Major Brian Heriot told Soldier
during a welcome break in his hectic schedule.
We chose a lot of songs from our regimental
parades. I think they are a good portrayal of us
and what we do as a battalion.
From Helmand to Horse Guards represents
our journey to The Queens Birthday Parade and is
also a commemoration for the guys who lost their
lives on our last tour.
It is all encompassing and will appeal to
a wide range of people, rather than just those
associated with the Pipes and Drums.
A lot of hard work went into producing the
album. We were only in the studio for five days
so we had to get everything right but I am really
pleased with the outcome.
The pomp and circumstance of their ceremonial
duties, along with the release of a new album, has
not disguised the fact that the Scots Guards are
soldiers first and foremost.
They deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and were
based in Lashkar Gah, where they carried out a
ground-holding and mentoring role for the Afghan
National Police and Army.
They are now preparing for performances at
next months Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
and will then look ahead to training for their next
round of operational commitments.
But music is still a prominent part of their
make-up and the key theme of this album is
poignantly illustrated on the song We Will
Remember Them, which features a performance
from renowned folk singer Isla St Clair.
Shes such a great vocalist and its an honour
to have her on the record, P/M Heriot explained.
Isla was with us on our American trip in 2009.
We would perform this song every evening right
across the country and the crowds all loved it.
We thought it would create a fitting tribute to our
fallen comrades.
The album also boasts a contribution from
another established folk star, Kate Rusby, on Fare
Thee Well and showcases the surprising vocal
talents of Sgt John Norwood, who takes the lead
on two stirring arrangements.
All in all, this is an eclectic mix from one of
the British Armys finest military bands and will
certainly give other releases, such as the Spirit of
the Glen and The Journey, a run for their money.
The record boasts a healthy selection of good,
traditional tracks of which MSR, The Rose of
Kelvingrove, Solo Piper and The Medley are easily
the standout offerings.
Unfortunately, the arrangements of Wild
Mountain Thyme and Caledonia fail to hit the
right note and are a bit rough around the edges,
meaning they do not sit comfortably with the
remaining compositions on this otherwise
excellent album.
If youre a budding collector then this is
certainly one for your archive and, given the
chance, should be listened to through a quality set
of headphones to maximise the enjoyment. Q
Heroes remembered
Scots Guards pay tribute to fallen comrades on new selection of stirring anthems
82 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
TOP TUNES FOR THE TROOPS reviews@soldiermagazine.co.uk
Interview: Richard Long
Band apart: From Helmand
to Horse Guards, the new
album from the Pipes and
Drums of 1st Battalion,
Scots Guards is on sale now
THE fourth album from
sisters, singers and
songwriters Allison
and Catherine Pierce
has been described as
heart-stopping and
extraordinary with
honeyed harmonies and huge pop hooks.
I agree wholeheartedly. You and I is a well-
produced mix of dark, almost sinister, tunes but
when you overlay the extraordinarily harmonised
voices of the girls, it turns each song into a
stunning and surprisingly enjoyable experience.
The Pierces are fresh and exciting and have
been declared as one of pops hottest hopes for
2011. If this offering is anything to go by I can
see why. This record is definitely worth adding to
your collection.
THIS new release from
Death Cab for Cutie has
largely slipped under the
radar and on hearing this
its easy to see why. An
accomplished album it may
be, but it fails to inspire
emotion and plods along with little thought for
those who may be listening. Codes and Keys
ts nicely into its own little niche, but think My
Bloody Valentine and you have Death Cab for
Cutie, albeit a cheaper version. I have no doubt
that hardcore supporters will disagree, however,
on this evidence I would be surprised if they gain
many more fans. A summer support slot for the
Foo Fighters offers the chance to win some new
followers. Do they have the nous to do so? Only
time will tell, but I wont be holding my breath.
THE UKs premier guitar
band confirm their status
as summer festival
headliners with a new
album that builds on
the foundations of their
breakthrough material.
While the 2009 release Humbug drew some
negative reactions for its laid back change of
direction, Suck It and See provides the hard-edge
sound that Arctic Monkeys fans have become
accustomed to. Reckless Serenade and The
Hellcat Spangled Shalala are lively and exciting
rock anthems while Dont Sit Down Cause Ive
Moved Your Chair provides both a light-hearted
title and a decent lead single. On the whole this is
a definite move in the right direction that gives a
knowing glance to those early glory days.
You and I by The Pierces Codes and Keys by Death Cab for Cutie Suck It And See by Arctic Monkeys
Rodge Tapply, ex-RE WO2 Mo Morris, RLC Richard Long, Soldier
From stunning sibling songwriting to watered-down angst rock, we check out whats hot and whats not...
S
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 83
Musical masters: The Pipes and Drums of 1st Battalion, Scots Guards have released their new album amidst a busy summer of ceremonial duties
KINGS of pop Take That
look to capitalise on their
ever-expanding mass
appeal with Progressed,
a reissue of the 2010
full reunion album that
comes with the added
bonus of eight new tracks. One could be forgiven
for thinking this new material was simply the
leftovers from their earlier release, but these
songs are far stronger than that and are worthy
of their place in the mainstream. The surprising
electro-pop sound heard on Progress continues
on the impressive Love Love, while the boys
return to familiar ballad territory on Dont Say
Goodbye and Wonderful World. Ardent fans will
lap this up, but casual listeners would be advised
to stick with the original and move on.
FROM Dave Grohls
cassette demos that
became Foo Fighters
self-titled 1995 debut to
their new number one
album Wasting Light,
this DVD sheds light on
the chronological history of the band. This is
not just another rockumentary but an intimate
and comprehensive portrayal of the four-
piece that gives an honest insight courtesy of
interviews with past and present members. These
discussions chart the rapid rise of the Foos,
which culminated in two record-breaking shows
at Wembley Stadium in 2008, where they played
to more than 170,000 fans. If you ever wondered
what makes a great rock band, or indeed what
makes a great band rock, then this is for you.
THE supergroup that
is Black Country
Communion make a
highly anticipated return
with their second release
and they certainly do not
disappoint. 2 is jam-
packed full of hard-hitting guitar riffs and soaring
vocals. Ex-Deep Purple singer Glen Hughes
hasnt mellowed with age, axeman extraordinaire
Joe Bonamassa pushes the envelope in his
own inimitable style while Jason Bonham is
definitely his fathers son on drums. 2 picks up
where their self-titled debut left off, hard charging
throughout and grabbing the listener by the
proverbials, demanding that you take notice. If
youre a rocker then you have to buy this album,
youll regret it forever if you dont.
Progressed by Take That Back and Forth by Foo Fighters 2 by Black Country Communion
Joe Clapson, Soldier Ray Kalaker, ex-RE WO2 Mo Morris, RLC

O
VER-exposed Premier League footballers
aside, most of those with a story worth
telling wait until they are in the autumn of
their lives before writing an autobiography.
But 24-year-old Cpl Katrina Hodge is not one
to conform to stereotypes, having set out on a
dual career that has seen her progress through
the ranks of the Adjutant Generals Corps and
represent her country at the 2010 Miss World
pageant in South Africa.
Accustomed to being in a minority, whether as
a female in the military or beauty queen unafraid
of getting her nails dirty, the NCO had little
concern for what the critics might think when she
was approached to pen Combat to Catwalk.
They [John Blake Publishing] said I had an
interesting story and wanted to turn it into a book
to inspire young girls to do things, so I thought Id
have a go, Cpl Hodge told Soldier.
For those maybe interested in joining the
Forces it gives an insight into the selection and
basic training process. But its for anyone really
because it shows that if you set your mind to
something, nothing is impossible.
The soldier, nicknamed Combat Barbie by
tabloid newspapers, added: People laughed at
me when I said Id sign up for the Army and again
when I said Id enter Miss England, but I really
wanted to do both so I did.
Cpl Hodges first-person account juxtaposes
military life and modelling shoots, in one chapter
discussing her tour of duty in Iraq and in the
next her brushes with the national media, which
included fielding press calls from an office
broom cupboard.
A strong theme running throughout is the
pride she clearly takes in being a serving soldier,
demonstrated by the NCOs desire to use her
moment in the spotlight to promote Forces
charities and Service careers.
I still enjoy my job in the Army but I also like
the modelling side of things and I will keep doing
them both for as long as I can, she said.
I try to keep them separate but at the same
time I dont see why the two worlds cant mix.
There are guys in the British Army who are
really proud to be boxers, so why cant I be really
proud of what I do?
Cpl Hodges autobiographical tale also
touches on her experiences of managing the
preconceptions that come with serving in a male-
dominated environment.
It is a challenge she appears to have relished
throughout her military career and during her time
on the catwalk.
In a DVD submitted to the Miss England
judges she filmed herself in combat attire
demonstrating Army skills such as rifle drills and
physical training exercises.
I still feel like I have to prove myself because
Im back in uniform now after a year of unpaid
leave and have to show that Im not a dumb, ditzy
girl for taking part in Miss England, she said.
Everyone has opinions of celebrities but theyve
never met them. People have preconceptions of me
because of what Ive done but when they meet me
they usually change their views.
Cpl Hodge hopes that by revealing the person
beneath the beauty queen crown and combat
helmet to a wider audience, she will challenge
stereotypes associated with the type of women
that sign up for Service life.
And while Combat to Catwalk is no Pulitzer
prize winner, it may do just that. The success of
this junior author should not be judged on the
best-sellers chart but on the number of young
women inspired to join the ranks. Q
Kats crown service Kats crown service
Autobiography throws a spotlight on soldiers bid to juggle parades and pageants
84 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
RECONNOITRING READING FOR THE RANKS reviews@soldiermagazine.co.uk
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Interview: Sharon Kean
Model soldier: Combat to
Catwalk, published by John
Blake and available now for
16.99, charts Cpl Katrina
Hodges dual career
SHOOTING with his camera
rather than his rifle, former
Regular paratrooper Craig
Allen returned to his
regimental family to deploy
to Helmand in the summer
of 2008 and recorded 2
Para Battlegroups tour in
images. However, this is
much more than a coffee
table book of dramatic pictures. The authors
factual and straight-talking diary of his time in
theatre, brought to life by his photographs, creates
an accessible account of the daily challenges faced
by troops on operations. A percentage of each sale
of the title is being donated to The Afghan Trust,
which assists the wounded soldiers and families of
The Parachute Regiment.
AN enjoyable read on the
flip side of war reporting.
The true tale of how a
collection of maverick,
courageous and almost-
certainly mad freelance
journalists joined forces
to cover conflicts ranging
from the Soviet occupation
of Afghanistan to the
second Gulf War. This book features a series of
stories rich in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-
like absurdity and outright danger. With cavalier
attitude and sheer guts aplenty, I thoroughly
enjoyed David Loyns latest offering. Frontline:
Reporting from the Worlds Deadliest Places is
a fantastic book that is required reading for any
journalist or media ops officer.
A FANTASTIC account
of the conflict from the
mouths of those who
were there. In compiling
this book, McManners
interviewed an extensive
range of personnel, both
military and civilian, and
with the exception of a
short introduction at the
start of each chapter it is these individuals who
provide the narration. While a large number of the
accounts are those of commanding officers and
brigade and divisional commanders, there are
troop commanders, regimental sergeant majors
and junior NCOs featured. The logistics of the
mission and post-operation defence cuts are also
covered, providing an interesting parallel to today.
With the Paras in Helmand by C Allen Frontline by David Loyn Gulf War One by Hugh McManners
Maj Toby Hamnett, AGC Lt Neil Dickie, 105 Regt RA (V) Capt Douglas Searle, RLC
From paratroopers in Afghanistan to prodigals in Vietnam, a flick through this months literary releases...
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 85
Combat Barbie: Cpl Katrina Hodge (AGC) has served her nation on two fronts on operations with the British Army and as a beauty queen
THIS novel tells the story
of two ex-SAS soldiers
who cross a corrupt
Afghan general while
working as private security
contractors. Forced to
retreat to the hills, the
pair become embroiled in
tribal conflict, combating
insurgents and over-eager
American forces. A former special forces soldier
himself, the author is suitably qualified to tackle
such a topic and The Infidel is strong on technical
detail and tactics. However, it lacks any real
depth despite love interests, human tragedy and
conflicts of conscience being thrown into the
boiling pot. A light and easy offering one to add
to your summer holiday reading list.
IF ever there was a
book that analysed the
complexities of organising
resistance and irregular
forces into effective
fighting units, this is it.
Authors Peter Wilkinson
and Joan Bright Astley
provide a fascinating
insight into how the British
engaged the Nazis using the Special Operations
Executive and how Maj Gen Sir Colin Gubbins
drove that force against many political and
military obstacles. The senior officer was a man of
immense vision who learnt from his experiences
fighting paramilitary units such as the IRA in the
inter-war period. A must read for all those with an
interest in supporting irregular forces.
THE author completed two
tours of duty in Vietnam
and in this very well-
written book he places the
reader in the midst of the
action as he relives every
bullet fired. While reading
Prodigals I was drawn
to a couple of parallels
with the current conflict
in Afghanistan chiefly an enemy who knows
the terrain and can blend in with the general
population. Taylor began his first tour with
no ribbons but left Vietnam with two rows and
several badges. The US penchant for handing
out honours reminded me of a friend serving in
Helmand who commented that he was still six
gongs shy of the Camp Bastion average.
The Infidel by Bob Shepherd Gubbins & SOE by P Wilkinson & J Astley Prodigals by Richard Taylor
WO2 Ian Barraclough, REME Capt Neil Higgins, AGC Sgt Wallace Stephenson, Int Corps
Picture: Steve Dock
86 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
ALSO IN THIS MONTHS ISSUE...
P90 OLYMPICS
STANNING STAKES
CLAIM FOR 2012 GAMES
P93 ROWING
SERVICE STAR PREPARES
FOR POLAR ADVENTURE
P95 FOOTBALL
TOP HONOUR FOR
PREMIER OFFICIAL
P96 SAILING
GUNNERS ON COURSE
FOR OCEAN CROSSING
CHOSEN MAN: FORMER RIFLEMAN
TARGETS HEAVYWEIGHT GLORY AFTER
JOINING BOXINGS PROFESSIONAL RANKS
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Picture: Graeme Main
John Chosen Man Loveday in numbers
12
AMATEUR BOUTS BY LOVEDAY,
WHO ENJOYED A FINE RECORD
OF EIGHT WINS ALONG WITH
THREE VICTORIES FOR ENGLAND
16 10
THE OP HERRICK TOUR OF THE
24-YEAR-OLD FIGHTER, WHO
ALSO DEPLOYED TO BOTH IRAQ
AND KOSOVO WITH 2 RIFLES
THE DATE IN JULY WHEN THE
FORMER SOLDIER MAKES HIS
PROFESSIONAL BOXING DEBUT AT
THE ECHO ARENA IN LIVERPOOL
88 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Report: Richard Long
Picture: Graeme Main
H
AVING seen erce front-line
action during a seven-year Army
career, heavyweight boxer John
Loveday will be anything but daunted
when he makes his professional debut
later this month.
The 24-year-old fighter will take to
the ring at Liverpools Echo Arena on
July 16 in the first bout of a three-year
deal with promoter Frank Warren.
His elevation to the big time will see
him compete on the same bill as world
super-featherweight champion Ricky
Burns in an event that will be beamed
live to households across the country.
It is a 10,000-capacity arena
and the fight will be shown on Sky
television and in America, the ex-
Serviceman told SoldierSport in an
exclusive interview at the Wednesbury
Amateur Boxing Club in Birmingham.
I have a lot of friends and family
coming, along with lads I served with
in the Army. To get such a big venue
for my first fight is brilliant.
My game plan is to out box him
in the first round and show my speed
and accuracy before taking him out in
the second. The knockout is the most
exciting part of being a heavyweight.
Loveday, whose ring name is The
Chosen Man, is no stranger to the
fight game. He started out at the
Birmingham Irish Amateur Boxing
Club and won a schoolboy Amateur
Boxing Association title before
competing at the Junior Olympics.
He signed a professional contract
with promoter Barry Hearn in 2007
but deployed to Afghanistan before he
could make his debut.
Now, with Service life behind him,
Loveday is confident of making a name
for himself in the heavyweight ranks.
It is very rare for a boxer without
a professional fight to sign with Frank
Warren, he explained.
It is a massive opportunity for me.
The domestic heavyweight division is
so open and I feel my speed, style and
work rate is better than most fighters
out there.
I am 17 stone but I carry it well and
can still produce some big shots. A lot
of heavyweights are slow, cumbersome
and predictable.
My Army training has always been
there, it allows me to carry the weight
and remain fit.
After a year I
should be knocking on
the door for a British
title that is how
quickly I see things
developing. My biggest
dream as an amateur
was to turn professional and win a
Lonsdale belt. Anything after that is a
real bonus.
Loveday joined the Army in 2003
and served with 2nd Battalion, The
Rifles. He completed two tours of
Kosovo, along with deployments to
Iraq and Helmand province, and left
the Service having achieved the rank of
lance corporal.
I was in the Green Zone during
my tour of Afghanistan, he said. I
was in some intense firefights and got
caught in an IED blast. A colleague
lost both legs and an arm while I had
intracranial bleeding and blast injuries
to my ear.
It was a challenging tour but I
enjoyed it. I faced every situation an
Infantry soldier could expect.
Afghanistan was the turning point;
it was quite hair-raising at times. I had
a little girl and had achieved everything
I could within the Army. I wanted to
see what it was like on the other side.
Loveday has now started his own
business offering security and health
and safety advice but trains regularly
each week to ensure he is fit for action.
He added: At the end of three
years I want to have a British title and
be in contention for a European or
Commonwealth crown.
The domestic heavyweight division
is pretty poor at the moment and
opportunities are there for the taking.
Warren, a patron of military charity
Tickets for Troops, has high hopes
for the newest
addition to
his ranks and
believes the Army
connection will
stand Loveday in
good stead.
It is a good
story and highlights what the guys are
going through in Afghanistan, he told
SoldierSport.
He has been talking quite openly
about his experiences and I think it is
excellent for people to hear first-hand
accounts about the superb work our
troops do.
He is really up for it and he has got
a great chance as a heavyweight.
I signed Matt Skelton, a fighter with
no amateur experience, and he went
on to win a British title in no time. He
then challenged for world honours.
John comes from a strong
background and has really got the bit
between his teeth. Within three years I
hope he will be boxing for British and
Commonwealth championships.
He is not a 17-year-old about to
turn pro. He has a good pedigree. We
are investing a lot of time and money in
him and we hope he can go far.Q
Warrens heavy hitter
Boxing prospect leaves Service life behind to sign professional deal with famed promoter
My Army training has
always been there, it
allows me to carry the
weight and remain t

www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 89

90 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Stannings Olympic dream
Interview: Richard Long
W
ITH the London Olympics and
Paralympics looming brightly on
the horizon, elite athletes across
the country are in full preparation for
what will undoubtedly be the showpiece
event of their careers.
For Army personnel with aspirations
of competing at the 2012 Games this is
no different.
Over the next few months SoldierSport
will be profiling some of the Services
leading contenders to chart their
progress ahead of the most eagerly-
anticipated event in the country.
Our initial spotlight falls on Army
rowing sensation Lt Heather Stanning
(32 Regt, RA).
The officer has made giant strides in
her sport over the past 12 months and
is now reaping the benefit of full-time
training with the British squad.
Competing alongside civilian Helen
Glover in the womens pair, the
26-year-old produced a breakthrough
performance at the 2010 World
Championships, where the duo won an
unexpected silver medal.
Since coming back from that
competition in
November I have had a
full winter of training,
which has been
fantastic, a delighted
Stanning explained.
I am still rowing
in the pair with Helen
Glover. We took part
in our first World Cup series event in
Munich in May, which we won and
we are now looking ahead to the next
round in Lucerne.
Last year we were the fifth pair in
the country, now we are top. Team GB
has kept us together, rather than going
to the eights, and it has been going
really well.
We won the British trials in April
and have continued on our steep
learning curve.
We are very hopeful for the Games.
We still have to qualify as a boat and
we are looking to do that at the World
Championships later
this year.
But that does
not mean we will be
there as athletes.
We want to make
sure the pair and
eight both qualify
and next year we
can concentrate on the Olympics and
booking our place.
I am trying not to get too carried
away. You have to plan ahead to a
certain extent but right now our biggest
aim is making sure the boat qualifies.
If the Olympics were held next
month I would say I was in the right
place to go, but I have to keep working
Full steam ahead: Lt Heather Stanning (32 Regt, Royal Artillery, right) has excelled on the water in recent years and is targeting a place at the 2012 Games
If the Olympics were
next month I would
say I was in the right
place to go, but I have
to keep working hard

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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 91
hard. However, I am in a good position
to be there.
While Stanning is refusing to look
too far ahead on a personal level, she
believes the Games coming to the UK
will have huge benefits for the country.
Im really excited and it will be a
fantastic occasion, she explained.
Lots of people who are not normally
interested in sport will suddenly find
themselves getting involved, even at
grass roots level and in schools.
It is especially exciting for
the children. They will be part of
history and it will give them an idea
about competing and taking part in
something, rather than just going all-out
for the win.
Despite being in the middle of an
energy-sapping training programme,
Stanning has not forgotten her proud
Service background and has praised
the assistance she has received while
pursuing her sporting dream.
She said: The Army has been
fantastic. My regiment has helped me
train full time. Im still on their books
and I could not have asked for better
support from them.
My next posting is not until August
2012 and I will see what happens then.
I would definitely consider coming
back to the Army and building a proper
Service career.
The prestigious Olympic Rowing
Regatta will be held on the world-class
waters at Eton Dorney from July 28 to
August 4, 2012.
Stanning hopes to be among a field
of more than 500 athletes who will
compete in 14 different medal events
during the week-long competition. Q
2007: Stanning wins gold with Olivia Whitlam
in the womens pair at the 2007 World Under-23
Championships, having joined Team GBs Start
Programme the previous year.
2008: Competes at the Womens Henley
Remenham Challenge Cup and becomes a winner
in the eight.
2009: Finishes seventh at the European
Championships in the eight and dominates the
Inter-Services competition, winning the womens
open single skulls, fours and open eights.
2010: Joins the World Cup series with partner
Helen Glover, finishing ninth in Bled and fifth
in Munich. The duo travel to New Zealand
for the World Championships and produce a
breakthrough performance to win an unexpected
silver medal.
2011: Stanning and Glover triumph at the Team
GB senior trials and take gold in the seasons
opening World Cup fixture in Munich. The pair
will compete again in Lucerne this month before
rowing at the World Championships in Slovenia
later this year.
OAR-SOME ACHIEVEMENTS
92 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Interview: Richard Long
Picture: Graeme Main
P
OLAR expeditions have
traditionally been characterised
by gruelling treks in unforgiving
temperatures that push the boundaries
of human endurance.
But with climate change having a
definite impact on these spectacular
regions, the way in which explorers
tackle journeys through such
inhospitable lands has also changed.
This month marks the launch of a
new polar adventure as a crew of six
ultra athletes attempt to become the
first people to row to the magnetic
North Pole.
Included among the ranks of this
vastly experienced team is Capt David
Mans (PWRR), an Army rower who
triumphed in a field of almost 50
international contenders to secure the
final place in the boat.
I really didnt think I would get it,
the Serviceman told SoldierSport during
an interview on the eve of departure.
I was up against a strong field,
including rowers from the USA. So to
be told I had won was fantastic news.
This journey has never been done
before, it is a world first, and to be part
of it is amazing.
Ive always thought about
doing an ocean row but with
postings to Northern Ireland, Cyprus
and Afghanistan I have never had the
opportunity until now.
Mans was in action as part of the
Combined Services team at the Henley
Royal Regatta as this issue went to
press, but with his
commitments now
complete he can
concentrate fully on
the expedition.
He said: Rowing
for the Army has given
me a solid base for this
adventure. Im in a good position but
being at sea for a long period of time is
going to be quite interesting.
We have got our flights home
booked for September 5 but we hope to
complete the route in four to six weeks.
It all depends on the ice and
conditions so we havent really set any
targets, our aim is to just get there.
The crew hope to start the 450-mile
challenge which has been named The
Old Pulteney Row To The Pole at
the end of this month. They will work
on rotational basis with three rowers
spending three hours on the oars before
changing position.
The team will set off from Resolute
Bay in northern Canada and expect to
encounter a host of wildlife along the
way, including the narwhal whale, polar
bears and Arctic foxes.
It will be 24-hour
daylight and it can go
from being very warm
to very cold, the
officer explained.
In terms of the ice it
will be quite open but
there may be a few difficulties.
For whatever reason the climate is
changing, this expedition will highlight
what is happening and this is the type of
thing you can do now.
The Army rower will form part
of a strong crew that also includes
leading adventurer Jock Wishart, who
was a member of the first team to
walk unsupported to the geometric
North Pole, and Mark Delstanche,
an experienced yachtsman who has
climbed Mount Everest.
Mans will be raising money for the
Force Select Foundation by competing
in the challenge. To sponsor him visit
www.justgiving.com/DaveMans
For more information on The Old
Pulteney Row To The Pole and to chart
the crews progress on the water log on
to www.rowtothepole.com Q
www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 93
Mans magnetic mission
This has never been
done before, it is a
world rst, and to be
part of it is amazing

94 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk

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Nature of business: Management of Real Estate
I advise that Glyn Mummery and I were appointed Joint
Liquidators of the above Company on 7 March 2011.
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pay a dividend to all unsecured creditors who have
proved their debt against Blue Force Property
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returned the proof of debt enclosed with my report to
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please contact this ofce on +44(0)1708 458 211
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 95
SERVICE swimmers took to the water off the coast of Gibraltar as part of their preparations for this months round-Jersey challenge. The training camp
included pool and ocean swims and was aimed at building speed and endurance ahead of the gruelling 41-mile race, which is raising money for the
Forces charity Holidays for Heroes. A seven-man Army team will compete against athletes from the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club in the event,
with injured personnel from the Battle Back programme also taking part. The aquatics squad, which includes water polo players and swimmers, trained
under the watchful eye of national-level coaches, who were on-hand to give expert advice ahead of a busy month. As well as competing in the Channel
Islands, the swimmers will go head-to-head with their Forces rivals at the Inter-Services championships in Aldershot from July 12. The Royal Navy have
already secured the early bragging rights by triumphing in the open water competition at Lake Bala in North Wales. Fine efforts from Spr Dave Allcock
(35 Engr Regt), Capt Ian Coles (QDG) and Maj Hamish McCarthy (42 Engr Regt) ensured the Service finished in second place. North Wales was also the
setting for the Army championships, where Allcock celebrated a double in the mens five- and three-kilometre events. Lt Alexandra Hardy (39 Engr Regt)
was victorious in the womens five kilometre, while Cdt Sophie Kenny (Welbeck Cadets) won the three-kilometre contest. Sgt Fergusson (19 CCS Bn) and
Maj Sian Edwards (RADC) won the respective one-kilometre races and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst team were crowned inter-unit champions.
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Report: Richard Long
Picture: Cpl Paul Morrison, RLC
P
REMIER League ofcial WO1
Andy Halliday (RAPTC) has been
presented with one of the highest
accolades in Service football to mark
the end of his 26-year military career.
The 45-year-old was presented
with The Dobson Trophy at an Army
referees dinner in Aldershot just days
after running the line in the clash
between Newcastle United and West
Bromwich Albion at St James Park.
On accepting his award, Halliday
paid tribute to the support he received
from the Army Football Association
as he progressed through the games
professional ranks.
He said: Aspiring referees with
the Army FA have a very good profile
because of their background, discipline
and training, which stands them in
good stead.
It is looked upon as a positive
because you have the tools to deal with
pressure and decision making.
Theres no question Ill miss the
camaraderie of being in the Army.
Thats very special.
In many ways though you get the
same kind of thing as a linesman the
banter when meeting up for games is
similar and you bounce off one another.
Theres also that level of trust
you have to have in your comrades
whether it be on the field of play
in football or in the military field of
operational deployments or exercises.
Halliday, who has a new career as
a tutor at Craven College in Skipton,
perfected his skills in the lower tiers
of the Scottish Highland League, the
Welsh top flight and the West Yorkshire
pyramid system before progressing to
the upper echelons of the sport.
He joined the Premier League list
in 2005 and officiated in 30 matches
in the 2010/11 season, including
Manchester Uniteds title-winning 1-1
draw against Blackburn Rovers.
As well as operating within the
professional game he has been on the
Army Football Referees Executive
Committee for 12 years.
In 2006 he was awarded the Long
Service and Good Conduct Medal,
which was followed by the Meritorious
Service Medal in 2010.
Despite retiring from the military,
Halliday has vowed to continue his
work with Service football.
Theres always a transition to life
beyond the Army that soldiers who
leave have to deal with, he added.
But being involved in football is
great because youre still part of a
special team every week and you make
lots of friends by meeting so many new
people along the way. Q
Halliday bows out
96 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
Wave riders: Sailors from 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery are plotting a voyage to New York on-board the Challenger yacht HMSTV Endeavour
Gunners on target for Atlantic crossing
P
ERSONNEL from 7th Parachute
Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery
have swapped the searing
temperatures of Afghanistan for the
cold waters of the Atlantic.
Having recently completed a six-
month tour of Helmand province, the
gunners have set sail on a daunting
ocean crossing to raise money for Help
for Heroes and the Royal Artillery
Charitable Fund.
A crew of 14 soldiers, ranging from
keen sailors to novices, signed up for
the challenge, which is being led by an
experienced civilian skipper on-board
HMSTV Endeavour.
They left the Isle of Wight on June 19
and hope to arrive in New York at the
end of the 3,200-nautical mile voyage
later this month.
Expedition leader Capt John
OKeeffe said: Crossing the Atlantic
is still one of the hardest challenges
available and something we are not
taking lightly.
Many of the crew have never sailed
before and, despite starting in June, we
are expecting to face rough conditions
which will test the leadership and skills
of the experienced sailors and resolve of
the novices.
However, I am confident that the
rigorous training we have had will
ensure our success.
A huge force driving us to succeed at
such an arduous challenge is raising as
much money as we can for two charities
that are doing excellent work to support
the military.
Sailing the Atlantic has always been
a personal ambition of mine and Im
thrilled by the enthusiasm of all my
crew, especially considering that half
have never sailed before and we have all
recently returned from operations.
HMSTV Endeavour is a Challenger
67 yacht used by the military for large
offshore-sailing expeditions.
To find our more about the ocean
crossing and to make a donation visit
www.exerciseatlanticchallenge.com Q
A FOUNDING member of the Toe in the Water
sailing programme has been awarded an MBE for
his work with the military charity.
WO2 Lloyd Hamilton (RE) received the
prestigious accolade in the Queens Birthday
Honours last month (page 20) and said the
decoration came as a total surprise.
He added: I was absolutely shocked when my
commanding officer phoned me to tell me the
news. I just never expected it.
Toe in the Water was established in 2008 and
is a tri-Service initiative that uses competitive
sailing as a way of inspiring injured personnel to
realise their potential.
They work closely with the clinical teams at
Headley Court to identify individuals who would
benefit from the scheme.
The charity enters eight competitions a year
during the racing season and their next challenge
starts on July 5, when they take to the water as
part of Plymouth Race Week.
The Servicemen and women join us for a
few days beforehand to get to know one another
and learn more about the yacht and their role,
Hamilton explained.
They are then straight into the competition. It
gives them an opportunity to test themselves and
helps them get their motivation back when they
see what they can achieve.
Sailing remains one of the few sports where
injured soldiers can compete against their
contemporaries on a level playing field.
We work as a team, there are no passengers
and everyone has a job to do. We are simply
helping wounded personnel realise what they are
capable of.
For more information and to donate to the
cause visit www.toeinthewater.org Q
Hamiltons Royal recognition
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www.soldiermagazine.co.uk JULY 2011 97
SPORT SHORTS
Q ARMY sailing sensation Lt Emma
Clarke (RAMC) has continued her success
on the water by lifting the Zhik SB3 World
Championship title.
The ofcer was part of Geoff Carveths
four-man team that triumphed in the
event, which featured a challenging
series of qualifying and nals races off
the coast of Torquay.
Clarke had been earmarked for a place
on the womens match-racing team at
the 2012 London Olympics but narrowly
missed the cut.
Q CYCLIST LCpl Andrew James (MPGS)
is hoping to boost the coffers of Help
for Heroes by completing a 3,300-mile
charity ride from Europes northern tip to
its southern-most point.
The 28-year-old started his challenge in
Tromso, Norway on May 15 and was due
to reach the nish line in Gibraltar as this
issue went to press.
More than 1,300 has already been
pledged and James plans to divide the
money between the military charity and
the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Donations can still be made by visiting
www.justgiving.com/Andrew-James2
QENDURANCE athlete Sgt Simon Lash
(1 LSR) has raised more than 600 for
St Dunstans by running a half-marathon
while blindfolded.
The 34-year-old completed the 13-mile
race in Gutersloh and had to rely on
instructions from colleague WO2 Lee
McAnespie to guide him round the route.
Q BRITISH soldiers learned about the
tranquil pleasures of y-shing during a
special day of tuition and mentoring at the
Avon Springs trout lakes in Wiltshire.
The event was organised by Fishing
for Forces and coach Sgt John Wright (R
Signals) highlighted the benets on offer.
He said: I always come back from a
days shing feeling refreshed and chilled
out. There are now so many pressures on
soldiers so this is the perfect sport.
For more information on the charity
visit www.shingforforces.org
Reds winning volley
Report: Richard Long
Picture: Graeme Main
A
RMY volleyball players enjoyed a
successful showing at the Crown
Services Tournament, with the
womens team making the competition
nal for the rst time.
The Reds tasted victory against
the Royal Air Force, Fire Service and
Prison Service during their winning run
in Aberdeen, before slipping to a 2-0
defeat against the Police in the events
showpiece fixture.
Coach Sgt Nicola Mead (AGC
(SPS)) was delighted with her teams
performance, which included an
emphatic win against the current Inter-
Services champions.
Our aim for the competition was to
beat the RAF, she told SoldierSport.
They were our opponents in the first
match and we absolutely nailed them,
winning 2-0 on sets.
We fought very hard against the
Police and the second set was a very
close encounter.
But they were able to up their game
and call upon the experience of their
GB players.
It was still an amazing result for six
devoted ladies and we are now going to
train together every couple of months to
make sure this progress continues.
The Police team is ageing and the
RAF do not have the players coming
through anymore.
We are a young squad and if we can
keep everyone together we will have a
real chance of progressing.
The Army could only field a squad
of six players, which included Sgt Ali
Sabiston (R Signals, pictured right),
and the lack of numbers meant each
member had to take to the court for a
full match throughout the tournament.
Player/manager Capt Karen Tait
(AGC (RMP)) echoed the comments
of the coach and said victory over the
RAF was the springboard for a fantastic
weekend in Scotland.
She added: It had been 11 years
since we managed to beat their team.
They didnt have the heart of the
Army side and we went on to enjoy a
convincing win.
The other sides could see there was
an atmosphere developing within what
was a new and talented squad.
This was the first time we had made
it to the final in the 35-year history of
the Crown Services.
Unfortunately the Police showed
their experience by exploiting our
weaknesses and targeting our injured
players in what was a tough match.
We put up a great fight in the final
but we just fell short and they proved
to be worthy champions for the fifth
consecutive year.
But overall it was a fantastic effort
from our players and we should be very
proud of finishing as runners-up.
The Reds also took second place in a
hard-fought mixed team competition,
while the men secured fourth position
in their event.
The Army volleyball team is looking
for new players to join its ranks. Anyone
interested in taking part should contact
Sgt Mead via email on AldershotGar-
AGPDO-Sys-Sgt@mod.uk Q
98 JULY 2011 www.soldiermagazine.co.uk
nal
word
Sgt Richie Cunningham (RE)
SSgt Michael Hirst (QRH) Capt Mathew Paterson (QRH)
Cpl Chris Jenkins (REME)
Rfn Jordy Barber (5 Rifles) 2nd Lt Yvette Stephens (Int Corps)
Cpl Paul Penfold (1 PWRR) Cpl Paul Smith (1 Yorks)
Ive learnt about the dynamics of working
with the Afghan government and the
security situation in the district centre
compared with outlying areas. This is
just the start. We will now get weekly
updates with real-time information
coming out of theatre about whats been
happening on the ground and how the
population is interacting with our forces
and the enemy.
Its about understanding the human
terrain in Afghanistan what the
people are like and it helps big time.
I didnt know that you need to speak
to landowners living in Lashkar Gah if
farmers in the villages seem unhappy.
You cant just go in and start doing stuff
you need permission first. Its good
for hearts and minds too, so its helpful
to know this in advance.
Everything Ive learnt is brand new to
me because its not my usual job. Its
good to get some prior knowledge via
word of mouth. Weve been briefed from
previous reports about the dynamics
of how the insurgents work and how
Afghans live within their communities.
Its not everyday life for us because the
way they are and everything they do is
completely different. Its another culture.
INTERVIEWS: SHARON KEAN
PICTURES: STEVE DOCK
Weve been looking at the ground in
detail, how vehicles can move around in
the area of operations and how its going
to affect troops on foot to make sure
we dont send them into places where
theyll get stuck. Ive also been looking
at infrastructure so that when we enter
new areas we can make sure there is
room to house people and that they
have facilities there.
We asked 20th Armoured
Brigade soldiers training at
the Land Intelligence Fusion
Centre how the facility was
helping them to prepare for
Op Herrick 15
We were given a lot of information on the
pattern of life and routine in Afghanistan,
so when were out there walking around
well know what to expect. The extent
of my knowledge previously was that
Lashkar Gah was a city with a couple of
surrounding villages, but Ive found out
about areas that arent interacting with
us and what systems we have in place to
work with the Afghan security forces.
Weve been briefed on the current
picture in Afghanistan and were
processing that and rebriefing it, putting
principles into practice. I didnt realise
how quiet it was in Lashkar Gah
theres been a few indirect-fire attacks
but thats quite rare for the area. I also
didnt appreciate how heavily marshalled
it is by the Afghan National Police. Thats
obviously why its so calm there.
Weve been briefed on the nature of
the people, how the government works
or how it doesnt and our goals, to try
and help the Afghan people in Lashkar
Gah. My knowledge on the area has
gone from near enough zero and what
you read in the papers at home to quite
in-depth. It has stood me in good stead.
Ill be passing that on to the people who
need it those going on patrols.
We are focusing on the specific areas
that we are going to in Afghanistan at
an early date and are getting a feel for it
before we deploy. An interim municipal
council has been elected in Lashkar Gah
and the security situation has got a lot
better. We are still four to five months
off actually deploying, so to have the
opportunity to learn the key themes,
problems and issues is hugely valuable.