Page 44 - MERCIAN Eagle 2019

“Pssst, you’re on stag” – a soldier stands guard at Troodos, deterring any unwanted incursion
Force Protection at Troodos and Olympus
2Lt Whimster
The Cypriot Mount Olympus shares some of the character of its Greek mythological counterpart. Both temperate, forested mountains, both tremendous vantage points from which information is gathered and decisions made. However,
collection of intelligence across the Mediterranean and Middle East, in support of our NATO allies deployed on operations.
First used by the British in 1878 as a temperate, health-giving mountain
whilst the Greek
Olympus boasted
Zeus’ Pantheon and
the feasting hall of
the twelve Olympian
gods, the Cypriot
reality is rather more
humble. While the
un-glamorous ISO
containers of the RAF’s 1 Air Control Centre may not appear to be mighty on the surface, they share more with the Olympians than meets the eye.
2 MERCIAN have deployed Force Protection elements to protect Strategic Communications Assets at Troodos, Mount Olympus and Ayia Nikolaos. These assets play a vital role in the
retreat, modern-day Troodos provides a similar opportunity. Away from the intensity (and heat) of Battalion life in Episkopi, 2 Platoon were able to re-focus and, in addition
to providing force protection, generate and organise
training for a Cambrian Patrol team. An ideal location for soldiers to train their fitness at altitude, and for commanders to practice and test principles of defensive doctrine, 2 Platoon left their mountain retreat re-invigorated and ready for the next challenge: an overseas training exercise in Jordan in 2020.
An ideal location for soldiers to train their fitness at altitude
The All-Seeing Eye – a ‘golf ball’ shaped radar installation observes its arcs
42
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Ex CAMBRIAN PATROL
2Lt Whimster
A gentle snoring reverberates around
the combi-vans, eight bodies curled up, savouring the last few moments of rest, sheltering from the early morning chill.
The steady drum-beat of the rain on the windscreen does little to ease the pre-race nerves. The A ‘Grenadier’ Company team wait with anticipation in the car park of Ffairfach School for their allotted 0345 start time, the culmination of 10 weeks’ training. Ahead of them stands 48 hours of patrolling through the Brecon Beacons, covering approximately 70 kilometres - each carrying in excess of 35 kilograms, including a series of stands to test basic soldiering skills.
2 MERCIAN entered two teams in this year’s Cambrian Patrol; one each from
A ‘Grenadier’ Company and D ‘Dragon’ Company, as well as hosting the Republic of Cyprus National Guard team, with whom they had conducted training prior to leaving Cyprus.
The teams were put through their paces during a rigorous training programme
in the Troodos mountains in the weeks building up to the exercise. Progressive physical training accompanied rehearsals of CBRN drills, CPERs handling, counter- explosive ordnance training and armoured vehicle recognition, in order to ensure
that both minds and bodies were well prepared for the Welsh mountains. It was more challenging however to recreate
the conditions of a frigid October river crossing, with practice taking place instead in the Mediterranean from Tunnel Beach in
Relieved teams from the Republic of Cyprus Nation Guard (left) and A ‘Grenadier’ Company (right) pose with their silver medals