BATTLE OF BRITAIN DINING IN NIGHT - The Insight Online

Exercise Normandy EagleOn 8th September, Sergeant’s(Rookie) Rooke, Stu Douglas andPetty Officer Chris Van Geene (allfrom the Air Warfare Centre at RAFWaddington) met up with 8 otherservice personnel to participate inExercise Normandy Eagle 13.Led by Warrant Officer RichardNevitt, from 22 TrainingGroup Generic EducationTraining Centre, the exerciseconsisted of combiningboth Adventurous Trainingand a Staff Ride together toencourage and develop selfreliance, initiative, leadership,teamwork, expeditionaryops, airborne ops, /troopinsertion; Close Air Support/ Air interdiction, ethos,core values and standardsand a sense of adventureamong service personnel.Incorporated within theexpedition, personnelstudied and visited varioushistorical WW2 areas aroundthe Normandy coastline.Day 1Having departed Gosport onHMS Kukri, a Nicholson 55ft sailing boat, we set sail forOuistream, France, at 0600 hrs.The crossing was bothphysically demanding andchallenging with the shipspersonnel being split into a 2watch system working 4 hourson and 4 hours off. Each watchwas responsible for keepingDay 1a constant look out for ships,sailing the boat, preparing mealsand changing the sails as theweather changed, while the offwatch rested.With the ever changing weatherand sea state, some found it morechallenging than anticipated.Nonetheless, we all arrived safelyat Ouistream at around 2300hrs ready for our bed, havingenjoyed a good crossing.Days 2, 3 and 4Armed with a combination tothe shower block but with noshower token, personnel madedo with anything that wouldhold water; be it a baby sink orGosport MarinerDays 2, 3 & 4 Mulbery HarboursDay 1 Is that a carrot?even the cleaning ladies sink,the aroma was far more pleasantthan pre-cleanse.Suitably refreshed, breakfastwas then served (by the Motherwatch) and we departed theKukri to be met each day by theSpt Team from 22 Training GroupGeneric Education Training Centre,Squadron Leader’s David Stubbsand Heather Wootton. We werethen driven to various locationsaround the local area.Day 1 Challenging sea stateSpeeches on aspects of theNormandy beaches were givenby both crew and support staff,these included: Sword Beach,34 InsightMAGAZINE