A soldier who left the Army to see what ‘Civvy Street’ was like has rejoined — and says he has got back what he was missing in life.
Private Hamish Finney first joined up at 18 and served for six years with 24 Commando Royal Engineers.
“I left three years ago because I wanted to see what else I could do with my life,” the 30-year-old said. “I drove lorries and worked as a tree surgeon, but it wasn’t for me. I missed the camaraderie, the travel, and the excitement.”
After deciding to go back to the Army, Hamish opted to serve with 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.
"My old mates are happy to see me back in, but there’s a bit of banter about going from Commando to Para!”
He said: “I joined The Paras because they get the best opportunities and are the best trained infantry unit. My old mates are happy to see me back in, but there’s a bit of banter about going from Commando to Para!”
Going back to basics
Hamish, from Bridgend in south Wales, had to re-do basic training because of the length of time he had been out of the Army.
“It was an interesting experience, because I was that much older and had experience that meant the young lads looked to me for advice,” he said. “I found the training was both easier, because I knew what to expect, and harder because the physical demands and standards are higher for paratroopers.”
He finished the course as Champion Recruit — the top student in his group. Since then, the paratrooper has been on exercise in Japan and completed parachute training in Canada.
“The Army has absolutely given me back what I was missing in my life.”
He said: “The Army has absolutely given me back what I was missing in my life.”
Training side by side with French forces
Hamish recently took part in Exercise Orion in northwest France, which saw the British 16 Air Assault Brigade and French 11e Brigade Parachutiste training together. The exercise tested the 2,000 soldiers on a scenario involving a NATO ally facing an insurgency and the threat of invasion.
Hamish described the training as “a good workout for our basic skills”.
“We’ve been living out in the field for eight days, done a lot of patrolling, and fought defensive operations and attacks,” he said.
“We’re here to build our relationship with French airborne forces, and it’s been interesting to see how they do the same job slightly differently. There’s a lot of similarities, but some of their tactics and how they move across the ground are different.”
The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50 and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, search online for 'Army Jobs'.
