Page 71 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

For those of you who do not know what Slim’s Company is, here is a brief introduction. 1st Viscount Slim was Field Marshall of the Brit-
ish Army for 2.5 years from 1948 – 1950. Slim was commander of the 14th Army during the Burma campaign during World War II, and it is after his defeat of the Japanese at Rangoon that this Company is named after. Slim is widely con- sidered to be one of the greatest military leaders Britain has produced. Not only was he a brilliant leader but, as a hardened soldier himself, he was adored by his men. Slim’s mantra, ‘Defeat into Victory’, is the foundation of the Leadership Development Course (LDC) as we are all here to reach our full potential and join the Regular Com- missioning Course starting in January 2021.
For the first four weeks of the LDC, the platoon was thrown in at the deep end of both military and academic work; without a timetable or schedule, the platoon found themselves pushed outside of their comfort zone
group did mountain biking and the other did mountaineering – both groups coming away with either a Mountain Biking Foundation or Summer Mountain Foundation respectively for the com- pleted five days. The platoon was pushed but adapted quickly and soon picked up new skills and leadership techniques.
and, for those without UOTC or Reserve experience, encounter- ing things that they may not have run into before.
The platoon was pushed but adapted quickly and soon picked up new skills and leadership techniques
The mountain bikers started with an introduction into some of the essential skills of bike riding such as breaking safely, gearing and trail etiquette. After this, they quickly progressed onto blue, green and red runs across the South Wales region. On one of the days, the group did wild riding which forced
On Sunday 11th October, the pla-
toon started their week of Adven-
ture Training (AT) in Castlemartin,
Wales. AT combined a welcome
break from the intensity of LDC but also taught the platoon in a practical environment about the qualities of leadership and the Values & Stand- ards to live by. Split into two groups of 10, one
them to utilise navigation skills learnt on the LDC course to plan routes and acclimatise to cycling off paths. The highlight of the week for the group was climbing Foel Cwmcerwyn which, as the highest peak in the Preseli Hills, was quite an achievement with a bike each to carry.
For the other group, after two days of introduc- tion into mountaineering and exploring various techniques and skills, the mountaineers enjoyed an overnight expedition in the Brecon Beacons, camping at the edge of Llyn y Fan Fach. Tem- peratures were a bit low overnight, but the expe- rience was incredible and the views they saw were well worth the climb. The group saw a vast improvement in their night-time navigation skills; they learnt the importance of pacing and gained
Leadership Development Course 203 Mid Course
SANDHURST 69