The Royal Gibraltar Regiment has promoted a number of its soldiers and also recognised long service and good conduct.
Promotions were given to three soldiers.
Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Jonathan Sardeña has been responsible for the Motor Transport (MT) department’s training cell, ensuring that the RG have suitably qualified personnel across all vehicle platforms that support every sub-unit in the RG. He has also been responsible for the maintenance and inspection programmes, ensuring that the RG vehicle fleet is kept operationally fit. For the last year, WO2 Sardeña has been the Acting MT Warrant Officer, which has seen him refine working practices and develop training requirements across all departmental areas. WO2 Sardeña is now looking into reforming management practices to address unique equipment care issues, where he will aim to implement tangible changes over the next two years.
Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Sam Snee has been employed as the SPSI in the 3rd Battalion The Princess Of Wales’s Royal Regiment (3 PWRR) based in Canterbury, UK. This role required him to maintain and administer the Unit’s radio communication equipment and oversee training of a reservist sub-unit. On substantive promotion to WO2, he took up the role of the RG’s Regimental Signal Warrant Officer. His new appointment will see him take over the Unit’s department that manages; maintains and trains soldiers on radios and communications, ensuring the Regiment is supported in its critical Command and Control function
Colour Sergeant (CSgt) Malcolm Head has been employed as the RG’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Training Sergeant for the past two years. In this role, he has been responsible for ensuring the EOD are in date with their mandatory licensing and training requirements. On substantive promotion to CSgt, he will be moving to EOD Ops SNCO, a job that will require close liaison with the local emergency services to ensure any EOD related activity is supported and coordinated in as timely and efficient a manner as possible.
The Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (LS&GC) is awarded to personnel who have demonstrated 15 years of exemplary and irreproachable conduct, and on this occasion the following received their LS&GC Medals:
Lance Corporal (LCpl) Chase Attard joined the Royal Gibraltar Regiment in January 2005 and went directly to the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick for six months where he completed Phase One and Phase Two infantry training. On arriving in the RG he became a rifleman within G Company. During his time as a rifleman within G Company, he deployed to the UK for yearly training and also deployed to Morocco. After 3 years as a member of G Company, LCpl Attard joined the new formed I Company. This saw him continue with deployments to UK and Northern Africa and in 2013 he completed his All Arms Stores Accountant course and passed various driving qualifications to operate the wide range of military vehicles held on account within the Unit. In 2014 he moved to the Motor Transport department where he put all his recently acquired driving qualifications to good use. As well as deploying on further overseas exercises in his new role, this period also saw him being employed as driver to Commander British Forces Gibraltar.
In July 2016, Pte Attard opted to re-trade as a chef. He subsequently attended and passed the five month long, Chef Class 3 course at Worthy Down. On completion of the course, Pte Attard returned to Gibraltar and has been working in the Unit’s main kitchen which serves all RG and Gibraltar wide tri-service personnel, along with soldiers from visiting units. In 2018, Pte Attard was promoted to LCpl and to date, has deployed in his capacity as a chef on several overseas deployments. His current role sees him based in the main kitchen and assisting when required in the Officers and Senior Ranks Messes.
Major (Maj) Timothy Cumming successfully passed Officer selection in November 2004 and subsequently joined the Commissioning Course at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in January 2005. On completion he joined the RG in December 2005 and deployed straight away to Nigeria and to The Gambia on separate Short Term Training Team (STTT) missions. From May-August 2006 Maj Cumming completed the Platoon Commanders Battle Course and on his return, became a Platoon Commander in G Company until December 2007 when he deployed to Morocco and The Gambia for a second time. From January-December 2008 he was attached to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Strike Battle Group for Operation TELIC 12, Iraq. As part of his pre-training, Maj Cumming completed a Warrior Commander and Gunnery Course and was initially employed as a Strike Team Commander. On promotion after 3 months in theatre, Maj Cumming took over as Y Coy Battle Captain and then lead a six man Military Transition Team for the last 2 months of his tour whilst embedded within an Iraqi Infantry Company.
From February 2009-June 2010, Maj Cumming took over responsibilities as ADC to Lieutenant General Robert Fulton and then Vice Admiral Sir Adrian Johns. As from July 2010 he became the Adjutant for the RG until September 2012, where his key achievement was the successful planning and execution of Public Duties in London for the Regiment in 2012. Maj Cumming then deployed on his second operational tour from October 2012 to April 2013, where he deployed on Operation HERRICK 17 into Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as the Operations Officer of a multi-agency Exploitation Task Force. On his return to the Unit he took over recruiting responsibilities until January 2014, which is when he promoted to the substantive rank of Major and went on to join the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) at the UK Defence Academy that finished in August 2014. From September 2014-September 2015, Maj Cumming took over as Officer Commanding HQ Company and Officer In Command of Recruiting. Maj Cumming then took over as I Company Commander which saw him lead his sub-unit on numerous overseas training exercises, command two Queen’s Birthday Parades and deploy to Chile to assist in UN mission pre-deployment training for the Chilean Armed Forces. In October 2017 Major Cumming took over the SO2 J7 post in HQBF Gibraltar, where he was responsible for all training activity taking place on the Rock for local and external visitors. Major Cumming returned to Afghanistan from April-October 2018 for his third operational tour but this time to Kabul on Operation TORAL as the lead Strategy and Policy Advisor into the Ministry of Interior Afghanistan. Major Cumming then returned to the SO2J7 role after which he took over as Battalion Second-in-Command of the RG which remains his current position.
