Mince pies and brews: Defence Secretary thanks troops working over Christmas
Defence Secretary John Healey travelled to Merville Barracks in Colchester to visit troops who will be on duty over Christmas.
Mr Healey spoke to soldiers from 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment.
The Defence Secretary got a demonstration of their kit, and he also asked them about their individual roles and what life is like on duty over the festive period.
The regiment is part of the Royal Logistics Corps and is the British Army's specialist unit responsible for improvised explosive device and conventional munitions disposal.
They are on call 24/7, 365 days a year.
Lieutenant Colonel Andy Hambley, Commanding Officer of 11 EOD and Search Regiment, told BFBS Forces News: "We've got about 150 people across the UK and Northern Ireland, on a duty roster that is from 10 minutes notice to move and that's 10 minutes, kind of, leaving camp, all the way through to about an hour's notice to move off those 150 people."
The Defence Secretary said: "My thoughts as we run into Christmas are for those service personnel who are going to be separate from their families this Christmas and to say thank you for what you do, both in the UK and abroad, to keep us all safe.
"And to say to those families that may miss their loved ones around the Christmas dinner table, thank you for the support that you give them, to help us all stay safe."
Lt Col Hambley told BFBS Forces News that a key thing he wanted to get across to the Defence Secretary was the impact on individuals.
"[It's] not necessarily what you're called out to do, but what you're prepared to do," he said.
"So, especially for the EOD teams at 10 minutes notice to move, when a call comes in, when that phone rings, as it can do at any point of the day, it could be a bit of old rusty nonsense in a bush somewhere, but equally, it could be something like the Manchester stabbings or the Ariana Grande concert that they'll have to respond to and that's blue light response into, potentially a scene with dead bodies, with live ordnance.
"Real genuine explosive risk to life."
The Commanding Officer said there are a lot more "falses" around Christmas time: "…dog walkers, people going out for those Christmas walks, along areas that aren't usually walked.
"People picking up on items of old ordnance, so like World War 2 old shells and stuff, or people thinking that [they] might be them."
Corporal Ryan Spurgeon, an Ammunition Technician said: "It's quite nice to be appreciated [for] what we're doing over Christmas," adding that the camp is "isolated" as "everyone else is on leave".
Cpl Spurgeon also said the lack of alcohol means they "can't get merry like most people on Christmas".
It was then on to mince pies and hot brews as Mr Healey met more personnel inside.
The Defence Secretary said the visit was "a great chance to get out of Whitehall", where the Ministry of Defence is based, and meet personnel that "do jobs the rest of us hardly see".
When asked what people might not know about working in an EOD Regiment, Cpl Spurgeon told BFBS Forces News: "There's normally like five to six jobs a week in each squadron area [within 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment], so that's at least 30 to 40 jobs a week.
"Most people think, obviously, bombs have disappeared, but they're very much still prevalent and bomb disposal is still a very current thing that's very necessary in today's world."
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