12 NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008
Where heroes
once stepped
THE annual Achnacarry
Commando Memorial Speed
March attracted competitors from
across the Corps and the Army.
The march replicates the route
taken by the original commandos
who were trained at Achnacarry
in the 1940s.
On arrival at the station in
Spean Bridge, recruits would
be given 36lbs of equipment
to carry and told they had 60
minutes to cover the seven miles
to Achnacarry.
After that, the gates would
be closed and anybody outside
the camp would be returned to
their parent unit having failed
the initial entry criterion for
commando training.
Given the challenging terrain
and invariably inclement Scottish
weather, it was no mean feat –
especially when you consider the
fact that the men wore hobnail
boots and ill-fitting webbing.
Around 200 competitors
arrived at the isolated station
in heavy rain for the 2008 race,
including a team from Scotland’s
present-day commando unit, 45
based in Arbroath.
Among the runners for 45
Commando was Lt Harvie
Montgomery RN, the unit’s
education offi cer.
Coming to the end of his spell
at RM Condor, the green-bereted
naval officer was determined to
● National stealth service... 3 Commando Brigade’s Sgt Baz Shaw moves through a stream in the Baldy Beacons, Belize, during exercise Tropical Storm
Picture: PO(Phot) Dave Husbands, 3 Cdo Bde
run the speed march – a personal
crusade as his grandfather trained
at Achnacarry before serving with
the Royals in Normandy as a
dispatch rider on D-Day.
“The history attached to the
event certainly struck a chord
with all the runners, and it was
a humbling sight to see some
former commandos who were
part of those initially trained at
Achnacarry present and walking
the route,” said Lt Montgomery.
The march begins with a 1½-
mile climb up a “fairly cheeky”
hill to the Commando Memorial.
The march then descends past
the various lochs which were used
for the amphibious phases of
original commando training.
The undulating route
THERE are 600 extra men
commando trained – although its specialised to attune them to the with the Afghan National Army Tropical Storm, to challenge every
eventually arrives at the gates to
in 3 Commando Brigade
infantrymen can volunteer to take Royal Marines’ amphibious role. when the brigade deploys to man from the most junior rifleman
Achnacarry Castle, with one more
climb and just under a mile to go
today – but they are not
the All Arms Commando Course Maj Ben Tomkins, 1 Rifles Helmand in the autumn as part to their CO.
at Lympstone to earn their green Second-in-Command, added: of Britain’s ongoing battle against That exercise enjoyed added
to the fi nishing line. Royal Marines. berets. As part of 3 Commando “Our guys can see the benefits the Taleban. realism thanks to Deployed
We’d love to tell you that the 1 Battalion The Rifles, part Brigade, the soldiers do wear the straight away – they get to learn
Until taking 1 Rifles under Tactical Engagement Simulation...
Royals won the march... but sadly of the Army’s largest regiment, distinctive commando dagger. new skills and they also have the
its wing, 3 Commando Brigade or, put simply, lasers.
the men with maroon caps seemed will provide Plymouth-based 3 The Rifles – the modern-day opportunity of going to new places
comprised three battalion-sized Yes, think Tin Can Alley for
to be celebrating at the end. Commando Brigade with what successor to the regiment made usually only used by the Navy.”
fighting formations, 40, 42 and the 21st Century: rifles equipped
Lt Montgomery upheld his it calls ‘a fourth manoeuvre unit’ famous by Sean Bean’s Sharpe – 1 Rifles will bring extra
45 Commandos, plus supporting with lasers which replicate the
family’s proud tradition, crossing – basically extra bodies on the are currently in Belize undergoing firepower – a mortar platoon –
commando artillery, engineers, trajectory of a bullet, while sensors
the line on 51m 29s – enough to ground to expand what it can do. jungle training. extra mobility – Mastiff vehicles
logisticians, signals troops and on the ‘enemy’ will record whether
claim an impressive third place 1 Rifles, located in Chepstow, Over the next two years their – extra snipers and will provide
HQ staff. the soldier has been killed or
overall. are not commandos nor are they training will become increasingly additional ‘mentors’ for working
“1 Rifles are not commando wounded.
trained at the moment, but there The wizardry also ‘tags’ each
are many constituent parts of the soldier, sending back details of his
brigade that aren’t necessarily all position to those in control of the
commando trained,” said 3 Cdo exercise.
Bde’s Commanding Officer Brig Such hi-tech kit is all very well
David Capewell. “We will find and good, but fighting in the
them useful work – interesting and jungle is principally about physical
demanding work.” endurance, coupled with first-rate
That “interesting and navigational skills.
demanding work” attracted some “The Belize jungle is a complex,
of the men to 1 Rifles. arduous, physical environment
“Hopefully we’ll get to go on the with energy-sapping heat, teeming
old big ships and have exercises humidity and horrendous hills
that are a little bit different to where mistakes with navigation
what we’re used to and a bit more can have disastrous consequences,”
out of reach, such as Norway, explained Lt Col Peter Germain,
and a few farther reaches which in charge of the British Army
we have not done,” said Sgt Lee Training Support Unit Belize.
French. “If you can operate in the jungle,
Sgt Paul Jones added: “The you can operate anywhere.
lads are all geared up to join “Training in Belize is not all
3 Commando Brigade. The jungle-focussed – any unit sent
Marines have a great reputation out to this part of Central America
and I can’t wait to work alongside will also find rocky pine savannah
them, especially when we go to and hilly grassland, not dissimilar
Afghanistan later this year.” to parts of Wales or Scotland but
1 Rifles spent six weeks in significantly warmer.”
Belize on jungle training ahead of With thanks to Sgt Baz Shaw, 3
their final test: a six-day exercise, Cdo Bde.
012_NN_May.indd 1 21/4/08 10:21:25
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