RRS 05 MARCH.pdf - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

demanding period for all with the
Battalion split far and wide with all of
the additional challenges that such
dispersion creates. Yet everyone,
soldiers and dependents alike have
risen to the challenge understanding
the pressing need to make headway in
both theatres and accepting that that
has called on very different skills and
for the majority, a very different way
of operating on the ground. We can all
be immensely proud of a job well done
under very difficult circumstances and
look forward to a bout of hard-earned
POTL and annual leave.
B Company – Operation Herrick 8 – HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN
In an extract from a B Company SITREP
sent at the time, OC B Company writes:
“B Company had just received orders
for a patrol to an outlying village to the
south east of Musa Qal’eh, when the
all too familiar crackle of ‘Contact IED,
casualties…wait out’ rang out over
the battlegroup net. Within seconds,
Warriors were fired up and with Lance
Corporal Archer commanding the lead
vehicle, 6 Platoon led the company
towards the contact. A young soldier
from 1 R IRISH on a routine foot patrol
with the Afghan National Army had
been very seriously injured by a ‘daisychain’
IED. Within minutes he was back
in the District Centre receiving medical
attention and he probably owes his life
to Lieutenant Callum McLeod’s quick
reactions that day. Meanwhile 5 and 7
Platoon deployed their dismounts during a
follow up operation, which failed to catch
the enemy but succeeded in securing a
notorious compound called ‘The Garden’
– a known Taliban stronghold and
suspected weapons cache, for subsequent
6 Pl HQ takes a much needed rest during an operation to isolate a known Taliban stronghold to the north of Musa
Qal'eh. (R-L) Sgt Nagle, interpreter 'Dave', Hldr Wood, Lt McLeod)
exploitation. The Company set about
consolidating a cordon, deploying Warrior
into the heavily irrigated fields of waisthigh
maize. Just before last light the
enemy launched a coordinated assault
from two directions. As enemy mortar fire
started to land amongst the compounds,
Corporal Young’s vehicle was struck by
a RPG and some of the dismounted
sections were pinned down. Occupying
a dismounted sentry position which had
been established forward of a canal,
Highlanders ‘Zippy’ McLennan and Danny
Claridge were isolated. Despite having
lost comms, they continued to return fire,
destroying some enemy within 50 metres of
their trench before reinforcements arrived
in the shape of Sergeant ‘Smudge’ Smith
and Lance Corporal Stevie Reay. Before
long the combined firepower of Warrior
and 105mm light guns was brought to
bear and the attack was comprehensively
driven off”.
For most members of B Company,
their tour as ‘independent’ Armoured
Infantry Company Group for 16 Air
Assault Brigade on Operation Herrick
8, will have been one of the most
professionally challenging experiences
of their lives. It is impossible to do
justice to all the events that occurred or
to mention everybody who deserves it
here. Suffice to say that in addition to
enemy action like that described above,
the gruelling nature of operations,
working long hours in the intense
heat and dust, living out in the desert
for long periods in the most austere
of conditions and the ever-present
danger placed extreme demands on
everyone. During the course of the
tour, the Company suffered a total
of eleven IED strikes, nine men were
wounded in action and another four
suffered heat injury. Despite all of this,
the soldiers performed magnificently
and maintained a positive attitude.
There was an innate understanding that
this was no place to cut corners and
soldiers performed with the utmost
professionalism. Everyone can be
justifiably proud for what they and their
contribution towards the mission of
bringing improved security to the north
of Helmand province.
In early 2008, B Company was in the
final stages of pre-deployment training.
The requirement to deploy early to
cover 16 Brigade’s ‘RIP’ meant that there
was limited opportunity for any pretour
leave. Even less so for Captain
Phil Morgan and Corporal ‘Scottie’ Weir
who deployed straight after Christmas
as our advance party. Other than our
experience of training for conventional
war in BATUS (which provided a great
foundation for what followed), the
advice and experience passed on by
Right Flank Company of the Scots
Guards proved invaluable. Right Flank
must take the credit for the early days of
Warrior in Afghanistan. The employment
of a new capability is always difficult
but we owe a great deal to Right Flank,
who despite being deployed for weeks
on end, managed to drip feet those
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND JOURNAL – MARCH