Page 27 - RAPTC Mind, Body & Spirit

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The WO’s & Sgts’ Mess were winners of the annual cricket match played at Richmond Cricket Club. However the Officer’s Mess retain their winner’s status in the annual Rugby match at Christmas. The regimental cycling team embarked on the Alps. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience with different ability groups participating. The Inter Squadron XC teams battled it out on the training area. The unit hosted the Army Strongman competition 2017. The unit co-hosted the BAWF Event 2. The unit won the UK North Water Polo Competition 2017.
The UK North Boxing season has had another busy year with plenty of action. The RAPTC Dinner Night was an awesome opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. “RAPTC Mess Dinner Night” The RAPTC Cricket Team doesn’t get together very often but when we do it’s a great occasion with top characters. The Royal Lancers grow from strength to strength even though the unit are fragmented with different commitments. The majority of the unit are deploying on Op TOSCA 28 (Mar – Oct 18), others are gunnery training in preparation for BATUS, and the unlucky ones are on ROG. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year with the Lancers. I look forward to the deployment and tales of the unexpected in the next chapter in my Royal Lancers adventure.
SSgt Stephenson, Sgt Hull and SSgt Burnell
Since arriving at 5 Rifles time has certainly not dragged. I have now been in the post for 15 months and it seems strange that only now are we really going to have a period of
sustained time within camp!
From Op TEMPERER over Christmas 2017 and then straight into the Rifles NCO cadre at Westdown Camp, 2017 started with a full schedule. It was only shortly before this time that the Bn was warned off for the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Group (BG) Estonia which was later to be known as Op CABRIT.
In early march the wheels were in motion and the approval had been given to source £50,000 worth of gym equipment to sustain PT for the BG. It was then time to get things moving pretty quickly as I only had around two weeks to receive the kit and also load it into the ISO containers as the freight had to be sealed and moved down to Southampton Port to start its journey to Estonia along with the approx. 400 armoured vehicles that would also be making their way out to the Estonian Capital port city of Tallinn.
With the main body flights starting at the end of March and finishing in early April it was not long before the 1100 members of the BG would also be arriving in Estonia. In early April I arrived at a chilly Estonian Airforce Base to start what would be a 7-month deployment unlike any Op TELIC or HERRICK deployment. With the initial main task of integrating into a multinational BG made up of the French and Danish Armed Forces our immediate task was to learn to work alongside the Estonian Defence Force and the
Estonian weather! With the nights still reaching temperatures of -15 it was a slight shock to the system!
Things did not start as I had planned as the building we had expected to use as the gym was not finished or licensed for use. My immediate plan was to look elsewhere and with a lot of building work going on throughout the camp it was not easy to find another building that would fit the bill! After some initial doubt I had some good news from the QM that he had found two buildings that we could use on a temporary basis but built as a washdown point and servicing bay, not your ideal gym buildings but as it turned out they provided a more than adequate temporary solution.
Following the setup of the gym my focus now was on to getting the Adventure Training planned as well as looking at any civilian events the BG could get out and about around Estonia. I was fortunate as Maj Reid and Fraser Marr of JSMTC and Maj Williams and WO1 Baker RAPTC had come across to Estonia (Maj Williams and WO1 Baker less their luggage!) to assist with this and provide some much-appreciated SME advice.
After a short period of planning members of the BG were out conducting adventure training in the form of both overnight sea kayaking expeditions and single day trips, as well as mountain biking. Other activities in the form of a “Go Ape” style high wire course and paddle boarding enabled everyone from across the UK contingent of the BG to complete some form of AT/sporting activity.
5 BATTALION THE RIFLES
SSgt (SSI) ST Hawkins RAPTC
Initial gym setup Ship wrecks around the Pakri Islands Sea Kayaking