Task Force Helmand

Engineer Group
News Letter
Edition 1 18 March 2011

Commanding Officer’s Foreword

„Salaamu alaikum‟
Well we have finally arrived back in Afghanistan. After 6 long months of training the Regiment has
now assumed command of the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group and by doing so are the first
major unit of Op HERRICK 14 to deploy into Central Helmand; once again we lead the way and
reinforce the mantra, ‗Follow the Sapper‘. In every respect we have hit the ground running. We
are already providing close support to the ground holding Battlegroups, building new Patrol Bases
and Check Points, constructing new roads, planning bridge builds, mentoring the Afghan Army
Engineers and playing our part in the vital Counter-IED battle; impressive and humbling stuff. I
have also been extremely pleased by the way we have gelled so quickly into a cohesive Engineer
Group; 650 soldiers from 4 Regular and 2 TA units are now an extremely strong team that is driv-
en by one unified purpose – Mission Success.

Inside this issue:

54 Commando 3
HQ & Support
Squadron

26 Armoured 6
Engineer Sqn

31 Armoured 8
Engineer Sqn
(Talisman)

39 Armoured 9
Engineer Sqn

59 Commando 11
Engineer Sqn Handover of Task Force Helmand Engineer Group from Com-
manding Officer 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Asslt) to Commanding
Officer 24 Commando Engineer Regiment.

REME Light Aide 13

Detachment

Notices 14
Edition 1 Page 2

Commanding Officer’s Foreword—(continued)

It is just over 2 years since the Regiment was last deployed in Central Helmand. Much remains un-
changed; notably the stifling heat (already 33 degrees and rapidly getting hotter!); the warmth of the
people, and the commitment of our Afghan colleagues. However, it is the significant progress that
“Our tenets:
has been made since 2009 that has really made its mark on me; the people are now at the forefront
of everything that we do and it is widely understood that we are here to provide security, enable
Professional
governance and facilitate economic development so that they have the confidence to reject the ille-
gitimate offer of the insurgent and embrace the legitimate offer of the Government of the Islamic
standards
Republic of Afghanistan. This approach, backed up by the right number of troops to dominate the
ground and the right amount and quality of equipment to get the task done, is paying dividends. My
throughout,
initial discussions with the Battlegroup Commanders, the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team
and members of the Afghan Army and Police, have consistently highlighted the positive outlook and
ruthless pursuit
growing confidence of the people. This is significant, for it is the people and not us that will ulti-
mately decide the outcome of this campaign. Moreover, whilst the insurgent remains a determined,
of mission
well-organised and tenacious enemy, it is clear that he is firmly on the ‗back-foot‘ and we will do all
we can to ensure his progress on the downward spiral to inevitable defeat. A challenging task but
success,
we are, to a man, up for it! maintaining a
Finally, it has been great to hear from the Rear Ops Groups that all is well in Chivenor, Hohne and
Hameln. The work being done back there is vital to our continued success and does not go unno-
campaign
ticed. Similarly, the outstanding and unquestioning support given by all the friends and families, to
those deployed and to each other, continues to be hugely appreciated; without this support we
approach.”
simply couldn‘t do what we have to do out here and for that I am personally extremely grateful.
The Op HERRICK 14 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group, the Rear Ops Groups and all the friends
and families; a powerful team that I am confident will continue to work together and will deliver
success over the next 6 months.

‘United We Conquer’

CO
Page 3 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

54 Commando Headquarters and Support Squadron

Welcome to the first of our updates from Helmand and Operation Herrick 14. Well we are
certainly here and now getting stuck into our job, of supporting and enabling the Engineer
Group. Time already seems to be passing by quicker than expected; our mandatory training and
briefs on arrival, lasting some 5 days are already over a week ago. The hand over we have re-
ceived from our predecessors, 12 (Nova Scotia) HQ & Support Squadron has been excellent;
they were also very pleased to see us! The Squadron formally took over the responsibilities of
the Engineer Group Support Squadron on the morning of 15th March, once every department
had confirmed they were ready. The bulk of the Squadron are
now in place and operating, as ever, as small bands of deter-
mined men going about their business of supporting and ena-
bling the wider Regiment. This includes our attached Re-
sources team from 65 Field Support Squadron and the trades-
man in the Engineer Workshop who have been drawn from
across the Regimental Group. Our training team who will
mentor the Afghan Army‘s engineers join us shortly, as do
Reconnaissance Troop who will work with the Brigade‘s Re-
connaissance Force.
The articles that follow from various departments in the
Squadron will give you a more detailed explanation of what we
have been up to in our first 2 weeks. Don‘t forget to stay in
touch with us via our Army Net web pagers and the HERRICK
14 Facebook pages too. One thing that has struck us all is the
sudden rise in temperatures since we arrived; wet and chilly
when we first landed, it is now quite hot and sunny almost
every day. It is almost as if the weather gods have realised that
12 (Nova Scotia) HQ &
the summer tour units have started to arrive and hence ratcheted up the temperatures! Whilst
Support Squadron hando- it makes for hot and sometimes dusty work, it could be worse; it is currently somewhat better
ver to 54 Commando HQ than the wet and freezing conditions we endured during the final phase of pre-deployment train-
& Support Squadron -15th ing! Although we are busy out here, thoughts of family and friends are never far away; the post
March 11. the squadron has already had has been warmly received—and its volume is quite staggering.
Thank you for ongoing support and understanding; it makes a real difference to the team and is
very much appreciated.
Major Karl Parfitt, Officer Commanding 54 Commando HQ & Support Squadron.

54’s Combat Support Troop are in!

Support Troop are in! It‘s has been two weeks now since
we hit the ground and although the tour has only just begun
officially, we have already been busy getting ready for what is
to be a demanding six months. All members of the Troop
took part in the mandatory RSOI (Theatre specific training)
on arrival and after a week of exceptionally good but lengthy
presentations and demonstrations, we were ready to get
stuck in to what we came here to do.

The usual tribe that operates as Support Troop has been

bolstered by three permanently attached members of 32
Engineer Regiment who are ABLE bridge operators, an asset
which has proven its worth in past tours. The inclusion of
the bridging team is very welcome within our ranks and we
look forward to working as an extended Troop over the
coming months.

A team from Support Troop

practising route clearance.
Edition 1 Page 4

As for the rest of the usual suspects, LCpl Bradshaw is leading the way on the Afghan tan
(‗You‘ve got to burn it to earn it‘?!), Spr Lockey has been branded as the biggest welfare case to
date having received no less than 21 parcels in one day and Sgt Wells‘ OCD has come to the
fore as he rips through the new office saying ‗I just like it set out the way I like it‘!

The next few weeks will see the Troop‘s activities integrate into the Brigade‘s overall plans for
Herrick 14 and if the last two weeks are anything to go by we are well set and ideally positioned
to achieve all that is thrown our way. Lt Simon Lowes, Troop Commander.

The Camel Goes Commando!

We were happy to leave the misera-

ble winter of Hameln behind us to
seek the warm weather of Afghani-
stan only to find that they were hav-
ing a freak weather spell not seen in
20 years; the issued warm weather
sleeping bag just didn‘t seem to cope
very well.

There was a lot of mixed feeling

about the forthcoming tour; many of
the guys hadn‘t worked with the
Navy before, never mind the Com-
mando Special Forces. One guy
commented that ―1 in 4 Special Forc-
es are homosexuals‖ (there are gays
in the Army - get over it!) - so pretty
boys like myself were concerned.

As usual when the main body arrived

we ran out of hot water - apparently
KBR (US civilian contactor) said that
they haven‘t used this amount of
water since Op HERRICK 9 (the last
time commandos were here). As a
‘The Commando Camel
result Op IODINE was called and a strict ship shower routine was adopted.
Club’
On arriving at the Resources Yard Captain McCloud was overwhelmed with the size of it and over
the next couple of weeks changed into a green slime machine with sayings like ―get a wet in the
galley‖ and ―hoofing‖ (there are Commandos in the Army - get over it!). The Resources Yard has
about 900 ISO containers with every commodity you need to build and maintain a FOB. We have
163 pieces of Engineer Construction Plant including Medium Girder Bridges and Logistic Support
“..trips to the
Bridging equipment, which is maintained by our Fitter ‗Fire Team‘.
SSgt Wilkinson (The Global Ninja) took control of the office and all of the IT systems,
including my RLI system login, my phone and any other office device he could lay his hands on. The
galley for some
first days were spent meeting the personalities of 23 Engineer Regiment‘s Resources Troop and
taking over the specific roles and responsibilities. WO2 Bramhold, their Resources Warrant Officer
hoofing scoff
had aged considerably and had a stare many front line troops get when in action for too long. and lots of hot
Cpl Skivington, our Yard NCO, soon took to his role as ‗Mr Motivator‘ with the Locally
Employed Civilians - working them like ants tidying the yard. Sgt Boyle (the spy within) is the front
end of the resources that deals with all of the issues that the Field Squadrons have. Now and again
and cold
we get our American cousins in wanting material; I do like helping the Americans as it reminds me of
wets…”
the Empire when we ruled the world (there are Americans in Bastion - get over it!).
Today, 15 Mar 11, is Take Over Day (known as TOA, for Transition of Authority) and it
already feels like we have been here for 6 months. Thankfully the reality is that we have 183+ fun
days of resourcing the mission, commando PT, ships routine showers, trips to the galley for some
‗hoofing scoff‘ and lots of hot and cold wets ahead, until TOA 14/15 September; bring it on! WO2
(Resources Warrant Officer) Arthur Lloyd
Page 5 Newsletter Title

The Construction Supervision Cell re-role from ‘arts &

crafts’ to ‘steely eyed’ dealers of engineer advice to the
front line.
The Construction Supervision Cell (CSC) are now firmly embedded into operations on Herrick
14. The handover went well with the outgoing Clerk of Works leaving us with a firm foundation
to build on. The CSC‘s main tasks will be to provide many different aspects relating to the con-
struction, maintenance and development of in theatre assets up to level 3, which means proper
buildings, as opposed to tents. As it says on the tin, this will include close liaison throughout the
planning and execution phases providing limited design capability, supervision and of course the
ever important quality control.
“you‟ve got to
Already working hard, SSgt ‗Danny‘ Longster the Clerk of Works (Electrical) has been busy sort-
burn it to earn it” ing the power issues for Patrol Base (PB) FOLAD. WO2 ‗Tony‘ Collinge deployed to FOB
KHAN NIKAH to carryout a force protection recce, including the gathering of asset information
LCpl Bradshaw to assist with maintenance. With the work stepping up SSgt ‗Ade‘ Bowles will be providing solu-
comments on the tions to mechanical engineering problems and so improving living conditions for the guys out on
the ground.
tour tan.
The junior members of the team are also playing their part in the CSC, amongst other Squadron
responsibilities. This has included a heavy weapons cadre with live firing ranges. The targets
need not have been overly concerned when LCpls Gowers and Pyle were on the firing point.
That said the boys are now settling into the CSC regime, preparing for arduous tasks of survey-
ing the proposed routes and then producing detailed drawings.

SSgt Meen deployed to PB 4 on a route recce for a new unbound road and culvert construction.
Overall equipment care for the masses of plant and construction equipment also sit with him,
lucky, lucky fella….!!!!

Expertise, advice and support across the Task Force.

Those of you out there who might be wondering what has happened to all Royal Engi-
neers who have gone off to support the wider Task Force‘s efforts on Op HERRICK 14.
Photos will be forth Please rest assured they are all safe and well and doing a great job in demanding circum-
coming for next edi- stances.
tion.
From 131 Independent Commando Squadron RE(V) we have WO2 Stewart and Cpl
Sorry to all who are Cloonan based in the Joint Operation Base (JOB), who have left the Bastion Quarter
disappointed not see Master in no doubt that the Commandos have arrived, ready to take control. They are
WO2 Stewart (300 ensuring that all the personal kit, welfare equipment and the myriad of other small items
Troop, 131 Independ- that keep an Army on its feet get to the lads and are not lost in the Army stores system.
ent Commando Squad- From 73 Engineer Regiment RE(V), Spr Kirk is now driving around Camp Bastion, as the
ron RE(V)) confirming driver for the Garrison Sergeant Major - we didn‘t realise desert boots could be bulled!
rumours that his not Cpl Grove Smith, who joined us from 29 Commando Regiment RA, came out here to
in Camp Bastion but support the Bastion administrative centre has made such a good impression they have
on a round the world made him acting Sergeant already; Congratulations!
cruise.
Meanwhile the Appointed Supervising Officers from 73 Engineer Regiment RE(V) have
taken up their role with the resident Works Group, assisting in the supervision of con-
tractors undertaking construction work for British Forces. They are deployed to sup-
port the British bases from Kandahar Airfield to Camp Bastion and a number of points
in between. In short they keep an eye on all the contractors to ensure that the work is
done correctly.
Page 6 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

26 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Foreword
26 Armoured Engineer Squadron have now finished in theatre training, taken over from
our predecessors, and are deployed across seven locations in the Nahr-E-Saraj area,
much as we had planned and briefed back in Hohne. All ranks are in good spirits and
eagerly getting stuck into a range of construction tasks, building bases, checkpoints and
roads for UK, Danish and Afghan forces. The post has finally started flowing forwards
and all the parcels sent from home have been extremely well received. Unfortunately
the R&R schedule has still not been confirmed to us, but we will finalize it as soon as we
can and provide dates from which everyone can plan from.

Major J D Webster
Officer Commanding
26 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Day 2 RSOI—Spr
Jewell helps out on
the Medical stand.

Armoured Special to Arms Training

With the ‗Fieldies‘ having had their special to arms training, us ‗Tankies‘ were feeling a bit left out
having not done any yet. But with SSgt Cheetham chomping at the bit to get started the day finally
came to do our specialist armoured engineer training.

It started with a brief overview of what 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron had done with the Tro-
jan‘s on Herrick 13, which was a lot! Having watched a few power point presentations we went
on to conduct the practical side of the training, with emphasis on crew evacuation!! Hopefully the
Trojan tank will take any impact and there would be no need to do this, but it had to be covered.
After a walk through – talk through of their procedures myself and Sgt ―Cluffy‖ Cluff got our or-
ders for the following days mini battle run.

With the Trojans packed we were ready to go at 0800 hrs the following morning. 5 Armoured
Engineer Squadron had set the day out with tasks that they had conducted during their tour rang-
ing from normal ploughing, to changing front skids on the plough due to an IED explosion. The day
passed quickly but a great deal was learned by all 6 of us, and with the anticipation of going out,
RSOI Day 5—time
for a nap? the first job can not come quick enough.

With the help of 5 Armoured Engineer Squadron, the Armoured Support Group (ASG) are ready
and waiting.....

Cpl Rees
Edition 1 Page 7

Op Herrick 14 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron Reception Staging and Onward Integration

Wednesday 2nd March, first day at Camp Bastion

and we did not believe it when the Sergeant Major
turned round and said ―1600 next parade...‖ there
were vague looks between the senior‘s never
mind the junior ranks!! But never the less the
Sergeant Major stuck to his word as we moved
down to our accommodation at camp 191 at 1600
hrs ready for the in-theatre training to start
properly the following day.

The first day of RSOI (Reception, Staging and On-

ward Integration) training package was a full day in
the briefing tent receiving lectures on relevant
areas of Afghanistan. To be fair it was not too bad
as the briefing tent was not leaking which was a
blessing with all the rain that was coming down
outside!
RSOI Training for Armoured Engineers

The lectures varied from rules of engagement to

the education courses available in theatre. The
whole day and evening was a good opener to what
it will be like for us on Herrick 14.

Day 2 was ranges and the saying of ―if its not rain-
ing you‘re not training‖ could not have been more relevant. It started off with a ―gentle‖ 2.5 STA Day 2—Trojans in
action ploughing a safe
miles tab to the ranges, then as the ranges started so did the rain, and it rained some more,
lane.
then it rained some more....in fact all day it rained. But during the lessons on the range we
received one of the best first aid lessons any of us had seen, with Spr ―Jesus‖ Jewell being
the guinea pig for the medics lesson.
…..the saying
Day 3 was the Counter IED (C-IED) day which refreshed us on search and confirmation drills.
The day was a complete success with a great deal learned. Day 3 honed everybody into how “if its not
relevant conducting proper drills and not skipping corners was. Day 4 was the patrol skills day,
with lessons ranging from ground sign awareness to theatre realities. The training was of a high raining you‟re
standard and was taken in extremely well by the whole Squadron, with the mistakes being
ironed out during this training, rather than out in the forward bases. not training”
Day 5 was mounted patrol skills which was another good day, but with a slight lack of shelter could not have
from the sun. Some of the lads managed to burn parts of their heads that they never knew
they had!! The weapons intelligence lecture was very good which showed us the forensic capa- been more
bilities that are available in theatre and I‘m sure that ―CSI Miami‖ would find it hard not to be
impressed. relevant”.
LCpl Carter
Page 8 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (Talisman)

Armoured Special to Arms Training

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron were the last of the engineer squadrons

to deploy on Op Herrick 14 and whilst we conducted the same Recep-
tion Staging and Onward Integration (RSOI) training, we have had a
slightly different experience to the other squadrons. The reason for this
is that we are based in Camp Bastion 3; a brand new camp which is home
only to the Squadron and the Counter IED Task Force. Unlike the other
squadrons, we will be based together as a whole Squadron for the whole
of the tour. Being a new camp, Bastion 3 has fantastic facilities. The gym
has plenty of CV machines and weights, plus there is a five-a-side football
pitch. The welfare tent has table tennis, an X-Box, BFBS TV and Wi-Fi
for about 10 people at a time. The cookhouse is much smaller than the
ones in Bastion 1 and 2, but this means it has a better atmosphere as it is
not very busy; you don‘t have to queue for food like in the other cook-
houses. The food is really good. There‘s plenty of it and lots to choose
from. For those who want to eat healthily, there‘s plenty of fruit and
veg, and for those who don‘t care, there‘s chocolate brownies every
lunch and dinner. The only downside to Bastion 3 is that we do not have
Wi-Fi in our tents or any phone booths. This means we have to walk 10-
15 minutes to Bastion 2 if we want to call home, which whilst not far is
slightly annoying. The accommodation is right by the vehicle park, stores
A lesson in getting goats and offices, so there is just a short walk to work everyday.
off a roof.
In terms of kit and training, it has been really good getting top tips off the guys from 52
Armoured Engineer Squadron who we are replacing. They are obviously keen to hand
over to us and we are keen to get on with the tour, but they have been excellent in
ensuring we have had the best possible training and updates on new kit as we can.
“Being a new There is nothing we are short of kit wise; in fact we have perhaps more of some bits
than we need, like twelve thousand D cell batteries. The SQMS, Staff Sergeant Dave
camp, Bastion Welsh, is still adamant that they should be used sparingly just in case we run out!!
3 has fantastic In the coming weeks, there are a few activities planned for the Squadron to break up the
routine such as goat herding lessons from Corporal Spruce, sight seeing tours of Camp
facilities. Bastion by Sergeant Marc Josee and Sergeant Andy Bracey, and table tennis lessons from
Staff Sergeant Lee Wild. If these don‘t happen, then the SQMS has plans for us all to re-
count the D cell batteries!

SSgt Felix Binns lead a

Recce Sgts Marc Jones & Andy Bracey struggle to help a lost practice shura
SSgt find his way around Bastion.
 Page 9
Transfer of Authority be-
tween 9 Parachute Squadron
and 39 Armoured Engineer
Squadron ; Major John Clark
MBE hands-over Engineer
Field Squadron 2 duties in
Nahr E Saraj (South) and
Lashkah Gah to Major Si
Bradley – 15 May 11
“Over the next
four days the
Sqn experienced
a battlefield tour
of the Somme”
Task Force Helmand Engineer Group
39 Armoured Engineer Squadron
Finally on the ground.
Finally we have arrived. To many, Camp Bastion has changed beyond recognition since
their last visit. To those that are new to Helmand Province it was the weather that was
first to disappoint. After 9 months of being told how hot it was going to be, the Squadron
found themselves in the middle of the worst weather conditions the outgoing Brigade had
experienced for the last few months. The cattle market, otherwise known as the RSOI
reception area, was our first oppor-
tunity to meet the management of the
outgoing unit, 9 Parachute Squadron
and from the off we knew we were
going to receive an extremely profes-
sional handover.
After being sent to our accommoda-
tion for a few hours rest, the hando-
ver began in earnest. An initial, in-
formative presentation was given to
the Squadron management by the
Officer Commanding 9 Parachute
Squadron and the realisation of the
size of the task ahead was not lost on
those present. 9 Squadron have en-
joyed a very successful tour and have
evidently made real progress in an
area often regarded as the ‗wild west‘. Meanwhile, the rest of the lads began the process
of changing accommodation for a second time – something they would become experts at
by the beginning of the Relief-in-Place.
The Reception, Staging and Onward Integration (RSOI) training package began the follow-
ing morning with our parent Regimental HQ hosting the training. Various subjects were
revised or introduced, with the ‗power management‘ brief being a particular highlight! The
social and economic situation in Helmand was presented to the troops in a unique way by
a ‗red neck‘ from the US Navy; having the RMPs stood at the front representing enemy
forces was a touch of class which went down well with the appreciative audience.
Over the next four days the Squadron experienced a battlefield tour of the Somme (a very
wet zeroing range), searching for IEDs in the dark (where are we going?) and a flight dis-
play better than the Farnborough air show. Of particular note was the flypast by an
‗Antonov‘, the largest commercial aircraft in the world, which left us all asking ―How the
**** does that fly?!‖
The Squadron also had some difficulty understanding a whole new language – that of the
Royal Marine. After finally translating ‗Wets‘, ‗Scran‘, ‗Ogin‘ and ‗Heads‘, as well as the
concept of earning your pudding, we had to work out who the ‗General‘ was and the odd
behaviour of not eating ‗stickies‘ and chips – although reports indicate that AGAI action
may need to be taken by SSM 9 Parachute Squadron due to some lads going ‗rogue‘!
23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault) put on a 2 day package of Special to Arms combat
engineer training for us, which included elevated sangar and Patrol Base builds, as well as
explosive method of entry (EMOE) amongst many other subjects. The bravery of our Ar-
my Air Corps helicopter pilots was demonstrated during an EMOE serial when just as
‗firing now‘ was called a Lynx decided to hover 10ft above the target area!!! The lads also
took the opportunity to become qualified in various vehicles and weapon systems. On a
reassuring note, Cpl Kay found that the new Light Anti Structures Missile system enabled
him to hit an ISO container at 100m – bring on the sharpshooter!
Page 10 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron - continued.

Our team medics took up the offer to visit the Camp Bastion Role 3 hospital and were
shown around various wards, gleaning some top tips on how to use medical kit more ef-
fectively on the ground. During the last visit of the day, Op MINIMISE was called and the
SSM, Spr Thomas and Spr Wilkinson were invited to observe in the emergency depart-
ment; the privilege of witnessing our medics in action with Cat A injuries was inspiring and
reassuring. The level of care the medics provided was incredible and the lads left having
had a real life-changing experience – and one that can only have a positive effect on their
skills as team medics on the ground.

So at last the time has come. After 9 months of continuous and intensive Pre Deployment
Training and RSOI training, we have finally deployed. The Task Force Helmand Engineer
Group has now come to fruition and the Squadron feels fully embedded within 24 Com-
mando Engineer Regiment. TOA is complete and we wish for a safe and productive tour
for all.

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron photo – RSOI Camp

Page 11 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

59 Commando Engineer Squadron

We departed Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor early doors and entered the pain zone that
is flying with the RAF which actually ran quite smoothly for once.

Upon arriving at Camp Bastion (which has grown so much since our last tour in 2008/09) we
were fed into the in-theatre training package that everyone must attend upon arriving to
“...we learnt to
Afghanistan..
live fire left This started with a whole day of sitting in front of PowerPoint presentations which required
lots of hot wets (tea/coffee) to keep awake. The next few days rushed by with zeroing
handed round
weapons, counter IED training and patrolling skills.
corners and on The advance party then left by helicopter to receive the handover of vehicles and stores
from the outgoing engineer Squadron while the remainder completed some engineer specific
the move
training.
through
We revised our skills in assault breaching (blowing holes in the sides of compound walls to
buildings..” gain access), laid some roads, trained on improvised bridging and water purification equip-
ment.

The next few days were focussed on heavy weapons with everyone getting to live fire the
General Purpose Machine gun and Underslung Grenade Launcher as well as some of us live
firing the 50 Cal Heavy Machine Gun. Our last day was concentrated on compound entry
and clearance, as well as the use of search dogs.

A lot of this day was completely new to everyone where we learnt to live fire left handed
round corners and on the move through buildings. Overall the training was really well run
with medical refresher training and scenarios almost every day. It has left the troop feeling
well prepared and eager to get out on the ground and start doing the job we have been
training for so long. Spr Harrower.

Sapper Lesley from 1

Troop, 59 Commando
Squadron conducting
Heavy Machine Gun train-
ing during the training
package at Camp Bastion.
Edition 1 Page 12

The men of 59 Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers

The mighty men of Condor Troop,.

Spr Christie and Spr Williams from Condor Troop conducting

Heavy Machine Gun training during the training package at Camp
Spr Ciarciaglini and Spr Christie from Condor Troop Bastion .
practicing confirmation drills on the Vallon training
lanes.
Page 13 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

REME—Light Aid Detachment

Inside Story Headline

It has been a busy start for the lads in the Engineer Group Light Aid Detachment (LAD). The
handover from the last element took place on 15th March, prior to this we conducted the 5
day standard Theatre training package followed by 3 days of handover training on specific
vehicles, receiving all the top tips on fixing the vehicles quickly.

The LAD comprises of elements of 24 Commando Engineer Workshop and

32 Engineer Regiment‘s LAD. We have a total of 23 tradesmen who are
keeping a fleet of over 250 equipment‘s fit for operations.

Within the first week, 6 of our tradesmen (Cpl‘s Dave Knight, Dan Patrick-
son, LCpl‘s Dellay, Smith and Radcliffe and Cfn Trimlet-Glover) have been
deployed forward to various Forward Operating Bases and Patrol Bases
providing immediate Equipment Support to the Squadrons on the ground.

As already mentioned it has been a busy few weeks as the Motor Transport
teams are taking over their vehicles. Consequently they are getting their
vehicles in for repairs, maintenance and servicing; it is all hands to the pump
to get the vehicles ready for use.

On a positive note Cpl Dave Morris is now promoted to Sgt and all the lads
have hit the phys regime with a vengeance, especially Cpl Tony ‗The Lat‘
Gilligan who seems to spend more time in the gym than in the armourer‘s
workshop. The working facilities are new and have good cover from shade which will make
everybody‘s job a lot easier when the summer heat kicks in. Overall it has been a tough and
“Cpl Dave testing start to Op Herrick 14 and we are hopeful that in a month‘s time this will ease and
the hours lessen…wait out!
Morris is now
promoted to Sgt”
 TASK FORCE Something from the Editor….
HELMAND
ENGINEER GROUP
It would be great to have pieces for the next newsletter from any of
the wives/husbands, partners or other halfs, letting us know what is
Editor:
going back in Chivenor, Hohne or Hameln.
546151 Capt Brad Hardwick
54 Cdo HQ & Sp Sqn
TFH Engr Gp
BFPO 792 All I need is the words in an MS Word document and the photo file
with a tag line explaining who, where, what and why! Send by email
E-maill bch5951@gmail.com or post to the Editor. We look forward to reading your articles and
publishing them in the newsletter.

We will soon be updating our webpages on ArmyNet and will also be

launching a Task Force Helmand Engineer Group Facebook page
which can be accessed through the existing HERRICK 14 page. This
should hopefully give us some dedicated space to upload loads of pho-
tographs of the Regiment in action across Helmand.

Ed.

Notices
Wednesday 23rd March Wives Karaoke evening—RMB Chivenor (details from Wel-
fare Office).