Related Articles
A Gloucestershire soldier along with three other brothers-in-arms have made regimental history. They are believed to be the first fully formed crew from the British Army’s Armoured Reserve Regiment, to serve on Operations since the Second World War.
Lance Corporal George Dwight, 27, from Cirencester and his Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank crew made the historic benchmark this whilst serving in Estonia. This serving as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP).
The part time soldier achieved the historical milestone whilst deployed with the Royal Tank Regiment Battlegroup on Operation Cabrit. This is the name of the UK operational deployment established to demonstrate that the Alliance stands united, to respond to any threat to the security of the Baltic Sea region.
Read more: Gloucestershire dairy farmer says it can ‘often be misunderstood’ as diet culture influenced online
The four soldiers are normally based with the Royal Wessex Yeomanry in the South West of England. However the last time a reservist tank crew from the regiment’s antecedent units deployed was almost 80 years ago in 1944, when the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry were deployed to Italy and took part in the advance on Rome.
George said: “It’s a privilege for me and my crew to be deployed here in Estonia, especially to be amongst the first. I hope there’s many more and it paves the way for other crews that are coming out here on future tours.”
“I’m also a French linguist, which means I’ve been able to work with our French counterparts and help out on the different French battlegroups that we’ve been working with. It also included an exercise in Latvia.”
Read more: Royal Mail apologises after ‘irreplaceable’ diamond ring goes missing in post
He had attended Deer Park School in Cirencester,and enlisted as a Reservist in the Infantry in 2014 before transferring to the Yeomanry two years ago. This is the second time he has deployed on Operations; he was previously with the United Nations peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
His job as a Water sports Activity Coordinator is as far removed from that of driving the 72-tonne tracked vehicle: George has embraced the diversity of roles he works in.
George said: “I get to put people on kayaks and paddle boards all day, so it makes a big change to being out here on a tank. So that’s the sort of thing that I like, the variety, the difference between my civilian job and this role.”
Downtime on his deployment has allowed him to run in the Tartu Half Marathon in eastern Estonia. He has also competed in one Exercise Baltic Warrior, with plans to take on another of the endurance challenges next month.
The exercise tests the multi-national eFP soldiers physical and mental resilience in a spirit of friendly competition, consisting of walking 22 kms with a 15kgs weighted backpack, 2 kms carrying a canoe weighing 35kgs and then finally rafting for 11 kms.
George said: “The Army Reserves offer so many opportunities, you’ve definitely got to take advantage of every single one. It gives you the best opportunity for Adventure Training, and going abroad, that’s the best thing for me.”
The Royal Wessex Yeomanry formed in 1971 through the amalgamation of the Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry, the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, and the Royal Devon Yeomanry were joined in 1999 by the Dorset Yeomanry and in 2014 by A Squadron of the Royal Yeomanry.
Get all the stories you love straight to your inbox. Sign up to the Gloucestershire / Herefordshire daily newsletter today right here.
