St Eligius Day: RTR

RTR BG Ex St Eligius day

Ex Director Capt McKenna, OIC WO1 Bush, Ex 2IC SSgt Morris. Instructors: Cpl Dent, Cpl Steiner, Cpl Helm, LCpl Desmond. Scribe: Cpl Bates

St Eligius Day is celebrated every year by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and being on Op CABRIT doesn’t change that for REME personnel deployed with the enhanced Force Protection (eFP) Battle Group (BG).

Two junior tradespeople were selected to represent each of the six sub-units. They competed in technical challenges from all trades and demonstrated the intelligence, outside thinking and physical resilience that underpin how REME tradespeople operate.

The day started in typical REME style with tea and biscuits, a safety brief, and a short inspirational speech from WO1 Bush. He explained to the soldiers the reasons for the celebrations and how it fits in with improving trade knowledge and team cohesion. This was particularly pertinent for those that haven’t experienced an Op tour or St Eligius Day. When asked what St Eligius Day means

VM Stand: Cfn Fairhurst fault finds on a Land Rover

Recovery Stand: The task included finding and connecting the equipment to achieve a 2:1 direct pull from a CRARRV to recover a stricken Warrior 512 in the distance

to him, WO1 Bush commented, “displaying engineering excellence and improving best practice whilst driving home the Corp’s gritty and determined work ethos. Delivered with an enjoyable and competitive spirt in mind and ready to defend Europe.”

EME’s notes

The Vehicle Mechanic stand ran by LCpl Atkiss (3 REME) was a simple Land Rover hazard warning fault simulating a corrosion fault on a terminal, followed by a secondary fault of a bad connection with side bulb. This stand not only challenged soldiers on ability to fault find and repair, but also to check the job all the way through. Cfn Wilkinson (RTR LAD) said ‘the whole day enhanced my skills as a tradesman, it showed the importance of attention to detail as missing the secondary fault lost my team points.’

The dreaded Recovery stand, with the heavy CRARRV equipment, ran by Cpl Dent (RTR LAD) was a simple 2:1 direct pull from a CRARRV to recover a stricken Warrior 512. To start the task soldiers had to run to the top of the nearby hill where they could find the plan left by the Recovery Mechanic for them to follow. Having assessed the plan, they had to put it into action and start connecting correct equipment to get the task done. Cheekily the last connecting piece was hidden and teams only received it on answering correctly ‘why things are seen.’ This stand pushed soldiers to their physical limits while showing the need to always keep a sharp mind even when exerted. LCpl Smith (Royal Welsh LAD) said “today was a great day with exposure to different trades and appreciation for other trades, it was a great stand as I had only worked previously with a Warrior 513, while the layout is the same the kit was different, by far the best stand.”

The Electronics Technician stand delivered by Cpl Steiner (RTR LAD) was for competitors to repair a cable post pack lift by removing the damaged part, stripping, soldering, and taping the smaller cables back together before protecting it with heat shrink and testing for a successful repair. Cfn James (RTR LAD) said “the whole event was challenging, interesting to see what other trades do taking me outside my comfort zone. The Tech stand really helped my ability to do my job as a VM better as I am confident to conduct cable repairs without seeking outside help.”

The Armourer stand delivered by LCpl Bartlett (Royal Welsh LAD) was to reassemble a GPMG, Sharpshooter, SA80 and Glock from parts in a box in the quickest time.

Tech Stand: Cfn Shackleton and Cfn Robbins complete a cable repair

Not to make it too easy extra parts were thrown in to make the soldiers think about what was needed rather than the process of elimination. LCpl Sommerville (RTR LAD) said “the Reccy Mech stand was tough but enjoyable, however the Armourer stand was my best stand, and it was good to get hands on weapons REME aren’t often exposed to.’ The Metalsmith stand ran by Sgt Boardman (3 REME) comprised of two parts. Firstly, an intro to Manual Metal Arc (MMA) welding where soldiers had to complete a basic weld being judged on neatness for this task. Secondly, Blacksmith

Metalsmith Stand: Cfn Davidson faces the heat with MMA welding

skills were tested by making a chisel from a Warrior track pin by heating the metal, beating it into shape and finally grinding to a workable point. Cfn Davidson (RTR LAD) when asked about his favourite stand said, ‘the Metalsmith stand was my favourite by far, it is something unusual to me and a trade we aren’t often exposed to.’ This sentiment was shared by most competitors and is easy to see why it won best stand by a sizeable margin.

No St Eligius Day would be complete without a test of some sort, this test delivered by SSgt Morris (RTR LAD) challenged soldiers on REME general knowledge, vehicles used by REME in theatre, cold weather questions, Estonian rank structure and as always military questions with cheeky bonus points for drawing the REME cap badge, producing some interesting results.

Ending such a competitive day wouldn’t be complete without a get together for all the REME soldiers in theatre to catch up as the high demand and fast pace of the tour has meant most soldiers have been dispersed across the Battlegroup keeping ‘the punch in the Army’s fist.’ The evening started with prize giving for the winners of the day activities which went to LCpl Sommerville and Cfn Davidson from RTR Egypt Fitter Section and the best stand went to Sgt Boardman from 3 REME. This was followed by a general knowledge quiz and relaxing environment for all to talk and play games provided. Overall, everyone was a winner showing key attributes required of REME tradespeople and showing breadth of perspective to successfully complete tasks from all trades.

Armourer Stand: Cfn Shackleton and Cfn Robins fire through weapon assembly

LCpl Sommerville

Cfn Robins

What does St Eligius Day represent to you, and how will this develop you going forward on Op Cabrit?

LCpl Sommerville RTR LAD, Egypt Fitters.

As this was my first St Eligius Day in the field army it has set a high bar for what a St Eligius Day should be. The competition was particularly good, and every team wanted to win. In terms of development, having that amount of exposure to each trade was invaluable, especially the Recy Mech and Metalsmith stands. It has also confirmed that I definitely don’t want to be a Recovery Mechanic…

Cfn Davidson, RTR LAD, Egypt Fitters.

St Eligius Day is a day where all the different trades can come together as one and show off their trade specific skills. It is important we as Corps understand other trades to help with team cohesion. I enjoyed St Eligius Day because I took part in different tasks which I have never done before which developed new and existing skills. The competition was good fun, and everyone put a lot of effort in to make sure they won.

Cfn Brownhill, 3 RHA WKSP.

As a Craftsman it is always a pleasure taking part in the events situated around St Eligius Day. It is all about the cohesion of the REME and the Fitter Sections. Having the Fitter Section there throughout the day, cheering me on was good to see, whilst knowing they’re always around when support is needed. The days tasks have made me more aware of the roles of others within the LAD and how to appreciate others skill sets, so that when they are combined the REME can always achieve the very best.

Cfn James, RTR LAD, Dreadnought Fitters.

As a Craftsman, St Eligius Day meant a lot to me. Being a part of the REME this day marks an important day to our Corp history as we come together and celebrate it with a bit of engineering competition. St Eligius Day has helped me develop all round, it afforded me the opportunity to learn other REME trades i.e. Metalsmith work, vehicle recovery and Tech repairs.

Cfn Wilkinson, RTR LAD, Dreadnought Fitters.

St Eligius Day represents everything the REME corps is about. St Eligius was an apprentice, a skilled craftsman and served at home and in foreign lands. He was courageous and humble in his trade and that’s what the REME stands for ‘Arte et Marte’ (by skill by fighting).

Cfn Robins, 3 Armd CS BN REME, ES Platoon.

For me celebrating St Eligius Day on op CABRIT 9 was a fun and educational experience. As a Technical Support Specialist (TSS), it shed a whole new light on the other trades. We come together as one powerful fighting force. It was a great experience and I’m glad I took part. From me personally hats off to the Recy Mechs. That was by far the hardest challenge physically and just shows how much true grit and determination we have as a Corps.

Cfn Brownhill