Inside this issue:

Commanding Officers Foreword

3

A Tribute to our fallen Sapper

29 AES - Including Christmas messages

Over last week the true strength and spirit of the Regiment came together as we have mourned the loss of Sapper Elijah Bond Bondy. I have visited 8 Troop in Patrol Base Clifton and met with Bondys mates. They were found to be strong, focussed and well-led as they came to terms with losing a key figure from their Troop. Understandably, the Troop was in a reflective mood as we conducted a solemn Memorial Service to Bondy led by our Padre. The blokes are busy; not just in Clifton, but everywhere I go, and so its only moments like the various memorial services that have been held throughout the Task force Helmand area, that the Regiment is able to seize an opportunity to have our thoughts and prayers with Bondys family. It has been an eventful and sobering few weeks.

37 AES - Messages for 44 HQ & Sp Sqn including Ellies Blog

13

26

The BAG TALISMAN Sqn - including Christmas Messages

30 33

There have also been times for fun as well. Ive been around a lot of the austere outstations to see the Sections and wish them well. Being so disconnected from each other, they clearly value the gossip and news of what next? It also gave me the opportunity to give out many of the Christmas parcels that are fast being delivered from the UK well have delivered somewhere in the region of 800+ parcels by Christmas Day. We hope to relax a little on the day itself a time for respite and fun; its times like this that you see the strong Band of Brothers feeling out here. In many respects they would not want be anywhere else except with their closest mates in a cold and windy Forward Operating Base. The one guarantee, is that everyone will have a proper Christmas Dinner the logistics to ensure all of the 9,500 personnel on HERRICK have a traditional meal is humbling, and the logistics to get it all forward to those in the most isolated location is immense. In a lot of ways, we will be celebrating a different Christmas but sadly without one of our own. Id like to acknowledge many in the Regiment and those at home who have supported the forward troops by laying on a great festive season. Firstly to the Regiment here in Helmand; you continue to impress all in everything that you do. I have continually asked a lot, and you deliver. I wish you all a restful Christmas Day and very safe New Year we are over half way! To the Rear Party; I toast to your dedication and support you so readily give to the families back in Paderborn or Aldergrove. You have made a commendable job of delivering the hectic timetable of childrens parties and wives functions without complaint; the difficulty of hosting such family events that are marred by the absence of so many fathers is not lost and you have handled it with sensitivity and vigour. Lastly, to the wives your tenacity and forbearance during this festive season is hard, both for you and your children. I hope you are all able to make it a special day despite having the family separated. You will be in our thoughts on Christmas Day.
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11 Fd SqnIncluding the Womble Times

39

Issue 10 20 December 2011

This is an extended version of the Trojan Times and dedicated in the memory of Sapper Elijah Bond hell never, ever be forgotten amongst the ranks of 35 Engineer Regiment; it was an honour to have him a part of this adventure. Lieutenant Colonel Kev Copsey - Commanding Officer

Merry Christmas from a festive chair I found in a well made Santa's Grotto at one of the locations I have visited recently.

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Sapper Elijah Cooper Bond

10th June 1987 - 8th December 2011
Lieutenant Colonel Kev Copsey - Commanding Officer 35 Engineer Regiment Sapper Elijah Bond will be sadly missed by his close-knit Troop and Squadron. His lively and outgoing nature was founded on an inner confidence that saw him excel during his time in the Royal Engineers. He was a rising star within his Squadron and he had a bright future ahead of him. Regarded as a first rate soldier he was notable for his complete reliability, enthusiasm and commitment. It was whilst in Afghanistan that he displayed his true ability, supporting the remainder of his Troop by working selflessly and without complaint; characteristics for which he will be forever remembered. Sapper Elijah Bond's friendly exterior belied a soldier who was physically robust, mentally tough, and always intent on doing the utmost for his team mates. It was whilst on an engineer reconnaissance patrol helping to plan vital infrastructure for the local population that he paid the ultimate price. Tragically he gave his life in order to improve the lives of others. His tragic and sudden loss has been a huge blow to us all; his presence will be missed by everyone within 37 Armoured Engineer Squadron and 35 Engineer Regiment. We will never forget him, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this most difficult time. Major Guy Boxall - Officer Commanding 37 Armoured Engineer Squadron Sapper Bond was one of my most effective and promising young soldiers. He epitomised the Royal Engineer Spirit in so many ways - he was bright, strong, intelligent, caring and always a volunteer, whatever the task. I remember meeting him shortly after he arrived in the Squadron last year - he was polite and respectful, finding his feet in the wide world of regimental life in Germany. In a few short months, I saw his confidence grow, his charisma shine through and so quickly become an inspiration to his peers. He was exceptionally popular and possessed that rare gift of never being down and always managing to find a way to lift the spirits of those around him, even in the toughest of circumstances. He was a trusted and reliable member of a close knit team and lived out the Squadron mantra - 'always say yes, unless the answer absolutely has to be no'. He was injured whilst on an important and invaluable task; an engineer reconnaissance patrol for a future project to improve the lives of the local Afghans. The Squadron has been devastated by the loss of a brother. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and friends - his memory lives on, burning brightly in us all. Lieutenant Will Abbott - 8 Troop Commander, 37 Armoured Engineer Squadron The loss of Sapper Bond, one of the most enthusiastic, loyal and charismatic men I have ever had the privilege of meeting, has hit everyone who knew him very hard. He was a pleasure to command. His energy and verve for life were clear to see and rubbed off on whoever he met. He loved his job and was thoroughly professional, epitomising what being a Sapper is all about. 'Bondy' as he was known in the Troop, was one of the most charismatic people I have met. Since taking over the Troop I have witnessed him go from strength to strength and quickly become a firm favourite amongst his peers and seniors. He was always to be found with a smile on his face, laughing about something. I spent many a journey around Afghanistan listening to 'Bond FM' whilst he chatted away in the vehicle. The happiest I saw him was when he beat me at chess in four moves and in true Sapper Bond style I never lived it down. He was the life and soul of the party and has left a massive void behind. I am honoured to have known Sapper Bond. He was a fantastic soldier and individual and he will be greatly missed. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends. He was the best of us. Page 3

29 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword
Sat here in Afghanistan in mid December I can report to you all that the weather has turned and it is getting very cold during the night so we now definitely need all the warm clothes we brought! The heat and long days of September seem a long time ago now and it certainly feels much more like the winter you are experiencing in Germany and UK in the run up to the festive season. At this time of year with Christmas fast approaching and the New Year not long after it feels just that bit more difficult to be separated from our families and friends. Whilst we will have the chance to celebrate together in the Squadron it is not likely to match the events back home trees, decorations, gifts, parties and a tipple!. We are beginning to prepare for our own Afghanistan Christmas in 29 however. Decorations received from home are going up in bedspaces, gift wrapped boxes are arriving in the mail, and miniature tinsel trees are appearing in the sections across Helmand. I also have a trip scheduled, with the Commanding Officer, to hand out additional welfare boxes to all the guys. Not quite Father Christmas (who was spotted visiting Barker Barracks for the Rear Operations Group Kids Party) but something a little different and a chance to capture some pictures of the Squadron celebrating the season. I will make sure the images go on Facebook and in the next edition for you to look through as quickly as possible. Away from the build up for Christmas the work continues and our list of future tasks continues to grow! We are in high demand from both the ISAF and Afghan Forces. This edition contains more tales of the Squadrons travels, this time to build a helicopter landing site and prepare one of the larger bases to hold the Warrior armoured vehicles of 5 RIFLES. You will be able to tell by the diversity in just two tasks that 29 are being fully tested and turning our hand to all scales of engineering! Busy as ever.... We have all been given an extra one hour and fifteen minutes of welfare minute to call home over Christmas and New Year so you should hear from us more over the next few weeks. Finally I, and the whole of 29 Armd Engr Sqn, wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. For the guys who are home on R&R over the festive season we hope you have a fantastic time with your children and you can share in their excitement. The support of our families and friends is keenly felt and appreciated we have good friends to share the events with and the time continues to race by so we will make the best of the situation this year. By the time I next write in the Trojan Times we will all be over half way through the deployment; great news! Best wishes Si Carvel
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CP Zarawar Upgrade and HLS Construction

Cpl Tuckers Section
Being air lifted into a task site is usually a pleasant affair, however on this night it was somewhat different. The temporary HLS at CP Zarawar is one of the few outside the wire and as we stepped off the aircraft in pitch darkness, with what seemed like enough stores to sink a small battleship, it took a good few minutes to locate the CP. With everything The massive task ahead but the kitchen sink in tow and only the glimmering flash of a white light, we gathered our bearings and made our way across the desolate ground towards the CP. On the way Cfn McKernon kindly pointed out the river surrounding the CP entrance to the rest of us by falling into it! Never the less we were all safely inside the wire at CP Zarawar ready and raring to knuckle down to some hardcore combat engineering! We quickly made our way to our new bed spaces and called it a night. After a few hours kip we were straight into the task, levelling the site for the HLS, which went smoother than anticipated due some outstanding plant operating from our loveable, Stores arrive slightly rounded and lyrically gifted LCpl Walker. Concurrently, the other half of the section got started Sangar steps start with the conto be constructed struction of yet more sangar steps.

Day 2 brought the pleasures of working with AM2 matting, its like laminate clunk-clic flooring but a bit heavier. In theory it is a pretty simple process but in reality it is very time consuming, hard work. The infantry moved out to give us cover while we cracked on so that by the end of play we had fitted just over half of the matting needed for the HLS. During the day we heard constant gun fire, some of which was only 200m from our location and sustained for long periods at a time which helped to keep us motivated.

Sappers working hard on the HLS Page 5

Day 3. Much of the same! On one occasion, we had several rounds fly over our heads, everyone in the section immediately went to ground but no enemy were spotted. We waited for a short soak period then carried on with the task keeping. By the end of day 3 we had finished laying the matting and returned into the safety of the CP to find out that the bullets that flew over our heads were from the insurgents shooting at the infantry a mere 150m from the HLS. We then hit our first hurdle (rock) of the task. Trying to hammer 6ft stakes into the ground which would pin the matting in place was like sprinting wearing flip flops, it can be done but somethings going to break. We had found bedrock about 4ft down which was damaging each stakes, a quick conversation and a nod from SHQ allowed us to trim the stakes using a circular saw. Day 4. The final push to complete the HLS was a Combat Engineers Wet Dream pickets and sandbagging. I split the section into 3 groups, the first group cut Hammering in the stakes the pickets down to length, the second to hammer in the pickets (all 36 of them) and the third to sandbag around the edge of the HLS. This took until mid afternoon to complete which then allowed the HLS inspector (honestly) to officially open the landing site for use. The remainder of the task saw us complete upgrade works inside the CP to improve the living conditions and also the general security. This included internal walls, grenade netting, electrics, water supply and everyones favourite, the toilets!

HLS Complete!

Overall the task was very successful with the infantry grateful as ever for our efforts. The lads thoroughly enjoyed themselves but the bright lights of Bastion and our home in NDH were a welcome sight after our week of graft in CP Zarawar.
Time for a photo..

Grafting hard

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Concrete at Check Point Lashkar Gar Durai (LGD)

Spr Comey
We left PB Attall and made the short journey along Route Elephant to CP LashkarGah Durai (LGD) knowing we wouldnt return for almost a month. After arrival, accommodation was given to the section along with an hour to organise our bed spaces before we received an orientation of the camp along with a ground brief by the Company Sergeant Major of B Company 5 Rifles. That evening the section was briefed by Cpl Debenham on the tasks we will be doing to improve CP LGD.

The space we had to work with

The job that would see us really earning our money as engineers was constructing a concrete pad for the Warriors tanks of 5 Rifles and aggregate pads and tracks around the CP to make movement easier in winter. Smaller jobs included moving some gates, putting up cover from view screens, shelf construction and yet more toilet building which did improve the CP for the Riflemen and filled the time between our arrival and the stores delivery for the main task.
Arrival of stores

The tasks required large amounts of aggregate which would be delivered by local contractors and we knew we would receive approx 120 truck loads. No problem we thought, they will arrive in small groups over a few days...wrong, 60 trucks turned up on one day! This sent everyone into action as all cap badges worked late into the night to get the trucks into camp and unloaded. Despite most of the trucks falling apart, missing doors, lights and even some without hydraulics, under the guidance of Cpl Debenham and LCpl Taylor we finally had a mound of aggregate to be proud of and the convoy was able to head home for the night.

The arrival of the aggregate meant we could at last start working on the main task. Over the course of 5 days, we constructed a launch pad and maintenance area for the Artillerys rocket launchers. The planties had to level the ground first to provide a firm base and remove the moon dust that had been created over the summer. The combat engineers followed this by rolling out terram felt and neocell - a honeycomb material designed to hold aggregate together. Once filled and rolled this provides a solid base for vehs to move over without the need to use concrete task 1 complete.

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Our efforts then turned to the Warrior tank park which would be created using a combination of concrete and aggregate. This would provide a solid base for the tanks to turn on but also allow the crews to conduct maintenance during the winter in relatively nice conditions. The 48 concrete pads that would make up the tank park each had to be levelled, wooden moulds constructed and steel bars cut and placed into the moulds before pouring. Under the close supervision of SSgt Brown we formed a chain gang to do as much of the preparation as possible before the contractors arrived to pour the concrete.

The preparation is looking good

At this point we also benefitted from the arrival of the Clerk of Works, SSgt Ted Hudson and our very own Spr Jervis as a surveyor to provide some expert advice to the task for a few days. The final piece of the jigsaw saw the arrival of Spr Monster Honeyman from 6 Tp complete with his own wellies he is a concrete geek by trade so was loving it. The sheer volume of concrete required to fill our newly made moulds meant that we had to get local contractors to mix the concrete on site. We expected a truck mounted mixer or possibly even a full batching plant to turn up but no, we actually got a 100 litre mixer, 10 wheel barrows and 15 labourers. This was a bit of a shock but we had no choice but to press on with the task. Depending on the labourers we were able to pour between 5 and 7 pads per day so our master plan had to be adjusted regularly. It took 10 days to pour all of the pads and despite the odd issue as the contractors ran out of cement or sand or water, we all worked extremely well as a team to get the job done. With the concreting finished, we waved goodbye to Spr Honeyman and pressed on laying the remaining aggregate. After a quick site tidy up, we finally completed the task on the 7 Dec allowing us to head home (PB Attall) for Christmas. The time spent in CP LGD has been hard work and very tiring but it has been a learning experience for all of us in every trade. There is no better feeling than watching the fruits of your labour take shape and the task looks amazing. I am proud that I played my part and we are leaving this CP in a more secure and comfortable condition to work and live out of for many years to come.

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Where is the 2ICs Hat?

Once again the 2ICs hat has been out and about this week. It appears though it has been playing a spot of hide & seek. Have you seen this hat anywhere near your latrine? Answers on a Greetings from Afghanistan it shines for you post card to SSgt Snell if you have seen it. *ITS A ROLL OVER!* No one has come forward to claim the last prize so the lucky winner will have a Mars bar and a pack of DisposaJohns winging their way to them!

Lets hope this Disposa-John bag was not put straight on the burns pit!

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Members of 29 Armoured Engineer Squadron would like to wish everyone back home a Merry Christmas & a healthy prosperous New Year.

Christmas Messages

Capt Anthony Gleave would like to wish his Father, Brother, Sister and his wonderful Girlfriend Laura Mariella Seal a fantastic Christmas and a super New Year. I hope you all have a wonderful time, please send my love to all the family and be assured that I will be wearing a ridiculous Santa hat on Christmas day and apparently were all getting Christmas dinner with a can of alcohol free Becks!

Me rr Ha y Chris p py N tmas of th e 29 ew Yea and a fam frien r to il my M y but in ds and all p ama um, D articul a z a Cap ing girl d and r to t Ke frie n v Ca mer d Jo xx x on

Paula, Taylor, Theo and Carey. Just wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you all soon. Lots of love, Glenn (aka Daddy) xxxx

ra Ebba fo my wife time love to njoy the All my tmas e hris ake sure Merry C n and m e I in Swed or when at home od gift f m e a go anuary! you save &R in J peace a e on R e am hom enjoy th i soon and weeks. S See you ew more af quiet for

Hello to my beautiful family, Helen, Ethan, Ewan and Eva Owen. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, xxx xxx xxx xxx cant wait to see you in the New Year. Missing you loads. All of my love, Taff (Daddy & the Gruffalo).

To A Chr ngela is B of h tmas p rown, ow y rinc Me e o copi r ng b u and t ss, very ry ack he b for prou R h u kick & R ome. C mp are d a in t Kei g. Lov o feel h nt wai t th x e yo i xx um m illio ns,

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Corp o Wa ral Ra al w yV a o M iss y uld like n der ou b were to sa ud y Mic here to dy, wis h hael C Dix orpora you l on

To Yvonne Banks and the kids at home. Really missing you cant wait to see you, not long until R&R. Have a great Christmas love you loads x x x x x x x From Sapper Banks at PB2

SSIVE S MA EB s To the R ead the future i re d l Paxton Tanks a om LCp !!!!! Fr REBS 2 from PB

Dear Sarah, I cant wait to see you in a few days, Im counting down and I promise Ill shave my tasche off! Love Hugo

To a espe ll my fa c m Bre ially to ily an d fr nda my ie t all, hop and M wo fav nds, e yo girl ia. Chr s u L is befo tmas a have a ove you grea n r Mia e the n d Ill s t ew y ee y 2+2 ou Sim =4 L ear x p xxx of lo lesssss OL P.s ss ve S appe ssssssss rD x arby x Lots

To Marysia, Jessica, Maddison, Evelyn, Mum and Dad (Shaw) Have a lovely day in Paderborn, I miss you all and love you very much. Marysia, good luck with the birth, your doing very well. Love you Phil x x x x

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now .K fete raf and doing Gi u ( iful g of yo stmas it ut in wa bea ink hri my y C cant ew th r el As Fo I am a lov y). I he N u arit t R. t in & tha ing yo ch her on R ve a h t for et is w i tog ck ha ur b e are 'm ba e will derful y yo l w m ,w i nI won . All unt r whe will be e a tim xxx Ye t as it r love sho

To Gro all of t h up. Wi e Rea hap shing y r Ops p o Me y Chris u all a tm r Fro ry Ne as & a m w 29 A all of Year . th Tom ES SQ ose in from stay MS. thos away e ca kes!

Jenny Miller. Im sorry we will miss Christmas day together this year, but R&R is looming and we can celebrate then. Have a wonderful Christmas at home and I will see you very shortly. Lots of love Huw xxx

ishing via, w as & Oli am & ly Christm To P a love u on see yo chard both you i ait to ant w s of love R c Lot &R. xxx R

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37 Armoured Engineer Squadron

Officer Commandings Foreword
I know you will all join with me in passing on the condolences, prayers and thoughts of the entire wider Squadron family to the friends and family of Sapper Elijah Bond who very sadly died in the UK on the 8th December following injuries he sustained in Afghanistan two days earlier. I hope you will have seen the eulogies posted on the MOD website and linked through to our own Regimental Facebook page. The impact Sapper Bond's loss has had on the Squadron has been immense and is a huge testament to the high regard in which he was held by all ranks. The next few pages contain a selection of photos and messages from across the Squadron, dedicated to his memory. Also, please do look out for a tribute video which will be on Facebook by the time you read this. Across the rest of the Squadron, the pace of life has been unremitting. As ever you will see several articles below outlining the excellent work the blokes have delivered over the last period. 7 Troop conducted a joint operation with our Danish colleagues to lay and strip a series of bridges which was a particularly successful operation and has done much to forge even closer links with this very important coalition ally. 9 Troop have continued to work exceptionally hard, and have done a huge amount of work to build a luxurious gun line for our Artillery colleagues and 8 Troop have turned a run down camp in serious disrepair in to an all singing and dancing location. And of course back in Camp Bastion, the fine men of the echelon have passed a(nother) inspection of how we manage our kit and equipment with flying colours. The men have forged ahead with all these tasks at this difficult time and I continue to be humbled by their professionalism and determination to succeed whatever the circumstances. Turning to Christmas, preparations are now in full swing and we have been delighted to receive a series of parcels containing Christmas decorations that have been distributed about the place. The quantity of mail in general has shot through the roof and I am very grateful to you all for your part in this - it really is appreciated. I hope your own Christmas celebrations go as you plan and you have as a good a time as possible if your loved one is not with you on the day. Christmas will be such a milestone and once the year turns we will soon be on our way back to you all. Keep safe. Guy Boxall

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Bondy you were an amazing lad always making me and the lads laugh never let me down when we had our mad drinking sessions in the block. I am proud i had the chance to have you as my room mate and as a great friend. Me and the squadron have lost a brother. miss you loads mate love you Spr Broxton x

When he was around everyone seemed to be happy and smiling. I will never forget you and will have many a drink in your name, all the best good friend...Bondy Life and soul of every situation, not just the party. Could win anyone over. We hate that your gone. Sleep peacefully Brother. Scouse Dawson Bondy was the epitome of what a sapper is. He never faltered in his selfless commitment to the Troop and to his mates. He will be sorely missed by all. Rest in peace mucca, gone but never forgotten. Bondy was a genuine nice guy who brought moral to the Troop. Always with a smile and always being a joker. I had plenty of good times playing chess and poker with him in down time. He will be missed by 8 Troop, Rest In Peace.

A top bloke, always a laugh, especially his impression of Cheggers, I wish I got to spend more time with him. Rest in Peace. Matty Holcombe. Bondy, a top bloke , you will be truely missed brother. Rest peacefully. Scouse Lear

Bondy i am proud to have known you and called you my friend. You were a top bloke and you will never be forgotten. We will keep the wolfpack going strong. Everyone who knew you will miss you. Take it easy now mate. We will never forget you. Wolfpack. Spr Balfe Bondy, a great mate and always putting a smile on peoples faces. It's been a pleasure to know and work with you. Coops Our Squadron has lost a top lad, you will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with your family. A J Roberts Page 14

Bondy what a guy! Where to start with so many memories, the best one was when we chinned off going home for Easter and spend a week down Paderborn River, bottle of Southern Comfort every day and crawling in to town by night, going to miss you mate. Rest In Peace. Spr Redshaw

Bondy, proud to have known you mate. We had some good laughs and i'm going to miss them. Never going to forget the good times we had pal. If no one wanted to go out I know that you would be up for it. So glad I had the opportunity to call you my mate. R.I.P. Sapper Bond. Spr Luxford

Bondy was a great friend and always had a smile on his face when times were hard. He was one of the biggest characters within the Squadron and will be greatly missed by all that knew him. You could always count on Bondy to have a great time if it was in work hours or out on the town. Will miss you loads. Rest in peace mate. Spr Higgs

A pleasure to have been called a friends of Bondy. We had some funny times together. The memories will always be in my mind, and you will always be in my thoughts. Sleep well friend. Robbo. Bondy, you will be missed pal, we will have a beer in the bar for you, rest peacefully. Danny G Bondy was an all-round great guy, both in work and out. He will be sorely missed for his constant laughter and smile, always a joker. Rest in peace Bondy. LCpl Atkinson Bondy was a great lad and always up for going out on the weekends with the lads. He will be greatly missed by the Squadron. Rest in peace mate. Spr Jones For your tomorrow, he gave his today. Rest easy Bondy. See you in the bar. LCpl Monaghan

Bondy was a good bloke, he was an allrounder, funny, clever and surprisingly good at chess! I will always remember him with a smile on his face. Rest in peace Buddy. Cpl Cooper

What can I say, I only knew Bondy for a short period of time, but in that time he not only found out how to drive me mental like my brother but also lifted my spirits and you could have a good chat when times were bad. I will miss his humour and the way he would always greet me 'oi Mackerely'. Gone by never forgotten. Rest in peace my friend. Spr Mackerely Mackrill

Bondy was considered by most as a brother in that his art of mischief was brotherly and made us all laugh constantly. He made what many would call a bad quality his greatest, the ability to take nothing seriously. A laugh that will be missed. Spr Meacham

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The loss of Bondy is a huge blow. He was instant morale and lit up any room that he was in. To say he will be missed is an understatement. Never above you, never below you, always beside you. See you in the bar. Tom Cuffe.

A man who could always make me laugh. Proud to have had him as a friend. You will be sorely missed. Tom Driver

Spr Bond was a cheeky, cheerful chap who will always be remembered for his cheeky smile. As soon as he turned up in the squadron he made many friends and was well liked by all in the squadron. Rest in peace mate.

Bondy, where to start? A true friend and funny guy. It was a joy to have met, worked and shared a beer with you. You have left a massive hole in the Troop and Squadron. You will be sorely missed. Rest in peace mate. Sleep well. UBIQUE Spr Atkinson With the main part of the Squadron deployed in Kenya, I was, for a time, the pseudo troop commander of then Rear Ops Group and I had the great pleasure to get to know you well Spr Bond when you arrived in the Sqn, an opportunity not often afforded a Squadron 2IC. I will remember you as a loveable rogue, if there was high jinks to be had you were the root cause or if not heavily involved. You always had a twinkle in your eye and a lopsided cheeky grin on your face. Over the past few months many of the photos coming in off the ground involved you in some way or another, with that silly tache, your shirt off or your trade mark lip pout. But behind your humour your keen intellect shone through and it was no coincidence that you came to Afghanistan with more specialist qualifications than anyone else. Men like you are the reason I became an officer and your loss is deeply felt, rest in peace. Capt Dominic Riley Page 16

During my tenure as a Squadron Sergeant Major I distinctly remember Spr Bond out of the large number of Sappers that passed through 1 RSME Regiment in 08/10. He was a cheeky and likeable character who always had an answer for the Badge especially on a room inspection as he was located in the Squadron accommodation (he wasnt even in my Squadron!). A real Sapper: witty, keen, hard working and had a warm character. Stand easy Sapper Bond. May I humbly offer my deepest condolences to his friends and family. A real loss for the Corps of Royal Engineers, especially his close friends and colleagues in 37 AES WO1 Jason Tether RE MSST LKG

Sorry to see you go Bondy, rest in peace. Sibbsy.

I had only known Bondy since the start of the tour, but in those 4 months, it is clear to me why he will never be forgotten. His awesome crap-tache and his ability to bluff at poker. You never saw him without a smile on this face, or without a joke to tell. You will never be forgotten dude. Rest in peace mate.

Bondy was the lad you would need at your side when the times are rough because he always knew how to make the best out of the worst and put a smile on your face. Rest in peace Bruv and Soldier on. Spr Sealy I had not had the chance to get to know Bondy as well as I would have liked, but what I did know was he always had a smile on his face and he loved to make people laugh. Rest in peace mate, we will all miss you Spr Gooch

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UK/DANISH BRIDGING TASK

LCpl Rigby - 7 Troop
On the 24th of November the mighty, all fighting 7 Tp were on standby to receive orders for a Bridging task which entailed a strip out of a Danish bridge and build of a British Medium Girder Bridge. On the arrival at the Danish Headquarters it was time for orders with the Danish Lt (Frank the Plank) Planc and his entire troop. Sgt Robbo Robson was leading us as the Troop Sgt; or should I say Sgt Robson Robson as according to the Danish commander Robson is also his first name as well as his last; Cpl Amos and Cpl Doran-Thorp were left and right side of the bridge commanders. After receiving orders of the task in good detail it was time to commence with the hard work. Although everyone is probably thinking I am talking about the bridging task it was, in fact, time for the inter troop volleyball contest between team Regal and team NSC . Team Regal obviously contains the healthy personnel! After a hard fought game it was time to host our Danish counterparts with a BBQ to get to know who we were working with over the next few days. After a good few tins of the fizzy stuff (not alcohol sadly) and a few brews it was time for a good nights sleep before the early morning move that awaited us. I had barely put my head on my pillow when I heard the alarm of Cpl (Master Two Stripes) Amos going off and with a quick wash, a comms check and a General Purpose Machine Gun mounted it was time to get underway. The Wolfhound (Protected Mobility vehicle) was barking with enthusiasm as it rolled out the gates and up the tracks of the unknown desert. After approximately a two hour move we arrived at our location and were greeted with much love from the fine men that like to be known as 8 Tp. A quick 5 minute get together was a good morale booster for both troops, with high fives flying about like they were in the 80s. SSgt Norman then had his blokes crack on with their tasking whilst we awaited the arrival of Cpl DT and the remainder of the section.
Working hard with the Danish Engineers to get the job done

Once dinner had been consumed and the remainder of the troop had reached our location it was time to size off in to teams for each side of the bridge. On my side there was myself and LCpl Fergatron Ferguson who teamed up with the frightening pair of TA Baracus and Jacob, two Danish Vikings we were one of the top panel teams calling ourselves team Beem. We also had a bottom panel team consisting of Spr Lear, Taylor, Peace, and Danish Engineer Larsen this was a team Reem. After a good slow time rehearsal build and strip in full PPE everyone one was looking forward to getting on with the task knowing that it was going to be hard work but also The Bread and Butter of our Corps. The rain continued to pour during the day of the practice build it was funny watching all the Danish personnel taking kit off to put on waterproofs and then when it stopped raining watching them undress almost straight after putting it on in the first place. Once everything had been rehearsed we had dinner; courtesy of the fine men in 8 Troop, a fantastic effort I might add; it was time for orders for the actual task taking place first thing in the morning.

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Once orders had been received I made my bed on the back of the Wolfhound, a home like no other - it made the playboy mansion look like my local boozer! After a good nights sleep the Danish Search Team and a section of their Engineers were the first to leave. Their job was to clear the area and make sure there was no razor wire caught around the bridge. This left us on 15 minutes notice to move. Once the Danish had done what was needed it was time for the real men to hit the ground and of course by that Im talking about 7 Tp. We left the base, rolled past another and there was the gap with the Danish 3 Bay Bridge next to it. Planc the Danish commander was happy to just get the area cleared and the construction frame put in by the end of the day but under the command of Cpl DT and Cpl (Master Two Stripes) Amos the frame was in within 15 minutes of us being on the ground. Go us! We then separated in to our two sides of the bridge with team Beem and team Reem raring to go. After clearance was given and the Plant operator had cleared the opposite bank, the construction started. With TA Baracus in team Reem you literally didnt need to lift a thing. Were talking about a man the size of a Mastiff. Under the guidance of a relieved Sgt Robson the bridge was then boomed to the other side and successfully emplaced. All this within 2 hours of being on the ground. It was then time for all the handsome men on one side of the bridge and all the not so fortunate on the other side to have a photo with a lot of smiling faces, knowing that the first phase had been done. However we still had the hardest part left the strip out.

Team Reem and Beem working together

The strip out was always going to be a hard task because the ramps were embedded about two feet into the ground and the decking was heavily covered in fill (earth). After a little break for lunch it was time to dig them out and attempt to recover the bridge to the home bank before last light. After the fast and ferocious work of the first bridge things were slowing down due to the Danish believing it was time to go home, but after plenty of motivating the remainder of the decking and ramps were pulled out and the bridge was recovered. A good days work with much more achieved on the Danish front, under the orders of Lt Planc it was time to pull back and have a well-earned nights rest.

No builders bums here!!!

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On the next morning it was up at 0530 with a long lasting shave due to the pure cold water and the fact that the Combat Camera Team were on route. It was time to roll out of the gate with the incentive that as soon as the bridge was stripped and palletized the sooner we would be back in.. The morning was a lot colder than the previous couple of days and touching the metal carrying bars and beams made it even more unpleasant. With the strip under way the only Working hard and real problem that kept oclooking forward to curring was the panel pins, the finish that had been there for such a long period of time, being difficult to remove. After being on site for a little more than an hour the bridge was completely stripped and now it was time for a cheeky Danish cigarette followed up by palletizing the remaining parts of the bridge under control of the section commanders. After the Combat Camera Team had taken enough photos to have produced an 800 page photo book it was time to head back to FOB CLIFTON knowing that the job had been completed to an excellent standard. The Danes were a great bunch of men and brought morale to our camp and we thoroughly look forward to working along side them in the near future.

The final photo before a well earned rest

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MOVING BACK TO MY ORIGINAL TROOP

Spr Atkinson - 8 Troop

On the 15th of November I returned from my rest and recuperation period back in the United Kingdom. Before that I was in the Armoured Support Group using my trade working on the Trojans. I worked on them for the first two and a half months of the tour, during that time we moved from camp Bastion to Main Operating Base Price. Also we moved to Patrol Base Clifton to assist the Danish on an operation into the green zone.

A spot of sightseeing where we found some local wildlife

When I returned from my rest and recuperation period to arrive in Camp Bastion I collected all of my kit and did a morning on the range to re-zero my weapon, two days later my flight was booked to fly into Patrol Base Clifton to meet up with the rest of my troop. When I arrived under the cover of darkness two fellow members of 8 Troop were there to help me move my kit into the tent. The following day it was straight back to work filling Hesco and lots of manual labour, we also had to strip out an elevated sangar and rebuild it due to it being built wrong in the first place (not by us you understand). It was good to catch up with the rest of the troop because for many of them the last time they saw me was at the start of our tour. Since being back in the troop I have been on several moves to PB Rahim to collect various stores and people. Our main objective here at PB Clifton is to renovate and upgrade the camp ready for a British Infantry Company to move into when the Danish start to withdraw from the Forward Operating Bases. One of our fellow troops 7 Troop came and visited us to put in a bridge in the green zone. Also we have had visits from our OC and our CO. We have had the combat camera team come down to take photos of our troop at work. All in all it has been good coming back to my troop, work is hard and very rewarding and it makes the time pass quickly. I enjoyed my time with the ASG but its great being back in the fold of the mighty Eight Troop.

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OPS ROOM PATROL BASE CLIFTON

LCpl Drummond - 8 Troop
If stagging on in an ops room wasnt bad enough try stagging on in a box, oh sorry I mean an improvised Operations (Ops) room of Hesco with no windows, WOW. When the plans came to make a new Ops room with an improvised roof, Cpl Cooper showed us the ground (hill) where we were to build the Ops room; we then started the mammoth task of turning hamburger hill into a bowling green. With thanks to the plant it didnt take long and it was the most level place on camp. As a troop we are all quite accustomed to Hesco. We have used it every design since being on tour and we didnt think it could get any bigger but we were wrong! On unpacking the new special Hesco and standing it up, it could only be described as the sky scraper of Hesco. Not only are they tall they are also very narrow so we all looked to Spr Atkinson AKA Muscles thinking you're the only one that could get in the Hesco to help fill but how would he get out? So we opted to bury him in it instead. (Only joking!)

Its thumbs up all round

Everyone's first thoughts were it doesn't look like much like an Ops room, but little did they know that it wasnt finished. We still had the easy part which was putting on the roof, hmmm how little we did know. We started to lay out the pieces for the roof and Cpl "OCD" Cooper was soon stood with instructions in hand, like the proud owner of a new IKEA set of shelves. The build started and Spr "I am scared of heights" Redshaw soon found himself fully kitted up on top of the roof again. It started with 3 Sappers on the roof and ended up with 8 as we tried to piece together the super Meccano set.
Staying low up on the roof

After the build was completed it was then the task of a bricklayer Spr Pascoe and fitter machinist Staff Norman. Give these two some wood and a saw and they soon transform into the chuckle brother carpenters firm, they have turned the box into the now gleaming Op's room.

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THE RECCE SGTS PERSPECTIVE

Sgt Lapsley, 9 Troop With the tour now at the half way point I have managed to dodge writing any articles, but with the Tp SSgt Mark Adcock swanning on R n R it was the Seniors turn to submit an article which left Troopy with very little options. . . i.e. me! At the start of tour the Troop had the biggest task - taking over a brand new area where British engineer work was nil and all the locations that the infantry were to occupy were in much need of repair/rebuild with the latter being the preferred option as the work left by our American cousins was in short, not up to UK standard were very particular dont you know!
Funny looking pizza base? Local As a Recce Sergeant, it is my job to go around all the locations to speciality maybe? make sure that they are fit for purpose, provide enough protection to the blokes in them and ensure they have the basic amenities that they require to live and fight out of their bases. I go out whenever I can squeeze into one of the vehicles going on patrol. Nine times out of ten I get to the right place on time, although there are always plenty of other places the patrol has to stop at. I speak with the Patrol Base Commander and we go into what can only be described as being in the market trying to barter a better price for what you want to buy. But it will end with both parties satisfied with the end product, I leave with a notebook full of drawings that look only slightly better than my three year old nieces.

Back in camp, the paperwork begins so the Troop can get the blokes out to do the job as quickly as possible, fully prepared with all the right resources and with specific designs to work from. This takes a few hours to smash out and then a couple of days for the Squadron 2IC to sort out my not-so-good grammar. (Dont worry Ive hardly made any spelling and grammar corrections to this article. Well 10 so far anyway 2IC) The sections are happier when they are out of the main camp and working independently from the troop, just see Stevie Richards showing off his bread making skills at one of the smaller bases. I also try and get them out of Ouellette as much as possible as this also gives me the opportunity to crack out my toasty warm onesy without anyone taking the mick!

Going back to their younger days...

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Life in the G4 World

Weeks 13-14
Well December is here at last!! Which means half way through, and with R&R round the corner for most of us the remainder of the tour should go quickly. Its been a busy few weeks in the department with inspection after inspection taking up most of our time. Sometimes the days just roll into one and before you know it another week has passed with only Strictly Come Dancing on BFBS as a reminder that its Saturday again! The writing of these articles is as you can imagine a team effort with most people getting involved. This week Cpls Rai and Suksiri were tasked to provide and the results were a little hmmmmmmm strange. Please see below for the articles that were produced Cpl Rai.
A good attempt at looking Ali

G4 is a very busy but well performing business centre. Despite the fact that it has a very short name G4, it has very broad shoulders and many faces. The services range from supplying a 4 Bay Double Storey Bridge to Foot powder, from Hesco to Helmets or a gigantic clearing Python to paint marking spray. With the onset of R&R the functioning pace increased from always run to sprint now. Further to this a row of inspections (ELI, Pre-Pre ECI, Pre ECI, ECI, Pre LSI and the LSI) (and they are NOT kidding editor) are looming, so the game is on and we cannot afford to lose, there is no room for error. Theory of evolution believes that we were once Monkeys and our curiosity and effort got us to what we are now, an IPOD generation. If this theory is correct then there will be more arms, legs, heads, eyes and ears appearing on the bodies of the men in the G4 a bit like Giraffes grew their neck longer over the evolution period. The End. Now I take it you have had to read this article twice to try to make sense of it but I can safely say that after reading it 10 times it still baffles me. I think Cpl Rai has spent too much time in the sun!! But good effort anyway! Cpl Suksiri Well its only been a few days since I returned back from R & R but it seems a distant memory already, SSgts Page and McDermott keep reminding me I have 4 months left but Im not bothered as I had a great time at home!! I was one of the first to go on R & R and I am so glad I was, as it was great to see my family again but was such a shame I had only 10 days at home due to flights. Leaving them behind again was emotional but as I have less than 4 months to go Im sure this time will fly. On returning from R & R I managed to bump into Colin Montgomery, the famous golfer, it was excellent meeting somebody famous at last. Nothing has changed since being back and morale is still high, there have been some laughs, especially seeing Cpl Robertson falling flat on his back in PT. We tried not to laugh but it was too tempting not to.
The team not looking too impressed about all of the inspections

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Quote of the Week

Chocolates brought for her indoors, when one is in the bad books. To quote Oops, Ive been on the lash all weekend. Id better stop by the garage and pick up some dragon food before I get home.

Dear Santa,

Please could you have a word with the REME guys to see if I can have my quad bike back for Christmas? The man keeps taking mine off me as its not well and makes funny noises when Im riding it. They say it breaks because Im not riding it properly, but I am and it still keeps breaking. Also the nasty mechanic man took it off me after it couldnt jump in the desert and went pop-bang on the way back to Bastion.

I wo pho uld rea call ne for lly lik C e so me meone hristma a mobi up w le to s hen come so I can and my brea pi ks d quad own bikeck ?

re mo e om all e s sed lik u lly have rea I e. uld as min o R Iw & R

I would like a beer.

lly d rea woul early I an like f . ck of kno

I would really like a mobile phone for Christmas so I can call someone to come and pick me up when my quad bike breaks down?

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44 HQ & SP SQN NEWS

Officer Commanding Foreword
When you read this edition of the Trojan Times we will officially be just past the half way stage in the tour. Time appears to have flown by for us in Theatre and hopefully this is the same for all the families and friends back in Germany and the UK. R and R is now in full swing with people leaving and returning to Theatre on a regular basis. The most sought after R and R periods are very nearly upon us with the lucky few being able to be at home over the Christmas or the New Year period. With the majority of us spending the festive period in Theatre the lads are now starting to get into the festive spirit and decorating their accommodation and work areas with some interesting home made decorations. Work has continues at the now familiar fast pace only interrupted by a mandatory inspection thrown in here and there just to make sure we are abiding by the numerous rules and regulations governing the military system. This week the Engineer Group have faced the Equipment Care Inspection which focuses on ensuring we are looking after all our vehicles and associated equipment to the required standard, we have emerged not totally unscathed but still able to hold our heads high with a well deserved satisfactory grading. Well the weather here is freezing so much so that the majority of the lads have resorted to wearing fleeces and combat jackets. Thankfully there is no sign of more rain or even snow. Lastly, and as always I would like to personally thank you all for all of your support, it is quite humorous to watch the chief clerk and his band of volunteers wrestling with the ever increasing bags of mail being man handled into his office. This is such an encouragement for the guys knowing they have your full support in all they are doing out here. Thank you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Chris Darke

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Hi kids, Well the weather is definitely cooling off now and everyone, less LCpl look at me Webster has dug out their warmer coats and a few classic hats, especially LCpl Ronnie Fong. I had a treat this week as I have received several letters from my owners daughters school friends. They are from the Towers School and Sixth Form Centre in Ashford and they have sent your dads and the rest of the members of the Regiment some special messages of support and several boxes of goodies for them to share.

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Op Khan Nikah
Cpl Steve Illsley - The BAG
On Saturday the 10 of December, the Route Clearance Company (RCC) of the 3rd brigade, 215 Corps of the Afghan National Army (ANA), i.e. our Afghans, were tasked with providing there route clearance capability for the ANA, this was so they could get to patrol base (PB) Khan Nikah safely to extract their equipment and soldiers and return to camp Gereshk. This Operation (Op) was carried out with the assistance of Talisman Sqn and the RLC whose vehicles were used to carry the ISO containers, fortunately for us it was the Brit way not Afghan way. On the morning of Sunday the 11 of December, I met up with my interpreter and we headed for Talisman Squadron who were going to be my lift for the trip to MOB PRICE, once I had acquainted myself with the most uncomfortable seat in the world, we then proceeded to leave camp Bastion shortly after lunch. Once at MOB Price everyone quickly got there camp cots out and even a hammock appeared as well, for the rest of the evening there were meetings with the ANA and other British mentors going over the plan for the next days events to find out if they needed anything from ISAF. The next day started at 5 oclock and was very cold. The interpreter and I parted company with the Talisman Squadron and travelled towards PB Khan Nikah with other British mentors. The route was good going until we turned off the trade transit route to cross the desert and this is where the problems started for the ANA. Unfortunately the Afghan vehicles dont all have 4x4 capability and they very quickly got stuck in the sand! Undeterred by this they quickly set about recovering their vehicles with a little help One of the many recoveries by the ANA that day. from ISAF and were on their way again after about an hour. Once at Khar Nikah the ANA had to wait until the British had loaded the ISOs, the ANA then went to work extracting there equipment. While this was going on it gave me a chance to talk to the RCC and other Afghan soldiers and it gave me a chance to look at some of there weapon systems (and get a quick snap!).
No space wasted on an Afghan lorry!

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Once the ANA had finished loading their equipment we all formed up and returned to camp Gereshk to offload the ISO containers, again with a few problems along the way of Afghan vehicles getting stuck in the sand, this was rectified with minimal help from ISAF troops and once unloaded we started the last leg of the journey back to camp Bastion and bed. Overall this was a very good joint Op between ISAF and the ANA, apart from a few vehicle issues. With this Op now complete the ANA are yet another step closer to being able to conduct ops without any help from ISAF troops.

Scottish Steve and English Steve

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77 TALISMAN SQUADRON NEWS Officer Commanding Foreword

Seasons Greetings Friends and Family of the TALISMAN Squadron, We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and for those of us that will not be spending it at home, we will be thinking of you. While you are enjoying the Christmas markets in Paderborn, or wherever you happen to be over the period, we will also be celebrating here ourselves when time allows. We will let you know all about it in the next edition. We have just completed the busiest couple of weeks of the tour so far with the troops working to maximum capacity. 10 and 12 Troops' have been ensuring the safe delivery of essential supplies to even more locations and 11 Tp have been enabling the construction of new Check Points to extend the security bubble to include even more local Afghans. These operations, in the heart of the Green Zone, have required close coordination with a cracking Infantry Company from 3 SCOTS, a very professional and welcoming Company of Estonians, local Afghan forces and others. 11 Troop were forward based for over 2 weeks and they certainly had their challenges along the way. I am pleased and very proud to say that they rose to every one and have returned with some good experiences under their belt and stories to tell. By the time you read this we will be over half way through the tour. The weeks continue to fly by for most and this looks set to continue with the high tempo of operations lined up until the end of tour. We look forward very much to getting home to you and as always your support is hugely appreciated. I hope the messages on the following pages raise a smile and help to fill the void at this special time for families! :) Best wishes, Sam Hughes

The TALISMAN SHQ

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10 Troops first baby of tour

Lt Ben Stretton
Many congratulations to Spr Dickie Day and his wife Lucie on the birth of their baby boy Jamie on Monday the 5 December 2011. The birth came as a pleasant surprise due to the expected date being in early January!!! On the day of the birth Spr Day was out on an Operation with a CLP and was met by the SSM on return through the gate with the news to phone his wife as she had gone into labour. He returned shortly to the Ops room with the brilliant news that his wife had delivered Jamie. You can see from the picture how happy he is. Luckily the Sqn managed to bring Spr Days R and R forward so that he flew home to see his wife and new baby within a day of finding out the great news. The whole Troop and Sqn wish all three of them well and look forward to seeing Spr Day back after his R and R.

A big thumbs up to being a dad!

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Christmas messages from 77 TALISMAN Squadron

Hi Mum, Dad and Jo, Hope you all have a nice Christmas without me. Im looking forward to New Years Eve with the rest of the family. Cant wait to open all my presents ha ha! Love you all Jack. Erin, Cerys, Freya and Caleb I love you all very much, have a fantastic Christmas and Ill see you all real soon for your birthdays. Lots of love G (Dad). Dia, Emily, Aimee, Love and miss ya loads. Cant wait to see you and spend some quality time together. Love loads hubby/Dad. Clair and Joe, Have a great Christmas, hope Santa brings you both what you want (except me!) Miss you both loads and looking forward to next year already. All my love, Pete xxx Gwenda (Pritchards Mum) and Mum Number 2 Im looking after your annoying son for you but Im afraid Im not too sure that I can carry on. He is possible the most annoying boy I know and I plan to separate our double bedspace so I can get some peace and quiet time! Tom xxx Hey Mam and family, Just a quick message to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very blurry New Year. I expect my presents to be waiting for me in March! See you all soon. Love Christy x

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To Rear Ops lads, Christmas is over-rated! Im well happy to be in Afghan, have a good one and a happy new year. Matty Carter.

To Louise, Declan and Chloe, There is no way I am going to IKEA on my R&R! Chloe I am going to beat you on Just Dance! Love Dave (Dad) Hey Mum, Dad, Jade, Gav and Ollie oh, and grace! This is me and my fellow ginger homies slowly burning away, but winter is arriving. Yay! Happy Christmas love Rose xxx

Sharrina! Pack your bags, were hitting Tywyn hard! Get you willies on, theres a bench in the soup! We need a bigger spoon! Christmas is upon us so spread your wings and make cake! Jack and Kinky. Hope everyone in Paderborn has a Happy Christmas and a good New Year. Ben

To Marica and my Angels, Hello to Ana, Lita, Ben and Hayley. Daddy misses you all everyday. Hope that everything is all going well in school and at home. Looking forward to seeing you all when I get back. Love you more, Ray.

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Hi Baby and my little girl Phoebe, Hope you are ok and have a good Christmas without me but well have our own when Im back. Love you loads and loads. Love your baby Dave xxx Hi Sexy, Hope you are ok and not working too hard. I hope Christmas goes well and you have a nice time and well have our own late Christmas dinner. Love you Stoney

To Zoey, Boo Gunge Christmas LMAO!

Hannah and Joyce,

To

Christin Smith,

Im so happy to be out here for Christmas. Its amazing! Who needs presents, crimbo dinner and family. Ha ha! Keep smiling stunning. Love ya x Hey baby Hope you have a brilliant Christmas and tan loads of people because youre not doing me! Missing you loads and love you so much x To Sarah and the kids, Kieran and Lucy, Hope you are ok and the Christmas play went well. Missing you loads, see you soon x

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To all the lads on 77 Rear Ops, Cheers for the quality R&R and wish you were all here! Bizzle. To all the lads on 77 Rear Ops, Have fun without us. Merry Christmas and have a good New Year. Cheddar. To Emma and Mia, Missing you loads, not long till Im home. you both! Cant wait to see

To Charlotte, Lauren and Harriet, Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Cant wait to see you soon on R&R. Lots of love Rob/Daddy xxx

To Yvonne sibille, Hey darling, have a good Christmas and New Year. See you soon, love from Jamie.

To Lydia and Monica, Wish you all the best of the season. Merry Christmas. Hope to see you soon. Luv you lots.

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To Natasha, Brooke and Ollie, Have a great Christmas and New Year. I hope Santa brings you all the presents you want. See you very soon on R&R. Love you all lots.

To Kai, Thank you for the picture and we miss all our families too! We cant wait to see you all again in Paderborn soon. Love all the boys and girls of 77 TALISMAN Squadron.

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PADRES PROGRESS
8 DEC 2011
Three months of living, eating, sleeping, travelling, showering, shaving (moustaches included) and working together can begin to take its toll. It can be seen in tired eyes, heard in raised voices, felt in roughly laundered clothes, tasted in the same old ration pack menus and I have no wish to go into further details of how it is smelt! I have detected it in myself as well as in others, and feel that maybe we should be looking for opportunities, both for ourselves and for each other, for taking some time out to review our patterns of living, in whatever way we can manage. For some at this time it will be R and R. For others it may not be so easy. God gave us a pattern of living in the Old Testament, usually referred to as the ten commandments. They were given as an act of love, to enable us to live together. Some of us can still probably remember them though I admit to not being able to get them in order! I wonder if we were to think of ten commandments for living today, both at home and here in Bastion and in FOBs, what could we come up with? How about some of these:

Speak to people! There is nothing so encouraging as a cheerful word or greeting Smile at people! It takes 72 muscles to frown, only 14 to smile If you would have friends, be a friend Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully Keep an open mind. Discuss, don't argue Be Generous with praise! Cautious with criticism Be Considerate! With the feeling of others, there are usually 3 sides to controversy (yours, the others, and the right one) Don't be upset about ill-natured remarks made about you. Live so that no one will believe them Take control of yourself. Don't allow your reactions to control you Always say LESS than you think

Having thought of ten, which is rather a long list to recall all the time, how would you sum them up into just two? Can you keep them? Do they work when faced once again with a long queue for food, another abrupt phone call, a disrupted nights sleep, 73 emails, one more report to write by yesterday, 48 more Hesco containers to fill, internet not working, and as alwaysa hairy ***** soldier just where you dont want him to be?! In the New Testament, Jesus sums up the original ten in just such a way : Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbour as yourself. All good patterns of living will spread from these. Maybe give them a try for a change? God keep you Clare

WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS

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PADRES PROGRESS
A SNOW SCENE CONSTRUCTED AND LEFT IN MY TENT FOR MEA SECRET SANTA!

God keep you Clare

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35 Engineer Regiment kids Christmas Party

LCpl Tom Roberts
Christmas arrived early for the children of 35 Engineer Regiment as the Wives Committee and 77 Squadron ROG laid on a Christmas Party in Barker Barracks gymnasium. The party proved to be a huge hit with around 190 children in attendance, the day began with DJ WO2 Lew Tippett playing a wide range of Christmas songs for everyone to get into the spirit of the season. For the entire 3 hour duration Mums and children waited patiently to send a message to dads and husbands in Afghanistan. Messages to loved ones was certainly the order of the day as BFBS radio turned up to record some messages. The main event was of course the appearance of Santa himself and by the time he had arrived in his fantastically decorated Landrover the kids were in a frenzy and certainly gave their hero a warm welcome. The honoured guest fought his way through the crowds of eager kids to the sanctity of his grotto. Ably assisted by his ever cheerful elf and guarded by his trusty steed Spr Im a Donkey Brotherton. Presents were handed out to the kids for over 2 hours; luckily the eager 77 Squadron children entertainers were on hand and entertained the children splendidly. The sight of Spr Rafferty dressed as a Turkey will live long in the memory. After a buffet of gourmet food was laid on by the hard working Chefs from Chards Restaurant, the day finally started to draw down. With some fantastic games of Musical statues and relay games, this was enjoyed not only by the children but by some parents as well, especially Sgt Brummy Kerr who showed us how never to dance. Many thanks to all who worked hard in organising the event, in particular Mrs Copsey and the 35 Wives committee, SSgt Billy Fish for the provision of some hard working rear party soldiers, Cpl Death (Ho Ho Ho) and his willing elf Spr Hawes, a memorable day for all involved.

Rear Operations Group dressed up for the occasion Page 51

Baby Hector wishes you a

Merry Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all though the house

What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Did Rudolf go to normal school? No, he was Elf taught!! Tinselitus

Spot 10 differences between these two

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10 Questions with
Name: Guy The Brain Boxall Rank: Major Age: Thirty-something Number of previous HERRICK tours: Ive been to Afghanistan before but not as Guy Boxall. I was out here as Stan McCrystal a few years ago. Didnt end well Role: Officer Commanding Field Squadron 1, 35 Engineer Regiment Major Guy Boxall, the cleverest man in NATO, has already managed to consume the combined bodyweight of his not-inconsiderable SHQ in Haribo sweets and coca-cola. He is enjoying his deployment as the Premier Field Squadon in TFH Engineer Group but is hiding a dark secret; a deep loathing of White Toyota Corollas. This has only been exacerbarted since his arrival in Afghanistan and people near him fear the worst - a sugar induced frenzy. Everyone knows what happens when you put a Haribo in a glass of coke and shake it up, but what happens when you do it inside a man? 1. Is it what you thought it would be? Actually, yes it is. I invented a time machine in my spare time during MST and went forward to find out how well I performed in Afghanistan. I was pleasantly surprised and I recommend a flutter on Norwich City for the Cup. 2. Have you set any personal goals for your time on tour? I believe world domination is achievable once my minions arrive in the sea freight. 3. Biggest challenge so far? Trying to persuade the Haribo manufacturers to deliver to BFPO addresses. And dont get me started on getting the VAT back. 4. What is the first thing you will do when you get home? I am looking forward to finding the time to read Al McKechnies book; Ive read rave reviews Amazon. 5. What is your favourite ration pack meal? Well, since Ive been here Ive been inventing my own. So far I have; Haribo in a bag, Powdered Haribo and my personal favourite Corned-Haribo-Hash. 6. Who has been crated the most so far? My 2IC; every time he looks glum and self-pitying I send him out to buy me a crate of coke. At the rate hes getting the in Im struggling to finish them all off. Almost. Im still putting it away. 7. Who is your best EUKA partner? I am. It is quite hard to find a decent partner of the same mental calibre as I am and the CO isnt always available - that Carvel chap keeps pestering him about his bridge. Whats the big deal?

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8. What the best parcel you have received so far? Well it hasn't arrived yet but I ordered a Celebratory Christmas lorry-load of Coke. I know it is on its way - Ive seen it on the adverts. 9. If you were going to say Hello to somebody who would it be and why? Barrack Obama - Im setting my sights on his job next but I want to give him a fighting chance by warning him off that Im coming for him. 10. What is the one thing you could not be without here in Afghanistan? The weapons-grade enriched uranium which powers my fuel cells when the Haribo runs out.

Major Guy Boxall with the CO arranging his next game of EUKA

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10 Questions with..
Name: Simon Carvel Rank: Major Age: Thirty One Number of previous HERRICK tours: My warrior spirit has been evident in all Op HERRICK tours. Role: Commanding Officer, 29 Piper Engineer Regiment Major Simon Carvel, the self-styled Warrior of Hectors Legion, has been busy getting everything right. It is a tough job, but somebodys got to do it. His recent feats have seen him track down every written Chuck Norris fact and replace the name to Si Carvel. He acknowledges the implicit challenge to His Royal Chuckness in his actions, and cordially invites everyone to 29 AES Squadron Bar for the ensuing punch -up. 1. Is it what you thought it would be? I had been labouring under the impression that I was going to be, you know, doing warry stuff. I even cut the elastic off my helmet and found some scrim (I had some lying around) to tape on with sniper tape. That worked out well. 2. Have you set any personal goals for your time on tour? To be the best I can be. And to be better than the best that all the other OCs can be. 3. Biggest challenge so far? Ive been working on a sound-proofing solution for my 2ICs office. Clearly, Im too busy to listen to his rantings about how everyones got it easier than him, and Im too warry to be interested in his spreadsheets. 4. What is the first thing you will do when you get home? Dig in, smash out some push-ups and write a bluey to the Boss hell be missing me by then. 5. What is your favourite ration pack meal? Army food fuels the Army in me. And the Army in me is always hungry for Army. 6. Who has been crated the most so far? OC 37 Im currently in the lead for Fewest Cratings from the Boss 7. Who is your best EUKA partner? Sam Hughes [OC 4 (Independent) TALISMAN Sqn] I like to help him out, boost his profile with the Boss. It is all about looking after your subordinates.
Major Si Carvel doing his best warry pose

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8. What the best parcel you have received so far? I got a yearbook from my time as Platoon Commander at Sandhurst a bit late, but well appreciated from all the guys in my Platoon. They were a great bunch of guys nearly won the Sovereigns Banner. [Ed the platoon in question was in first place in the Soverigns Banner Competition when the then-Capt Carvel took command. They finished 8th, barely beating the girls] 9. If you were going to say Hello to somebody who would it be and why? The Commanding Officer it has been hours since I dropped by. 10. What is the one thing you could not be without here in Afghanistan? Probably my role as the OC who looks after the Commanding Officer. I mean, he lives in the area that I command, so thats a pretty big indication of good things to come, right? You dont see him staying long in OUELLETTE, even with the fancy US rations. He really gets me. I mean, hes got his wings, took his Squadron on tour then became a CO. Ive got my wings, Ive taken my Squadron on tour and, well, lets just say weve got a lot in common, havent we Boss?

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10 Questions with
Name: Sam The Man Hughes Rank: Major Age: Twenty One forever Number of previous HERRICK tours: Ive swung few the Stan a few times. I was pretty popular, so they asked me back. Role: The guy who runs the TALISMAN cars. Theres a name for the title but it sounds a bit like career chat. Major Sam Hughes, playboy extraordinaire, has taken time out of his busy social calendar to come out to Afghanistan with the rest of the lads from 77. He admits to getting slightly snowed under by all the paperwork; replying to all the letters from all the single ladies on Facebook has seriously eaten into his suntanning sessions, and hes running out of space for all the underwear theyre sending him. Maybe his 2IC can sort it out for him.
1. Is it what you thought it would be?

I was told Id be interviewed by the pretty girl off the BFBS programmes. Who the Hell are you? 2. Have you set any personal goals for your time on tour? To get the under-armour shirt re-designed so the zip goes lower and shows off more of my chestrug. Otherwise that was an expensive hair implant surgery gone to waste. 3. Biggest challenge so far? Coming up with reasons to get to MOB PRICE and rekindle some old flames in the Danish Battlegroup. 4. What is the first thing you will do when you get home? London, Kings Road, champagne. Ive timed my R+R with the Brazilian Ladies Beach Volleyball Teams training camp in the Earls Court centre. 5. What is your favourite ration pack meal? What? I get so many food packages mainly home-baked stuff but a lot of Harrods hampers. Why would I go to the cookhouse? Except the one at Price, of course. 6. Who has been crated the most so far? I dont really buy into that tradition. I think Capt Mini-Me Barretts still getting them in for calling a girl back. Im going to promote some people when I get back for the champagne does that count? 7. Who is your best EUKA partner? Ah yes, someone tried explaining that to me. He was a rugged-looking fellow 29 Sqn I think. I think he called me a Benny, but I think hes just jealous because I have far better hair.

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8. What the best parcel you have received so far? Wow theres a question. I dont like to play favourites, but lets just say that the certain lady who remembered that October is Under 20s month and supplied some fine personal material wont go disappointed during my POTL. 9. If you were going to say Hello to somebody who would it be and why? There are just so many; Lucy, thanks again for the oils; Claire B, I miss you too; Claire M, dont cry it is unattractive; Claire P, Im afraid your parcel was damaged in the post and some of the photos went missing Ive asked the guys for an amnesty; Denise, thank you for the letter Ill send you the signed photo after you give back my underwear; Freya, you naughty minx; Sally, nice waxjob; Tina, those yoga classes are really paying off; Katrina, wow; Mary, I dont appreciate that kind of language; lastly, to Jessica, keep trying and youll get better marks in your university resits, Im sure. 10. What is the one thing you could not be without here in Afghanistan? My Sqn 2IC. She does a great job managing little things for me so I dont have to worry about them. Just yesterday she went through my diary and sorted out my social events for POTL. Who knew I had double-booked the Wimbledon Ladies Final with the Henley Ladies Rowing TryOuts!

I hope the ladies will be impressed with my new ride

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10 Questions with .
Name: Henryk Pietrzak Rank: Major Age: 35 Number of previous HERRICK tours: Whats a HERRICK? Role: I am a man in the Army that they put in charge of 11 Field Squadron, which is a part of the Royal Engineers.
Major Henryk Pietrzak, the man, the mystery, the legend, has had a really splendid time here in this new country. His favourite colour is red and he knows all the words to God Save the Queen. He likes going in helicopters and sticking his head out of the window when hes driving his car. If he could be anyone he would be Henryk Pietrzak.

The 10 Questions are; 1. Is it what you thought it would be? Is what what I thought what would be? What is it? Where am I? Can I go on the hellykopta again? 2. Have you set any personal goals for your time on tour? I would like them to put more Velcro on the uniform because I like the noise it makes when it comes unstuck. 3. Biggest challenge so far? Finding a time when I can play my Lego in my office without someone interrupting. 4. What is the first thing you will do when you get home? I shall go through the door, say hello to my wife and sit down for a nice cup of tea. 5. What is your favourite ration pack meal? I like jelly. 6. Who has been crated the most so far? I dont know. 7. Who is your best EUKA partner? What does E U K A stand for? Has something bad happened again? 8. What the best parcel you have received so far? I had a letter today. It was blue. 9. If you were going to say Hello to somebody who would it be and why? To Anybody? Wow, Id like to meet David Beckham. Hello David, Im Henryk. Do you like to play Lego? Me too. Lets be friends. 10. What is the one thing you could not be without here in Afghanistan? My Squadron. I have a wonderful group of soldiers who work for me. A problem shared is a problem halved. I share everything so I only have 1/120th of a problem. Thats easy.
Page 59 Sorry Henryk, this is the only picture I have of you

Glossary Ranks Spr - Sapper LCpl - Lance Corporal Cpl - Corporal Sgt - Sergeant SSgt - Staff Sergeant WO2 - Warrant Officer Second Class WO1 - Warrant Officer First Class Capt - Captain Maj - Major Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel Afghanistan specific terms Op - 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 SAF - Small Arms Fire SOP - Standard Operating procedure Sub Units Tp - Troop Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron Hq & Sp Sqn - Headquarters and Support Squadron

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HESCO - Large flat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag. The sandbag is filled 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 find Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector. Equipment MASTIFF - 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 film 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. Messages from the Editor
Merry Christmas to all. I hope you enjoy the messages from your loved ones. Look forward to the next edition where we will be showing you all how we made the most of Christmas in Afghanistan. Merry Christmas.

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