Page 36 - Mercian Eagle 2013

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course that the OC had endured some seven years before. Even the Physical Training Instructors were happy to see flat ground by the end of each session although it meant the ‘body conditioning’ session in the freezing cold river was fast approaching.
After a hearty breakfast the lads would routinely begin the lessons of the day, which ranged from basic navigating using bearings and pacing to advanced map reading, mountain survival lessons and navigating using the stars. When all felt confident in the classroom, skills were applied and tested on the area, with a minimum of 12 miles covered daily.
It was clear from the outset that there would be a need to balance the level of training in order to maintain concentration levels, therefore the company took several opportunities to use the AT facilities in the Kinlochleven area whenever the programme or weather dictated sufficient downtime.
Mid week the soldiers had the opportunity to visit one of the biggest climbing centres in the UK. The large rock climbing and ice climbing walls offered challenges for all levels of climbers and the high wire obstacle course highlighted the
real ‘tough guys’ of the company. To the delight of those in the company who were already in mild pain with blisters we also tweaked the plans of a morning PT session and embarked on a rotation of golf, extreme crate stacking (climbing whilst stacking)
and off road segway. Morale remained high throughout the week and as a result more training objectives were reached.
By the fourth day the confidence in
map reading was satisfyingly high and the sections were deployed onto a challenging 14 mile night NAVEX over the mountainous terrain that had seen 2 feet of snow over the previous 3 days. Loaded with only survival essentials and armed with 2 cans of lager
a man, the sections set off for the ‘bothy’ which we were to make home for the night. After several hours of patrolling and with only one man falling into a covered stream the last section arrived at the abandoned dwelling. Surprisingly the combination
of fatigue from the long day and the anticipation of the planned activities for the next meant the majority of rationed lager remained unopened.
The penultimate day of the exercise started with the hike back to the hostel. At
the break of dawn on a crisp spring morning the Officers and Soldiers of A (Grenadier) Coy moved across the Scottish Highlands witnessing some of the most breathtaking views that the UK has to offer. By the time that the last man had reached the hostel
the weather had started to close in, and the 4 foot of snow we had been expecting seemed like it was to materialise after all.
Due to the extreme weather warning,
the plans for the final day were forced to change and the planned loaded march to the summit of Ben Nevis soon became unfeasible. The anticipation of mass snow led to an early departure back to Belfast. However not even this forward planning and attempts of the courageous drivers could save us from a 7 foot snow drift engulfing the coaches 12 miles shy of the ferryport. The 36 hours that followed were truly epic and a story that would warrant an article for itself.
Although the return to contingency may initially test those in the planning of CT1/2 level training, I think that the opportunity it presents will benefit all that embrace it and allow their imagination to deliver exciting and beneficial training.
has qualified as a Company-level signaller from scratch. A few members of 1 Platoon have also been enabled to afford significant focus to sport. Ptes Jallow and Carraher are a key members of the Battalion football team and Pte Stubbs represented the Army at the Inter-Services Basketball Championship, emerging victorious in the process. Whilst we have not been on task, time has certainly not been wasted!
The focus for 1 Platoon now turns
to EX ASKARI STORM in Kenya. We
will deploy along with the rest of the
2 Mercian Battlegroup in September. The six week exercise provides an outstanding opportunity for the Platoon to get back
into the field and show what a capable infanteering unit it is. The weeks before
will witness Live Fire Tactical Training, dry exercises and fieldcraft lessons to perfect the low-level, conventional skills and drills that will prove so pivotal in Kenya. With this training in our back pocket, the Platoon will no doubt serve both the Company and the Battlegroup efficiently and effectively when the time comes.
2 Platoon prior to my arrival had supported both C and D Companies as they deployed to Afghanistan and the Falklands respectively. This was a great opportunity to enable individuals with specific qualifications to put what they had learned to good use supporting two major military commitments. Those who supported OP HERRICK certainly saw a different side to previous deployments as
1 Platoon A (GRENADIER) COMPANY by LT T W CROW
The last twelve months have been a diverse if disparate experience for the men of
1 Platoon. Our role in heading up the Force Protection for the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps HQ has seen us, since 1 January 2013, sitting on 15 days notice to move to deploy anywhere in the world. As such, the Platoon have not been
It was within this context that the men of 1 Platoon trained for the first half of the year. The focus lay on core skills to ensure the Platoon was ready should it be needed. Skill-at-arms was marked out as the main effort, with a number
of Company and Battalion SAAMs for the men to work towards. A
able to embark upon
other commitments
as the Battalion’s
remaining rifle platoons
have. This has left us
with the unenviable
task of keeping men
highly trained and
highly motivated from within camp and the training areas local to Northern Ireland.
To add a little more complexity, this was done against the back drop of a skeleton command structure with the Platoon Commander attached to C Company for their RSOI OP HERRICK commitment and the Platoon Sergeant away in Brecon on PSBC. Both with measures to return them to 1 Platoon in the event of ARRC’s callout!
few individuals jumped at the opportunity to mark themselves out as excellent shots, notably LCpl Liston. Aside from this, the platoon has exploited the opportunity presented by the
regular battle rhythm that comes with the nature of the ARRC commitment to get many of its members numerous different qualifications. LCpl Hesketh and Pte Attree both completed the AAPTI course to very high standards and return to the Platoon as PTIs. Pte Taylor and Pte Crookes are now qualified Assault Pioneers, capable
of emplacing and destroying significant obstacles on the battlefield. Pte Brookes
The focus lay on core skills to ensure the Platoon was ready should it be needed.
2 Platoon A (Grenadier) Company by 2 Lt Griffiths OC 2 Platoon
The transition from Brecon to life as OC
2 Platoon A (Grenadier) Company has been a journey of intense learning. Not only would I no longer be amongst a social circle that for me had begun at RMA Sandhurst, I would now put into practice everything I had learnt in the busiest year and a bit of my life, in order to develop and train the Grenadiers of the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment. Upon arrival it would prove to be a new tag
team combination to lead the platoon of myself and the highly shy and strikingly tall Sgt Feeney. As a newly promoted sergeant he was chomping at the bit and ready to launch. You can take the man from section command but not the section commander from the man and it would appear that this was the first of many lessons that I would learn.
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