UK heatwave helps fresh-faced Welsh Guards train for extreme Cyprus sunshine
The newest members of 1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards are starting their posting to Cyprus by getting used to the extreme heat.
Every guardsman and officer must complete a seven-day acclimatisation package, preparing them for working in the Mediterranean.
The early-morning marches slowly build the soldiers' resilience to the climate – and are gradually made more difficult.
"Being from Wales, I'm not really used to the heat," said Guardsman Rhys Williams of No. 3 Company.
"It's been good, slowly adapting and getting used to it as time goes on."
The summer heatwaves back home may have helped prepare the Welsh Guards for Cyprus by reducing the impact of the hottest weather.
"We were quite lucky before coming out here that the UK was in the middle of a heatwave," said Lance Sergeant Simeon Howells, the PTI leading the acclimatisation course.
"We had about three weeks of that before I deployed, it wasn't such a shock to the system."
"Usually we come out here from a very glum country."
Preparation, not punishment
Temperatures in Cyprus regularly reach 40°C but are slightly cooler around the coastal climate of the Sovereign Base Areas.
The training takes place in the cliffs around Episkopi Garrison, surrounded by the ruins of the ancient Greek city Kourion.
On the final day, the soldiers wear uniform, including armour and webbing, for a 100-minute march across 6.2km.
"It's too hot," said Guardsman Kingsley Rowlands of No. 2 Company.
"For a little Welsh lad like me, you need the acclimatisation to get used to the weather."
The training is designed to reduce the risk of heat injury, not to push the soldiers to physical extremes.
"Acclimatisation helps condition the body for the heat and make sure the soldiers are safe," said Lance Sergeant Simeon Howells.
Temperatures for the sunrise training need to be between 26°C and 30°C.
From Phase 2 straight to Cyprus
The Welsh Guards arrived in mid-summer and are the Resident Infantry Battalion in Episkopi on the Western Sovereign Base Area.
Most of 1st Battalion has finished acclimatisation training and are working as normal.
But the newest soldiers were posted to Cyprus only weeks after finishing Phase 2.
"I'm definitely loving it, coming straight from Catterick," said 18-year-old Guardsman Rhys Williams.
"I'm looking forward to Cyprus, two years out here getting to know the battalion."
The young soldier said his medic uncle's experiences attached to The Welsh Guards in Afghanistan helped him choose the regiment, alongside encouragement from his recruiter.
"I have a very long career ahead of me hopefully," said the teenager.
Guardsman Williams and Guardsman Rowlands both joined the British Army aged 16.
"I wanted to join the Welsh Guards to follow in my father's footsteps," said 18-year-old Guardsman Kingsley Rowlands.
"I feel proud that I'm carrying on a legacy."
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