27 OCTOBER 2009 - AUTUMN REGIMENTAL JOURNAL PUBLISHED. The latest edition of the Regimental Journal has been published and distributed to subscribers. The previous version of the Journal (editon 6) can now be viewed along with how to subscribe to latest edition on the Regimental Journal page.

19 OCTOBER 2009 - 2010 REGIMENTAL POCKET DIARY. Regimental Headquarters has taken delivery of the 2010 Pocket Diary. It is available to purchase from your Area Headquarters or from the Regimental PRI at a very reasonably priced £3.99 plus postage. All proceeds will benefit the Regimental Benevolence Fund.

16 OCTOBER 2009 - REGIMENTAL GOLF MATCH 2010. Details of next years Regimental Golf Match has been announced. The competition, which is open to up to eighty participants, will take place on Friday 21 May 2010. Participation will cost £40 per head and includes lunch, golf and dinner. Details will be sent to Area Headquarters shortly.

12 OCTOBER 2009 - THE BIG BREW 2009 [ YORKS]. The Big Brew Troops from the Headquarters element of the 2 YORKS OMLT (Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team) Battle Group held a fund raising event for the charity Help for Heroes. The 'Big Brew' was organised by the Quarter Master, Major Peter Robinson, a veteran of three tours of duty in Afghanistan and a reputed connoisseur of tea. The 'Big Brew' took place in the 2 YORKS cook house in Camp Tombstone, which is located in the Afghan National Army's (ANA) Camp Shorabak, just south of Camp Bastion. The camp is also shared with troops from the Danish and American Army who also came along.

The 'Big Brew' was a great chance for the staff in the headquarters to sit down together for 20 minutes and share a 'brew' and a homemade cake. The excellent homemade cakes were baked by Sergeant Jodie Pickard and the brews provided by the Master Chef, Staff Sergeant Paul Ede and his team. All-in-all the event was a great success. The generous donations made by all who attended raised of £250 for the Help for Heroes charity.

7 OCTOBER 2009 - INSTALLATION OF THE TOWER'S 159TH CONSTABLE. General Sir Richard Dannatt GCB CBE MC, former Chief of the General Staff (CGS) and senior serving soldier of the Yorkshire Regiment, was installed as 159th Constable of the Tower of London today. At a windswept televised evening ceremony, General Dannatt was presented the golden master-keys for the Royal Palace and gateway fortress of London by the Queen's representative.

General Dannatt follows in the footsteps of our famous former Regimental custodians Field Marshall Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. The Lord Inge.

Follow the link to the Tower of London website and view the video of the ceremony.

4 OCTOBER 2009 - END OF A TRAINING CAMP LIKE NO OTHER [4 YORKS]. The 4th Battalion returned from perhaps their most challenging annual training camp on Exercise MEDMAN 4. Two hundred spare time soldiers from the 4th Battalion spent their the last two weeks in the challenging environment of the endless prairies of Alberta, Canada.

4 YORKS and a contingent from the Queen's Own Yeomanry (QOY), joined Cyclops Squadron of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR) to form the exercise Opposing Forces (OPFOR) to test 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh. The 2 WELSH battle group were tested to the limits in their Armoured Infantry role in preparation for future operations. As part of the changing role of the MEDMAN exercises, the battle group were also tested in scenarios identical to those encountered in Afghanistan. This required 4 YORKS soldiers to perform in roles from hostile terrorists through to innocent villagers, working alongside Afghan emigres hired as Pashtun speakers.

4th Battalion soldiers spent between two and seven weeks a the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) and learned new skills as armoured infantry in SPARTAN Armoured Personnel Carriers, used the BOWMAN radio system and learned a lot about Afghanistan culture. Lieutenant Colonel David Rhodes, Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion, was delighted with the work ethic of his soldiers and the highly successful integration of Territorial and Regular soldiers. It is hoped that complete TA Infantry Battalions will carry out similar training camps at BATUS as part of the MEDMAN exercises and that 4 YORKS have set the standard for future TA unit training.