Page 21 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

(L-R) OCdts Francis, Marsden, Rahman, Horler, Chip, Linehan
were truly able to test their limits (as well as their protective equipment!).
Upon completion of the ve days all Of cer Cadets were awarded their Trail Leaders Award, allowing them to lead mountain biking expedi- tions of their own. Thanks in part to the gener- ous contribution of the Sandhurst Trust, Of cer Cadets personal contribution to the exercise stood at a colossal sum of £0.92!
(L-R) OCdts Rahman, Horler, Marsden, Chip Rafferty, Linehan and Francis receiving a lesson on puncture repair
Overall, from a very bumpy start, Ex ICARUS CADET proved to be an enormously enjoy- able week spent in a unique location doing an extremely adventurous activity for outstanding value. All Of cer Cadets would like to express their upmost gratitude for the contribution made by the Sandhurst Trust that served to make it a truly memorable week.
Exercise OMAN SAMANI CADET
Ex OMAN SAMANI CADET, named after the 13th century Arabian poet, was an auda- cious attempt to follow the 1958-59 SAS
assault route through Oman’s Jebel Akhdar Mountains. Further to this, the expedition looked to foster our immensely special alliance with the Omani Armed Forces, sharing our experiences and learning as much as we could from them.
Under the wing of Mr Said (Jebel Mountain Regt) and OCdt Al Shereiqi (SSF), we departed the safety of the Shafaq Club in Muscat and made our camp in a dry wadi at the start of the SAS insertion. We would not have made the front cover of National Geographic, but our ambitious vanguard of RMAS defence relations climbed up through the rock to checkpoint Casino. We fol- lowed Lt Col Deane-Drummond’s
north, following the British advance-to-contact up to checkpoint Sabrina. We located platoon forming-up points, mortar positions and shrapnel from RAF munitions, as well as enemy defensive positions and ring points. The detail was mes- merising, down to the ‘1958’ dates printed on the brass casings and the discarded grenade pins used to clear the enemy cave systems. The entire assault was brought to life and we could visualise it with great satisfaction.
At the halfway point of our expedition we tra- versed the Jebel by jeep and sited our camp at the foot of the infamous assault route. This marked the most physically daunting episode of our journey. Our reading put into perspective the insurmountable task the SAS soldiers faced
route as precisely as the terrain would allow. It’s been close to sixty years since the assault route was walked and the footfall thereafter has been minimal. The battle eld is preserved in almost every detail. From Casino (which marked the end of the insertion) we tabbed
The entire assault was brought to life and we could visualise it with great satisfaction.
in 1959. We were carrying no more than twenty kilograms in lightweight garb in daylight hours and, by con- trast, they were carrying over double the weight including weapons and ammunition over untrodden terrain at night. We ascended quickly up to checkpoint Vincent and across the next valley to checkpoint Pyra-
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