Soldiers from 1st Battalian, the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), achieved gold at this year’s Exercise Cambrian Patrol, proving why they are Australia’s best.
Wind howled through the Welsh hills as the Australian infantry section stepped off into darkness for the biggest challenge of their careers.
Ahead lay unforgiving terrain, freezing water crossings and a gauntlet of combat scenarios to test the limits of endurance, skill and teamwork.
Fresh from their Duke of Gloucester (DoG) Cup victory, the team had just over a week of rest before flying to London and travelling from there to Cardiff.
After a crash course in British Army doctrine and weapons, they began their patrol at 2am from Maindy Barracks into the soggy, undulating landscape of the Brecon Beacons.
‘The views were unreal. Not something you see in Aussie training areas.’
Section member Private Benjamin King said the nerves hit them as they drove to the assembly area.
“You get those butterflies, but once the patrol commander got the FRAGO [fragmentary order] and we cracked into the mud model, the nerves disappeared and we got on with the job,” he said.
After crossing a minefield and dealing with a chemical warfare attack, the team was notified of a vehicle that had struck a mine and required medical assistance.
After an eight-kilometre march, they reached the accident that their section commander, Corporal Tiger Jefferys, said was the one they handled best.
“Some of the other British forces commented that our standard of battlefield casualty care was very impressive, which was good to hear and it’s good for Australia as well,” Corporal Jefferys said.
Between stands, the soldiers patrolled through breathtaking terrain and were able to enjoy the views thanks to clear weather – in contrast to the rain-soaked DoG Cup.
“We were lucky with the weather,” Private King said.
“The views were unreal. Not something you see in Aussie training areas. But it was still cheeky chats with your mates and keeping your game face on.”
The team next faced a military float crossing through an icy reservoir before harbouring up for the night.
In the morning, the section met with indirect fire and a trench assault – the highlight of the patrol according to Private King.
“It was intense, with realistic enemy and a proper mock-up trench,” he said.
“We got contacted early, had to fight our way in, clear through and capture a high-value target. It was something I hadn’t done before and it pushed us hard.”
‘They were all excellent. At no point did anyone lag behind or say that they needed a rest.’
After securing an enemy commander, the team stepped off on their final 10-kilometre stomp to the finish line, followed by a debrief.
The team took just more than 40 hours to complete the exercise and were happy to be off their feet after more than 60 kilometres of patrolling.
Exercise Cambrian Patrol has been held annually by the British Army since 1959. It is regarded as the world’s premier patrolling test.
This year, 122 teams took part. To earn gold they had to score more than 75 per cent across the entire patrol.
According to Corporal Jefferys, the section was ecstatic after finding out they were one of the few teams to achieve the gold standard.
“It felt great, especially getting everyone over the line at the end. I’m really proud of the team to have achieved it,” Corporal Jefferys said.
“They were all excellent. At no point did anyone lag behind or say that they needed a rest. Everyone was fit, all over their drills and highly motivated.”
Private King said the patrol was a last hurrah for the section. Given they had been training together since their DoG Cup selection, their achievement was made even more meaningful.
“Once we found out, it was just pure elation. Like we’d finally done it. We’d got a gold at DoG Cup and then gold at Cambrian,” he said.
“It showed how capable an RAR section is on the world stage.”
By Corporal Michael Rogers
