Exercise Gibraltar Rock

Stn News

EXERCISE GIBRALTAR ROCK

With the issues at major airports around the UK cancelling hundreds of flights per day, the Force Development trip to Gibraltar felt a little uncertain. However, we were lucky as there were no issues with the flight times or even the arrival of our luggage. We shared our flight with the Physical Training Corps rugby team, only to have our MT stolen by them on arrival in Gibraltar. Fortunately, the beautiful weather meant that we spent half an hour acclimatising to the heat, whilst awaiting our replacement transport. The rest of the first day was spent settling into our accommodation at Devil’s Tower Camp and exploring the local eateries and drinking establishments.

The following day we met our guide Pete Jackson, who was stationed in Gibraltar 25 years ago with the British Army and ended up never leaving ‘the rock’. His knowledge and passion for Gibraltar’s history was second to none. The day's activities consisted of a walking tour through casemates, the lower tunnels of ‘the rock’ and the World War 2 tunnels. At various locations throughout the day people held stands ranging from topics on the ‘The Great Sortie’, the King’s Bastion and Pete’s beloved 100 tonne gun. A little surprise for all involved was the physicality of the walking, which was described at the beginning of the day as a “7-mile bimble”, but in reality, was 235,000 steps, nearly all uphill. Despite the arduous exercise, the views were excellent and even the packed lunches were edible!

On the Wednesday, there were some sore ankles and legs and maybe even some sore heads. The majority of the group walked up the Mediterranean steps. The more sensible members of the team took a cable car ride to the top of ‘the rock’, where Pete then showed us around the World War I defences and his lovingly restored mounted guns. Following lunch, the group went caving in St Michael’s cave, which tested the bravado of even the most confident, but everyone came out of the experience with a smile (and no broken limbs).

For the final day of activities, Pete took the group to ‘Project C’ which was a series of tunnels created to house and protect fuel for ships and aircraft during World War II. Unfortunately, some children had broken into the complex

in 2021 and set fire to some of the infrastructure, but, the majority of it had just been abandoned. Pete’s enthusiasm and knowledge of Gibraltar added significant value to the trip, and I hope his endeavours to maintain and protect the heritage of the country is recognised and gains support.

On the Friday, it was time to pack up our belongings and return to the UK. We were unfortunately delayed by two hours due to the luggage loader breaking, but it could have been worse!

For those considering going on the next iteration of Exercise Gibraltar Rock, I couldn’t recommend it more highly. Just make sure you bring a decent pair of walking shoes!

Thank you to James, Brian and Hilly for your organisation of the trip, the administration and the local knowledge of where to find good food.