SOLDIERING ON

Most of the men and women from Scunthorpe's 147 Workshop Company REME, including one from Brigg, opted to go climbing, trekking and scrambling in the Canadian Rockies with their battalion commander, Lt Col Jock Murdoch.
Their fellow soldiers either settled for lessons in survival – including a never-to-be-forgotten course in how to skin a muskrat, or went indoor climbing.
Over at the survival course, Craftsman Stewart McLean (26), from Brigg, said the seven–hour session in the outback with Canadian technical adviser Dave Holder had been a truly amazing experience.
Dave, who normally charges bonding businessmen $120 a day each to share his secrets, showed the soldiers how to live off their wits in extreme conditions.
He demonstrated a range of hand–made weapons including spears, slings, bows and arrows and boomerangs!
Site manager Stewart, who admitted he was missing his two daughters having been away from home for the first time, said he had joined the TA last year in the hope of learning new skills.
"But I never expected anything like this," he added.
As well as skinning a muskrat, the survival rookies were shown how set snares for rabbits, make improvised bush saws, backpacks, string and whistles, forage for food and to light fires with flint, tinder and tree moss.
"The cat had better look out when I get back to Brigg", Stewart laughed.
After an all–action day, the weary soldiers from 147 headed off to the nearby Lazy H Ranch for a barbecue party and dreams of their time Home On The Range.