20120324 newsletter issue op herrick final

8/2/2019 20120324 Newsletter Issue Op HERRICK Final

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Inside this issue:

29 AES - Stories fromCP Parrang

3

37 AES - Good work

with the OQOB Bridge

8

44 HQ & SP SQN -KBR and the DEW

20

77 Talisman Sqn

The light at the end of

the tunnel

24

11 Field Sqn - Finally

the end of a long tour

32

Arriving home... 44

The final Baby Hector 46

Final message from

the editor

48

Issue 17

23 March 2012

Page 1

Commanding Officers ForewordThe journey has come now come to an end. 35 Engineer Regimental Grouphas completed Operation HERRICK 15 and successfully passed on the batonto 26 Engineer Regiment. I wish them all the very best of luck for the next 6months.

The Regiment can be justifiably proud of its achievements over the winter2011/12. We have forged a strong reputation across the force based upon ourprofessional spirit, tenacity, will to succeed and strong leadership from all levelsof command. There will be times for quiet reflection, but now it is time to enjoya job well done. All Squadrons, less 11 Field Squadron, the Brigade Advisorsand elements of Recce Troop, have handed over to their successors. Many

have already departed for Paderborn and enjoyed the Decompression at Cy-prus; a vital 24 hours just to relax alittle and enjoy ourselves beforecoming home and the whirlwind se-ries of events that will end with theMedals Parade on Thursday 29March. The Parade will be a won-derful way to show off the Regimentamongst the local people of Pader-born. We have been humbled bytheir kind permission to use the Pad-erborn Cathedral for a ThanksgivingService and the nearby SchutzenPlatz for the Parade itself. It prom-ises to be a great day for everyone;and sorely needed before embarkingon 6 weeks leave the following day.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the Trojan Times; this is the last edition. I'dlike to thank all those who contributed to the humorous stories and endlessbanter, and to Captain Bernie Peake for her imagination and commitment ingetting the stories together from some pretty austere locations and editing theminto a digestible issue every 2 weeks. The Trojan Times, written by the soldiersfor you, has been very much their perspective of the operations in Afghanistan.

I hope their stories, photos and Facebook messages have kept you abreast ofthe highs and lows of our challenging and rewarding deployment to Helmand.They have been exemplary in everything I have asked of them. Collectively theRegiment has maintained an impressive tempo which has left many drainedboth physically and emotionally, yet they still stand proud of their achievementsand rightly so; I am immensely proud to have commanded them all.

Lastly, I would like to thank you, the reader the friends and families of thosedeployed. In many ways you have had a difficult time coping in Paderborn, Al-dergrove and Hameln. For you the tour has been long, dark and cold the win-ter months dragging by. I commend your tenacity and thank you for the kindsupport that has showed itself through the countless parcels, kind messages of

support and finally, to be there as we arrive home.The Regiment is coming home; for 35 Engineer Regiment, our time in Afghani-stan is over.


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29 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

After nearly seven months this will be my final introduction for the final edition of Trojan Times. This hasbeen the theme for the past two weeks in 29 Armoured Engineer Squadron everything has been movingtowards the final; final patrol, final task, final helicopter flight, final weapon cleaning. The list goes on andon! It is wonderful to have handed our responsibility for close support engineering in Afghanistan to 8 Ar-moured Engineer Squadron; we wish them the best of luck and every success over their six month tenure.

The final couple of tasks have been in Nahr-e-Saraj (South), again constructingbasic check points for 5 RIFLES to patrol from. Both CP PRANG, constructed byCpl Haynes, and CP SHKAR, constructed by Cpl Abbot, have been difficult anddemanding but both were superbly built and now allow the opportunity for jointpatrols with the Afghan Local Police in the most rural Kalays. With collapsing ac-cess roads, unpredictable helicopter support and regular shoots (inaccuratethankfully) the last couple of jobs were suitably cheeky! With 4 Troop improvingthe ablutions in Patrol Base Lashkar Gah Durai we have had every element in theSquadron busy right up to handover. Thankfully it is now time to let 8 ArmouredEngineer Squadron finish the bases. We wish them the best of luck for the nextsix months as they pick up the baton in both Lashkar Gah and Nahr-e-Saraj

(South); tough but rewarding work.Camp Bastion contains three coffee shops and they have been packed to the gunnels with the Squadronas we wait for our final (there it is again!) flight back to Paderborn. Alongside the stories, jokes and fizzydrinks, everybody is talking about returning to see family and friends. It is the prominent topic of discus-sion and the focus of our attentions, especially as many people are already either on leave or with theirfamily in Germany. I will take this opportunity to thank everyone that has supported the Squadron duringour deployment to Afghanistan. Throughout the entire seven months we have received messages of sup-port and parcels from our families, friends and the public. We have been humbled by the strength of thosesupporting us and each difficult day has been made tolerable by the bluey received or welfare call thatends in laughter. Being separated for such a protracted period is easier said than done. Huge thanks fromthe entire Squadron and I trust we have made you proud in return.

Over the seven months of Operation HERRICK 15 there have been almost 120 individuals from theSquadron deployed to Afghanistan. Whilst they have been forward earning the plaudit, our Rear Opera-tions Group, commanded by SSgt Corrado, have remained in Paderborn to maintain that vital link to thefamilies, prepare for the next year and manage our careers. Those 120 could not have succeeded as wehave without their support and tireless effort. My thanks for their unwavering commitment throughout; theirrole, like the families, is often harder than those deployed.

If I am correct this edition of Trojan Times will be read on the day of our Service of Thanksgiving in thePaderborn Dom and Medals Parade. With great pride every member of 29 Armoured Engineer Squadronwill stand together in front of family and friends to receive the operational service medal. We reflect onsome superb achievements, strong friendships and sadly difficult days. The Squadron has performed su-perbly and I was honoured and humbled to be lucky enough to command it in Helmand. Please enjoy the

day but also take the time to consider those who are unable to be with us.A Squadron of One.

Si Carvel

Page 2


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CP PARRANG

Spr Banks 5 Tp

On the 2 of March 2012 myself, Spr The German Banks, Spr Mitch The Mummys Boy McLaughlin, SprFranky four fingers Franklin, Spr KennethMcGilith Mathieson and Cpl Daz Pooty Haynesdeployed on task to convert a compound into whatwould become CP PRRANG.

We left PB2 at 0610hrs and, via Camp Bastion,soon landed in CP PRRANG followed by 3 underslung loads of stores. Unfortunately the HLS was

200 metres from the checkpoint - thanks to theRAF for their pinpoint precision! After dropping ourpersonal kit off in the checkpoint we began shuttleruns but with only five sappers and two lucky infan-

try lads carrying all of the stores, it was very hard work. 7hours later we started the build and began the first of four fir-ing platforms.

The next morning after breakfast courtesy of the PWRR, wecompleted the frame for the first firing platform less plywood

which would ar-rive later. Whilst

waiting for theplywood we builtthe frames forthe rest of thefiring platformsand shower unit. Whilst we continued to build stuff out ofwood, Spr Mathieson was outside cutting down trees with thechainsaw under the watchful eyes of the locals. The MSSTstoodclose byready tostart

negoti-atinghow

much a basic non fruit bearing tree was worth!

Our alarm clock on Day 3 was a local cat, which hadattached itself to the section for the duration of ourstay was wandering around our tent constantly mak-ing a wailing noise. We decided to call the cat SprGinge and he is now a fully fledged member of thesection. After breakfast we started work on the stepsfor the firing platform and the rest of the sectionerected grenade netting. Unfortunately the underslung load of plywood failed to arrive that afternoon,so we occupied ourselves building the final parts of the showers and toilets.

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The hard work is paying off

Looking like pros

Working hard at CP Parrang

Construction is still in the early


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On Day 4 Spr Ginge was out-alarmed by the local mosque at around 0530hrs which was warmly wel-comed by all at the CP! Most of

our work depended on the ply-wood so we began doing whatwe could for the infantry with theremainder of the stores. Firston the agenda was to construct2 tables with benches for thewelfare area, less of course ply-wood. We also built the CP amission critical volleyball courtand then started work on akitchen.

No surprise that on day 5 wewere still waiting on the plywoodand with every task now waitingfor it, we could only help out asbest we could and make littleimprovements. After lunch weplayed the Infantry at volleyballand as always the Sapperswon!

On Day 6 we woke up to findthe weather looking brighter andwe were all hopeful the plywood

would finally arrive. The call came through over the net saying to expect it to be on site for 1330hrs andonce the helicopter had dropped of the load, welugged the stores into the CP which was a doddlecompared to day one. Once all stores were inside wemanaged to finish the work and hand the CP over tothe multiple, with the Platoon Commander chuffedwith what we had achieved and our efforts appreci-ated within the multiple.

On our final day in CP PRRANG, the mosque wakeupcall was on time at 0530hrs but Spr Ginge had disap-peared only to be replaced by 2 donkeys which had

gotintothecheckpoint. The Afghans quickly separated the donkeysand kicked them out of the CP whilst the section packedup our kit. The Chinook landed later that morning andtook us back to PB2 hot showers and fresh food herewe come!

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Concentration..

So far so good

Everyone is appreciative of a decent

shower area


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Dont Stress...decompress

Dont stress...decompress as the advertisement on BFBS radio rings out. It is day before the first checkin is when the excitement of the day really builds up. With all of the information, stores and top tips handed

over to 8 Armoured Engineer Squadron we were another step towards our return home. Our bags are

packed and the phone calls are made back to our loved ones to inform them that we shall be joining them

soon. The return to Paderborn is a four phase operation, phase one check in. Phase two travel to Cy-

prus. Phase three Decompression and lastly phase four the home straight!

Phase one Check in. There are two check ins to negotiate, one in the afternoon for our baggage and

another in the evening for the flight itself. As we wait at the Passenger Holding facility (PHF) in Camp

Bastion, we are called forward by our flight destinations. As we are a Germany flight, we are usually the

last ones called forward and no surprises on this occasion, Those departing for Brize Norton...those de-

parting for decompression and Brize Norton...those departing for decompression and Hannover nowplease check in. The cue is long and as you can appreciate from your own travel experience, its not the

quickest of events. After Check in two there is a four hour wait in the holding tent. Facilities are very mod-

est, however there is an opportunity to have a sleep, get a brew and watch England beat Ireland in the

rugby. At last we are called forward to get on the aircraft.

Phase two Travel to Cyprus. Our flight out of Camp Bastion was on an RAF Tristar aircraft. Thankfully

the RAF had everything in order and before we knew it we were on our way. For security reasons all the

lights in and on the aircraft are switched off, which is an odd sensation. It was only a six and a half hour

flight to the island of love, (according to Greek mythology). The flight itself was smooth with enough food

for all to have seconds. Although beef stew at 0400hrs was not that appealing! The plane landed in Cy-

prus in the early hours of the morning, everyone was tired but waiting with anticipation of what was aheadof us.

Phase three Decompression. This started off with the usual waiting at the luggage carrousel for our day

sacks, the only bag we were allowed to take off the plane. The game of Which bag is mine? was not that

easy considering everyone has the same

military rucksack. As you can imagine

you cannot carry that much in one bag.

We only had space for the bare essen-

tials, a pair of shorts and a couple of li-

tres of tanning oil. At the airport we were

met by some of the Decompression Staff

who guided us to our initial accommoda-

tion on Akrotiri Station. This is a purpose

built building construction by fellow

Royal Engineers! On arrival we had the

mandatory brief on what was going to

happen, when and where. We managed

to have a shower, put the uniform we

were wearing into the washing facility

and change into our civvies. Before our

next timing which was for breakfast, we

could even catch twenty winks. Bedsand blankets provided. Unfortunately it is

still a little chilly at this time of year in Cyprus so a jungle sleeping bag doesnt quite cut the mustard. Be-

fore we knew it, it was time for breakfast and onward to Episkopi Bay to the beach.

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Thumbs up for the

beach..


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We were met by the friendly Decompression Staff who made all of us very welcome. On call were the in-

structors, Padre and Health advisor. The beach facilities are fantastic. We could do what we liked, (within

reason of course) ranging from lazing on the sunlounger, riding the Banana boat, wake boarding

or even sailing. Before all of that we were re-

quired doing a military swimming assessment.

Even in a wet suit the 11C water still feels

slightly cold, there were a number of people who

found themselves uncontrollably doing the jig to

warm up. Not surprisingly there werent very

many people who went back into the water after

that. We were even given the opportunity to have

a round of golf, however the sight of the 2IC of 37

AES, Capt Riley, attempting to find his lost ball in

a dense thorn bush was actually more entertain-

ing that the golf itself!

It is quite a surreal feeling being out of Afghani-

stan having spent nearly 7 months there. Only

hours previous we surrounded by the constant noise of helicopter engines, the sight of tents and the dust

of Camp Bastion. We were now surrounded by green surroundings; sight of the Mediterranean sea, hear-

ing the tranquil lapping of the waves against the shore line was a welcome relief and really allowed us to

unwind.

Once we had had enough of the beach we were taken to our accommodation for the night, BloodhoundCamp, in the Episkopi Garrison. Even our washing was waiting for our collection, dust free! The facilities in

Bloodhound are great, with quiet locations if you want a bit of time by yourself, limitless Wifi, daily news

papers, and telephones with unlimited call duration. The Movie Machine was a personal favourite; it is a

mobile cinema showing the latest movies twice a day. The evening entertainment laid on by the CSE, a

comedian who constantly took the mickey out of members

of the audience and a two man guitar group. The band

played requests and tried to get as much audience partici-

pation as possible. We could even enjoy a beer or two, (four

can rule or a bottle of wine). The days travelling had taken

its toll on everyone and after the entertainment finished no

one stuck around. After not having alcohol for so manymonths we certainly felt the effects the following morning!

We had one individual who had forgotten which bed was his

and tried to get in someone elses whilst they were in it!

Phase four The home straight. The wakeup call from the guard force ensured we were awake in good

time. Whilst on route from Bloodhound camp to RAF Akrotiri we saw the Red Arrows rehearsing their sea-

sons performance, a nice end to a excellent decompression package. At the air head it was the usual

waiting and rumours of wondering when the aircraft will land. Finally the call came to board the aircraft and

with quiet excitement we got on ready to our journey back to Paderborn. With only hours separating us

and our final destination we settled into the flight. We finally touched down in Hannover, the feeling of ela-

tion swept over us. Another tour of duty completed. On arrival into Barker Barracks we were greeted by a

Welcome back 35 Engineer Regiment banner and a wonderful surprise for us all to see the Rear Opera-

tions Group and our families waiting to welcome us back. We are finally home.

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Enjoying the band

Sailing for the day, a million miles

away from dusty Afghanistan


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37 Armoured EngineerSquadron

Officer Commandings Foreword

Welcome to the final Trojan Times and, as I write, the handover to 33 Armd Engr Sqn is in full swing andour blokes are steadily re-appearing in Camp Bastion for the final time. We are now in an operational lowtempo period to allow a really good handover, but as you will see from the articles below we worked rightup to the wire - the last few tasks, all came in at short

notice and as ever I have been absolutely delightedwith the can-do, flexible attitude of everyone in theSquadron throughout this final busy period.

You will also see a few articles reflecting on our time inAfghanistan over the last six months. What a hugelysuccessful tour it has been and not a day has gone bythat I haven't felt enormously proud and privileged toserve with your Husbands, Boyfriends, Girlfriends,Sons and Daughters The Squadron has completed ahuge number of tasks in some of the most challengingcircumstances, as you will have seen when you have

read the previous editions of this news letter. Everyoneshould be proud of our achievements - in supportingthe progress of Afghanistan, serving our country and ofcourse continuing the proud tradition of 37 Armd EngrSqn that stretches back some 150 years.

But of course, as we leave Afghanistan we continue toremember our fallen Brother, Sapper Elijah Bond. It isthe hardest thing of all to not bring everyone home fromhere, but the Squadron's achievements, that he was somuch a part of delivering, will stand as a fitting tributeto his life. A life that brought so much joy to others and

always kept morale high through the darkest days.I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all athome for your unstinting support - it is appreciated and critical to what we have achieved; we are strongerhere because of what you do there.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible as we celebrate the return of 37 Armoured EngineerSquadron to Paderborn shortly. The homecoming events will provide a fitting end to this tour and the re-turn of your loved ones; heroes every one.

Guy Boxall

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OQOB BRIDGE

Spr Welsh, 7 Troop

Operation bridge strip begins. Arriving at a small CP calledOQOB, we were greeted by the Section of Ghurkhas from DCompany and shown where we would be living for the nextweek. The camp was small and not used to having a Troopof Engineers over to stay, so many of us were sleeping out-side under our poncho shelters.

We soon settled down to our routine and before long SprScouse Lear had taken control of the feeding and was our

unofficial chef. Spr Dawson and Spr Roberts continued withOp Massive in the small outdoor gym and I built up my ownlittle area for my bed space with corrugated iron and wood.

Adjacent to the CP was a medium girder bridge over the Nahr-e-Seraj Canal which connects Khar Nikahto the outside world. The main part of our task was to remove the bridge while an army of plant operatorsdug in foundations for its replacement.

Soon after we started the task site was surroundedby inquisitive local children, sheep, goats and thelocal police. The bridge had been in place for a longtime and the panels were nearly glued together, butwith a liberal application of WD-40 and lots of ham-

mering from the Troops Gym goers the panels weresoon flying out. The day before the strip we had allbeen organised by height so that groups of tallerpeople could lift out the upper panels while myselfand the rest of the midgets could lift the lower pan-els.

As the task continued more locals started to arriveon site and Lt Cole started to get called names bythe local children. After 6 hours the bridge was

stripped and the plant operators under Cpl Anderson went to work preparing the site to receive the newbridge, our last task completed before returning home.

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That looks pretty heavy.

The bridging team after a good job well done

Taking bridging very seriously


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7 TROOP IN AFGHANISTAN

Lt Antony Coleface Cole, 7 Tp Commander

It is over six months since we landed in Afghanistan and looked out at the dawn light of Camp Bastionfrom the tail ramp of the aircraft wondering what would bein store for us. Now it is almost time to board that aircraftagain, to return home and see our loved ones.

It has been a long Tour for Cpl Amos and his Khar NikahWarriors who have been working in one of the most chal-lenging engineering environments in Afghanistan. Muchof the work that they have done has been by hand be-

cause there are very few roads to move our plant equip-ment around the area. Whether the tasks are buildingnew checkpoints such as CP Ghashi or renovating oldones or closing those that are no longer required. Onething is for certain, despite his lack of carpentry training,Spr Johnnie Whittaker is now the worlds leading experton building wooden toilet blocks.

Cpl Doran-Thorp and his Section in Price were also busy.Casting our minds back to their very first task at CP Bawliand Spr Hayley Rumbelow constantly falling over andgetting tangled in barbed wire we can see how much wehave all changed in six months. Though Im sure if we letthem, the locally employed plant operators that we em-ployed during the construction of Route Green would still publicly humiliate Spr Stelios Themaras for be-ing slow.

In Troop HQ Cfn Hayley Wil-son has been busy makingbrews and collecting themail (and occasionally fixingsome vehicles). SgtRobson has been busymoving around the area do-ing reconnaissance and oc-

casionally blowing things up!

Lets not forget all of thetimes we have had to bailout 8 and 9 Troop by send-ing guys to help out be-cause they couldnt cope.Finally in the last few weeksof tour they both repaid thefavour and sent half a Sec-tion to help us replace the bridge at OQOB.

It has been a challenging experience but at every step of the way I have been proud of the way that the

guys and girls have worked hard to achieve the tasks. We are all looking forward to coming home andseeing our loved ones and having some well deserved down time.

A proud moment for the troop

Meeting with old friends...


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Page 10

THE FINAL PUSH

Spr Gavin Nicholl, 8 Troop

As the end of the tour loomed, and all our tasks completed, we were looking forward to a bit of chilling outand preparing for handover. But low and behold the Insurgents had other ideas. They decided to try anddestroy a Medium Girder Bridge (MGB), that 7 Troop had built earlier on this tour. As this was a key pieceof equipment to keep an ISAF route open, a whirlwind of Recces and planning were soon under way.

SSgt Matt Norman got us all together to give us the exciting news we had all been hoping for, which wasthat 8 Troop had been tasked to build a new 7 Bay single story MGB next to the bridge that was damagedin order to re - open Route Septhon. The mood was electric and the lads enthused, as this is what wehad all been waiting to do, building a bridge on an operational tour. Does it get any better for an engineer

than that?

Saturday 10 March we moved locations from PB Rahim to PB Clifton so we could be in place to move tosite at first light on the Sunday. Time seemed to go by slowly, but we were soon getting up at 0515 to getourselves ready to move to the bridge site and begin the build. As the site had been cleared the day be-fore of explosive hazards we were able to crack straight on when we arrived. Spr Richard Yallop,smashed out the ground works in the Medium Wheeled Tracker, whilst the remainder of the troop started

lining up the bridging components.

Grounds work complete we started the build at 0635 at a good pace, as everyone knows that there is nowalking on a bridge site. Twenty minutes into the build with only a couple of bays to fit and disaster:.. Thebase plate for the building frame slipped off the packing. Thoughts of stripping out all the hard workflashed through all our minds, but luckily for us SSgt Norman and his ingenuity and quick thinking enabledus to get the bridge lifted and the building frame back into position.

The remainder of the build went smoothly, and we were soon charging down the bridge with ramps anddecking units in hand. Finally at 0755 the bridge was open. With the hard work complete and the remain-der of the stores loaded we recovered to PB RAHIM. Looking back I am very proud of what we achieved.For me this final task has been the highlight of my tour and I am glad that I could be apart of it, a fittingend to what has been an amazing six months.

The bridging site


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Page 11

6 MONTHS, 21 DAYS LATER...

Lt William Abbott, 8 Tp Commander

It seems like an eternity since 8 Troop deployed to Afghanistan on the 31st of August last year. The tourhas thrown up a whole host of different challenges for the Troop which the guys have taken in their strideand dealt with admirably.

I have been supported all the way so it is time to drop a few namesand get a few extracrates for the homecoming parades.SSgt big norm Nor-

man my right handman, always at handto lend some advicefrom his long career inthe Army spanningback to WW1. Thetwo Section Com-

manders; Cpl Cooper took time out from his busy e-blueywriting schedule and managed to do some work along withCpl Simpson who had fingers in pies and was the go to man if you wanted anything. There was LCplRoss "Lesbian haircut" Atkinson loving plant from start to finish along with LCpl Filitoga who just lovedeveryone from start to finish.

The sappers in the Troop worked tirelessly and I can but take myhat off to them and the efforts they have put in. To name but afew; Sapper Pascoe who was able to turn water into wine by theend of his tour with his resourcefulness, Sapper Meacham wholoved all the free physical activity he got from filling HESCO.

Somehow Sapper Carter-Smithhas still not gone down ill afterdrinking a bottle of water with adead mouse at the bottom. Theworst moustache of tour has togo to Sapper Jason Redshaw

who modelled himself on RonBurgundy throughout. SapperGraham Robertson kept the Scottish stereotypes going strong with hislove of England. "Who buys a crate of lemon fanta?" the answer, SapperPhillips or "Ginge" as he is known to Major Boxall. Please can you makethe crate you now owe a little more beery and a little less lemony, manythanks! While you're at it you can also inform the OC that he now owes acrate as well.

The list goes on...so to save time Sapper Nicholl if you are not off in somerandom bit of Afghanistan please can you inform Sappers Yallop, Coul-ton, Jahateh, Bell, Jones, the other Jones, Atkinson, Gooch and lastlySSM Driver (good luck with that one) that they have also been nominated

for a crate or two. (Dont forget yourself Lt William Abbott thats 2 by the way, 1 name mention and 1 forbeing the author of the article; you do walk into these things Ed)

The tasche..

Members of the troop in the tick of it

as usual

Help was always at hand..

I have no quote for this...


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Page 12

FAREWELL AFGHANISTAN

Sapper Hawthorne, 9 Troop

Between every mans experiences in 37 Armd Engr Sqn throughout Herrick 15 you could fill several booksof stories. There would be a lot of funnyones; a fair few boring, many exciting, tonsof frustrating and, unfortunately, sometragic stories. However, this is a short arti-cle and I cannot possibly do justice to theSquadrons effort entirely. Ill simply saythat 9 Troop has dug out blind based inFOB Ouellette and I wouldnt take ten ofanyone elses to be one of my Troop.There have also been a couple of mile-stones and first times that have occurredduring my time in Helmand: one, I am nowthirty, two, I feel forty, but seriously, a first isbeing out there on vital tasks in some dan-gerous situations with an unbeatable groupof lads. And Ive thoroughly enjoyed it.Trying not to sound like a three-times VCwinner, Spr Mitch Mitchell the milkman-war-hero-joiner-signaller come warrior of the infamous Battle of Salat has consistently entertained me.

Ive done my bit and I reckon Ive done it well. The one event which I dont much like to dwell on is theloss of one of our ownBondy. I wasnt close to him, but I knew him enough to like him and think of himas a good lad; the news of his passing still hurts.

Far too much has occurred this tour to start name dropping (Mitch - crate), but over six months we haveall had a part in noticeably transforming the bases around us into fully functioning area of operations. Soto close it up, Im not the type to rub it in by saying have a nice tour Herrick 16! On the contrary, I hope

the boys taking over from us have a safe-as-houses and boring tour, but Im not nave andknow that during this year well hear things thatllmake us sigh, shake and lower our heads. Butwhat it is that sets us apart from our friends athome is that we can get our heads back up, andjust get on with it. Thanks to 9 Troop, the rest ofthe Squadron lads Ive worked with and everyoneback home for the support. For now, farewell Af-ghanistan!

Always time for a pose

Me and two members of the troop


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Page 13

THE REPAIR OF CP MAKTAB

Spr Robbo Robertson, 9 Troop

I went down as part of a small section to CP Maktab to rebuild two walls. The task was fast balled to uswith less than 24 hours notice as it was an ur-gent job. Not a problem for 9 Troop, so wemoved up to FOB Ouellette the night before tostart organising the stores. At first light the fol-lowing morning, we moved out to CP Maktabbut when we arrived we saw it wasnt as badas it was made out to be. We started the taskby doing the ground works on the first site. It

was LCpl Lay (aka Easy) in the plant (digger)trying to level the ground, but after about halfan hour we had to get the boys on it with theshovels. By 0830 we had both sites levelledand one site ready to be filled. We started tofill the Hesco when we were told we were be-ing watched (always a good feeling that). Sobeing the no fear engineers that we are, wecarried on.

The Hesco was filling up nicely with the infantry fighting for the shovels, not sure why they were doingthat, possibly because Cpl AJ Roberts said they would get a Hesco t -shirt for their help, however the

more the merrier as they say. With the bottom level of a wall filled we started setting up the top level. Atthis point we were well ahead of schedule as is usually the case when we work with Cpl AJ Roberts whowas giving us sniper cover from the sangar!Or so he says. By 1230 we had the wholeof the first wall complete which was a bo-nus as the sun really started to pick up andit was time for a well earned lunch break.Some people had some rice and chickenthat the ANA had made but I went for theration packs. After scoff, we started fillingthe second wall with some extra handsfrom the ANA and LCpl Easy Lay bringing

in the fill. Before long, both walls were com-plete and we even had time to mentor theANA on how to improve camp security us-ing readily available resources, especiallyas the weather picks up which was verywelcomed.

By 1530 we were task complete andheaded back to FOB Ouellette for tea andmedals and even got to pop down to CplVinantes task to rub it in we had finishedearly before we went back for some hot

scoff and showers.

He must be strong lifting that helicopter!!??

The team hard at work


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Page 14

SOLAR PANEL STREET LIGHTS

By Sapper Dawson 9 Troop

It was a chilly Thursday morning on Herrick 15 and although this tour of duty was soon to be drawing to anend, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. The task, a little different from the usual, was to install solarlighting in a local bazaar just outside FOB Ouellette. Before leaving, we discussed as a section the impor-tance of not getting complacent, and to get the job done to the high standard the troop has maintainedsince early September last year. Although our departure from FOB Ouellette was initially delayed, weeventually got down to business, morale high, myself, Cpl Vinante, LCpl Gardiner, Spr Hawthorne, SprHiggs, Spr Mitchell and Spr Robinson intended on getting the task finished quickly as we unloaded storesalong the bazaar road. The lighting equipment that would be staggered along the road needed to be wellsecured as anything that looks expensive is an attractive item to locals.

The aim was to install 5 metre tall lamp posts at 25 metres spaces to light up a village area for local na-tionals, with a Hesco base on each. First we had to dig a hole to insert the posts into (the Skidsteerhelped) and secondly keep the local kids away from our work area while the lights went up we some-times offered sweets so they played the game. We encountered various problems like hard ground anddifficulty in keeping the posts steady in order to fill and stabilise them. All of these were overcome andmorale stayed high throughout, especially as we got to interact with locals throughout the 11 hour task.

Once finally completed we returned to Ouellette with high hopes that the last task of our Herrick 15 hadbeen completed with good times ahead.

The Troop


15/34

G4 IT DOESNT JUST HAPPENCpl Bugler, Sqn Echelon

Well, the time has arrived where we can finallysee the finish line. Its been a long slog but weare now very close to being able to breathe a sighof relief. That being said, life in the G4 world hasnot slowed by any means. We are currently busyjuggling our handovers to 33 AES while receivingall of the kit from our warriors returning off the

ground.

Last week we saw our TA counterpart from theG4 world, Spr Hough, end his tour. After a pizzanight in the office to say goodbye to Mr. Hough Iwas able to breathe a small sigh of relief as myduty as translator to the mumbling incomprehensi-ble jockanese of Glass Eye was over.

We have spent a lot of our time recently sortingour air freight and sea freight to ship back. Thishas involved an unusually high amount of contact with the RMPs. SSgtDickie Page has been working his usual hypnotic charm to ensure every-thing required to move does so when we want it to. We are currently inves-tigating possible connections between Staff Page and the Jedis infamousmind tricks as there is definitely a link. The sea freight has also broughtforth a small amount of bitterness from SSgt Tony McDermott who isadamant that he should not be running with such an activity because heis NOT the SQMS!

I have been my usual jovial self being all smiles and happiness. I havenot once been told to stop being a miserable bastool or hear the snigger-ing of the QM at my morose mood! All who say otherwise may be sub-ject to a bout of said mood and potential ginger rage. You have beenwarned!

SSgt Si Anderson who has been known as Smiler formost of the tour has even been caught cracking jokesand actually smiling at times. These precious and memo-rable moments have been absorbed by all as it is ex-pected not to last once we are all back from post opera-tional leave.

Everyone in the G4 dungeon is currently trying to adapt tothe presence of Cpl Karma Rai. He seems to have fi-nally slowed down a bit and has been seen chilling outand it has also been rumoured that people have seenhim engaging in what is normal to most of us, sleep!

In our St Lucian corner of the office, Spr G Sealy has recently purchased an Ap-ple Mac Book after the RAF managed to break the screen on his laptop. Theproblem is trying to drag him away from his new toy.

Page 15

Memories.


16/34

Page 16

The QM, Capt Monaghan, has been most interested in this new purchase by Spr Sealy. Being an advo-cate and promoter for all things Apple, the QM has been showing Spr Sealy the ropes. In an attempt to

avoid work, Spr Sealy has been known to engage the QM in Apple conversation. This generally leads to30 minutes minimum of the QM regaling his knowledge about all things Apple and his various Apple gadg-ets with their various applications; if you are also smitten by simplicity, you too could be bordering oniBore status.

Cpl Robbo Robertson has been maintaining his title as king of the welfare. He is a rare sight in the G4dungeon, only leaving to sleep after a wild evening of brews, gaming and television. Its been said thatsomeone recently tried to play on one of his sacred saved profiles on the PS3 and hasnt been seensince.

Cpl Billy Suksiri who is normally one of the hardest people to locate in Bastion has been seen staying inone place for more than 10 minutes at a time. This is without the useof any type of restraint by SSgt Anderson who has been close on

many occasions. He has even spent recent twilight hours in the G4tent instead of doing paper work up at the MT office until midnight.

Spr V Phoughat is back to his old self after his sheepish return fromhis extended R&R. This delay was of course due to his audition as aBollywood hero in Debbie does Delhi. Spr Sealy is maintaining thatSpr Phoughats feet are clinically dead; the smell emanating fromthem would certainly back up his theory. Although Spr Phoughat hasbeen told this he is certain that its alright. This being thenew G4 motto!

There have been several good times to re-member with lots of memories to take

away. There have been many laughs andbuckets of squaddie humour to carry usthrough the tougher times. There havebeen times which have tested our resolve,resourcefulness and leadership of thewhole team at every level. And there havebeen times which we would all rather nothave happened but, we will remember.

More memories...or nightmares if

for some looking at this dog..


17/34

Page 17

THESE FOUR WALLS

Capt Dominic Riley, Second in Command

As this is the last Trojan Times I thought it was fitting to write a few lines about the lads who support thoseon the ground. Now whilst most of the forward troops probably think all we do back in Bastion is lazearound enjoying the facilities this is not the case at all. Whilst the guys on the ground have been workinghard their ability to do their job with the right manpower, equipment and resources is thanks to a team ofdedicated individuals back in Bastion. These lads work tirelesslyfrom early morning to very late at night and on many an occasionthrough the night to enable the forward operations.

So since Lt William Abbott (I think that makes 3 Will!) has started

the name dropping I thought I would continue on his theme. TheG4 department led by Capt Joe Monaghan is responsible for allthe kit, equipment and resources that the troops require on theground. Now the QM is a funny, old soul, Late Entry Officers byand large are a grumpy old lot, weathered and weary, but not soCapt Joe. Oh no! Laid back and surprisingly happy (although hehas been know to chew the occasional ear) the QM can oft befound in his bed space happily testing his new camera and itsflash (although what he is taking photos of none of us know) alover of all things BMW his office is oft littered with car magazines.The only question remains isif he is so happy just where arethe bodies buried?

The QMs right hand man is the SQMS SSgt Dickie Page. Nowapparently he hates the nickname Sqizz and is grumpy enough tomake up for the QMs positively cheery demeanour. Oft foundhaving a tab in the smoking area he is a man with his finger inevery pie, if you need something, he can get it; although weirdlyno one has ever seen him do any work! We think his job involvesbrews, chats and for some reason a lot of winking. He has en-joyed seeing his beloved Wales stuff all comers at the Rugby andwas especially pleased when the 2IC made a rash bet on Englandand had to serve him dinner!

MT and plant is headed up by SSgt Mr Burns Anderson, who has kept our not so insubstantial fleet of

vehicles on the road; with 43 vehicles of 8 different types this is no mean feat. In between running CplRobertson and Cpl Suksiri around to get spares, carry out inspections and look after the kit, SSgt Ander-son has also managed to sneak out on a few planty recces. Were not sure what goes on in that depart-ment but Cpl Suksiri is often to be seen on a Quad bike zipping around and Cpl Robertson never seemsto sleep (although that might have something to do with the late night televised football matches and hisPS3 and table tennis prowess.).

The Resources Cell is headed up by SSgt why me McDermott who has supplied resources for 25 differ-ent locations across two vastly different AOs by negotiating not just with the Combat Support LogisticRegiment (just ask the OC and SSM whats thats like) but with the Danish Logistic element and the USMarine Corps logistic supply chain a mammoth effort. He can often be heard muttering about wood,nails and Hesco sizes. He has a stash of Zoo and Nuts magazines which he says are to help smooth the

waters with the Americans, but Im pretty sure we stopped doing business with them a couple of monthsago!

It was not all just hanging around..


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Page 18

Cpl Rai, Spr Phoughat and Spr Sealy are our hard pressed and over worked Military Engineer Log Spe-cialists who between them have more jobs than I feel I have ink to print. The never repressible Cpl Rai is

always smiling and puts his heart and soul into everything he does, you only have to look at the quad pull-ing photo from a previous Trojan Times to see how dedicated he is. Spr Sealy has not stopped smilingwhich either means he hasnt worked hard enough or that he knows something we dont and as for SprPhoughat, well were all pretty sure he is actually a secret Prince or Sheik and boy does he know how tofix a computer/hack the hell out of one!

Cpl Bugler, our long suffering Military Engineer Fitter U&P has been employed totally out of role but hasworked his socks off. He seems to like spending his down time thrashing Spr Sealy in the gym, but thelatter remains steadfastly whippet-like and skinnymaybe all those protein powders really work after allSpr Sealy perhaps you should investigate?

Then there are the beleaguered Sappers who have been the odd job men, drivers and general labourersand doers, running back and forth making all the final pieces fit and packing and loading stuff for out load-

ing. Sprs Dont Hassle the Hough Hough, Hell-Boy Talbot and Lucky Luxford, who have in order boredthe QM half to sleep; made the QM want to cry; made the QM want to quit. Youll have to ask him why!P.s. Spr Luxford if youre reading this youd better have done your maths homework. (I know - overworked and getting set homework, poor lad its mainly because we're slave drivers!)

That brings me onto the Operations Cell. Headed up by my very capable Ops SNCO Sgt crap tash,Garrrggghhhh Pirate, spreadsheets Hubbard and Pronto SSgt here for the rugby Rowland the teamhave kept abreast of current operations, chasing down information, enabling the move of personnel totask and record keeping for all that we have done as well as responding rapidly and efficiently to a con-stantly changing environment and to every incident and request for information. Sgt Hubbard has man-aged to get out on a few recces and was once heard to say he was the most travelled member of the Sqnbut I dont think visiting every coffee shop and eatery on Bastions 0,1,2 and 3 and Camp Leatherneck

should really count. SSgt Rowland has kept all the ECM ticking over and along with Sgt H even ran theirown personal marathon (why no one is sure) and Im pretty sure they still havent forgiven the Sappers fornot turning up to the mid point water stop!

The Signallers, Cpl Weatherly, Spr Gooch and Spr Surrey have between them monitored operations andmanned the Ops room for almost 5000 hours non-stop. Cpl Weatherly has also run the sigs store and de-spite his best efforts has totally failed to learn how to do the Rubix cube in 7 months despite downloadingthe solution on line. Spr Surrey and Spr Gooch have worked tirelessly including through the night on ashift rotation. They have been the focal point of contact for everything that has passed thought the Opsroom.

Representing the J1 side has been Pte Ginge Lawson our Adjutants General Corps clerk, who hasbought more protein than anyone but seen less change than all of us. He has moonlighted as a vehicle

gunner for the SSM and has been a constant source of morale throughout the tour.

No mention of the Ops room staff would be complete without mentioning the honorary member of our littleclan. Capt Bernie Will Abbot (thats 4) youre a marked man Peake has bounced from office to officeworking between three different computer systems to produce all of the Regiments media, from TV inter-views (thanks for the stitching by the way), to radio interviews, press releases, home town stories, maga-zine articles, end of tour glossys and not forgetting the Trojan Times itself she can often be found usingour Ops table, whilst complaining about the internet connections being slow and raiding the 2ICs selectionof edible goodies.

Lastly, as for me, the Squadron 2IC, what have I done, well since none of the Sappers really know what itis I actually do I thought I would take this opportunity to let you all know Ive been staring at these fourwalls for the last seven months their wisdom has taught me much. mainly that it's time to go home

now, thank you please!

Exit stage left.


19/34


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Page 30

11 FIELD ENGINEER

SQUADRON NEWS

Officer Commands Foreword

Dear Friends, Families and 11 Field Squadron

The final issue of the Trojan Times is a milestone moment. By the time this is published the Squadron willhave drawn back into the troop locations and commenced the hand over to 30 Armoured Engineer Squad-ron. While we are not yet back the tour is effectively complete.

It has been an amazing experience for all of us with highs lows and pretty much every emotion in be-tween. Everyone has performed magnificently over the 6 months being absolutely committed, flexible andblessed with a wry sense of humour when the plan changes again. However we are all glad to welcomeour 30 Squadron replacements and I, alongside everyone else in the Squadron, am very much lookingforward to arriving back in the UK.

I remarked in an earlier introduction that I had been struckby the enormous changes since the last time I was here in2009. Reflecting back over the 6 months the changes we

have seen and created, have been as significant. Themost colossal change has been in Loy Mandeh. Whenwe arrived it was a deserted, disintegrating and bulletpocked town. It is now coming to life with a thriving ba-zaar, new school planned and people flooding back.Across Nad-e-Ali the Afghan police and Army cooperateand undertake joint operations without input from UKforces. Across Helmand the Afghan Army Brigade plansand undertakes operations with limited support from us.The Nad-e-Ali council is taking the lead on infrastructuredevelopment and management and is showing the firstsigns of delivering the services we would recognise in the UK. This does not mean our job is done in Af-

ghanistan but does mean that huge leaps forward have been made and we leave the people of Nad-e-Aliand Afghanistan better prepared to take responsibility for their own future.

I would like to thank everyone in the Squadron for their efforts on the tour. 1 Troop have been instrumentalto success in defeating the insurgency in Loy Mandeh and have worked closely with the Estonian Com-pany Group. 2 Troop have been everywhere in Nad-E-Ali trouble shooting, or Wombling, and latterly con-centrating on building key routes in Kopak (an area in the North of Nad-e-Ali). 3 Troop with their long-standing relationship with Route Dorset have supported several key joint Afghan Army and UK opera-tions. While echelon and MT have had a vital role to play ensuring that stores and spares get forward tokeep a large fleet of vehicles on the road and keep the resources to complete tasks flowing forward.Squadron Headquarters who have controlled, coordinated and ensured that information flowed through-out, with the Battle Group Engineer party in Shawqat identifying tasks and coordinating with the 3 SCOTS

Headquarters. Halifax Troop, in Aldergrove, have supported the drawdown to minimise the amount ofwork we have to do when we get back and set up some great parties and opportunities before and afterleave. Finally to the members of the Squadron from the Territorial Army who have put aside their civilianlives to join us on this journey. My profound thanks to you all.


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KBR integration into the Deployable engineer Workshop

19 December 2011 was a day of mixed emotion for members of the Deployable Engineer workshop(DEW)in Camp Bastion 1, It was a great relief to see the KBR civilian workforce arrive ready for work; however, itwas a little depressing knowing that the military was going to lose such an excellent training asset.

The DEW consists of various engineering bays including a Machine shop, guillotine and welding facilitiesas well as a fully functioning carpentry bay. From the beginning of OP HERRICK 15 we struggled to keepup on the high demand of work as we had only 5 personnel, two of which ran the administrative side ofthings leaving only 3 tradesmen to carry the burden ofproducing high quality work as quickly as possible withmore and more requests coming in daily. December2011 was the start of the training week carried out by

G3 Systems, this was the first time that the military andcivilian trades would meet and it was with great trepida-tion that the two forces met and quickly mingled into thetasks set by the G3 training team. By the end of theweek first name terms had been set and it seemed as ifwe had known one another for a lot longer than a week,although, for some of us that was true, My civilian coun-terpart was Simon Polly Kettlebrough whom I had met8 years earlier, having an ex sapper, ex SQMS was awonderful aid to the transition. However, it posed somedifficulty when I tried to cuff, blag whatever you wantto call it, some small points, as the saying goes you

cant bluff a bluffer.The change was instant when KBR walked through the door on the 19 December 2011, the fact we had 6

times the amount of manpower, instead of producing 1 setof gates in 3 weeks we were producing 3 sets a week. Thiswas across the board of trades and carpenters were one ofthe first to benefit as the work that had built up was startingto get silly as the Field Squadrons were doing the FOB up-grades they were wanting Sangar steps. At over 2 metreshigh they are quite difficult to build solo LCpl Jedi Jehuwas very appreciative of the help, knowledge and skills ofthe KBR staff. SSgt Webster the SQMS for 44 was also

pleased when KBR came into the DEW as we would oftenpinch one of his staff, LCpl Webster (self confessed bestlooking blacksmith in the Corps) was a great help to LCplQuinny Quinlivan the resident Welder whom had beentasked with building 12 FOB UAS gates on his own.

With the handover to OP HERRICK 16 well under way theKBR staff well bedded in at the seat of the trade bays I cansee a fruitful relationship blossoming in the very near future,that both sides will no doubt profit from.

Page 20

The QM and a DEW member during the

G3 training week

A KBR member getting ready for a hard

days work making FOB UAS Gates


22/34

THE BFBS JOURNEY

By WO2 DJ Si ReynoldsUpon arriving on H15 and after the initial ground rush of taking over and establishing ourselves into a rou-tine, a hobby needed to be found to pass the limited free time during the tour. Lots of ideas went throughmy head from Model Making, Tiddly Winks and stamp collecting, but my thoughts brought me back to mytours on Op TELIC, where, to pass the time I presented 2 weekend radio shows every week with BFBS.So with the idea still in my head I trundled off to BFBS in BASTION 2 and met up with the presenters andstaff. To my surprise 2 of the staff were people that I knew from previous tours which made life a littleeasier when putting my idea to them. I enquired to the possibility of volunteering again on the radio, andafter a few ums and aahs; a phone call was made to BFBS UK to seek permission, to which they duly ac-cepted.

So after an intense few weeks of refresher training in thestudio, scrutinising by the staff and a demo CD sent to UKthey agreed that I could present a show every Sundaymorning going out live to Afghanistan and Iraq.

So after a little bit of R and R the 8 th January loomed anda few days before, all my preparation was done and stu-dio was set. At 0600 on the Sunday I rose from bed allexcited like a kid on Christmas morning and made my wayto the studio. After a coffee and a few last minute hintsand tips from the professionals I was set. 0730 came andthe on air light illuminated, my first jingle with my name onit went out and the song played. This was it, I was on air

to the whole of Afghan and the butterflies disappeared. After 3 hours of talking to myself, competitionsand playing some cracking tunes the 1030 news came on and the on air light went out, I had finished myfirst show!!

I came out of the studio and saw the professionals who gave me some pointers and congratulations whichlifted my confidence for the next show.

However the smiles didnt stop there; one Thursday morning whilst in the throws of my duties as theRQMS (T) a phone call came through from BFBS asking if I could stand in for Dusty Miller on his SaturdayBreakfast show whilst he carried out RSOI. This was my big moment, as the Saturday Breakfast Showgoes out live around the world. I couldnt believe it; this would be my 3 hours of fame!!

After agreeing to help out, I got to grips with the different layout and the various extra bits you have to do

as part of a network show, and before I knew it Saturday morning was upon me. I prepared myself in thestudio, the news came on and then On Air light lit up and I was off again, but this time the whole worldwas listening (if they were out of bed) and it felt great. During the show to top off aconfident performance, whilst in the throws of talking to listeners, an email flashedup on the studio computer which read I can hear you, so proud, I Love youwhich lifted me even more knowing my wife Debbie was listening (all be it 0530BFG time after the children woke her up).

My Sundays have continued with the Ops Sunday Breakfast Show and it hasbeen great knowing that I can pass on a little of home to troops wherever they arein Afghan and the world and the fact that I can sometimes relate makes it all themore enjoyable. My last show was on Mothers Day and it topped off a fitting endto the tour knowing if anything I had done my part to give the guys some morale(even though the banter was sometimes directed to me). I amhoping to continue my volunteering in Germany, so you neverknow, I maybe on a radio near you soon!!!!!!!Again

Page 21

Excited to be back

on the air waves..

Just like a pro.


23/34

The final ABLE build

By Spr Bobby Moore

On Saturday 3 March , on a warm spring morning, the Automotive Bridge Launching Equipment (ABLE)

crew, aka Gods, set off from Bastion on their journey to build a 32m General Support Bridge (GSB) over

the canal at Check Point Karnika.

From the brief we had received from the ABLE commanders we were aware

that the site was pretty tight so there wasnt

much room for error. As we arrived on site

we understood the difficulties and the greet-

ings of a small arms contact from local insur-gents certainly didnt make the situation any

easier. Once the contact had calmed down

we manoeuvred our vehicles into position

and began preparing for the bridge build.

Everything was going well until all our care-

fully manoeuvred bridge bridging vehicles

had to be extracted to allow local traffic to

use the supposedly closed bridge. This

infuriatingly continued to happen for the du-

ration of the build as every Tom, Dick and

Harry tried to cross the closed bridge. Whilstthe vehicles were reversing and parking,

reversing and parking enabling the traffic to

flow, Spr Thomas, LCpl Harrison, LCpl Makepeace and Bridge Com-

mander Cpl Lough built the rail independently in what can only be de-

scribed as record time. Next the bridge panels were deployed; the crane

operators handled their chest packs with ease, ensuring that the bridge

panels glided through the air effortlessly, soaring like graceful birds into

position.

Down below, No.7, LCpl ( Im going to shout at you) Hayhurst, and his two

sidekicks (LCpl Trickett and LCpl Rokotoro) were pinning the bridge, rush-ing around generating a horrific amount of sweat. No. 10, Cpl (precision

fingers) Lord, was reacting like a bolt of lightning, anticipating every move

and controlling the bridge launch over the canal. Once perfectly into posi-

tion everyone prepared for the fun that is dressing (decking and kerbing) the bridge. As the decking pieces

were unloaded, with the on looking Afghan cheer leading squad supporting from the sidelines, everyone

began sweating in anticipation. For some uncalculated reason 5 people got to work on the minor kerbing

detail leaving just myself and Sgt Chandler to deck the entire bridge, after a little bit of shouting this was

soon rectified and everything was back on track. The first half the bridge was completed with such fero-

cious tenacity that people were beginning to tire so Sgt Carrington and Sgt Wells were eventually forced

out of ABLE retirement and got their hands dirty. Following their lead an Afghan soldier decided to also

join in the fun and try to help, however, after carrying 2 kerbs he decided that hed had enough and retired

looking considerably worse for wear!

Page 22

Concentrating hard on the job

Sweating in the Afghan


24/34

Thanks to great team work and effort from everyone on site, the bridge was completed in just under an

hour. As the vehicles were moved away for the last time the troop jumped on the bridge for a photo, as

this would be the final time building together in Afghanistan. We then grabbed a drink before extractingsafely back to Camp Bastion all delighted with the success of the bridge but secretly grateful that we are

not the ones stripping it out this summer.

Page 23

Proud of a job well done


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77 TALISMAN SQUADRON NEWSOfficer Commandings Foreword

The light at the end of the TALISMAN tunnel.....

Friends and Family of the TALISMAN Squadron wherever you are,

Having entered the TALISMAN tunnel 15 months ago in January 2011 we are now approaching the end.

As you will all know as well as us, it has been a

ride and a half. It has taken us from early begin-

nings in Paderborn; through a period of being dis-

persed alles uber de platzwhile we discovered

more about our new callings in life; to pulling it all

back together again in Jordan; and finally to Hel-

mand Province in Afghanistan. The tunnel has

had its twists and turns as we drove our way

through a relatively busy and novel stretch of

preparation. At times the lights have been dim

and even out as we endeavoured to navigate

our way from zero to hero in optimising our abilityto execute our unique mission. After arriving in

Afghanistan, the second and most important half

of the tunnel began with a big uphill push, as we

strove to improve our understanding of this area

of the country and what it would mean to us. As time passed the dark tint in our glasses lightened and our

eyes began to open to the environment in which we have found ourselves. With this came greater confi-

dence and we were able to call on all that we had learned in the first half of the tunnel to anticipate and

deal with the second. We have done what we came here to do and more and everyone has played at

least their part.

With the coming of the sun; the arrival of our successors; and the handover of our wizard kit (more fromthe troops below), the light at the end of the tunnel is now burning brightly. We are currently going through

our final preparations to ensure that 25 Fd Sqn can pull out of the lay-by and take over the baton in good

order, as we exit and make our return to where it all began.

It has been a journey to remember and together we will shortly emerge and be reunited for some well

earned celebrations and rest. I cannot thank you enough, on behalf of all of us, for being with us and

keeping the candles burning every step of the way.

Go well and see you very soon,

Sam Hughes

OC

Page 24


26/34

Transfer to 25 TALISMAN Sqn

By Lt Stretton

After 6 months it was a welcome sight for 10 Troop to see the first members of 25 Sqn arriving to take our

place as the TALISMAN Sqn. Preparation had begun in the weeks be-

fore they arrived with the guys beginning to prepare kit for hand over

not an easy task considering the amount of equipment that each troop

holds. This was headed up by Sgt Bizzle Betts and his compulsive

drive for cleanliness! The troop will also be leading on the Special to

Arm training that 25 Sqn will be receiving to allow them to fully get to

grips with their role for the next 6 months. Hopefully the guys are not

going to bore them with too many stories of what we have been up to.

As I write this the final stages of hand over are still ongoing with our

counterparts getting their feet under the table, asking lots of questions

and getting to grips with the environment. It seems hard to remember

that it was us in the same position in September. The tour has gone

quickly for most and I know that all of the troop have been appreciative of all the support they have re-

ceived from home in the form of parcels and mail, it really has kept them going. So on their behalf Thank

you! We all look forward to seeing family and friends at the medals parade.

Handover

By LCpl HillWhen it finally came to the day of the handover, having to wake up before the crack of dawn to the usual

ranting over the speakers, no one was in the mood! Blurry

eyed everyone walked down to Bastion 3 cookhouse for a

bit of breakfast.

Just as the sun began to rise we started laying out CES for

the wagons, we began to realize that soon enough we

wouldnt have them any longer and as we saw the new

troop approaching us morale was suddenly at an all-time

high!

I just hope for the sake of the new squadron that they get

the air con functioning correctly in all the vehicles as we

were cooking even during a winter tour.

The lads put in some good hours of hard work in to sorting

out the vehicles for inspection and it definitely paid off, the

handover went quite fast and without any problems, before

we knew it the burden had been passed over to 25 Sqn

and we were suddenly free from them machines!!

Page 25


27/34

11 Troop going out with a bang! (well not literally)

By Spr Blanchard

Well, its been a long road for 11 Troop, even before we embarked on Op Herrick 15 the boys (and token

girl) have had a lot on their plates from the initial Mastiff and

Buffalo training to the gunnery and finally the search training.

Over the course of the tour there has often been some shakey

moments and sometimes even false starts, but we've all mud-

dled through thanks to the watchful eye of our troop dad SSgt

Steve Salter.

During the course of Herrick 15 we've been deployed on multi-ple Ops in a diverse spectrum of roles from clearing the way for

combat logistic patrols (Op Armoured satnav) to our own high

assurance deliberate Ops, these can take day's sometimes

even weeks. With the longest deliberate Op under our belts last

year, and with LCpl 5 and a half Podmore, we have some records

that will be hard to beat! Due to our 17 day jaunt we almost missed

Camp Bastion's spin on Christmas day, but I think I can speak for us

all when I say we were all relieved to get back for the Christmas day

fun run....

We've recently had to say goodbye to our troop TSA

(pronounced Tazer) Sgt Eddie Edwards, after deploying early

he's come to the end of his tour, lets hope he's got all his s**t

in one sock! He's now left for Germany for some well deserved

rest, and rightly so! It was Ed's job to pick the safe routes for

the Troop, not an easy task when the Logistic Regiments driv-

ing skills have to be considered!

Now the tour is coming to a close, the focus is very much about

going home and how much beer our tour bonus' will buy us

(as well as handing over in a good state!). When we arriveback in Germany after leave, 11 Troop will sadly no longer

exist as many members, myself included are wandering on

to fresh challenges and pastures new ,and with inter-troop

changes it will be a time to start afresh across the Sqn. So

it is only right to wish Capt Mike Barrett, LCpl Badger Bail-

lie and LCpl Rhi Marsh all the best as they leave not only

the Troop but the Sqn.

I hopefully speak for us all when I say it's been an absolute

pleasure to work in undoubtedly the best Troop to ever

grace the Corps of the Royal Engineers and as much asI'm looking forward to going home I'll also miss the men

and welsh woman who made this tour and the past 18

Page 26


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The fat lady finally sings.....

12 Tp Media Article Spr Bourner

The last week has been a significant one for 12 Tp and the Sqn. It has brought the Tp one step closer tothe end of H15 and more importantly to coming home. The significant event that I am talking about is thehandover of kit and equipment to 25 Field Sqn, our replacements.

This process started with the Tp having to move accommodation, leaving Camp 603 which had becomeour home away from home for the tour. This process proved to be rather hard work due to the amount ofbits and pieces that everyone had accumulated during the tour resulting in our bags once packed beingready to burst. Luckily, we had an SV to transport our kit to our new accommodation. But having said this,even with the SV, moving everyones bags was enough of a phys session in itself, and highlighted for

some that maybe Op Massive didnt quite go according to plan. With our rooms now looking very emptythey were given a clean out by KBR and they were ready to receive 25 Field Sqn. The moving of accom-modation was a pain to be honest, however this fact disappeared into insignificance when we saw the firstnew faces from 25 Field Sqn appear and suddenly it was all worth it.

In the week leading up to the handover, 12 Tp was all hands to the pumps cleaning and servicing everyconceivable bit of kit and equipment finding a new enemy in the constant layer of dust that would immedi-ately form on everything that had just been cleaned. All the vehicles had their CES repeatedly laid out,cleaned, inspected before being cleaned some more and being put back into the store. The vehicles wereall serviced, washed down and cleaned until every spec of dust had been removed, before the specs ofdust miraculously found their way back.

Once everything had been fixed, serviced and cleaned we had 3 pre-inspections. Inspections quickly be-

came a theme for the week. But all the hard worked paid off as all inspections were passed. Finally it wasthe morning of the handover. This saw an early start for the Tp to enable us to get everything laid out andin position for the handover. This meant that the day started at 0530 enabling everyone to be on the vehi-cle park for 0700. The handover went smoother than everyone expected and it was all over by lunch al-lowing time for some well earned volleyball and tanning in the afternoon.

The handover marks a monumental land mark in the tour for us. It marks the beginning of the end. It signi-fies the culmination of 6 months of hard work in Afghanistan. However, the fat lady is not singing yet for 12Tp. Granted, her presence can be felt and she is warming up in the wings, stretching off and preparing tosing. As she does so the excitement is beginning to build, simmering beneath the surface. The atmos-phere within the Sqn is becoming electric and thoughts are more and more frequently escaping to daydream about plans for POTL and rightly so. Only one more final push will see 12 Tp handing over to our

counter parts in 25 Field Sqn and sealing a very successful tour. We will be vacating a pair of very largeshoes for our counter parts to step into and to try and fill. As I write this, 12 Tp are waiting with great antici-pation to hear the fat lady starting to sing with her dulcet tones signalling the end of H15 and initiating ourreturn home paving the way for everyones eagerly awaited 6 weeks of leave. Not long to go now, bring onthe fat lady.

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Finally the light is at the end of the tunnel!!

By SSgt Peter Simpson

Well thats it, tour is all but over. After almost 7months we are all in our final few days here in anow sunny Camp Bastion.

What can we say about the tour.? Its flown byyet dragged horribly at times. Weve gone frombeing too hot, to too cold and now getting close tobeing too hot again! As a fitter section we havebeen constantly busy maintaining the Talisman

vehicles. We have conducted over 1000 repairsranging from simply changing bulbs to completefront end rebuilds after IED blasts, the range ofjobs has been immense. The fitter section havealso deployed on every operation, to date we havesupported 60 operations providing intimate vehiclesupport on the ground often dismounting in highthreat areas to conduct repairs or recoveries.

As I/C of the fitter section I would like to thank the lads for their efforts throughout the tour, we never failedto get a task line out thegate and that is due only

to their continued hardwork. I would also like tothank again everyone whohas sent letters and par-cels throughout our timehere, your support hasbeen invaluable. We lookforward to seeing you allsoon.

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Packing the darts away

Finding the starter button

after six months!


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Baby Hector!

Hello Everyone!

Spring is almost here and

Mothering Sunday is

coming up! See you all

soon!

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Afghanistan specific terms

Op - Operation, mission, task (not surgery)

PB - Patrol Base

CP - Check Point

SANGAR - A watch tower which is manned 24 hours a day to provide protection to a base

Stag - standing in the sangar keeping watch and providing protection

JOB - Joint Operating Base

FOB - Forward Operating Base

NES (S) - Nahr-e Saraj South

NES (N) - Nahr-e Saraj North

NDA - Nad-e Ali

TFH - Task Force Helmand

ISAF - International Security Assistance Force

ANSF - Afghanistan National Security Force

ANA - Afghan National Army

ANP - Afghan National Police

IED - Improvised Explosive Device

SAF - Small Arms Fire

SOP - Standard Operating procedure

Formations

Sect - Section

Tp - Troop

Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron

Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron

Hq & Sp Sqn - Headquarters and Support

Squadron

Ranks

Spr - Sapper

LCpl - Lance Corporal

Cpl - Corporal

Sgt - Sergeant

SSgt - Staff Sergeant

WO2 - Warrant Officer Second Class

WO1 - Warrant Officer First Class

Lt - Lieutenant

Capt - Captain

Maj - Major

Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel

Glossary


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HESCO - Large flat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag.

The sandbag is filled with sand to produce a large protective brick. The individual HESCO blocks

are then used like giant bricks to produce a protective wall for our bases.

HLS - Helicopter Landing Site

Barma - Our drill used to find Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector.

Equipment

MASTIFF - Large armoured truck with a with a heavy machine gun for protection.

TALISMAN - A series of vehicles used to clear a route of improvised explosive devices.

HUSKY - Another type of large armoured vehicle.

MWT - Medium wheeled tractor (dump truck).

SLDT(P) - Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) - A small dump truck.

Apache - Ugly looking attack helicopter.

Chinook - Large helicopter featured in the film Big Friendly Giant.

Sea-king - Royal Navy helicopter used as search and rescue in the UK.

Merlin - Medium to large Royal Air Force and Navy helicopter used to move Troops around from

base to base.

Messages from the Editor

Well that is it, we are all making our way home and looking forward the parades and parties ahead shortlyto be followed by some well earned leave. Thank you to you all for the constant support throughout thetour. I hope this newsletter has helped to provide an insight into what your loved ones have been gettingup to whilst on tour and that it has helped you feel that little bit closer to them.

Bernie Peake

20120324 newsletter issue op herrick final

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