alpha company

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ALPHA COMPANY ‘THE SAINTS’

As we approach the last quarter of the tour, much has changed since I last wrote. Two of 40 Cdo’s Coys, Delta and Charlie, have departed theatre and, in a sign of Transition success, will not be replaced by UK forces; instead, their areas and tasks have been taken on by Afghan Security forces. Bravo Coy is currently dismantling its’ Patrol base and will re-deploy back to the UK next month, leaving ‘The Saints’ and Delhi Coy 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles remaining to see the tour through to the end. The unit has also subsumed additional battlespace to the east and taken a Coy from 1st Battalion Scots Guards under command. February has seen a subtle change in the employment of the Coy and for the remainder of the tour we are likely to be used in a more reactive manner, as a crisis response force to assist other ISAF forces or Afghan forces who find themselves in need of assistance; with responsibility of battlespace ownership Maj increasingly being handed to the Afghans, the need to conduct deliberate ISAF operations to disrupt the insurgent is decreasing as the Afghans gain confidence. Nevertheless, the Coy did deploy on a

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number of deliberate aviation assault operations at the start of the month to support the closure of a US base, in an area called Zumberlay. In an attempt to draw insurgent attention away from the closure, the Coy conducted clearances of a number of suspected insurgent areas, which ultimately proved successful in reducing the pressure on our American colleagues. We are now beginning to turn our attention to the arrival of our successors from 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Despite having a little over 8 weeks left in theatre, their early arrivers will be here in just over a month to begin the handover. We will continue to train in order to provide a rapid response to any requests for assistance, and with the weather gradually improving, I’m sure attention will soon turn to ‘Op Bronze’ in anticipation of a return to a no doubt wet and cold UK in April! Maj Fraser Allan RM

Overview Alpha Company rolled into the second half of the tour with continued focus and commitment, making best use of the facilities at MOB Price to not only maintain our effectiveness when called upon here but ensure we are ready for the future postHerrick. The Company has grown in size as we have taken command of the FSG Troop from Charlie Company, who remain in their separate CP location while the rest of Charlie returned home early. We also played our part in Delta Company’s return, providing security as they handed over their locations to our Afghan partners. In other tasks, we played our part in a wider operation over a 10 day period, getting out on the ground several times. We were as ever restricted by the ever-helpful RAF, suffering the disappointment of having an operation cancelled whilst ready and waiting on the HLS on more than one occasion.

1 Troop With Lt Theo ‘Boss’ Hogg at the tiller albeit minus white Stetson and sidekick Roscoe, 1 Troop heads towards the last part of the tour. Although, as previously stated, a relatively quiet Op HERRICK, it is proving not without surprises. A Helicopter Assault into an ‘interesting area’ left the lads under no illusion why as a recruit they spend so much time crawling about in the mud on Woodbury Common. When Cpl ‘Reg’ Melia and his gang of Time Bandits found themselves in a very deep irrigation ditch of dubious content, chosen for its excellent cover from view and

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fire and because it was there, getting this group of the vertically challenged back out again became a pressing concern. After a number of ‘bunk ups’ and with dits sounding like something from Arnhem the Troop slipped into the Camp Price routine. A quieter period has followed with the guys being kept busy with a varied training programme. Not only are the warrior skills kept finely honed, but lessons in vehicle maintenance and carpentry from the ever artistic Mne Ben Cottrell AE3, have also had their place. So as a look forward for families there is no excuse for them not doing the DIY on POTL. As ever things are prone to change in Helmand, but rest assured 1 Troop strives to return with a tan and a six pack. If only I can keep them away from the dessert counter in the Galley. Sgt Nige Quarman A Coy PW1

2 Troop February proved to be a relatively busy month for 2 Troop. After the excitement of Christmas and the changes to the Troop, we settled back into the cycle of Ops and continued progressive training back at Price. A dark time was endured by all, as issues with civilian contractors stopped the supply of fresh food to Price: only fried eggs at breakfast, no fresh orange juice; bravely the troop pulled together and cracked on in the face of such harsh conditions, a real testament to our Commando Spirit. Morale was given a boost as the camp was treated to a performance from Katie Melua. As we

enjoyed the music, we could hear the distant cries of despair from Marine Cox; potentially the only Katie Melua fan in the Corps, he missed the opportunity of a lifetime as he had moved to Lashkar Gah just a day before. The Troop played its’ part in a series of operations into a new area, successfully disrupting insurgent activity once again. In support of this wider operation, scenes reminiscent of the Lympstone days saw us digging and living in shell scrapes for a few days, fending off the feral dogs roaming the desert who undoubtedly sniffed an easy meal in the muscular form of ‘Big’ Tom Pottage. Lt Alex Gobbi RM FSG What was expected to be a quiet month for FSG, in fact turned out to be a relatively busy one. After the Troop eventually managed to get rid of the Boss on RnR (who believed he was leaving them to 2 weeks of training) the plan changed and the tasks started rolling in. Sgt McKinley was given the reigns and was tasked with protecting a Danish signals team,

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who were only supposed to be out on the ground for three days. These three days crept up to ten and the lads experienced, and I quote, “the worst storm and sentry duty I’ve ever experienced in my ten years in the Corps.” Lightening, gale force winds and severe rainfall saw the lads battered. Mess tins were frantically used to scoop water out of shell scrapes throughout to prevent being swallowed up by the torrent of water. The remainder of the Troop were attached to the Coy Second-in-Command in his first operation in charge on the ground to enable and protect him. On more than one occasion they proved their worth and ensured everyone got back in one piece. The rest of the month has seen the men at Bastion on driver courses and handing back the Jackals in preparation for the end of Op HERRICK 17. Not long now. Capt Tom Huckle RM

Haydn Jones To everyone back home looking forward to seeing you all on my RnR. Not long now! Lee Dodkin Counting down the days until we come home to see our families. Sam Eades I’m off on RnR!!!!!! Long time coming and cannot wait to get home and see everyone. Hoofing!

Charlie Eccleson Only 2 months to go now will be good to get home. Josh Davis The days go slow but the weeks go quick. We are coiled springs, we train hard! Matt-Claremont Davies The tempo of ops has slowed, but the routine on Price keeps minds fully engaged with ‘robust’ training. Although eyes now start looking to joining the rest of the unit at Norton Manor, our focus remains on the job at hand during the final third of our deployment. Paul Fairholm Looking forward to a Sunday session in the sun or rain…

Kris Blevins Everything is ok, looking forward to seeing grass again. Kyle Noblett Loving life out here in Afghan and glad I managed to get out on the recent Ops and living out of shell scrapes for 10 days was hoofing! Joe Vince The weather is getting redders again so bronzing details are plentiful! Tom Pottage Been busy recently so time is flying by, our tour is nearly at an end. Joe Branczik My moustache has gone but my morale remains! Marlon Butcher Back at HMS Price after a great time at Lashkar Gar. Looking forward to the last 2 months of the tour. Ben Cottrell Missing you all, you know who you are, not missing you Clan. Neil Swanson Hope your wrist, knee, back get better soon Iain. Love Swanny Kyle Banner Clan, you clown! See you soon Kyle Rob Terry Missing everyone back home. I love you all and can’t wait to see you all soon x x

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