Page 43 - WishStream Year of 2023

Following an intense week of Regimental Selec- tion Boards and the trials and tribulations that this entailed, the OCdts of CC223 shed
the weight which had followed them since they entered this academy, with their future regiments secure and a new sense of purpose, and set out for Ex MARTELLO SHARPSHOOTER.
OCdt Hoffman
hard work that both the OCdts had put in in the previous few months, but also the expert tutelage they had received from the wing staff. The majority came away with first time passes, and some future snipers amongst our numbers were revealed in the healthy contingent of OCdts throughout the intake who earnt their “marksman” badge.
Martello is the last exercise of Inter- mediate Term, though notably dif- ferent to those that make up the ill named “hateful eight” that started their term. CC223 ditched the fields and woodblocks of Brecon for the sunny and comparatively luxurious accommodation of St. Martins Plain Camp for a comprehensive and increasingly complex live fire range package. The exercise started slowly for Waterloo Company, who were blocked by a very large pud- dle on the M25, giving the Interna- tional Cadets their first insight into the delights of seven hours of traffic on a Friday evening, with the com- pany arriving stylishly late at 0200.
The DCCT required the OCdts to shoot at a mechanised moving target, at various ranges, pushing their skills which they had honed on static ranges to the next level
The following day was followed by a slightly more relaxed, yet no less chal- lenging set of serials, where OCdts were put through their paces with sev- eral written tests on the fundamentals of marksmanship, weapons handling tests, and, of course, a package on the DCCT. The DCCT required the OCdts to shoot at a mechanised moving tar- get, at various ranges, pushing their skills which they had honed on static ranges to the next level.
The one crucial benefit, as noted by many, was the fact that this set of seri- als was in barracks and finished just after lunch, which enabled some much
Exercise MARTELLO SHARPSHOOTER
However, all was soon forgotten, as the three com- panies revelled in one of the best breakfasts they had since joining the army, and then set off on their various individual packages on the seaside Hythe ranges. First and foremost, was the Annual Combat Marksmanship Test (ACMT), testing the
deserved time off after a hectic twelve weeks in Sandhurst. While some took to the phantom Play- Station 5 that apparently existed somewhere on camp (this OCdt never saw it), others took to the playing fields and several competitive and robust games of football, basketball and rugby took place. The results were hotly discussed over an equally hot curry at dinner. For many, this was the first
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