Movements

Camp Bastion UKM
It was a beautiful sunny morning at Baghdad International. The birds were singing, the locals had not
been mortaring us for several days and there was a choice of 15 different ice cream flavours available
at the US mess for lunch. Then came the phone call: ‘Hi Matt, it’s the Boss. How do you fancy HERRICK
again? Camp Bastion. British run, British built, bit dusty. Middle of nowhere. Your replacement’s on
the way - bye.’
Bugger - I’d only tried about half the
available ice-creams and had yet to make
a dent in the vast selection of burgers.
Still, swift to move, MAMS Operations
had me back in the UK to get a SUSAT
fitted (never a promising sign) and in no
time I was in Kabul where the UK element
of the ISAF Movements Detachment was
cheerfully telling me how grim conditions
were down in Bastion - ‘Camel Spiders?
Bigger then cats down there. Not that
you’ll have the chance to see any due to
the constant dust storms. Got to go sir
- the bar’s opening. Enjoy!’
Two hours and one rather rough landing
later I was on the ground. A mover with
full body armour, helmet and loaded rifle
served to remind us that we had landed
outside the wire and had us off and
into cover in no time. A blast of dusty,
scorching air from the Herc showered all
present in debris and the Engine Running
Offload (ERO) was complete, with the
aircraft returning to the (relatively) benign
surroundings of Kandahar. The heat was
definitely more intense than up north, and
in the darkness a jolting, disorientating,
4 ton truck ride with choking clouds of
dust reminded us that this was an austere
environment.
Therefore, in daylight, it came as
quite a surprise to discover that Bastion
is a small but well equipped front line
army camp with all mod-cons for those
seeking a government-sponsored holiday
in the sun. 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery
run the garrison, whilst 3 Para form the
main infantry Battle Group for offensive
operations in the Sangin Valley, just a
few miles to the north. All other units,
including chinooks, apaches, engineers,
gunners, medics, logisticians, HQ units
and RAF Tactical Landing Zone (TLZ)
operations personnel are there to support
the infantry. This was made quite clear in
daily Battle Group briefings where detailed
and graphic accounts of the fighting left
no-one in doubt that we all had a key
part to play in supporting those who
were in daily and prolonged contact with
the Taliban.
The UKMAMS detachment at Camp
22 Movements
Bastion consists of a 4 man team and a
rather temperamental Lift King forklift
truck. The personnel usually serve a
6 week period in location, whilst the
forklift often manages significantly less
time before requiring some R&R! Whilst
the remainder of Op HERRICK has been
handed over to DWR personnel, Camp
Bastion remains the responsibility of
UKMAMS due to the requirement for
EROs, the harsh environmental conditions
and because all activity takes place outside
the secured perimeter of the camp.
Along with RLC ATLO personnel, the
MAMS team form the Joint Movements
Unit (Bastion). Their main task is handling
of troops and baggage on R&R, end of
tour and in-theatre movements. Cargo
is also transported, particularly inbound
ammunition and spares. VIP moves,
aero-medical evacuation and, sadly, the
transportation of deceased personnel
also occur, but less frequently. As much
activity as possible happens within the
confines of camp at the TLZ operations
tent and Movements Control Check Point,
but some preparation and the actual ERO
require personnel to be working outside
the wire. The Ghurkhas currently provide
depth force protection using their WMIK
Land Rovers, with RAF firemen forming
an immediate armed cordon around the
aircraft and passengers. Tactical ATC
ensure that the Hercules safely arrives and
departs on the rough gravel strip. This
teamwork ensures that the aircraft spends
the minimum amount of time possible at
risk on the ground.
With a typical day consisting of several
hours working in the full desert sun,
at temperatures of up to 55ºC (whilst
wearing body armour and helmet), air
conditioned accommodation is a great
blessing, as is sufficient water for a brief
‘ship shower’ and the newly imported
washing machines. Superb meals are
conjured out of (virtually) nothing by
the Army Catering Corps - particularly
challenging when the supply wagons
from Pakistan fail to arrive or turn up a
couple of day’s late - and a fridge full of
cold water seems like the ultimate luxury.