Families of Army reservists beamed with pride despite the cold weather at the Pass Off Parade at Army Training Regiment (Grantham).
Blue skies and sub-zero temperatures saw the 67 newly-trained reserve soldiers take part in the traditional passing off parade to mark the successful completion of their basic training.
I was very fortunate to have a good section. We received the champion section award and our Corporal - Corporal Brown - went above and beyond to make us feel good about being in the military. All the people in our section gelled and worked to a common goal. PRIVATE HOLUBECKI-FRANCE, 3RD BATTALION THE ROYAL ANGLIAN REGIMENT
The three modules of the Common Military Syllabus culminates with a 16-day residential training course.
The modular course is designed to teach everything an Army Reserve recruit needs to know to become an effective soldier and fulfil their role within the Army Reserve. It includes, amongst a wide variety of topics, familiarisation with the Army’s values and standards, mental and physical resilience training, weapon handling, field craft and navigation training.
The soldiers will now return to their units to undertake their initial trade training. Among them are Private Oliver Holubecki-France and Gunner Oulton from 103 Regiment Royal Artillery, who were named the Soldiers’ Soldier by fellow recruits in their individual Platoons. The award is voted for in a secret ballot.
Private Holubecki-France (20) serves with 5 Company, 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment and is based in Peterborough.
He said: “I’m extremely honoured and I firmly believe if you earn an award that you’ve been voted into, you should continue to earn it."
“I was very fortunate to have a good section. We received the champion section award and our Corporal - Corporal Brown - went above and beyond to make us feel good about being in the military. All the people in our section gelled and worked to a common goal."
“There were times over the two weeks training that some of us felt like leaving, particularly when lying in a field in freezing temperatures, feeling low and wanting to go home. However, we all stuck together and we were collectively our own rock on which to rely upon.”
Brigadier Julian Ladd TD VR, the Deputy Director Land Warfare, who joined the Army Reserves in 1992 as a Platoon Commander, inspected the parade and presented a series of awards including the Soldiers’ Solder award, Best Recruit and Best Shot.
I was quite surprised to win the award to be honest - I wasn’t expecting to win anything. I just wanted to challenge myself. It’s nice to win it and be noticed by the training staff. It was a good course. The cold made the final exercise more challenging but we got through and felt a sense of achievement. Private Bodden,
4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment
Private Ashley Bodden (36) a member of the York-based Helmand Company, 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment was awarded the MacRobert Reserve medal for Best Recruit in his Platoon. The Battalion has companies and detachments in towns and cities across Yorkshire and Teesside.
He said: “I’m a bit older than the usual recruit but I just wanted a change, a challenge and to keep fit. I’ve played sport on and off. I’ve played rugby and I’ve boxed. Being in the Army Reserves is a reason to keep yourself fit and look after yourself."
“I was quite surprised to win the award to be honest - I wasn’t expecting to win anything. I just wanted to challenge myself. It’s nice to win it and be noticed by the training staff. It was a good course. The cold made the final exercise more challenging but we got through and felt a sense of achievement.”
The course is delivered by the Army Training Regiment (Grantham) whose instructors have been specially selected and trained for their role. Their main task is to lead recruits through their training and assist them in passing all aspects of the course.
All Army Reserve soldiers are paid whilst training. The pay scale is based on what a Regular soldier with the same job and rank earns. Pay is increased as a soldier gains experience and is promoted.
