As the UKs First Battalion The Black Watch deploy further north in Iraq theyll be doing it with BFBS Radio for company. Along with their Warriors, Scimitars and armoured Snatch vehicles, the Black Watch are taking a BFBS satellite receiver, transmitter and generators in their convoy so soldiers can keep in touch with news from home while theyre deployed on Op Bracken.
Weve known for some time that a deployment was possible, says the BFBS Station Manager in Iraq, Damian Watson, but the issue is that although BFBS broadcasts in central Baghdad, as well as the south-east of Iraq, the Black Watch deployment is outside our transmitter range. Its not a huge problem though, as our engineers, Jim Hardie and Victor Hepburn, have been able to rig up a deployable system that means the guys will be able to hear BFBS Radio throughout their new area of operations.
In fact, the BFBS team at Shaibah Logistics Base in southern Iraq had the system ready before the Black Watch officially requested it. Lets just say we had an inkling, says Damian. When the quartermaster came round to enquire about it, we were able to show him the size of the kit and answer any logistical questions he had. We have an excellent relationship with all the units in theatre and its our job to help out.
Black Watch Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Cowan, is delighted to have access to BFBS Radio on Op Bracken. Its important that my soldiers keep in touch with home, says the CO. BFBS is an integral part of life for soldiers overseas and a quick message from family or friends on the radio can be a tremendous morale boost.
BFBS Radio is part of UK Forces charity the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC), providing TV, Radio, Cinemas, SSVC audio-visual shops and CSE live entertainment to British troops throughout the world