Signaller Graeme Bell
My Grandfather served with 32 Signal Regiment through the Second World War so to join this unit was a sentimental journey. I joined the Royal Signals Reserves to give me IT knowledge and am currently training to become a qualified Communication Systems Operator. It also gave me the opportunity to enjoy my love of the bagpipes.
I have been with 32 Signal Regiment for just over a year now and as well as making new friends and having a sense of belonging I have gained my Pipe Majors Certificate plus the Piping and Drumming Qualification Board Level 8.
I enjoy training with our pipe band as it is made up of both Regular and Reserve soldiers, I am looking forward to completing further trade training and to the foreign travel and great venues which the pipe band perform at. I feel a deep connection to history when I play my pipes in this uniform. In the Army Reserves I am Paid to Play
Sgt Nursimiloo
In 1994 friends recommended the Reserves to give me something to do and maybe travel outside Glasgow.
13 different countries and a few decades later and I am still in! Of all my military deployments 18 months mobilised in Canada and exercises in Kenya are the most notable.
My love of skiing has taken me to most European countries and some Apres nights in Aviemore. I am currently undergoing further training as a Paramedic for the NHS whilst being a full-time Mum and the Army Reserve allows me to spend my spare time serving my community in another uniform. Great friends and a great time.
Lance Corporal Johnny De Silva
I love adventure, sport and a sense of accomplishment. I enlisted into the British Army at 17 years of age and found the Army fulfilled my expectations.
As a keen sportsman, to be employed at the Olympic Games was a great privilege. I helped win the Army Challenge Cup at football two years running and enjoyed adventure training in Morocco and Austria.
Deployments in the Ukraine, the Falklands and Norway followed by a tour at Sandhurst are some of the highlights of a varied regular service career.
On leaving the Regular Army the transition to the Army Reserves was obvious as the reserves provides so many of the positive opportunities offered by the military with so few negative tasks. Always prepared to volunteer I was mobilised for the military operation to assist the civil authorities in countering the COVID 19 pandemic.
Captain David MacDonald
Having had my appetite whetted at the City of Edinburgh University Officer Training Corps in 2011 I knew I wanted to lead soldiers and serve my country. I am fulfilling those aspirations as I am currently the second in command of 2 Signal Squadron based in Aberdeen and Dundee.
As a Process Engineer on an Offshore Platform I like to maximise my onshore time off. With 32 Signal Regiment I have deployed on UK Communication Exercises, worked with NATO counterparts in the Czech Republic, competed in a patrolling competition in Italy, learned to skydive in California and attended a battlefield study in Israel.
The best part of being in the Royal Signals Reserves has been getting to work with a diverse & talented group of soldiers from the Regulars and the Reserves.
Lance Corporal Ross Doyle
Whilst growing up I was torn between joining the Police or the Army, the Army Reserve gave me the opportunity to do both.
I joined 32 Signal Regiment in 2013 and the confidence and leadership skills I have developed, gave me the belief to successfully complete my training with Police Scotland two years later. As a keen footballer playing against a professional football team in their national stadium was an incredible experience.
I have travelled extensively throughout Europe with the Army Reserve on exercise and adventure training. I have operated at one of the forward Operations Rooms during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, my hometown. I take great pride in a job well done.
Signaller Rebecca Millar
The Army Reserves offers an array of challenging environments which has allowed me to gain knowledge, learn new skills and presents opportunities and experiences I never thought possible. Since joining I have qualified as a Class 3 Communication Systems Operator and have obtained my B+E driving licences. In early 2021 I deployed to Kent providing military assistance to support the operation combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
In two short years with the Army Reserve I have been paragliding in Bavaria and been on multiple ski trips in France. I am currently working towards becoming an Army ski instructor. In addition to this, I am now the lead tenor drummer in the Royal Signals pipe band and have also started learning the snare drum. The Army Reserves has been a great addition to my everyday life, and I look forward to many more exciting opportunities that lie ahead in my military career.