Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) Tidworth

OC – Capt Gavin Mckenna ASM – WO1 Lee Bush

AJAX Fitter Section

Scribe Cpl ‘Luke’ Rostron

AJAX Fitter Section’s lead up to Castle Martin Ranges (CMR) was difficult to say the least. A New Tiffy fresh from the MOD Lyneham, most ROG RTR support going to Op CABRIT 9, REME Bn support was on call from Tidworth due to being so busy and to top it off, the Hand-Over/Take-Over (HOTO) of 6 new Challenger 2’s (CR2’s) from the KRH. A total of 8 CR2’s deployed to CMR to conduct live firing. Un-tried or tested the Sqn went to work achieving SPC (Systems Performance Check) for the platforms, which in the end saw 7/8 SPC and one TFP (Test Fire Procedures). The success rate of CMR was largely down to the influx of 9 G3 trawls from other units, this was critical in maintaining high level of ES.

CMR was hindered by bank holidays and poor weather, which proved to be the biggest challenge to the Ftr Sect. The Sqn decided to extend CMR by one week, this was an issue as the Sqn was also committed to deploying with the Royal Welsh (RW) BG in Germany on Ex GOTHIC DRAGON. This included HOTO of the EX TALLIN DAWN fleet in advance of a January deployment. Ex GOTHIC DRAGON saw a HOTO of 5/14 Ex TALLINN DAWN fleet, the highlight of this phase was conducted by Cpl Lynch and a team of Armourers tasked to replace a CR2 barrel prior to Live Firing Exercise (LFX) Range Package. The success of both exercises was down to the patience and hard graft put in by the Ftr Sect soldiers.

AJAX Ftr Sect deployed at the start of January, this was hard enough with the prospect of poor weather and a major exercise. Ex TALLINN DAWN was in 3 phases, phase 1 HOTO of remaining CR2, phase 2 Combined Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) and the final phase a 3-week exercise including Live Firing, Combined Arms Live Firing Exercise (CALFEX) and Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) Ex. Weather was the hardest part of the exercise and like clockwork, it started raining as soon as a pack lift was due. The lift started when it was already dark and drizzling rain. The pack lift was to inspect a transmission leak, this leak stopped the vehicle from driving forward. The crew adapted to this and did a full battle run in reverse. Cpl Watts and Cpl Shakespeare were called into action when a tank decided to be an AS90 and aim for the sky. They found a mischievous

At the National Army museum

little switch that was causing the fault by sticking in once depressed. This caused the Gun Control Equipment to forget where it was and panic.

RTR ROG LAD BADGER Sqn activity

Scribe: SSgt Pike

Castle Martin Ranges

After a successful deployment on Op CABRIT 8 as part of 1 MERC BG, Badger Sqn returned to work in early Nov 22. The lead up to Christmas was relatively quiet, with the fitters supporting AJAX Sqn at the end of their CMR live firing package.

Post-Christmas leave, the Sqn returned to a flurry of SET taskings and Battlefield Craft Studies (BCS). February saw some of the fitters being surged back to Estonia to support the RTR BG through what should have been their final major exercise before the RIP home, however, with events escalating in Ukraine this became a major exercise within an extended tour. Running up to Easter, the Sqn had put hard work into setting up a week of conceptual training, comprising back to basics armoured operations, Sqn attacks and how to apply interoperability with Armoured Infantry. This provided great awareness for the newer tradesmen and gave the fitters an opportunity to inform how the ES chain works in a deployed environment. Sessions at the VBS suite in Warminster then capitalised on the training by putting into practice, in a virtual environment, what had been talked about around the model pit. The fitters were retained on camp to work on vehicles

due to deploy on Ex TRUCKULENTASS. This Ex involved playing OPFOR for an anti-tank cadre, allowing dismounted anti-tank crews to simulate engaging live armour targets.

The first quarter of the year rounded off with a visit to the National Army Museum, co-located with the Royal Hospital Chelsea. An exhibition followed the story of a tank-based cavalry regiment on their journey through WW2, documenting experiences of soldiers and officers alike. This provided a historical context to the conceptual training of the previous week and left the Sqn in a good place to finish up for the Easter break.

RTR ROG LAD CYCLOPS BCS

Scribe: SSgt Swinglehurst

CYCLOPS BCS started in typical tank fashion, with one requiring repair before leaving the back gate and another needing the pack out to replace the generator. With one repaired and the generator for the other in the back of the BULLDOG, we were finally on our way onto SPTA; some 10 hours after originally setting off. The start was far from ideal, but it did offer a perfect opportunity to conduct some valuable training in the field.

A Power Pack (PP) lift should be the bread and butter of any Armoured Fitter Section. For a few in the section, this was their first time deploying on an Armoured Ex and for Cfn ‘Josh’ Cadogan the first time he had worked on a CR2. More importantly though, this was the first time he was privileged with being the 3rd person in the ‘Tiffy Bus’. As all good vehicle commanders do, I spent some time going through the vital duties and responsibilities of the 3rd person, going into exceptional detail on occasions. Tea white no sugar was spouted out at half hour intervals until committed to memory. For his first introduction into tanks, a PP lift, and under the tutelage of Cpl Tora and LCpl Brownsword he had been designated the ‘marriage panel’. What was once a cheery and upbeat Cfn had now become one filled with hatred and misery for the front right-hand corner of a CR2 PP bay.

The rest of the week went surprisingly without major incident affording the fitters time to go and practice some basic tactical movement. This involved the drivers being given a distant wood block as their destination, whilst only allowing them to use dead ground and cover to get there. Marshalling the CRARRV in and out of hides and wooded areas was practiced, building confidence and experience within junior members of the Fitter Section. CYCLOPS Sqn was on hand to provide a lesson on rolling re-plens, as well as a fish and chip lunch courtesy of the Sqn. I had almost forgotten how nice it was to be away from the office and out on the area again. The week provided invaluable training for the Fitter Section and taught lessons that can only be learnt out on the ground. We also had the added bonus that it only rained a little bit. Oh, and Josh when you read this, tea, white no sugar!

Badger Sqn

Cyclops needing repair

Tank needing repair

RTR ROG Cross-Country

Scribe: SSgt Swinglehurst

I remember vividly the exact moment that I started to contemplate my recent life choices. I was stood at the bottom of Sidbury hill about to run up and down it for the very first time. Little did I know that my second time was just around the corner on the return leg, lucky me. It was early November; some Pre-Cambrai festivities had taken place and I was certainly carrying some post-Christmas timber. But here I was about to run up the biggest and steepest hill in the local area. I use ‘run’ in the loosest of terms because in fact I was pretty much on all fours trying to scale it like a cliff face.

That was race 2 of 8 in the 21/22 UK South

CYCLOPS Sqn hard at work

Race 4 at Perham Down on the 17th Nov 21

Guarding near Southwick Park where, judging by the condition of the route, it had rained solidly since Man United last won a trophy. Standing in a sodden field on the start line, it was abundantly clear even then that my choice of trainers was not going to cut the mustard. Despite the conditions the team finished strongly and secured an overall second place (minor Units) for the 21/ 22 season. Team captain ‘John’ took home the top placed senior male category (age 23-40), a great achievement for all members of the RTR cross country running team.

Fleet Half marathon

Scribe: Cpl ‘Aaron’ Pickersgill

The RTR assembled a team of 6 to take on the Fleet half marathon, but with only one Tankie present, the rest of the team was made up of members from the LAD. The event itself was fantastic, well organised, well marshalled, fully stocked aid stations and above all else, the support from the public was probably the best we have witnessed for a small town; especially the main high-street running through Fleet. Also, families outside their own houses playing music, handing out extra food and drink if needed and the odd cow bell here and there.

The Fleet Half is quite well known for being a good course to set a PB (Personal Best) as advertised as a flat route. Members of the team soon after finishing were quick to point out that a few cheeky hills in the route made it a not so flat race at all. Yet everyone was in very good spirits after finishing and all were happy with the times they had achieved. Some great performances by all, with several PBs smashed in the process with AQMS ‘Dave’ Smith, myself and you know who posting sub 1 hour 30 or less, with the latter taking home the silver medal place in the REME Half marathon championships. After some post-race massage treatment, the team regrouped and changed into some cleaner clothes before retiring to grab some food and a social drink locally before the short drive back to Tidworth.

4 (CS) Bn REME Class Three attached to RTR LAD

Scribe: Cfn ‘Phil the Tash’ Bateman

Penultimate race at Southwick Park on the 2nd Mar 22

Regional Command cross country running season, which couldn’t have been more different from the first race in which WO2 (AQMS) ‘John’ Reed took home first place. This lulled me into a false sense of security, running along the sea front on a dead flat route in the winter sun during Race 1 at Thorney Island. ‘This is alright’ I thought. Well, Sidbury Hill on race 2 had other ideas about that, and my disillusion came crashing down around me rather quickly. Like it did for several members of the running team. Despite the composition of our misfit team and the lack of training prior, we were currently lying second in the minor units’ standings heading into the final race.

The last race was held at the Defence School of Policing and

Fleet half marathon

As a Class 3 straight from Lyneham and barely at my first unit for a month, being detached to RTR was a little daunting at first. However, both CYCLOPS and EGYPT Sections have made me feel more than welcome and accommodated. Working alongside Techs, Armourers, and the Recy Mechs on A and B fleet vehicles I have completed a variety of jobs from simple servicing and fault finding, to helping with MEI’s and CV12 pack changes. While it has been a busy nine weeks detached at the LAD, I have had plenty of time for the social side of work life including evenings at the LAD bar and tea and toast mornings that have helped me to adjust to life in the Field Army. The Unit has been a great help in completing large parts of my 3-2 book, that I would not have otherwise been able to tackle and added a great Cfn Bateman

A very muddy TTX

deal of knowledge on a wide range of vehicles. Having been detached to gain knowledge on all aspects of Challenger as well as general mechanics, the RTR have been supportive whilst I learn; particularly when encountering the challenges that come with working on armoured vehicles. I would happily carry on working with the soldiers at the RTR and will be sorry to leave the LAD.

TTX 3-2 Camp 2022

Scribe: LCpl ‘Josh’ Jones Scribe: Cpl ‘Jay’ Hanley

It was a dreary, cold day when a cohort of TSS arrived at the RTR LAD. The cohort came from DSEME Lyneham, accompanied by their course instructors SSgt Gawthorpe, Cpl Williams, and Mr Houlihan. The course also had transferee students. The aim was to open the soldier’s eyes to life as a 1st line accountant in the Field Army and teach them a few things along the way. Cfn Mensah (a previous student on loan from 4 REME) and I, split them down and took them through a myriad of subjects. Including putting together laundry lists from both a TQMS and a CQMS perspective for different purposes, such as an upcoming exercise and or daily use items like COSHH and expense.

We extensively covered the purpose and use of all the systems (JDTS, TDOL, HSIS, DMC enquiry to name a few) TSS work with every day, as well as a few niche tricks to become more proficient on our main system, MJDI and discussed other processes like calibration, conditioning, loans etc. Despite the long-held belief that we only ‘stack blankets’ and we curse at any who dares grace our counter with a simple request for a spanner - ‘stores are for storing!!’, there is a lot of ground to cover, making it difficult not to belt feed. However, we certainly tried our best to deliver pertinent instruction and the students seemed keen to absorb it, asking good and constructive questions. Even SSgt Gawthorpe and his team said they learned something!

Egypt Ftrs, Land Rover and MAN SV regeneration

The band of merry men involving Cfn Cadogan, Cfn Langham and LCpl Jackson attended a Recovery Camp part of the 3XX TTX, that we were told wasn’t a “Recy Camp” because other trades were involved, however we had plenty of Recy serials. Whilst there, we had to complete various “jobs” for trade development. The syndicates were mixed, so in my syndicate we had two class 3-2 developments and two 2-1 developments, as well as two Class 1 Instructors. The three main types of recovery that we trained in were trailers, roadside, and heath. Trailers being everyone’s favourite, not! Thankfully, my syndicate had an extra day of heath which meant that we only had to do 2 days on trailers. The heath jobs were the most enjoyable, constantly on the move, carrying heavy equipment, soaking wet and pulling wagons out of ditches.

The final week was the complexed phase where the 2-1’s took the lead on the jobs. During this phase, we did jobs that consisted of multiple jobs that has to be completed within the time given. When on this phase, we double crewed for the week. An example of this was a side over side, followed by a crane task and then finished off with a roadside task. All of this had to be completed within a 4-hour period. Just to add, we were the only crew that managed to finish this with time to spare. The highlight of the Recy Camp was all the boozing, sorry, I mean team-bonding. My team were quality, and it was a great exercise. I’m looking forward to the next one! Scribe: SSgt ‘Jon’ Sloman & Sgt ‘Gary’ Moore

TSS Course

Due to an extremely busy Op’s cycle and a very limited work force across the ROG, the Regiments Basic Unit Fleet (BUF) of wheeled vehicle fleet took a huge hit in availability. It was decided to have a 2week concentration period to raise the overall availability. To achieve this, we adopted some LEAN 6 sigma techniques and utilised a Kanban approach. (A Kanban is visual representation of the flow of a process), so that each vehicle could be tracked from initial Land Rover & MAN SV Lean Line inspection to completion. By ensuring each process was always filled we maximised the productivity output of our very limited workforce.

First came the pain staking phase of inspecting the vehicles and finding an abundance of faults especially on the aging Land Rover fleet and demanding relevant spares. Then came the fun phase of getting dirty hands, fault finding and repairing various faults from electrical wiring to T-Box output seals and suspension components. During the repair process this gave our class 3 tradesmen fresh off Ex IRON CHALLENGE TTX, valuable time on the tools to hone their skills and even some of the LAD elders managed to get back on the tools albeit just for a short time. Even though this was just a short

LAD Christmas function

2-week surge, 21 vehicles were inspected and serviced with 14 vehicles now back in the hands of the user.

103 Reserves detachment to RTR LAD

Scribe: Cfn Brown

Over the period of October 2021 to February 2022, 8 members of 130 Detached Platoon, 101 Bn REME, were attached to the RTR LAD at Tidworth. The assistance was requested by RTR, due to their ongoing commitments in Estonia and was happily fulfilled by the Platoon. The trades deployed included two Armrs and six VMs. The deployment allowed the SP to develop their currency and competency on CR2, CRARRV, MAN SV and Land Rover. The VM work completed included, carrying out servicing, repairs, and fault diagnosis from JAMES job cards. In addition, they completed 12b servicing, diagnosing APU faults, removal and refitting of the APU and CV12.

The Armrs worked on general faults within the turret, including fixing broken guards, replacing seats and seatbelts. The team also worked with an RTR Armr to complete examination of ordinance. The Reservists drew on experience from their day jobs which include a Babcock Vehicle Mechanic and Challenger 2 Armourer, an Armour Centre Workshop Manager, and a Lexus Vehicle Technician. This enabled SP to work closely with the members of LAD and share knowledge in both directions. Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable experience for all and a good opportunity to work with Reservist/Regular counterparts. We hope this relationship continues and ongoing support can be provided into the future.

Clay pigeon shooting

A clay target shooting event run by the Corps team at Bramley allowed members of the LAD an opportunity to try something more unusual for a Wednesday in early March. Five members of the ROG LAD made the journey from Aliwal Barracks to Bramley training area for the event, where after a short safety brief they were broken down into squads to shoot a well-presented course with a mix of targets. With some excellent guidance from the Corps own Instructors to bring them on, members of the group soon found their feet, and those new to the sport had soon gotten ‘the bug’. With interest stimulated, this was followed up with attendance to the ATSC league shoot at Doveridge, the second league shoot of the season. One early start and a 3-hour drive later, the representatives from the LAD arrived with the RTR clay club at one of the most notorious shooting grounds in the UK. A well-designed course proved a challenge for even the seasoned shooters of the day; however, the course layout was unable to dampen the spirits of a young Cfn Brown, who was immediately inquiring about further courses and licence applications. With the remaining events for the year firmly in the new shooter’s calendars, it was great to see such an enthusiastic uptake as the sport continues to grow and thrive.

RTR ROG LAD Christmas Function

Scribe: LCpl Gurung

The function took place at the Kempton Park Racecourse at Sunbury and a curry night in Tidworth hosting 45 members of the LAD. Organising an event of this size was hard work but extremely rewarding. It was nice to get so many REME personal especially after the COVID period.

On arriving at the racecourse, we were split down to two groups, each group had own personal guide to discuss race form for the horses. Mr Bruce “EMELt” arriving late to join us somehow managed to blag his way into the VIP lounge with free drinks surrounded by random strangers. There were a few winners on the night, particularly Cfn Simone who won “big” on a random punt late on which surprisingly stomped home in first place. On returning to Tidworth, we retired to the curry house to have a sit-down meal and some sherbets.

EMELt attached to RTR LAD

Scribe: 2Lt ‘Johnny’ Bruce

Having recently commissioned within the REME Reserve, I was provided with an opportunity to spend a 3-month placement with the RTR LAD as part of the Reserve ‘Lead First’ placement programme. The programme enables junior Reserve Officers to gain personal and professional development ‘first-hand’ through placements/attachments with Regular units under an FTRS employment contract. Joining the RTR LAD in November, the AQ’s were quick to ensure I was suitably tasked, focussing on activities that supported my professional development and highlighted the unique challenges of working as part of a ‘Heavy Armour’ L2 ES facility, supporting a demanding period of range package delivery and

Mr Bruce EMELt

regimental deployments. A particular highlight was my inclusion within an AJAX Sqn live-firing package on Castle Martin Ranges. This provided me with a fantastic insight into ‘forward’ ES employment, including observing a range of ES repair and maintenance functions ‘on-point’, understanding equipment operating considerations and CoC reporting between Coy/attached Platoon. I also gained a first-hand appreciation of winter ranges in deepest Wales.

With the LAD EME deployed, along with use of an ‘upgraded’ desk-space, this provided me the opportunity to engage with local technical and managerial responsibilities within an ‘EMELt’ capacity. This included gaining invaluable insight into the LEA and TECHEVAL processes and wider ES assurance requirements. I am hugely grateful to the personnel from across the LAD and the RTR for providing an intensive insight into ‘Regular REME’ that I would not otherwise have gained. I look forward to drawing upon my experiences back as a Reservist within 103Bn.

RTR Ski Race Team

The ski team

Scribe: Cfn Isherwood

We arrived in Verbier at 2000hrs on 22 Dec 21 after leaving Tidworth at 0300hrs. After the formalities were out of the way and people were split into their groups of respective ability, we hit the slopes straight away to break us back into being on the snow. The first two weeks, Monday to Sunday, were spent practicing skiing technique such as turning, carving, and carrying speed. This was an intense couple of weeks, non-stop skiing for 6 hours a day 7 days a week really put a high demand on people’s legs. We had a brief period off over the Christmas period, where we had various events hosted by different regiments to get everyone together to celebrate. After the rest period had finished, we headed back out onto the snow for another week to practice racing techniques for the two disciplines we would be competing in: Slalom and Giant Slalom (GS). This is where training got more serious, as everyone was trying to shave off every tenth of a second, they could find to qualify for the Divisional Competition later in the season.

Race week then came as the skiers all sported their regiments’ colours and went through their individual heats to compete for the quickest time. The whole week was a good experience with everyone loving the friendly competition and showing a world of support to their fellow competitors. We wrapped up the exercise with an awards ceremony and a drink to celebrate the success of this year’s exercise. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves from start to finish and nobody was ready to leave, Verbier was an amazing place with some fantastic views. A bucket list item for sure.

Commonwealth Day 2022 – Houses of Parliament

Scribe: LCpl ‘Losefati’ Ligairi RTR LAD

The Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed by people across 54-member states of the Commonwealth: in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific, and Europe. It celebrates the people and cultures of the Commonwealth nations. This year, the Fijian Community in the UK were honoured to participate in the Commonwealth Day Flag Raising Ceremony at the Palace of Westminster at the request of the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The Community was represented by a Choir and as a member of this Choir, I was fortunate to have participated at this prestigious institution in the UK. The members of the Choir were made up of serving Service Personnel, Veterans, and spouses from the Tidworth Garrison (Wiltshire) and Colchester Garrison (Essex). The invitation came through The Fiji Support Network (FSN); a UK Ministry of Defence Employees network that champions the provision of welfare support to Fijian Service Personnel, Veterans, and their families. The invitation means a lot to me and the Fijian Community, representing the largest number of Commonwealth Personnel within the UK Armed Forces, besides Nepal’s Gurkhas. I felt a sense of belonging and genuine acknowledgment of Fijians’ contribution to the UK and of course, the Commonwealth. I was proud to represent the Fijian Community, the RTR, and the Corps.

The atmosphere and experience on the day were surreal. Presenting to the Speaker of the House and representatives from the 54-member states was an amazing experience at such a solemn occasion. It was a great day of singing and I was blessed to be part of it. The day ended with a tour around the Houses of Parliament and Speakers Official Residence.

The theme of Commonwealth Day 2022 is ‘Delivering A Common Future’, celebrating the commonwealth countries’ united efforts to achieve common goals including protecting natural resources, boosting trade, and delivering a peaceful, prosperous, and more sustainable future. As a Fijian, away from Fiji, I certainly have high hopes for these aspirations, and I am grateful to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons for such a timely invitation.

The Choir