4 SCOTS

The Blue Hackle

Commanding Officers Foreword
It is a month since I arrived and time has sped past. The Battalion are operating at full capacity in their many varied tasks and doing really well. We are joined at the hip with the Danish and Estonian forces in the Manoeuvre Battlegroup and we are planning a multi-cultural Christmas bring on the smoked fish! The ROG is obviously working well and the number and variety of activities and events for the soldiers in Fallingbostel and the Families is great to see. Into the future, we are confirming RnR dates and the swapping of individuals at the half way mark now. There will be much more detail to come on this in the next 3-4 weeks. So, enjoy the Blue Hackle and I will write again next month.

The Colours are flying high in the Manoeuvre Battlegroup Headquarters.

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Manoeuvre Battlegroup
Following on from the Commanding Officers foreword, the best way in which I can set the scene in terms of what the Jocks have been getting up to so far in this first month in Afghanistan is through pictures. On the pages that follow are a selection of pictures to hopefully answer some of the questions I know have been asked, and to shed some light on what it is we have been doing. Once in Afghanistan the first item on the agenda was the Reception, Staging and Onward Integration training; delivered by our very own A Company. This is a weeklong training package which reminds and revises us on all the key skills we have already learnt this past year and ensure we are fully up to speed with what is currently happening in An acclimatisation march to the ranges always goes down well. Afghanistan.

What?...The targets where?! 2

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The accommodation here in Camp Bastion is basic, but fit for purpose. Each tent is designed to house up to 10 soldiers, each of whom gets a bed, hanging IKEA wardrobe and easy access to laundry facilities and the gym. Not to mention Wi-Fi and telephones to make those allimportant calls home! As is always the way, however, it does not take too long for everyone to settle into their surroundings and make it into a home from home.

Basic but comfortable.

It doesnt take long to get settled and find ways to relax.

Improvise, adapt and overcome.

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Members of the Force Protection Platoon moved to Lashkar Gar Durai in early October to join the 4 SCOTS Mortars Platoon, Medics and QM(T) outside of Camp Bastion. As you can see from the pictures below, they deployed with all their creature comforts and maximised the use of the Chinook Helicopters lift capacity.

Always be prepared; any idiot can be uncomfortable and badly administrated.

Are they just going to stand there and watch or do you think they will give us a hand?

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Finally this month, the Manoeuvre Battlegroup has begun conducting operations with the Estonian Company and Danish Tank Platoon, all to great effect. As you can see below, even Sgt Milne seems to be enjoying himself!

The LOKE Platoon of Danish Tanks formed part of the multi-national deployment. 5

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A (Grenadier) Company
Delivery of training to the Forces Elements entering theatre continues to progress well and with almost a month to go A Company have trained around 4500 personnel since arriving in Theatre in late July. Sgt Whitehead has assumed the groundhog stag of coordinating the arrivals briefs on Day 1 from WOII Hendry, who has returned to Fallingbostel in time to prepare for an imminent move to Inverness Although only with A Company for a short time since handing over the Company Sergeant Major reigns of Support Company in June, prior to deploying, his impact and example to those arriving bright eyed and bushy tailed with an RAF induced jet lag has been excellent and the whole of A Company wish him, Sheena and their family well in Inverness. Under the energetic guidance of WOII Smith the range teams continue to convey interesting and realistic training on a daily basis, utilising their Infantry skills to impart critical knowledge which is fine tuning the remainder of 7 Armoured Brigade and other forces coming through the training pipeline. The range have run ranges on Days 2, 6 and 7 of the training package, as well as conducting bespoke Revising their drills on the Grenade Machine Gun. period of training and specific vehicle mounted shoots. Day 2 ranges consist of a Grouping and Zeroing range, conducted by Lt Parsons and Sgt Whitehead. Besides from zeroing their weapons, troops also conduct a Close Quarter Marksmanship shoot, followed by briefs on Detainee Handling, Rules of Engagement and Theatre Realities. The Day 6 ranges provide troops with some of their most challenging, and enjoyable, in theatre training. Lt Gourd, Pipe Major MacGregor and elements of the Fire Support Group (FSG) (Sgt Reed, Cpl Faulkner and Cpl Singleton) deliver a firepower demonstration, before allowing 6 range days outside of the mandated

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troops to get hands on with; General Purpose Machine Guns, Heavy Machine Guns, 60mm Mortar, Anti Structural Munitions, Under Slung Grenade Launcher (UGL) and CLAMORE mines which few will have fired live before. Once the Heavy Weapons training is complete troops under training then proceed to Lt Buchan and Sgt Genters Forward Operating Base (FOB) HECTOR range where they are put through an extremely testing exercise where troops utilise ISTAR assets, FSG and their integral firepower to defeat the enemy. There has been an enormous amount of work put into the construction of this range, building sangars, developing an Ops room and developing ensuring the training is a real as is possible as troops fight from the base. The final range is the Day 7 Op CARDEL and CQM range. 2Lt Badger and Sgt Robertson train troops to conduct advanced CQM and compound clearance drills, before conducting an Op CARDEL (training to mitigate the insider threat) serial in a compound using simulated ammunition and Afghan role players so units can practice their response to the possibility of escalating tensions and how to prevent or respond in the event of an attack. Despite the hectic schedule, A Company has still found the time to mark and acknowledge Highlanders Day and Assaye Day. Assaye Day will be especially fondly remembered, with an informative and funny presentation from Lt Buchans range team, involving a battle reenactment complete with Cpls Faulkner and Cumming acting as the 78th Highlanders in kilts made from towels and Cpl MacKenzie 82 fulfilling lineage rights akin to the Officer Class of the day in the role of bumbling officer rather too well. There was also with the traditional football tournament: The Officers, SNCOs, JNCOs and Jocks faced off in a fivea-side league in which the Jocks were triumphant and the Officers, naturally came last. For Highlanders Day a parade was held in Camp Bastion. Captain Angus

The CQM ranges are a superb new addition to the training. 7

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Steel was duly asked, as the senior Highlander present, to take the parade on behalf of OC A Company and the Company was joined by members of B Company and their US Marine colleagues who carry the honour of being known by the nickname Highlanders! There was a minute silence for all fallen Highlanders and Lt Gourds marked the occasion with a speech covering the History of the formation of the Battalion.

The RSOI teams home while here in Afghanistan. With a month left in theatre, the RiP is reaching its peak and A Company continue to meet the task head on. While preparations for our recovery back to Germany get under way, we continue to deliver training to a high standard allowing our troops to move onwards confident in their ability to conduct their jobs to the highest standard. As we look forward to a future no longer involved in Afghanistan, A Company can look back on an extremely rewarding time spent in theatre, playing a key role in supporting the UKs operation here.

Officer Commanding A Company: Major Ross Brookfield

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B Company
First Impressions: The Regional Corps Battle School (RCBS). B Coy 4 SCOTS and attachments deployed on the 01 Sep 2013 to Camp Leatherneck in Helmand province Afghanistan to work alongside a US Marine Corps team advising the Afghan National Army in camp Shorabak. The International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) current m ain effort is the institutional development of the Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) to assist in stabilizing the country once Allied forces have departed at the end of 2014. The Regional Corps Battle School (RCBS) in Helmand is a project that will aid in this development. The current US Marine Corps team lead by Wng Cmdr Penelhum RAF has established this training school completely from scratch and it is now at the point where the school can begin to deliver training on logistic and Infantry courses. The advantage of the RCBS design is that it is responsive to the needs of 215 Maywand Corps, and is designed to generate its own team of Afghan instructors that can go out and train others. The majority of training at the RCBS will be delivered by Afghan instructors, mentored by their UK or USMC counterpart. The advisors in the RCBS HQ will continue to work with the Afghan training command to ensure that the administrative side doesnt impact on the ability of the instructors to produce training.

Members of B Company work alongside the US Marine Corps at the RCBS. On arrival in Helmand province, the B Coy contingent of 29 soldiers and Officers were welcomed by members of the 1st LAR Battalion (The Highlanders) based in Camp Yorktown in Leatherneck. It did not take long to integrate the two teams and before long both Jocks and Americans were conducting their respective handovers as though they were long lost brothers. It seemed that the lost Highlanders of California had found their kin once again. The next hurdle was to survive the week in the blistering heat on the Camp Bastion training area taking part in the mandatory in 9

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country acclimatization training. This training was made easier by the tactful and helpful tips from A Coy 4 SCOTS who were running the course. It is very early days and difficult to give an accurate assessment of the state of play at the RCBS right now. However the USMC have handed over to us the makings of a successful training establishment on the back of six months of hard work. I am sure that the calm and unflappable Highland spirit is perfectly suited to the painstaking process of developing, mentoring and assisting the Afghan instructors. The B Coy instructors are now meeting their Afghan counterparts and beginning to put the final polish on their course preparation in anticipation of the arrival of their students. As to be expected with any new organization it has had its fair share of teething problems which have ranged from lack of water to lack of bed spaces for students. One unexpected issue has been the Afghan interpreters; they have become very accustomed to the American accent and find it difficult to understand the Scotch accent. The United States Marine Corps have laid the foundations and it is now down to us to complete the mission. It is now on our watch that we begin the process of persuading the Afghans to take ownership of their training facility and their future.

Officer Commanding B Company 4 SCOTS:

Major Jono Kelmanson

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Delta Company
With the training for Afghanistan completed, the company was very much looking forward to a change of pace, concentrating on career courses and adventurous training. The key, however, was to maintain readiness should the Company be called upon to deploy. One thing the Army has a great scope for is adventurous training. In September and October alone, Jocks from Delta Company will be sailing, golfing, mountain biking, rock climbing, abseiling, diving and hill walking. This is a great opportunity for them to get out of barracks and try sports and activities which they would not have otherwise done. Assaye Day, which commemorates the Battle of Assaye in which one of our antecedent Regiments fought, is on the 23rd of September. This is celebrated in battalion with a variety of events. It starts with a Parade where the story of the battle is told. Following this, there is a football match between the Corporals and the Jocks. This year was very close with the Jocks just edging the Corporals 5-4. The The Assaye Trophy being formally presented to this year s winning same cant be said for team. the Sergeants and Officers game.The Officers completely outplayed the Sergeants and the game ended 5-1. It could have been a lot more had it not been for some heroic goalkeeping by the Sergeants mess and some shocking finishing by a certain young Officer. Time in barracks also proves a great opportunity to get back to the basics and relearn some simple soldiering skills. Lessons included navigation and CBRN, with recce patrols and ambushes due to be covered in the coming weeks. This month also provided a great opportunity for the Jocks to do courses that will give them valuable qualifications for their military careers, and out on civvie street. Driving courses, radio user courses and a junior NCOs cadre all kept the Company busy. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards hosted a music festival at the end of the month. With a bouncy castle, fairground games, a bar and some (relatively) famous musicians, it was a great day for families and Jocks alike. The festivities lasted well into the night and I m sure there were some sore heads following morning. So with an enjoyable and varied month under the belt, the Company looks ahead to whatever the coming months have in store. 11

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Rear Operations Group (ROG)
With the deployment to Afghanistan now complete, the 4 SCOTS ROG is now fully embracing the challenge ahead, concentrating on supporting the forward elements, the soldiers who remain in Fallingbostel, and the families that remain an integral part of everyday life. The ROG and Force Elements at Readiness (FE@R) are working together closely, with a variety of adventurous training, career courses and activities forecast to maintain the skill set and drive of our soldiers.

This years winning Assaye Football team (and Rollo).

In true tradition of Highlanders Day, the ROG and FE@R paraded on 17th September for an address by 2Lt Gregor Ross. Highlanders Day celebrates the formation of the first Battalion the Highlanders in 1994, whereby the Queens own Highlanders and the Gordon Highlanders amalgamated. This reminds the current 4 SCOTS soliders of the history and ancestry of the Battalion prior to the formation of 4 SCOTS.

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The valiant competitors and winners of the Assaye Plate.

As a reward for their hard work over the past year, a number of 4 SCOTS soldiers recently promoted. We congratulate the now Sgt Walker, LCpl Harrison and LCpl Veness. It must be highlighted that Sgt Walker recently arrived from a sister Battalion, 5 SCOTS, reinforcing the quality of our new 4 SCOTS soldiers. Maj MacGregor, Officer Commanding of the ROG, presented these soldiers with their new rank slides on Thursday 3rd October. We offer these soldiers all the best in embracing the new challenges that lie ahead in their new rank. It is that time of year where the Cross Country season is now upon us and the battalion conducted a trial run on Thursday 3rd October. A strong run from

The valiant competitors and winners of the Assaye Plate.

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Capt Law, D Company Second in Command, saw him finish first over the 4 mile course ahead of Hldr Reid, also from D Company. This event was an opportunity for the Battalion to select and enter 2 teams for the British Forces (Germany) Cross Country Relay Championships in Paderborn on 9th October. A week to recover, and the cross country team travel to Hameln on 16th October to complete in the league race. The 4 SCOTS football team is now up and running, ready for the season ahead, with Capt Mclaren as Football Officer and WO2 Petrie as coach. Training is being held on Monday evenings with focus being placed on ball control and simple passing skills. 4 SCOTS first friendly of the season was against 3 MERCIAN on 25th September. Although we lost 1-0 the coach was more than happy with the effort and commitment shown from every member of the team, given that this was their first game together. The main focus for the football team is the Infantry Cup first round match on 20th December against the winners of 5 Rifles vs. PWRR. The winners will move to the quarterfinal.

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HECTORS
It has been a busy few weeks at Hectors with us running a variety of successful and hugely attended events. These included the International Food festival day, The Big Brew Bash for the launch of the Op Herrick 19 wrist bands, the SSAFA Big Brew and a table top sale. Team FIJI provided the days entertainment with a combination of singing and dancing throughout the day. It was highly successful, with the crowd screaming for more.

Sgt Oscar Navuso leads the Fijian warriors In Dance.

With half term almost upon us, we are now all looking forward to some time away from work to enjoy the last bits of autumn sunshine. As we now begin to enter into the winter period, there are plenty of events on the horizon for everyone to enjoy in amongst an already busy battalion Forecast of Events (FoE). The new additions to the Welfare Team are greatly received and look forward to being involved in the next Hectors event.

Everyone is enjoying the cake stall.

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Looking forward to November, the programme is just as busy with games nights planned, Halloween and the imminent arrival of the Christmas silly season; complete with all the trimmings.

The Fijian children prepare to sing to the masses.

Please keep popping in to the Welfare office in Hectors to make sure you dont miss out!

The Big Brew BASH

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Celebrity Support for 4 SCOTS
Worldwide support for The Highlanders continues, with this months Celebrity Support coming all the way from Hong Kong and Jasper, Canada. Currently performing in Hong Kong as part of the on-going World Tour, the cast of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webbers legendary musical Starlight Express showed their support this month. Donning their Highlanders wristbands before a show, the trains and their carriages wished everyone at 4 SCOTS the best of luck for HERRICK 19.

Members of the STARLIGHT EXPRESS cast proudly support 4 SCOTS.

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In addition to the cast of an award winning musical, a Canadian Mounted Policeman, or Mountie as they are more affectionately known became The Highlanders first Trans-Atlantic fan; taking the time out of his journey Due South to proudly salute the soldiers and their families of 4 SCOTS.

If you know a Celebrity or just see someone famous in the street, then tell them about our fundraising during H19 and get a photograph of them showing their support. Send your Celebrity Supporter pictures to gentryrichard@hotmail.com and lets see who appears on the pages of next months Blue Hackle.

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4 SCOTS in the Media
A busy month in the media for 4 SCOTS, with plenty of good work being captured. With the Transfer of Authority of Task Force Helmand (TFH) to 7th Armoured Brigade earlier this month, Support Companys Lance Corporal MacKay proudly piped up the Brigades flag during the ceremony, while Corporal MacPhee of the Regional Corps Battle School gave his insight of the work hell be doing over the next few months. All captured by the BBC! (click the link below).

Cpl MacPhee and LCpl MacKay on the BBC.

Not wishing to miss a trick, BFBS also covered the ceremony and provided LCpl MacKay with even more airtime (click the link below).

Blue Hackles on BFBS.

The other main focus of the media this month was B Company and their instructor/mentor role at the RCBS. A visit by the Press Association bolstered the 4 SCOTS story and this was release to 857 different media outlets. To see the press release, the pictures and a TV interview by our very own Lt Marcus Pemberton; click the following link:

B Company media released through Defence Imagery.

To keep fully up to date with all thats happening in theatre follow us on Hectors Welfare Facebook page, The Royal Regiment of Scotland Facebook page and the 4 SCOTS JustGiving site.

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Other Photographs This Month

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