Page 31 - Mercian Eagle 2012

From Palace Barracks to Sandhurst and Back Again.
2Lt RG Mitchell, A (Grenadier) Company, 2 MERCIAN
This junior officer’s journey to the Royal Military Academy (RMAS) to then become part of the 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment actually began in Palace Barracks. Some of you will know me from my previous life as “Rob the Physio”. I spent 18 months working as a civilian rehabilitation instructor in Primary Care Rehabilitation Facility Holywood during Op Herrick 10. It was my exposure to the Battalion and its men that inspired me to take the Queen’s shilling and embark on a career with the Army.
AOSB
The Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB)
at Westbury came with few surprises; I’d been given a huge amount of advice from the officers of 2 MERCIAN, for which I
am very grateful. The process has several features; Command Tasks, for that necessity and desire that every soldier has felt to move an ammo box with two planks, two toggles and 1/8th of a logical plan; Individual presentations, in which the usual topics came up such as gap years in South Africa, gap years in Australia, working in Tesco,
not working at all and a myriad of different sporting interests. All this as well as General Knowledge exams and of course the dreaded ‘speed-distance-time’ triangle conundrum.
Thankfully this short three day process went well and I received a pass allowing me to attend RMAS in January 2011.
RMAS – The First Day
Saturday 8th Jan 2011 and a colossal nine hour drive from sunny Scotland in a Corsa clearly not designed to carry this much
kit. The big day came, an early start and a tentative journey towards the famous gates
of RMAS. Already a stream of cars filled the long winding drive that snakes its way through the grounds. After a short wait I eventually parked up on the parade square and took a quick moment for composure before taking myself up the iconic steps to be greeted by a rather eccentric Royal Welsh Colour Sergeant, the man who would rule my life for the next 44 weeks. This was the beginning of a five week period that I and every other officer in this Army will never forget.
RMAS – The 1st Five
Weeks & Junior Term
Although I had been briefed up several times by almost every member of the
2 MERCIAN Mess (often after a couple of shandies), nothing had truly prepared me for the shock to the system this period brought. The sheer pace of life and length of the working day was something that cannot be underestimated. 5 am water parades, block jobs (why is there so much brass in Old College?), followed by a rapidly consumed breakfast all completed before most people are even out of bed.
There are several ‘highlights’ of RMAS’s Junior Term. Exercise Longreach, a 70km squaded march across the Black Mountains in Wales interspersed with command
tasks to be completed in the quickest time possible. The main exercise is Exercise Crychan’s Challenge, our first experience of Sennybridge training area. This exercise is notorious for weeding out who really wants to be an infanteer and who really doesn’t. For me it was the exercise that confirmed that I wanted to soldier and wanted to lead men on operations as part of an Infantry Battalion.
Junior Term also included a personal sporting highlight, an opportunity to represent the Academy in the Inter Collegiate Games based at Britannia Royal Naval School (BRNC) Dartmouth. Although RMAS took bit of a pasting in most sports, the Rugby team managed to make amends and defeat our old Navy rivals.
RMAS – Intermediate Term
Intermediate Term probably passed in more of a blur than Junior Term. The pace of life from Junior Term was maintained
but more responsibility was placed on the cadets and therefore there was more rope to hang yourself. Added to this was Ex First Encounter, a week of CBRN/Trench Digging/Sleep Deprivation/Patrols and generally sucking in CS Gas. Hallucinations were the main talking point after this exercise. Some had pictured hoards
of Ghurkhas swarming positions, dogs climbing through trees and one confused looking Kazakhstan cadet pictured his mother bringing him breakfast (it was actually the Colour Sergeant coming to check our positions).
Back in Week 2 (that blurry period of insanity) the cadets
had to express two
choices of Arm. Now
elements to test the junior commanders’ ability. This was also our first taste of riot control and public disorder, something that was received with mixed emotions from
us in 32 Platoon. Some cadets relished
the intense physical battle, immersing themselves in the combative nature of the exercise. This was also a perfect indicator for Directing Staff to see who could cope with and command in chaotic situations, who could harness aggression and utilise it to nullify and neutralise the baying crowd.
Ex Dynamic Victory was the long awaited final exercise based in Dumfries and Galloway. A three part, 12-day rotation between LFTT, Rural and Urban phases tested the soon-to-be Platoon/Troop Commanders in a variety of conventional and current operations. The brainchild
of MERCIANs Lt Col Gilby and Maj Kelly, this exercise put commanders in diverse situations such as attacking a position
on top of a mountain, to then conducting reassurance patrols amongst an oppressed population.
The contrast of this term came after the final exercise. After being so busy and so involved in field based operations it was strange to now be back at RMAS preparing for the commissioning parade.
in Intermediate Term
was the final part of this
process, the Regimental
Selection Boards.
The interview process
was relatively painless
although I do remember
the room temperature
rising distinctly as some of the more testing questions came my way courtesy of Major General Sharp. Evidently I was successful on my application and gratefully accepted a commission with The Mercian Regiment.
RMAS – Senior Term
I would describe Senior Term as the term
of contrasts. The first part of the term is full on, learning all about COIN and learning
a new estimate process more suited to current operations. Exercise Broadsword, the highlight of the entire year for many, was a brilliant exercise incorporating several new
After being so busy and so involved in field based operations it was strange to now be back at rMAS...
Drill, something that
my now SCOTS Colour Sergeant detested
and that the Welsh Guards Colour Sergeant from our opposing Malaya Company adored. This led
to a few amusing conversations between the two broad dialects,
and that was before a short Bristolian Rifleman added his input.
The big day finally came, the Holy Grail, the moment the cadets had all worked for, the commissioning parade. Attended by
US General David Petraeus, the cold winter morning was a proud moment for friends and family to see their “wee boy” becoming a commissioned officer. Ultimately we
all know rifle drill is not fun and it’s not comfortable; however nothing could detract from my feeling of pride knowing that it was all worth it to become a member of The Mercian Regiment.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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