A former bartender from South Ayrshire has served up his life story for visitors to the Army Expo.
Lance Corporal Robin (Mac) McNamara from. The Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry was driving Jackal in the enactment.
Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry soldiers demonstrate an attach scenario at Expo 25, hosted at Redford Cavalry Barracks.
Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry soldiers demonstrate an attack scenario at Expo 25, hosted at Redford Cavalry Barracks.
The event, taking place in Scotland for the first time at Redford Barracks, home to 51st Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Scotland, was an immersive display of warfighting capability which showcases the Army’s most formidable weapons systems, armoured fighting vehicles and attack helicopters.
Pitching up front and centre in one of those vehicles was Lance Corporal Robin McNamara – a qualified gunner and driver of the Jackal 2.
Robin, 33, known as Mac in A Squadron, said: “It’s been great to be part of because my journey in the military has been colourful and packed with activity in so many ways.
“I’m from a forces family so have had a direct interest in a military career from early on in my life having grown up in Lossiemouth, where my father served in the RAF.
“I initially decided to go to university, simply because all my mates were going, but I soon realised I’d chosen the wrong path.
“Then I took up a bartender job in Ayr and was doing 70-hour weeks, which was brutal, and I thought, I really want to do something different.”
Robin signed up as a Reservist with the Scottish and Northern Irish Yeomanry before going on to complete his driver and gunnery courses with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (RSDG).
“My aim was to do an operational tour and managed to get out to Mali for four-and-a-half months with the Guards,” he said.
“It was a completely new world for me in terms of geography, but also socially and professionally.
“Sleeping out under the stars in the Sahel and moving as an armoured battlegroup through the desert for days at the time was a truly unbelievable experience.”
The Jackal 2, a unique platform using an air-bag suspension system, which allows for rapid movement across varying terrain, was just one of many highlights at Army Expo. Also on display was Ajax: designed to be at the heart of the British Army’s future armoured fleet; the Apache 64E, the world’s most formidable attack helicopter; Challenger 2, the Army’s main battle tank which has never experienced a loss at the hands of the enemy; and also Boxer, a combat vehicle set to become the new British Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV).
It’s unique module design consists of a drive module and a mission module, and it can be rapidly adapted to suit various military missions.
Robin gave the audience attending Army Expo an insight to what life is like as a Jackal 2 gunner and drive.
His military career also includes a tour with 71 Engineer Regiment as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission to Cyprus – Operation Tosca.
He said: “We stayed in the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia and had responsibility for the western area of operations. The weather was amazing and there was also the opportunity for some down time, going to the beach and relaxing a bit.”
“The buffer zone was a fascinating place to work and the contrasts between the war-torn streets we patrolled and the beautiful streets of a modern European capital just metres away were stark.
“I made friends for life on this trip with soldiers from multiple regiments. Cyprus is such an interesting place, and you gain camaraderie and really improve your understanding of how the Army can bring solutions to complex problems.”
I made friends for life on this trip with soldiers from multiple regiments. Cyprus is such an interesting place, and you gain camaraderie and really improve your understanding of how the Army can bring solutions to complex problems.
Robin also played a part in the King’s Coronation.
“I was part of a Quarter Guard where the Scottish Crown Jewels are kept in Edinburgh Castle. That was a special experience, being part of a truly historic event and I’ll never forget that.
“It was a pleasure to be part of Army Expo alongside the crew and give an insight into some of the roles on offer. My journey has been fantastic and is one I’m always keen to share with people.”
East Ayrshire soldier recounts life-changing story at Army Expo
