home to the local Taliban. It was during this time that we moved, yet again, across to FOB Shawqat. Based in an old British fort, the soldiers went about setting up home for the final time on the Tour. With the cold nights setting in and the minds of the men now starting to think of returning home to their loved ones, we set about building the ANA element of the FOB as Ramadan started. Ramadan had a pronounced effect on all of AMBER 10 with the teams being reduced to short patrols because the ANA were not able to eat and drink during daytime. The change in tempo gave us time to reflect on the Tour. Despite working with a number of ANA, it can be said that the presence of Gypsy 14 can be felt in its aftermath and No.3 “Commando” Company will certainly stay in our minds long from now, with their brave commander Lt Hammed Alah, their dog Hiloh and their unparalleled chai (local tea) making skills providing fond memories of the summer of 2009.
Ex Tropical Relief
by Lt Scott In February, the Battalion took the lead in organising an adventurous training exercise for 19 Brigade. Designed as a reward to Private soldiers who had performed well on Op Herrick 10, lucky soldiers from four different units within the Brigade were chosen to embark on four weeks of adventurous training in Belize. The chosen fourteen were whisked off from the dreary grey skies of Brize Norton to the tropical shores of Central America. In total, five soldiers from the 2nd Battalion were able to make the trip. Lt Scott (C Company) was OC of the Exercise, Pte Kennedy represented A Company, Pte Frow B Company and Pte Briggs C Company. Cpl Bircumshaw of C Company was called upon to assist on the ranges with an exercise running concurrently. That didn’t stop him managing to get some windsurfing in mid-exercise though! The landscape of Belize lends itself greatly to adventurous training, whether it be the numerous jungle rivers and rapids or the mangrove islands which thrive in the Caribbean Sea. Our chosen activities of SCUBA diving, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking/canoeing gave us vast experience in the water, be it submerged or on the surface.
On arrival in Belize, we were taken to the island of St George’s Caye. Approximately 2km long and only a few hundred metres across, the island is home to a few locals, an upmarket hotel and the British Forces Adventurous Training Centre (BFATC) which caters for a host of water sport activities to suit all levels and durations. This was to be our home for the first three weeks of the exercise.
In week one, we undertook the PADI Open Water scuba diving qualification, designed as an introductory course ultimately allowing divers to dive unsupervised but with a buddy. The visibility and climate of the waters surrounding St George’s Caye allowed us not only to enjoy learning to dive but also to see a whole host of marine life while doing it. Octopus and a magnitude of brightly coloured, exotic fish went about their everyday business as we got to grips with the requisite skills to equip us fully for our underwater excursions. After all this hard work, we embarked on a long weekend of R & R on the island of San Pedro. Famous for its nightlife and beaches, this proved to be the perfect place for some respite. Despite some horrific haircuts and flaming sambucca-related injuries, a good time was had by all. However, the most enduring memory has to be of the boat trip over there and the snorkelling in Hol Chan marine reserve or the infamous “Shark Ray Alley” as it is popularly known. Although apprehensive at the sight of shark fins encircling our boat, we jumped into the water to discover a number of Nurse sharks swimming around us whilst schools of Stingrays and Eagle rays floated past us.
In the second week, the group split between windsurfing and sailing. While the windsurfers seemed to struggle to simply stay on the boards, the sailors became preoccupied with dodging the boom, with some big hits being taken by Pte Kennedy and Pte Briggs early on. Undeterred, we all carried on and eventually reached the level of being able to navigate our way around the island on our respective vessels without too many sore heads! During the third week, good news reached the island from back home: Pte Kennedy received a phone call from the Commanding Officer that he had been
The Mercian Eagle October 2010 41
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