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Week 8Monday: Up and out. Weapons down and on the coach by 0830 for the half-hour journey to Longmoor Training Camp for Exercise Baptist Run. Feeling a little run down and tired after Exercise Afghan Horn last week we began the exercise by unloading the box wagon, with all the team’s delights and cosy tent (well as cosy as it can get on Longmoor) whilst we had to dig our shallow two-man ‘graves’ and pick up our ration packs – nice! Nevertheless we ‘dug in’ and tried to give 100% and keep our heads up, as we knew this was our test and Final Exercise. For the rest of Monday it was revision sessions and lectures on subjects such as observation, camouflage and concealment (cam & con) and navigation. Therefore the day was quite relaxed but we still had to be on the ball for Tuesday as Baptist Run began properly. Tuesday: After the night navigation exercise and two posts on sentry, the morning had a chilly start and sausage and beans for breakfast. A little tired from the lack of sleep, we got on with cam & con, something that I’m not too hot on and got seen straight away. Not the start to the testing phase I wanted but there were more things to be tested on so it did not affect me too much.
Moving across to the hillside to be assessed on the observation stance consisting of different issued items being placed on the ground upto 500m away for us to spot. This is not as easy as it sounds because some of the items are only as big as a mobile phone. I thought I did well on this after talking to the others and comparing answers. By this time it was time for ‘scran’ consisting of biscuit brown and chicken pate, scrummy! Not forgetting to put on my warmers jacket and woolly hat to keep warm. From that we undertook a static map stance. The last time we did this, I was either ‘bob on’ or well off, so I did not quite know how it was going to go. Thankfully my brain was working well so my answers were mostly correct. Now to the best bit and most fun part of the exercise which everyone loves … not! As Musn Hemming states in the Week 7 review “taking a dip in Longmoor’s tranquil lakes!” Fully kitted out with every piece of kit we had, we were dumped in the muddy puddle. Thankfully, everything was waterproofed properly and the whole Troop withstood the water. Dripping wet in the cold and pitch black night we set off on our night navigation exercise. Wednesday: Wednesday started with a kit muster which could have gone better as most of the Troop lost a little focus on the task and didn’t manage to pass the inspection. Needless to say, the Training Team were not happy. Consequences were to follow unknown to us what this may be. From here the Troop was split into two sections, one to be tested on fire control and target indication. I was in the group that was firstly assessed on our ability to understand fire control orders that are basically locating an enemy position on the ground quickly ready to fire. Again this went well but it was not the hardest of subjects we were tested on, in my view. Then onto target indication which is pretty much the same as fire control although the orders for the section or personnel to fire is not given. Time for ‘scran’, relaxation and a visit from the PDM Lt Col Davis and Capt Smallwood whom came to see how we were getting on and gave us some encouragement and a heads-up. After that we had a PT session consisting of a stretcher run with a crawl, then run up and down a hill. The next detail was only told to us after the PT session. We thought we had finished the exercise in the field but unfortunately it hadn’t because of the state of our kit musters. Therefore we had to stay the extra night. Disheartened and disappointed from the news, we were actually given the chance to make sure the kit muster happening the next morning was correct. So on to the night and another Navex. There were no major problems as on previous ones and everyone got back safely. Sentries were posted and the Troop either went to bed or cleaned weapons so they were ready for the kit muster. Thursday: Thursday saw an early rise as everyone wanted their kit musters to be correct and passable. The Troop really ‘dug in’ and turned it around, making up for the previous day’s blip. Once back on Base, weapons were handed in to the armoury and de-servicing of the Teams’ kit and personal kit. With a final kit muster on Friday, there were quite a few flappers who were rushing around trying to get everything done ASAP but not actually getting anywhere. Friday: A real time to relax. An easy lecture with the Chaplain on war and why they are entered, not forgetting the tea and biscuits after watching an episode of Blackadder Goes Forth. A change of kit from CS95 to gash PT was in order to clean our weapons for the best part of the day. With weapons clean and returned to the armoury until further notice, we had an hour to run around to get dry kit to display for our final kit muster. With a lot of people flapping again, the kit musters all went well although there was one factor that we all got picked up on the same items, although it was no fault of our own. There we had a surprise lecture at roughly 1900 on how to clean that piece of equipment… Musn S Pearson
Once all our kit was packed away in bergans, we headed off to the armoury to collect our weapons ready for deployment. To the disgust of the Troop, the Training Team were in fact pulling our legs and joking about the whole thing! (Even more tears were shed, this time of joy!) On Monday we did actually deploy for the field for real, collecting our weapons and making our way by coach to our second home, Longmoor Camp. Once there, we set up as usual the team tent and started our shell scrapes. As Monday was a revision day before the test started on Tuesday morning, we had a very busy day revising for all the different subjects we were going to be tested on, including an observational stance and camouflage and concealment (basically dressing up in bushes and hiding from the enemy!) On Tuesday morning the fun really began as test exercise ‘ Baptist Run’ started for real. Everything from that morning was marked including all the stuff we had been taught over the last seven weeks. We conducted more observational stances (looking for hidden objects from a static position), cam and con tests, static map reading and a day and night Navex (using our compasses to find check points in the Camp grounds by following a bearing – some found it harder than others – Musns Johnsen and Eskrett). That night we were also dipped again in the lake for the third time to practice the famous wet and dry routine and again a lot of fun – not!
Wednesday morning started with a bang, failing kit inspection and some being picked up for poor harbour routines so there were some very angry faces from the Training Team. We continued that day with more tests on fire control orders and target indication thinking that the day would be over soon and we would all be in Brit Block warm and dry for the night. How wrong were we! We were in fact surprised again by being told we were to stay another night! (Again more tears!) Thursday morning came round very quickly and before we knew it everyone passed their kit muster and we were packing away the Team tent, a light at the end of the tunnel. On our way back to the coach we did some section attacks on an enemy to get rid of the remaining rounds in our loaded magazines but in turn meant more cleaning back on Base. As we patrolled back down the hill, the pace opened up as soon as we saw the coach. Reassurance that we were coming back! The rest of the day was spent cleaning and de-servicing kit ready for another kit muster Friday afternoon. The questions on everyone’s faces now is “Have we passed?”! Bug Nelson Predicted forecast of the training programme (Subject to change at short notice)Mon 22 Oct Exercise Baptist Run Tue 23 Oct Exercise Baptist Run Wed 24 Oct Exercise Baptist Run Thur 25 Oct Lectures - First aid Fri 26 Oct Lectures - First aid Sat 27 Oct Personal Administration Sun 28 Oct Church Parade
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Our week started Sunday afternoon preparing for our last field exercise, ‘Baptist Run’, by setting out our entire field kit in the car park ready for inspection by the Training Team. Once the inspection was complete, we had a little surprise in store by being told we were being deployed that same afternoon much to the shock of the Troop and a few tears were shed (Musn Mills, Hurley and Bug Nelson).
