Page 46 - RAPTC Number 102 2018/19

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I’ve been serving at 1 IG for 7 months and the time has gone in the blink of an eye. As I write this article, my thoughts reflect to my first few days in Hounslow. It was a mild Sunday September
evening, I still remember it well. It was only my second day in Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow, home of the 1st Bn Irish Guards. There was a rifle company of Northern Irishmen stood in 3 ranks on parade conducting a nominal roll, about to board a coach to RAF Brize Norton. Strolling up with all my kit & equipment, a strong Irish accent said, “you must be the new Corp Man”. With a firm handshake, the CSM got 2 of his men to grab my kit and load it onto the coach. A few hours later I was boarding the plane to Kenya, ready to deploy on Ex ASKARI STORM. I’d only spent 48 hours in the Battalion but I was on my way to Kenya and given the warmest of welcomes.
My initial feeling of arriving at the Irish Guards was of excitement as prior to transferring into the RAPTC I served as an Infantry soldier. It felt great to be operating at an infantry unit, bringing back fond memories but now managing young, pro-active & intelligent AAPTIs.
There was no bedding-in period at 1IG in Kenya, I was welcomed and made to feel at home straight away. My tasking’s
were simple, execute the acclimatization
training, plan and deliver the Battlegroup
AT program, liaise with members of BATUK and ensure community engagement is conducted. Deploying to Kenya so quickly after arriving was a blessing in disguise
as it gave me the opportunity to meet members of the Battalion, instantly forge relationships and get to know key personalities. As big as my tasking’s were in
Kenya, I was fortunate enough to be well resourced and supported by the Battalion. Something I learned quickly is that the CoC are hugely supportive of Physical Development, and they take great care to ensure best practice is always being employed.
After a few weeks in Nanyuki, I had worked out of the art of executing the AT program and got a revolving door of numbers attending AT. The feedback from the Battlegroup was positive and it was interesting to see AT conducted in East Africa rather than traditional UK outdoor regions. The 2 companies that provided AT to the BG have been serving the British Army for years and pitched training at the perfect level for the troops.
Another tasking I was eagerly looking forward to was the community engagement. Myself and the HQ Coy OC were fortunate to be given complete autonomy by the CO to plan and execute our project. A committee was formed and briefed that we would be working at Bridge International School in Nanyuki. Bridge school has just over 260 pupils with ages ranging from 3-16 years old. The school itself is in the southern part of Nanyuki just off the A2 road which runs from the Somalian border to the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Furthermore, we learned that Bridge School is part funded by an American charity that helps the day
to day running of the school. On the initial recce we met the head teacher Mr Jackson, who gave us a warm welcome and a short tour of the grounds. My initial thoughts were of shock and sadness, it’s at that point the penny dropped and we saw first-hand the desperate state of poverty some of these children lived in. All the children greeted us with smiles as we walked around and were eager to make us feel welcome, we then took time to sit down
1ST BATTALION THE IRISH GUARDS (IG)
SSgt (SSI) C Cumberbatch RAPTC
SSgt (SSI) Cumberbatch RAPTC at the equator