Rapper and TV presenter Big Narstie dubbed the British Army’s bomb disposal experts the ‘kaboom squad’ after visiting soldiers in Colchester.
Big Narstie visited Colchester Troop, 621 EOD Squadron, 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment Royal Logistic Corps to find out more about their role supporting the emergency services to deal with incidents involving explosives.
The visit came about after Big Narstie posted on Instagram about how being in the Army Cadets as a teenager “gave me discipline [to] complete objectives and orders in life” and how he had wanted to be an EOD operator or sniper.
“I’m thankful the Army gave me the opportunity to come and visit the kaboom squad.” Big Narstie
At Merville Barracks, Big Narstie put on the protective suit worn by EOD operators; had a go at controlling the Dragon Runner and Starter T7 bomb disposal robots used to inspect and disable suspicious items; and was shown some of the items that the team had been called to deal with, from old artillery shells to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Corporal Sam Martins said: “When we saw online that Big Narstie had wanted to be an EOD operator, we decided we just had to get him along to visit! It was a different and fun afternoon for us; we got all the kit out to let him have a go and he was really interested in what we do.”
"It was a different and fun afternoon for us; we got all the kit out to let him have a go and he was really interested in what we do.” Corporal Sam Martins
Big Narstie said: “I’m thankful the Army gave me the opportunity to come and visit the kaboom squad.”
Since the Second World War, specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) support has been provided by the military to the emergency services on a Military Aid to Civil Authorities (MACA) basis. The vast majority of the approximately 2,500 EOD jobs every year arise from people finding old bombs and ammunition, but troops also support the police responding to criminal and terrorist threats – both false alarms caused by suspect packages and, the rare, genuine incidents.
The Army’s UK EOD tasks fall to 11 EOD & Search Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, which has teams working out of barracks across the country. The regiment is made up of ammunition technicians, drivers and supply specialists from the Royal Logistic Corps, Electronic Counter Measures and Communications Specialists from the Royal Signals, analysts from the Intelligence Corps and Royal Engineer search specialists. They are supported by Royal Navy EOD dive teams, who provide an underwater EOD capability.
Watch the video of Big Narstie at Colchester on our Instagram.