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Gibraltar soldiers exposed to harsh weather
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Described by one officer as ?Vivaldi country? the Brecon Beacons in South Wales often experience weather from all four seasons - in a single day!
And at the moment, over 180 members of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment are out on the Brecon Beacons on Exercise Jebel Tarik.
The exercise, held every three years, is an opportunity for the whole Regiment ? Regulars, Territorials and new recruits - to train together and, this year they have even taken along eleven soldiers from their sister regiment, 2ieme Brigade d?Infanterie Parachutiste, from Morocco.
?We have a One-Regiment concept so it?s important that the whole Regiment practices its procedures together,? explains the Commanding Officer, Lt Col John Perez. ?And it?s this UK exercise that proves to me that the Regiment is fit for deployment. I firmly believe that we should be tested in the same way and on the same ground as all other British infantry regiments are tested.?
?And for me, it?s good to focus on my real priorities without any distractions? he added.?One of the main lessons to come out of Iraq and Afghanistan has been the need for soldiers to be able to navigate accurately.? Lt Col Perez explained: ?Not only does the Brecon area test my soldiers? map-reading skills but it helps them to familiarise themselves with an area where most of the Army?s promotion courses take place. If they know their way round Brecon, it will certainly be of benefit to their career prospects.?
The regular soldiers of I Company arrived in Sennybridge last week. ?This is a perfect training area for us,? said the Company Commander, Major Danny Freyone. ?It exposes our troops to the harshness of north-west European weather which gives our soldiers enormous experience and confidence. Judging from the way that the Company has started, I think we?ll achieve a very good standard by the end of the exercise.?
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