Page 31 - 103RA 2018-20

Recruitment Team By Sgt Jenkins
Working within the Bty Recruitment Cell in 216 Bty might suggest a life dedicated to teaching the basics of soldiering (ironing) to potential Gunners and endless hours on the Parade Square practising drill, and there is undoubtedly a large
always go ahead, some more successful than others depending on the weather!
Getting new recruits isn’t easy and keeping them can be even harder. Over the years we have seen different computer
component of training which takes place, it can’t be any other way.
Rain or shine the events always go ahead
systems which have caused delays in applications, new training for staff and a new way of online recruiting alongside the original face to face way.
However, the Recruitment
Cell also undertakes perhaps
the widest variety of events
of any part of the 216 Bty
family, as the need to get out amongst the general public and recruit young men and women never stops. A view from one member of the Recruitment Cell provides a snapshot of this.
216 Bty has always strived to try and provide an excellent training package for recruits which can include hands on training and weekends away. These, along with weekly training nights, all help to make recruits feel part of the Bty from day one. I certainly felt like this when I walked through the doors back
in 2012.
Recruiting definitely has its highs and
lows! It has been frustrating and disheart- ening to see recruits get rejected during the recruit process due to one thing or another but also been very rewarding seeing recruits who have come through the system pass at each stage of the process and eventually complete Bravo training and become a new member of 216 Bty and 103 Regt.
Regimental Journal 2018-20
Recruiting for 216 Battery has seen the team travel all over. Sgt Pye would have the team attend big sporting events such as Strong Man to football and rugby matches. The team also supports smaller community engagements in local town centres. There could be days at Univer- sities, shopping centres and our Armed Forces Days. It’s usually hard to miss the recruitment team as the set up consists of the 105 Light Gun, Pinzgauer and recruiting trailer. Rain or shine the events
216 Battery - Football
Amongst the sporting activities undertaken by the Bty, Football was always going to feature prom- inently given we are Bolton based. It is perhaps unsurprising then, that many of the soldiers of the Bty support their local team, Bolton Wanderers. It may however be a surprise to learn that the soldiers of 216 Bty represent the Army both in a ceremonial capacity when, on occasion, Bolton Wanderers seek to conduct their own community engagement activity. This isn’t limited to just forming guards of honour either and there have been numerous events held at Bolton Wanderers Stadium during which soldiers from 216 Bty have been fortunate enough to compete on the - to some... - hallowed turf of the University of Bolton Stadium (known previously as the Reebok Stadium).
One soldier, LBdr Duxbury, has played football to a high standard for the Royal Artillery and the Army Reserve National Team, which gave him the chance to travel no less than 4 times to Cyprus and also to Gibraltar, to play there.
Alongside his sporting exploits, his time in 216 Bty has enabled him to complete military courses all over the UK training both on the Light Guns themselves and in the OP role, to travel twice to the Falkland Islands, to gain a qualification as a Physical Training Instructor as well as Driving and Signaller qualifica- tions, demonstrating just how varied life within the Bty can be.
Bolton Civic Engagement and the 216 Bty Family
A core function of any Army Reserve unit is assisting in the coordination and successful conduct of Remembrance Day Parades, and Bolton is no different, with 216 Bty taking the lead for a diverse range of Reservist, Cadet Forces and Veterans Units which participate in Bolton’s annual commemoration. The service is a key feature in the 216 Bty calendar, with the Guns being fired in the Town Centre and the BC laying a wreath as well as engaging with Bolton’s civic leaders. After that the Bty marches at the head of the Parade through the Town, finally meeting with the RAA to hold another Remembrance service before returning to Barracks for another smaller service.
In addition to this, the Bty’s close ties to the Mayoral Office ensure it leads a host of civic events, including the Lord Mayor’s Parade, held each time a new Mayor of Bolton is sworn into office.
216 Bty is also fortunate to maintain stronger links to the community it serves than many other Army Reserve units in part due to the existence of the Bolton Volunteer Artillery Association (BVAA),
which sits alongside the more publicly known Royal Artillery Association (RAA) to provide a combination of comradery and support to veterans of the Royal Artillery and specifically veterans of 216 Bty.
Each year, 216 Bty celebrates its close relationship with the BVAA by attending their annual BVA Dinner Night, held at Nelson St Barracks, a great occasion which epitomises the Bty’s close and successful links to both its own community and history.
Finally, having seen how 216 Bty maintains its current links to the community and its members past and present, it would be remiss not to include the Bty’s future Gunners! Each year the Bty hosts a Christmas Party, attended by the husbands, wives and children of all ranks in the Nelson St Barracks. Organised in recent years by serving members of the Bty and the civilian staff, the event has been hugely successful and is greatly appreci- ated by everyone who has attended, not least because every child of the Bty is guaranteed to receive a Christmas present from St Nicholas himself!
29