
Back Row (left to right) is Instructor Tris Bennett, MC2 West, MC2 Groves, LCpl Price, LCpl Pritchett, Sgt Andy Lawrence
Front Row (left to right) MC2 Havvock, LCpl Hacker, MC2 Kelly and LCpl Gibson.
The Marine Cadets from Bristol Adventure Detachment have done it again at the Annual Field Assessments. This is the yearly test that all Marine Cadet Detachments undergo to assess a Detachment’s capability of mounting a fighting patrol (which will result in an enemy contact) and their ability to deal with the situation, using Section Battle Drills as the model.
The exercise is judged by the Staff Royal Marines Officer - CSgt Ash (“Happy Days”) Bourne, who, along with Capt (SCC) Brian Reynolds RMR, has to judge every Detachment in the UK SCC including Channel Islands, Malta and the Falklands.
On Friday 26th September 2008, eight members of Bristol Adventure Marine Cadet Detachment, led by LCpl Pritchett, arrived at Swynnerton Training Area to take part in the exercise.
As usual, the Section is presented with a scenario and a mission, from which the Section Commander has to extract his own orders – a model is prepared and a full NATO sequence of orders is given.
The advance-to-contact results in effective enemy fire, which of course the Section Commander has to deal with – usually a flanking section attack and a final assault and reorg.
All of which is not bad going for Cadets aged between 13 -18 years.
During the section attack by Bristol Adventure, the SRMO decided things were going all too well and using his well-known sense of humour, added to the scenario and pinged LCpl Pritchett (the Section Commander) as dead.
MC2 Havvock immediately stepped in to fill the breach - digging out blind he took charge of Charlie team, led the assault, clearing the enemy position and calling the reorg.
Once Delta team had rejoined the section, Havvock again led out a recovery group of LCpl Price and MC2 West to recover the remains of the hapless casualty, lying comfortably some way back in the grass. They carried him out in a fireman’s lift to complete the exercise and joined the rest of the section, LCpls Gibson and Hacker and MC2s Kelly and Groves.
The SRMO, by now quite beside himself with excitement, pronounced it a hoofing display and Bristol Adventure Detachment were awarded a score of 95 out of 100 a VG Superior grade for the display and skill shown by the section, the best within Alpha Company and certainly one of the highest scores given to date.
Congratulations to the Detachment Staff who trained the Section, Sgt Andy Lawrence and Instructors Tris Bennett and Phil Prys-Roberts.
Bristol Adventure Detachment Website
Email: adventure@acoy.co.uk
Telephone: 0117 929 0356
Information: Sgt Andy Lawrence – Bristol Adventure Detachment – 2 Troop – Alpha Company