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Inside this issue:

Welcome 2

38 Hq & Sp Sqn

Groundhog Day

LAD

3

4

6

8 AES

It’s a Spr’s Life

8

9

30 AES

Media Day

11

12

33 AES

7 Tp

PB Rahim

Build up

15

16

17

18

25 Fd Sqn

A Spr’s perspective

Wise Words

(Available on

ArmyNet)

Beetle Juice 19

Issue 1

Commanding Oficer’s Foreword (Lt Col J H Ridge)

SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

Well I see no need for a lengthy introducon so I will keep this foreword short and

sweet. The idea of the Scarab Telegraph is to give the soldiers of the Task Force Hel-

mand Engineer Group the chance to explain what they are up to. I have read through

this rst edion, and it does just that. The arcles are penned by everyone in the

Group, from Sapper to Major and I hope that we have managed to refrain from using

too much Army phraseology or, worse sll, 3 leer abbreviaons. With luck you will

nd it in plain English.

I also hope that you nd the arcles relevant. If they are not, please get in contact. We

are happy to change the format to cover what you are interested in hearing about. The

only real constraint is operaonal security. You will not nd anything in here about

what operaons we are about to conduct, only reecons of what we have already

done. I suspect over me, the number of amusing photos and mickey taking will also

increase.

Finally, can I echo the senments of later authors by thanking you all for your support. I

know it is dicult to have husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, sons, daughters et-

cetera away. I will do everything I can to look aer them.



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

WelcomeWelcome to the Scarab Telegraph, the monthly Newsletter from 26 Engineer Regiment. While the

Regiment is deployed the Newsletter will give you the news from all over Helmand province to tell

you what your husband, wife, brother, sister, son or daughter is up to. It will be broken down by

squadron so you will get an idea of what type of tasks each of the sub-units is up to. The Scarab Tele-

graph will be used in conjunction with other media sources such as Facebook, ArmyNet and hopeful-

ly regional newspapers.

The Scarab Telegraph will be published around the irst of

each month. If it’s late, bear with us as IT out here is unre-

liable and Op Minimise might mean we have to postpone

publishing.

If there is anything in particular you think should be in the

Telegraph let the Welfare Ofice know and we will see what

we can do. There will also be a section called ‘ask the Scar-

ab’. If there are questions that you have about the tour,

pass them to the Welfare Ofice and if we can answer them

you will see the answers in the next edition.

During the course of the tour the Scarab Telegraph will be

running a photo competition for the Oficers and Soldiers of

26 Engineer Regiment and attached arms. The prize will be

a camera. If there is a suitable picture it will be turned into

a portrait with limited edition prints.

Facebook updates will rotate

round the squadrons. Each

Squadron will publish on a

different day.

38 Hq & Sp Sqn— Monday

33 AES—Thursday

30 AES - Friday

8 AES— Sunday

FACEBOOK

ArmyNet Guide

After the irst edition of the Scarab Telegraph has been published the Regiment will start posting

weekly articles on ArmyNet. If you don’t have an account see the user guide below on how to start

off.

Using your search engine of choice (Google), type in ArmyNet.

Select create account, you will require the username of your serving family member or friend.

Follow the online instructions and submit.

Your family member or friend will be notiied of your request to create and Army net user ac-

count and will be required to accept the request.

A user name , password and memorable word will be created and e-mailed to your family

member or friend.

When on ArmyNet use search engine to search for your regiment.



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

38 HQ & SP SQN

A Word from the OC

(Maj A Pritchard)

Here it is, Edition 1 of the Scarab Telegraph; a irst copy collector’s item! After a

slightly longer trip than most of us expected, the deployed elements of 38 HQ and Sp Sqn now have a

irm base in Camp Bastion. Having been through an extensive training package in the UK, RSOI con-

irmed the skills we’d developed and we are ready to meet the challenges ahead. We’ll be busy – weknow the diverse range of specialist capabilities we have can be pulled across the whole of Task

Force Helmand. We also know our support to the Field Squadrons will directly inluence their ability

to help transition. So it’s going to be busy, but that’s a good thing! The hand over from 44 HQ & Sp

Sqn went well; the outgoing Sqn looking after us through the changeover. So here we are, on task.

However, no irst edition would be complete without a mention for the families and support back

home; thank you, I know you’ll be with us every moment of the tour.

Page 3

Maj Chris Darke hands over to Maj Andy Pritchard



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EDITION 1XXVI

a rumour (some of my best informaon comes from rumours), that

there are dust storms in Southern Helmand which has created a back

log at the air head resulng in a 36hr layover in Minhad, nice, at least

we are a lile bit closer and the surroundings have changed.” Min-

had was well set up for travel weary soldiers. TV, PlayStaons, and a

seemingly never ending supply of food meant we were well looked

aer.

Despite all the earlier problems with the ight the Sqn was only sat

in Minhad for les than an hour and a half. It was a quick, smooth

transion and we were very quickly loaded onto the C-17. The journey was only a couple of hours but it seemed like longer.

We arrived in Camp Bason at about 2100 local me. It had only taken 36 hrs.

Arriving in theatre brings with it a lot of administraon and training. The Sqn spent the next week learning about the realies

of life and work in Afghanistan as well as geng acclimased. Although sll early in the year the temperature has already got

into the 30’s

and it takes almost three weeks to fully acclimase. The training package put on was a refresher of the skills and

drills learnt by the guys over the last six months but put into pracce in the new environment where they can get used to the

heat. With the rst operaons on the cards the guys are condent and looking forward to the challenge.



XXVI

ATTACHED ARMS

26 Engr Regt Light Aid Detachment

Our journey out to Afghanistan was certainly an eventful one—for the majority of the LAD. There

were a few days of fun being hosted by the RAF at Brize Norton (See previous article) as well as en-

joying several bus trips from South Cerney, we even had a short test light. After a three day wait

we inally endured the 6 hour light to Minhad and doing the inal journey to Camp Bastion.

Our irst nights sleep was not a good one, with everyone trying to adjust to the four and a half hour

time difference. Our home, a tent amongst many others, was actually very comfortable with around

6-8 soldiers in each. We began RSOI, a six day package covering a whole day of briefs followed by

ranges and lessons to teach the most recent of skills, ensuring we were well placed for the forth-

coming six months. There has been training facilitated by the outgoing REME Battalion; a trade re-

lated package which provided an insight into how the equipment is being used as well as common

faults and how to best rectify them. After nearing our two week point, we are just about beginning

to settle into a working routine. Six soldiers from the LAD (Light Aid Detachment) have already de-

ployed with their Squadron and three are still training. The food in the DEFAC (cookhouse) is excel-

lent, the weather ranging from hot to cold and then what can only be described as a 24hr Biblical

Sandstorm made everyone acutely aware of where they were. There is already a sense that LAD

soldiers are making a real difference and

certainly enjoying the challenge, all in all, a

good start.

SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1

26 Engr Regt REME soldiers with the LAD in Camp

Bason



Padre’s Paragraph—A Note from a Dusty Place

(By Padre Alison)

As I write this the sun is shining and the heat is bearable but a few days ago we were deluged by a

sandstorm for over 24 hours. Tents were blown and everything was covered. The Afghans tell me

that they have rarely experienced such an event in their life-time and found it as challenging as we

did.

I’m sure the sand blasting did little for my smooth skinned complexion nor my ability to see

any distance at all. Sand found it’s way into every ‘nook and cranny’ and we will, no doubt, be wash-ing the dirt out of our noses and ears for the next few weeks!

It was a good piece of advice that Jesus (yep!—you knew I would mention him) gave when he

warned that it was only the ’foolish’ person who builds his house on such an inconsistent and

changeable surface as sand. Of course the R.E. know this full well and their professional expertise

prevents the many new buildings in Helmand from just falling over. Right here’s the moral of the

story— we need to build our lives on a irm foundation such as our, FAITH, LOVE and PURPOSE oth-

erwise it’s like being in a permanent sand storm where we’re knocked about all over the place and

have limited vision.

Donkey Raise—straight leg Donkey Raise—soleus raise

XXVI

SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1

Q Muscles Top Tip for Training

Each month WO2 Richards will give us his top tip for training. This is aimed at the guys out in the re-

mote locations that have little or no itness equipment to train with. This doesn’t mean that you guys

at home can’t give it a go too.

Donkey raises, straight leg—Get one of the boys on your back and use a raised platform to stand on.

With straight legs raise on the toes and return back down lowering the heels.

Soleus raise—As per straight leg ex but bend the knees to work the soleus which is the muscle group

below the calf.



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EDITION 1XXVI

8 Armoured Engineer Squadron

A word from the OC

(Maj J Stuart)

8 Armoured Engineer Squadron are now well and truly in the seat as Field Squadron 2. The majority

of the Sqn has now been out here for approaching 3 weeks and busy weeks they have been. After a

week of extremely comprehensive training and briefs the Squadron pushed out into their various

locations in Bastion, Nahr e Saraj (South) and Lashkar Gah. Following an excellent handover from 29

AES who are now going back to Germany for a well deserved rest, the Squadron has started on a

large number of tasks from upgrading ablutions to major route upgrades. It is extremely encourag-

ing to see all of the hard work undertaken over the past eight months being put to use keeping the

troops safe and the tasks going ahead.



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

It’s a Sappers Life

(By Spr Skitt, 8 AES)

On the 6th of March 2012 the guys and girls of 8 AES left their home

town of Tidworth to start the long journey to Afghanistan, bound to

take over from 29 AES on Op Herrick 16.

A coach trip to Brize Norton was followed by a 3am civilian light to

Minhad, where we were transferred to a C17 for the rest of the journey

to camp Bastion, eventually arriving at 2130 local time on the 7th of

March. The weather we were met with was strangely British, cold and

windy.

After a night spent in transit accommodation we moved to 29’s camp in

Bastion 1 to begin a 6 day RSOI training package. This package being

designed to bring us up to speed with the latest TTP’s and remind

and revise on existing knowledge.

Day 1 of RSOI saw us enduring 7 hours of presentations covering a range of topics from Op security

to sexual health and an outline of the programme for the next week.

Day 2 involved an early morning walk to the range

in full PPE for a group and zero shoot and round-

robin with stands covering MSST, detainee han-

dling and operational law.

Day 3 was a revision session on Valon. The day in-

cluded practical sessions, a chance to get hands onwith the equipment by day and by night.

Day 4 covered evidence gathering with a practical

session on cameras, ground sign awareness and

‘roll over drills and exit training’ (RODET), fol-

lowed by an opportunity to visit the American PX,

a popular choice for British troops.

Day 5 was a comprehensive re-revision of days 1

to 4.

Capt Harmes enjoys the Minhad ight

Unconvinced smiles from the OC, 2 Tp Comd and SSM



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EDITION 1XXVI

Day 6 concluded our RSOI package by practical application of all skills and drills revised in the past

few days on a mini exercise that involved the use of an ‘inside the wire’ Afghan village and foot pa-

trols to provide security for a shura.

The following 2 days were used to cover engineer speciic areas, including HLS builds, elevated san-

gars and culverts, all of these sessions were delivered by our Herrick 15 equivalents with useful tips

and up to date advice.

March 17th saw 8 Sqn splitting down into troops and departing via helicopter to different AO’s to

start the hand over / take over process with 29 AES. 1 Troop lew via Merlin to PB Attal, 2 troop

lew via Chinook to PB 2, and 3 troop lew out to PB Naidullah to begin tasks as soon as the next day.

With a hot and busy 6 months ahead of us 8 Sqn have just begun their adventure into engineering in

a n operational theatre, and are ready for whatever it may throw at us.



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EDITION 1XXVI


A word from the OC

(Maj C Ankers)

30 Armoured Engineer Squadron have now all arrived in theatre on the last of the Regiment’s ights and

quickly seled in to living in Camp Bason. We completed the 2 day engineer

specic training package which was a great opportunity to meet and talk with

some of the soldiers from 35 Engineer Regiment Group who have been on Op

HERRICK 15. We are now well into the roune of the RSOI (Recepon, Staging

and Onward Integraon) training package. The roune starts with an early morn-

ing wake up followed by a full day of lessons and exercises in whatever weather

the local climate decides to throw at us; hot, cold, dust storms and even a rain

shower. Evenings are lled with briengs and preparing for the next day of train-

ing.

Hopefully everyone has had the opportunity to call home despite the queues for

the single red telephone box in our accommodaon. This training package is be-

ing well received and topping up on all the training we completed back home over

the last 6 months. Once the training is complete the majority will move on from

the relave comforts of Camp Bason to the bases we will operate from for the

next 6 months. We are all looking forward to nishing our training and geng on

with the work we have trained and come here to do.

Finally, a big thank you to all the families, friends and colleagues who have supported us in geng to the posion we have

now. Fully trained, t and ready to go; I’m sure Dirty Thirty will do you proud.



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

12 Mechanised Brigade Pre-Deployment Media

Day

(By Lt Will Jarrett -Kerr)

With media playing a huge part in everyday

life, both at home and abroad, it has become

something that the Armed Forces cannot

afford to overlook. To tackle this problem,each Brigade about to deploy to Afghanistan

hosts a Pre-Deployment Media Day on

Salisbury Plain. But even though we have

rolling news reports and many television pro-

grams about Afghanistan; do people back at

home really know what is going on, and then

more importantly why? Do they know what

their friends, family or loved ones are actual-

ly doing out there? The media day aims to

either answer those questions or to prick the

media’s interest to find out more.

In this article I will explain what the media

day was about, and then use it as an oppor-

tunity to explain a little bit about what your

friends, family or loved ones may be doing.

Within the media day, each deploying unit for example; Infantry, Artillery, Engineers etc send a team to the day to

represent and explain the specific unit aims and responsibilities. It was an opportunity for 26 Engineer Regiment to

select it’s best looking and most charming soldiers and officers, naturally I was chosen to lead it.

The Regiment was represented by a group from 30 Armoured Engineer Squadron headed up by myself Lieutenant

Will Jarrett-Kerr (4 Troop Commander), Staff Sergeant Tim Kingham, Corporal Al MacDonald, Lance Corporal Matt

Burge and Sapper “Nugget” Nugent along with Lance Corporal Steve Arnot, from 38 HQ & Support Squadron who is

a member of the Territorial Army that has been mobilised to deploy with the Regiment to Afghanistan. Each one of

them individually sparked much interest from various different media outlets and excellently represented the Regi-

ment in a clear, open and positive light.

There was much media interest in the Regiment’s general engineering capability, its aims and its role in Afghanistan,

but we also attracted a lot of the regional media teams looking to promote the more local stories about the individual

soldiers involved. This was a fantastic opportunity for them to get some media exposure and increase their confi-

dence in front of the camera. Luckily for Cpl Al Macdonald, due to the technological age they could re-shoot inter-

views to ensure they were done correctly, otherwise he would have cost them a lot of film! Lets just say he wont be

starring in Eastenders any time soon!

The main Regimental messages that we got across were what we do, how we do it and why we do it. Briefly out-

lined below are the main engineer related messages that were conveyed throughout the day.

XXVI



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EDITION 1XXVIXXVI

Looking at the Regiment in a simplified way, 26 Engineer Regiment provides the entire engineer support to the Bri-

gade across the whole of Helmand Province. The Regiment is split down into Squadrons of approximately 100 peo-

ple with each Field Squadron attached to a Battle Group, about 1000 people, operating within a set district or area.

Each Squadron is then split down further into Troops of around 25 Soldiers who are then usually based with an in-

fantry Company which is comparable in size to our Squadrons. The Troop can then be split down further into 3 Sec-

tions of 8 to physically complete tasks on the ground. The only exception to this are 25 Field Squadron who are the

TALISMAN Squadron for the Regiment. TALISMAN are tasked to do route proving and clearing as required across

the area. To achieve this they use an impressive array of vehicles that each has a role in ensuring a route is clear

of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

The real emphasis for 26 Engineer Regiment at the moment is focused on developing a sustainable Afghan National

Security Forces (ANSF) Engineering capability, including construction and route clearance. This work is done by

members of 38 HQ and Support Squadron attached to the Brigade Advisory Group. Therefore much of our work is

involved in working with the ANSF to construct and maintain checkpoints so they have secure and stable base loca-

tions to live and work from. Equally, the ANSF engineering capability is now at a level where they can conduct

many tasks without the support of ISAF Engineers; however their main limiting factor is the number of engineers

they have. With our help and support they can increase the speed of construction and ultimately the speed with

which they can take back responsibility for their own country.

Royal Engineers are a real asset on the ground as each Sapper is triple traded; this means that each one of them is

a trained Soldier, Combat Engineer and Tradesman. With 18 trades ranging from Electricians and Carpenters to

Plant operators and Surveyors, each Soldier brings their own skills and abilities to their Troop and Squadron ena-

bling us to complete a vast array of combat (military engineering) and artisan (trade related) tasks.

The day to day Engineer work that we do in Afghanistan is covered broadly by two concepts, Mobility Support and

Survivability, or in simple terms that is building roads and bridges or building protected locations for people to live

and work from.

Mobility support is focused on enabling the movement of personnel and or stores from one place to another. This

includes the local population and contractors moving to their markets and work, along with allowing ANSF, support-

ed by ISAF, to increase security for the people of Helmand Province.

Mobility Support is focused on getting anything through, be it the local population and contractors to their markets

and work, to allowing ANSF and ISAF to dominate and hold areas of ground to increase security and disrupt the

insurgents. Mobility Support is upgrading and securing routes, it includes bridging and route clearance, it also in-

volves all types of explosive entry, although this is being used less and less and only as a last resort, for example; to

quickly clear a route for evacuating a casualty. There are also specific engineer units solely trained for route clear-

ance, predominantly the Talisman team whose primary role is to go out in the front of combat logistic patrols to en-

sure the routes are safe and cleared of IEDs. There are also specific Engineer counter IED and search teams that

find and dispose of IEDs. The primary role in mobility support for a Field Troop is bridging using either military

equipment or bespoke non military equipment bridges (constructed from local materials) along with upgrading roads,

i.e. the construction of culverts along with the filling of holes etc.

Survivability, for the most part includes force protection and water supply which enables a secure and sanitised area

where both ANSF and ISAF can live and prepare for future tasks. The focus for the Field Troops will be on the con-

struction, renovation and deconstruction of these bases. They will assist the ANSF in constructing vehicle check-

points and small patrol bases although as mentioned already, the improved Afghan Military Engineering capabilityallows them to conduct many tasks now independently, or with little ISAF direction.



The other main point that we stressed during the day was about the quality of our training prior to deployment.

Around 6 months prior to deployment, we began Mission Specific Training (MST). As engineers our MST has

developed in recent years and now differs from other deploying units, focusing more on our engineer triple trad-

ing as explained earlier. The first part of the training is consistent with the infantry and is therefore focused on

developing our basic soldiering skills which are then threaded throughout the remainder of the training package.

Once these skills were at the required standard the focus shifted onto our military combat engineering, followed

by our individual trade work. We are exceptionally well trained and flexible, mostly due to lessons learnt from

previous deployments. 26 Engineer Regiment are by far the best trained and prepared Engineer Unit to ever

deploy to Afghanistan. We know our job and what is expected of us and now we are all ready to make a real im-

provement and tangible difference to the military operations in Afghanistan. Ultimately however, none of this

would be possible without the outstanding support we receive from our friends, family and loved ones.

The media day was a real success for the Regiment and the regional media went really well, hopefully strength-

ening the support from our hometowns, and we had some extremely positive feedback from both the Brigade

SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

30 Sqn photo



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI


A word from the OC

(Maj J Gossage)

33 Armoured Engineer Squadron have now been out here for approaching four weeks, most of that

time has been more training at Camp Bastion before we moved out to take over tasks and conduct a

handover with the outgoing Squadron. We oficially took over on Sunday 18th March 12 and have

gone straight into a number of tasks including a bridge build and improvements to checkpoints and

Patrol Bases. Generally making life better for the people stuck out in the more remote locations. I am

extremely happy with the performance of the Squadron in these irst few weeks., they have all re-

mained professional, committed and above all, motivated to ensure that we achieve success early in

the tour and maintain it throughout. For the families and loved ones back at home I am sure adjust-

ing to these irst few weeks has been jus as dificult, particularly with your loved ones being away

and dealing with infrequent contact, however, I am grateful, for the support that it is clear you are

already providing, whether through phone calls, blueys or the tonnes of parcels that have already

arrived. Please keep it up and look out for updates on Facebook and ArmyNet.

XXVI



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1

So here we are the start of 7 Troop’s tour of OP HERRICK 16. The touchdown at camp bason was a smooth one for most peo-

ple, but looking at the wide eyes of

the younger less experienced lads it

was a bit unnerving. We seled in to

our RSOI accommodaon at around

0400 hrs, ready for our day zero. The

room was full of bunk beds, dust and

anxiety. Most people stayed up for

breakfast even though we had been

over fed throughout our journey to

Camp Bason, but we certainly were

very red. So with day zero we were

treated to a welcome lie in, a chance

to sort out our kit and use the welfare

facilies. Aer a good few hours of

sleep we were moved to a more per-manent accommodaon area.

RSOI began with an early but very

slow start. We were introduced to a

varied array of briefs, ranging from

ones that were aimed at junior sol-

diers right through to the more senior ocers. So by the end of the day there were many nodding heads. The following few

days of RSOI were early starts and a rushed breakfast. The acvies varied from a walk to the ranges followed by some zeroing

of our weapons, to honing our basic skills and drills. Aer our 6 days of RSOI it was me for the Troop to focus on our rst

tasks. Some were o to do gunnery and driving courses, while most of the troop were preparing for our rst bridge build. For

this task we spent 2 days doing rehearsals and making sure all the stores were accounted for. We also built most of the bridgeto refresh ourselves and make the build a lot easier. It was then me for us to move out of camp bason by helicopter, and

into what was to be our new home for the next month. We hit the ground running with our rst task beginning the following

day…

XXVI

7 Troop, 33 AES(By the troop)



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EDITION 1

Swinton Barracks to Patrol Base RAHIM (By Spr Gaurab Gurung)

The most ancipated day nally arrived as we 33 Armoured Engineer Squadron said goodbye to our beloved and departed

from Swinton Barracks. Aer a three hour drive we arrived at South Cerney where our baggage was checked in, than moved

to Brize Norton. Aer another six hours aboard our Monarch Air (sadly not on the way to Tenerife) we landed at Minhad Air-

port where we felt the warmth of the place which we were leading to. Having almost six hours of transit, were boarded to our

favourite plane the C17 for Camp BASTION Afghanistan. Finally we arrived at BASTION Airport and were taken to the arrival

tent where arrival procedures were carried and briefed on the RSOI package.

Our 6 days of integraon training package kicked in, where all necessary informaon was delivered to refresh our memories

which we have been training for the last six months. This package was delivered by highly experienced instructors which was

very informave and proved to be very useful. Having returned aer three years, I found many changes in Afghanistan espe-

cially Camp BASTION and the approach amongst ISAF and Afghan people.

On compleon of the RSOI package a two days of Special to Arms training was conducted by outgoing Squadrons. Once again

this has been very useful where our predecessors were keen and willing to pass all the necessary informaon benecial to us

for the success of our tour.

Finally we departed to our respecve Patrol Base taking over the assets and troop managements were busy deploying on the

ground on recce for future tasks. We are now fully seled and prepared for the task ahead and hope we all will have safe and

successful tour.

XXVI



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1

The Build Up to Deployment

(By LCpl Hogarty)

On the build up to deployment the Sqn under took various training packages and exercises to pre-

pare us for our forth coming tour of Afghanistan: Op HERRICK 16. After a long journey from the UK

we arrived at our destination CAMP BASTION. After we had received a welcome brief we headed for

bed.

Before anyone can deploy onto you have to complete the RSOI package over a 6 day period consist-

ing of a wide ranging subjects from zeroing your rile, ground sign awareness to detainee handling.It was a useful refresher for many. On completion of the RSOI we had 2 days of Engineer speciic

training covering the sort of tasks we may undertake in the coming months.

After 8 long days and many months of pre-deployment training the troop were inally ready to de-

ploy onto the ground. We reached our Patrol Base, settled in quickly and morale was very high. We

took over the vehicles and equipment from the guys who were leaving for home.

After only being in theatre just over two weeks and already completing a couple of task’s the morale

of The Mighty 9 Troop keeps rising. The troop commander is carrying out RECCE’s for future tasks

and we are very keen on to move onto our next AO and carry on the high standard that is exceptedof The Mighty 9 Troop,

XXVI



HAPPY SMILEY FACES



The CSC guide to adapting your bed space

Identify statement of requirement

(Use whatever you can ind, preferably something issued)

Design

(If in doubt use paracord)

Resource

(There is al-

ways some-

thing lying

around)

Construct….. Job done!



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

Glossary

Ranks Spr - Sapper

LCpl - Lance Corporal

Cpl - Corporal

Sgt - Sergeant

SSgt -

Staff Sergeant

WO2 - Warrant Oficer Second Class

WO1 - Warrant Oficer First Class

Lt - Lieutenant

Formations Sect - Section

Tp - Troop

Armd Engr Sqn - Armoured Engineer Squadron

Fd Engr Sqn - Field Engineer Squadron

Hq & Sp Sqn-

Headquarters and Support Squad-ron

Afghanistan speciic terms Op - Operation, mission, task (not surgery)

PB-

Patrol Base

CP - Check Point

SANGAR - A watch tower which is manned 24 hours a day to provide protection to a base

Stag - standing in the sangar keeping watch and providing protection

JOB - Joint Operating Base

FOB - Forward Operating Base

NES (S) - Nahr-e Saraj South

NES (N) - Nahr-e Saraj North

NDA - Nad-e Ali

TFH - Task Force Helmand

ISAF - International Security Assistance Force

ANSF - Afghanistan National Security Force

ANA - Afghan National Army

ANP-

Afghan National Police

IED - Improvised Explosive Device



SCARAB TELEGRAPH

EDITION 1XXVI

HESCO-

Large lat packed containers made of thick strong wire containing a large sandbag. Thesandbag is illed with sand to produce a large protective brick. The individual HESCO blocks are then

used like giant bricks to produce a protective wall for our bases.

HLS - Helicopter Landing Site

Barma - Our drill used to ind Improvised Explosive Devices with a hand held metal detector.

Equipment MASTIFF - Large armoured truck with a with a heavy machine gun for protection.

TALISMAN - A series of vehicles used to clear a route of improvised explosive devices.

HUSKY - Another type of large armoured vehicle.

MWT - Medium wheeled tractor (dump truck).

SLDT(P) - Self Loading Dump Truck (Protected) - A small dump truck.

Apache - Ugly looking attack helicopter.

Chinook - Large helicopter featured in the ilm Big Friendly Giant.

Sea-king - Royal Navy helicopter used as search and rescue in the UK.

Merlin-

Medium to large Royal Air Force and Navy helicopter used to move Troops around from

base to base.

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