The Mercian Regiment
4 MERCIAN - Ex Midlands Challenge 2007 4
Caption:
A soldier moves through the peat moorland on Sennybridge Training Area.
BATTLE CAMP FOR NEW REGIMENT.
Following the creation of the British Army’s newest regiment little more than 10 days ago almost 300 members of the Territorial Army battalion have been conducting a tough exercise in the Walsh hills.
The part time soldiers had spent the first week of their annual camp training at Swynnerton in Staffordshire whilst preparing for an amalgamation parade at Tamworth Castle.
This saw the West Midlands Regiment join up with the Staffordshire Regiment, The Cheshire Regiment and the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters to become the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Immediately after the parade the TA soldiers packed up their kit and headed for the hills, pitching their tents on the Sennybridge Training Area in mid Wales.
This year’s annual camp was geared to words battle training and almost half the soldiers there were new recruits finishing their basic training course, Exercise Midlands Challenge. They have spent five arduous weeks attempting to get through a training program that normally takes at least seven months for a TA soldier to complete.
The new soldiers had to learn a diverse set of skills in double quick time if they wanted to ‘pass out’ at the end of camp and be presented with their new Mercian rank slide.
The course was both physically and mentally demanding requiring the recruits to get fighting fit very quickly whilst staying mentally alert in order to learn how to take care of themselves and the rest of their platoon.
As well as learning the obvious battle skills the recruits had to learn how to live in the field, cook their own rations, construct their own shelter and get out of bed very early in the morning.
Those who passed the course are now classed as qualified soldiers and will continue their military training in a number of specialist areas before being eligible to deploy on operations with the regular army.
The battalions Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ivoan Yardley said “This regiments has sent 440 Territorial Army soldier soldiers on operations in the last four years, a record second to none, which shows how important the TA has become over the last few years.
It is vital that we have well-trained and keen soldiers capable of supporting military operations and the skills that the recruits learn on exercises like this are absolutely crucial. They have succeeded through personal grit and determination and I welcome them to the family that is the Mercian Regiment.”
The final test for the soldiers was a gruelling six-mile Combat Fitness Test. Running against the clock with full military kit is hard enough, but doing it on Welsh mountains is a nightmare scenario that would a scare most regular soldiers. But the camp ended on a relaxed note as the soldiers enjoyed a barbecue along with their first can of beer in weeks before heading home and back to their civvie jobs.
Crown Copyright © 2007
4 MERCIAN - Ex Midlands Challenge 2007 4
Caption:
A soldier moves through the peat moorland on Sennybridge Training Area.
BATTLE CAMP FOR NEW REGIMENT.
Following the creation of the British Army’s newest regiment little more than 10 days ago almost 300 members of the Territorial Army battalion have been conducting a tough exercise in the Walsh hills.
The part time soldiers had spent the first week of their annual camp training at Swynnerton in Staffordshire whilst preparing for an amalgamation parade at Tamworth Castle.
This saw the West Midlands Regiment join up with the Staffordshire Regiment, The Cheshire Regiment and the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters to become the 4th Battalion The Mercian Regiment.
Immediately after the parade the TA soldiers packed up their kit and headed for the hills, pitching their tents on the Sennybridge Training Area in mid Wales.
This year’s annual camp was geared to words battle training and almost half the soldiers there were new recruits finishing their basic training course, Exercise Midlands Challenge. They have spent five arduous weeks attempting to get through a training program that normally takes at least seven months for a TA soldier to complete.
The new soldiers had to learn a diverse set of skills in double quick time if they wanted to ‘pass out’ at the end of camp and be presented with their new Mercian rank slide.
The course was both physically and mentally demanding requiring the recruits to get fighting fit very quickly whilst staying mentally alert in order to learn how to take care of themselves and the rest of their platoon.
As well as learning the obvious battle skills the recruits had to learn how to live in the field, cook their own rations, construct their own shelter and get out of bed very early in the morning.
Those who passed the course are now classed as qualified soldiers and will continue their military training in a number of specialist areas before being eligible to deploy on operations with the regular army.
The battalions Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ivoan Yardley said “This regiments has sent 440 Territorial Army soldier soldiers on operations in the last four years, a record second to none, which shows how important the TA has become over the last few years.
It is vital that we have well-trained and keen soldiers capable of supporting military operations and the skills that the recruits learn on exercises like this are absolutely crucial. They have succeeded through personal grit and determination and I welcome them to the family that is the Mercian Regiment.”
The final test for the soldiers was a gruelling six-mile Combat Fitness Test. Running against the clock with full military kit is hard enough, but doing it on Welsh mountains is a nightmare scenario that would a scare most regular soldiers. But the camp ended on a relaxed note as the soldiers enjoyed a barbecue along with their first can of beer in weeks before heading home and back to their civvie jobs.
Crown Copyright © 2007