Army

Fix swords! Infanteers lead the way – find out who's best in the British Army

Mike Morton

8th June 2026 at 4:07pm

A Rifles WO2 shouts instructions to a competitor at the start of the sword lane - this technique gets the adrenaline pumping and focuses the infanteers on the task ahead — A Rifles WO2 shouts instructions to a competitor at the start of the sword lane – this technique gets the adrenaline pumping and focuses the infanteers on the task ahead

A competitor works his way through the sword lane under the watchful eye of a Royal Irish Regiment instructor, who is assessing his progress while making sure he stays safe

Apart from testing the individuals' grit and resolve, the sandbag carry represents a real-world activity such as hauling supplies or ammo

While aggression is a key attribute of every British infanteer, especially when using a bayonet, that aggression must always be controlled

Guts and drive are what keep infanteers pushing forward, even if their bodies may be screaming out for them to stop

While a blade may seem archaic, bayonets were used to lethal effect against the Mahdi Army in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan - so too was the kukri — While a blade may seem archaic, bayonets were used to lethal effect against the Mahdi Army in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan – so too was the kukri

The role of the infantry is at the core of the Army – and a brand new competition put those core skills to the test to find the best infanteer.

This pilot event was held by HQ Infantry and held at 1st Battalion The Rifles HQ in Beachley Barracks in Gloucestershire, and run by the Infantry Division Training Team led by The Rifles Training Team.

One soldier was selected from each available unit across the infantry to compete – making a total of 21 competitors.

Regs and reservists

All competitors were private soldiers and were made up of members of the regular Army and the Army Reserve.

They were tested over four days, with the final events involving a jerry can carry, a camo net crawl, a tyre flip and a sword lane.

Because the event was run at 1 Rifles' HQ – the term "swords" was used instead of "bayonets".

This is a throwback to the long bayonets used by Riflemen in the Napoleonic era as their Baker rifles were shorter than the standard musket and so they needed a blade with longer reach to compensate.

The event celebrated the competitive skills required of every infanteer and their ability to be flexible and adapt to all situations.

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A very special guest

The winners were:
1st place (Army Reserve) – Rifleman Borradaile from 6 Rifles
1st place (Regulars) – Private Parkins from 3 Para
2nd place (Regulars) – Rifleman Bijaya Tamang from RGR, ITC Catterick
3rd place (Regulars) – Rifleman Dikesh Magar from 1 RGR

After the competition concluded, each competitor received the Infantry Coin, and the two winners were handed their prizes by Victoria Cross-holder Warrant Officer Class 1 Johnson Beharry.

WO1 Beharry, a Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment soldier who serves in London District, chatted with his fellow infanteers and shook each competitor's hand.

He also spoke about the incidents in which he managed to save members of his unit from two separate ambushes on 1 May and again on 11 June 2004 at Al-Amarah in Iraq.

He sustained serious head injuries in the latter engagement, but recovered and was awarded his VC by Queen Elizabeth II the following year.