Ten Royal Marine cadets embarked on an intense, action-packed week, testing their abilities and learning new skills. Alasdair (Year 11) reports on the trip.
After the first week of the summer holiday had passed, ten Fifth (Year 11) Royal Marine cadets travelled to CTCRM (Commando Training Centre Royal Marines) at Lympstone, in Devon, to attend the third week of the Royal Marines summer camp.
All the cadets were glad to be on the hallowed grounds where all Royal Marines are made, and to emphasise this, we were put through our paces, swimming in the morning, and then practicing our CQB (Close Quarter Battle) skills in the new centre there. We also had a run through of the famous assault course, one of the Commando tests towards the end of Recruit training.
The next day, we travelled to 42 Commando at Bickleigh barracks, where we tested our marksmanship skills by grouping on a target at close range. We then went to the nearby common to undergo vertical assault training up a pinnacle of rock. That night, we travelled to Dartmoor, established a harbour position, and pitched our bivvies (tents) for the night.
The following day, in our troop we underwent practices for section attacks, casevac (casualty evacuation), contact drills and close-quarters battle. We were aided in training by serving commandos from 42 who taught us the latest movements for various drills.
Later, we went to RN Jupiter Point, in Cornwall, where we took various powerboats on a trip up Plymouth sound, viewing several of the UK’s arsenal of destroyers, corvettes, and submarines, including HMS Victorious. That afternoon, we went down river and prepared to assault a position we had been informed about at the top of a large hill. Our target was an enormous Napoleonic era fort used to defend Plymouth from French attack, now used as a training area for TA and RM units. We conducted several recce patrols, infiltrating the building and gathering intel on enemy positions, before returning to a safe area, establishing another harbour, and bunkering down for the night.
Early the following morning, we quietly infiltrated the fort, and a troop attack was initiated, with a section clearing rooms, our section conducting fire support, and another section assaulting an enemy position across a large courtyard. After some time, the fort was captured, and after the brass had been picked up, we returned to CTCRM and enjoyed some rest before leaving the next morning.
