TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 2 010411

8/7/2019 TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 2 010411

1/19

Dear Families & Friends,

Welcome to the 2nd Edition of the Engineer Group Newsletter. It is hard to believe that wehave been in Afghanistan for a month and that we have been providing engineer support toTask Force Helmand for nearly 3 weeks. Time is flying; long days and short weeks sums it up

perfectly. I really hope time is flying for you and that you are all well.

As you can see from the Newsletter, andno doubt have heard from your lovedones, the Engineer Group continues tobe exceptionally busy. We are deliveringall the engineer support that is beingasked of us, and very often far more;invariably in extremely challenging condi-tions and to very demanding timelines.The intensive training we conductedprior to deployment is definitely proving

its worth. 26, 39 and 59 Squadrons con-tinue to provide outstanding support tothe Ground Holding Battlegroups; theirability to rapidly turn their hand fromclose support to building tactical basesand roads has been truly impressive. 31Squadron (TALISMAN) are in the thickof it providing invaluable support to theC-IED battle and 54 Squadron continueto provide the overarching support tothe entire Engineer Group that is so vitalfor our collective success. The teamthat will be supporting the developmentof the Afghan Engineers are now also in

Theatre, as are Recce Troop who willshortly be taking their place in the Bri-

gade Recce Force. It is great to finally be complete as an Engineer Group. We continue tosupport 16 Air Assault Brigade but it has been reassuring to see more of our colleagues from 3

Commando Brigade and 7 Armoured Brigade joining us in Theatre over the last 2 weeks.

It was good to hear that the Sunday lunches in Chivenor and Hohne went so well; there aremore gatherings being planned and I hope they are all as well supported. The HERRICK 14Facebook page goes from strength to strength and the feedback we are getting out here isreally positive. We will continue to push the Task Force Media Team to include stories aboutthe entire Engineer Group and have also taken the initiative of developing our own Facebookpage which will be regularly updated with pictures and stories exclusively from the Engineer

Group.

Commanding Officers Foreword

01 April 2011Edition 2

Task Force HelmandEngineer Group

News Letter

Inside this issue:

RegimentalHeadquarters

2

54 Commando HQ& Support Squadron

3

26 ArmouredEngineer Squadron

6

31 ArmouredEngineer Squadron(Talisman)

9

39 ArmouredEngineer Squadron

12

59 CommandoSquadron

14

A day in the life of...

16

Training and Mentor-

ing Team17

Notices 18

CO 24 Commando Engineer Regiment


2/19

The link will appear shortly on the main HERRICK 14 Facebook page; look out for the Engi-neer Red and Blue TRF with a 24 Dagger on it. Dont forget that 24 Commando Engineer

Regiment has its own site on ArmyNet which includes pictures and stories from the entireHERRICK 14 Engineer Group; please dont be put off if your loved one is not from 24, theFacebook page and ArmyNet site is for everyone. We are also working hard to get e-copiesof our Newsletters put on Facebook and ArmyNet; more details will follow once we have

worked out how to do it!

Finally, please remember that the Rear Ops Groups, whether in Chivenor, Hohne, Hameln,Nottingham or London, are there to help if you have any concerns or problems. Dont hesi-tate to ask for their advice or assistance if you need it; every concern or problem, however

small, is important and will be dealt with as swiftly as possible.

I hope you enjoy the Newsletter and have a fantastic Easter wherever you are.

CO

Commanding Officers Foreword(continued)

This hard

routine has

made him the

very life and

soul of the

Headquarters .

Page 2Edition 2

In this first edition of Task Force Helmand (TFH)Cribs, we go behind the scenes and meet a cou-ple who are at the very heart of business in Reg-

imental Headquarters.

Captains John Flash Gordon and Matt HappyWitko are brothers-in-arms and among the cho-sen few who reside in this elite directorate,working for Dark Lord himselfthe Chief ofStaff. Witko has embraced his new role fully andtaken the opportunity to embark upon a 6month journey of rediscovery, detoxification and

taking himself far too seriously. Taking a leaf outof the 1960s hippy trail through Afghanistan, he is seeking to purify himself by adopting a war-rior monk approach where he turns away from all comforts and niceties. He will only allowhimself to consume water, no coffee, tea or soft drinks, has adopted a strict regime of no des-serts or nice food, and is abstaining from any form of entertainment such as the RegimentalHQ film night. This hard routine has made him the very life and soul of the Headquarters.Rumours that he is choosing to sleep in hessian sacking andbeats himself regularly with a birch branch, are just that

rumours (it is probably the Dark Lord beating him!)

Flash Gordon however is full of the joys of the Afghan spring;there is never a dull moment in the plans shop (althoughthere are slightly Germanic overtonesand more than just awhiff of frankfurter). Youthful and keen, Flash has prettymuch planned the Regiments next 6 months of activitiesalready; he has certainly used up all our allocated resourcesand most of the defence budget! Clearly he has yet to learnthe value in the old 3 Commando Brigade adage, of planearlyplan twice. Realising that he might have done himselfout of a job in the first month, he has now turned his atten-tion to planning his next escapade during R&R when he in-tends to complete the construction of his seventh Swisscuckoo clock whilst enjoying a pleasant break in Bavaria, re-vising his thigh slapping lederhosen Bier Kellar activities.Unfortunately he doesnt yet know that for his R&R the Dark Lord is sending him on the Ad-

vanced Amphibious Planning Course for 2 weeks.

Well that is all we have time for in this instalment of TFH Cribs; hopefully you now know Cap-tains Gordon and Witko far better. Join us again next week when we may be brave enough to

throw a bit of light on the Dark Lord himself (or then again, possibly not.).

The InsiderTFH HQ


3/19

54 Commando Headquarters and Support Squadron

54s Combat Support Troop are in!

Just shy of amonth done nowby the main bodyof the Squadron,although WO2Webby Webband a few othershave alreadypassed this mile-stone. This firstmonth hasbrought a continu-ous flow of work

for the Squadron,which keeps theteam busy andhelps the timepass. I am immensely proud of the work ethic of the troops and the volume

of work they can deliver when required; they just get stuck straight in.Elements of Recce Troop have started to arrive now as well as Major Waltersand his guys, known as the Theatre Advisory & Training Team (TATT). Theywill be training and mentoring the Afghan Armys engineers. This has provided a pleasant change and theopportunity for the guys to engage in banter. Fortunately we were able to get the TATT down to ourlocation for the Squadron photo (see above). Flight delays had ensured we had been stood to for thephoto more than once. It took some choreography to get the photo as we wanted it, the ABLE teamputting a bridge down for us and Support Troop positioning the vehicles and benches for me. That wasthe easy bit, next I needed a rank of Oompa-Loompas to avoid blocking out the rank behind. Ill leaveyou to work out which rank that was! Our next issue was getting the OC to keep his eyes open; Id liketo say we managed this in one of the 24 photos we took! The wonders of photo editor have been

brought in to play, its official the OC has had to be airbrushed!

A few of us have had the opportunity to attend the arduous course that is the quad course, a require-ment so we can get around Camp Bastion, which is close to the size of Aldershot. The course involvedlessons on maintaining the bike followed by road riding, but the truth is we all just wanted to see whatthey could do off road. In my group, I had the pleasure of the company of the Regimental Sergeant Ma-jor, WO1 Jim OKane, our resident Training Warrant Officer, WO2 Clive eat my dirt Robertson and

59 Squadrons Chief Clerk Sgt Toni Evel Knievel Scoins. Clive seemed intent on ensuring everyonestayed in his trail of dust, which I did resulting in impaired vision for a few days - much to the amusementof the troops. It was a great course and a break from the norm; quads are a dead cert for the Christmaslists (boys and toys!). As it happens I have yet to use our allocated quad to get around Camp Bastion as

WO2 Webb seems to have welded himself to the seat

As always here, the morale within the troops is high and the banter ever amusing. The work will contin-ue to flow throughout the tour and will vary in pace, the team we have are totally gelled and more thancapable of delivering the goods when asked. I know by the volume of mail received by the Squadron thatthe support provided from family and friends back home is ever present and I thank you for it, I see theeffect it has on our team daily. We will continue to deliver and as a Squadron support the Live-Move-

Fight Ubique (everywhere).

WO2 Elliot, Squadron Sergeant Major

Page 3 Task Force Helmand Engineer Group

54 Commando HQ &Support Squadron30th March 11.

5 4One down and 5 to go..

Its official

the OC has

been

airbrushed.


4/19

Taking stock of the task in hand, italmost seemed overwhelming; over950 ISO containers, all full ofstores. I was tasked to make surethat everything was in the correctplacein a yard this big it is allabout location, location, location.We estimated that only about 80%of the stock was where it shouldbe, so finding some items turnedinto the arm workout from Hell;when you have to open and close a100 containers a day, its a bit of awork out. Capt McCloud wasshown how to close a container bytwo female US Marines, when he

couldnt manage it!

I have a team of 3 in the yard tohelp: the mighty Spr High TowerNayacatabau, who moves ISO con-tainers with his bare hands andworks like a man on a mission,LCpl Gibson (aka son Of Moe

Syzlek, of Simpsons fame) who is onlyhere for the first 2 months of the tour

due to the fact that he has fallen in love over the internet and is emigrating to the US (his girlfriend

is a real Simpsons fan), and Spr Rhodes (the bean weasel) who works the SV Mann truck back andforth between the stores collection point and the airhead. I also have 9 locals working for me asyard general hands. Managing these Locally Employed Civilians, as they are known, has been a bitof a challenge; they had enjoyed a couple of easy years under the previous regime - but this wassoon rectified. They say hard work is good for the soul and they were soon singing their hearts

out.

The Resources Yard is the size of 12 football pitches and is still not big enough so, on instruction,early on in the tour we made an after hours land grab and worked through the night to move allthe Logistic Support Bridge containers over to the waste ground at the back of the HelicopterLanding Site. It was hard work but in 3 nights we were able to secure a large proportion of it -

much to the dismay of the Royal Logistic Corps, when we moved all their water ISOs off of it.

It never stops here, as we get pulled from one job to the next; with the Resources Warrant Of-

ficer (RESWO) barking his orders and SSgt Wilkinson giving his, it is like a merry go round. Dothis, drop that, it seams like it will never stop! One big problem was that we couldnt issue anywood as we had 60 containers full of it, but it was mixed up with different commodities. So we hadto empty all the wood and get it stacked and banded. After a week of this it was still not happen-ing fast enough, so the powers that be decided that all we needed to do was to work longer hours,

Thus 6.30 am starts and 8-9 pm finishes, which equals long days, are the obvious solution.but it is ok as the RESWO, WO2 Lloyd says you only need 4 hours sleep a night and started recit-ing a story about how he suffers from a sleeping disorder and has never slept properly for years....Hopefully the wood will be sorted soon and they can find us the next task that we can complete in

more normal working hours.

Another task that we were left with was the BUDWAN containers; about 65 ISOs full of storesand rubbish that was brought back off the ground when a forward base was stripped out. So in

our spare time we have fun unloading and sorting it we should have it finished by R&R!

Cpl Skivington Resources Troop

Location, Location, Location

The Resources

Yard is the size

of 12 football

pitches and is

still not big

enough

Page 4Edition 2

Spr Nayacatabau, aka High Tower fixing the Rough Terrain Container Handler.


5/19

Now a month into the tour and the Support troop moustache grow-ing competition is going well. Apart from having had a few drop outsand even a non starter (the Troop Commander, 2Lt Lowes), thecore members of the troop are still going strong. Although gaining usan obvious amount of attention, I think the troop and indeed theRegiment will be glad on the 14th of this month when they can finally

come off and we can begin tanning our top lips.

In more serious news Support Troop have gained a new member toour ever growing family in the form of Little Stiffy a 30 tonne Terexcrane named after Spr Dean Lockeys fianc Steph. Our most excit-ing development has come from our resident carpenter (really?) LCplRick Hornsey, with our new pain frame allowing Support Troop to

perform dips, heaves and various other exercises to help sculpt ourguns for R&R.

All in all the troop are continuing to provide the Regiment with themuch needed support it requires and we continue to be ready for

whatever Op Herrick 14 has to throw at us.

LCpl Bradshaw Support Troop

The Guns of Camp Bastion

Page 5 Newsletter Title

This week the Regiments own EvelKnievel, the illustrious Major Simon (justcall me Si) Bradley had a lucky escape whenhe suffered a freak accident whilst driving aquad bike in Camp Bastion. Carefully cho-sen for specialist driver training, MajorBradley was the only Squadron Command-er selected for quad bike driver training.His need for rapid and independent mobili-ty, principally between his Squadron HQ,the cookhouse and his bed-space had justi-

fied his place on the course.

A keen volunteer for this taxing and dan-gerous assignment, he set about the quadbike course with his usual vigour and enthu-siasm, throwing caution to the wind; indeedthis may well have been his undoing. Hewas almost half way through the course when the horrifying accident occurred, whilst negotiat-ing some particularly demanding training exercises that required him to sit on the bike, steerand brake all at the same time. Unfortunately, it all became too much and the galloping Major

was thrown from his steed.

Fortunately he landed on his head and consequently suffered only minor injuries, principally a

broken nose and dented pride. Major Bradley commented I dont remember a thing; it all

happened so quicklynext time Im taking the bus.

I dont

remember a

thing..next

time Im taking

the bus

Major Si

Bradley.

LCpl Hornsey performing a gun sculpting technique.

Major DisasterBastion Evel Knievel in crash horror

The galloping Major in his younger days; he still

has the cape and all in one white leather outfit.


6/19

26 Armoured Engineer Squadron


The first major task of the tour fell into the able hands of Cpl Jordan and his section.The task was to build and fortify a new patrol base for the infantry to work from,enabling them to increase the level of security available to the local population. Thesection worked tirelessly to complete the build as quickly as possible. They wereassisted by the medium wheeled tractor, with Spr Gothard at the wheel, working

overtime knocking down walls and replacing them with filled baskets of HESCO.

The build of a base doesnt just concentrate on walls and sentry posts though; toi-lets, urinals and showers have to be made from scratch out of wood and metalsheeting using the tools are available. Waste has to be disposed of too; metal cagesare welded together to act as burns pits for general rubbish and soakaways dug andfilled with stone for waste water. The section then has to consider making the basehabitable all year round, through rain and shine, by installing electricity, proper ac-commodation and most importantly the gym and welfare area. All this work is tiedinto deliveries from the local Afghan contractors, which for this task involved thedelivery of somewhere in the region of 200 truck loads of aggregate (one of whichtipped over on its side, completely blocking the route in). The lads soon had it backon all four wheels with the help of the medium wheeled tractor! So, hats off to CplJordan and his team for completing the first major task of the tour. A patrol base

completed from scratch in 2 weeks; thats not bad going. Well done!

The First Big Build

Foreword

As we approach our second month in Afghanistan the Squadron remains in goodheart with the rapid pace of construction tasks keeping us all extremely busy.The rotation of UK troops mean that we will shortly be joined by familiar facesfrom 9/12 Lancers and 3rd Battalion, The Mercian Regiment from Hohne andFallingbostel respectively. They will be moving into our area to work alongside us

for the rest of the tour.

We have started to draw up the R&R plot, but unfortunately the timing of theGermany flights in particular will miss almost all of the school holidays. I under-stand this is not what most people would like, but we are entirely in the hands of

the RAF. We have all appreciated the support from families and friends in Ger-many and the UK, and send our thanks for all your messages and post.

Maj Webster OC 26 AESProtected Medium Wheeled Tractor

filling HESCO containers.

Patrol Base wall constructed from HESCO

containers.

Spr Jones filling Hesco by hand.Making sure our Danish counterparts know who built

their new patrol base.


7/19

RSOI Training for Armoured Engineers

Page 7

Edition 2

Its always the case, as soon as someone sees us installing one set of gates,everyone in the whole of Afghanistan now wants a new set of shiny gates atthe entrance to their base. Luckily, the job is straight forward as they comepretty much ready made from one of the many civilian contractors thatwork on Camp Bastion. All we have to do is fit them in place, but ofcourse nothing is ever that simple! They never seem to fit the gap theyresupposed to go into, so its either get in the tractor or out with a shovel

and brute force to shoe horn them into place.

We have completed 2 sets of gates over the past few weeks with Cpl Har-vey and Cpl Hammonds sections getting the task of moving around 7tonnes of gate and post. Cpl Harvey and his section had the harder of thetasks as their gates were way to big to fit in the gap. The light wheeled

tractor had to punch a big enough hole for the gates to fit, and then dragand lift the heavy gate posts into the correct position. It sounds easyenough, but if the gates dont line up perfectly they will need to be re-levelled until they do. Then the damage opening up the gap has to be re-paired making the base completely secure. What was a large gap in a Dan-

ish base is now closed off and secure thanks to Cpl Harvey and his team.

Cpl Hammond flew by helicopter into a shared British and Afghan artillerybase to install yet another set of security gates. The gates were droppedoff by a passing military convoy and Cpl Hammond set to work levelling theground whilst waiting for the local civilian crane to arrive to place the heavyconcrete posts. The crane was booked for 8 am, but finally turned up at 4pm. In the meantime Cpl Hammond and his team had completely revamped the OperationsRoom and completed numerous other odd jobs to make life easier for both Brits and Afghans;

just the usual type of stuff that happens when people see a Royal Engineer cap badge in camp.

With the crane on site the gates were placed without any drama. The civilian crane driver andhis son were extremely helpful and aided with the completion of the task, even though theirlevels of health and safety would have given people back home a heart attack; the son dangling20 feet in the air holding onto the cranes hook with just his bare hands being the most notableexample! Overall a job well done by both sections, Im sure it wont be the last set of gates

we do though.

Flavour of the month Gates!

SSgt Dewsnap trying desperately to look cool.

Cpl Harvey gives Spr Jones a hand down

Cpl Harvey guiding the Medium Wheeled Tractor (Protected)whilst placing a gate post.


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26 Armoured Engineer Squadron ( continued)


How the Squadron works in AfghanistanPart 1

In this section we will try to give all the families back at home a flavour ofhow the Squadron works out on operations. In this instalment we will look

at who does what.

Squadron Headquarters

The Squadron Headquarters (SHQ) is based in Camp Bastion from where allengineer tasks are directed from the Ops Room. The Officer Command-ing, Second-in-Command, Sergeant Major, Sergeant Bloomfield and signallersare able to oversee all movement of people and equipment throughout the

area the Squadron is working in, maintaining communications at all times.The SHQ will also plan ahead to ensure that engineer tasks are resourcedand the right people are in the right place. It is not unusual to be planningmonths ahead. Not everything is about being on tour. The Second in Com-mand for example, is planning ahead for training and equipping the Squadron

with the right number of tank crews for early 2012.

Echelon

The Echelon is responsible for getting all the required stores for each task.This can range from screws, wood, gravel and concrete to gloves, boots,food and water. The Echelon is headed by the Quartermaster (QM) withthe help of the Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant (SQMS) and MovementsSNCO. The SQMS deals with all military kit and clothing, whilst the move-

ments SNCO, Staff Sergeant Gallagher, gets all engineer resources fromCamp Bastion to wherever they are needed; a massively complex task.

The TroopsThe Troops are the guys on the ground providing engineer support to thosewho need it. Essentially, the SHQ and Echelon exist to support the Troopson the ground. They give them the guidance, equipment and manpower

required to carry out their tasks.

Rear Party

The Rear Party, run by Sgt Proud, exist to support the deployed elements ofthe Squadron and the families that remain in Hohne. Their job is vital, asthings dont stop in Hohne when the Squadron deploys; support for both

the soldiers and families of 26 Armoured Engineer Squadron deserves thehighest of priorities.

On the next instalment, we shall look at a day in the life of a Section Sapper.

The Squadron lines at Camp Bastion.

A tightly cropped view 26 SHQ Op-eration Room


9/19

It is already week 3 of the tourand the soldiers have been rack-ing up the miles throughout theCentral Helmand River Valley.Keeping the logistic patrols mov-ing and on time to resupply the

forward locations falls as one ofthe responsibilities of TalismanSquadron. Captain Matt Has-tings has been re-deployed tothe Afghani capital Kabul in or-der to assist in the developmentof the Afghan National Armysown Route Proving and Clear-ance capability. He is based witha NATO Training Mission along-side Australian, United Statesand some specialist contractorsto deliver the training. TheAfghans are making some good

progress in developing theirArmed Forces and their level of professionalism is improving all the time as we train and partner them on opera-tions alongside NATO forces. Hopefully, our area will have its own Afghan Army Route Clearance Company bylate summer which should allow us to transition some of our current responsibilities to them. This will be a huge

leap forward in our wider goal of allowing them to provide security and stability for themselves.All three troops have been busy on tasks since we took over from 52 Armoured Engineer Squadron who have nowre-deployed back to their home base in Tidworth. 2 and 3 Troops have been supporting the Commando LogisticRegiment by escorting huge convoys out of Camp Bastion on their way to the forward locations to resupply anddeliver new stores. These stores include material required by the wider Engineer Group for construction tasks.Navigating across the desert is not easy at the best of times but can you imagine 70+ heavy logistics vehicles follow-ing your tyre tracks? Thats the sort of pressure that falls upon Sgts Marc Josee, Steve Smith and Andy Bracey asthey lead the whole lot! Coming up on the radio stating I think I may have taken a wrong turn is really not an

option. I take my hat off to all three of them.The R&R plan is beginning to take shape and we will shortly be able to allocate dates to the soldiers. While we willtry to accommodate an individuals wishes, the allocation will be driven by the needs of the operation. The firstperiod of R&R for Germany bound soldiers will commence on 23 May 2011 and the last one will be from 18 July2011. Soldiers choosing to travel to UK for R&R will have options starting from 16 May 2011 to the last periodbeginning 22 August 2011. Those soldiers deployed for 4 months but less than 6 will get one week R&R; thosewho have deployed for more than 6 months will get 2 weeks. We will publish the allocation through SSgt Newton

in Squadron HQ when we know firm dates.

I hope you enjoy the articles and photos provided by some of the soldiers. With some of you heading back to UKover the Easter Holiday period, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you, wherever you are, a Happy

Easter.

Major Sam Stuthridge Officer Commanding

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (Talisman)

R&R is beginning to take

shape.


OCs Foreword

Everyonefollow the Sapper!

As ever it was...


10/19

Being a relatively new addition to the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan, the Talisman

Squadron has been without a symbol of recognition. This is now no longer the case as a

Talisman logo is soon (hopefully) to be fully sanctioned by the Corps. It consists of the

Evil Eye which is universally recognised throughout the Muslim world as a ward against

danger, and the Gulwar swords; the traditional Afghan symbol for protection. These sit

within a triangle that symbolises caution.

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (Talisman)

2 Troop were

highly praised

for their hardwork


UAV post-crash landing, oops!

Well done Royal Artillery!

The New Talisman Squadron Logo

My First Tour, My First OpJob Done

Once RSOI arrival training was complete, we began the handover/takeover process from 52 Armoured Engineer Squadron, the out-going squadron. This wasnt as laborious as people thought it wasgoing to be and we had plenty of top tips given to us. Alongside the100 Royal Engineers in the Squadron are six Royal Artillery Un-manned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operators. The UAVs are great bitsof kit, but their full potential is still yet to be seen since the Artilleryguys dont seem to know that a crash landing is not a good landing!

The days leading up to takeover on 19th March, 2011 were used toprepare for our first operation. During this time we conducted

rehearsals, tactically loaded the vehicles and prepared personal kit.Most of the guys, myself included, were anxious about going out onthe ground for the first time but looking forward to it as well, as wehave been training for just short of a year for this.

The first op for the Squadron naturally fell to 2 Troop always leading the way. Themission was to safely escort a Combat Logistics Patrol (CLP) around the various UK oper-ating areas to replenish numerous patrol bases. Im not too shy to admit that 2 Troopwere highly praised for their hard work by the OC of the CLP. We worked hard and arequite proud of the job we are doing, clearing routes of Improvised Explosive Devices andproving safe lanes. After the mission was successfully finished, we were all really chuffed.We had the first one under our belts and had confirmed to ourselves that we knew whatwe were doing.

Back in Bastion during our down time, we have set ourselves a number of small tasks thatwill improve the welfare and leisure facilities for the Squadron. This has been done bybuilding benches, draws and tables for the rooms with spare wood. We also constructed avolleyball court at the back of our accommodation, which we have made good use of, top-ping up tans at the same time. Whilst we are definitely making most of the spare time wehave, we are still firmly focused on the teams future operations.

By Spr Worral, 2 Troop, 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron.

The proposed TALSIMAN


11/19

It was in the early hours of a cold German morning on the 5th March that I waited withanticipation for the coach that would finally whisk me away on my first tour of Afghani-

stan. Everything was ready; we had spent the days leading up to this packing up ourrooms and stuffing our bags with what would be needed for the next six months. Itwasnt long before we were at Hanovers Terminal D being ushered like cattle, only

armed to the teeth, onto the aircraft set to take us to Camp Bastion.

Bastion seemed huge and alien to most of us, as we took those first steps from the C-17aircraft and into the outlandish province of Helmand. It was weird eventually being herehaving only seen Afghanistan from photographs and news reports. However, it was notlong before we were settled in and completed our RSOI package (Reception Staging andOnward Integration). Within a week, it was time to prepare for our first operation

outside the wire.

The op was a good one to spring into as our first. With all our vehicles ready for ac-tion we moved out for the first time. Rolling out the gates in our convoy of undoubtedly

the manliest assortment of wheeled vehicles on the planet, we rode to our objective likea scene straight out of Mad Max. We quickly got to grips with the Afghan desert, easilynavigating and leading the way across sand and rock. It didnt seem like long before whatneeded to be done was done and we were back in Bastion in time for tea. The secondstage of the op was set to be a tad more of a challenge. We headed back out into thedesert and ended up having to spend the night out under the stars. We did this in adesert leaguer, having checked the ground was clear and that it was a safe spot to stayat. We returned to Bastion the next morning having had the slight interruption of ahelicopter landing right next to us somewhat unexpectedly. All in all, it wasnt too bad a

night. In fact, it was actually quite fun.

All in all it has been a good start to what we hope will be a great experience for all of us

to remember.

Spr Peers, 3 Troop, 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron.

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (continued..)

we rode to

our objective

like a scene out

of Mad Max.


From German Snow to Afghan Desert

31 Armoured EngineerSquadron in a desert

leaguer.


12/19

At Patrol Base Spina Kota, North of Lashkar Gah, 7 Troop have been very busy particularly CplScouse Owens section who have improved bases in the local area for the Afghan National Ar-my (ANA). What 2Lt Oli Toogood, SSgt G Gallagher and their boys have achieved at the base

during their spare time is fantastic: washing and shower areas have been plumbed in; power isup and running; LCpl Brightstar Brightey has established a gym; and Spr Doz Cross has built aTroop cookhouse complete with larder. Despite being remote, it is now far from austere. CplMarlon Ainsley Harriot Johnson has found his vocation in life as a chef. The Troop have alsointeracted well with the Afghan population finding that bribing local children when patrolling can

reduce the number of incoming stones!

At Patrol Base Nahidullah, Lt Florence Nightingales 9 Troop have also made their surroundingsmuch more comfortable with Cpl Robbo Roberts and LCpl Nige Gray driving the constructionof a covered welfare area and shower block. The Troop are building a new Afghan NationalPolice (ANP) base just down the road from a school in Saidan to ensure the area remains secure.Cpl Mark Kays section have been busy road building out of Patrol Base 4 and managed to com-plete their task, despite numerous interruptions from the local Afghans. These included farmers

complaining about the type of drains used, two wedding processions and a funeral.

8 Troop, based out of Patrol Base 2 up in NES South with Lt Jonny Linares, have also been busy:all three sections have done a great job deconstructing and reconstructing Patrol Bases andCheck Points in the Abershack Wadi area, completing two of them ahead of schedule thanks toCpls Danny Walton, Steve Shaw and Kyle Hagelburg. The Check Points are now occupied by

ANP and the lads interacted particularly well with the Afghan Police which is vital as we looktowards encouraging them to take ownership of local security in population centres.

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron

OCs Foreword

We have once again been extremely busy within both Lashkar Gah (LKG) and Nahr-e-SarajSouth (NES)S. The Squadron has remained committed and utterly determined to get stuck into awide variety of tasks, despite the best efforts of the insurgents and some local nationals. As well assupporting a number of kinetic operations, our tasks have been largely focused on construction:Patrol Bases and Check Points for ISAF and Afghan security forces, roads to allow our forces andAfghan locals to move freely and without the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices; and infra-structure upgrades to make soldiers lives a little more comfortable. Despite taking our first casual-ty this week, Sgt Neil McKean who thankfully suffered only hearing damage, morale remains high

and all three Close Support Troops continue to deliver my Main Effort: uninterrupted Engineersupport to our Combined Force Battle Groups.


8 Troop sappers board aCH47 to Nahr E Saraj South

SSgt Jones on his Hesco

toilet.

Summary of Activities


13/19

39 Armoured Engineer Squadron - continued.

Sgt Chuggy McGee has undertaken a variety ofreconnaissance tasks for the Battle Group Engi-neer, Capt Chris Smart, as well as supportinginterdiction operations with 2nd Battalion TheParachute Regiment. He was well supported onthese by LCpl Andy Martin and Spr Mike EMOECarter; EMOE stands for Explosive Methods ofEntry! Oh, and finally SSgt Tash Jones is ex-

tremely proud of his Hesco toilet.Working with Capt Laura Ducky Duckworth,the Battle Group Engineer for LKG, Sgt NeilChuck Norris McKean managed to defeat anImprovised Explosive Device, thankfully sufferingonly slight hearing damage after his vehicle was

struck. In true McKean style, he insisted (ratherloudly) that he stay out on the ground and de-brief his recce findings before being sent to Basti-on for a check-up. Sgt Chuggy McGee, alsosupported kinetic operations in Nahr-e-SarajSouth (NES)S, facilitating the securing of areas

normally occupied by insurgents.

Ours thanks must go to the Squadron familiesback home who have sent mail and best wishes;every single package received is very much appre-ciated. We look forward to receiving as many as

youre willing to send!

All the very best until next time

Maj Si BradleyOC 39 AES


Cpl Shaw and 3 Section, 8 Troop on completion of an elevated sanger at Abershack Wadi.

7 Troop now comfortable in

Patrol Base Spina Kota.

Cpl Kay and 1 Section, 9 Troop construct a road outside a Patrol Base.


14/19

Another week in paradise for the mighty 59ers! The Squadron continues to work ex-tremely hard and well on all fronts: 1, Condor and 3 Troops continue to excel in theirconstruction and combat work in forward locations; the Echelon continues to provideexcellent support in getting equipment and subject matter experts forward; and Sqn Head-quarters (SHQ) continues to co-ordinate current and future plans and resolve issues as

they arise.

Morale continues to be high across the Squadron despite the odd bout of D&V. In nodoubt this is due to the success being had on the tasks we are currently completing. Themen are busy and time is whittling away quite nicely. Of particular note is the way in which

the Squadron has gelled as a team across all fronts, which is exactly what I believe is re-quired in this environment. Everyone is helping each other out and, most importantly,ensuring that those positioned forward are supported and helped as much as possible by

those further back.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank those back in the UK for all the mail thatis being received. As I write even the Second-in-Command, who generally has no friends,has just received 4 parcels! It does make a significant difference to all of the soldiers; atouch of home, no matter how small you may think it is, has a significant effect on morale.

Many thanks. Maj Rich WilliamsOC 59 Cdo Sqn RE.

59 Commando Squadron RE

...a Hedgehog

cant move

for hedges

round here!!! ..


OCs Foreword

The joys of the being a BGEs batman, sorry signaler

My name is LCpl Maddock of 59 Commando Squadron and I currently have the honour ofbeing the BGEs signaller, well that is what it says on the job spec. The Battle Group Engi-neer - to give the BGE his full title is Captain where is the nearest toilet Siemieniuch; weare both based in Forward Operating Base Shahzad in Nad e Ali North. We provide sup-

port to 1Troop and 3Troop who both work in the area.

The tour began for me when we arrived in Shahzad. I was able to settle in to my newhome for the next 6 or so months quite quickly; I then set up my office 3 metres from mybed space and proceeded to decorate the back garden a little bit - with commando daggers

OBVIOUSLY!

The highlight of my tour so far was when Capt Siemieniuch informed me he was walking to

work, passed wind and got a little more than he expected. He then found himself confinedto a small tent of his own. You will be glad to know he is back on track now after a fewdays man down. We also had a little visitor in our tent last night in the form of a Hedge-hog cant move for hedges round here!!! I have called him Steve and he likes long walks

in the midday sun and chocolate from the 10 man ration packs.

The lads out here are doing fine and morale is high due to plenty of mail from friends andfamily - and boyfriends in some cases (mentioning no names, Spr Wallwork). Anyway, gotto shoot off now and try to get a crate of Mountain Dew in for the lads, as they have been

informed I wrote this article. Damn! How did they find that out. I wonder

Many thanks to all friends and family for the parcels and letters please keep them coming

and we will see you soon.

LCpl Mad Dog Maddock 59 Commando Squadron


15/19

Condor Troopfloat like elephants and sting like flowers.

Page 15Edition 2

Following a period in Camp Bastion, completing mandatory training, Condor troop deployed for-ward to Forward Operating Base Shawqat. For those who hoped for a lonely outpost in the mid-dle of nowhere they were sadly disappointed; Shawqat boasts hot and cold running shower units,flushing toilets and even a laundry!!! Full creature comforts. On arrival Condor Troop wasted notime gleaning all the tips and tricks for the tour from 51 Parachute Squadron and of course takingdown all the Paras paraphernalia and designing huge commando daggers!! After a period pre-paring, the majority of the troop has moved south within the Area of Operations (AO) to conduct

some building upgrades, with others busy helping improve Shawqat.

Sgt Hosken is fast becoming a military tramp, bouncing around patrol bases seeking ways to im-

prove the living conditions for 45 Commando Royal Marines.

On a more serious note, we are beginning to feel that Lt (noodle arms) Robinson is starting to bebullied by his troop. He has been seen training hard in the boxing ring, but reports coming backfrom Cpl Walton says he floats like a ele-phant stings like a flower so we dont hold

out much hope for his safety!!!!!

The mighty CTroop Commander wafting his gloves

towards the pads, it is all about the look apparently!

Squadron Headquarterdits and giggles all round.

Well pretty much one month into the tour already and life in Bastion is full steam ahead. Everyoneis pretty much settled in their job roles and things are starting to run a bit more smoothly thanbefore. Well that is what we would like you to think. Just ask Sgt Toni stunt woman Scoins whothought a nice little 2 day quad bike course would be so much fun, until she ended face down inthe dirt with the quad on top of her. No serious injury to report, but a cracking panda eye for the

rest of the ops room to tease her about.

On a serious note, in such a hostile environment, it good to see a love affair blossoming between 2of our well respected officers. Capt little Lovatt and Capt large Burton have been spending a lotof time together. If not found complimenting each others egos in the gym, they have been caught

watching chick flicks under torch light in their tent!! Argh how nice!!!.

The daily running of the Squadron Operations Room is going well. LCpl I am not even slightlyvain Stainthorpe is doing a great job in maintaining the radios and protein shakes, but more workis still needed. Morale is high due to Sgt sarcastic Needhams so called character building. Noone is safe, even the officers!!! Well everyone apart from Cpl H I flash more times than a winky

pot Harrison, who attempts to swap banter but always ends up falling short. And let us spare a

thought for Spr night shift Leak; keep your chins up mate youll be on the day shift soon!!

Finishing off I would like to thank all the families for their support, letters and PARCELS which

always lift morale. Thanks again and we will see you all soon. Sgt Matt NeedhamOps Sgt

...keep yourchins up mate

youll be on the

day shift soon!!

!! ..

If no photos, just add

daggers, sorted.


16/19

My day normally starts at 0800 hrs. Today it started at 0700 with acouple of hours of sangar duty. This is the only chance us staff officersusually get to see much of the outside world. You can see the people

of Lashkah Gar going about their daily business.

After sangar duty I make it into the office for around 0920 and beginthe day by checking the back log of emails. I typically get 15-20 a day,

but luckily many are for info only.

My role primarily involves dealing with long term tactical infrastructure

(i.e. forward bases) issues. I keep track of what is planned to be built inthe future and ensure our data bases of all built infrastructure are up todate. I also keep an eye on what is being built by the Provincial Recon-struction Team and the Stabilisation Cell, so projects can be deconflict-

ed.

Our main effort at TFH HQ is to support the guys on the ground. All the work we do isdone with the aim of ensuring tasks are properly planned and tracked to make sure re-sources are available and appropriately prioritised and that best use is made of the man-power. This will ensure that the JF Engr Gp provides the best engineering support possible

to TFH.

After lunch, dinner, a quick session at the gym and a lot of time in front of a computer and

on the phone it is around 2130 and time to finally leave the office.

A Life in the Day of ...


SO3 INFRA PLANSCapt Charlotte Metcalf


17/19

Sappers Train the First Afghan Route Clearance Company.

Page 17Edition 2

Capt Hastings deployedto the ConsolidatedFielding Centre (CFC) atCamp BLACKHORSE,Kabul on the 12 Mar 11,to provide support in theform of a Training Men-toring Team (TMT) to3/215 Route ClearanceCompany during theirtraining. He was joinedby Sgt Barr of 59 CdoSqn on the 25 Mar 11.3/215 Brigade (Bde) ispart of the fourth itera-tion of RCC training

along with 4/203 Bde (USled TMT) and 4/205 Bde(Australian led TMT)which began a 16 weektraining package on the26 Feb 11, aiming todeploy in mid Jun 11.Currently the companyhas around 31 members,plus 5 officers, with vary-

ing levels of experience.

Since arriving at the CFC, the TMT has been heavily involved with the collection and inventory of all of the stores and weap-ons required by the RCC, which is an on going process. The team has also assisted the company stores staff with the imple-

mentation of processes for storing, issuing and accounting for this equipment. Each RCC is trained in current US doctrine forroute clearance and EOD, themajority of this training isdelivered by US civilian con-tractors (mostly ex-military

types).

Over the last week the TMThas taken the companythrough a range package, asthe civilian contractors areunable to conduct live firingwith the ANA. The companywas given the responsibility

for the running of the week,with the TMT acting in anadvisory role and assistingwith safety. The packageallowed the entire companiesindividual weapons to be ze-roed and the support weap-ons test fired by the ANA nominated gunners. Despite only just leav-ing basic training this is the first time that some individuals have actual-ly fired the M16 live, and will be the last before they deploy to Hel-

mand in June.

Over the coming weeks the company will build up equipment holdings until it is completely ready for deployment. Concur-rently, the company will be trained in demolitions, driving, first aid, actions on and will finally begin conducting both hasty and

deliberate route clearance operations. The civilian contractors will take the lead on the majority of this training with the TMTbeen used to add up to date ground truth and develop the commanders in the planning of operations.

The arrival of breakfast is much more interesting than

Capt Hastings range brief!

The training team try to get the Afghan engineer to

finish the shoot prior to the rain arriving!


18/19

REMELight Aid Detachmentm (LAD)

Inside Story Headline

The 2 weeks since the last newsletter has been a busy period forthe LAD, with many of the guys who are based in forward loca-tions carrying out some excellent work in order to keep the

vehicles available for future missions.

The workload had reached a point where we wereforced to deploy one of our prized assets, namely SgtNelly Nelson, who with the help of LCpl Aaron Del-lay managed to sort out a plethora of equipment atNadi D Alley (S) to assist 59 Cdo Sqn with their on-

going tasks.

Meanwhile, back at the main workshop in Camp Basti-on, Sgt Jackson, along with the help of his lads at LIMApad, managed to sort out and repair seven workingoutboard motors, that initially looked destined for the

scrap heap!

At the Trojan Park, Cpl Colin Chalmers of the Ar-mour Support Group fitters, continues with his feebleattempt to grow a presentable moustache, despiteadvice from his peers that it makes him look like a

hacking bit of kit!

On the whole the LAD is doing well and everyone hasnow settled into their roles for the tour and despite a

hefty workload the guys are happy spirits are high.

a hacking bit

of kit!


Cpl Colin Chalmers tries out for the Village People, again.


19/19

Editor:

546151 Capt Brad Hardwick54 Cdo HQ & Sp Sqn

TFH Engr GpBFPO 792

E-maill [email protected]

Something from the Editor.

We never received any article for the Newsletter from you allback in UK or Germany. A lot of the lads are out on the groundand any news updates and funny stories about life back in UK/

Germany are always appreciated.

All I need is the words in an MS Word document and the photofile with a tag line explaining who, where, what and why! Sendby email or post to the Editor. We look forward to reading your

articles and publishing them in the newsletter.

ArmyNet there are further updates, stories and photos on the24 Commando Engineer Regiment site. Just login to ArmyNet,go to Units & Organisation tab then Royal Engineer on dropdown, then 24 Commando Engineer Regiment and click on the

TFH Engr Gp tab.

FacebookOur presence is growing, we have a TFH EngineerGroup group page, please join us. The TFH Engineer Group

page will be live in the near future.

TASK FORCE

HELMAND

ENGINEER GROUP

17th April 11. HERRICK 14 Families DayCpls Club, RMB Chivenor

29th Aril 11. Royal Wedding Families DayCpls Club, RMB Chivenor

Notices

Who is this man?

He is a new Sapper who hasrecently seen the light andjoined The Corps, we arejust not sure who he is. An-

swers by return please.

If you have any further

photos like this, pleasesend to the Editorwho will spread the

Documents

TFH Engineer Group Newsletter Edition 2 010411