TOUR
Headquarters at Worsley Barracks, York and ten other Territorial Army Centres throughout Yorkshire. The Battalion is part of UK based 15 (North East) Brigade and provides individual through to company groups, to support operations including HERRICK (Afghanistan), OCULUS (Kosovo), TOSCA (Cyprus) and the Falkland Islands (FIRIC).

BATTALION UPDATE - JANUARY 2010

2009 has been a challenging year in many respects. We saw the culmination of the HERRICK 11 training and the integration of 45 soldiers into various units within 11 Brigade. We also deployed to BATUS for an extended Annual Camp. The uncertainty on return from camp has unsettled the Battalion. Now that funding has been reinstated we hope to consolidate and move forward with relevant training.

OPERATIONS
Forty-three soldiers were mobilised to support Operation HERRICK 11. They are deployed as follows: 

    13 x NCO Training Teams (NCOTT) 
    12 x attached to 1 R WELSH 
    9 x attached to HCR 
    9 x attached to Operation Control Centre (OCC) Teams

In early 2010, a number of soldiers will join 3 YORKS and 4 YORKS in their six-week Roulemont Infantry Company tours of the Falkland Islands (FIRIC).

TRAINING
Annual Camp this year was conducted on the prairies of BATUS on Exercise Medicine Man 4 testing 1 Mechanised Brigade. It was a huge success - the Battalion deployed into the field for a period of 12 days and conducted all phases of war as both Armoured Infantry and Light Role Companies within an Armoured OPFOR Battlegroup (BG). All members of the battalion were fully integrated into the BG and all were tested; particularly the OCs for whom the training was invaluable - it exposed them to a tempo of operating that they had never experienced in the UK.

APPOINTMENTS
The following changes in appointments have occurred: 

    a. Major R Lockwood appointed Training Major 
    b. Major R Cripps appointed Officer Commanding B Company 
    c. Warrant Officer Class 1 A Strangeways appointed Regimental Sergeant Major

FUTURE
The next few months will be focused on training and specifically the transition to field firing. In addition, to this we are looking at supporting both 1 and 3 YORKS with specialists (Mortar and Medic) and riflemen as they deploy companies to undertake two rotations of FIRIC in the Falkland Islands.