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REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S)
nasium training, the steeple chase, Officer Commanding Fitness tests, endurance circuits training and boxercising. We grazed through it with aggression, drive and focus in order to gain the competence to be part and parcel of the airborne forces. As hard as it got, I remembered the joke from my Regimental Admin Warrant Office, WO2 Nolan, ‘Do not come back if you fail’. Failure was never in my mind at any point and in everything I made sure I was placed in the top 3.
Finally, Phase 3, test week approached. See table below for tests. On the Wed 12 Oct 11 on the Parade Square in Helles Barracks, I was issued my maroon beret, congratulated for passing Pegasus Company and welcomed to the airborne forces. JM
Phase 3, test week. The tests were as follows: EVENT 10 Miler Trinasium Log Race Steeplechase 2 Miler Endurance Stretcher Race Milling
DISTANCE 10 Miles – 1.9 Miles 1.8 Miles 2 Miles 20 Miles 5 Miles –
TIME 1hr 50m – – 19m 18m 4hr 30m – 60s
TEAM Individual Individual Team Individual Individual Individual Team Individual
BURDEN 16 kg + Rifle + Water – 60 kg between 8 people – 16kg + Rifle + Water + Helmet 16kg + Rifle + Water 79kg between 4 people (16 in team) + Webbing + Helmet –
Exercise CAMBRIAN PATROL 2011
A
s the German winter started to show its face it was time for the Cambrian Patrol team to start their training. As team manager, Sgt Davies organised a two day exercise to get everyone used to being back in the field. Cobwebs were quickly blown away and we all went back to basics, revising patrolling techniques and infantry skills. It was just a shame that the time to practice wet-dry drills never did materialise!
where the directing staff carried out more kit checks and delivered an initial set of orders. Time was then given for me to write a set of orders for the team. The remainder constructed a model and distributed ammunition under the guise of LCpl Fullard. Orders delivered we tried to remain on our feet as we set off down a muddy track and onto transport that would take us to our starting point.
After a few more days training in and around camp the whole squad moved over to the United Kingdom. We decided to stay at Bovington in order to acclimatise to more dramatic terrain and not move straight into the patrol having driven from Germany. The coastal path around Bovington provided a great area to stretch the legs and work up a sweat. This time in the United Kingdom also allowed us to finalise the eight members that would start the patrol and make sure our kit was ready. This involved packing everything, having a kit check before repacking our kit. This got mildly tedious after the fifth inspection!
As the bergans were hauled off the back of the Land Rover it became apparent that there were few directions in which to travel but up rather large hills! It was great to see that nobody was fazed and we made good progress as we carried our 40kg bergans to the top. This was very much the nature of our first day. Impromptu breaks often materialised as another person was swallowed by a bog. LCpl Fullard was kind enough to give everyone a 15 minute break as he wrestled free from one particularly nasty bog encounter! As night fell on day one we were to carry out a close target reconnaissance (CTR). In order to gauge as much information as we could about the enemy, Cfn Billington and Tpr Wilson rummaged around in deep wet grass. This just
We left Bovington at 2300hrs which got us into the Brecon Beacons for 0200hrs. We were hurried into a sodden woodblock
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The team looking fresh before things got wet and wild
27/07/2012 14:36