Final Fundraising Figure for 2011/2012 Appeal... £26,543

28th June 2012

The 2 RIFLES 2011/2012 appeal has raised a final figure of £26,534 to help us ensure the short and long term care of the families of the Battalion’s fallen and our injured Riflemen and their families.

Until the next Battalion wristband appeal is launched please show your support for The Rifles’ Regimental Casualty Appeal, Care For Casualties, which continues to provide long term aid to wounded Riflemen, their families and the families of The Rifles’ fallen. Care for Casualties’ website can be accessed through www.careforcasualties.org.uk.

2 RIFLES 2011/2012 Swift and Bold Appeal Draws to a Close

20th June 2012

Sincere thanks to all those who have shown their dedication and support to the 2 RIFLES 2011/2012 Swift and Bold wristband appeal to help us ensure the short and long term care of the families of the Battalion’s fallen and our injured Riflemen and their families.

Although the 2 Rifles appeal is now closing until the Battalion’s next operational deployment, The Rifles’ Regimental Casualty Appeal, Care For Casualties, continues to provide long term aid to wounded Riflemen, their families and the families of The Rifles’ fallen. Care for Casualties’ website can be accessed through www.careforcasualties.org.uk. Please continue to support.

One brave man fundraising for 2 Rifles!

25th April 2012

2 Rifles recently recieved an email from a man who has suffered greatly, but bravery turned his personal tragedy into an opportunity to selflessly raised funds to help our wounded soldiers. Read on to hear his story;

Thank you to the K.O.Y.L.I.!

 25th April 2012

Micky Miles contacted 2 Rifles to let us know how they had been involved in fund raising for the Swift and Bold Appeal. Here's a copy of the note he sent along, explaining how they have been supporting 2 Rifles;

Rifles Beanie Update

4th April 2012

Since Marilyn Stone  first contacted 2 Rifles to tell us about Rifles beanies she was knitting, she has now raised over £500 for the 2 Rifles Swift and Bold Appeal! After a LOT of time spent hand knitting each individual beanie, Marilyn is now taking a well deserved rest, but more beanies will be available to order in the future, so make sure you keep checking for updates! 

Thank you Marilyn! The 2 Rifles family appreciates all your hard work and hope your poor tired hands enjoy the break!

Keep checking back for more 2 Rifles updates.

Note from 2 Rifles Commanding Officer

Lt. Col. Bill Wright

27th March 2012

Sadly today during an incident in Lashkagar a ANA soldier from the 3rd Bde fired on some ISAF personnel (not the BAG or 2Rifles).  Tragically 2 ISAF soldiers were killed.  This is the first incident of its kind in our area during the tour and is totally at odds with our experience of the ANA.  There is no obvious motive for this attack and the ANA as a whole are shocked, embarrassed and deeply saddened. We will not let allow this tragic incident to undo the hard work that we and our predecessors have put into the ANA, and we are continuing to work and live closely alongside our Afghan friends as we have done all tour.  We have sensible force protection measures in place and these will remain.  However, I would just re-iterate that this is the act of a lone gunman and does not reflect the ANA.  All of the BAG and 2Rifles understand this and, as you would expect, we remain focussed on the job in hand.

 WSC WRIGHT Rifles

Lt Col

B Coy Blog 15/03/12

15th March 2012

Another week has flown by with ever increasing amounts of sunshine. It is fair to say the locals are still very much on side; furthermore they are grateful for our hard work. This week also saw the 6 month point for many members of the Company and as a consequence much excitement to come back to Ballykinler.

B Coy Blog 08/03/12

8th March 2012

 The last week has been a good chance to allow our ANA to consolidate with no Brigade level Operation taking place. We have still seen a good level of activity with increasing independence from the ANA. This week also saw a big sandstorm and some very high winds, this did lead to some flapping especially from Sjt Monteith who was meant to be going home and had his Helicopter delayed. This has, however, marked the beginning of the B Company return. The sandstorm has now passed and we’re enjoying brilliant sunshine once again.

B Coy (ADV 20) Blog 01/03/12

2nd March 2012

It’s been a week since the last B Coy instalment and time to keep you updated with what we have been up to in the last seven days.

Once again ANA from the 2nd Kandak and their Advisors from B Coy have taken part in a big Operation. This time it was in the Parschow region which is in the eastern part of NES (S) (around PB1 – A Coy 5 RIFLES and some of B Coy 2 RIFLES). The Op was another success; it was very quiet and yielded no response from the Taliban. This in itself is significant and is a good indication of the security we have managed to bring to the area with the Afghan Army.

C Coy Blog for Jan & Feb 2012

2nd March 2012

Jan 12 - C Coy Blog

After making the best of Christmas away from home in the relevant CPs and PB5, C Coy have been thrown straight back into a busy period of patrols. The pace and tempo has been fairly relentless with any Christmas pounds gained being rapidly lost. Those that returned back to PB5 during early January will certainly have regretted the extra helpings of John Smiths, pizza and chocolate enjoyed during R&R.

Families' Update- ADVISOR 60 B sqn QRH

26th February 2012

The first two weeks of February were spent preparing for and conducting Operation HORHARY AFGHAN (Afghan Sister). The operation set out to clear an area of roughly 12km x 8km W of PB Hayatullah, starting not far from CP Spin Majid. Advisor 60 played a significant role in what was essentially an independent ANA planned and ANA led clearance Operation. Major Jefford was commander in chief on the ground for the Advisors and attached ISAF personnel. Primarily though it was his task to advise and support Colonel Sboor, the commander of 6 Kandak and the overall ground commander for Afghan forces conducting the Operation. Sergeant Gloster, ably assisted by his stand in 2IC LCpl Pickles, advised and supported 5 Kandak in the N. They covered the first 2 kilometres S of Highway 1 advancing East to West. The 2 Kilometres S of their corridor was a composite Tolay belonging to 6 Kandak , with Captain Grubb’s TATT supporting their clearance. To the South of 6 Kandak were 3 and 1 Kandaks, supported by ADVISOR 12 and 35.

News from B Company

 23rd February 2012

Another couple of weeks have passed and we are yet another step closer to coming home.

Since the last instalment elements of B Coy worked alongside our ANA from the 2nd Kandak to take part in an Operation that was widely reported in the British media. This saw a clearance of a very busy area, as with the other Operations we have carried out, the ANA were in their element. The ‘Op’ was a great success with very little insurgent activity and a few significant weapon finds.

Would you like your own Rifles Beanie?

 Marilyn Stone

28th February 2012

Marilyn Stone contact 2 Rifles to tell us about Rifles beanies she has been knitting and are now available to order. With all proceeds going to the Swift and Bold appeal, read below to find out why Marilyn started this and how to order your own.

News from the Commanding Officer 2 Rifles

Lt. Col. Bill Wright

12th February 2012

The first weeks of 2012 have seen a continuation of the fast pre Christmas tempo with two Brigade operations and a Kandak level one too.  The cold weather has continued (though not as cold as the UK is experiencing this week!) and there have been occasional very heavy down pours of rain.  The days have by and large been bright and sunny and by 1100hrs the biting night cold has gone, but it only takes the sun to go behind a cloud and you can feel the temperature immediately drop by a few degrees.  January to March are when Helmand gets the vast majority of its rain and so we can expect warmer days but lots more mud over the coming weeks!

Adv 60 (B coy) written 8th February 2012

12th February 2012

 So here we are 75% of the way through the tour, only 52 days left and time for the next Company installment. We have had a busy month with most of the Advisors from B Company rotating back for their R&R. Running alongside this we have also gone through a change in ANA, the 6th Kandak (Battalion) swapped with the 2nd Kandak who where previously responsible for guarding Highway One.

News update- Adv 20 (Qrh) written 28th January 2012

Capt. Grubb

12th February 2012

 After a fun and sociable end to December, B Sqn has had to deal with the inevitable post Christmas blues combined with some particularly unpleasant weather conditions. Despite the sub-zero temperatures and gusty winds, all concerned have remained in good spirits. The ANA continue to focus on securing the Highway and its environs...

Lucy Aldridge presents 2 Rifles with a cheque for £15,000!

 12th February 2012

On the 10^th July 2009, Rfn. William Aldridge was KIA in Afghanistan. Aged 18 years 47 days, he still remains the youngest serving soldier to lose his life in Afghanistan since the conflict began in 2001.

In 2009, his mother Lucy Aldridge, assisted with the launch of Afghan Heroes, raising funds for injured service personnel and bereaved military families through the Kilimanjaro 2010 Appeal. This project culminated in William’s girlfriend and one of his comrades climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

2 Rifles Parents' fundraise! 

 12th February 2012

The 2 Rifles Swift and Bold appeal recently had a large donation from Mark and Sharon Curtis, whose son Alex is currently serving with 2 Rifles. Here’s the letter they included with their donation explaining how and why they chose to fundraise for the appeal.

QRH Blog

January 2012

2 Kandak Advisory Training Team, led by B squadron The Queen’s Royal Hussars, has had a busy month mentoring the Highway Kandak.

The new 2nd kandak commander continues to implement change and stamp his energetic personality upon the unit. A heavily pro-ISAF officer who received the benefit of BAG advisor mentoring while he was a Tolay, or company commander, Lt Colonel Nizamudin has had a significant impact upon the kandak during his short time in post. Under his watch, the posture and professionalism of the troops on...

A Coy Blog (3 Platoon, CP PERKHA)

 Lt. John Warburton

 January 2012 

 CP Perkha : A Platoon Commander`s perspective.

I cannot believe it has been more than a month that we have been living in CP Perkha. We have crammed our whole platoon plus some extras in to a very small and dusty little abode. We have spent a great deal of time, effort and a few hundred sandbags civilising and preparing it for the unwelcome and notoriously wet winter months; as yet though the skies remain clear. This does make it very cold after dark and those coming in from a late patrol risk exposure using our alfresco shower. Hygiene has been one of prime concerns within the CP and though very basic; compared to what we were expecting the facilities are almost regal.

I Coy Blog 

 January 2012

The festive season has flown by and the New Year finds ADV 30 busier than we’ve been all tour. December and January have been the prime R&R slots for the unit and as such Camp Gereshk itself has at times felt empty and on other occasions been filled with new faces providing temporary cover for those in the UK with their families.

A Coy Blog (32a Lt Kendall)

  January 2012

Over the last couple of weeks, 32A multiple has had a diverse and exciting time, both on the ground and back in PB2. We have taken part in company level operations as well as conducting independent patrols in order to further our understanding of the area. All the boys have fought bravely and worked well interacting with the locals, the Afghan National security forces and the other A Company call signs.

 Back in camp we were privy to an entertainment show that included comedians and dancing girls. The highlight, punctuated by the laughter and interaction with the audience, was one of the comedians who happily targeted individuals with no mercy.

2 Rifles Appeal Total Passes £25,000!

7th February 2012

Fantastic news!... The 2 Rifles Swift and Bold Wristband Appeal total has now passed a landmark point and raised a brilliant £25,607. A huge thank you to all those who have contributed so far, please continue to spread the word so we can support those soldiers and families that need it most.

MAKE A DONATION HERE TO GET YOUR 2 RIFLES WRISTBAND AND WEAR IT WITH PRIDE!

A Coy Blog from 1 Platoon, Lt Jones, CP SHAPARAK

December 2011

Lt Jones: The past two weeks have been weeks of constant progress for 1 Platoon and attachments in CP SHAPARAK, both inside and outside the wire. Our knowledge of the ground and population in 1 Platoon’s area of responsibility has become thorough enough now that we now brief the Company intelligence cell on changes in dynamics, rather than the other way round; thus giving them the chance to analyse the changes thoroughly and brief the whole Company on them.....

A & C Coy Blog from CP JEKER

December 2011

R & R is fast approaching, Rfn Ramsay and Rfn Johnson will be heading home for a well deserved break in the next few days followed by the rest of us in the next few months, judging by the volume of parcels some people have been receiving Christmas has come early, some people (Rfn Bird, Johnson and Mitchell) need their R& R sooner rather than later so that they can get a rest from eating too much chocolate!

A Coy Head Quarters- PB2

December 2011

Due to popular demand (mainly from my parents!), Company HQ are starting a blog entry.  I am afraid it will not be nearly as ‘gucci’ or sexy as the Platoons’ as our lives are somewhat less glamorous, but equally as important.  Company HQ is made up an array of people from across the Battalion and the wider army, we have a core of A Company guys aided by attachments from 2 RIFLES, 5 RIFLES, MERCIANS, The Royal Signals, The Royal Yeomanry, The Intelligence Corps, the Royal Artillery and the AGC. I am afraid this entry will mostly focus on introductions and the subsequent Blogs can centre on the banter and general abuse that we soldiers seem to thrive on!

2 Rifles Charity Event, Kent

12th January 2012

A 2 Rifles fundraising event is taking place on the 28^th January. It will be held at Crofton Halls, York Rise, Orpington, Kent BR6 8PR

There will be a DJ, face painting for children, drinks, cake sale, also a raffle with all proceeds going direct to the 2 Rifles Swift and Bold Appeal.

Battalion Belles Calendar 2012- On Sale Now!

Daynor Harris and Shellie Bell

16th December 2011

As Wives and Girlfriends of Serving Soldiers, counting down days and checking calendars until they come home from their tour of duty has become a part of our normal daily life. So we thought, what a good way to show our support, raise some money for our injured troops and have a bit of fun and get together to make a calendar.

The Rifles, Care for Casualties Charity evening @ The Towers, Mansfield

CSjt. Jaime Moncho

16th December 2011

The Rifles, Care for Casualties Charity evening @ MANSFIELD (Sat 7 Jan 2012)

WHAT IS IT?
It's a charity evening to help support our brave service men and women who are risking life and limb so that we can have a safer future.

Ballykinler Welfare Office Blog

Sjt. Buchanan

9th December 2011

We are now into week 14 of our tour events programme and still going strong.  The ladies were treated to a night in the Officers Mess at the beginning of the tour where they were fed the best Chinese in NI and the cheapest wine.  A good night was had by all; we even ended with a dance off in the Community Centre.  Late September the Chosen Wives entered the Annual Viking Boat race at Killyeagh, with lots of shouting, puffing and panting they came away with a certificate which now hangs in the bar.  We ended the month of September by taking the Families to Delemont Park, armed with our white haver boxes of food we took over the place in style and had a great time.