Page 13 - Mercian Eagle 2014

Ascension Island Lt Anderson
After completing our role as the RIC (Roulement Infantry Company) in the Falklands Islands we were offered one last reassurance patrol of the Ascension islands. We were given this patrol due to our hard work and success in the Falklands. We
sent a team of eight men led by myself and Sergeant Buckley who left the blustery Falkland Islands just as it was turning to winter, to arrive in the tropical island of Ascension, where we were greeted by
a temperature of 27 degrees when we stepped off the plane.
With the military presence on the island being so small and rather busy, there is very little opportunity for engagement with the local community, hence why we were sent. While our mission was reassurance, what this actually meant was helping to clear the path ways for the national park that was
on the island! The national park itself is one of the world’s few true artificial forests, that were planted under the direction of John Hooker by Kew Gardens in the mid 1850. The introduction of this large scale rainforest had the effect of changing the weather and climate of the island. It is now common for significant amounts of rainfall, which has made life far more bearable. The island in places resembles a garden and in others
a moonscape. We had the pleasure of spending two days working in the rainforest clearing paths with machetes, so that the tourists and local population could use them.
Also, we managed during our time off to spend time enjoying the local attractions of the island. The perfect sandy beaches were the main attraction to be had on the island; we enjoyed two days on the beach soaking up the sun and the surf as we
waited for our flight to arrive. The flight was unfortunately delayed, so we traded the beach for the pool and enjoyed another day of “reassuring the local population”. In addition the Ascension Islands is one of the places where the Green Turtle comes to lay their eggs at dusk, which we took the time to witness. The general feeling amongst
myself and the men that this was that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we were incredibly lucky to go there. It was somewhat of shock to return to the United Kingdom, with its tepid temperatures and lack of sun.
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