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Second to None
(The Coldstream Guards Newsletter)
Edition 2
January 06

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Back down to earth

LCpl Raddon rejoins the Battalion after four years with the Guards Parachute Platoon.

Back down to earth - LCpl Raddon rejoins the Battalion after four years with the Guards Parachute Platoon.
The Eagle has landed! More precisely, LCpl Raddon, the Coldstream Guards’ longest serving member of the Guards Parachute Platoon has finally rejoined the Battalion after serving 4 ½ years with the airborne forces.

LCpl Robert Raddon joined the Guards Parachute Platoon as a Gdsm when it was first re-formed in 2001. Since then he has served with the platoon, which is attached to the 3rd Bn of the Parachute Regiment, all over the world. He has seen active service in Iraq during the liberation in 2003 and Northern Ireland. He has also been to Kenya on exercise. Just as LCpl Raddon rejoined the Bn, the Guards Parachute Platoon was flying out to America for a month long exercise with US airborne forces.

Promoted to LCpl two years ago, LCpl Raddon has returned to Bn in order to prepare for his Section Commanders Battle Course in the new year; a course which will make him eligible for promotion to Lance Sergeant. He has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Guards Parachute Platoon and his ambition is to return as the Platoon Sergeant in a few years time.

Competition to join the Guards Parachute Platoon is extremely fierce. Not only does the individual have to be fit and robust, he must also display a high standard of basic infantry skills. As part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, there is no room in the Guards Parachute Platoon for ‘passengers’.

All those wishing to try for a place in the Guards Parachute Platoon should express their interest via their Platoon Staff and Company Commander. You will then attend the Pre-Parachute Selection cadre which is run two or three times a year. Those who are deemed suitable for selection will then attend ‘P’ Company. If you are successful on ‘P’ Company, you will then be eligible for service with the Guards Parachute Platoon.

If you love a challenge and want the chance to work with the army’s rapid deployment brigade, then express your interest to your Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Commander now.
 

News in Brief:

SNAPSHOT OF LIFE IN VICTORIA BARRACKS
In this edition you will find some photographs of Victoria Barracks in Windsor to give you a taster. Unlike Aldershot, which is reliant on large, centralised facilities, Victoria Barracks was purpose built for a Guards Battalion and has its own NAAFI shop and club, barbers, gym which includes weight room and CV suite and POL point. The main patch of married soldiers quarters are situated on the outskirts of town, right next to the large Tesco store on the Dedworth Road. Although a small town, Windsor is crammed with the usual high street shops, along with a wealth of pubs and restaurants, fast food outlets, etc. A 10 minute drive straight down the M4 will take you to the Bracknell bowling centre, ice rink and multiplex cinema.


ADVENTURE TRAINING
Adventurous Training Expeditions taking place in the future. Sardinia in July 06 and the Red Sea in October 06.


NEW COMMANDING OFFICER
The new Commanding Officer, Lt Col GCC Waters takes over late Feb 06 - biography / photograph in the next edition.
 

Around And About


The Mortar Platoon fire for effect in Iraq . . .


… and light up the Shatt al Arab River


The Regimental Sergeant Major and Sergeant Bennett have a ‘Top Gun moment’
during the charity volleyball competition in Basra.
 

Up for a REAL CHALLENGE…?

If you are looking for another challenge and want to develop your soldiering skills even further, but jumping out of an aeroplane isn’t quite your thing, why not put your name forward for the Sniper Platoon?

Selection for potential snipers is tough; it has to be. Snipers work in pairs, well in advance of the battalion. They are a force multiplier and can destroy the enemy’s morale and cohesion before they even get to grips with the battalion’s rifle companies. This is dangerous work however and therefore snipers need to be highly competent and well trained individuals.

The Snipers Course lasts for six weeks and covers Sniper Knowledge, Navigation and Air Photography, Observation, Stalking, Judging Distance and Shooting. Needless to say, a sniper needs to be a crack shot and so the standard of marksmanship required is very high indeed.

The course concludes with a week long ‘badge test’. Only once an individual has passed the exacting test standards in each discipline will he become a ‘badged’ sniper and be allowed to take his place in the platoon.

The Sniper Platoon is recruiting and training throughout the year. For more details, course dates and a chance to become a sniper, speak to your Platoon Staff.
 

Join The Coldstream Guards

Are you interested in joining the Coldstream Guards? Whether you’re just looking, have already expressed interest, or are undergoing basic training, any queries you may have can be dealt with by
WO2 Dave Naylor of the Regimental Recruiting Team on 07712 171832.



Want to know more about us? Ring the number above and try our free ‘Look at Life’ course.
 

No.7 COMPANY

Belize - Photo Gallery


Into the trees…LSgt Northam’s Section


Live Firing Tactical Training


Survival training in the jungle; anyone for chicken
 

Is There A Doctor In The House?

MEET THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS’ MEDICS…

Being in the Coldstream Guards does not mean you are stuck to being a rifleman in an infantry company; there are many avenues and alleyways that can be explored within an infantry battalion. One of the options is to become an R.C.M.T Regimental Combat Medical Technician or a patrol team medic as part of an infantry company

Sound like a daunting task? Not at all. If you decide you like the idea, you can specialise and become a professional in the fields of both combat medicine and primary health care. You will learn new skills and gain a great deal of knowledge within the medical field.

You as a medic could become part of the Coldstream Guards medical staff providing first class health care to members of the battalion, both in peace time and on operations. Recently Coldstream medics have been in action when the battalion deployed to Iraq. You could also find yourself on various exercises that are conducted in the UK and all over the world. As a prospective candidate you will attend courses where you will be trained by professional medical staff, enabling you to return to the regiment ready for the new challenges ahead. You will learn a trade that will stand you in good stead not only in the military world, but also in the civilian world as well. It is a career that is both satisfying and rewarding.

Different climates, arctic or desert, jungle or mountain present Coldstream medics with many challenges. They must ensure that the troops under their care are always fit to fight. They provide a vital service to the Battalion and if a serious injury occurs then they have the knowledge and training to deal with it.
Sgt Price and LSgt Browell – 1st Bn Medics
 

There’s more to a Coldstream Guardsman than meets the eye!

Our New Home!

SNAPSHOTS OF VICTORIA BARRACKS - WINDSOR

(hold mouse over images for more information)




 

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards - Nordic Ski Team

ANYONE FOR SKIING?

Shortly after returning from Iraq the Battalion’s Nordic Ski Team headed off to Norway to compete in the Infantry Ski Championships. Out of the squad of nine Coldstreamers, only two had ever skied before, namely Lt DR Blake and LCpl Richardson. The remainder had a little over three weeks not only to learn to ski but also to learn to race. The team worked hard and soon began to master the basics on the snow, progressing at a steady rate.

Training soon ended and racing began. All members of the team performed well, with LCpl Fallows producing consistently good novice results. Gdsm Dusanjh won the prize for best novice shot. The ground work had been done and in only a few weeks the team had all learnt to ski. The best six then went on to compete at the Land Command Championships in Serre Chevalier, France. From the cold of Norway to the glorious sun of France, the team arrived in good order. The training continued and the racing soon began. The Championships were well run and ‘Team 1650’ produced some good results. The team returned back to the UK at the end of January, all significantly fitter and more tanned than when they left.

The Nordic Ski team for next season will reform during late summer, so if you are fit and fancy a highly rewarding challenge then put your name down. The very best Nordic skiers in Great Britain come from the Infantry. Perhaps next, it might be a Coldstreamer?
 
Images:
(Top) LSgt Guirdham (No 3 Coy) during the mass Start.

(Right) LCpl Fallows (No 1 Coy) at the start line.
 

 
Local Boys from the Regiment

On 30 Nov 05, a Coldstream Guards gathering was held at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick. All Coldstream Guards recruits attended the function, along with soldiers from the 1st Battalion and the Regimental Recruiting Team. Everyone had the opportunity to let their hair down over a few drinks and chat about life in the regiment, past, present and future.
It also gave us the chance to take some mug shots of these motley crews!


Jolly Geordies


The West Yorkshire Warriors


Cornish Coldstreamers


The Middlesbrough Mafia


The Essex Boys
 

Second to None
The Regimental Newsletter
for the
1st Battalion Coldstream Guards
Produced by the Coldstream Guards Regimental Recruiting Team