Page 46 - Bugle No. 17 Spring 2021

8 RIFLES
Annual Deployability Exercise (ADE)
The Section in Defence
shoot on the ADE
Planning and executing an ADE in between the two national lockdowns while ensuring our people were kept safe was not easy. Cancellations, changes to policy and other variables made this a mammoth task. But the team did an incredible job to pull it off, even if it took nearly 25 different attempts of the plan to do so. The training value they managed to provide under such difficult circumstances was a truly amazing feat of ingenuity, perse- verance and collective patience.
The first week was focused on shooting, with a full 8 days of training dedicated to developing marksmanship skills across a wide range of section weapons. The SA-80, GPMG, Sharpshooter, Pistol and UGL were
all used. The live firing serials culminated
in a section in defence exercise and a competition shoot. The only observation was
The Bn Photo on ADE
highest hill he could find! A big thank you to 1 RIFLES for demonstrating their support weapons capability and hosting our Platoon Commanders for a day.
Moving off the hill and into a farmhouse, the second half of the ADE had a more relaxed feel with members of 8 RIFLES being given formal training in both mental health first aid awareness and first aid at work. These skills
are not only desirable military skills, but also granted them civilian qualifications to take back to their workplace.
Overall, a very successful two weeks with a couple of movie nights thrown in towards the end breaking up the workload nicely. The sun was even out for a couple of days!
Capt Knox
The sun was even out for a couple of days!
the QM putting the ‘accommodation’ on the
The first 8 RIFLES-sponsored PJNCO FTTC, was conducted on Senny- bridge Training Area and ran concurrently to the ADE, with a strong joint effort from all three reserve Battalions, successfully qualifying 22 future LCpls. Our Riflemen progressed sharply, engaging with the core elements of Fire Team command, junior leadership, and instructional techniques, testing their individual skills as Riflemen and demon- strating their potential to be our next generation of commanders. Showing their ability to transition from civilian to soldier with assured ease and limited build-up training, they showed professional compe- tence and an excellent attitude, overcoming the physical and mental challenges that the cadre presented to them.
They showed professional competence and an excellent attitude, overcoming the physical and mental challenges
2Lt Blacket-Ord
With social opportunities cancelled, training events limited and community engagement all but impossible, members of D Company decided to dedicate some of their time
to helping local and national charities.
This was a great method of building team cohesion as well as getting the face of 8 RIFLES back on the streets of the North East.
Firstly, the Company conducted a virtual march to Pegasus Bridge which was organised by 2Lt Archie Douglas. Everyone was tasked
46 RIFLES The Bugle
with completing as many miles as possible carrying the RFT weight, and then uploading their results via Strava. These were then collated and showed that the running total exceeded the distance from Durham to Pegasus Bridge, an excellent effort all round. The funds raised for the Royal British Legion were in considerable excess of the original £500 target, with the final total well past £1000.
Secondly, and in the lead up to Christmas,
a platoon sized grouping set about the task of aiding the Salvation Army during their busiest time of the year. Moving donations, sorting through stock and even preparing and cooking hundreds of Christmas meals were all part of their efforts. A large task that saw them contributing over 10 days of help. A big ask, but D Company were clearly up to the challenge.
Maj Towers
...with the final total well past £1000
FIRE TEAM COMMANDERS CADRE (FTCC)
CHARITABLE EVENTS