British Army's smartest NCOs battle it out on Catterick's famous drill square

Corporals and sergeants usually tasked with the training of Army recruits have been put through their paces during a drill competition at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick.

The contest saw the permanent staff members tested on their abilities with the pace stick – a key instrument when it comes to drill in the British Army.

Teams were drawn from across the base, known formally as Soldier Academy North, with a place in the Pace Stick World Championships up for grabs, which will be held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in June.

• Pace Sticking: What is it really all about?
• King's Gurkha Artillery welcomes first batch of gunners to its ranks fresh from training
• UK's 48th F-35B arrives at RAF Marham with first Lightning order now completed

The event was organised by Warrant Officer Class 2 (Drill Sergeant) James Parkes, who is the authority on all things drill at ITC.

"The pace stick is an aid to drill," the Coldstream Guard said.

"We march at a 30-inch marching pace, so it's there to make sure we have the correct spaces between ranks and files, and also when they are marching in quick and slow time, that they are marching and not stepping short, or too long."

First pace stick contest at ITC in years

It was WO2 Parkes' ambition to bring back an annual pace stick competition to ITC, which hasn't been a regular fixture on the training calendar for some years.

WO2 Parkes said: "It's good to actually finally get it off the ground and get things moving with the pace sticking championships, and to make sure it becomes part of the annual battle rhythm that we have here."

The teams were made up of permanent staff members responsible for delivering basic training at 1 Infantry Training Battalion, based at Vimy Barracks, or Phase Two Training, delivered by the respective divisional training companies at Helles Barracks.

While some teams were made up of personnel from a single cap badge, such as The Paras, others were made up of a mix of NCOs from across the infantry and the Royal Armoured Corps.

Skits

Each team faced a thorough inspection focused on turnout and bearing, which included checks on the inside of caps and the soles of boots. 

Then, once each man had been looked at closely, the team could step off, showing off their skills with the pace stick.

At the halfway mark of each display, teams were given the chance to entertain judges by performing what's known as a skit – a moment of humour steeped in tradition. 

In this competition, skits included a fully made-up recruit bedspace, cameo appearances by cleaning ladies, fully cammed-up snipers in ghillie suits pouring shots of port, and a Harley-Davidson motorbike, which sped around the parade square while the judges looked on.

The contest also saw a team made up of junior officers from Guards regiments; young officers charged with leading platoons of recruits at ITC.

Dressed smartly in bowler hats and tailored sober suits, the platoon commanders tried their best at a skill usually the preserve of Other Ranks.

At the conclusion of the competition, WO2 Parkes announced the winners, who turned out to be a mixed team of Guardsmen, a Household Cavalry warrant officer, and a member of the elite Paras.

An award was also given to the best turned-out soldier, which was won by Corporal Aydan Holliday, of the Royal Logistic Corps. He remarked that it was a surprise to win given there were so many Guardsmen in the competition.

WO2 Parkes and his fellow judges will now select a team to go forward to represent Army Academy North at the forthcoming Pace Stick World Championships in Sandhurst.