FROM their time on the battlefield, you would think there is little else that could possibly strike fear in a soldier.
Dodging bullets and mortars on the frontline, they face a continuous and unknown threat from an enemy that is capable of causing serious injury or even death.
So is it really possible that being sat in a canoe, pedalling a mountain bike or climbing a mountain can be something to dread or make them question their own confidence levels?
The answer is yes – you only have to ask the troops from 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, nicknamed The Tigers, who are being put through their paces on adventure training this week.
In the picturesque mountains and valleys of Bavaria in southern Germany, barely a ten minute drive from the Austrian border, a small group of soldiers are facing challenges designed to push them to new personal limits.
For some it is a trip they have asked to make, in part to escape the daily chore of their barracks in Paderborn. Others have been made to take part in the short course that can last up to two weeks, and is run out of a specialised training lodge in the small town of Wertach.
A wide range of activities are on offer from canoeing and kayaking on one of the many huge lakes in the region to climbing the mountains, abseiling and even paragliding off the top of a hill.
The idea is to instil and build confidence, reinforce the importance of teamwork and reliance on your colleagues and boost morale – all vital for when the troops are on operations.
Adventure But adventure training the British Army way is also about having a little fun along the way with the guys, many of whom are not long back from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Private Ben Danby, 21, from Hampshire, joined up when he was 19 having got bored of a raft of ordinary jobs.
With a tour of Iraq already under his belt during which he experienced rocket attacks, he’s already looking forward to a most likely deployment to Afghanistan in the near future.
Ben said: “It’s the only time we get to do our jobs because when we come home all we are doing is training for the next one.”
Ben, whose girlfriend Kym lives in Aldershot, found his first activity was kayaking and desperately didn’t want to do it, but changed his view after a day on the water. I hate going under the water and the idea of being stuck there waiting for someone to come and help you, but I did it. It turned out alright and we managed to have a laugh along the way, playing rugby in the water was good fun.”
His friend and fellow A company soldier, Private Michael Jepson, is also on the course.
Having joined up the day before his 18th birthday last year with the plan of becoming a chef, Michael, 19, is yet to experience a tour on the frontline. Having chosen the infantry, he is almost through his training to become a Warrior armoured vehicle gunner.
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