HRH The Countess of Wessex visit to British Forces Cyprus

HRH Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, visit to British Forces Cyprus

Scribe: Maj Owen McNamee

On 22 June 2022, HRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited British Forces Cyprus. As part of their visit, they had the opportunity to meet REME members of the Joint Mechanical and Engineering Transport Squadron (JMETS) who are based in RAF Akrotiri.

JMETS is a Bi-Service Squadron consisting of RAF and REME personnel and are ably supported by locally employed civilians. Their mission is to deliver engineering and transport solutions to British Forces, the Sovereign Base Police, Ambulance, Fire Services and of course the British Military contingent on the island.

As the REME’s new Colonel in Chief, the visit provided the Countess with a great opportunity to meet members of the Corps delivering operational output overseas.

Cpl Brookes recalls his memories of the closely guarded visit:

“The first I knew about the Royal Visit, was about a week before. Whilst walking into the office, I looked at the job board to see what was coming up over the next week or so. In amongst the usual activity on the Island, eight letters caught my eye in the corner of the board, “HRH Visit”! My initial thought was that this would be a great opportunity to show a member of the Royal Family what we in the REME are capable of. After an initial brief from WO1 (ASM) Mavin who described his vision for the event, we were left to get on with the nitty gritty of getting it organised; with only a quick final meeting to ensure all was in place.

On the day, we arrived early to make sure everything was set up, the area was clear to line up the obligatory thoroughly cleaned SV(R), which always provides and excellent back drop. We adorned the SVR with essential items such as the REME flag, an interest board and

(L-R) WO1 (ASM) Mavin, SSgt Binding, Sgt Taylor, Cpl Vauls, Cpl Brookes, Cfn Wilkinson and LCpl Pratt meeting HRH

HRH looks at some of the more unusual jobs carried out by JMETS Recovery Section

black matting to save the Countess’ feet from the extremely aggressive seeds found in Cyprus called “Ouchies” (if you have been here before then you know all about them!). After changing into our “good kit” and we were in place, Their Royal Highnesses exited a building from a previous engagement. As they came out the band started playing and the children started cheering, Prince Edward was guided down the line of children from the primary school in RAF Akrotiri, while The Countess was diverted to meet us. On her arrival we were brought up to attention ready for her to travel down the line to meet each of us. My mind was filled with what I was going to say about Recovery Section’s role in Cyprus, and why Cfn Recce Wilkinson was dressed, as my boss SSgt Troy Binding describes it, like a binman (we use it for white fleet recovery). However, I didn’t need to worry. The Countess wanted us to gather around her and to speak to us informally, phew! After the introductions were made, she then started to ask us questions about life in Cyprus, how we find working in a multi service environment, and how we deal with carrying out physical tasks in the heat. As the conversation flowed, it became very clear that she had a good understanding of the different trades in the REME and their demands. You would think this would make us feel uneasy as she clearly knew her stuff, but she had a great knack for keeping it informal and keeping us relaxed. Unfortunately, our allotted time with her finished and she was gently guided away to join her Husband with the children and then on to their next appointment. It was a pleasure to meet our new Colonel in Chief and we were delighted to host her on her first, informal, trip to meet REME soldiers. The Countess demonstrated a good understanding of our trades and skill sets, but most importantly showed genuine interest in us as people. Arte et Marte.”