Page 4 - The Light Blue Volunteer Journal 2021

Ex Blue Martello
After a covid enforced four-month break from in-person training, the
May bank holiday weekend provided
a perfect three and a half day-long training package for Ex Blue Martello. For Juniors, the weekend saw a fast- paced catch up starting with the basics of individual fire and movement on Saturday before rapidly sizing up to a company dawn attack in the early hours of Monday morning.
Arriving at St Martin’s Plain Training Camp on the Friday evening, we had a chance to catch up with friends, some
of whom we hadn’t seen since before Christmas, before quickly getting our heads down knowing our next full night’s sleep wouldn’t be for a few
days. Having completed much of Mod
A virtually, Saturday provided the first real introduction for most of us to the ‘green side’ of the UOTC. With Weapons Handling tests passed, we began what would be a day and a half’s training of fire and movement from the individual level up to the section level. Saturday night saw us go through an introduction
to harbour routine as a culmination of our virtual training, including occupation, personal admin, and stag throughout the night as we all enjoyed our first night out on exercise of the training year.
From Sunday afternoon, and for the final 24 hours, Juniors and Inters were split into two mixed platoons. Night recces provided early intelligence before the platoon commanders gave
their orders for the morning deliberate company attack. With each platoon successfully destroying multiple enemy positions before 09:00, only weapons cleaning and post-exercise admin remained before much-needed sleep on the coaches back to Cambridge and Norwich.
OCdt Hart
4 THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER