Page 16 - Bugle Spring 2024

2 RIFLES
Bronze Medallists in the Brunei jungle
Ex SUNDA PATROL 23
Given the months and years the average infantry soldier will spend in Brecon, it follows that the idea of Cambrian Patrol can become somewhat unappealing, especially if the event has been attended before.
The element of arduous testing is still something that draws the keen individual – just not the venue. When the opportunity to take part in something similar yet different arises, it does not get turned down.
2 RIFLES were fortunate enough to be invited to enter two teams into the inaugural Exercise SUNDA PATROL, a three-day patrol competition hosted by 1 RGR in their Brunei haunts of Sittang, Labi and Kuala Belait in September.
All that deployed were selected from
a competitive group of volunteers, with only three out of the sixteen having prior jungle experience. Preparatory training was essential, focusing on physical conditioning for heavy weight carriage and lessons specific to the environment. Being entirely self-sustaining is increasingly unfamiliar to today’s soldiers, but it was tested and proven that they possessed
the necessary physicality and resilience. On arrival in Brunei the teams took part in an acclimatisation and skills package run by Jungle Warfare Instructors from 1 RGR, where required jungle SOPs and survival skills were taught.
Despite preparation, the competition was a real challenge. It included a 24hr survival phase, testing participants’ ability to catch and prepare food, collect water, construct shelter, and enable rescue. Small-team tactics and procedures were put into practice on an arduous patrolling day in the mountainous terrain of Labi. The summiting of the Burkit Teraja, the highest
16 RIFLES The Bugle
peak of the region, carrying over 40kg of
kit (and a GPMG for one lucky patrolman)
in ‘feels-like’ 40 degrees and humidity,
will undoubtedly last long in the memory. For the river crossing any concerns about man-eating Saltwater Crocodiles had to be put aside, and once completed the patrol pushed straight off to conduct a close-target reconnaissance of an enemy base camp.
Huge credit to the organisers from 1 RGR because the quality of instruction and administration was faultless. The entire package was enjoyable and beneficial, and one sure to be popular in the long term. Both 2 RIFLES teams performed highly enough to be awarded a Bronze Medal, a true testament to the fortitude shown by the Riflemen in an environment completely unfamiliar to most of them. At 18, the youngest participant in the exercise was a Rifleman. In his words, it was “the hardest thing I have ever done in the Army – but I’m glad I did it”.
After the exercise, the teams deserved a few days off to explore Southeast Asia – the Riflemen enjoyed three days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Patrol board the Puma 2 for extraction
For the river crossing any concerns about man-eating Saltwater Crocodiles had to be put aside
Some took the opportunity to visit the underground tunnels and battlefields of the Vietnam War; others enjoyed the food, culture, and vibrant nightlife. All returned rightly proud of their achievements but didn’t skip a beat in getting straight back into their duties on Op INTERFLEX.
However, the battalion’s exploits in the Borneo jungles were not yet complete. Four from 2 RIFLES attempted the Jungle Warfare Instructors Course, often considered to
be the most arduous course offered by
the Army outside of UKSF Selection. All
were successful and have returned to the battalion able to assist in the planning and delivery of any future Close Country Tropical Environment training and operations.
Sjt J MacDaid, B Coy Patrol Commander
Lt O Bowden (Winning Patrol), C Coy Patrol Commander
Lt Bowden taking up a fire position on patrol
Scenery slightly different to Brecon...