ISR Sqn CTP MERLIN MAIL It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was another Authorised Service Interruption (ASI).
T
his is where the Field Service Representatives (FSRs) perform super technical feats of wizardry on the systems the Sqn operate on. The rest of 1 ISR Sqn participated in the Core Training Period (CTP). The most recent had been cancelled in December due to COVID concerns and the same schedule of events was carried over to be conducted in March. The first day comprised of a field visit to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, the home of a stunning variety of aircraf t and military vehicles. The surprise of the day, however, was a car auction populated by grey haired old men who could af ford to spend hundreds of grand on ancient cars, and expensive dungarees (130 Great British Pounds no less!). We were split down into our groups and conducted a round
robin of four specific pieces of military kit to have a member of 1 ISR Sqn regale us with facts and knowledge to the groups. These were the champion of Bomber Command, the AVRO Lancaster, the sneaky beaky SR-71 Blackbird (as seen in one of those forgettable Transformer movies), a saucy MiG-21 FISHBED (top speed Mach 2 – fresh!) and finally a hot and spicy SA-8 GECKO GBAD AD system. Although some people have been to Duxford before, several going into double figures, everyone enjoyed a day out, a chance to learn something (the massive B-52’s tail can be folded down to fit into hangers), get wet (it was raining for most of the day), and share each other’s company outside of work. The following day was a morning of rank ranged
Resilience and Welfare forums inside Pathfinder building. A chance for all members of 1 ISR Sqn to state how wonderful and amazing it is to work here, or rather a chance to anonymously complain and provide feedback to whoever is above you in the chain of command. With that of f our collective chests it was onto socialising, with the promise of the odd alcoholic beverage for those with an inclination! This took place at the Golden Lion in St Ives, where a traditional-esque mess like convention had been superbly organised by A/Cpl Lucy Van Tromp. Place names were taken to the top table and members present were regaled with either rude, but witty (mostly rude) messages or encouraged singing (well a noise was produced) conducted for the
fun and amusement of those paying attention. Fun was had by all and the food was excellent, so Brucie bonus! The third and last day was a sports day consisting of foot rounders – “C’est Supreme!” as Actor Eric Cantona would say. The March CTP/ASI was a success, now that COVID is, hopefully, behind us, it is great to get out and see the other members of 1 ISR Sqn and have a decent time with each other. Thank you to the FSR team who worked over this period. An additional thank you to Fg Of f Joe Shaw and Cpl Sam Coulton for leading the organisation of events, and for everyone reading this! See you in June. Cpl Michael Bailey 1 ISR Sqn, Crossbow Flight 1ISR Wg
INSIGHTMAGAZINE 19
