FROM THE FIRST
Lt Col A M Britton, MBE
Things have changed radically for the First since the last edition of ‘Tank’, and it has certainly been a fascinating time to take over command. Within the first week it became clear that Fuchs would not be required for the Olympics. This was the final factor which inevitably led to the loss of the CBRN role from the Regiment, which was confirmed by the announcement of the Secretary of State’s decision late on 2 Aug, just 3 days before block leave. This came as a bitter blow after 12 years of excellence in a difficult field that arguably no other Regiment could have delivered more effectively. And incredible efforts had been made by the First to make the case for the Army to retain the capability.
Having lost the CBRN role we had to secure an immediate future for the Regiment and our people. All ranks were greatly reassured by the Commander-in-Chief’s address to the Regiment on 3 Aug. He stated that the First would remain in Honington until Apr 2013, that there was no more chance of anyone being made redundant than any other RAC soldier, and there was no more chance of the Regiment being amalgamated than any other RAC Regiment. The long term role of the Regiment would be examined by Maj Gen Carter in his Future Force 2020 work.
The next task was to secure a meaningful 2012. After a tense few weeks the Regiment absolutely landed on its feet. Post Transfer of Authority (TOA) of CBRN on 14 Dec 11, 1RTR will return to the Army chain of command and be OPCOM 3 (UK) Division. In mid September, in order to help with Force Generation, 1RTR was warned off for operations for Op HERRICK 16 tour (Apr-Oct 12). So having lost the CBRN battle the Regiment has secured its first full Regimental operational deployment since Op TELIC in 2009.
If nothing else this period demonstrates the adaptability and robustness of our terrific soldiers. Re-orbatting on a Friday afternoon, the men have gone from specialist CBRN technicians to preparing for operations in a blink of an eye. And they have taken it all in their stride and in typical good humour.
Recent training highlights have included Ex RED WARRIOR in Inverness in July. This was a 2 week field firing package at the Fort George range complex with additional opportunities for adventure training, sport, Highland Games, and battlefield study at the nearby Culloden field. The Regiment found a good home for a few weeks in the excellent Cameron Barracks and enjoyed having its own Messes for the first time in 12 years.
Concurrently D Squadron were performing strongly on the highly demanding NATO Exercise PRECISE RESPONSE in BATUS, where they were able to put all their LRT training into practice for real on live chemical agents, sadly as events were to prove for the last time. In a NATO context the 1RTR soldiers were primus inter pares and led the way with their TTPs and equipment, in comparison with US, German, French, Danish and Canadian contingents.
On the sporting front, the First were triumphant in the Hodson’s Horse RAC Sports competition in September. Strong and balanced teams in all events trumped the Second overall to give 1RTR a close fought victory, fittingly decided by the last event, the Rugby Union final. It was smashing to see the Royal Tank Regiment sweep the board at prize giving, with the under-represented Cavalry failing to win a single event.
Our focus now is forward and on preparing for operations. There is a huge amount of ground to cover in a short period of time, but the Regiment could not be keener for the challenge. Our Mounted Close Combat (MCC) skills are second nature in the First, honed through the continual rotation through A Squadron. The Regiment’s dismounted and theatre-specific skills are therefore where the weight of training emphasis is required, to ensure that our junior commanders and soldiers have the right balance of confident expertise, aggression, and robustness to succeed. I have no doubt that they will.
The churn of personalities continues, where we say farewell to close colleagues and welcome new members of the team. In RHQ we bid farewell to Captain Ben Potts as the Ops Officer but welcome Captain Alex Holloway in his place. Captain Nick Bridges is also soon to be leaving us as the RSO to move to RHQ 2RTR and Captain Paul Hartley moves from H Sqn into his slot at the start of 2012. After two and a half years as the Det Comd and RAO, Captain Carolyn Worthington will soon be leaving Honington but I am sure will retain strong links with the Regiment. Captain Ant Kaulback moves back to 2RTR after a very successful tour at the First which saw him awarded a Joint Commander’s Commendation for his actions in Afghanistan.
The notable changeovers in the Warrant Officers and Sergeants Mess have been WO2(RQMS) McFarlane, who will take over as the Webmaster for Land Forces on promotion to WO1 at the start of 2012, and WO1(ASM) Barley leaving after successfully helping his Mess retain the Officers vs Seniors cricket trophy. We welcome in his stead WO1(ASM) McGuinness to the LAD.