The Volunteer - NWRFCA - Northwest Reserve Forces & Cadets ...

75 ENGR REGT
Exercise
Pageant
of Power
The general public get a close look at the soldiers’ equipment
Earlier this year 75 Engr
Regt (V) found
themselves embarking
on both construction and combat
engineering tasks in the form of
Exercise Peninsula Pageant of
Power. The exercise was based at
Cholmondeley Castle which was
to be host to the Cholmondeley
‘Pageant of Power’, a festival of
man’s driving ambition for speed,
power and associated big boy’s
toys. The Regiment had two
weeks prior to the Pageant in
which to prepare the ground for
vehicle and pedestrian access
and to construct a bridge for
pedestrians. 125 Fd Sqn RE (V)
was tasked as the lead sub-unit
for the exercise with Maj Michelle
Brown RE (V) in command of the
overall Military Works Force
(MWF).
The Regiment had the task of
preparing and constructing a
Non Equipment Bridge (NEB)
capable of carrying up to 20,000
people over a 15 meter wide wet
gap – thus the planning stage
was a very long and meticulous
procedure with many design,
safety and logistical constraints
to overcome.
The construction of the NEB
was a planner’s nightmare.
Changes and adaptations were
75 Engr Regt (V) build a bridge over leech-infested waters
introduced hour by hour as a
myriad of problems were
encountered - but ultimately
conquered by the team. Those
‘hands on’ members, down and
dirty in waist deep muddy water
were no strangers to frequent
attacks by both indignant swans
and hungry leeches - the arrival
of rubber waders brought some
surprising fashion gurus out of
the woodwork, wishing they
were on the catwalk rather than
waist deep in water!
The team also had to prepare
the ground for heavy traffic from
both civilian cars and heavier
military armour, so Capt Dave
Law with the aid of Cpl “Smiler”
Arnold constructed a culvert
crossing.
All in all an excellent set of
challenging and rewarding tasks
that allowed the troops to
conduct realistic and testing
training. Commanders at all
levels faced and overcame
technical and logistical problems
which became a thoroughly
enjoyable and ultimately
successful exercise.
10 THE VOLUNTEER www.nwrfca.org.uk