Page 76 - MERCIAN Eagle 2015

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THE MERCIAN EAGLE
maxed out the engines and went full throttle, giving us all a James Bond style high speed tour for the next 30 minutes, with plenty of time for videos and photos. Everybody fully enjoyed the experience.
After the speed boat trip, the group made their way to a pub for evening meal and more beers. After which, we went back to the hotel to prepare for the night ahead. Once everybody was ready, we took a tube to Leicester Square, where the night life was in full flow. The group then broke up in to separate groups and went out to recce London’s night life, where we found all sorts of bars, including a vampire bar!
Everybody was given a nice lie in bed until 10am Sunday morning, which was
a welcome relief to some sore heads
from the night before. London was full of bright warm sunshine, and everybody was looking forward to a day’s Go-Karting at Teamsports. Once there, we sat through yet another safety brief, but essential due to these karts being electric, which makes them twice as fast as the normal diesel ones. After, everybody was broken down into three separate teams, where each one raced to get the best timed lap as possible. This clearly brought out the competitive side of the lads, particularly the ones who race in their own time, as they had a point to prove they were the best. This brought a good element to the days racing, as egos were at stake and reputations to maintain. Everybody had at least three races each, where they gave it their best to top the score board, but at times it was more like bumper cars than racing, which added to
(Left to right) Fus Angdembe, LCpl Clowes, LCpl Rai, Fus Booker & Fus Fradgley following their visit to the Tower of London and the Fusilier Museum
Fus Fradgley and Fus Osborne taking in the iconic sights of London (at high speeds)
the fun. At the end of each game, a score board displayed each person’s fastest lap, and it was clear who the part-time racers were.
Once everybody had enough of racing, we made our way back to Euston station, where we caught the train back to Birmingham. The journey back gave the lads the chance to relax and unwind, as they talked about the whole adventure training weekend, where it was clear it had been a success and one to remember. It’s not every weekend you find yourself speed boating up the Thames like James Bond, and racing round a track after a night out in London’s Leicester Square.
A Company members preparing for their high speed trip down the Thames
A (Fusilier) Company’s Adventure Training/Retention Weekend
LCpl Clowes
On the weekend of the 8th of August 2015, members of A (Fusilier) Company assembled at Barrows Lane ARC to start their adventure training weekend. Many of the members had already been out the previous night at Hall Green Greyhound track, where they spent a relaxing night drinking and betting on the dogs.
Once everybody had arrived, it was a short trip to Birmingham International before jumping onto a train to London Euston, where we continued to make our way via the tube to the hotel. Once everybody had checked in, we quickly made our way to
the Tower of London (the Headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) where we visited the Fusilier Museum which houses
a vast array of regimental history, including medals, photographs, personal artefacts and war souvenirs. There were a number
of different sub-units of fusiliers visiting the Tower that day, ex-members of the 2nd and 3rd Battalion, as well as serving members
of the 1st Battalion. Several members of
A Coy had served with those present, and it was a good time to catch up, as it had been some years since they had seen each other.
Once everybody had walked round the Tower, we made our way to Westminster Pier, where a speed boat trip had been arranged by the OC. After a quick safety brief, the lads quickly jumped in, after which the boats started their initial relatively steady speed tour of London’s main attractions, including the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Tower Bridge and Europe’s tallest building, the Shard. Once the boats were past the speed limit zone, the crew