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Experts in close combat, our soldiers are brave, decisive and equipped with highly mobile Foxhound and Jackal vehicles and the full suite of infantry weapons. Able to deploy rapidly to operate in any conflict, combining manoeuvre and firepower to gain battle-winning advantage. Ready for anything, anytime, anywhere.
At home here in Yorkshire, 1 R YORKS have exchanged their 20 years’ of experience as Armoured Infantry, for their ‘Future Soldier’ Light-Mechanised Role. With an interesting and varied operational training programme to look forward to over the next 5 years, 1 YORKS will be ‘at home’ in Catterick, but also have a 2-year tour in Cyprus to look forward to in 2029.
It is a great privilege to be writing my first update for 1st Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment as Commanding Officer. Operations and exercises across the globe dominate 2023 for the Battalion. Ahead of providing an overview of activity it would be remis of me not to thank the previous Commanding Officer, Lt Col Tim Exton, for a handover which has set the conditions for sustained unit success. Having successfully completed our transition into 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, the 1st Battalion is at the heart of the British Army’s readiness commitments as the Brigade are commanding the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). This brings a plethora of opportunities for the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, and a busy and demanding training progression that will culminate in validation to assume readiness commitments as a Light Mechanised Infantry battalion. Across the Battalion there is a huge amount of work ongoing to achieve this now, and a continued contribution to operational outputs across the globe.
Corunna Company are established in Erbil, Iraq and are continuing to maintain the excellent reputation established by Burma, who have set a new standard for infantry units to achieve. They were fantastic and have received widespread praise from UK and coalition forces for their professionalism and delivery of tasks. Operation SHADER is providing our junior commanders a great opportunity to execute operational patrols, for varying durations, and they are better soldiers for it. Closer to home, elements of the Battalion have been supporting Operation INTERFLEX, the UK training mission for Ukraine forces; a task which continues to require workforce but one and all are willing to support.
Amongst a number of UK commitments and support tasks, in addition to a UKSB readiness tasks, Alma and Quebec Companies have been busy conducting BCS, LMI concurrency, and support weapons cadres with repeated deployments to SPTA. For Alma all of this has been delivered whilst concurrently maintaining soldiers and vehicles at readiness in support of 1 PWRR on Operation ELGIN, UK support to Kosovo, and having a churn of HQ staff.
Amongst a number of UK commitments and support tasks, in addition to a UKSB readiness tasks, Alma and Quebec Companies have been busy conducting BCS, LMI concurrency, and support weapons cadres with repeated deployments to SPTA. For Alma all of this has been delivered whilst concurrently maintaining soldiers and vehicles at readiness in support of 1 PWRR on Operation ELGIN, UK support to Kosovo, and having a churn of HQ staff. All of these activities have been supported admirably by the Catering Department, CIS Platoon, RAO Detachment and the Light Aid Detachment. The latter have delivered a monumental effort, receiving vehicles in a poor state, getting them back on the road, and then handing over to other VJTF units. All this was accomplished whilst maintaining our own fleet to deliver driver training and exercises.
Despite the tempo of commitments, the Battalion has found time to ensure we have maintained our excellent sporting reputation. The Rugby 7s team have retained the Army Championship Cup and we have added to our collection of trophies with the addition of Army North Cricket Champions. The football team had a successful tour of Spain, and the rugby and cross-country teams are now ready for the new season and the challenge to retain titles held.
Despite a fractured and elongated summer leave the families team delivered a great day in September, which saw our wider regimental family welcomed into Alma Barracks for an afternoon of capability stands, live music, BBQ food and precious Yorkshire sunshine; thank you to those of you who were able to attend
Looking to the future the Battalion has an enviable forecast of exercises and deployments. Alma are proving the ground for the Battalion on our foxhound conversion with the Company deploying on Exercise WESSEX STORM this November attached to the SCOTS DG Battlegroup. Deployment to Oman in the New Year will provide the opportunity for a re-focus of LMI and dismounted BCS training, live firing, and continued driver training. Importantly, it will also provide us an opportunity to re-group as a Battalion. All in addition to the continued development of LMI doctrine and conceptual understanding of our new capability ahead of a demanding and challenging six-week validation exercise in the summer. I have absolute trust in our ability to deliver an excellent output; our officers and soldiers will rise to the challenges ahead.
Take a look at what life is like in 1 R YORKS Light-Mechanised Infantry