CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT

  It gives me great pleasure to introduce a Christmas Newsletter at the end of my first year in command. It has been a rollercoaster year but also a very successful one for the Regiment. On a personal note it has been fantastic to be back in Colerne having been Adjutant here during 1995-96.

The year has been dominated by two critical endeavours: vital support to Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the outstanding performance of Public Duties in London from May to August.
Operations in Iraq finally came to an end in late July when Sgt Holroyd (Golf Tp,
220 Sig Sqn) returned from Kuwait as the last man out following the drawdown of Support Helicopters and the overall mission in Southern Iraq. This ended 21 Sig Regt (AS)'s deployment to Iraq which began in 2003 an as reported by the then CO, now Brigadier Ivan Hooper (now Comd 1 Sig Bde), in his introduction to the 2003 Christmas Newsletter!

We remain committed to Afghanistan of course. It is now Hotel Troop, 220 Sig Sqn who, having been trained as a cohesive unit and deployed at the end of August, now provide Communications and Information Systems (CIS) to Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan), principally out of Kandahar and Bastion but also with small detachments at one or two Forward Operating Bases. Led by Lt Andy McGrane and SSgt Attwell the Troop continue to give sterling service and I regularly receive hugely positive comments and praise from their in-theatre commanders.

244 Sig Sqn now put their bulled boots, swords and white gloves away and have returned to Colerne following an impressive and demanding stint on Public Duties. I won't repeat the stories included in your last Newsletter except to say that this was a great honour, enjoyed and to be kindly remembered by all who took their place on the Buckingham Palace forecourt. They are now hard at training for future operational commitments.

I will finish with one other 'news item'. In June, and completely by accident, we discovered that this year is the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the unit in Wildenrath, in September 1959! Given our hectic programme (Ops, Public Duties, training and overseas exercises in Kenya and Morocco) and the lack of pre-planning, we could not celebrate as perhaps we would wish. However the Officers' and Sergeants' Mess have jointly commissioned a large silver centrepiece consisting of 2 Beaufighters to commemorate the occasion and we highlighted our 50th as part of other Regimental events, such as the Families Day and recent Commander JHC's visit, during which a new Regimental flag with the JHC crest was presented.
A huge thank you to all of you who continue to support my deployed soldiers with gifts, they are truly appreciated. Please keep them all in your thoughts this Christmas.
Best Wishes,