Page 77 - MERCIAN Eagle 2019

Winter Warfare Course
2Lt Hugh Murdoch
Anyone who has experienced the freezing waters of the ice breaking drill will be all too familiar with operating in freezing temperatures. Captain Richard Peacock and I had this great pleasure when we joined reserve officers from Estonia, Norway, Sweden and Finland on the basic winter course at Camp Ann in Sweden.
On the first day we were given an introduction into how to recognise the signs of frostbite and how to mitigate against it, crucial as your first battle in winter warfare is against the environment. We were then familiarised with the skis we would be using, old skis that had to be tarred before use. Being able to ski well with the skis took a considerable amount of time and involved many face plants into the snow!
individual areas where we were separated and left by ourselves in the woods for
the night. We each had to construct our own shelters and fires, we had only our sleeping and bivvy bags. In the morning
After two days
learning how to use
the kit and how
to operate in the
environment, we
deployed onto the
field phase. After a
two-hour long ski into
the countryside we
arrived at the ice breaking drills location. After successfully completing the drill and re-warming ourselves, we were shown how to build shelter and survive a night by ourselves.
The instructors then guided us to our
we came together and compared
our shelters, built emergency signal fires and conducted a navigation exercise.
The last day of the field phase saw us learning how to be towed behind
a snowmobile and a long casualty extraction using a pulk (sled). The final day involved a cultural visit and a closing dinner. Our thanks go to the brilliant instructors for running such a brilliant and unique course.
On the first day we were given an introduction into how to recognise the signs of frostbite
night. This resulted in the processing of one captured person (CPers). This was to be the final testing moment for the patrol. After 30 hours of patrolling, we were still able to flick the switch and destroy an enemy position with focussed aggression.
After 35 hours, we arrived at The Drover’s Arms and were thrown into a room to conduct a hot debrief. After thorough questioning, the Directing Staff gave a
final grid reference. This sent the patrol to Farm 7 and ENDEX! The team were high
in spirits and before we knew it the patrol manager and Permanent Staff Instructor, CSgt Nicholls, arrived in the rescue vehicle to take us back to Sennybridge Camp for a well deserved rest.
Looking back, the patrol was the 17th team to be released out of a total of 19 patrols, finishing second. Allocated 48 hours to complete the patrol, we took 35 hours
to complete the task and that included almost 5 hours of rest, covering no less than 60kms. The Silver Medal is a start and the battalion’s patrol team will be aiming for gold in 2020.
Well done 4 MERCIAN and the team members, Capt Rawji, Cpl Noble, Cpl Holmes, LCpl Grant, LCpl Higgs, LCpl Hulkes, Pte Watts and Pte Robinson. And last but by no means least, CSgt Nicholls our PSI for facilitating and taking the training as well as providing the G4 support.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
75