TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 3.1 150411

Commanding Officer’s Foreword

14 April 2011 Edition 3

Task Force Helmand

Engineer Group

News Letter

Inside this issue:

Regimental

Headquarters

2

54 Commando HQ

& Support Squadron

5

26 Armoured

Engineer Squadron

8

31 Armoured

Engineer Squadron

(Talisman)

12

39 Armoured

Engineer Squadron

15

59 Commando

Squadron

21

A day in the life of

…...

26

Rear Party—RMB

Chivenor

27

Support Commando

Sappers in Afghani-

stan—Wrist Bands

28

Dear Families & Friends,

‗People First, Insurgent Second‘

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing the foreword for the last Newsletter; another 2

weeks gone and time continues to fly by. I very much hope you are all well, had a great

(pampered?) Mother‘s Day and are enjoying (surviving?) the school Easter holidays. I have no

doubt that the task you face keeping the children amused is far more challenging than the diffi-

cult task we face here in Central Helmand!

The entire Engineer Group continues to be exceptionally busy; you‘ll get a good feel for that

from the excellent articles in this latest Newsletter. I was fortunate this week to be able to

escape from the Headquarters in Laskah Gar and spend time with all the Squadrons, notably 39

in Nahr-e Saraj District and 31 on one of their many ongoing C-IED patrols. Morale every-

where is high and everyone seems to be relishing the challenges they face on a daily basis.

My trip to Patrol Base 1 with the RSM to see Cpl Hagelburg and his Section was particularly

poignant. During the visit we patrolled down to the small village of Char Coucha in Nahr-e

Saraj to look at the new Afghan Local Police Check Point they had just built. The last time I

was in Char Coucha was during my recce in November when it had just been cleared of insur-

gents and IEDs in a major coalition force operation. Back in November the village was desert-

ed; the villagers had simply fled the fighting with whatever personal belongings they could carry.

The only sign of security was a temporary Check Point that had been rapidly established fol-

lowing the fighting; there were no signs of governance and there were absolutely no signs of

Signs of Progress, Schoolchildren in Char Coucha, Nahr-e Saraj District

Commanding Officer’s Foreword—(continued)

Edition 3

development. The situation I observed this week was completely different. Families had moved back into their compounds,

farmers were tending their fields and children were happily playing outside their new school. Definite signs of progress and,

for me, a tangible example of why we are here in Afghanistan.

It is about providing security, governance and development oppor-

tunities so the Afghan people have the ability and confidence to

reject the insurgency. Fundamentally, it is about ensuring that the

life offered by the legitimate Government of Afghanistan is more

attractive than that offered by the illegitimate insurgents. ‗People

First, Insurgent Second‘ is a phrase you may have heard and is one

that best summarises this approach. Char Coucha is just one of

many examples of steady progress in Central Helmand. It provides

a really strong sign that we are having a positive effect and offers

genuine hope that, with our help, the people of Afghanistan have a

much brighter future.

Thank you for your articles and please keep them coming; it is real-

ly good to hear and see what you have been up to back there. I

hope you enjoy the Newsletter and, wherever you are and whatev-

er your plans, have a fantastic time during the rest of the Easter

holidays.

CO

‘United We Conquer’

Enabling Progress; Physical Security in Action. PB PASAB, Zumbalay, Nahr-e Saraj Dis-

trict

What are they doing down there…?

CP QUASILANG, Lashkar Gar District

See Page 15

RHQ —(continued)

Edition 3

Death by a thousand cuts—WO1(RSM) O’Kane

What a difference two years can make; that is the time it has been since I last deployed to Helmand, then with 16 Air As-

sault Brigade. A number of changes have struck me since my return and not just the daily growth of Camp Bastion. What

has really taken me aback is the progress which has been made in a number of key areas. Firstly the Area of Operations

(AO) we now work in as UK forces has shrunk considerably, to what is a manageable size. Add this to a force lay down

which is now at the correct level for the size of the AO, with no doubt a few minor adjustments in the boundaries to come

yet, but ‗Rome wasn‘t built in a day‘. There is also a noticeable lack of drips (whinges) from the men, about equipment,

helicopters and vehicles. This is real proof of the quantum leap forward which has been made in these areas, especially

with respect to protected mobility, ‗the vehicles we drive around in‘. This all adds up to a more effective force on the

ground in Central Helmand, which on first impressions, is having a clear effect on the insurgents and consequently improv-

ing the life of the local Afghans.

We are now seeing the final stragglers from 16 Air Assault Brigade leave with their heads held high, which is difficult for

some due to the amount of hair they have accrued over the winter. Appearance aside, they have truly worked immensely

hard over the last six months pushing the insurgents back, whilst bringing the Afghan National Security Forces forward,

which is exactly where we need to be going. So after a first class handover from 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) we

have picked up the baton and find ourselves well and truly amongst it. Without missing a heart beat the team are now sup-

porting the ground holding battle groups.

I know I shouldn‘t be surprised by the effort and work ethic of all those involved in the Task Force Helmand Engineer

Group, however, when you bring men and women together from a number of units, both regular and territorial with differ-

ent skill sets, chuck in a ‗Bootneck‘ and a smattering of Royal Artillery ‗model aircraft pilots‘, most people would have had

their doubts about the groups potential effectiveness. I was able to cast those thoughts aside immediately; I am constantly

impressed and at times humbled, by the professionalism, endeavour and most importantly morale across the group, some-

times under extremely testing conditions. From the enthusiasm of Sgt ‗I can talk a lot about tanks‘ Cheetham telling me

about the capabilities of Trojan, to Sapper ‗unpronounceable Fijian name‘ aka Hightower who works tirelessly in the Re-

sources Yard (I am sure he can pick up the ISO containers by hand!). When I was told Hightower played centre, I was glad

to be an armchair rugby supporter these days, because he looks more like an international number 8!

So what have I been up to personally as the Regimental Sergeant Major? I suppose the answer depends on who you ask.

Some may say a bit of quad biking…. I know this is a recurring theme for personnel based in Bastion, but if you could see

the size of the place you would see the necessity to be quad bike trained, and I haven‘t fallen off it yet! In between quad

biking and walking around Bastion, I have managed to get out and see most of the locations with the Commanding Officer.

The trips are always eventful; if it‘s not getting bogged in somewhere, someone will steal an item of the CO‘s kit. So in

between digging out vehicles (thanks 39) and trying to locate the CO‘s stolen items we have had a chance to see what the

men are up to. The majority of the work being conducted by the field squadrons has been force support engineering i.e.

building bases and upgrading routes. Everyone is working flat out, which means long days but short weeks; the time is really

flying by. What is blindingly obvious is that in such a short period of time the sappers have been adding value ‗Ubique‘. Its

the small things they are doing on top of their day/night job that make all the difference. Whether that is SSgt Jones and his

Hesco Taffy Toilet (see the Op HERRICK 14 Facebook page) or Cpl Thompson building a new memorial for 3rd Battalion

The Parachute Regiment, the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group are as 16 Brigade would say ‗smashing it‘. 3 Commando

Brigade RM don‘t have a direct translation, but let‘s say they are ‗hoofing it‘. In reality we are sprinting at times but I be-

lieve we really do have the endurance to sprint all the way to the finish line, even if we do hit a few speed bumps along the

way. All this effort combined with the work delivered by the entire Helmand Task Force is having an effect on the insur-

gents, but it is definitely going to be a case of death by a thousand cuts; we just need to keep cutting.

Regimental Headquarters—continued.

Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

Commando Sappers 10 km Run—Supporting Commando Sappers in

Afghanistan—Wrist Bands

On the 10 June 2011 back in good old sunny Chivenor, North Devon a gathering of the old and bold will be forming up

on the start line for a 10Km run. This takes place during the biannual Commando Sapper Reunion, over the weekend of

11/12 June, which is traditionally more about drinking than running! However this year, with the majority of the Com-

mando Engineer Regiment away in Afghanistan, an approach was made by Jeff Kamister to organise an event to raise mon-

ey for the Regiment‘s charities. Over the same weekend members of the Regiment will run a 10Km race in Bastion,

slightly hotter and dustier than Chivenor, so it will be an early start here!

So if your husband, son or partner is part of 24 Commando Engineer Regiment, then your support for the guys running

out here and the determined Commando Sappers of old running in Chivenor would be hugely appreciated. Sponsorship

of their efforts would be gratefully received and will be support fantastic charities, all the detail of the charities and how to

donate are contained on page 27 of this news letter.

http://www.facebook.com/TFHEngrGp




54 Commando Headquarters and Support Squadron


A view from ‘The Far Side’

Regimental Headquarters—continued.

I have been here for now for 6 weeks, give or take a few days, and in that time I have been manning the Squadron‘s Op‘s Room

on a daily basis. It is not a bad little job to be fair, and I‘m kept quite busy which makes the days go that bit quicker. We have

started a mini footy league to give us something to look forward too at the weekends, as the word around the camp fire is

we‘re not welcome down the local bazaar for a bevy! Don‘t ask me why, we cant put our finger on it. I think they are a funny

bunch anyway; reminds me of North Devon on a Saturday night in Toko‘s night club, and we all know what goes on there!

We are currently getting ready for Support Troop to deploy and I imagine it will be quite busy in the Ops Room, keeping in

comms with the lads who are deployed and also monitoring their movements on the ground. I cant help thinking it will be like

a scene from Police Academy with 2Lt Lowes as Captain Lassard with his goldfish bowl on the dash board, SSgt Flood as Cap-

tain Harris and LCpl Bradshaw

as Tackleberry, blowing up

everything in sight with his

Magnum 64 along with the

rest of the Police Academy

team.

From a personal point of view

the tours‘ going well; the lads

seem in good spirit, the suns

cracking the flags and we have

got the footy on the box what

more do u want (well actually

a bar); even the women are

starting to look tidy-I could

get used to the birka look-or

maybe the heat is getting to

me! Right I‘m off; take it easy

over and out.

Spr Anderson, CIS Troop

Life back in Bastion — The Signalers Lot

The Multiple—what a team!

April is fast passing us by and the Squadron continues to be fully engaged in a range of tasks, whilst enjoying a

variety of sunshine, sandstorms and rain in the last few weeks (occasionally all at the same time). Support

Troop are now well acquainted with the local area having been out on two of the logistic re-supply convoys

and enjoyed seeing something of the real Helmand. Resources Troop continue with their own private war as

they aim to deprive the rest of the world of 20 foot seagoing containers; they seem to have more in Bastion

than even the logistics Regiment! Their workload is unrelenting and they are now preparing for an upsurge in demand for

engineer materiel over the summer. The team in the Deployed Engineer Workshop are still doing sterling work manufactur-

ing equipment to improve the level of protection in the tactical bases. Working 12 hour shifts so that the workshop is max-

imising its output over a 24 hour period, their contribution this month is particularly noteworthy. Recce Troop have com-

pleted their mandatory in-Theatre training package and are now touting for business. Like a coiled spring they are all rev‘d up

and just need an excuse to join the party, or even someone else‘s party…either by invitation or just gate crashing it! The

Construction Supervision Cell have had a quieter week, but for them this is probably the calm before the storm of construc-

tion work that we suspect is in the offing. Lastly the Light Aid Detachment of REME mechanics, technicians and tradesmen

assisted by RE fitters continue their vital task of repairing and servicing all the vehicles and equipment that the rest of the

Regiment have broken; proof if ever you needed it, that if you think you‘ve made it idiot proof, someone will make a better

idiot. Life in Squadron Headquarters, colloquially known as the puzzle palace, is busy and the coffee pot is always on. The

OC continues to provide a few headaches for the Squadron command team, that he would call a ‗challenge‘ or ‗a really good

idea‘, but his direction is clear; as Vivien Stanshall once commented, "I don't know what I want, but I want it NOW!‖ WO2

Webb and the SSM are in daily competition to empty the signalers ration drawer of biscuits. And the signalers manfully take

it all in their stride.

TFH HQ Insider

5 4

Resources Troop do the Biggest Loser

Edition 3

Sunday saw the long awaited second round in the troop‘s biggest loser competition (results below). News of the event is start-

ing to spread with a number of personalities from other departments now taking up the challenge. This week saw Capt Pete

McCloud take the lead after the shock of his

initial first round weigh in. After this weeks

results he was as pleased as punch and imme-

diately went off to order a pair of Speedos

for his forthcoming R&R trip to Spain! Else-

where on the table it was a good week for

Spr ‗Hightower‘ Nayacatabu and Cpl ‗Skivs‘

Skivington who are already shadows of their former selves. After initial good results

WO2 Lloyd has started to let things slide; he

put this week‘s poor performance down to

the amount of weight training he was doing.

However, this argument did not stand up to

scrutiny when a Jelly Donut was recovered

from his bed locker!

Up at the Regimental Support Group work

goes on in an effort to ‗square away‘ the Re-

sources Yard. The troop has upped the tem-

po and are firing in loads of overtime. We were even joined by Helmand‘s highest paid LECs (Locally Employed Civilians), the

OC and SSM. They both joined us for a bit of hands on manual labour; unfortunately just as they were about to get their hands

dirty they were called away on some urgent ‗military business‘!

In other news, LCpl ‗Gibbo‘ Gibson was confirmed as the world‘s slowest fork operator, when he was overtaken on the yard

by an asthmatic ant carrying some heavy shopping! Luckily his horse was faster in the Grand National sweepstake scooping him

the $30 first prize with Sgt Pete Boyle‘s horse coming in 2nd ($20) and Mickey Parsons horse finishing 3rd ($15). Half the troop

has now seen the light and become born again Christians after a night of tambourine bashing with the Scandinavian happy clap-

pers in the Danish Coffee House - ‗Halleluiah and Praise the Lord!‘ All in all, a good two weeks with the troop‘s ‗TOA+!

month Pizza Night‘ and Sparky‘s ‗Big Fat Quiz of the Year‘ to look forward to next Saturday night!

The result of the weight in: Capt Pete McCloud was the biggest loser, losing 7.9 Kg to reach 93.9 kg, but his metabolic age is

still 55 years. The oldest man by metabolic age is Sgt Boyle at 105 years and the youngest is LCpl Sam Schofield at 12 year old.

Sgt Sparks, Resources Troop

The contents of WO2 Arthur Lloyd’s bedside table.

The 24 Commando ‘Chefs’ Now a month into the tour the chefs from the 24 Commando Engi-

neer Regiment are now well and truly into their routine after a busy

Relief in Place period. Part of a team of some 95 chefs drawn from 18

different units, they saw the numbers fed in Bastion‘s Super Galley

reach a peak of over 5000 a day. The main highlight of the past month has been LCpl Raj‘Gurung

(Elder) and Pte John Lamont‘s £24,000 food order being refused by the Forward Feeding Team (their monthly budget is £6,500). Raj will

take some beasting for this one (we always knew he had a soft spot

for chocolate éclairs). WO2 Nick Townley aka ‗Gone Native‘ aka the

‗Galley Recon WO‘ has been outdoing himself by trying to blag the

most kit so far, mainly from Sgt Chris Lyons clothing store (he has

been overheard telling GI‘s to go see his clothing storeman!). On the other side of his busy catering life Cpl ‗Gubs‘ Gurung aka

Gurung the Younger has spent the best part of his Operational Bonus

already, on ‗Get Massive‘ paraphernalia and is spending all of his free

time in the gym; his answer to why is ―I looked good ripped‖.

All of the Catering Dept continues to provide a valuable service in

Theatre, especially the Forward Feeding Chefs who have received

sterling reports from the chain of command above them.

Sgt Chris Lyons Catering Team SNCO aka SQMS aka Admin man aka Chief Clerk aka Big Nicks Man, Camp Bastion.

The ‘Morale Team’: the chefs in PB RAHIM,

WO2 Townley, LCpl Gurung (the Elder) & Pte

Lamont.

TFH Engineer Group - This Week’s Fella

Page 7 Newsletter Title

For all the wives, girlfriends etc. ...We are working on

changing your partners physical profiles, for the bet-

ter. We are having more success with some than oth-ers. In this case ashame about the brain, there is little

hope there I am afraid.

LCpl Rick ‘Freddie M’ Hornsey

SSgt Meen is busted. We

assume he is looking at work.

2Lt Si Lowes; busted! Real Commandos don’t do

cherry!

26 Armoured Engineer Squadron


The first road building task of Op HERRICK 14 fell to Cpl

Hammond and his section. The road in question, known as

Route Blue had been damaged during the winter months

and required a total upgrade.

Route Blue is a 2km stretch of dirt road that connects one

of the main highways in Helmand with a group of British and

Afghan patrol bases. The task involved complex deliveries

of aggregate, the coordination of large amounts of Afghan

civilian plant equipment as well as military equipment. Cpl

Hammond and is section had the unenviable task of making

sure that all this was in the right place at the right time, in

order to get the route completed as quickly as possible.

The construction involves the sewing of modern geo-

textiles and layering them with aggregate to make a durable

and weather-proof road surface. This,cannot be done,

however, until the civilian grader has cut the old road sur-

face down to formation level, giving a solid and stable base

for the new road surface to be laid. This was a task made

easier by some amazingly competent Afghan plant opera-

tors, led by their Nepalese site foreman.

Overall the section completed in the region of 100-150

meters of new road per day and finished well ahead of the

predicted build timeline. With Route Blue now complete,

re-supply and coalition movement around the area will

easily last another winter thanks to the joint skills of 26 AES

and the local Afghan workforce.

The Rolling Road

OC’s Foreword

The Squadron approaches its first 50 days in theatre this week, always

an important milestone, by which time we are expected to be steadily

working through our tasks. Still spread over seven locations, all are

extremely busy building roads and bases and I am frequently stopped

by Infantry Company Commanders and Sergeant Majors to be given a

special thank you for the outstanding work that the Sappers in the

Squadron have done. I hope this finds you all enjoying the Easter break

and the sunnier weather in both Hohne and the UK.

Major Webster OC 26 AES

Cpl Hammond & the OC on Route Blue

Civilian grader cutting down to for-

mation level.

SSM & Cpl Hammond discussing the progress on Route

Blue

RSOI Training for Armoured Engineers

Edition 3

Hi mate, love you and Snacky a hundred, thousand, million billion xxxx Hello darling I love you twice as much as above, kids behave yourself, miss you

loads Kris xxxx Hello gorgeous all my love to you. Amy Louise, Richie xxxxx MGP TMD I JUST DO XXX Santa‘s little helper love and miss you, hello to smelly and Stevie too x x x x x x x Hiya Aimee, Ellen & Owen. Fin miso chi mor gymaint fili waitan I weld chi a go-

beitho fod Ellen yn darllen a Owen yn dim ond yn behavio!!!!!! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey princess missing u loads hope your well love you baby ur prince xxxxx Hi Kirsty, hope the girls not doing your head in too much, Pete xxx Hey sweets, Hope all is good, missing you always, love and kisses, Ian xxx Hi Baby, missing my sweetness loads & loads xcxc Give my love to babies xxxccc Miss you sweetie, say hi to the girls love Gaz xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx1927 Hi babe love you loads give the kids a hug and a kiss xx801012xx Hey you, all my love to you and the Makila Bomb, love from Ben xxxxxx Hey chicken, miss you loads, hope the boys are not driving you up the wall, love

you all xxxxxxxxx Hello babe! Hope you, Alex and Aimee are ok? Not forgetting the dog! Love and

miss you like crazy! Andy. Xxxxxx Hi Jacqueline, just to say I love and miss you all loads, give my girls a kiss and a

stroke under the chin, and I‘ll see you all soon. Nick xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well I must say I‘m impressed its only taken you a month to crash the new car…I forgive you xxx

And lastly to the No1 Frau, because nobody does it better.

Messages to loved ones…...

What we started with……. Then look what we built!!!!

26 Armoured Engineer Squadron ( continued)


Bandibarq Road (BBK) CP 5.3

Cpl Gannon‘s section deployed out to build a 10 man

Afghan National Police checkpoint just outside the

city of Gereshk. The task site was difficult to say the

least. The check point would consist of a road level

sanger, with accommodation and living space in a field

7 meters below the road; not ideal when moving

heavy machinery and tonnes of aggregate around.

This would again, be a joint venture between 26 AES

and local Afghan contractors.

On day one, the ground work was completed to

ensure a level base upon which to build the CP. Cpl

Gannon and his team then set about making a ramp in

order to move the heavy plant and tipper trucks

down from the road level to the accommodation

level. The following morning, the local Afghan farm-

ers had opened up sluice gates which promptly flood-

ed the site. The solution was to use more aggregate

and stone, build the base of the accommodation high-

er and away from the water level. The section also

cleaned up the irrigation ditches allowing water to

flow unimpeded and reduce the likelihood of the site

flooding again.

After the flooding issue was resolved, it was down to

business with constructing the main structures of

both the road level sanger and the accommodation.

The outer walls made of Hesco were completed

quickly and then it was over to the Carpenter and

Joiner, Sapper Jewell to build the wooden accommo-

dation structures, toilets and showers.

With flooding issues and the frequent delays with the

breakdown of the Afghan civilian excavator, the task

was actually completed in five days - two days ahead

of schedule. A difficult but rewarding build and yet

another completion for Cpl Gannon and his team.

The Medium Wheel Tractor filling Hesco, again!

Spr Jewell constructing a sangar roof

The section enjoying tea with the afghan contractors

26 Armoured Engineer Squadron ( continued)


Day in the Life of a Section Sapper

It was Sunday 3rd April 2011 and it was the final day on Checkpoint 5.3, an Afghan National Army checkpoint built to house 10

Afghan soldiers who provided security on a vital new road. There were 13 men on the task site with the Tp Commander, Lt

Mackintosh manning the radios and SSgt Newbury maintaining

standards and morale. There was also a two man sentry posi-

tion providing security and two Danish Leopard tanks. The task

was plant intensive and included civilian plant operators as well

as Spr Mackie in his non-air conditioned medium wheeled trac-

tor at 35ºC.

We had been at it for 6 days and were very close to completing

the job. Reveille was at 0600hrs and with a quick brush of the

teeth and a tropical muesli breakfast, we were all nearly on the

task site by 0700hrs; that is nearly all as Spr ‗20 minutes notice

to move‘ Thompson was messing about with his Self Loading

Dump Truck. We started moving timber down to the main

compound area to finish off the accommodation, but before we

could start, the area needed to be levelled off with stone. Spr

Jewell then set to, employing his carpentry skills by knocking up

the accommodation. Meanwhile Spr Jordan and I made steps

from the road down to the accommodation area.

After a quick lunch break we cracked straight on, hoping desper-

ately that we could finish by last light so we could get back to the

amazing scoff at Main Operating Base (MOB) PRICE and of course get a bit of Facebook action. Everyone who could be spared

was tasked to assist Spr Jewell in bolting together the wooden structure of the accommodation. The final task of putting a

cover from view screen up to allow the Afghan soldiers to move from the road sanger to the accommodation was given to

LCpl Stobbs and Spr Mackie. They improvised, however, SSgt Newbury was less than impressed.

During the whole task, we had nearly forgotten we were in a warzone as the locals were all friendly and accepted our presence

in the area. The closest to danger we came was when the civilian excavator operator came hurtling down the hill out of gear

and wiped out LCpl Stobbs who took an excavator bucket to the chest. He had to have a cigarette and a sit down, but he was

alright. This was probably just karma, as earlier in the week LCpl Stobbs had knocked LCpl Carter head first into an empty

Hesco cell. We eventually finished the job, packed away all the equipment and travelled back to MOB PRICE at 0600hrs the

following morning.

Spr Stonestreet at CP 5.3

Military and civilian plant work-

ing together at CP 5.3

1 Troop under Lieutenant

Alex Phipps have just

returned from their se-

cond major route clear-

ance task. Working in

support of the infantry,

their job was to open a

route to enable 39 Ar-

moured Engineer Squad-

ron to build a new Check

Point for the Afghan Na-

tional Police. The overall

effect would be increased

influence over the local

population in that area

whilst decreasing the

insurgents‘ freedom of

manoeuvre.

The operation was pre-

ceded by a joint planning

session where Lieutenant

Phipps and Sgt Mark

Smith were briefed by the

infantry Company Com-

mander. It was important

that they understood the overall plan so they were able to dovetail their actions to ensure unity of purpose. As we approached the area of operations, the locals showed great interest in our convoy, probably fearful that we were

going to destroy their poppy fields as harvest time is nigh. The Afghan National Police were already in the village centres

holding ‗shuras‘ with the elders to allay their fears and promote the security and stability that a new police check point

would bring to their area. This early engagement paid dividends as the environment and pattern of life around us indicat-

ed a stable and prosperous community who were happy to see us.

The children were following our every move asking for pens, paper and food. Our interactions with them were a mix of

hand gestures and laughter as we each tried to explain ourselves. We have been issued language cards for the local lan-

guage Pashtu, but the dialect and pronunciation proved almost impossible for them to understand us. That said, the chil-

dren did understand ‗wush‘ (camel), ‗halak‘ (child) and ‗laasana porta‘ (hands up) which had them rolling around in fits of

giggles. Some of them were also very proud to show us their school text books; another encouraging sign of progress in

this part of the country.

I was attached to Cpl ‗Geordie‘ Walker‘s section for the duration of the operation along with LCpl Lucas, Sprs Aaron

Beattie, ‗Gilly‘ Gilfillan and ‗Stevey (J-Lo?)‘ Collishaw. We were also joined by an interpreter and an Afghan National

Policeman. As part of this team, my job was to provide protection so they could each perform their tasks unhindered. I

felt humbled in their presence as we climbed over scores of compound walls, irrigation ditches and across open fields of

poppy, marijuana, wheat and grasses. At one point Cpl ‗Geordie‘ Walker decided to cut across a freshly ploughed field

with inevitable consequences. Luckily we had ladders to assist the first two men who were firmly stuck in the sticky

brown mud and I had a camera to capture the moment for you! The operation took two days from dawn until dusk with the final stretch being completed early on day three. One large

roadside bomb and another suspected device had been destroyed. Not only had we improved our own forces freedom

of movement but we had also opened the route for the locals and provided a safer place for their children to play. The

mantle was then passed to 39 Armoured Engineer Squadron who immediately began to construct a police checkpoint on

the route to increase security and bring stability to this area of central Helmand Province. I was extremely proud of 1

Troop‘s effort and happy to be able to experience first hand, the difficulties of operating in such demanding circumstanc-

es. The old adage ‘Follow the Sapper’ has never been more fitting. Major Sam Stuthridge Officer Commanding

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (Talisman)


OC’s Foreword—Follow the Sapper

Cpl Walker, minus his brew and ‘Bluff’ folder, showing a Buffalo

“which had

them rolling

around in fits

of giggles.”

Task Force

Spr Gilfillan after a long day at work.

Spr Collishaw sporting the searches paint brush

Interacting with the local kids

LCpl Lucas gives a helping hand to Geordie Walker and Ginge Cam-

eron after they get stuck

Life in Camp Bastion 3 -

well where do I start? I

know where - vehicle

21 day checks. These

checks are meant to be

carried out every 21

days, but the lads have

dubbed them ‗21 days

of checks‘, as we do

them every single day. It

is has become a stand-

ing joke amongst the

guys that whenever

anybody asks where

somebody is, their reply

will be ―he‘s doing 21

days of checks on the

wagons‖.

Other than constant

vehicle checks, life on

Camp Bastion 3 is quite

good, albeit with a lot

of time spent waiting for an operation to come in to take us out of camp. The food is good and we use our spare time for

the lads to go on ‗Op Massive‘ - meaning all the skinny (and some fat) guys walk around with their ‗Maximuscle‘ shakes try-

ing to convince themselves they‘re getting stronger.

I love walking into people‘s bed spaces and seeing all the furniture made from old pallets and scrap wood held together with

second hand rusty nails or cardboard taped together with ‗harry black‘ tape; no wonder people call the British Army ‗the

Borrowers‘.

At the moment we have just finished an operation and some of the guys are now keeping busy learning how to be a gunner

on our remote weapon systems, being taught by the one and only Sgt Mark Josee - our very own SME (subject matter ex-

pert). In the meantime, SSgt Lee Wild is running around doing all his checks in the store with Spr Aaron Beattie, who is

never far behind Staff at any given time. LCpl Dan Holden is often seen running round doing everybody‘s heads in about

comms kit; head-sets this, PRR‘s that, radio batteries the other. You name it, he will be moaning about it. His favourite

(and I have even seen him giving blokes press-ups for this!) is ―You all know this it‘s not an aerial, it‘s an antenna‖ (bore off

signals geek!).

Every now and then you see the Searchers training. They often go to Bastion 1 to practice a bit of searching, or over to

the compound on the RSOI site for a bit of ‗grand nationaling‘ (climbing over walls with ladders). You can spot a searcher a mile away; they always have a paintbrush attached to their body somewhere. I think they think it makes them look cool.

On ops, some of the non-searchers have been getting stuck in with a bit of searching, like Spr Steve Collishaw who has

been recruited into the paintbrush club.

The full screws are also often seen lazing about, trying to convince us they are busy. Cpl Geordie Walker sorts out the

troop Buffalo stuff, but is never too busy for a brew while carrying his ‗bluff folder‘ to look busy. Cpl Jas Brown is our fleet

manager and does all the paper work behind the scenes to ensure our vehicles stay fully fit and ready to roll out the gate

with the minimum fuss (sometimes there is lots of fuss!).

Without doubt though, the hardest part of living in Camp Bastion is knowing the difference between the OC and Spr Gaz

Addy. Confusing, very confusing! LCpl Adam Todd, 1 Troop, 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron.

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (continued..)


Life for 1 Troop in Camp Bastion 3

Looky likey—Maj Stuthridge v Spr Addy

Despite not being located near to any major water fea-

tures we must always be ready to support the Engineer

Group‘s dive team as there are a number of potential

areas throughout Helmand to which salvage or rescue

teams may have to deploy. Capt ‗Nipper‘ Brazier and Cpl

‗Maverick‘ Bartlett donned their gear and spent a couple

of hours doing some ‗arduous training‘ in 54 Squadron‘s

swimming pool, finning about in circles and rescuing each

other from the bottom. Meanwhile, the rest of the

Headquarters were working hard – particularly SSgt Andy Sprake and LCpl ‗Bish‘ Bishop who were reacting to the

ever-changing demands of our Battle Groups. The boys

in the Deployable Engineer Workshop (DEW) have also

been busy: Sprs Luke Brown, ‗Coops‘ Cooper, ‗Miah Cat‘

Miah and Jamie Dennis have all been designing and build-

ing urgently required stores for those deployed forward.

‗Coops‘‘ set of wooden steps are pretty good – particu-

larly considering he‘s a welder.

Last week, the Engineer Group RSM and Padre accompanied the OC and SSM into the LKG AO to visit 9 Troop. The prob-

lems that Lt Hugh ‗Permanent Send‘ Nightingale and his boys had been plagued with over the past week had all but disap-

peared and the building of the Check Point next to the school and mosque was finally underway. New problems had of

course arisen but Cpl ‗Robbo‘ Roberts and LCpl Nige Gray had established good relations with the locals, who now appear

happy with the situation – particularly as a number of them are being employed to fill the walls with earth. Of course, there

was no shortage of volunteers and men of all ages (the youngest being about 6) turned-up to see if they could get hired. We were only able to pay four of them, but many others watched with avid interest as Sprs ‗Wardy‘ Ward, ‗Jonesy‘ Jones, Jamie

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron

OC’s Foreword

Five weeks in and there has been no

let-up to the tasks within both Lash-

kar Gar (LKG) and Nahr-e-Sarraj

(South). It is difficult to summarise

how impressed I have been with the

steady determination and vigour

with which the entire Squadron

have displayed throughout, whatev-

er the tasks may be. We have of

course encountered difficulties along the way – particularly local national interference – but have once again cemented rela-tionships and made a tangible difference within both Areas of Operation. Our tasks have predominately been construction-

based, focusing on Patrol Base and Check Point establishment for both the Afghan Army and Police, as well as improving living

conditions for our Battle Groups within their Forward Operating Bases. Support to kinetic operations has also continued and

there is a real sense of achievement as we pass our first month deployed on the ground.


Where was the Check Point meant to

be???

Tough Diving Training

One Month In…...

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron - continued.


Doran, ‗Wilko‘ Wil-

kinson and Andy

‗The Rev‘ Blower got

to work. It‘s great to

get the locals so

involved; they have

proven hard workers

and have a deter-

mined and spirited

approach once they

get started – plus

they aren‘t weighted-

down by all the kit

that we wear. Having appeased the

land owner with

compensation for his

loss of real estate,

construction began in

earnest and is now

complete. Once

again, interpreters

have been at a pre-

mium and communi-

cation was achieved

via language cards,

hand signals and lots of laughter.

Further to the South, The 7 Troop boys have been expanding their empire. The ‗cookhouse‘ has grown and now doubles

as a welfare area. Of course the food is still excellent, with Cpl Marlon ‗Ainsley Harriot‘ Johnson now employing two

extra ‗staff‘ – including Spr ‗Sammy G‘ Gurung who whipped-up an outstanding Ghurkha curry for us. Thanks to the num-

ber of welfare packages received, there is a much greater selection of entertainment to enjoy and poker is being enjoyed

well into the early hours by LCpls Sammy ‗Card Shark‘ Stones, ‗Tav‘ Tavender and ‗Brightstar‘ Brightey, as well as Sprs

‗Coxy‘ Cox and Will Armstrong. For those not interested in cards, Spr ‗Doz‘ Cross has created a ‗sunflower growing

game‘, complete with miniature ‗garden‘, in an effort to nurture the tallest plant. SSgt ‗G‘ Gallagher, Cpl ‗Scouse‘ Owens

and their team took the visitors to conduct a reconnaissance of a new Check Point site specifically for the ANP. The

party also took along the CO.

This, rather unfortunately,

seemed to ‗jinx‘ the entire jour-

ney; upon arriving at the Check

Point, the lead vehicle became

stuck and the boys spent hours

attempting to recover it whilst

the rest of the party met with

the ANP commander. With no

luck getting the stricken vehicle

out, assistance was called for

before leaving the SSM and a

few of the boys behind along

with a Troop from the Royal

Tank Regiment. On the way

back to Lashkar Gar, the OC‘s

vehicle then got stuck. After 30

minutes, it was rescued by the

CO‘s vehicle (much to the

amusement of the local chil-

dren) and the team made it back

just before dark. Meanwhile, a

recovery team had been sent

out and, low and behold, they

too got stuck. What began as a

small reconnaissance task became a major operation.

8 Troop ‘beetle racing’

Stuck during the Check Point Recce—CO was thrilled! See page 1.

It was 8 Troop‘s turn to experience local interference on task this time. Before starting work on a new Check Point up in

Nahr-e-Sarraj (South), Lt Jonny Linares took part in a shura with the Company Commander to gain local consent. Four

men proceeded to present

themselves as the ‗Malik‘, or

‗village elder‘, and provision-

ally agreed to the build.

Unfortunately, the real Ma-

lik was out at the time and

when work was due to

commence he arrived on site and explained that he

was not best pleased. Fol-

lowing another shura, con-

struction was finally ready

to begin a couple of days

later in a slightly different

location. Overnight, how-

ever, the local ‗Myrab‘, or

‗gate keeper‘, decided to

open up the sluice gates and

divert half of the River Hel-

mand into the identified

compound – so when SSgt

‗Tash‘ Jones turned-up, the

site was completely flooded.

Cpl ‗H‘ Hagelburg‘s Section

persevered though and

found an alternative location; it is very austere site with only the bare essentials, but Sprs ‗Cheese‘ Romans, ‗Dark Cloud‘

McLean, ‗Tree Feller‘ Stewart, ‗Mandy Dingle‘ Sharp and Memiki Ledua temporarily made it home. An evening‘s entertain-

ment, as an alternative to the rather boring ‗sunflower game‘, was ‗beetle racing‘.

Whilst the OC and SSM were visit-

ing, they learnt over the radio that

the CO was also coming out to

visit. For fear of him jinxing yet

another trip, the duo planned their

escape and managed to miss him by

a couple of hours – which is just as

well because this time he brought

along a massive thunderstorm which

grounded the majority of aircraft in

Helmand and minimised road moves

due to the resultant dust storm.

The OC attended a conference with

Capt Chris ‗Smartarse‘ Smart and

CO 2 PARA at their headquarters

and witnessed, for the first time, a

joint ISAF and ANA Conference.

The ANA Colonel in charge of the

‗Kandack‘, a Regimental-sized group,

was present along with his 2IC and

it was heartening to see them con-

duct a full summary and back-brief

via radio with their ‗Tolays‘, or

Company Groups, on the ground –

both in Pasto and Dari through two

One Month In (continued)


9 Tp negotiate with locals.

8 Tp lads take a break.

different interpreters. We had

been expecting a couple of minutes

from each, with the odd ―nothing to

report‖, but our slight cynicism was

met with detailed and very encour-

aging reports – yet another sign of

the great progress which has been

made over the past few months.

The Afghan National Security Forc-

es clearly understand the ground,

the tactics and – most importantly –

the population; it is clear that they,

like us, are determined to rid Hel-

mand of the insurgents and are

slowly but surely taking the lead in

the fight.

Back at Bastion, everyone has con-

tinued to support the Squadron

extremely well and, to let off steam

in the evenings, there is now a high-

ly competitive darts tournament. It

is already clear who has spent far

too much time in the pub: WO2

Mark ‗Voice of Doom‘ Brookfield and

SSgt Aaron ‗One Dart‘ Curtis cur-

rently lead the field, hotly pursued by

LCpls Ronnie ‗The King‘ Royle, Sam ‗The Viking‘ Westlake, Markel

‗Bomber‘ Harris, Cpl Mal ‗Luftwaffe‘

Lofthouse, and Spr Alex ‗The Wan-

derer‘ Walker. Trailing behind are

SSgt Andy ‗Accounts‘ Sprake and Spr

Simon ‗Emergency‘ Ward, with Capts

Paul ‗Jackpot‘ Brazier, Matt ‗The Bull‘

Simister and Rich ‗The Power‘ Garth-

waite absolutely nowhere near.

Ours thanks must go to the Squad-

ron families back home who have

sent mail and best wishes; every sin-

gle package received is very much

appreciated. We look forward to receiving as many as you‘re willing to

send!

39 Armoured Engineer

Squadron - continued.


The Padre offers some assistance from on high

7 Troop’s ‘Sun flower’ game. This might take some time.

On 22 Apr 11 SSgt Gurung Meen (the Military Plant Foreman) and I had the pleasure being attached to X Company, 2 PARA

to provide them engineer reconnaissance and close support. Our main effort was to route and potential permanent Check

Point in the vicinity of Washiran Village an area which had previously been un-contested and considered by the insurgency a

bit of a safe haven. ―I reckon we will be on the ground 10 minutes before we get smashed‖, ―Pack light because we will be

going in fighting‖ and ―How many barmines have you got because we will have to EMOE our way in‖ are just some of the

comments I heard from the personnel of the recently re-formed X Company during the battle prep for the operation. So

imagine my relief when we landed

at ‗death o‘clock‘ that not even

the sparrows were farting. The

occupation of our new home went without hindrance and dis-

appointingly without me having to

bring into play the 2 Barmines I

had nearly given myself a hernia

carrying. Our new abode for the

foreseeable future was an occu-

pied compound. After compen-

sating the current occupants and

kindly asking them to leave for

their own safety, the lads of 2

PARA deployed numerous weap-

on platforms and ‗Check Point

LEWE‘ was online. It wasn‘t long

before the insurgency thought

they would let us know they

were nearby with the first of

many volleys of inaccurate fire

flying over our new residence.

The next few days at Check Point

LEWE were eventful for all with

their main effort being to Find, Feel, Understand and Influence the local population whilst disrupting the insurgents. To that

end we as engineers spent our days helping to upgrade the force protection and amenities within the Check Point; I became

known as ‗Hacksaw‘ Jim Dugan in the days that followed, felling a few trees to clear our arcs. After numerous clearance

patrols by X Company, air despatch resupplies and shuras, the decision was made to conduct the route recce. This was

done in 2 phases: Phase 1

involved a recce through

farmers‘ fields to ascertain

the suitability for a new

road to resupply the

Check Point; Phase 2 in-

volved some SSgt Meen

deploying with 2 PARA‘s

Sgt Daz Chambers and his

multiple during the hours

of darkness. The team

managed to successfully

sneak in and recce the

remainder of the route

without any intervention

from the insurgents.

Thanks to the hard work

and support from X Com-

pany, we achieved our aim

and completed the re-

quired tasks – just in time

to return to Camp Bastion

for tea and medals.


9 Tp negotiate with locals.

Support to Kinetic Operations

CO leads dismounted route recce

7 Troop Poker Night

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron - continued.


It’s a draw!

What can I say; work continues! It‘s now been 3 weeks since the Squadron has tak-

en over in theatre and we are coming to the end of the tasks set up by our prede-

cessors. Finally we are now masters of our own destiny! In terms of plaudits ob-

tained from external agencies 1 and 3 Tp are currently leading the way with Condor

close behind. In Condor‘s case this is mainly due to their original task rightly being

contracted out and the time lag in reconnoitring, obtaining authorisation and re-

sourcing the next. Most of the work at present involves supporting 3 Para and now

45 Commando on their operations, or completing infrastructure upgrades to their

numerous bases and helicopter landing sites. This is likely to continue for much of

the tour with the infrastructure in theatre either having suffered badly over the win-

ter months or simply through everyday wear-and-tear.

Morale continues to be high throughout the Squadron, as the SSM and I evidenced first hand from a thoroughly enjoyable

visit to 1 Tp. Only able to spend a day with the Tp we both witnessed their high professional standards, impressive work

rate and desire to ‗make a difference‘. The fact that the Officer Commanding C Coy 3 Para, was thoroughly impressed with

their attitude and standards speaks volumes. Clearly there is a significant difference between Airborne and Commando

engineers after all!

Finally, of note is that orders have been given for ‗Op Massive‘ to be conducted throughout the Squadron as the SSM and I

have decided that as a collective we are physically smaller than 59 Commando Squadron‘s of the past. We are both clearly

leading from the front, although most people may never realise this, and even the Squadron 2IC has engaged fully under the

watchful guidance of our resident PT expert, the Quartermaster. However, the 2IC‘s technique is not the normal one; he is

the only person to go on a diet not knowing either his start or his target weight! I‘m sure it won‘t be long before doughnuts

and chocolate éclairs reappear on his menu! ‗Squadron!‘ Maj Rich Williams—OC 59 Cdo Sqn RE.

59 Commando Squadron RE


OC’s Foreword

We are now into the 5th week of the tour

and the time is still flying for most of us.

Myself and the OC are in the fortunate posi-

tion of being able to get out and visit the

Troops regularly which helps us break up

the monotony of Ops Room life in Camp

Bastion but more importantly it enables us

to get little luxuries out to the lads and fill

our bergans with Gatorade (out of date),

English cigarettes, as opposed to Afgan ciga-

rettes at $5 for 200 (avoid CDT when you

get back lads if you‘re on them), and as

much mail as the helicopters will let us car-

ry.

Unfortunately for some, 2IC Mike Burton

and QM Mick Lovatt to name a couple

(couple being the appropriate word), the

closest they will get to a helicopter for the

next 6 months is being kept awake at night

as they fly over their air conditioned tents.

The strain is beginning to tell on the 2IC

now, he‘s even made a ‗wet‘ for the Ops

room recently; although a route card was

required for him to find the kettle. Next

Who is this fine young man

celebrating in true patriotic

style?

Another week in SHQ paradise



The Story So Far—The Fighting First

Right, I was asked to write a news-

letter for all you people at home,

but I warned Dinger (1 Troop

SSgt) that it would be uncut and I

would tell it how it is, to which he

replied ‗that‘s exactly what I‘m

after‘. So here it is Dinger, wallop!

P.S I‘ve already had my yearly

report so you can‘t change it now!

Where did it all start?…..In true

Squadron fashion they had a film

crew waiting for us when we left

Chivenor, which was good be-

cause I thought it a perfect oppor-

tunity to show the tattoo on my

arse to the world via the BBC

news. However the Sergeant Ma-

jor had already read my mind and

told me not to start mooning as it

wasn't the BBC news, it was a documentary for a choir series but it didn‘t stop us all doing our best to get on camera.

Next stop Brize Norton! It pains me to say that for once in my life the RAF got us to Bastion without any dramas or delay.

I know what your all thinking back home…I bet your thinking that they always get us home on time and that we tell you

they got us home late so we can go boozing for two days without you knowing and just blame the R.A.F.

To the lads‘ disappointment we arrived at Camp Bastion to RAIN, so for all the lads that were oiling up on the plane ready

for op tanning they were all properly disappointed. For those who forgot their gortex, no names mentioned DEV (3 section

2ic), got soaked, however he did came back with a perfect reply to the new lads, that ‗he didn‘t need gortex because his skin

was water proof‘.

The training package we received was excellent and got us ready for the up coming months that lay ahead. For some of the

new lads this was the reality check that they needed and helped them understand why we had been training so hard back

home.

1 Tp—The Team

time Sir, wait for that white thing to get hot before putting the water into the cups!

The gym continues to be well used with noticeable cliques forming into training partners, Jordan and Peter Andre (QM &

2IC) are still arguing through an hour of thrashing a night, Sgt Matty ‗Mr Motivator‘ Needham is getting Cpl ‗I will pass the

Commando Cse‘ Harrison fit (destroying him more like), while myself and the boss have well and truly embraced Op MAS-

SIVE, although for me its more like Op wait around for 15 minutes while the OC gets ready? To be fair we spend more

time whingeing about aches and pains than lifting weights but we do have a combined age of 237.

Competition is rife in the Ops Room, the talk of the SHQ at the moment is who has the most flies on their fly traps be-

tween Spr ‗Stag on‘ Leak and Matty Needham, what I know and they both don‘t is that in the evenings H Harrison swats flies and puts them on Matty‘s trap and Leaky is doing the same for his trap when no one‘s looking; is that cheating or just in-

tense rivalry? You two should get out more, sorry you can‘t can you; unlucky lads.

Until next time thanks to everyone back home for all your support, please keep the parcels and mail coming as they really

do make a huge difference to the morale of everyone.

WO2 (SSM) Mick Jarwood



With all the last minute training done it was time to get chucked in the deep end and get sent out to one of the FOB‘s to

start grafting, we weren‘t disappointed. Within 25 minutes of us being there, 3 explosive teams were straight out on an OP

with the Para Reg. ‗Til‘ Tilak (1 section commander) didn‘t even have time to sharpen his Kukri knife on the off chance that

he could nick a goat and make curry for the boys, (good old Ghurkha always thinking of the troops bellies)

You would have thought we would have been given a bit of time to settle in, but not a chance. Our BGE (Battle Group

Engineer), Capt Siemieniuch, who does the planning, doesn‘t think along the same lines, he got us straight out on task. How

can I explain our first task….. imagine having your brand new house built and then someone saying knock it down, move it

50m to the left, now build it again because the view is better. Well that‘s what we did, and just to make it interesting all the

tools and machinery that we

needed, we couldn't have!!

Capt Siemieniuch did us over

with replacements for the

tools saying ‗one thing you

can have lads is 2000 sandbags

that need filling and lift-

ing‘ (Thank you Squadron).

That pretty much sums up

our 1st task, but in true 1

Troop spirit we cracked on,

smashed it (sometimes doing

22 hour days) so we could get

it finished on time and safely.

After a week of proper graft,

all the lads were tired and

sunburnt, accept Sapper (Long

Nose) Appleton who actually

looks black now we finished

the task. From there we went

to the Estonian FOB to have a

shower and shave and some

proper food, not to say that

what the boys and I had rus-

tled up out of the ration packs

wasn‘t nice, but it was a much

needed rest. It was at the Estonian camp that we found the troops real strength, it wasn‘t our vast wealth of general knowledge (although I‘ve realised that Sapper Madge is the font of all knowledge, he‘s like Google if you ask him a question

he knows the answer, hence why we‘ve nicked named him Jeeves), it was Volley Ball. When I say we could actually stick a

team into the Olympics and win, its not an understatement. We looked dreamy at times smashing, spiking all over the gaff,

but less of that, you lot at home will start to think we‘re on holiday. Holiday it isn‘t I promise you!

We then lost our troop Sgt, Al (Roland Rat) Barr as he had to go and work in Kabul, where he‘s staying in a hotel with

swimming pool, massage parlour and sauna. So when he gets home and starts saying how hard he‘s had it, kick him in the

nuts because he‘s lying! The grafting is being done by the boys and since our dad, SSgt ‗Dinger Bell‘, has tipped up, his whip

just keeps cracking and jobs keep getting done.

Well that‘s pretty much it so far, just a few more things to make you aware of; Capt Crowther (our boss) looks like he‘s

been in a POW (Prisoner of War) camp for 6 months. He is all skin and bones, bless him it must be the stress. Mind you

the hair cut the medic gave him didn‘t help. Good job dad ‗Dinger‘ was there to rescue him. But we‘ve got him in the gym,

and on the protein because we‘re good like that.

Well everyone in the troop sends their love and kisses back home to family and friends, missing you all. We will all be back

safe and sound soon enough before you know it, driving you mad. But that doesn‘t mean you can spend all our savings and

op bonuses LADIES ha ha. LOVE ONE TROOP

LCpl Tony (Puniest Bod in the FOB) Wilsher and LCpl Dev (Peehead) Devenish, 1 Troop.

Cpl Thompson & helpful advice

The Story So Far– a bit more …..

Condor Troop— The Ups and the Downs.

Edition 3

This weekend has been a better end to what has

been a fast, furious and in some cases very stressful

first month on OP HERRICK 14.

Cpl Cofax is not the only bloke in Condor Troop

to be losing his hair. Troopy Robinson, Cpl Walton

and Spr Ellaway have also been loosing their hair

and a bit of weight, not because of the heat but due

to lack of Equipment Care! At least they have man-

aged to get the ECM back, which is more than can

be said for the week of sleepless nights they have

had.

LCpl Dellay our REME Legend, finally managed to

escape the cruel grips of his store and leave camp

for a day trip out to Patrol Base SILAB. This is

where most of the Troop has been located for

much of the past month.

Even though it‘s only been a month of us being

away, there have already been many classic quotes

of the Tour so far. We won‘t name names but let‘s

see if you can guess the culprits for yourselves

anyway.

‗‘Any chance we can dem up a FOB??? How much

explosives would that take to achieve???‘‘

‗‘This Tour lads we are on the verge of something

very special‘‘. ‗‘Boss my Pistol is not zeroed to me!‘‘

‗‘I personally wouldn‘t want to Command anyone

else than you bunch of men!‘‘

‗‘You are all very special men.‘‘ . ‗‘I

brought my Goretex in case there was

some plumbing to be done!‘‘

There will be plenty more classics to

come in the next few months.

It hasn‘t been all Hescotastic in fact for a

couple of us it has been any thing but.

Spr (E)mo-bray and I have been on a

couple of deliberate operations, one

including a Helicopter Assault! We man-

aged to get off more explosives in two

operations than the whole of 9 Parachute

Squadron RE managed to do in their

seven month tour.

Well I better end it there while I am still

ahead. All that is left to be said is the lads are working hard and ‗‘living the dream‘‘

at the same time which is a hard balance

to achieve! Everyone one says hello to

back home and the main message back

seems to be that we are ok and are look-

ing forward to R&R.

Cpl Cofax, Condor Tp

Moving gate posts in body

armour & helmets in 30

degrees, nice!

Cpl Ganesh & LCpl Deepak Rai

3 Tp— Check Point Chiron, the build concludes

Edition 3

Well it‘s been nearly three weeks and the

bulk of the Troop has departed back to the

main Patrol Base to prepare for the next task.

The hard-core remain to complete the snag-

ging tasks the others found too hard!! Of

particular note are the two remaining mem-

bers of 2 ‗ally‘ section which make up the SAS

(Scotty and Stealth – Spr Matthew Scott and

LCpl Tom Sowerby) who have been the main

scaffold monkeys, constructing the tall watch-

towers and earthing the metalwork. The build

has dragged on mainly due to the no-show of

the aggregate to complete the walls. The

Troop has been kept busy by making the

camp a little more comfortable for the infan-

try by constructing a pull up bar, table tennis

table and chess board with bottle top pieces

courtesy of Spr Michael, ‗The Professor‘

‗Harry‘ Ramsden and Spr Gaz Perrin.

The plant has been working extremely hard these last few weeks and

both Spr Ash Jasper and Spr Karl ‗Creepy‘ Crawley have racked up

some long hours in the cab ably assisted by our Jack of all trades and

master of none, fitter, carpenter, panel beater, plumber Spr Colin

‗Happy Days‘ Mercer. However the sheer level of HESCO we have

filled has started to affect the mental stability of some of the Troop.

Cpl ‗Yakerdy Yak don‘t talk back‘ Angbuhang when sleeping the oth-

er night awoke in a nightmare imagining that his mosquito dome net

was actually some HESCO, and that he was about to be suffocated

to death so he promptly ripped his way out, waking the Troop with

his panic!

Everyone that has visited our new camp has been very impressed

and we are very proud of it, although we are looking forward to

returning to a larger Patrol Base to re-cock for new tasks and hope-

fully some explosive assault breaching!

Cpl Yak shows the results of his HESCO night-

mare

Get back girls, Capt Vernon smashes

another 100 heaves

Sprs Ash Jasper and Daz Lambert enjoy a quick game of chess.

Three Troop— Check Point CHIRON, the build concludes..

At around 0730 I wake up after everyone else

in the tent, primarily because I am not a

morning person and my David Hasselhoff

bedspread is just so comfortable. I then pro-

ceed to parade around the tent and ablution

area in uncomfortably small pants that for

some reason unbeknown to me get some

odds looks and comments. I will brush my

teeth, not forgetting to use my teeth whiten-

er before shaving.....my entire body. Before

getting dressed I will brush my hair 40 times,

no more no less. This is done with my prized

possession which is a limited edition horse

hair brush which I keep in an special collec-

tors box.

All of the Engr SO3s (Captains) will sit to-

gether for breakfast. I will always have sau-

sage and bread, its the nearest thing I can get

to my beloved Bratwurst. If I eat anything

more than my 300 calorie allowance I have to stand in front of a mirror and feel ashamed of myself, I don‘t ever want to go

back to being a size 8 ever again.

In true Germanic fashion I don‘t believe in a sense of

humour so will suppress any morale that breaks out in

the headquarters. I also conduct regular heated argu-

ments I mean discussions with Matt (SO3 J3) and Rach

(SO3 Infra J3) which I always win because I am hairless,

tanned, aerodynamic and efficient like my sports trim VW

Passat which is most definitely not an old mans car!!

Of an evening I will watch David Hasselhoff's influential

concert that instigated the fall of the Berlin wall, what a

hero. Watching him gets me revved up to thrash myself

in the gym whilst wearing extremely tight fitting lycra. In

the gym I work alone because a mirror is all the motiva-

tion I need whilst working out to european techno music.

After the gym I go for a shower, once again put on a pair

of pants designed for 9-11 year olds and then snuggle up

with my David Hasselhoff duvet. Guten Nacht.

TFH HQ Insider

A Life in the Day of ……...


SO3 Plans Capt Flash Von Schnitzel Gordon.

SSgt Flood 54 Sqn tells LCpl Bradshaw to calm down as we

have not even left camp yet.

The Rear Party—The Choir

Edition 3

The Choir has been very busy. Last Tuesday we turned up for practice only to be told we had our first performance in 20

minutes! (I wondered why Gareth was

wearing that ridiculous outfit). We were

driven to a hangar on camp and we were

wondering which ‗lucky‘ bunch were going

to hear us sing – well it was only the whole of rear party, no pressure there then?! I

later heard there were intensions of heck-

ling at our efforts but as we started to sing

the reaction was shocked silence. After

our full repertoire of 3 songs (Guns and

Roses - Sweet child of mine; Dionne War-

wick - Say a little prayer and Feel My Love

recently covered by Adele) there were

calls for more. Needless to say we didn‘t

have any more songs so we had to repeat

Say a Little Prayer. I‘ve also since heard

that one of our audience was actually

brought to tears – no wonder you left him

behind! Also heard that someone had a

nosebleed, don‘t know what that means?!

Thursday was the planned performance at

the Barnstaple Pannier Market. This time

the pupils of South Mead and Caen Primary

Schools joined us. The people of Barnstaple turned out in their masses along with friends and family from Chivenor. The

crowd seemed to like us and showed their support. On this occasion half the choir itself was brought to tears as the children

sang their own song.

Being part of the choir has certainly helped to keep us busy here at home. Unless anything else has passed me by, the only

other goings on over here are that Braunton Car park has been resurfaced and Haagen-Dazs is on special in Tescos. Oh

yeah, there was a ‗Choir‘ night out in the Sergeants Mess but you probably don‘t want to hear about that......lol.

‗Til next time, JES

Some of ladies of RMB Chivenor and Gareth

Malone

What have we been missing in RMBC?

So, what have you missed since you left sunny Britain? Yes, believe it or not it has been sunny, all of us here are aiming to be

better tanned than you on your return, the competition is on! Little people are getting bigger and generally noisier. Some

adults may be shrinking. Meals have been cooked and eaten, grass has been mown and drinks may have been drunk. In the TV

department the 'Go Compare' man whom we all know and love is starting a singing career, he has released an album. Big

Brother after their 'last' season is coming back to our screens, oh joy. Preparations for the upcoming wedding has been all

over the TV, from what dress Kate will wear to how she'll wear her hair. In the news there has been a lot of earthquakes and

tsunami's across Japan and lots more problems caused from their nuclear plant failing. Yet again more spending cuts have been

made.

The ladies at Chivenor have been doing you proud in the newly made choir. They've already featured in the papers and soon

to be on TV with Gareth Malone Choirmaster. Performances so far have been to the Rear Party and also in the Panniers Mar-

ket, Barnstaple, with several hundred attending. Rehearsals will continue over the next few months and I'm sure a lot more

performances will take place; its giving the ladies something to focus on and the chance to make new friends while their love

ones are away.

Keep your post coming our way as it keeps us happy too. We're thinking of you all everyday and are very proud of the work

you are doing. Keep smiling and stay safe.

N Ramsden, Chivenor Wife

SUPPORTING COMMANDO SAPPERS IN

AFGHANISTAN WRISTBANDS

WHERE IS YOUR MONEY GOING?

The income generated from the COMMANDO SAPPER wristbands will be split be-

tween 3 distinct areas. They are as follows:

Regimental Welfare. This will allow us to support needy causes within the Regi-

ment that cover a myriad of outlets; from injured soldiers, family activities and any ven-

ture which improves the welfare of our soldiers. 50% of all charitable income generat-

ed will go to regimental welfare.

Army Benevolent Fund (ABF): The Soldier’s Charity. ABF, The Soldier‘s Charity

is designed to support soldiers, former soldiers and their families in times of need.

Over the past 2 years ABF has seen a 30% rise in people seeking there help and expect

this to increase with the continuing operations in Afghanistan. 25% of all charitable in-

come generated will go to the ABF.

Children’s Hospice South West. The Children‘s Hospice South West is located in

Fremington, literally on the Regiment‘s doorstep. The Hospice provides care for the

children with an illness, which means they will not meet adulthood. The Hospice pro-

vides expert care, not only for the children but also for their parents and siblings, allow-

ing them to cope with these extremely difficult circumstances. 25% of all charitable in-

come generated will go to the Children‘s Hospice South West.

To order Supporting Commando Sapper wrist bands. Please contact WO2 Ray

Glass either by phone on 01271 85 7824 or by post with a SAE to WO2 Glass, ROpsP

RSM, RMB Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 4AZ, or just send a donation by cheque

or postal order payable to Central Bank 24 Commando Engineer Regiment.

Editor:

546151 Capt Brad Hardwick

54 Cdo HQ & Sp Sqn

TFH Engr Gp BFPO 792

E-maill [email protected]

Something from the Editor….

Thanks for the articles submitted by those back in UK. It is al-

ways good to hear how life is going back home. Please keep

sending the articles.

Charity wrist bands. We have had repeated request for Support

Commando Sappers in Afghanistan wrist bands. For info please

see page 27. All support is greatly appreciated, so please dig

deep.

Facebook Page. We now have an open Facebook presence at


Ed.

TASK FORCE

HELMAND

ENGINEER GROUP

17th April 11. HERRICK 14 Families Day—Cpls Club, RMB Chivenor

29th Aril 11. Royal Wedding Families Day—Cpls Club, RMB Chivenor

Notices

Notice: Missing Child A small 12 year old boy who

answers to the name of Mat-

thew is missing. This mischie-

vous child was last scene in

the area of Lashkar Gar, Hel-

mand. If approached he will

tell you how important he is

and will boast of his intelli-

gence. Should you find him,

please do as every other

adult does and just humour

him. Then please ensure he

is returned to his mother,

Mrs Teeling. Contact details

available from the Adjutant

TFH Engr Gp.

TFH HQ Insider

See more photos and

comments on TFH

Engr Gp at

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ok.com/

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TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 3.1 150411

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Transcript of TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 3.1 150411