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Great work from visiting gunners
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For the last four weeks, the men and women of 22 (Gibraltar 1779-83) Battery, Royal Artillery have carried out the duties of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment whilst the local Regiment is on annual camp in UK.
Working in three troops, the Battery has divided its time between guarding duties (including the Convent Guard), military training and adventurous training. The Battery Captain, Captain Dave Forrester-Addie has also found enough time in the programme to organise a couple of community projects in which everyone in the Battery has taken part.
In the main task, the four 5.25 inch guns of Princess Anne’s Battery have been stripped back to bare metal and repainted. When their installation was completed in 1956, these guns performed a dual anti-aircraft and coast defence role and they were able to fire an 80lb shell up to 55,000 feet with a maximum horizontal range of 27,000 yards (13.5 nautical miles). This is the only intact battery of 5.25" AA guns anywhere in the world and they were last refurbished, again by a Royal Artillery unit, in 2006.
Lance Bombardier Dwayne Murray was one of the soldiers who worked on the guns. ‘The time flew by and we got the job done quicker than we expected,’ said Dwayne. ‘The weather was gorgeous and the new paint was dry within seconds. I’m from Trinidad where we use the same kind of paint. But, in Trinidad, this paint takes days to dry because it’s so humid but here, it dries in seconds.’
‘Whilst I’ve been on the Rock, I’ve tried to do all the usual tourist things,’ added Dwayne. ‘I’ve been up the cable car to the top of the Rock and I’ve been to see St Michael’s Cave. This has definitely been one of the better jobs I’ve had to do since I joined the Army four years ago.’
After serving in Afghanistan for six months last year, Dwayne was one of the soldiers who received their Afghanistan medals from His Excellency the Governor earlier in the week.
In a separate community project, members of the Battery have built and painted new flower beds at Chilton Court.
10-05-10
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