Exercise Lightning Strike

By OCdt Katy Coulthard.
Last weekend a team of 8 Thunderers took part in the annual Royal Signals UOTC Weekend which was made up of a competition and Mess dinner for 20 teams from across the UK. We arrived on the Friday to be briefed and then spent the evening in the bar catching up with the other DTUS units and meeting the other teams. An early start followed on the Saturday where we started on the first stand up at FOB Thorpe, the same place we had visited for the last Troop Day. Each stand was led by a Young Officer and soldiers from different Regiments within the Royal Signals. The stands ranged from the standard log run organised by 216 (Para) Signal Squadron to a survival lesson from 18 (Special Forces) Signal Regiment. Other stands included a rescue and recovery of casualties, manipulating through mine fields and setting up a communications mast. We put on a good performance, particularly on the log run, despite having less team members than other teams. At the end of the stand rotation we then all met up on the airfield for the final race which consisted of a 400m sprint with burdens. It was good fun to take part in and to be able to watch and support the other teams. The day ended in good spirits with a quick change before we all met again in the Officers’ Mess for the Regimental dinner. The dinner went down really well with the highlight definitely being the entertainment of passing profiteroles to the person next to you without using your hands. After this messiness we then went through to the bar and finished the night on the dance floor with more than enough questionable dance moves. Overall, the weekend was a great success with us all coming away knowing a lot more about what the Royal Signals do within the Army.

X-Country Vs SUOTC

Troop Day 2

Troop Day 2 (Anson) was held at Blandford Camp on a cold and windy Saturday in February. The days activities included the RSigs museum, PFA, Forward Operating Base tour and a drill competition.

Ex First Thors

The First Year Exercise took place on a cold but bright Longmoor Training Camp at the end of January. Lessons included cam & concealment, shelter erection, mine clearance and water torture to name but a few. At least it didn't snow...

REME Ski Trip

Eleven Thunderers were fortunate enough to take part in Ex CROUCHING TIGER which comprised six days of skiing in Alpe d'Huez in the French Alps. The majority of the Thunderers had not skied before and so battled through many falls and bruises to eventually be awarded the Basic Ski Proficiency Alpine. Those who already had this award took part in the Ski Touring Proficiency Course which included learning about checks for avalanches, touring in remote terrain and hasty snow holes. Despite the delays in the journey home, fun was had by all. It was a successful exercise in allowing contact with a selection of REME officers as well as everyone gaining a qualification.

MES Trial

Jumping off a perfectly good ship, in the middle of December. Yes, it was cold, and yes, it rained...

Sqn Christmas Party

Battlefield Tour 09 - The Fall of France

On Remembrance Weekend 2009, 72 Thunderers took part on a Battlefield tour of northern France, looking at the Arras Counter-attack and the Dunkirk evacuation. It was cold, wet and overcast on the whole, but that didn't stop us enjoying a wholly interesting and stimulating weekend.

Hood Troop Day - 17 Oct 09

On 17 Oct our first Troop Day of the year took place at Bovington Camp. Hosted by Hood Troop, the activities included stretcher runs, tank museum tours, a social with pub quiz, and of course, the first fitness test of the year. The day went very well, and you can see a clip from the stretcher run below.

Half IronMan

During the Summer 4 Thunderers took part in the New Forest Half Ironman Competition. Not only that, but they also all finished it!
Well Done.

CO's Trophy - Swimming

The first event in the CO's Trophy competition kicked off well, with a Swimming Gala held at HMS Collingwood. The Gala included individual and team races, along with a water polo match. Results were as follows:

1st - Hood - 4pts

2nd - Drake - 3pts

3rd - Hawke - 2pts

4th - Anson - 1pt

Ex Fresh Thor 09

Ex Fresh Thor 09, the Thunderer Acquaint Course took place over a very hot and sunny late September weekend. Using Jersey Camp on the Isle of Wight as a base, the new Thunderers took part in activities such as sailing, yachting, mountain biking and hill walking. The aim of this being to introduce the new Bursars to what is available to them within the services and during their time at Thunderer Squadron. I only hope the weather repeats itself next year...

Ex Annapolis 2009

Ex Annapolis 2009, the RN attachment with the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, was successfully completed in July and August this summer. See Photos below for some steely looking Mids...

Ex Bavarian Surprise

In August, 5 Thunderer Bursars and the 1st Lt attended the Naval Outdoor Activity Centre in Bavaria, Germany, for a week of Adventurous Training. Activities included kayaking, Klettersteig, climbing, trekking, white water rafting and canyoning. A good week was had by all, as can be seen in the photos below.

USNA Annapolis Pre-Deployment Training

Over three days in July, 15 second and first year RN DTUS students took part in the Pre-Deployment Training phase of the 2009 United States Naval Academy attachment. The training was conducted on 3 Victoria 34' yachts from the JSASTC in Gosport and took part over the entire area of the Solent.

The training included Rules of the Road, lights, shapes, sound signals and conning orders, along with the basics of boat handling and seamanship skills. For some this was nothing new, so acted as a refresher for them, but for the remainder it was an important learning phase of the attachment. Below is how we demonstrated the difference that height can make when assessing the local area.

Over the three days the students visited Portsmouth, Gosport, Cowes, the Hamble river, Beaulieu and Osbourne Bay. On the Tuesday we were blessed with beautiful weather and a constant F4 breeze. On the Wednesday though we had a following F6, often F7 which enabled us to hit almost 9 knots on the Vics, even with very little canvas up!

The next step is now to fly out to the States for the attachment itself.