20120522-Scarab Telegraph Facebook Edition 3 Final-U

7/31/2019 20120522-Scarab Telegraph Facebook Edition 3 Final-U

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Inside this issue:

COs welcome 1

38 Hq & Sp Sqn 2

8 AES 13

30 AES 18

33 AES 27

Beetle Juice 32

Issue 3Page 1

Chief Of Staffs Foreword(Maj C Marshall)

R&R is in full low and with the CO currently enjoying his , I have the pleasure ofwriting this foreword. Time is rushing by, the majority of the Engineer Group havenow passed the twelve week point and are approaching half way, a very pleasingstatistic. Across all areas of the Task Force the Sappers continue to be held in ex-tremely high regard. In RHQ we often get visitors going out of their way to come to

the Engineer Group Headquarters and sing the praises of the soldiers efforts. Theweekly completed task list continues to grow at a steady rate and it is really goodto see the photos of the great work that is being achieved. This is probably a goodpoint in the tour to mention the sterling work of our support elements. Be they theLight Aid Detachment, keeping the vehicles on the road, the Squadron Clerks sort-ing out pay and administration, the squadron Quartermasters keeping the supplyof parts and equipment going forward or any of the myriad of teams keeping thework progressingthey all deserve a huge chuck-up.

In the last week the Engineer Group has deinitely played its part for charity. A su-perb effort from 25 Field Squadron who raised over 1100 on the help for heroesBike challenge and the AGC(SPS) Detachment who organised the Afghan version ofthe Triple Crown raising over 2000 for Families Activities Breaks. On the opera-tions side 25 Field Squadron have set a new record with the number of tasks com-pleted at the two and a half month point. 30 AES are busy constructing a bridgeand closing bases. 8 AES are busy improving Patrol Bases and building a new maingate in one of the largest locations and 33 AES are busy in Gareshk building a largefoundation, camp extension and upgrades to the force protection.

The morale of the Engineer Group remains high and this is thanks to the wholehearted support we receive from our families and friends.

SCARAB TELEGRAPHEDITION 3XXVI


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Page 3

38 HQ & SP SQNA Word from the OC

(Maj A Pritchard)

This has been another busy month for the HQ & Sp Sqn; everything from bridging the NEB canal to building a 5

-a-side football pitch. The 5-a-side has a lot to answer for; despite pulling off a brilliant save Lt Houston broke

her arm!

With R&R in full low we also have a steady stream of new faces arriving in theatre. It was always the plan to

make sure that career courses still happened; where possible giving as many people as possible a taste of op-

erations. With June around the corner were almost at the halfway mark. Weve done lots, but still have a lot

more to do. The ever changing nature of the equipment out here means nothing stays the same for long. Hav-

ing potentially put in the last operational General Support Bridge, Combat Support Troop now have full re-

sponsibility for the Rapidly Emplaced Bridging System (REBS) - retaining the HQ & Sp Sqns gap crossing capa-

bility. On a lighter note; the Log Nodes weekly weigh in is working wellweight watchers have nothing on

Sgt Jex!

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Page 3

Support TroopFOLAD Bridge

(By Cpl Tudor)

On the 19th of May the ABLE Det of 38 HQ

& Sp Sqn, 26 Engineer Regiment deployed

to CP FOLAD to build (potentially) the last

GSB in theatre. The team consisted of 8

operators and 2 pinners and slingers, Cpl

Wayne Tudor (Bridge Commander), Sgt

Stan Stanley (No 2), LCpl Rigid Brooks

(No 3 Crane op), LCpl J Dizzle Rymer (No

4 Crane Op), Spr Subo Boyle (No 5 sling-

er), LCpl Mong on the Tongs Craven (No 6

Tong Man), LCpl Anoos Baines (No 7

Bridge 2ic), Spr Goose Parkinson (No 8

slinger), A/LCpl Jo Big Guns Ingham (No 9

Slinger), LCpl Roberto White (No 10).

Also, not to forget our combat cameraman,

Sgt Ginge Atwell. The crossing point had to be put in, in order to allow 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron to

strip out the existing MGB and replace it with an LSB.The deployment was over a two day period. Due to the majority of the lads being out on another job the most

of my time was sorting and reconiguring the panels and ensuring all the correct kit was loaded into the wag-

ons. Day 1consisted of orders from the Talisman call sign that was moving us to our inal location and then a

short drive down to MOB Price where we had time to it in some hard-core cards and scrabble (Yes that is how

we roll!)

Day 2

After setting off from Price early,

following the Talisman CS and as

part of a CLP, we arrived on site at

CP FOLAD thinking we may be able

to get away with building out of the

blistering heat providing all went

well, after a brief from Sgt Ian King

(ABLE Det Comd) who had de-

ployed a few days earlier to conduct

a gap crossing recce we began to

get the vehicles into position. This

was done in no time and straightaway the irst


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issue occurred when LCpl Rymers BV would not engage the PTO, he quickly jumped across to the ABLE and

we cracked on whilst our on site itter Cpl Kyle Davies tried to sort the problem out. The slide frame went out

in quick time and LCpl Brooks crane skills coupled with LCpl Cravens determination on the tongs ensured

that the rail was out and across the gap a few minutes later. LCpl White then went to lower and seat the bipod

which resulted in the ABLE completely cutting out. After a few minutes of Ian and Stan running around hitting

stop buttons and changing fuses things kicked in and we cracked on with the build.

The far bank ramps were soon on and swiftly followed by the next coupe of panels, but again, when the com-

mand was given for pre-load, the ABLE decided it wasnt going to play and cut out once more. Cue lots of

swearing, changing of chest packs, cables and some threats involving nylon hammers and lots of work for

REME the hydraulics kicked back in and we got back to the task. The lads on the pinning platform, Anoos,

Goose and Jo smashed the pins in and aided us in itting the inter-bridge components and soon enough the

bridge was being lowered onto the deck ready for the real graft to begin.

Once the rail was up and we began the

strip, the remainder of the lads began

the kerbing and decking, with Rigid

Brooks smashing in all 36 kerbs before

half the bridge was decked. With the

temperature raising all the time and

the FP getting twitchy due to somesmall arms ire in and around the area

the lads made short work of it and in-

ished just as we began to start up and

move back to the holding area.

From start to inish, including a couple

of mechanical issues and the tempera-

ture, the crossing point was open in

just over 90 minutes. The site was

then handed back to 30 AES, whilst weenjoyed a sightseeing trip of the Loy

Mandah Wadi on the way back.


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Signals, brews and a lot of work

The Squadron (Sqn)

has now been in The-

atre for over 2

months and is very

much in full swing.

The Headquarters

(HQ) element whichis manned by Major

Pritchard, Capt Stew-

art, WO2 (SSM) Paul,

Sgt Davison, Cpl

Gregson, and LCpls

Ingham and Reade

have been busy with

various tasks includ-

ing planning Squad-

ron Operations,maintaining discipline, maintaining vital equipment and manning the Operations Room to name but a few.

The upper echelons of Squadron Headquarters (SHQ) have, for the majority of their time, been tied to their

desks leaving the real work to be done by the younger members of the Sqn! That said Capt Stewart managed

to get out on a diving task and he also permitted the Sergeant Major a temporary leave of absence from Camp

Bastion so that he could visit the Brigade Advisory Group in Patrol Base Sparta. Cpl Gregson (reigning Monop-

oly champion) and LCpl Ingham have been providing their communications expertise on many a job with the

Force Protection Multiple and various Support Troop tasks. LCpl Reade is currently on R&R with Sgt Davies

following later this week, so the panic tanning has commenced (sadly for Sgt Davies, without success).

SHQ also ensures everyone remains ready to deploy when required by running ranges and regular continua-tion training, covering a variety of subjects ranging from communications equipment to Rules of Engagement.

Despite being busy the Sqn has managed to stage a volleyball competition which was organised by LCpl

Reade, it was some time ago hence the author cant remember who won the competition. We also had a BBQ

after watching the Army Navy on BFBS and have an upcoming CSE show to look forward to.


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A few good men and two women

This month in the life of 26 Engineer Regiment AGC(SPS) Det we have been learning to cope without 8 AES

mini chief aka Pte Walters but he has been ably replaced by Sgt Henry. Who after only two weeks in theatre

was sporting our most outrageous case of sunburn. Sgt Roberts was forced to give up her Boris bike for a

week while Talisman Sqn did their charity event and Sgt Donohue seems to have taken up responsibility as

Chief of the BBQ. Cpl Mo Maddar joined us a couple of days ago and will take over responsibility of

designated junior. He is now responsible for ensuring the moral of the Fwd Det remains high. On a more seri-

ous note, the main effort at the moment (other than pay and allowances) is making sure that the guys and

girls get home for their R&R which is in full swing at the moment. There has been some panic tanning by the

members of the Det who are about to leave theatre or go on R&R. The major event in our calendar this monthwas the Triple Crown charity event which was ably organised by Sgt Carl Sharples. The event was a 10Km

March and Shoot event open to all AGC personnel in Bastion. In

total 13 teams took part and everybody was looking suitably in

pain by the end. The whole Det got involved in everything from

running EXCON to sorting out the prizes and the post March and

Shoot BBQ. The 26 Engineer Regiment team came a very respect-

able second on the March but we have decided not to talk about

the shooting. We were slightly disappointed that the Education

centre and the EOD and Search task force piped us (by a fair

amount) to the winning slot. We discovered during the event thatSgt Sharples has a mean streak when we found that he had added

in some bumps (small mountains) that we had to go through on

the route. However there was some revenge when later in the

evening he lost his TaTa. Overall the event was a huge success

that raised over 2000. The just giving page is staying open for a

little longer so if anybody can spare a penny or two please go to

the following web addresswww.justgiving.com/triple-crown

The ROG Det did the UK Triple crown on the same day and we

hope that a) It hurt as much as ours (your 27 degrees had noth-

ing on our 37) and b) Hope that you had as much fun as we didand did really well, well done to all of you. The SPS Det is in the

process of concocting some more interesting events to keep the

charity work going over the remainder of the tour. More to come

in subsequent editions of the Scarab Telegraph. On a more work

related note the Det are waiting to ind out the date of our in the-

atre inspection and in the next month will start planning for the

recovery of the Regiment, yup its that time already. At the three

month point we start planning to come home. For 38 HQ & Sp

Sqn (which is a good benchmark) the half way point is marked

by approx. the 14 June! Not long now. We need to thank all ourfamilies for the welfare parcels that we are getting, its a huge

moral boost!


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XXVI

LIGHT AID ATTACHMENT

On the 21stApril 2012 a group of soldiers from 26 Engr Regt LAD gave a donation to the Danish contingentwithin Camp Bastion, to participate in the DANCON MARCH.

The march is a 25Km (15.54 mile) tab to raise money for deserving military charities. This year all the mon-ey raised went to injured Danish soldiers and their families.

The event has been going for many years and has been conducted in many other countries such as Iraq andKenya, and in numerous Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) here in Afghanistan.

On the day of the march (29 April), also being SSgt Phillipss 12th wedding anniversary, we arrived at Camp

Viking in good spirits; morale couldnt have been any higher.The march started out very well,with us all having a laugh and ajoke and enjoying the free phys.that we paid for! Between the sev-en of us that took part the lowestweight carried was 16kg and theheaviest was 21kg plus 6G downforce from the REME lag.

LAD soldiers being silly enough,carried 10Kg over the minimum

weight required, however mem-bers of 30 Sqn only carried be-tween 10 - 15 (weak).

Our soldiers had a few items thatmade them stand out in the crowd.There was a bucket and spade andan inlatable guitar, to name but afew. The Americans being easilypleased, thought the bucket andspade was the best thing they hadever seen on a tab! Also, there

were numerous mentions and cheers about our LAD lag (and slaps in the face by the lag) as we were treck-ing around the course.

However, on the 2nd lap whilst walking past the accommodation and our fellow soldiers again, the moralewas deinitely on the way to rock bottom. All due to painful feet, shoulders and the blistering heat. Randomconversations about beer, home and women kept us all going.

Once we had arrived back at Camp Viking (4hrs and 7 mins later), dropped our kit (which was a painful ex-perience and still weighing around 20Kg) and hobbled around the place, we were once again in high spirits.We had completed the challenge we had set ourselves and helped raise a substantial amount of money forinjured allied troops.

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SCARAB TELEGRAPHEDITION 3


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A month in the life of..CSC

The CSC has had yet another busy month so far during May, with everyone gearing up towards a major bridge

build which will be one of the Regiments top priorities during the tour. The main players for this job will be Q

Craig Dutton (Clk Wks (C)) and LCpl Ben Loveridge (The Surveyor). The CSC was short of a Class 1 surveyor

prior to the tour but luckily hit the jackpot when LCpl Loveridge was attached to the CSC. Preparation for this

has included concreting rehearsals, endless meetings and checks, all whilst trying to explain what we actually

do and why we are here.

Spr Potential short tour Steve Cottam (Design Draughtsman) has again been snowed under with work. Hehas produced many designs/drawings and calculations and given advice on various jobs. However by far his

biggest job was to design, resource, re-design and construct the new State of the art shaded decking area to

the rear of the CSC. An area now used for meetings, brews and general chilling out if time permits. This is a

legacy of his which will be very appreciated not only during our tour but for years to come. Well done Steve

you should be put on a Cadre.

Staff Do you know when my R&R is? Chris Hatchard (Clk Wks (M)) and LCpl Ged Ginge Conroy (Design

Draughtsman E&M) have eventually had a mechanical job to do after a two month wait, albeit a cage with a

plastic liner. LCpl Conroy has also moved forward with Special Forces troop for their latest taxi ride around

Helmand.

Q Baz Imms (Clk Wks E) has meanwhile been looking after the running of the ofice keeping everyone up to

date with what the CSC are doing, and also keeping the members of the CSC up to date with what the CSC are

doing.

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My tour so far(By LCpl Loveridge)

Hello UK, Im LCpl Loveridge and this is my story so far of OP HERRICK 16. I was attached to 26 Engr Regt at

short notice this year from 38

Engr Regt in Northern Ireland

to deploy on OP HERRICK 16 as

the class 1 surveyor within the

Construction Supervision Cell

(CSC). It was a position I not

only held at my previous regi-ment but also with them on OP

HERRICK 10. I was fortunate on

my arrival at Tidworth to ind

that I would be working with

someone I went through train-

ing with, and soon settled in

within the department.

I deployed on HERRICK 16 on

the 7 Mar 12 and left my Fiance

Danni and son Rory behind in

our home in Somerset. Having

already deployed in the same

role, I already had an idea of what I would be doing and what would be expected of me, however, every tour is

different.

On arrival in Afghanistan (via Dubai), I had to conduct a 1 week RSOI package, a mandatory package for eve-

rybody arriving in theatre before they begin work or deploy forward of Camp Bastion. This basically meant

getting up at 5am each morning to start work at 8 am (hurry up and wait). On completion of this we could

begin our handover/takeover phase and start making our workplace and bed space our own.

I arrived at the CSC for the irst day of my takeover thinking the only survey kit available to me was the kit Ihad brought over from Tidworth. Then I saw it, the Leica GPS 1200 series in 2 big, shiny, red boxes. My excite-

ment levels went through the roof, I couldnt believe my luck. This amazing piece of kit was going to make my

life so much easier as it pretty much halves the time it takes for me to do jobs and I could do them on my own

without needing to take someone else away from their job (except to help carry it all on and off the helicop-

ter).

The CSC has been a very busy place so far on the tour, with nearly everybody having deployed forward from

Camp Bastion. I have visited 5 FOBs/PBs since my arrival in Afghanistan, completing full detailed site sur-

veys and editing drawings for all of them. I have also put in a Control Point for the Artillery to ire from and

produced a survey for a particularly large and accurate Force Protection plan which has now been followed

up with no fewer than 26 designs and drawings within the department, and were only 8 weeks into the tour.

I have travelled to a varied group of locations from smaller PBs and FOBs such as Clifton, Sparta and Oulette,

all of which are quite sparse with nothing around but miles of landscape, to big FOBs like Shawqat, an old

British fort which neighbours the local bizarre and Lashkar Gah which is in the city centre and is


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like a little city within the

city, very built up and busy.

Whilst at Sparta I and a few

others were not feeling

good about ourselves and

were uncomfortable with

our bodies. We decided

enough was enough and we

contracted D&V, a 2 day

diet highly recommendedfor people with low coni-

dence and self esteem. My

friend then started thinking

he was fat and wanted in

on the action so he took the

plunge and brought the

illness back to Bastion with him for others to try it out.

When back at the ofice we have an hourly dice roll, where a member of the department will roll 2 dice. 1 die

dictates a gym exercise and the other dictates the amount of sets we do. Its just a bit of healthy fun which

keeps us in shape. The majority of the ofice is also going to the gym every day, sometimes twice. In fact thatreminds me, does anyone have any cello tape because Im ripped. I would like to thank my family for all their

support thus far and say happy birthday to my son Rory who was 1 this week. Thinking of you always.


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Deployable Engineer Workshop

(Sgt Pete Jackson)

Two months into the tour and the Deployable Engineer Workshop (DEW) is as busy as it ever has been. After

a one day handover with WO2 Derek Smith (Territorial Army) enough said there, I was in the chair of power.

In the ofice with myself was a certain Simon (Polly) Kettleborough (KBR Supervisor). Polly left the Royal En-

gineers after 22 years service in March 2011. A colourful character, that several ranks within 26 Engineer

Regiment have had the pleasure of his politically correct nature in the past. His last post was as an SQMS so

his knowledge of the G4 chain could only assist me in the DEW Managers job. Well at least so I thought. The

HQ Sqn took the reins on the 20 March 2012. Polly went on his 3 weeks leave on the 21 March 12. He is yetto return due to a medical problem.

There are 16 KBR tradesmen on the books within the DEW. Very rarely is the workshop at full strength be-

cause of their leave plan of 12 weeks on 3 weeks off. In the absence of Polly, his 2ic Damian Hoodless stepped

in. Damian, an absolute legend with a chisel and saw managed to juggle the ever growing C&J jobs and the

KBR Supervisor role with ease. With about 45 minutes a day spent sorting KBR admin out and the rest of his

time spent on the tools turning a tree into a set of sanger steps.

The irst major task that came across my desk was the manufacture of 3 Non Equipment Bridges (NEB) along

one Route. You could say many lessons were learnt from this mission. One being time spent on recce is sel-

dom wasted. Second, that there is a process to follow for all job requests, and a chain of command that prior-itises mission critical tasks to the DEW. Thirdly, by simply throwing military tradesmen at the task around

the clock does not always mean the job will be completed in a shorter time. In this case the task was complet-

ed in a shorter time scale. This however, was at the expense of the workshops panel saw being broken by the

military tradesmen. What effect has this had? All subsequent tasks have suffered time delays. Ripping tim-

ber down to size with a porta-

ble circular saw will take more

than twice the time, as many

lengths of timber were that

thick they had to be cut from

both sides. There is light atthe end of the tunnel. The

parts required to ix the saw

arrived just yesterday, 15 May

2012. Two months without

the carpenters main piece of

equipment had past. You

could say the tradesmen were

a little relieved none more so

than James Massam, the twin

brother of LCpl Massam (Engr

Fd Sqn 1).


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There was some concern when I took over that the welders would be struggling for jobs. No such luck now.

As the regiment hit the ground running, Statement of Requirements (SOR) where coming in thick and fast for

metal work. In the main we have manufactured vehicle and pedestrian gates for patrol bases and check

points. That coupled with Thatcham Baskets and inger barriers the welders have certainly had their work

cut out so far.

The DEW is an excellent asset, here to assist in the manufacture of potential life saving infrastructure to ISAF

forces in Helmond Province. The KBR tradesmen that work within the DEW are highly skilled with years of

experience in their speciic trade. If any of the squadrons could release tradesmen as a change from the nor-

mal to work in the DEW, they would be working alongside civilian tradesmen who would only help and im-

prove the standard of our mens skills and of course prevent skill fade. This could be essential now, or on any

future operations.

Padres Paragraph"From a Dusty Desk"(By Padre Neil E Allison)

Ive just returned from lying around Helmand doing my pastoral visits. This is always an exciting experience

especially when I hate lying in any context. While on my travels I noticed that there are signiicant differ-

ences in the living conditions for our lads and lasses. At one FOB it was exhaustingly hot with no breeze and

no air-con. Tents can often be tightly packed which didnt help with the heat or ly issue. At another location

there was a lovely garden at the centre of the FOB and a lovely breeze made its relieving presence felt. Cold

drinks were constantly on hand through the EFI which you could sip away in the garden.

The difference between the two could not have been greater but in both a home from home was made by

those based there. The phrase from Psalm 23 you laid a table in the presence of your enemies makes much

more sense out here than back in the UK when regardless of circumstances homes are made, food is always

available and water is used freely. The hospitality I received was great and a brew was always offered. Lives

are being lived and lived well in Afghanistan, in spite of everything that should indicate otherwise. Certainly,

there is much to give thanks to god for and it is impressive how homes are made in the most primitive of cir-

cumstances.


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8 Armoured Engineer Squadron

A word from the OC(Maj J Stuart)

It has been a very interesting few weeks for the Sqn. The pace of work hasnt slacked off at all and in fact hasprobably picked up. All three Troops have been hard at it. 1 Troop has been concentrating on improving theinfrastructure and living conditions in the Patrol Base at Lashkar Gah Durai, ferrying the OC and SSM aroundand planning and preparing improvements to force protection at the Main Operating Base in Lashkar Gah. 2Troop have again been extremely busy in Nahr-e-Saraj (South) upgrading a number of Check Points and patrolbases to improve living conditions and levels of force protection. They have also been deploying their chain-saws to help clear ields of view and ease freedom of movement for the ANSF and local nationals. Whilst 3Troop have been busy conducting numerous culvert upgrades, bridge repairs and upgrades to PB Nahidullah.They also conducted a lot of work for our Engineer Advisor brethren in PB Sparta, improving their force pro-tection. It hasnt been all work though, we have now sent the irst batch back on R&R and are expecting themback soon with great tales of their many varied exploits, some of which are sure to be exaggerated and othersthat are probably, scarily, not. The visit of the Commanding Oficer to Nahr-e-Saraj (S) also gave elements of 2Troop the opportunity to show off their culinary skills with LCpl Morrow leading on an excellent BBQ. TheCommanding Oficer subsequently caught up with the remaining elements of 2 Troop after patrolling out tothe task site in the more rural areas of Nahr-e-Saraj (S), not quite as salubrious condition but a welcome visitall the same. Morale remains high especially as R&R has kicked in and the time seems to be lying by.


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XXVI

Tues 15th May 2012Fri 18th May 2012(By LCpl Mattey)

After just a week of being back with 1 Troop and Im realising that it is almost impossible to hide...

...No matter how many people are around me, being an indisputable icon of 8 AES, Ninja Army Diver and the

perfect role model for the up and coming Sappers of the squadron means my high quality skills will always be

sought after by Lt Dave Hicketts for important jobs such as a write up of the most recent tasks.

I shall begin this thrilling write up with the intense journey from Patrol Base Attal to Main Operating BaseLashkar Gar. We packed up all the kit and equipment we needed the day before we left, other than fuel ilters

for the Medium Wheeled Tractor as REME Vehicle Mechanics arent actually psychic whatever they may haveyou believe.We were told that we would be leaving for about a month, but I have refused to be fooled by words this timeand packed for 4 months.

We left the gates of Patrol Base Attal on 15th May andheaded west on Route Elephant. It was the simplest ofjourneys but being lead vehicle commander meant I hadto check the map every now and again and glare at SprOrmerod and LCpl Wigg in the back who were sleepinglovingly on each other with helmets almost at 90 degreesto their heads.

We arrived at Main Operating Base Lashkar Gah un-scathed by the anticipated kids and their stones and after90 minutes of driving due to our plant drivers SprFrankham and Spr Gladstone forgetting where the throt-tle was for most of the journey. We were met by a cheerfulCpl Jamie Brown, no doubt because he had missed mycharm. The vehicles were parked up and after a big lunch the personal kit and accommodation was sorted out.I believe the tents are closer to the HLS than the light line check-in building, but with air conditioning we can-not complain. We would now look forward to a month of slumming it in Lashkar Gar.

Our irst task was due to start on the same day but as with everything in the Army, the only consistent thing ischange. So, LCpl Wigg took his section outside the front gate on the 16th and met up with his Afghan localfriends and together with big buckets and spades they illed a 15ft hole and then graded the area. It was a fullday of work, however they did a great job and the inished area was then ready for the next tasks to take place.

On the 17th I was given Sprs Meldrum and Hartgen to build the Unexploded Ordinance pit on the edge of thenewly graded spot outside the front gate. LCpl Wigg was there to direct the plant and Spr Gladstone was driv-ing the Light Wheeled Tractor. We also had SSgt Benn as force protection for when the infantry decided todrive after the Afghan kids who were testing the patience of the top cover with carefully selected stones.


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Page 15

We had previously set out the Hesco walls before

leaving the camp so it was just a matter of pulling itall out and connecting it as we illed it with aggre-gate. Ten minutes into the afternoon, after amouthful of dust and almost being buried inside aHesco basket, Spr Hartgen was ready for a showerand possibly a tantrum but he continued to graftanyway.LCpl Wigg spent most of his day playing with hisnew found Afghan friends, but more importantly itkept him out of trouble.Once we had inished the task we tidied it up and

made it look neater then headed back inside. Weset out the remaining baskets for work the follow-ing morning but this time we would take SprMcGrath out with us, but not just for his dashinginterpreter-style looks, he would take over the

force protection with SSgt Benn as LCpl Wigg and his section would be working on another task.Spr Folly replaced the Light Wheeled Tractor with the Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) and made lightwork of illing the top layer of Hesco baskets. It was a quick task and we were back in for 1100hrs with thetask completed.The only other arduous task for me that day was watching Cpl Brown eat all 6 desserts that his diet allowshim to.


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CP SHKAR TREE FELLING-THE WALL OF TREES:

On Sunday 20th May 2012 a last minute job came in to remove a tree line from outside a Check Point to enable

an Elevated Expeditionary Sanger to have suficient ields of view up a nearby wadi. The wadi ran north to

south and was close to the wall of the Check Point.

Cpl Greg Hissey and LCpl Dean Goodacre packed up suficient kit and set off to the Check Point. A foot patrol

with Brimstone to the Check Point was next and on arrival at the Check Point, the Platoon Commander set out

an Infantry protection group in order for the 2 Engineers to fell the trees. The tree line was cut down before

0900hrs, this then enabled other call signs to begin their tasks.

The tree line consisted of 8 trees that had been incorporated into a 2ft high wall running alongside a dust

track . The trees were old, dense with large foliage at the top, ranging from 500mm to 600mm plus in diame-

ter. The 1sttree had to be dropped onto the road as it naturally leant that direction, this meant it had to be cut

up into small segments in order for it to be removed from the track. The rest of the trees were all naturally

leaning away from the track into the ield opposite which made things easier for the tree felling pair.

Due to the diameter of the trees, precision cuts were made to allow the trees to fell naturally in the direction

they were leaning. After the 1sttree was felled, the remainder came down with relative ease. After getting

the thumbs up from the Platoon Commander, kit was packed away and the chainsaw pair managed to jump

on a foot patrol back to what only can be described as, home sweet home.


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Page 17

PB SPARTA upgrade

(By Spr Mushing)

On the 05 May our multiple set out from Patrol Base (PB) Nahidullah (NHD) on route for our next task which

was another Patrol Base upgrade, this time at PB SPARTA. We had a quick scoff (lunch) prior to leaving and

then were on the road quickly afterwards. We were hoping that it would take us just over an hour to complete

our journey. However, with the plant (tractor) maxing out at a dreary 20 kph it wasnt to be. Not the end of the

world though. That was until we got closer to Lashkar Gah (LKG) that is, and then came the nightmare of driv-

ing through the built up city centre with people coming from every direction mentionable. This was not the

easiest of feats in the plant with its tiny windows and poor visibility. We drove on and on and inally arrived at

PB Sparta dripping with sweat and pretty fatigued. The air con would have been a lot more appreciated with-

out body armour, helmet, and all the other PPE we wear. As soon as we arrived on site we were given a duty

safety brief and our actions on contacts from the CSM and then got ourselves bedded in for the next week with

where we were going to be living. We then had another reminder of how the week was going to run and what

stage of the task we would start and in which order. While in PB Sparta we would be carrying out various tasks

which include, putting in a HESCO chicane around the front and rear of the PB that would offer better protec-

tion, digging in and constructing a HESCO Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) pit, then we would build a new elevated

sanger and three new ramps around the PB, which would give them a bit more Force Protection (FP). Not

long after we got there we started to crack on with the task at hand and started putting in the ground works

that were needed at the front gate, levelling and moving stores. Once done the HESCO was bounced out and westarted to ill it in good time and by the second day the front gate chicane and UXO pit were complete.

On day three we broke down into separate teams with one team starting on the Elevated Sanger and the other

putting more ground works in around the back gate, ready for the next chicane to be installed. The back gate

was a lot different however with previous burrow pits all over the place and old wheel ruts hardened into the

ground. Our section commander reckoned it would take around a day for the levelling to be completed, luckily,

one of the other plant operators and myself got the task smashed and had the whole area levelled within an

hour and a half! With this done the next set of HESCO was bounced out and over the next couple of days it was

illed just as quick and left us time to move onto the inal UXO pit.

The Elevated Sanger was starting to come together pretty quickly and as soon as the Self Loading Dump Truck(Protected) (SLDT(P)) had been loaded up with some ill the HESCO on the top of the sangar was illed within a

day and that just left the new occupants of PB SPARTA to get amongst making it their own and camoulaging it

up how they wanted.

The construction of the ramps was very quick as the guys on the ground had got themselves into a routine of

illing and compacting the ill down in no time. This was until a certain Cpl Evans caught the corner of a couple

of HESCO baskets while reversing the Skidsteer, ripping them to pieces ensuring that all the hard work done

illing had to be undone and redone once more. Needless to say the guys just laughed it off and thanked the

plant god for the extra work they now had to do. That concluded our task at PB SPARTA, the guys worked hard

and managed to get all the tasks inished ahead of time and to our normal high standard. With just the tripback and a shower at the end we set of.........until one of our Huskys decided to break down on our way back in.

Ah well theres always the next task.


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Page 18

30 Armoured Engineer Squadron

A word from the OC(Maj C Ankers)

Since we last spoke, Dirty Thirty have continued to be very busy. Time is lying by and de-

spite the soaring temperatures the Squadron has pushed on with all tasks. From the troops articles you can

see some of what they have been up to and get a feel for life out here in Helmand. Heres what else the Dirty

Thirty have been up to:

4 Construction troop have been busy building bridges, sangers and upgrading their own home, Patrol Base

WAHID. The works are increasing the size of the base and improving the layout for the ISAF Estonian Com-

pany, the Afghan National Army and of course for themselves. In the process they have had to remove the

Estonian Sauna, which is frankly not required as stepping outside has the same effect!

5 Bridging troop have also stripped out a Medium Girder Bridge over the Nahr-e-Bughra canal, no mean feet

to strip out a 38 metre bridge by hand in the Afghan heat. This will allow them to replace it with a bridge that

will last many years after we leave. This bridge will enable both the local Afghans to cross the canal as well as

the Afghan security forces

access to provide security in

the area. There is a lot of

interest from the locals who

enjoy watching 5 troop

sweating in the heat. SSM

Morris has also been help-ing out on task but his last-

ing memory will be the fan-

tastic quality of the food.

The RLC Chef at Chez

FOLAD works his magic on

his own in a drab green tent

and produced the best illet

of beef Ive ever tasted. All

he asks in return is for the

troop to assist with the

washing up!


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6 Demolition troop have kicked into action and are leading the vital work of stripping out the ISAF bases

which are no longer required. This is really good news because some of these bases were constructed under

ire by previous Engineer Regiments during the last few turbulent years. These can now be removed as the

areas have been secured by the Afghan Army and Police, allowing ISAF to step back and hand over.

Squadron Headquarters and Echelon have continued to work long and hard back in Bastion, providing the

essential support to each and every task. Although they arent constructing, bridging or demolishing Nad e

Ali, they put in no less hours or effort. From painstakingly working through 200,000 worth of receipts to

planning and tracking every task in an ever changing situation to loading every ISO container of stores. The

team in Bastion are doing a great job.

I am reluctant to mention him for the second time in a row, but I would like to publicly congratulate LCplMcCormack on his promotion. He is still waiting to get his chance to have another debate with the Brigade

Commander; this has the making of another Frost Vs Nixon interview!

We have a few farewells for those who have already headed back to the UK. Thank you to all ad we look for-

ward to seeing you when we get back. Sgt Zulu Chief Roberts our resident media expert and LCpls Brown

and Smith heading back for their Armoured Zero to Hero courses. Also a big thank you to Sprs Hawthorne

and Ansell for all their hard work.

Also a welcome to the new faces joining the Squadron. Firstly the ROG appear to be sending out the replace-

ments in alphabetical order; Sprs Anderson, Beigly, Conn, Doucet (and Kennedy). We also have 2Lt Simpson

who will take command of troop once Capt Brown eventually moves on! Finally we have Cpl Maddar our newChief Clerk.

R&R is also now well under way with some of those on the early slots returning to Afghanistan, refreshed and

ready to get back to work. Those who havent got back yet will soon get their chance to see their loved ones

back home.

We all hope everything is going well back in the UK. Dirty Thirty are in good shape; the majority of us are now

39.1% of our way through the tour and in a few weeks will be over half way!

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4 TroopCP GULDARRA NEB

1 Section from 4 Troop, led by Corporal Sovanivalu (Cpl Sov), was tasked with a bridge build at GULDARRA

which is next to an Afghan National Army (ANA) Check Point (CP). Their task was to strip a 4 bay Medium

Girder Bridge (MGB) which is a military bridge used for temporary crossings, and then emplace a Non-

Equipment Bridge (NEB). The name here can be deceiving as it is not constructed out of air! It is the name

given to a bridge that is constructed using locally procured wood and steel and designed to be a permanent

construction which will remain in place after the ISAF drawdown

Early on Friday 11 May 12, Cpl Sov and his team of warri-

ors set off from PB WAHID on task. GULDARRA is East of

WAHID along the Nahr-E-Bughra (NEB) canal. On route

they had to stop off at another small CP called LARGAY to

drop off and collect some stores. Finally they and their

stores were on site and the manual labour and technical

engineering began. The task was split into three phases,

the irst being the strip of the MGB, the second was all the

required ground works and the third was the construc-tion of the NEB itself.

The irst phase was due to be straight forward as the men

have stripped numerous MGBs in training. However, it

had been there for quite some time and been traficked so

much the ramps were dug into the ground and it required

the Light Wheeled Tractor (LWT) to pull them out!

After this the remainder of the bridge came out with little

dificulty exposing a very rickety unsafe local national

bridge underneath. This was constructed with mud andtwigs and was only just suitable for crossing on foot,

showing the need for the bridge in the irst place. The

ground works then commenced which involved digging

the old local national bridge out (being careful not to fall

into the 4m crevice below!) and then digging the site for

locating the new bridge.

Page 20


21/34


A long 15 hour day of manual labour in the sweltering heat in full protective equipment inished eventually

once the ground works had been completed and the steel I-beams had been put in place. However as the site

has very little in terms of protection it meant the remainder of the stores had to be brought back to CP LAR-

GAY where they stayed the night.

Day 2 brought much of the same, long hours and hard work in full kit, reducing the men to puddles of sweat!

However the ANA kindly invited the men in to their CP for lunch where he made them bean soup, rice andhomemade bread which was extremely well received!

After a great lunch break it was back to work and we had the road open an hour ahead of schedule. It was

great to see the locals all driving across it as we opened the bridge and they seemed much happier with this

one than the previous one.

It was then back to WAHID for a well earned sleep in our own beds (camp cots!). Oh no, wait, the Husky

(armoured vehicle) was broken down!

This led to a 4 hour wait for recovery before being taken to a different Patrol Base for the night resulting in

another night under the stars!

A good job well done with a few minor frustrations saw us inally back in PB WAHID with the rest of the troop

the following morning, straight back into the construction of WAHID itself.

No rest for the wicked!

Page 21


22/34


PB FOLAD5TpThe mighty 5 Troop were up before the locals in order to undertake the epic task of stripping out the 16 Bay

Double Storey Medium Girder Bridge outside PB FOLAD. By 0400hrs the work had started and the decking

was soon being peeled off above the long drop to the NeB canal below. Things were looking good but as the

sun came up the arms started to tire and the bridge parts felt twice as heavy! By midday the size of the task

had become clear and started to take its toll but the twelve lads battled on into the late afternoon and after

13hrs of solid work we had inished. As the last pallet was strapped down the men of 5 Tp were battered and

longed for food and a dusty sleeping bag! The strip out had gone brilliantly and the Troop worked near to ex-

haustion. Just the right task for 5 Troop.

Page 22


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Page 23


5Tp LIFE at PB FOLAD5 Troop 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron left the veritable luxury life of FOB SHAWQAT and deployed for-

ward to PB FOLAD in order to create a new Logistic Support crossing over the NeB Canal. Kit was packed and

stores were ready for a potential 10 week deployment, the Troop were buzzing with excitement for what

would be the biggest task that the Regiment will undertake during Op HERRICK 16. When we arrived we

found that the Patrol Base was basic but had everything we needed to make ourselves comfortable (a bore-

hole for water, ten man ration packs and toilet bags).

The Troop immediately set about building our accommodation, a large sunshade under which the entire

Troop slept (20 of us) and a site ofice complete with bespoke desk.. We have been here for 10 days now andhave settled in well to our daily routine of early starts, long days and dust in our beds!

XXVI


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Page 24

SCARAB TELEGRAPHEDITION 3XXVIXXVI

Two Culverts, a tiny checkpoint and theMillion Sand Bag Sanger6 Tp

(By Cpl Copping)

On 3 May 12, I deployed with my Section from 6 Troop, 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron heading to PB4.

PB4 is the main base in an area of Nad e Ali called KOPAK and is home to a number of Infantry personnel. We

were equipped with a Self Loading Dump Truck (SLDT), Medium Wheeled Tractor, two Huskys, shovels and

copious amounts of sand bags ready to tackle whatever jobs we found. After a quick face to face with the

Company Quartermaster at PB4, the Sectionmoved out to their irst job.

We had two culverts to repair along a route link-

ing PB4 to a tiny checkpoint further North. Cul-

verts are really important here as it lets farmers

water their ields and lets us drive down the

routes. On arrival at the southern culvert a mixed

call sign from the Royal Welsh and the Riles pro-

vided a cordon and cleared the culvert. A few days

earlier, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hadbeen found on the culvert and had been destroyed

in place by the experts. We checked the culvert was still

functioning and had noticed that the locals had attempted

to ill in the hole that the IED had left. At this point our

civilian contractors turned up with the desert ill and the

excavator. After a quick conversation with the excavator

operator, which was mostly one way due to the language

barrier, we started work. The excavator op didnt mess

about. It felt like he had 3 buckets on the machine and was

using all of them at the same time. After a discussion on

the radio, more culverts were needed. The excavator op-

erator soon had the culvert dug out ready for the new pipe

to go in. By this point we had a new work force around us.

About thirty locals had come to help out, or tell us what

they thought needed doing. With half of the section work-ing and the rest stopping the children from running off

with circular saws and shovels, the task was


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Page 25

slowly completed for the day. We headed back to PB4 to get some food down our heads, then to get our heads

down.

The section was up bright and early on 4 May 12 and ready to move to the Nnorthern culvert. After waiting for

the Royal Welsh to move out up the route we moved in to position. Within minutes the locals were back on us,

trying to get anything and everything they could. The southern culvert was inished and tidied up. As we were

about to move the Infantry call sign on the ground informed me that we couldnt upgrade the northern culvert

due to the fact it was under guarantee with a local contractor. The second task had now changed slightly. With

three more contractors on site we started to improve and raise the route leading to the northern culvert. Spr

Paul Taylor moved the aggregate to the site for the grader to start constructing the route. Within half an hour

we were joined by a work force of about six children aged from about three to fourteen. The children seemed

happy to ill the Hesco, some of the lads had a rest, much to the relief of LCpl Harry 40 minutes Samuel, ofREME descent. We got a call to return back to PB4 due to the tactical situation, with the contractors following

close behind. The route was nearly inished and was ready to be rolled and watered. The morning of 5 May 12

saw us enjoy a good breakfast and head out to inish the route upgrade. On site the grader operator set about

giving the road a nice inish with some small aggregate to cap it all off. The roller was next up. After taking a

few pictures of the southern culvert we returned to ind the four contractors standing around chatting. On

further investigation we discovered the roller was doing it on its own! The contractors didnt seem worried

although the operator jumped back in and inished off the job. Next up was the water bowser. The truck start-

ed to water the route and all of a sudden it sank and was stuck. The contractors tried their best to pull and

push the truck out. They used the excavator and the grader then both together, nothing, it wouldnt budge.

Spr Sharpie Sharp to the rescue with his SLDT and had the truck out in minutes. The route was repaired and

inished soon after. We paid our young local work force with sweets and chocolate and went on our way; job

done.

On 6 May 12 we moved up to CP HEWAD to carry out an upgrade, this consisted of a Hesco wall, laying aggre-

gate and a sanger. A nice little job for a few days in the sun, or thats what we thought. The contractors were

meant to turn up and deliver us forty three trucks of ill (sand or soil) for the Hesco baskets. Lunch time came

and still nothing. A wasted day and a day behind schedule. The 7th came and so did the ill. Four trucks turned

up with an excavator, they showed the paper work and it matched our order but there was no ill in the

trucks. The lead contractor spoke good English and he told me it would be where I wanted it. Off they went,

only as far as half a kilometre away. They used the excavator to ill the four trucks over and over until we hadour forty three.

The task started and with a sixteen hour day the Hesco perimeter wall was complete. A great days work com-

pleted with Spr Gary The Colonel Bird working like a machine on the shovel even LCpl Harry 40 minutes

Samuel managed to put in more than a forty minute shift. After a few hours sleep the work force was hard on

it again, getting the sanger in place, as well as sorting out a drainage pipe that wasnt doing its job. The SLDT

came in to play and would ill the top levels of the sanger. Well it would if it worked. The clam (the bucket on

an arm used to grab sand) had broken and wouldnt close. Morale dropped straight away, everyone knew

what was coming. During training we had heard of people illing sangers with bergans, not us we all thought.

The day inished and we had to move back to PB SHAHZAD to help move a call sign to another Patrol Base(PB).


26/34


Page 25

On the 9th May 12 the Section was at an all time low. Arriving at CP HEWAD we started working, illing our

bergans and lifting them up with the MWT, then illing the Hesco with them. This was by far a breaking point

for us so far on the tour. Slowly but surely the sanger started to get illed. An eighteen hour day and it was time

to get our heads down. The section had blisters on their hands and ears full of dust. Morale was low and with

LCpl Half Task Smith not on the task any more, jokes were few and far between.

Another day another dollar and the sanger was nearly done. We switched to sand bags and the illing proce-

dure had sped up, I wouldnt go as far as saying it was lying in though. The next two days were spent inishing

the sanger and putting the roof on. The Sanger was complete. 38.4m3 of sand had been shifted by hand, that is

roughly 2500 sand bags. The task was near completion we were all ready for some good food, a shower and

our beds. For this task a full sand bag was a full sand bag.


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Page 27


33 Armoured Engineer SquadronA word from the OC

(Maj J Gossage)

This will be my last OCs foreword as I will shortly hand over Command of 33 Ar-

moured Engineer Squadron to Major Claire James.

Commanding the Oficers and Soldiers of 33 AES has without doubt been the most rewarding time of my ca-

reer. I truly believe that there is not a more professional and determined Squadron in the Royal Engineersright now, and that is down to the hard work and dedication that the soldiers have shown through a training

year, pre-deployment training and now on operations, supported of course by you, the families and loved

ones.

Since our arrival in theatre we have conducted all aspects of the multifaceted role of the Royal Engineers,

from close support demolition tasks with the infantry to Logistic Support Bridging and Force Protection in-

frastructure builds. Most recently 7 Troop have been committed to a large task which will improve the situa-

tional awareness for the whole of one of our main bases, while continuing to support the Afghan Army with

plumbing and other small infrastructure jobs. 8 Troop have conducted endless training on Medium Girder

bridges so that they are now the in-theatre experts ready to deploy anywhere in TFH at short notice, they

have also continued to work on many of the more austere locations that our soldiers are partnered with the

ANA to make life better and improve conditions. 9 Troop have been working in full equipment to upgrade a

FOB with much better protection in 40 degree heat and working 12 hrs days, in fact their task I considered

such hard work that the infantry punish their soldiers if they misbehave by making them work with the Sap-

pers! The Squadron Echelon has been incredibly busy in Bastion preparing for inspections and already plan-

ning the handover to the incoming Engineer Regiment. Sgt Sharples, the Chief Clerk has also organised a char-

ity event for all the AGC soldiers in Bastion which raised over 2000 for Families Activities Breaks which sup-

ports bereaved military families. It will be a time of mixed feelings when I leave in a couple of weeks, I will be

sad to leave my Squadron, especially mid-tour. The bond you build with the men you command over two and

a half years is dificult t let go of. But at the same time Iam looking forward to returning home to see my wife

and children and cant wait to see how my youngest

can walk now! I know for any of you there is still some

time to go before you get to this point, but before you

know it they will be back where they belong.

I wish you all good luck for the rest of the tour and I

look forward to seeing every single one of your loved

ones safely back in the UK in September. Thank you all

for your support in the UK and since we have deployed.

Keep it up and I hope to see you around the Tidworth

area in the near future.

XXVI


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Page 28

7 Troop

(By Spr Reeve)

This week 7 Troop has been continuing their work on the construction of a new site here at MOB PRICE. With

the majority of HESCO work and fencing completed, the troop has been providing force protection for the

support section who continue to level the ground work on site. With fewer people needed on site the atmos-

phere has been more chilled out in the Engineer camp with time for some evening loodlit volley ball and a

continuation of the troop table tennis ladder. On Tuesday

there was another task at GERESHK to ix the ANAs front

gate. This was done by a multiple from 2 section led by

LCpl Wilmer. LCpl Lewis and Spr Reeve had made an im-

provised knife rest the night before and the task was to

install it at camp GERESHK. It was a simple task that was

completed quickly despite body armour in the draining

heat.

This week has also seen 7 Tp turn into temporary ire

ighters after a blaze started in the ANA compound at PB

Hayatullah. A section of Sappers and their plant vehicles

were scrambled to assist with taking control of the ire

and moving stores out of the way of the lames. The Troop

was praised by the Chain of Command at PRICE as they

managed to be on site before the camp QRF!

As we are well into the R and R window it is giving every-

one in the troop something to look forward to, and the

countdown marking of calendars has begun. Overall its

been a good week for 7 Troop, with morale high and no-

ticeable progress on all tasks being conducted by the Sec-

tions.

XXVI


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XXVI

Page 29

On the Bus, Off the Bus8 Tp(By Spr Santaraj Budha Magar)

Exactly two months since we left Camp BASTION we returned for mobility task rehearsal in order to pre-

pare for the future tasks.

On arrival at BASTION, once again during the O Group our Troop Commander mentioned that weather for

next few days will be sunny with maximum of 39C and enjoy the lovely Afghan summer. The following day

the training started with an hour of Physical Training (Long and Steady run) early in the morning followed by

a lovely breakfast then the rehearsal started with the construction of 5 Bay Single Storey Medium Girder

Bridge (SS MGB) in turn under our Section Commanders Cpl Chandra Pun and Cpl Jay Pun.

While we were busy with 5 Bay SS MGB, our Troop management and the element of the Squadron Headquar-

ters were on reconnaissance task to ind the gap for 10 Bay SS MGB. Finally a gap was created for a 10 Bay

near the BASTION Airport giving a chance for Spr Summers to show his Plant Operator skills.

Next day after the early morning PT, the training started under the Bridging Supervisor Staff Sergeant Dilku-

mar Rai. There was no change with the weather; however, in addition we had a sand storm which gave us a

chance of real training in hot and windy conditions. The training continued for next two days rehearsing in

day and night. It was nice to have a visit by our Commanding Oficer Lt Col Ridge RE, Oficer Commanding Maj

Gossage RE, RSM (WO1) Jinks and SSM (WO2) Weller during the night build. Their visit gave us a short break

and in particular a warm feeling when they spoke to us which boosted our morale and assured that the train-

ing will not be wasted.

During our O Group we were briefed that the bridging task has been postponed until further notice. Hence we

were asked to pack up our kit and be prepared to return to the PB where the CF is desperately waiting for the

engineers with piles of task.


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XXVI

Page 30

At one point the troop members were in different part of the Area of Operation, some on the road move, some

on light and others were still at BASTION waiting for vehicles to be ixed. On arrival at the PB we had a warmwelcome by the CF and the tasks began. Those who were at BASTION were involved on the construction of

the 5 Bay SS MGB as a demonstration purpose during the high ranking oficers visit which went extremely

well and well praised by our commanders.

On the bus, off the bus, once again we were call forward at BASTION in order to prepare for a mobility task.

Further rehearsals carried but this time we have been asked to return to PB with short notice to move. We all

are hoping for the orders to come Move Now.


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Page 31

XXVI

Hesco, Hesco and more Hesco9 Tp

(By Spr Boddy)

Since the recent Patrol Base (PB) upgrades, 9 Troop have not stopped. Due to recent events, there ware ur-

gent works that needed to be carried out in our For-

ward Operating Base (FOB). The compartmentalisa-

tion needed to be carried out immediately.

As always, 9 Troop dealt with the situation profes-

sionally and knew the importance of the task ahead.

After a day of maintenance on the vehicles and sort-

ing of stores from the last operation, we went

straight into the new task. The resources included

3000m of HESCO ill that started to arrive mid

morning on the irst day from a local contractor.

With the ill taking the rest of the day to arrive, the

Troop cracked on with the task ahead with the help

of two local contractors with their cranes. With 1

Section starting to build a wall around the cookhouse, 2 Section were on a rest day; until some new intelligence came in about a changing threat. 2 Section

jumped straight into action to work

through the night to improve the

main entrance to our FOB.

1 and 2 Sections have their own

tasks ahead of them and their own

speciic deadlines to meet to ensure

that compartmentalisation and pro-

tective accommodation is built and

the FOB is as safe as it possibly can

be. Although all the lads are ex-

hausted and drained from the last

few weeks of hard work, the morale

within the Troop is still sky high

with R&R on the horizon. 9 Troop

carries on its hard work and ights

another day.


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Page 41

Glossary

RanksSpr - Sapper

LCpl - Lance Corporal

Cpl - Corporal

Sgt- Sergeant

SSgt-

Staff Sergeant

WO2 - Warrant Oficer Second Class

WO1 - Warrant Oficer First Class

Lt- Lieutenant

FormationsSect- Section

Tp - Troop

Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron

Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron

Hq & Sp Sqn-

Headquarters and Support Squad-ron

Afghanistan speciic termsOp - Operation, mission, task (not surgery)

PB-

Patrol Base

CP - Check Point

SANGAR - A watch tower which is manned 24 hours a day to provide protection to a base

Stag - standing in the sangar keeping watch and providing protection

JOB - Joint Operating Base

FOB - Forward Operating Base

NES (S) - Nahr-e Saraj South

NES (N) - Nahr-e Saraj North

NDA - Nad-e Ali

TFH - Task Force Helmand

ISAF - International Security Assistance Force

ANSF - Afghanistan National Security Force

ANA - Afghan National Army

ANP-

Afghan National Police

IED - Improvised Explosive Device


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HESCO - Large lat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag. The

sandbag is illed with sand to produce a large protective brick. The individual HESCO blocks are then

used like giant bricks to produce a protective wall for our bases.

HLS - Helicopter Landing Site

Barma - Our drill used to ind Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector.

EquipmentMASTIFF - Large armoured truck with a with a heavy machine gun for protection.

TALISMAN - A series of vehicles used to clear a route of improvised explosive devices.

HUSKY - Another type of large armoured vehicle.

MWT - Medium wheeled tractor (dump truck).

SLDT(P) - Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) - A small dump truck.

Apache - Ugly looking attack helicopter.

Chinook - Large helicopter featured in the ilm Big Friendly Giant.

Sea-king

-Royal Navy helicopter used as search and rescue in the UK.

Merlin - Medium to large Royal Air Force and Navy helicopter used to move Troops around from

base to base.

20120522-Scarab Telegraph Facebook Edition 3 Final-U

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