1 Royal Anglian pushes soldiers in platoon competition in honour of fallen officer
Soldiers from 1 Royal Anglian have been taking part in an intense competition that tests their infantry skills.
The Captain Driver Challenge tests the soldiers on what it takes to be a soldier in the infantry.
It's in honour of fallen Royal Anglian Captain Martin Driver, who lost his life from injuries sustained from an IED blast while on patrol in Afghanistan.
Major David Crosby, the second in command of 1 Royal Anglian, served alongside him."What I remember is just how professional the man was – an absolute warrior," he said.
Maj Crosby said the competition reflects Capt Driver's soldiering. "The skills now that we hold dear in the infantry, always have and are tested today, he absolutely optimised those," he explained.
"Whether it was fitness, whether it was marksmanship, whether it was leadership, he was fantastic across the board."
The day is divided into sections, which starts with a 4k tab carrying 40kg which the infanteers need to complete within 50 minutes, followed by 4k run carrying 26kg, which they have to complete within 28 minutes.
They then have six challenges to get through, including night vision and technology craft skills, in which they are tasked with putting a radio together, carrying out an offensive action using trench warfare, tactical casualty care, medical casevac, a marksmanship test followed by a military knowledge quiz.
Private Harrison Mitchell, an anti-tank gunner from 6 Platoon, B (Suffolk) Company, said the hardest part of the challenge was the rapid extraction of a casualty test.
The team had to run while carrying a 110kg steel stretcher, the weight representing a fallen soldier with all their kit.
"That was quite a big burn-out," Pte Mitchell said, his team having just come out of the 4k tab and platoon attack in the trenches before taking on the 3.5k stretcher race.
WO2 Ben Page, the training warrant officer at 1 Royal Anglian, led the trench warfare section where the group had to react to enemy fire while moving through the trench system.
He explained what the staff are looking for as they score the soldiers. "What we want to see on this one is more sort of individual soldier skills," he said.
The way the battalion trains in trenches has been changed following the lessons they've learnt from the war in Ukraine.
1 Royal Anglian has been heavily involved in training the Ukrainians on Operation Interflex.
They're looking for the soldiers to get more confident with clearing the trench and making big decisions.
"At the point of the clearance it is the private soldier who is going to make those life and death decisions," said WO2 Page.
Capt Driver was described as an all-round soldier who had great leadership, grit and determination - ideal characteristics for these infanteers.
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