Op UNITY

Op UNITY: Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

Scribe: LCpl Campbell, 4 Regt AAC Wksp

The 22nd Commonwealth Games were held from 27th July to the 8th August this year. Birmingham was given the honour of hosting the games after Durban, South Africa announced it could not host the games due to financial costs.

The 2022 Games were to build on the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth games that were hosted in Glasgow; with more medals awarded to women than men for the first time and with a large focus on disabled-athletes sports. 138 Military Personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, The Army and The Royal Air Force were selected to take part in the ceremonial duties during the games; which would involve raising and lowering flags during the medal ceremonies of the 25 sports and their various disciplines during the Birmingham Games.

The 138 Military assembled at Nescliffe Training Camp near Shrewsbury on the 18th July to be put through their paces by a team from the Army School of Ceremonial Drill as well as teams from the Royal Navy and the RAF. The first few days were disrupted by the 30+ degree heat that affected many parts of the country, but this did not slow down the drill, flag folding, lowering and raising lessons as well as the uniform inspections to ensure that we all looked the part when in front of thousands of spectators, athletes and coaches whilst carrying out our duties.

My team was given the prestigious role of raising the Commonwealth Games flag during the opening ceremony and lowering it again during the closing ceremony in so it could be handed to the Australian Ambassador as the games are due to be held in Victoria in 2026. This was all in front of 30,000 people in the Alexander Stadium as well as a combined TV audience of 3 billion people from all 72 countries that make up the Commonwealth and were competing in the games.

Not to mention HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and HRH Prince Edward.

So, although we had a small part in the ceremonies the pressure was definitely on. But it was not all hard work, we had the opportunity to meet many of the athletes and performers taking part in the ceremonies including Ozzy Osbourne, UB40, Duran Duran, Ellie Symonds the Paralympic swimmer, Joe Lycett, Tom Daley and many others who were proud to show their support to the Military as well as the Games and the ethos.

Once we had successfully completed the flag raising at the opening ceremony and in-between our rehearsals for the closing ceremony we had the opportunity to watch several sports that aren’t often played in the UK such as 3v3 Basketball, Netball and Gymnastics of various disciplines and Cycling.

Op UNITY was one of the best things I’ve been involved with in my military career. It provided opportunities that could not be found anywhere else. I would urge any member of HM Armed Forces to take opportunities like these when they arise as it is an amazing experience and a great honour to represent the REME and The Army.