For most 21-year-olds, their first experience of travelling abroad without their parents is filled with foam parties, budget hotels and questionable cocktails.
For two soldiers in The Royal Regiment of Scotland, their first solo trip is vastly different.
Privates Ethan Wyper and Allan Beveridge are preparing to leave their hometowns for the very first time this month, to support Officer Cadets in an intense training course in Bavaria, Germany.
The course, which is the Officer Cadets final exercise before commissioning as Army Officers from the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, is used to evaluate their abilities to fight and lead in tactical operations.
Ahead of his first ever venture outside of the UK, Private Ethan Wyper from Kilmarnock said: “This my first time abroad, which is exciting in itself. Adding in that the purpose is to see what I’m training towards, in terms of reaching an Officer position, is really motivational.
“I left school at 16 and went to straight into working, so I didn’t have any opportunities to travel. The fact I’m about to spend a week in Germany, training hard with my fellow soldiers – and hopefully getting to experience some of the local culture – is something I never thought I’d have the chance to do.”
For Private Allan Beveridge from Edinburgh, the training exercise also gives an opportunity to travel abroad that he otherwise may not have had. He added: “I left school quite young and knew I wanted to travel to new places and see new things but before joining the Army, I didn’t even have a passport and the furthest I’d ever travelled to was Wales.
“The Regiment helped me through the process of getting a passport, which I’m hugely grateful for, and now I have the opportunity to travel to places I only ever imagined before while also furthering my career in the Army.”
Major Rob Weir, Officer Commanding 5SCOTS, said: “Exercises such are these are crucial for both the professional and personal development of our soldiers.
“Life in The Royal Regiment of Scotland is about far more than simply being battle ready. It’s about helping each individual to be the very best versions of themselves and to broaden their experiences through opportunities they may otherwise not have access to.”
The intense week-long trip will include simulated ambushes with plastic explosives, patrols and other gruelling situational exercises.
Giving Scottish soldiers a chance to see the demanding training first hand, the experience will allow them to understand the challenges that lie ahead as they rise through the ranks of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
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