Page 53 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Aiming high
Our first glimpse of the Himalayas was out the right-hand window of the plane heading into Kathmandu. Soaring, majestic peaks pierced the cloud and smog in an impenetrable wall as far as the eye could see. The team was comprised of four members of 2 RIFLES we also had three members of 6 RIFLES, two members of the AGC Det, an armourer and Cpl Pun, a chef who originally hailed from Nepal.
After a brief two-day stay at British Ghurkhas Nepal in Kathmandu to pick up kit and sort out final admin we braved the Nepalese traffic and squeezed onto a tiny Dornier Do 228 at the airport. As Kathmandu sank away into the smog the Himalayas again reared their heads and we were lost in their beauty for
forty minutes or so. The problem with approaching the runway
at Lukla is that you don’t approach it from above but rather fly straight at it, as space limitations mean the plane isn’t really stopped by its brakes, but by the uphill slope of the runway itself.
Team Everest flying the flag the highest it has probably been
5550m is 200m higher then Base Camp. After listening to horror stories of sitting in freezing temperatures waiting for Sunrise on Kala Patthar we decided to go for Sunset instead. After a gruelling climb, the last 100 meters over broken rock,
As the days of the climb ran on we climbed higher into the mountains; trees and farmland gave way to scrub and incredible vistas and we increasingly began to feel the effect of the thinning air. The altitude dictated that we needed to climb slowly and take acclimatisation days on our way up. These
acclimatisation days allowed us to take in
some outstanding scenery, as well as giving
us time on the 11th November to celebrate
Remembrance Day and observe the two
minutes silence overlooking Everest from the
Chinese Hotel above Namche Bazaar.
With each step towards Everest the air got
thinner, the temperature got lower and the snow became more prevalent. We were eventually entirely surrounded by soaring peaks, a cage made of ice and rock.
After 9 days we finally reached Gorak Shep, the final permanent outpost before Base Camp. We spent the first day there climbing up to a shoulder called Kala Patthar, which at
we reached the top
the plane isn’t really stopped by its brakes, but by the uphill slope of the runway itself
20th Big Shots Day - charity clay pigeon shoot with The Furniture Makers
Three Chosen Men from 2 RIFLES teamed up with two from 7 RIFLES to attend the 20th Big Shots charity shoot RIFLES in E J Churchill Shooting Ground by The Furniture Makers Livery Company. The day saw around 30 teams of four of completely varied experience in shotgun shooting competing for
various trophies and awards to be given out after the lunch and charity auction. The combined team of 2 and 7 RIFLES, bloated
in numbers by the fact that
the soldiers from the Second
Battalion were travelling between
pre tour families briefings and
could not easily split up, rotated
through the thirteen stands
with four scoring firers, and
really enjoyed the opportunity
to fire (for the first time for Rfn
Robertson and LCpl Underwood)
shotguns at clays, rather than
RIFLES at static targets.
trophy, did win the trophy for the Air Rifle stand, scoring impressively high in the precision shoot to which we are more accustomed.
Not only did this charity shoot provide an opportunity to integrate side by side with our fellow Chosen Men from the Seventh Battalion
in an extra curricular environment, but it also provided a fantastic opportunity to meet the Master of the Furniture Makers, Paul Von de Heyde, who was very warm in his
and what greeted us was one of the most incredible sights I’ve ever seen. The Khumbu Glacier stretched out below us, a seemingly endless stream of solid ice and on the horizon stood a wall of mountains, each one more jagged and majestic than the next. And finally, seeming almost close enough
to reach out and touch, was Everest, her
gigantic flanks dominating the area around her. As the sun began setting Everest was lit up by an orange
light and the moon began rising almost directly behind her. Eventually she was the only mountain still lit up until the last of the glowing orange light slid off the top of the mountain and darkness fell on the Khumbu Valley.
Lt N Waters, A Coy
Given the lack of experience in this kind of shooting, Team “The RIFLES” fired consistently well, and although not taking the main
Rfn Robertson and LCpl Underwood receiving the well deserved award with some rather lovely bubbly too, from the Master, Paul von de Heyde
welcome into the fold, and to gain an insight into the support that the Furniture Makers generously provides to the Battalion, particularly in providing financial support to injured Riflemen.
The day as a whole, with the sun shining beautifully, and the occasion providing a welcome respite from the strains of the unit move to Lisburn, was very well received; thank goodness “The RIFLES” managed to make the right impact in the rifle stand! Capt Luke Whitfield-Jones Furniture connoisseur
THE RIFLES
SECOND BATTALION 51