Troops Test Their Mechanical and Engineering Skills

(May 27, 2009) -- Soldiers from the Territorial Army (TA) and the University Officer Training Corps (UOTC) from across the 4th Division and London District have recently been competing against each other in an exercise which tested their mechanical and engineering skills.

Exercise Southern Craftsman saw hundreds of troops descend on Longmoor Camp in Bordon, Hampshire, where they were given a taster of the mighty Warrior vehicles, which they may not have encountered before, as well as completing specialised training in weapon assembly.

Run by the Equipment Support (ES) Branch at HQ 4 Division on behalf of the General Officer Commanding, the exercise tested participants on a combination of REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) trade skills and military tasks.

Warrant Officer Class One Artificer Sergeant Major Gary Haworth of ES Branch said:

"The stands vary slightly from year to year but usually include battle damage repair to A and B vehicles, a vehicle recovery task and a design manufacturing task, which is ongoing throughout the day.

"This year we are using Warrior for the first time, which is something many members of the TA won't have seen before, unless they have been on an operational tour.

"We also want to encourage participation by the UOTCs so we have a special command task involving water for them this year."

Other tasks to challenge the troops included general military skills such as a patrol lane, weapon assembly and the combat fitness test.

Electrical Engineering student Keri Portas said:

"This exercise is a bit different. We have no REME skills so some of the tasks are quite difficult but it's good to get an insight into different trades and I really like the field element of the exercise."

The overall winners of the competition were 133 Workshop Company REME A Team, with 151 (Greater London) Logistic Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps (Volunteers) Workshop REME runners up.

Corporal Nicholas Perry, an MOT test mechanic, was a member of the 151 Workshop team. He said:

"The exercise has provided us with lots of hands-on practice and it was interesting to work on different bits of kit.

"On the Warrior we had to carry out run-up procedures on the power-pack and perform safety checks on the 30-millimetre cannon. The team coped well, considering they hadn't touched that kind of thing before. It's straightforward if you apply your skills as a mechanic."

Commenting during his visit to the exercise, General Officer Commanding of 4th Division, Major General Lamont Kirkland, said:

"This is an exciting and demanding set of stands which challenge soldiers both in their military skills and technical ability. It's probably the best competition of its kind for REME units in the country."

Source : Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) - click here for more information