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NORTHUMBERLAND GAZETTE
www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk Thursday, October 3, 2013
Reserves pushed to the limit away from day job FEATURE By Tegan Chapman
tegan.chapman@jpress.co.uk @alnwickgazette
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oldiers from Alnwick Army Reserve Centre have been pushed to the limits in an intensive training exercise in Cyprus. Reporter Tegan Chapman joined the Fifth Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on Exercise Lion Star to find out more. As dawn breaks, the peace and tranquillity stretching out across the Cypriot horizon is shattered by the sound of sustained gunfire.
Hundreds of rounds of shots ring out across an occupied village, as the lead platoon of soldiers pushes forward in an epic battle to take power. Hours later the company seizes control of the land and move on to claim victory. This may sound like a scene from Saving Private Ryan, but it’s actually an imaginary scenario played out by reserve soldiers from across the north east, designed to put all their skills into practice. Based on real life situations, this final battle is the culmination of two weeks’ intensive training on the Mediterranean island that
will equip soldiers with the necessary skills for deployment to any future conflicts; skills that could potentially save their lives. But the soldiers from the Fifth Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers are no ordinary soldiers. Each of them hold down day jobs as teachers, plumbers, lawyers and labourers, and make up the reserve army - where training exercise like this are vital to bring the troops in line with their regular counterparts. Fusilier Ricky Angus, 21, from Alnwick, is currently a student at Northumbria University, and joined the reserves in February.
ghanistan are drawing to a close, the withdrawal of troops has marked a return to contingency. Training is now geared towards preparing to fight a generic country, as opposed to insurgents. Fusilier Jack Hale, 21, from Rothbury, has been in the Army Reserve for two years. “The training has changed now as we are now training to go to Afghanistan any more, so it’s more contemporary. “It’s much more fast paced, and it’s harder, but it’s good. “You get experiences you wouldn’t otherwise have. “I want to have the experi-
ence of going on your and this gives you a taste of what it might be like.” The troops’ mission was to clear a village and make it secure, but they came under enemy fire during the final exercise. For the soldiers the training may be arduous, but it also gives them the chance to learn new skill sets and offers great camaraderie. Fusilier Myles McMullen, 19, from Swarland, is a public services student at Newcastle College. “The reserve army makes you a well rounded individual and enables you to be able to work as a team, so you can turn your hand to anything,” he said.
‘There’s never been a better time to sign up’
Boosting morale Historically used to lead troops into battle, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers’ army band has cemented its place in the future of the Army Reserve as a morale boosting unit. Members of the band joined the battalion in Cyprus for their annual training camp, where they performed a series of concerts throughout the region.The band’s director of music, Captain Kevin Crook, from Druridge Bay, said: “It’s all about keeping the morale up for the boys. Sometimes they are out in war zones and they have nothing, and I think the morale element is still very much there.” Alison Tebbutt, French horn player, 35, from Mor-
He joined around 100 servicemen and women from the regiment at the training camp near the RAF Akrotiri base in southern Cyprus, where temperatures were close to 40C. “I am not used to the temperature but the exercise has been a good experience, especially working alongside the regulars,” he said. “Being in the reserves is enjoyable and a good laugh and it’s perfect for me because I wanted to get the experience but still concentrate on my studies and enjoy myself, and this lets you do both where the regular army wouldn’t.” Now operations in Af-
Soldiers from Fifth Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers on Exercise Lion Star in Cyprus.
Alison Tebbutt, from Morpeth, from The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers band at their annual camp in Cyprus.
peth, said: “This has been one of the best camps we have ever done. We got to play in the amphitheatre to ex-pats and it was an incredible experience that we would never have in the civilian world.” The band can still be mobilised and given tasks such as
driving or decontamination, as they are all military trained. Captain Crook added: “The band is making music and they’re getting paid to do their hobby. We have members that have been doing this for 30 years, which shows how much they love it.”
AN army officer has said that changes to the way the Army Reserve operates mean there has never been a better time to sign up. The Government is heavily investing in the Army Reserve – previously known as the Territorial Army – to provide improved kit, better weapon systems and added benefits. Future Reserves 2020 (FR2020) will see the number of reserve recruits rise to 30,000 by 2018, and will also see an increase in benefits for soldiers including improved kit, pension, health care and holiday entitlement.
Plans will also see whole platoons mobilised, whereas previously individuals were sent to join regular units. Reserve units are now paired with a regular unit as Government plans for ‘One army – regular and reserve’ forge ahead. And the training exercise in Cyprus was the first time the one army ideal had been put to the test. Lieutenant Colonel Karl Mace, commanding officer of the Fifth Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, said: “Until now it has been a theory but now we have tried it and it has been successful,
it shows we have at the start of a journey that I am confident will deliver integrated operational capability. “In the field you could not identify who was regular and who was reserve, which proves for me that there is a chance of this initiative being successful and it will work. We are always recruiting and will welcome anyone who wants to find out more. “There really has never been a better time to join the Army Reserve.” For more information about joining the reserves, visit www.army.mod.uk call 0845 600 8080 or visit an Army Reserve Centre.