The Royal Logistic Corps Military Skills Competition took place on Saturday 20th September with 59 teams from both the Regular and Reserves participating. The event saw teams descending on Deepcut from the North of Scotland to the very south of England, competing in a hotly contested and physically demanding series of military events. For the first year teams from the Regular and Reserves were joined by a variety of University Officer Training Corps teams, highlighting the strong links being generated between the Royal Logistic Corps and this rich seem of potential Army Officers.
The competition itself required teams to participate in a number of events including a kit inspection, military knowledge tests, a gruelling assault course, a 1.1 mile speed march with 35 pound rucksacks and rifles in 15 minutes, a marksmanship test and finally a 6.5 mile ‘best effort’ speed march across the Deepcut training area with weapons and rucksacks. The speed march organisers this year had ingeniously created a course that managed to include every single hill on the training area; all competitors agreed that it had been the most demanding course of recent years.
The Corps Colonel of the Royal Logistic Corps, Colonel Darren Corrie MBE ADC and the Corps Regimental Sergeant Major, Warrant Officer Class One Andy Meek both completed the speed march to the ranges and the 6.5 mile speed march with the same equipment as the teams and agreed it was a highly demanding and testing event.
Colonel Corrie said “this Military Skills competition is one of the key Logistic Corps events of the year, it is a truly testing and arduous competition that brings both Regular and Reserve elements of the Corps together generating a common bond amongst our officers and soldiers and hones military skills, leadership, fitness, endurance, team spirit and a shared Corps Ethos. It also demonstrates the exceptional skills of Royal Logistic Corps Officers and soldiers, not only are they world class logisticians but they are incredibly determined and highly skilled soldiers”.
Despite the tough course and teams pushing themselves to the absolute limit, there were smiles all round at the awards ceremony where 13 Air Assault Support Regiment from Colchester took the award (and bragging rights for the next year) as the best male team, the 9 Supply Regiment team from Hullavington were best female team and also won the spirit of the event award for their outstanding performance, team spirit and fitness and 154 (Scottish) Regiment won the Reserve Competition. A hugely successful event which could not have been delivered without the support of the Deepcut units including 25 Training Regiment RLC and 27 Regiment RLC from Aldershot.
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