The Exercise

Days 1-5 of camp went something like this: carry incredibly large Bergen to harbour area, set up camp and then if you're lucky, get about 2 or 3 hours sleep before getting up and starting each day's activities.

These mostly involved walking long distances in the heat wave we seemed to encounter on Dartmoor, attack enemy positions, always unfortunately located at the top of steep tors, and learn very quickly how to use every spare 5 minutes to sleep, eat and/or use a prickly bush to hide behind as a toilet.

The training ground we were using on Dartmoor was unfortunately very open, which isn't very helpful when you're trying to be tactical. Hence, the reason for enemy locations on top of tors, which stick out like beacons and are dotted all over Dartmoor.

The one I will remember the best was undoubtedly "Yes" tor, so named I'm sure by the amount of people who shout YES when they finally reached the top. I was not one of these people, as by the time I reached the summit, my platoon had been attacked but I was a reserve section and so hadn't fired off a single blank round- a pointless and tiring, yet necessary, start to the day, at least in my mind at the time.

I'm sure I'll look back on these experiences one day and realise they were character building and that I learnt many useful life skills, but right now the memory is too sharp and the pain still at the front of my mind as I remember those days of torture. Well, that, and the beautiful sunsets and sunrises we were incredibly fortunate to see, as we were inevitably awake at these hours.

After the shock of the first full day, when all I wanted to do was jump into the enticing supply cars that passed us, I guess the exercise had its fun moments, the attacks being the things that really kept me going, along with the group morale and camaraderie that exists inside all infantry sections.

I personally am fairly used to sleeping rough and the general lack of cleanliness that comes with being in the field, but I struggled to overcome my own weaknesses of not being able to carry on with the physical demands after little sleep and a lack of energy, which I'm sure most people encountered. But the feeling when you finish, of finally getting back to camp and taking your first shower in days, is one of the best in the world- its called pride, in your own success and accomplishment, as well as that of your friends.

The Weekend In-Between

I can honestly say that the highlight of camp for me was a full day at the beach following the exercise. A beautifully hot day of sunbathing, sand castle building and swimming was a perfect way to wind down after the demands of the previous week.

The only slight down side was the inevitable sunburn that pained me for days but nevertheless meant I had excellent posture for a while. Saturday was spent with our companies, with my own company of Bangor deciding that paintball would be a fun activity, which I guess it was - until I started getting hit and ended up covered in more bruises in the 5 minutes I was doing paintball than the entire exercise put together. But a nice meal out and plenty of Pimms helped me relax sufficiently to forgive my peers in the end.

The Sunday was a wonderful day out in Plymouth, starting with a moving ceremony marking the National Armed Forces Day, followed by a wander round the shops, which I'm sure helped many people ease the weight of money in their pockets following pay parade.

I can't go much further without mentioning the evening activities during our time in camp so far, involving a few of our number dressed in togas and/or armour as we celebrated our first night back with the fancy-dress theme "300", then the leavers ball and BBQ for non-leavers were the next main socials after the day on the beach.

The Round-Robin

Monday to Wednesday of week two had three different activities being held on three different days, these being the RSM's challenge, involving navigation and walking, command tasks and a killer of a log run. Another activity was a battlefield tour and finally there was either a visit to a naval warship or a day with the Royal Marines, who were teaching either cliff or beach assaults.

I enjoyed the first two of these activities, but it was my day with the Royal Marines that stood out, as I was lucky enough to be in the group that were supposedly practicing beach assaults, but simply ended up swimming and capsizing a zodiac, followed by trips on all kinds of fast-moving, marine-filled boats. My favourite of which was certainly their landing craft, named the Orc, reaching speeds and almost dancing on top of the water in ways I didn't believe possible.

The Final Countdown

The final few days were just as exciting for most, but slightly sad for others, as they would mark the last days of their lives with OTC. A fun part for me was the volleyball matches, played during the sports day which was held on the one day of rain we experienced.

The annual dinner as well was a wonderful evening in a beautiful location, unfortunately named 'Boringsdon hall', or something very similar, but the evening was far from dull, being wine-fuelled and with many tales to tell, even among strangers.

This marked the final major event of camp, as the last day or so was admin, admin and more admin. Only the upbeat tunes of the beating the retreat were left, to signify the end of a jam-packed two weeks.