Page 69 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Rfn Spinks and Rfn Voke on BBC News.
Ex FRUGAL BUGLE
Rfn Bryce and LCpl Edwards achieving the secret identity task.
bewildering and peculiar stories. After sleeping on a pensioner’s sofa, Riflemen Kay and Healey travelled to Coventry and instead of attending a lecture actually delivered one on life in the Army to the students of the University of Coventry. Riflemen Voke, Brick and Spinks who managed to go pitch side at Old Trafford, were then hosted at the Rovers Return Pub (Coronation Street) and then put up in a hotel. They then played off Manchester City FC against their rivals and after being asked “What’s the biggest thing on your list?” had arranged to have a private helicopter ride to Birmingham. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to weather!
To name just a few achievements: three groups were interviewed on live radio (Rifleman Krupa twice), one university newspaper article was published, 11 cakes were baked, no Riflemen were arrested, six nights were spent in a 5 * hotel, one night was spent in a bush (Rifleman Jones, LCpl Wilson), five groups were photographed outside No 10, eight trips were hosted on the London eye, three managed boat trips (one courtesy of the Thames Police boat), 12 stadiums were visited and many more.
It was a challenging couple of days for the Riflemen, which seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all. Ex FRUGAL BUGLE convincingly met its aim by developing and stretching them through uncommon situations which they could hardly have anticipated.
Capt Alex Perry, S Company
With HERRICK 18 fading into the background, the Battalion looked forward to new training opportunities. In the immediate months after post operational leave, B Company chose to focus on the core ethos of what makes our Riflemen a “Thinking, Fighting Man.” This concept and philosophy is bred into Riflemen from the start of their training,
but is an aspect that
rarely receives specific
training. Therefore
Exercise FRUGAL
BUGLE was hatched
to put the Riflemen
through their paces.
The aim was to drop off
Riflemen at unknown
locations in pairs, armed only with a task list, a digital camera and their initiative. The end goal to get to 7 RIFLES HQ in London 60 hours later.
Having previously been searched for contraband items such as mobile phones, wallets and anything which could aide their task, 90 Riflemen were driven 200 miles from Bulford to three locations. Arriving in Manchester, Liverpool or Chester, the pairs would be dropped off at their isolated team locations usually at the side of a country lane. With only £5 per Rifleman and a laminated covering letter, they had to rely on their initiative and communication skills to negotiate their way via a rendezvous and onto the finish. All the while they had to achieve as many of the tasks as they could.
The goal was to earn as many points as they could and do it all within constraints of military and civilian law!
The points system would encourage Riflemen to be as bold as they could and discourage them from roughing it as much as possible. Focusing on eating, sleeping
Every group performed above expectation, with only one group needing to break into their emergency envelope
and transport, if the
Riflemen managed to spend the night in a 5
* Hotel, ate for free at a restaurant and travelled by limousine they would receive maximum points for that period.
If they completed tasks such as visit a famous sporting ground, bake a cake at someone’s
house or attend a university lecture they would get varying scores depending on the difficulty.
After a somewhat agitated 60 hour wait, the first groups started to arrive at the rendezvous. Every group performed above expectation, with only one group needing to break into their
emergency envelope for money and their phones. The rest arrived with
some
Dawn breaks over Dartmoor as a platoon nears the FUP on Ex TARLETON TROPHY.
THE RIFLES
XXX 67