Page 47 - Mercian Eagle Year of 2023

Ex CYPRUS EAGLE
In September 2023, 15 Officers and Soldiers from D Coy, 4 MERCIAN took part in a T3 expedition to Cyprus to conduct Mountain Biking Adventurous Training in the Troodos Mountains.
The trip was organised by Maj Peacock, OC D Coy, and facilitated by three instructors all from D Coy - WO2 Spilsbury, Sgt Noon and Sgt Tristram. We were based at Troodos Station at the top of the Troodos Mountains and all activity took place from there. The group of riders were of mixed ability, from those already competent riding trails, to those who could ride a bike but had done little or no
mountain biking.
We flew from Gatwick to Paphos where
we collected hire vehicles and drove up to Troodos, which was quite an experience, driving in the dark, having never driven
in Cyprus. Day one consisted of admin
– collecting bikes from Episkopi, and familiarisation of the area.
The first day of riding was spent practising skills on the helipad at Troodos to get used to the new bikes, and to assess the level of the group before venturing out onto the forest roads around camp. From there, each day progressed the riding level and confidence of the
groups, starting with easy off-road riding and culminating in a very technical descent from Troodos down to the café at Platres for a well-earned brew and cake.
On the final day we treated ourselves to a day on the beach at Happy Valley to soak up the sun before returning to the UK.
The expedition provided a challenging outdoor training activity for all personnel involved, incorporating controlled exposure to risk, and developed leadership for the instructors, and teamwork for D Company as a whole.
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Cambrian Patrol
In October, 4 MERCIAN entered a team on the Cambrian Patrol, lead by Cpl Grant of D Company, who stepped up at the last minute from 2IC when the original commander was injured.
The team performed to a very high standard, and received a Silver medal. The report back from 160X was extremely good, showing that the work put in by Sgt Ball,
D Coy PSI was well founded; had the team scored another 5% in one of the tasks, they would have received a Gold medal.
Despite this, it was a very well deserved performance from a very strong team, comprising Cpl Grant, D Coy, LCpl Kirby, Pte Nullis, Pte Foster, Pte Alcock, Pte Francis, Pte Bunn and Pte Ransome.
Pte Francis Bcoy, Pte Bunn HQcoy, Lcpl Kirby Bcoy, Pte Ransom HQcoy, Cpl Grant Dcoy, Pte Foster Dcoy, Pte Alcock Dcoy & Pte Nullis Dcoy
Top row: Pte Alcock Dcoy, Pte Francis Bcoy, Pte Ransom HQcoy & Pte Foster Dcoy. Bottom row: Pte Bunn HQcoy, Cpl Grant Dcoy, Lcpl Kirby Bcoy & Pte Nullis Dcoy
THE MERCIAN EAGLE