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T H E J H C d e l i v e r i n g j o i n t s u cce s s o n o p e r a t i o n s

Station
Families
Day
at Wattisham Airfield

j o u r n a l o f the j o i n t he l i c o p te r c o m m a n d
Capability Begins
With Training…
Aviation Training International Limited (ATIL) is a 50:50 joint venture
between AgustaWestland Limited and The Boeing Company.

It was formed in 1998 as a special purpose vehicle to deliver

the Attack Helicopter Training Service contract for the UK Army.
The contract was financed under a PFI arrangement.

ATIL holds a unique position as a training organisation in being able

to provide total synthetic training solutions in the areas of Aircrew,
Groundcrew and Maintenance training. A range of equipment is
employed to represent the sophisticated systems that reside within an
aircraft of the complexity of the Apache.

From weapons to avionics, each device allows students to familiarise

themselves with some of the most advanced technology in the world. The
equipment is based on full size aircraft systems and provides a high degree
of fidelity offering the necessary tactile and visual cues, greatly reducing the
need to use operational aircraft for training purposes. Constant investment
by the MoD and ATIL in technology insertions has ensured that the training
system remains one of the most up to date in the world.

Aviation Training International Limited

Coldharbour Business Park,
Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4JW
Tel: 01935 810300
Email: enquiries@atil.co.uk
Web: www.atil.co.uk
 Contents

Contents Issue 3, 2017

Cover story 05
The Attack Helicopter
Force celebrate AAC and
REME anniversaries at a
Station Families Day.................... 8

PEOPLE
Lt Cdr Brazenall 300hrs............... 5
846 NAS Jersey Internationsl
Air Display 2017 and Queen’s
Commonwealth Games Baton.... 6
18
Tactical Supply Wing (TSW)
Families Day................................. 7 16
Our Vision.................................. 30

SAFETY
JHC Safety Team....................... 10

LESSONS CORNER
Failure to Follow Procedure...... 12

OPERATIONS
Air Centric Personnel
Recovery Operations Course
26
(APROC) 2017............................ 14
RAF Odiham deploy
to the Caribbean....................... 16
FB update from
27 Sqn in the Caribbean.............17
RAF Odiham
Chinooks save life...................... 18
Ex Anzio Finn............................. 20
18 Sqn Update........................... 22

SPORTS
Commando Helicopter
Force Personnel participate
in the Highland Games
Tug-of-War at the 2017
Braemar Gathering.................... 24
7 Avn Sp Bn REME
Brickwood’s Field
Gun Competition 2017.............. 26

08

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visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3 2017 3

Foreword
Foreword
When I wrote my last forward
I spoke of maximising every
opportunity and after Hurricane
IRMA swept through the
Caribbean causing utter
destruction, an opportunity
for helicopters to demonstrate
their utility was opened.
I
n Sep, elements of JHC mobilized and within
48 hours, 2 Puma aircraft and 75 personnel
were en route to the Caribbean. As the
situation in the British Overseas Territories
became clearer it was obvious that more was
required and again the JHC Forces pulled out
all the stops to meet sailing deadlines of HMS
Ocean and RAF Air Transport. At the height
of Operation RUMAN, the JHC had 13 aircraft
deployed supported by 329 personnel. More
than 300 personnel were moved, over 150
tonnes of aid was distributed and over 480 hours
flown in support of disaster relief efforts across
the region. A job well done, the professionalism
and commitment of all of you involved is hugely
appreciated by not only those you helped but
also from all in the MOD – you demonstrated
brilliantly the speed and versatility that
helicopters bring to the UK Government – a
timely reminder as the NSCR work continues
across Whitehall. I look forward to reading
more articles in the next edition of LZDZ.
Please turn to page 08 for the cover story
station families day
at WATTISHAM AIRFIELD
L Z DZ M a g a z i n e i s a l s o o n l i n e a n d c a n b e f o u n d a t : w w w. l z d z o n l i n e . c o . u k
4 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
MeettheTeam
Editorial
Editor: Lt Col Al Bambridge
E: Allan.Bambridge507@mod.gov.uk
T: 01264 382 086
–
sales
Sales Manager: Laurence Rowe
E: laurence@lancepublishing.co.uk
T: 01536 526 678
–
Designer
Designer: Rowena Wilson
E: rowena@lancepublishing.co.uk
T: 01536 526 673
–
Elsewhere, life has continued at a busy pace Publisher
over the last 3 months with over 150 HELTASKS Lance Publishing Ltd, 1st Floor,
completed moving an estimated 3100 troops. Tailby House, Bath Road, Kettering,
Along with these some high profile VIPs have been Northants NN16 8NL
flown, including The Earl and Countess of Wessex T: 01536 512 624
in Brunei, The Secretary of State for Defence, the E: mike@lancepublishing.co.uk
NATO Secretary General and the Vice Chief of the W: www.lancepublishing.co.uk
Defence Staff. We have also continued to support Company Registration No. 3253372
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the Falkland Islands and supported exercises in Printer
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and the USA. Watchkeeper has returned to Orton Southgate, Peterborough PE2 6TD
flying from West Wales Airport and steady T: 01733 390 564
progress is being made to reach FOC in a few E: lanceprint@lanceprint.co.uk
months. This is truly a global footprint again W: www.lanceprint.co.uk
demonstrating the value we bring to Defence. –
As we approach Christmas, I have authorised Further Information
2 days Stand Down for all personnel in the W: w ww.mod.uk/defenceinternet/
Command which will be added to JPA leave aboutdefence/whatwedo/
records by HR staff. I speak about the whole JHC airsafetyandaviation/jhc
family and this extends to your loved ones who
have supported all that you have achieved this
year. This will be the last edition of LZDZ before
the festive break, so it just leaves me to say,
have a welcome break for those that can, stay
sensible and safe, and I wish you and your loved
ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year. Thank you for all your hard work in 2017.
Rear Admiral Jon Pentreath OBE RN
Commander JHC
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

Lt Cdr Brazenall
3000hrs
W
hile on a
humanitarian
aid mission to
the Irma and
Maria hurricane devastated
island of Dominica, Lt Cdr
Ben Brazenall reached the
milestone of 3000 hours.  which has seen him involved
Ben grew up in Honiton,
Devon and was educated at
Colyton Grammar School, then
graduated from Southampton
University with a BEng (Hons)
in Aerospace Engineering. He
joined the Royal Navy in 2002
and since gaining his wings in
2005 he has spent the majority
of his career on the Commando
Helicopter Force flying Sea
King Mk4 and Merlin Mk3. He
passed the arduous All Arms
Commando Course in 2007,
earning him the privilege of
wearing the green beret and
quickly gained a great deal of
operational experience over
seven flying tours in Iraq and
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
people
Afghanistan before specialising
as a helicopter instructor. 
After teaching the new
pilots at the Defence Helicopter
Flying School for three years,
he returned to the front line to
teach on the Merlin Mk3, a role
in environmental training
in Norway and California,
as well as developing pilots
to operate in the extremely
challenging Maritime
Counter Terrorism flight. 
Having been recently
promoted, he now assumes
the Training Officer position
on 845 Naval Air Squadron
and has a busy diary over
the next two years, including
preparing the Squadron for
operating from the new Queen
Elizabeth Class Carrier.  He
lives with his wife Caroline and
two children in Somerset and
has developed a triathlon habit
despite an aversion to lycra.
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 5
PEOPLE

846 NAS
Jersey International Air Display 2017 and
Queen’s Commonwealth Games Baton

8
45’s “go to” tasking
crew of Lt Cdr Vaughan, The Queen’s Baton carries a
Lt Jenkin, POACMN personal message to the athletes
Hendry and Sgt Howling of the Commonwealth from Her
were tasked to provide a static Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
display at Jersey International It’s on a 388 day journey from
Air Display. The display is Buckingham Palace to the
organised to support tourism Opening Ceremony of the
in Jersey and to help British Games, where the message
Charities raise money for their will be read aloud.
good causes. With displays by
the Spitfire, Beechcraft Twin
Beech Model 18, Stinson Reliant
and Baltic Bees to name a few,
this is a large and popular event
held on the second Thursday
in September annually.
845 provided one Merlin
for the static display, leaving
Yeovilton on the 13th routing
via Portland, Ortac and Domok
reporting points, into Jersey
International Airport taking
just one hour in preparation
for the move to the Lower Park
for the display the following
morning. The aircraft lifted
from the airport at 0615
the morning of the 14th to
position for the display with
two ambassadors carrying the
Queen’s Commonwealth Baton.

Top
They all want
to see Merlin.

MIDDLE
Queen’s
Commenwealth
Games Baton

Bottom
Roll Up Roll Up

6 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

 people

Tactical Supply Wing (TSW) Main image

Families Day
TSW Families
enjoying the
good weather

middle top
Staffordshire
Search and
Rescue Team
stand (TSW
sponsored
local charity)

middle
Bottom
CO TSW (Wg
Cdr Jamie
Miller) and the
TSW project
lead Cpl James
Smith launch
the newly
acquired TSW
Motorhome

bottom
TSW Families
are marshalled
onto the
Chinook

In early July TSW held to witness the primary output of

their annual Families the Wing as personnel carried
Day event at the Wing’s out a Rotors Turning Refuel
HQ, MOD Stafford. (RTR). This was a fantastic way
to showcase to all in attendance

F
ollowing on from a
fantastic evening at the
Servicing Commando
and TSW Association
dinner, the sun shone on what
was a superb day for all serving
and ex-serving TSW personnel
and their nearest and dearest.
TSW’s HLS provided the
perfect location for the day’s
events and on this occasion the
liquid lifeline was provided by
the beer tent as opposed to
the Tactical Air Refueller usually
sat at the refuel spot. Amongst
the stands and stalls were the
RAF Benevolent Fund and also
Staffordshire Search& Rescue who
have shown continued support
to the Wing. Therefore TSW’s
personnel and family members
dug deep and managed to raise
over £1600 for the charities. The
highlight of the day’s events had
to be the 6 Chinook flights which
were generously provided by
one of 7 Squadron’s CH47’s. This
gave family members a once in a
lifetime opportunity and saw over
120 family members capitalise on
the chance. Those flying also got
the vital role TSW personnel play
in the support of JHC assets.
The day also provided the
opportunity for TSW to showcase
the new motorhome which was
recently purchased to help provide
our families with the opportunity
to get away and enjoy some
time together. It was officially
declared opened by AVM Parker
(outgoing AOC 2 Gp) during his
visit in June, but was there for all
to see and have a look around.
The day concluded with an
obligatory TSW Hangar bash
and wrapped up yet another
superb occasion that recognised
the hard work and commitment
of all TSW personnel and
the vitally continued support
from their families.

visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 7

people
The Attack Helicopter Force celebrate
AAC and REME anniversaries at a
Station Families Day
Aircraft of all shapes
and sizes converged on
Wattisham Airfield, home
of the Attack Helicopter
Force, to celebrate
135 years of history.
S
oldiers who fly and
maintain the Apache
attack helicopter joined
with their families and
contractors on 24 August 2017
for a Station-wide Families Day to
celebrate the 60th anniversary of
the Army Air Corps and the 75th
anniversary of the Royal Electrical
and Mechanical Engineers.
The day was a bonanza
of aviation and non-aviation
events, with entertainment
suitable for all ages, food
and refreshments. The day
included an afternoon families
8 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
event, which progressed to an
evening party with live music.
Alongside displays by the
Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows
aerobatic team and Falcons
parachute display team, the
highlight was an explosive
demonstration by the Attack
Helicopter Display Team
(AHDT). It showcased the agility
and speed of the Apache,
with pyrotechnic explosions
simulating its gunfire and
rockets and real time radio
transmission between the pilot
and simulated ground forces.
Col Chris Bisset, the AHF
Commander said: “This has been
a great occasion that has brought
the entire Wattisham community
– soldiers, their families and
civilian contractors - together to
celebrate significant milestones
for the Army Air Corps and the
Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers. “It’s great to see
the effort units have put in
to make this such a splendid
event. It’s vitally important
that we look after our soldiers’
families, because they are the
foundation from which we build
our operational effectiveness.”
Corporal Shaun Cole,
a medic from 4 Regiment
Army Air Corps, brought his
wife Samantha and daughter
Evelyn, one, to the event.
Mrs Cole said: “It’s been
interesting and enjoyable to come
in to the airfield to see a bit more
of what Shaun does at work, and
there have been some fantastic
displays. The Red Arrows were
fantastic, but there’s nothing
quite like the Apache!”
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 9
SAFETY
SAFETY
Meet the Team
m
JHC AH Safety & Assurance
ea
Col James Anderson
y T
E: James.Anderson754@mod.gov.uk
et
T: 01264 381257
Saf
C
JHC SO1 Air Safety
JH
Wg Cdr Tony Lett RAF
E: Tony.Lett108@mod.gov.uk
T: 01264 383393
JHC SO1 Ground Safety
Mr David Atkins
E: David.Atkins107@mod.gov.uk Winter is coming
T: 01264 383391 Whether or not you are an avid
follower of ‘Game of Thrones’,
let me remind you that ‘Winter
JHC SO2 Flight Safety Is Coming’. It is at least 6
Gapped months since the last one, so
E: JHC-Safety-FlightSafety- what have we not had to worry
SO2@mod.uk about in the interim, which we
T: 01264 381534 now need to re-focus upon?
Well, it’s going to be dark for
longer and generally much colder,
JHC SO2 Safety Policy windier and wetter, probably
Sqn Ldr Bob Higgins RAF also icy. For those of us in the
E: Robert.Higgins350@mod.gov.uk air, the weather is likely to be
T: 01264 381131 more changeable and hostile and
visibility poorer. For those of us who
remain on the ground in support,
JHC SO2 Risk Management including 4th-world Station staff,
Gapped conditions are more likely to be
E: sub-optimal for us to carry out our
T: responsibilities to the standards
required. Added to all of this,
Winter is the time where coughs,
JHC SO2 Safety Policy colds and lower moods can affect
& Regulation any of us, further debilitating our
Gapped ‘Situational Awareness’. In short,
E: Winter, above all seasons, is the
T: time to be aware of the potential
impact of Human Factors (HF).
If we choose to ignore the onset
JHC SO2 Unmanned of Winter and its impact on our
Air Systems working routines, we risk setting
Maj Tania Reay Royal Artillery ourselves up for failure. In the words
E: Tania.Reay222@mod.gov.uk of Benjamin Franklin, Former
T: 01264 381534 US President – “By failing to
prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
JHC SO3 Assurance Where does Winter impact upon
WO1 Chris Lay AAC us all, irrespective of our trade? I
E: Christopher.Lay115@mod.gov.uk suggest that this is before we even
T: 01264 381134 arrive at work and on the way home
thereafter; on the road, between
our front door and our workplace.
JHC SO3 Analysis It is a far more dangerous and
Gapped unregulated place than the
E: aviation environment. Darkness,
T: fog, rain, ice, snow and other road
users’ seasonal HF influences
10 Issue
10 Issue3, 2017 // LZDZ
3,2017 LZDZ
and situational awareness all call
for greater attention to detail,
both in preparing for the journey
and in conducting it. Being safe
to and from home needs to be
part of your Air Safety Culture.
Operating in the Dark. First to
arrive are the longer periods of
darkness intruding on our working
hours. Tasks that we conduct with
ease during daylight hours require
more determined attention to
detail and very possibly more
physical effort to assure their
satisfactory completion. Darkness
by definition impairs our sight and
reduces our situational awareness.
FOD and loose items are less
easily detected. Aircraft, vehicle
and large equipment movements
must be slower, or more closely
supervised, to ensure safety and
to avoid equipment damage. Plan
ahead for the effects of darkness.
• Aircraft icing limits.
• The potential yaw effect
on helicopters parked on
slippery surfaces, when
starting or stopping rotors.
• Information updates on
‘approach aids’ at potential
alternative airfields.
• Requirements for additional
fuel, if diverted.
• The practicalities of dressing and
equipping to survive and operate
safely, in adverse conditions.
• The correct use of aircraft
covers and blanks.
• Mental and physical training for
survival in the unexpected.
Cold-weather Protection
Dress to Survive “There is no
bad weather, only inappropriate
clothing” – Sir Ranulph Fiennes,
Polar Explorer. It’s very easy to
think ‘it won’t happen to me’, but
given the extraordinary diversity
of the weather variations we
sometimes face within one day, you
THEJHC
THE JHCDelivering
Deliveringjoint
could easily be caught out. If you
are tempted to cut corners with
the approved Aircrew Equipment
Assemblies (AEA) supplied, ask
yourself ‘Would you ditch your
body armour whilst on Ops?’ JHC
FOB mandates the wearing of two
layers of clothing. The trapping of
warmed air between these layers
is integral to protection against
the cold. This beneficial effect
becomes impaired if clothing is
dirty or in a poor state of repair, so
it is important to keep protective
clothing clean and serviceable.
The Flying Clothing Store may be
on the other side of the airfield,
but don’t risk getting yourself
into a position where you regret
not taking the time to exchange
unserviceable clothing. There is no
truth in the old myth that washing
risks reducing the fire retardant
(FR) properties of Flying Clothing.
Our standard 2-layer flying clothing
can be further augmented by the
wearing of the ‘onesie’ FR bodysuit
inside the flying suit and/or the
2-piece FR Mk3 Cold Weather (CW)
Flying Suit over it. An overhaul of
the entire Cold Weather Assembly
is being looked at, but don’t
ignore what you already have.
Grab-bag Contents ‘What’s in
your Go / Grab-bag?’ may be a
relevant CW planning question. Do
you carry any form of head-over
to replace your helmet if you were
forced to land away from a base?
Is the survival equipment in your
go-bag serviceable? Have you
considered adding additional items
for the onset of winter? Should
these include some food and a
flask of hot drink? Yes, planning
and implementing all of this takes
extra time, but could be a life saver
if you risk becoming stranded
on a bleak windswept Welsh
mountain in the depths of winter.
Responsibilities Selection of extra
clothing and go-bag contents to
counter colder weather is down
jointsuccess
successon
onoperations
operations

Writ ten By: Maj A Atkinson-Willes and WO1 C Lay
to the individual’s choice, but
responsibility for ensuring that
aircrew are appropriately ‘dressed
to survive’ for planned sorties
(including its possible ‘what ifs?’) is
not only a personal responsibility,
but also that of the Aircraft Captain
and the Flight Authoriser. Military
personnel are at increased risk
from the effects of cold, because
of the unavoidable need to expose
them to adverse environmental
conditions both in training and in
readiness for operations. Those
who have previously suffered
from Non-Freezing Cold Injuries
will be more susceptible in the
future; it is therefore incumbent
not only on the individual to take
the appropriate precautions, but
also on the CoC to be aware of this
history, so that deployability can be
managed safely, the work burden
of colleagues in not amplified
unexpectedly and unit operational
effectiveness negatively impacted.
The following publications provide
useful guidance and expand further
on cold and climatic injuries:
A Commanders Guide
to Climatic Injury
JSP 539 Climatic Illness and
Injury in the Armed Forces
An Individuals Guide
to Climatic Injury
The Mental Effect Historically,
the significance of mental health
has been overlooked and even
derided with the phrase ‘Man-Up’.
Recent high-profile campaigns have
highlighted the effects of PTSD
and strived to remove stigmas
surrounding mental Illness, but
stress, fatigue and depression can
accumulate more rapidly in the
more adverse winter environment.
Cold, gloomy, wet weather does
nothing to raise our mood, when
the pressure is on and some people
are particularly susceptible to a
recognised mental health condition
associated with this, known as
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Most of us are affected by the
visit:www.lzdzonline.co.uk
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
change in season – it is normal to
feel more cheerful and energetic
when the days are longer and the
sun is shining and to eat more or
sleep longer in winter. However,
if you are susceptible to SAD, the
change in seasons can have a far
greater effect on your mood and
energy levels, leading to symptoms
that may, in turn, have a significant
impact on your performance levels.
For more information visit the
‘Mind’ website; www.mind.org.
uk. Below are some of the many
symptoms of SAD, which may
accumulate gradually and should
be referred to your MO/MAME,
if becoming unmanageable:
• Lack of energy for everyday tasks,
such as studying or going to work.
• Concentration problems.
• Sleep problems – such as sleeping
for longer than usual or not
being able to get to sleep.
• Depression – feeling sad, low,
tearful, guilty, like you have
let others or yourself down;
sometimes feeling hopeless
and despairing, sometimes
apathetic and feeling nothing.
• Anxiety – tenseness and inability
to cope with everyday stresses.
• Panic Attacks.
Other Areas for
Aircrew to Consider
IFR for IMC Where the likelihood of
having to fly in IMC is greater, ensure
you are in date for IF Currency. IFR
awareness will be paramount when
planning a sortie, e.g. paying greater
attention to alternative airfield data
(especially when planning long
transits) and ensuring familiarity with
selection of the most appropriate
Air Traffic Service. When flying
in formation, crews should avoid
adverse weather, where possible,
diverting around it as necessary;
flying into poor weather displays
poor airmanship and runs the
risk of inadvertently going IMC.
Low-flying & LVL Low flying and
landing in low visibility conditions
JHC SO3 DAEMS
WO1 Ian Fowler
E: Ian.Fowler477@mod.gov.uk
T: 01264 784752
JHC SO3 Fire Safety
WO Christopher Davies
E: Christopher.Davies817@
mod.gov.uk
T: 01264 385563
(i.e. dawn, dusk, ground mist,
fog, low-cloud, heavy rain, hail JHC SO2 Safety Case 1
or snow) brings its own set of Ch47, Pu2, N3 &
problems. Greater awareness Aviation DH Facing
is also needed of both charted Maj John Osborne Para
and uncharted obstructions (i.e. E: John.Osborne900@mod.gov.uk
wires, towers, masts, wind farms T: 01264 381135
and areas of temporary high-
density wildfowl populations)
in addition to the nature of JHC SO2 Safety Case 2
the terrain itself. This is where Me, WC & Lx
reference to NOTAMs, CADS and Maj Russ Bothwick Royal Artillery
the Low-Flying Handbook, the E: Russ.Bothwick790@mod.gov.uk
prompt reporting of uncharted T: 01264 381515
obstructions and the maintenance
of accurate Briefing Room wires
and uncharted obstruction maps JHC SO2 Safety Case 3
is more important than ever. AH, Isl/Def & Gz
Maj Jonathan Gilbert REME
A Lesson from E: JHC-Safety-SafetyCase3@
History – Winston mod.uk
Churchill May 1942 T: 030 67704903
In May 1942, Winston Churchill
used the opportunity of the
second anniversary of his JHC SO2 Safety Case 4
taking the premiership to mock Sq, Bell 212, WK & UAS
Hitler over his “first blunder” Maj Ant Atkinson-Willes AGC ETS
of invading Russia. “There is a E: Anthony.Atkinson-
winter, you know, in Russia,” he Willes@mod.gov.uk
said. “For a good many months T: 01264 381486
the temperature is apt to fall very
low. There is snow, there is frost,
and all that. Hitler forgot about JHC Duty Officer
this Russian winter. He must have Office Hours
been very loosely educated. We T: 01264 381490
all heard about it at school; but Out of Hours
he forgot it. I have never made T: 07717 451 970
such a bad mistake as that.”
Of course, Hitler had heard
of it at school as well, and JHC Air Safety Branch
furthermore his library Duty Phone
featured large numbers of Out of Hours
books on Napoleon and his T: 07990 550 427
campaigns, which were covered
in extensive marginalia in his
own handwriting, as well as JHC Air Safety Team
several biographies of generals Assistants
of the Napoleonic era. Yet he Maj Mishap AAC
did not learn the most obvious Chief Cause RN
lesson from his predecessor. Sgt Slip RAF
* Extracted from The Storm of
War by Andrew Roberts.
LZDZ // Issue
LZDZ Issue3,
3,2017 11
201711
lessons corner
Why do people not
follow procedures?
There are many factors
involved in the reason why
employees do not follow
established procedures. These
factors can be very complex
and involve organisational,
management, motivational,
job design, equipment, and
environmental considerations,
among others. Not too long
ago we often flew single pilot,
single engine aircraft with
rudimentary safety systems
and not much redundancy and
accident rates reflected this
lack of system redundancy.
Now our aircraft are far more
sophisticated and reliable
twin-engine platforms with
duplex or better systems; they
are self-monitoring and warn us
of impending danger before it
becomes critical. Airworthiness
and crashworthiness features
are at the heart of aircraft
design. Today, the weak link
in the activity is much more
likely to be the human than
the machine. Thus human
errors will account for most of
our incidents in the future.
What are our motivations?
Direct Motivators
Making life easier – this can be a
prime motivator for many people
to cut corners. An unwillingness
to use the appropriate tools and
safety equipment in the agreed
manner is a common problem.
Behaviour Modifiers
Poor perception of safety risks
– an individual often consciously
balances risk against benefit
before deciding to commit
a procedural violation (not
just the risk of being caught).
It is therefore important to
determine how an individual
determines the degree of risk.
12 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
Failure to Follow
The term ‘Failure to Follow Procedure’ (F2FP)
is a generic term used when an individual does
not follow a defined and authorised process.
I
t is not confined to Military
Aviation and is a recognised
problem across other military
areas and throughout
civilian industry. F2FP leads
to errors, incidents and, in
worse case, accidents.
Defence Aviation invests
considerable effort in designing
reliable management systems
in order to reduce variability
in output (we rely on aircrew,
ground crew and engineers as
well as support staff to behave in
a certain way that almost always
guarantees a consistently safe
outcome – we call these groupings
the 4 Worlds). These systems
operate under the assumption
that employees will follow the
established rules and procedures.
However, when human factors
are not considered in the system,
errors and violations made by
employees can put the entire
system at risk – ergo Air Safety is
undermined (compromised). All
3 Services recognise this as an
Saving time – finishing a task
early is an important motivator to
violate a procedure, especially if
the task is unpleasant or tedious;
early completion gives a person
more time to spend on a more
rewarding aspect of the job
or even to leave work early.
Low perception of potential
injury or a/c damage – a
worker may be more willing to
deviate from a procedure if or
she considers it is unlikely to
result in injury or damage. Such
perceptions and risk analysis
should be dealt with in training.
issue but thus far it has proved a
difficult nut to crack. The Aviation
Reconnaissance Force (a part
of the JHC) has put its head
above the proverbial parapet
and is trying to tackle F2FP by
accepting that there is no silver
bullet but sees value in the ‘sum
of marginal gains’ approach in
which focussed intervention is
bearing down on Air, Ground or
Maintenance examples of F2FP.
Review of the impact
of human error
on the system
An error is the failure of planned
actions to achieve their desired
goal – there are basically two ways
in which this failure can occur:
1. The plan is adequate but the
associated actions do not unfold
as intended. Actions deviate from
the current intention (he used
the correct tool but it slipped
piercing the aircraft skin). These
are failures of execution and
Impractical procedures – the
deliberate breaking of rules
often occurs as a result of the
rules being genuinely impractical
or perceived as such. In these
instances the motive to violate
may be to help the organisation
to get the job done, as opposed
to any personal gain.
Convoluted, complex or
contradictory instructions.
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
Procedure
are commonly termed slips and
lapses. Slips relate to observable
actions and are associated
with attention failures. Lapses
are more internal events and
relate to failures of memory.
2. The actions may go entirely
as planned but the plan itself is
inadequate to achieve its intended
objective (he used the wrong tool
for the job). These are failures of
intention, known as mistakes.
Meister (1977) classified errors
further into four major groups:
1. Performance of a required
action incorrectly (I checked the
oil but against the wrong level).
2. Failure to perform a
required action (omission
error) (I didn’t check the oil).
3. Performance of a required
action out of sequence (combined
commission/omission error) (I
checked the oil too soon after
shutdown and thus the oil had
not drained to the sump leading
to an inaccurate measurement).
Unrealistic operating
instructions or maintenance
schedules – procedures which
place excessive demands on the
user are likely to be rejected
and alternative improvised
methods may be adopted.
Promotes improvisation which
over time becomes normative.
4. Performance of a non-
required action (commission
error) (I added a litre of oil as
this is a typical daily usage).
Violations of established procedures
are of particular interest because
there is demonstrable intent not
to follow the rules. Violations
can be defined as any deliberate
deviation from the established
procedures, instructions or
regulations introduced for the safe
or efficient operation of a process
or maintenance of equipment. This
applies to all levels, from operators
to senior management. Contrary to
What are the inherent
risks from slips, lapses,
mistakes and violations?
Slips are the most benign
error, they are often quickly
detected and don’t frequently
lead to damage or injury.
Lapses are more dangerous
because they may be missed.
It is harder to spot that you
haven’t done something.
Mistakes are even more dangerous
because those making the mistake
think they are doing the right thing.
Violations are most dangerous
of all. They often represent quite
Demonstrating skill and
enhancing self-esteem – There
is some evidence that people’s
behaviour is influenced by social
image (“Freddy can do a DFS in 30
minutes”) (“Dick can change a blade
without using a ladder”). This motive
is therefore likely to be strong in
groups of individuals who consider
themselves as possessing higher
than normal levels of work skills.
Poor management or supervision.
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
expectations, violations are usually
the result of well-intentioned
staff attempting to ‘get the
job done’, rather than a self-
serving act of corner-cutting.
So what:
1. Violations take people outside the
boundaries of safe working practices,
making the environment less forgiving
to errors. In other words, violations
remove one layer of defence
which aims to ensure predictable
and safe working practices.
2. Violations can themselves be
errors when the individual does
deliberate intention not to follow
safety or other procedures
and governance which puts
aircrew and others at risk.
So we know what the issues are,
can anything be done about it.
Many will say that humans are
naturally flawed and will always
make errors and mistakes – while
this may be true to some extent
(we have to assume that errors will
always occur) it is far too defeatist,
we must do all we can to train, to
educate and to supervise our way
to better behaviours and better
decision making. If procedures
are inaccessible or unclear we can
make them accessible and clear.
Real or perceived pressure
(from above) to cut corners
– repeated management of
expressions of concern over aircraft
availability can easily create an
impression that they are more
concerned with output than with
safety. Staff may therefore think
that management would want
them to cut corners and take
risks if it speeds the job up.
Poor accountability
Complacency caused by
accident free environments
not know or understand the rule.
This lack of understanding is
dangerous in itself, because while
not appreciating the risk, people
may not protect themselves.
3. Violations can take people
into new or unpractised
situations, in which they are
more prone to errors.
4. Violations are breaches in the
last line of defence. Procedures
are barriers put in place because
other alternatives, such as
design, hardware and avoidance
of the problem, are not possible.
If people don’t have the right
tools we can give them the right
tools. If we don’t have the right
Suitably Qualified Experienced
Personnel (SQEP) to do the
job we reduce output until we
do – these are all proactive
actions that any organisation
can and should take. We also
get a plethora of In-Forms and
DASORs to which we can react.
With a better understanding of
Errors, Mistakes and Violations
we can drill down into each
occurrence and find out what
happened, why it happened,
what the motivators were and
make SMART recommendations
to rectify the situation.
Real and perceived peer
pressure to break the rules
– Some workers are strongly
influenced by their colleagues
especially if there is a rank gradient.
There is a strong need to be
seen by the group to fit in with its
methods and values. The pressure
to fit in, which may be either
explicit or implicit, is likely to be
especially strong for new recruits.
Ineffective disciplinary
procedures
Inadequate positive rewards
for adopting approved
work practices.
What is to be done?
Under the supervision of the
Aviation Reconnaissance Force
Air Safety department we have
created 3 F2FP champions (Air
(including ATC) / Ground /
Maintenance). They have discreet
working groups at which F2FP
In-Forms and DASORs can be
used to evaluate the factors that
influence employee behaviour,
violations of procedures and
errors; some of these are internal
such as motivation, behaviour
and job methods but others
such as supervision and work
environment are external. F2FP
champions are charged with
devising practical management
strategies for reducing violations
and to influence the attitudes and
behaviour of the workforce. The
DAEMS manager has produced
BowTie Risk analysis charts to
help the Maintenance and Ground
champions to focus on likely threat
lines. The results of these WGs are
reported to the Duty Holder at
the bi-monthly Air Safety Board.
DDH, Senior Operator and CAE
‘buy-in’ has been critical to get
this process off the ground. To
be effective the tentacles of Air
Safety need to permeate to the
lowest levels of the organisation,
empower Air Troopers, Techs
and junior aircrew to speak up,
listen to what they have to say,
act on it then provide feedback.
We might not be able to change
the human condition but we can
change the conditions under
which humans work. There is no
room for Murphy’s Law when
it comes to F2FP. Do the right
thing, follow the procedure, use
the right tool for the job and
you won’t go far wrong.
Further
Information
Credits
James Reason. Human error:
models and management.
David Meister. Methods of
predicting human reliability
in man-machine systems.
Axel Santiago. Why employees
do not follow procedures.
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 13
operations
Heading
Air Centric Personnel
Recovery Operatives
Course (APROC) 2017
Written By: Cpl Chris
Plummer, Team 2, A Flt, TSW
Exercise APROC 2017
was hosted by Italy,
in the north eastern
region of Friuli.
O
ver 500 troops
across a multitude of
different European
nations were involved
in the annual European Air Group
APROC co-operation based
exercise. The 17 day exercise
which started on the 13 Jun was
centralised around aviation but
was broken up into different
phases; academics, planning,
execution and evaluation.
Overall, the aim of APROC was to
demonstrate the multi-nations’
ability to successfully recover
downed pilots, collaborate
with each other and become
familiar with different assets.
The event welcomed several
nations; France, Spain, Holland,
Germany, Poland, America,
Belgium and the United Kingdom
whose largest representation
was Tactical Supply Wing (TSW).
For TSW, the exercise
began much earlier than 13
14 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
Jun. Provisional planning for
the exercise started in early
January with the initial planning
conference which was held by the
host nation in Rivolto, northern
Italy. Further details were
confirmed at the main planning
conference in March allowing
TSW to identify a team of eight
personnel who would represent
TSW and Joint Helicopter
Command. Extensive planning
then followed which involved the
mapping of the route including
obtaining diplomatic clearances
for Holland, Germany, Austria
and Italy. Preparation for the
vehicles which were allocated
to the exercise started weeks
in advance to ensure that the
two tactical aircraft refuellers
and other vehicles were fully
equipped for the 1200 mile
journey, and all overnight rests
were scheduled to ensure secure
parking for military vehicles.
On 7 Jun we moved from
our unit at MOD Stafford to
Hull Europort, where we loaded
our vehicles as freight onto
The Pride of Rotterdam. After
an overnight ferry crossing we
advanced from Rotterdam onto
Kaiserslautern, where we were
able to keep our OSHKOSH’
overnight at the US Army base.
On 9 Jun we moved on to Erding
Barracks located just outside
Munich where we stayed for the
weekend due to European driving
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
restrictions. We embarked on
our final stretch of the journey on
Monday 12 Jun where we moved
onto Rivolto Italian Air Force base.
The first phase of the
exercise started with a Forward
Arming Refuel Point (FARP) Fit
programme, which covered an
introduction to the European Air
Group training programme led by
the Host Nation. Following this
several briefs were presented; a
Marshall brief, a Radio COMMS
brief, a FARP Ops brief, an
administration brief by our Host
Nation, an introduction of each
of the various National FARP
assets and a familiarisation to
all Helicopters supporting the
course. Following a week of
comprehensive meetings we
enjoyed an International night
with all attending Nations where
we each shared our native
delicacies – TSW treated the
group to Guinness, TSW home
brew and pork scratchings!
The main task was to provide
refuel support to the 16 different
rotary aircraft. The execution phase
required us to mobilise different
assets to various FARP locations,
which were spread across the
Friulian-Venezian region of Italy.
Our team of 8 operators were
spread across the respective FARP
locations Istrana, Osoppo and
Belluno and were grouped with a
mix of other personnel from the
participating nations Holland and
Italy. Each member of our team
was experienced enough to fully
integrate into a mixed team working
with unfamiliar equipment and
different operating procedures.
Following a successful exercise,
the debrief was delivered on
28 Jun and we then began
our long transit back to MOD
Stafford, moving from Rivolto
Air Base to Erding Barracks,
across the Alps from Erding to
Kaiserslautern US Army base
and then back to Kaiserslautern
for the weekend. We made our
last leg across Europe on 3 Jul
to Rotterdam Europort taking
the Pride of Hull back to the
UK arriving home on 4 Jul.
In summary, the TSW
Detachment effectively deployed
and recovered the 1200 miles
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
across Europe to Rivolto Airbase
to provide FARP support to the
annual APROC for 2017. The
detachment completed the newly
established FARP Fit programme
and aircraft familiarisation on other
NATO helicopters and three FARP
teams from Holland, Italy and
United Kingdom fully integrated
and provided refuel capability to
the task forces at three forward
locations for the duration of the
exercise. During the exercise a
total of 76 aircraft refuels were
completed by the FARP teams
including 33 rotors turning
refuels in a variety of tactical
field sites and under simulated
operational conditions.
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 15
OPERATIONS
RAF Odiham
deploy to the
Caribbean
Aircraft and personnel from RAF Odiham
have made up a large number of the UK
response to the Hurricanes in the Caribbean.
W
ith a large number
of personnel
aboard HMS
Ocean when it
was re-tasked, the Station’s first
priority was to resupply the Force
in order to sustain the additional
voyage across the Atlantic.
Spooling up aircraft and resources,
the first 2 Aircraft left for Gibraltar
fully laden with kit and equipment
within 24 hours, this was followed
less than 24hours later with a
further 2 RAF Chinooks carrying
more supplies as well as essential
engineering and medical
equipment for the RNAS and the
Commando Helicopter Force.
With most of the Station
working through the
16 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
weekend, plans were drawn
up to send 2 more Aircraft
to the devastated region.
27 Sqn this time took the
lead, drawing engineering
support from across the whole
Station, aircraft were flown
to RAF Brize Norton to be
disassembled and prepped to be
flown by Tactical Air Transport.
A huge undertaking from all
the personnel involved. A party
was also flown to receive the
aircraft and ensure they could
be rebuilt as soon as possible
and begin to assist the growing
number of UK personnel.
The Rotary heavy-lift capability
has proved invaluable, moving
personnel kit and equipment
around the region. The first
Chinook began work in Turks and
Caicos, lending a hand between
Hurricanes Irma and Maria, before
flying to Trinidad to avoid the
worsening weather. OC 27 Sqn,
the detachment commander said
“Personnel are well prepared for
the next few days and I expect
we are in the perfect place for
the relief effort afterwards”.
Since Hurricane Maria both
deployments have been busy
delivering Aid, HMS Ocean
came alongside on the 21st
Sep and was immediately seen
dropping off supplies to the
islands, these included heavy
plant machinery, an amphibious
vehicle and a pickup donated
by the government of Gibraltar.
This has all been achieved along
with the routine servicing and
maintenance of the Chinook
whilst operating from a ship.
Congratulations to MAcr Dale
“Ginge” Folkard for achieving
the significant milestone of
4000 flying hours during Op
RUMAN tasking on 22 Sep 17.
27 Sqn have been busy
flying aid between the islands.
They also flew the Dominican
Prime Minister, Roosevelt
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
Skerrit, to talks with his officials
at the cricket pitch at Roseau,
this has been a key site in the
tasking generated by the island
government with UK assistance.
18 Sqn(B) arrived with HMS
Ocean just off the British Virgin
Islands at 0600 on Fri 22 Sept.
Personnel immediately deployed
on the ground as part of the HMS
Ocean Command Liaison Team
to link in with 40 Commando,
and flew multiple aircraft sorties
delivering much needed aid and
heavy equipment across the island
chain. The effect and increase
in tempo aviation brought was
immediately felt by both the
islanders as well as by the Royal
Marines. With an intense 3 days
completed HMS Ocean set sail
on the evening of Sun 24 Sep
and moved to Anguilla, arriving
first thing on Monday. Another
intense period of activity awaits!
No-one else in theatre
can use three cargo hooks to
carry up to 8 tonnes of stores
and equipment at one go!!
If DfID need kit and supplies
moving without a runway in play,
the Chinook force can make it
happen quicker than anyone else
in the Area of Operations.
 RAF Chinooks from 27 Squadron
using the heavy lift that they
excel at to help those affected
on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The airspace is busy with
other aviators who have
responded to the call of civilian
agencies and local government
for some short term help
and specialist abilities.
Working with 24 Commando
Engineers, the RAF Chinook
detachment now has the
experts in infrastructure,
supplies and rebuilding
positioned around the area to
get the right resources in the
right place at the right time.

FB
Update
from 27
Sqn in the
Caribbean
Aircraft and crew from 27
Squadron have been following in
the wake of Hurricanes Irma and
Maria under the direction of DFID.
The Dominican Prime Minister,
Roosevelt Skerrit, talks to officials
after his flight to his stricken island
while OC 27 squadron gets stuck in
with the unload of bags and freight.
The cricket pitch at Roseau
has been a key site in the
tasking generated by the island
government with UK assistance.
All of the personnel working
to offer help and reassurance
to those affected have been
overwhelmed by the resilience
and emotional strength of the
civilians and organisations that
they have been supporting.
Surrounded by the endlessly
accommodating staff of Grantley
Adams International Airport on
Barbados; Entitled Personnel
airlifted out of the devastation
with few to no belongings are
received with open arms as part
of on-going relief efforts carried
out by 27 Squadron aircraft,
crews and engineers.

visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 17

operations
save life
RAF Odiham Chinooks
A ROYAL Air Force
Chinook helicopter
flew a life-saving night
mission to Dominica
in the aftermath of
Hurricane Maria to
rescue a seven-month-
old baby in critical
need of medical care.
T
he urgent flight – in
the small hours of
22 September – was
among a series of RAF
mercy missions in Caribbean
islands ravaged by violent
hurricanes, as the Department
for International Development
(DfID) coordinated a massive
relief effort across the region.
The 27 Squadron Chinook –
usually based at RAF Odiham,
Oxfordshire – was called up at
1.00am by the UK’s DfID-led
joint headquarters in Barbados,
as the seven-month-old
premature baby developed
severe breathing problems. A
team of rapid response RAF
medics dashed to the aircraft,
and were airborne within 35
minutes of receiving their task.
Squadron Leader Becky
Woolley, an RAF medical officer
with the Deployable Aeromedical
Response Team Squadron, flew
on the life-or-death mission.
“When we were called up all
we knew was that the patient
was very young and very poorly,
so we had to think through the
worst-case situation,” she said.
After landing in a football
stadium in Dominica – which had
been damaged after Hurricane
Maria slammed into the island on
20 September – Sqn Ldr Woolley’s
team assessed the struggling
infant and treated her breathing
problems, before flying the child
and her mother to a hospital in the
French territory of Martinique.
“It was amazing to see the
team respond,” said Sqn Ldr
18 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
Woolley. “ The Chinook’s blades
were turning by the time we
arrived, and the crew made
sure we had information so that
we were mentally prepared for
what we’d face. We were able
to give the French medics in
Martinique a good handover,
so the baby had a quick
movement on to proper care.
“The things we’ve seen and
done here in the Caribbean have
been humbling,” she added.
“The Chinook guys have flown
similar missions to this before,
but this was my first – I always
knew it was the sort of thing
I might have to do, and was
just hoping I’d get it right.”
RAF aircraft have flown several
other children to safety in the
wake of the hurricanes. Among
the first to be plucked from the
disaster area was four-year-old
Shaylan Bobb, from the British
Virgin Islands. On 17 September,
as Hurricane Maria bore down on
the Territory – already flattened
by Hurricane Irma – Royal
Marines Commandos helped
Shaylan and his grandmother,
Eugena, to reach the Islands’
airport. They flew aboard an
RAF C-130J Hercules to safety
in Barbados, and had a chance
to speak to the aircrew in
mid-flight to thank them.
Flt Lt Chris Millson, an RAF
C-130J Hercules pilot, is among
the RAF aircrew who have flown
vulnerable people from the
stricken islands. “In many ways this
is the proudest part of my job,”
he said. “We carry all kinds of
passengers around the Caribbean,
from the Royal Marines, to medics,
police, DfID and other support
staff. But it’s when I see families
getting ready to board the aircraft
that I really feel the effect we’re
having. Some of these people have
lost everything, and it’s amazing
to think that we’re helping them
to safety – and helping them
to rebuild their lives.”
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
 “ Some of these people have
lost everything, and it’s amazing
to think that we’re helping
them to safety – and helping

”
them to rebuild their lives

visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 19

operations

Anzio Finn
EX
Written By: Sgt Casey, 5 Regt AAC
A heat wave hit as 12
members of 5 Regiment
Army Air Corps arrived
in Italy for Ex Anzio Finn,
a Battlefield Study of
the Lazio Region of Italy,
encompassing the Monte
Cassino, Anzio area and
focussing on the Allied
advance to Rome.
away from the Gustav line to
the defence of Anzio and Rome.
Simultaneously however the allies
would approach and attack the
Line from the south. The attack
itself was slow as the Allies stayed
on Anzio Beachhead in a 7 mile
radius for three days allowing the
German forces to reinforce their
positions with some 40,000 men.
After six weeks of intense
on the Western Front during the
First World War. Artillery caused
the majority of infantry casualties.
The sodden conditions in trenches
and dugouts caused many cases
of trench foot. Malaria and other
diseases were also a hazard in
the mosquito-infested marshes.
Allied non-combat casualties for
the campaign totalled 37,000.
Operation Buffalo was launched
on 23 May 1944. As the German
Forces were unsure which direction
the Allies would take to leave Anzio
so they diverted troops to cover
the shortest route to Rome. The
US 1st Armoured Division under
General Clark took the relatively
of the main route to Rome while
the British having taken Aprillia
previously, were still in defence of
the town. Controversially having
broken the German line General
Clark stopped the US drive
north, which may have captured
German troops from retreating
and reinforcing the German
defences to the north of Italy,
instead switching to Operation
Turtle with Clark determined
that the US Fifth Army, and not
the British advancing from the
south, should be first into Rome.
Our tour started with a trip to
the Commonwealth War Cemetery
in Anzio. The immaculately

T
he Italian campaign
was intended to pin
down German forces
that might otherwise
be deployed to the Russian front
or to France ahead of the D-Day
landings on the 6 Jun 1944.
The Battle of Anzio started
on the 22 Jan 1944 with the
Allied amphibious landing
known as Operation Shingle
and ended on the 5 Jun 1944
with the capture of Rome. It
was planned to land troops
behind the heavily armoured
and mountainous Gustav Line to
confuse the German Army and
have them relocate resources
fighting, the Anzio campaign had undefended town of Cisterna south maintained graves of 1056 Soldiers,
reached a bloody stalemate. The
Germans had contained the Allied
invasion force, but lacked the
strength to push it back. Some
depleted German units were
pulled out of the line to rest and
refit, while others were put to
work constructing fortifications.
The Germans ordered a new
defensive line to be prepared
south of Rome – the Caesar Line.
The fighting in March and
April 1944 was restricted to local
skirmishes, mortar and artillery
duels, and night time patrolling
in no-man’s land. In many ways
it was a repetition of the fighting

Top
A photograph
from Anzio
town, proving
that RSMs never
did have a sense
of humour

Bottom
Members of 5
Regt AAC at the
Commonwealth
Cemetery near
Monte Cassino

20 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

Sailors and Airmen are found
here, with 19 graves showing
only Regimental insignia as the
only means of identifying the
deceased. Many of our younger
soldiers present were visibly
moved by the experience, and
with how young the majority of
the casualties were with row upon
row of fallen heroes. In all we
visited 5 cemeteries during the
tour, all of which were beautifully
maintained including the Italian
Cemetery near Monte Cassino
and the American Italy Campaign
Cemetery in Nettuno. The
differences between each nation’s
war cemeteries was clear to see,
The British were pristine with a
simple lay out and decorated
with small plaques. The Italian
cemetery was like an amphitheatre
rising up from the ground with
each row higher than the last and
the US Cemetery was a grand
garden with a giant pond at the
entrance leading to an 800m
walk up to the epic building that
housed the names of all the US
casualties in the Italian Campaign.
The Monte Cassino area was
next with a guided tour from local
expert Danila Bracaglia. Danila
led us along the axis of the Allied
assault, a seemingly impenetrable
mountainous region. This
immediately identified the
difficulties faced by the Allies,
assaulting a well ‘dug in’ enemy
dominating the high ground at
every stage of the campaign,
decimating morale and inflicting
many casualties. During this stage
we learned of the label attributed
to the British Soldiers fighting in
the Italy Campaign, “The D-Day
Dodgers”. This name was given
to the soldiers by an MP back in
the UK whose perception was
that there was nothing for the
troops to do in Italy except sun
themselves and drink wine, while
those in the UK prepared for
D-Day. This further destroyed
morale and led to the emergence
of the song “D-Day Dodgers”,
written by soldiers fighting in
the campaign and summing up
the feeling of the British Troops
in a sarcastic but funny style.
We also visited the monastery
which was all but levelled by
Allied bombing; the position
of the monastery made it an
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
ideal defensive location with
outstanding views as far as the
eye could see thus making it
an important objective. The
monastery is now rebuilt back
to its elegant self; there are
wonderful paintings, giant
staircases and marble statues in
what is an impressive structure.
Rome was last on the agenda,
a city of considerable historical
significance that was given an
amnesty from German troops
during WW2. In the event of
Allied forces marching on the
city, the German Army would
leave to keep Rome free from
the damages of war and set up
defensive lines further to the
north. Rome is a must see city
and provides a condensed variety
“
of historical monuments and
sites. Everyone enjoyed this flying
visit which proved to be a popular
but temporary distraction Top
from the Anzio campaign. Many of our younger The immaculately
maintained and
The Italy campaign is little soldiers present very moving
represented in films and the Anzio Cemetery
media and for me was a place of
were visibly moved
little knowledge drowned out by by the experience, Bottom
High points along
the fighting closer to home such and with how young the Gustav line
as the D-Day landings however the majority of the
all 12 of us came back with a
lot of respect for the “D-Day
casualties were
Dodgers” and the campaign with row upon row
”
that caused the surrender of of fallen heroes.
the Italians during WW2.
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 21
operations

18 Sqn(B) arrived with HMS

Ocean just off the British Virgin
Islands at 0600 on Fri 22 Sept.
Personnel immediately deployed
on the ground as part of the HMS
Ocean Command Liaison Team
to link in with 40 Commando,
and flew multiple aircraft sorties
delivering much needed aid
and heavy equipment across
the island chain. The effect
and increase in tempo aviation Ocean set sail on the evening
brought was immediately felt of Sun 24 Sep and moved to
by both the islanders as well as Anguilla, arriving first thing
by the Royal Marines. With an on Monday. Another intense
intense 3 days completed HMS period of activity awaits!

18 Sqn The first training flights

have taken place from the
deck of HMS Ocean.

Update The crews have been

practicing under slung load
training in preparation for their
arrival in the Caribbean region.
This skill will be essential for the
delivery of aid and resources
to the devastated islands.
Working from the
ship adds its own unique
challenges which need to be
continuously trained for.

22 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

 EARN WHILE YOU LEARN
–APPRENTICESHIPS FEATURE
The Spring edition of LZDZ will include an
A4 supplement focusing on apprenticeship
opportunities, aimed at the families of

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RAF serving and civilian personnel.
This will look at a range of choices from FE and
HE bodies as well as private and public sector
employers. We offer options for employer profiles
and recruitment opportunities; to advertise,
please contact Laurence on 01536 526678

You could be in the Algarve,

relaxing in the sun...
A spacious 1 bedroom apartment with shared swimming pool. The apartment is situated on the top floor of a 3
storey block. Quiet location, but only 5 mins walk to the marina and another 5 mins to the town centre.

Self Catering Holiday Apartment

• Twin bedroom.
• Open plan kitchen & lounge.
• The kitchen has a 4-ring hob,
oven, microwave, toaster
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• Family sized bathroom.
• The lounge has a sofa (which PRICES:
converts into two single beds) Jan - March
April
£225
£300
and a table to seat four. May £325
• A TV, DVD and CD player June
July/August
£375
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are also available. Sept £375
• Patio doors open onto the Oct £325
Nov/Dec £250
balcony, offering views over
the pool and across Lagos.
• Ample parking space in
front of the building.
www.algarveestatemanagement.co.uk/ Phone Judith on
property/apartment-meia_19744 01536 711884
sports
Heading
Commando Helicopter Force
Personnel participate in the
Highland Games
Tug-of-War at the 2017
Braemar Gathering
E
ight members of the
Commando Helicopter
Force (CHF), led by
Sergeant Adam Mason
RM, made their way from
Somerset to the Braemar
Gathering to compete in the 2017
Highland Games Tug of War, in
front of Her Majesty the Queen.
Following a break for several
years 2016 saw the resumption
of the Inter Services Tug of War
rivalry between teams from the
Royal Navy & Royal Marines, the
Army and the Royal Air Force. The
event was a huge success for the
participants and the presence of
the services was keenly welcomed
by event organisers and watching
24 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
public alike; so much so that the
Gathering organisers invited
the services (especially the
Royal Navy) to participate again
this year. There was an added
invitation, for entry into the
Games’ traditional Relay Foot
Race, for which four members
of CHF quickly volunteered
(Col Brown RM, Cpl Thorpe,
Mne Clarke and Mne Dunbar).
The Commando Helicopter
Force are based in the West
Country at the Royal Naval Air
Station Yeovilton. At day’s end
The Commando helicopter Force
personnel finished 3rd in the
Tug of War and 4th in the Relay.
Representing the Commando
Helicopter Force in front of Her
Majesty at such an incredible
venue, and as part of such an
historical and prestigious event
has been a wonderful experience
and the West Country can be
proud that it has been well
represented. The Commando
Helicopter Force Commanding
Officer Colonel Lenny Brown
RM (a Glaswegian) attended the
event to support his men and
also participated in the Relay.
CHF Unit PTI Sgt Mason
said, “it was a great day for the
Royal Navy and Royal Marines
to compete at this historic event
with excellent support from
spectators and competitors”.
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 25
Sports

7 Avn Sp Bn REME

Brickwood’s Field Gun

Competition 2017
Written By: Capt Barton, PO Langley 2016, 7 Avn Sp Bn REME knew competition was very appealing
(RN), Cpl Rawson, LCpl Warren that they had their work cut out, to me and the fact that 7 Avn
if they were to retain the title Sp Bn REME were the reigning
A Stunning Achievement for 7 Avn Bn and deny the RN once again. champions, I was inspired by the
REME Team who Won the Field Gun possibility of them winning again.
Competition for the Second Year Running. Training and Training and selection
Team Selection began on 6 Mar 17 in the gym

T
he Royal Navy and PO James ‘Shippers’ Langley at Wattisham Flying Station
MAIN IMAGE
The crew Royal Marines Charity Being a Royal Navy Aircraft
celebrating the (RNRMC) Field Gun Technician, I am currently on a
‘Double Victory’ Competition is held 3 year exchange draft to 7 Avn
annually at HMS Collingwood Sp Bn REME. I am an endurance
MIDDLE
The final Run Home in Fareham, Hampshire. The athlete and regularly compete in
competition sees crews of 18 triathlon events. I was planning
TOP RIGHT highly disciplined, motivated and to train and compete in the
The chaotic physically fit field gunners, race 2017 Ironman UK competition,
look of the first
wheel change to assemble an antique field gun but having been invited to have
and run with it, disassembling a ‘taste’ of Field Gun at the
Middle Right and reassembling as the National Indoor Arena (NIA)
No1 Trainer
competition requires, before competition in Nov 2016, I
waits for the
completion of the dramatically dragging the gun decided to sacrifice my training
1st firing action home, maintaining the spirit of programme and try-out for a
the Royal Navy’s contribution to place on this year’s Bn Field
the relief of Ladysmith. Having gun crew. The thought of being
taken the coveted Brickwood’s a member of an Army team,
Trophy from the Royal Navy in competing in a Royal Navy

26 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

(WFS). Every lunch time a group
of approx. 35 like-minded
individuals attended various
types of strength, power and
conditioning sessions, proving
their capabilities, determination
and potential to the Field Gun
No 1 Trainer. It was clear from
the start that everyone attending
was strong, as they were all
deadlifting 140Kg within the
first couple of days of training.
Being an endurance athlete, this
kind of training was completely
opposite to that of which I was
used to and I was going to have
to fight for a place on the crew;
as only 18 can be selected to
run. I genuinely feared that if I
was not selected for the crew,
I would have wasted valuable
endurance training time and
potentially forgone my chances
for Ironman UK, for nothing.
For me, the time spent
training in the gym was hard
work, but very enjoyable
and rewarding. My body was
adapting to the short, sharp,
power stints and my sprint times
were improving. It was when the
training turned to the marked
out Field Gun Track, that it really
began to ramp up. On 24 Apr
17 we were introduced to the
equipment and were put through
our paces by the No1 Trainer to
determine who would be best
suited to each position. There
is no favouritism in Field Gun,
the fastest and/or most accurate
person is selected for the
relevant crew position, the only
factor beyond this is that you are
to carry out your drill ‘as taught’,
to the best of your ability and
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
have absolute confidence in the
other crew members that they
will do the same. If you are not
able to focus in this manner, it
could result in serious injuries
to yourself and/or others. This is
where the saying “eighteen as
one” is never more prevalent.
Training was now every
morning and lunch time, which
with the morning commute from
home, I had to get up at 0500hrs
and would regularly fall asleep
in front of the TV at night; much
to my finance’s displeasure.
After a few days of ‘bit drill’
we were soon completing ‘full
runs’ and polishing our drill to
shave hundredths off seconds
and increasing our accuracy. We
were committed by this point
as any missed training sessions kept us ‘hungry’ to improve and training days, enabling each of
by one individual would result negated the risk of us peaking the competing crews to run on
in a wasted training session too early; before the actual all six of the pre-marked tracks
for everyone else. The No 1 competition. Training ended across the parade square. Each
Trainer deliberately kept our the Friday before competition of the tracks is unique, due to
running times from us, as it week by performing a ‘public cambers and unevenness in the
run’ in front of the entire Bn. This tarmac. Crews need to be aware
gave the crew an opportunity of how the equipment reacts at
to experience what it would feel each point of the run and make
like, with the added pressure minor adjustment in their drill
of running in front of a crowd. to compensate, depending on
which track they are running on.
Heats The heats begin on the Friday
Cpl Jamie Rawson morning and are complete by
After an arduous few weeks of Saturday lunchtime. In total
training at WFS, morale in the we would compete in seven
crew was high. It was finally heats, hopefully qualifying
time to head down to HMS for the main final, conducted
Collingwood for the final week on the Saturday afternoon.
of training and to compete for As each of the crews arrived
the prestigious Brickwood’s on the Monday morning and
trophy against another 24 (mainly
RN) crews. The week at HMS
CONTINUED >>>
Collingwood consists of four full
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 27
CONTINUED >>>

began to set up in the tented

village, the atmosphere
started to build and the true
Brickwood’s Field Gun feeling
was experienced by all. After
completing the first couple
of training sessions, our crew
had settled the initial nerves
and were focused and ready
to tackle the week ahead. We
continued to train through the
week, on each track, tweaking
our drill so that we were ready
for any outcome. Not all the
sessions went to plan, with one
particular incident involving
a dropped pin, due to a hole
in a pocket, causing the No1
Trainer to get very ‘excited’
and highly vocal. Other crews
stopped in their tracks, heads
were turned and you could hear
a pin drop as he communicated
his displeasure of having to
abandon a lightning speed
run. With only a few mistakes
being made during the training
sessions and with a consistently
fast pace, we quickly gained the
attention of other crews and put
the ‘cat amongst the pigeons’.
Going in to the heats, the
crew felt ready to give it their all. 1min 16.19sec. Knowing that we Final - 3 Jun 17 how quick we were when we
Although everyone’s bodies were had broken the record on our LCpl ‘Jake’ Warren broke the previous record in
on the verge of breakdown and a first official run, the crew were For me the final at HMS our first officially timed run
few nerves were starting to kick ecstatic and the nerves soon Collingwood is the most (heat 1). Breaking the record
in again, we knew it was time to dissolved. This allowed us to important run of the entire Field didn’t really take any of the
bring our ‘A Game’ and hopefully continue throughout the heats, Gun season. It is not only the pressure off us because we
destroy the competition. Heat thrashing ourselves up and down culmination of weeks of physical had entered this year with
one, track one, we knew that the tracks, keeping clean and and mental preparation, but the intention of retaining
we had to lay down the gauntlet setting some very respectable potentially the last time that the Brickwood’s trophy
and conduct a clean run. This times. With the heats finished, the crew would run together and cementing our names
is exactly what we did, not we had produced seven clean as the 2017 crew of 18. During in Field Gun history.
only did we go ‘out and back’ and very quick runs, which placed training we knew that we Telling myself a hundred
clean; we smashed the existing us first in the standings and were quick in comparison to times over that “this is just
competition record in a time of qualified us into the main final. previous crews and proved just another run” seemed to be the

“
Knowing that we
had broken the
record on our first
official run, the
crew were ecstatic
and the nerves
soon dissolved.

”
28 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations

MAIN IMAGE
Leaping into
the 1st build
BOTTOM LEFT
Shells being
passed to the firer
at the first action
TOP RIGHT
Proving that
‘Nothing Flies
without VII’
only way I could keep my head
straight in the hours running
up to the Brickwood’s final.
When the time came to march
through ‘the tunnel’ and onto
the parade square, the noise
that greeted us from the other
Field Gun crews and spectators
was truly immense and made
the hairs stand up on the back
of our necks. The final started
like any other heat, with the
necessary pleasantries being
conducted by the directing staff
and judges, whilst the crews
prepared themselves to run.
We were positioned on track
5, so we had rival crews either
side of us. The run began on the
sound of a thunder flash and
all six crews burst off the line.
After a slightly slower build of
the limber than what we were
used to, we progressed through
the run and found our rhythm.
The run was fairly smooth,
aside from a couple of minor
hick-ups, resulting from the
pressure, and after making up
a comfortable margin from our
fellow competitors, we crossed
the finish line after the run home.
visit: www.lzdzonline.co.uk
Summary
Being one of only four crews to
have won the Brickwood’s Field
Gun Trophy 2 years in a row
(in the 110 years of history) is a
fantastic achievement and should
not be underestimated. To be
able to bring together 18 men
who operate as one fast, smooth
and efficient ‘Field Gun machine’
is truly amazing to watch and
even more so, to be a part of.
The worry at the end of the
final is if your run is not ‘clean’
and if you are subjected to
penalties, as there are a potential
34 penalties, ranging from 1 to 6
seconds each. With crews running
an average of 1min 20secs, one
single penalty could make the
difference in the standings by
several places. Turning round to
see our number 1 trainer shaking
hands with the judges (a sign
of a ‘clean’ run) meant that we
had done it, we had won the
Brickwood’s trophy! Again! With
a run time of 1min 17.13secs, we
would have taken the previous
record; had we not already
beaten it! The award ceremony
took place shortly after the final
run, with all crews congratulating
each other on their achievements
and for the silverware they had
won. In the end 7 Avn Sp Bn
REME were awarded with the
Power Cup, Aggregate Cup,
Clean Trophy, the Brickwood’s
Trophy and the best No 1 Trainer
Trophy. This pretty much cleaned
out the Royal Navy’s silverware
cabinet, as we took every trophy
that we were eligible to win. The
This year’s crew had a tight
bond that ensured an evident
divide from the competition
and enabled us to beat the
previous record by a considerable
margin. Nobody has ever won
the Brickwood’s Trophy 3 times
in a row, so we are very excited
to see what next year holds and
if we can press REME firmly into
the Royal Navy’s history books
-“Eighteen as One, Gentlemen”.
competition concluded with
a BBQ at the tented village,
where crews could finally let
their hair down and look forward
to getting their mornings and
lunch times back now the field
gun season had finished.
Spare Numbers
1 WO2 (AQMS) ‘Ned’
Gray – Ran for Abbey
Wood (Wheel number)
2 Sgt Steve Davies – Ran for
Abbey Wood (Wheel Number)
3 LCpl Ben Cook – ARRC
(Wheel number)
4 LCpl Dave Smith
5 LCpl ‘Stones’ Maidstone
Trophies won
Brickwood’s Trophy
Overall Winning Crew
Power Trophy
Fastest Individual Run
Clean trophy
Least Penalty Points
(we had none)
Best Aggregate Trophy
Best average time over 6 runs
Best No1 Trainer Trophy
Crew
No 1 Trainer
WO1 (ASM) Paul Hembery
Running 18 numbers:
1 LCpl Tom Massey
(Heavy End)
2 LCpl Tom Baxter (Heavy End)
3 LCpl ‘Ash’ Russell
(Non Royal Gun
Wheel Number)
4 Cpl Jamie Rawson
(Royal Gun Wheel Number)
5 C apt Ben Thomas
(Extractor/FGO)
6 Sgt ‘Dutch’ Holland
(Firing Number)
7 Sgt ‘Murph’ Murphy
(Back of Box/Crew Captain)
8 LCpl ‘Soc’ Arnott
(Back of Box)
9 Cpl ‘Jacko’ Jackson
(Royal Pin Number)
10 Sgt ‘Chalky’ White
(Non Royal Pin Number)
11 Sgt ‘Mandy’ Manderson
(Royal Limber
Wheel Number)
12 PO ‘Shippers’ Langley
(Non Royal Limber
Wheel Number)
13 C apt ‘Dickie’ Barton
(RH Slat Number)
14 Cpl ‘Dom’ Gale
(LH Slat Number)
15 Sgt ‘Deano’ Conway
(Drag Steer)
16 Cpl ‘Jimmy’ Steedman
(Drag Number)
17 Sgt Mike Lacchin
(Drag Number)
18 LCpl ‘Jake’ Warren
(Shell Sprinter)
Judge Cpl Tom Kitley-Sparks
Crew Awards
Field Gunners’ Field Gunner
- Cpl Jamie Rawson
Spirit of Field Gun - PO
James Langley
No 1’s choice - LCpl
Jake Warren
Number of teams entered: 24
Previous record 1min 17.58sec
New record set at 1min16.19sec.
LZDZ / Issue 3, 2017 29
 people
Our Vision
Our Civil Service: modern, skilled, inclusive and trusted
delivering on our duty to protect the security, independence
and interests of our country at home and abroad
A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
We trust and respect our people to deliver.
diversity of thought is the norm and
people are proud to work for mod
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we will build a culture where diversity of
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• We recognise the importance
of wellbeing in our workforce
and individuals feel informed,
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• We attract and retain people to work
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People progress based on their aspiration
and ability, irrespective of background.
• We are inquisitive, seeking facts and
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Two way conversations are the norm
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•  We recognise and reward everyone’s
achievements, and the contributions
that make MOD a great place to work.
30 Issue 3, 2017 / LZDZ
AT OUR BEST
Our people do important work
at home and abroad and are able
to achieve their potential
• We support our people to develop
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• We actively encourage people to move
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• We work with our people to develop
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• We all strive to be one team
This means…
• We will support everyone to reach their
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focuses on opportunity for all.
• O ur performance management system
is fair, recognising and rewarding the
positive behaviours and contributions
that make a difference to Defence.
• We will create a framework for career
pathways so that people understand
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• We will put effective management and
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values in its people. Effective managers
are clear about what they expect their
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• We encourage people to move around,
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individual’s and MOD’s knowledge,
expertise and capabilities.
• We have a learning culture in the MOD
where people embrace opportunities
to continually develop and help
them to succeed in their roles and
position themselves for future jobs.
THE JHC Delivering joint success on operations
A SMARTER FUTURE
A more flexible and cohesive civil service
workforce as part of our whole force.
• A s equal partners in the Whole
Force we have the right number of
people with the right mix of skills and
capabilities to deliver for Defence
• We are a smaller Civil Service workforce
focused on the delivery of Defence business
• We remove duplication and
unnecessary process
• We make the most of technology and use
knowledge and information systems better
This means…
• We are a more streamlined Civil Service
working alongside military and private sector
colleagues at home and abroad building and
using relationships across UK Government,
the UN, NATO and other partners to best
effect. We are a Whole Force by design.
• Our civil servants in Defence will focus on
core civil servant roles such as: developing
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processes, driving transformation, building
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• Our non-core Defence activities will have
been, or be going through, testing for
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unless there are technical, security, legal,
or value for money reasons why the activity
should continue to be undertaken by a civil
servant or a member of the Armed Forces.
• We will plan our workforce strategically
and deploy our people better, increasing
flexibility in how we deliver Defence
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movement will make us more flexible,
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• We will all make the most of our technology
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• Together we will remove unnecessary
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minimise bureaucracy and respond more
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