Page 96 - AGC Journal 2018

GC JOURNAL
2018
A AGC JOURNAL 2018
Exercise Scarab Surf
By Second Lieutenant Adam Davis
Exercise Scarab Surf took place in Newquay, Cornwall with the aim to foster
team spirit and cohesion in a physical demanding and unfamiliar setting.
Heading to the Coast
After a three hour commute we arrived at
Royal Air Force St Mawgan and set ourselves
up ready for a day in the surf the following
day.
Warming Up
Activities began on Monday morning.
Following a quick change parade into
wetsuits of varying degrees of comfort we
moved out into the sea to begin our first
activity. The Detachment was divided into
two equal groups, each commanding their
own giant inflatable; teamwork was essential
to move in any direction other than a circle,
however, eventually our enthusiasm brought
us out in to the bay. After exploring the
coastline and completing various games
and impromptu man overboard drills we
headed back to shore ready for an afternoon
of surfing.
Lessons Begin Stretching
excercises
After an entertaining warm up on the
beach, we began our first lessons in surfing.
This sport requires a level of balance and
coordination that it appears needs developing
in our Detachment. With everyone keen to get
in the waves we headed back into the water
for the second time in the day and did our
best to at least stand up on the board. We all
had a great time with almost everyone taking
part being a complete novice to the sport, and
I am pleased to say by the end of the session
everyone had managed to get up on their
board for at least a fraction of a second.
Body Boarding and More Surfing
The
With everyone enthused by their experiences Team
on the first day, donning our still wet wetsuits
for day two was a slightly more pleasant
experience. Our first activity was body
boarding, a far easier discipline than its
stand-up counterpart. All of the Detachment
managed to catch waves with varying
degrees of success and for the most part
avoiding crashing in to each other.
Summary
The Detachment thoroughly enjoyed the time
we spent in Newquay. Many had never tried
their hand at water sports and some had
never even been in the sea. It’s certain to say
that all who took part had a fantastic time lessons
and are keen to get back in the waves.
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Exercise Joint Mercury
By Staff Sergeant Natasha Campbell-Chambers
Exercise Joint Mercury was a Battlefield tour to
the Island of Crete.
The Aims
Crete is the fifth largest Island in the Mediterranean and
largest of the Islands that form part of the modern Greece. Due
to Crete’s position in the centre of the eastern Mediterranean
made it a key strategic asset during the Second World War.
Operation Mercury
The Battle of Crete, Operation Mercury, took place from 20
May 1941 to the 1 June 1941, where a mixed Allied force of New
Zealanders, British, Australian and Greek troops desperately
tried to fight off a huge German airborne assault. It was the
first and only time in history that a strategic objective has been
taken by German airborne forces alone.
The
The Fighting group
We started off the day at the Maleme Airfield Chania where
the battle took place between Hitler’s elite German airborne there is a new Prison further down the road. Cemetery Hill was
regiment (Fallschirmjagers) and New Zealand Allied Forces a good advantage point for the Allied Forces as from the top
from the 22nd Battalion. The German’s suffered heavy of the hill you can see Prison Valley below and the village of
casualties in just one hour losing 512 men. We then made Galatas. The Germans had also attacked Galatas and the New
our way to the Travronitis Bridge which had been the site of Zealand forces did not have the strength to fight off the attacks
fighting on the first day. The Germans had landed near the and due to several civilians inside the village.
bridge in their fight for the airfield. A short drive to a nearby
carpark then a long walk up to Bunker Hill 107. This was the Third Day
22nd Battalion Command Post. It is also the site of the German
War Cemetery the last resting place for 4,465 German soldiers The day started with an eight kilometre walk down the Imbros
of whom nearly 2,000 were killed on the first day. Gorge. The Imbros mule trail was the only connection between
Chania and Sfakion, before the roads was built. Remains of
Second Day this trail can be still seen. The gorge witnessed an evacuation
of several thousand British soldiers during World War Two
A visit to Prison Valley and Cemetery Hill where the airborne before heading to Egypt. On completion of the walk we drove
invasion took place on the morning of the 20th May 1941 on a couple hours to the town of Patsos which was the hub of
the Headquarters Company’s area belonging to the 2nd New Special Operations Executive, and resistance operations. It’s
Zealand Divisional Artillery. The German paratroopers landed also the location the abducted General Heinrich Kreipe was
and took over. The Prison has now been turned into flats and kept before being sent to a Prisoner of War camp in Canada.
Surfing
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