Self-Reliance Expedition
Fifty cadets from the Third Year gave up the last weekend of May half-term for a rigorous assessment of their skills in navigation, campcraft and self-reliance. After kit checks and nav revision, the cadets headed out onto the North Downs in callsigns of eight, carrying all they needed (in some cases a good deal more) on their backs. Passing through a sequence of checkpoints, sometimes even in the right order, and under the beady-eyed supervision of assessing staff, most groups made good progress, others鈥� routes took them past floating ice sheets or steaming mangrove swamps. Well before sunset, however, all groups had reached camp for a feast of nutritious fare from their military ration packs, some inter-section games and a chance to rest their tattered feet around the campfire.
All told the recruits showed no little competence with the map and compass and plenty of fortitude in the heat – exhausted, blistered, sun-baked but satisfied, the recruits can be very proud of a strong showing in this stiff test of their skills and mettle.
Capt. Mathew Owen
OC Army Section
