Tag: 2 SCOTS

From fast food to foreign shores: Whirlwind Army start for Edinburgh soldier

EDINBURGH SOLDIER HEADS TO CYPRUS JUST DAYS INTO LIFE WITH THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND

A young soldier has had a whirlwind introduction to army life, travelling to Cyprus for overseas training less than two weeks after joining his new battalion.

Fusilier Daniel Collier, 24, from Tranent, had only just arrived at 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) when he was given the opportunity to join fellow Jocks heading abroad.

His deployment capped a busy first week. After arriving at Glencorse Barracks on the Sunday, Fus Collier came top of his Company in a five-kilometre best-effort run the following day, before taking part in the Highland Games.

By Thursday, he was in his newly issued dress uniform for the battalion-wide photograph, before beginning preparations to head overseas.

Fus Collier said: “Everything happened really quickly. I had only just arrived, met everyone and started settling in when the opportunity to go to Cyprus came up. I managed to get my name down for it and on my 13th day in battalion, I was off.

“I definitely didn’t expect Cyprus to be the first place I would travel to, especially so soon. The heat was definitely something different, but it was a great experience.”

Major Richard Hill, 2 SCOTS, joked that Fus Collier had probably had “a better week than I’ve managed in 11 years”, such was the pace of his first few days with the battalion.

Once in Cyprus, Fus Collier joined a 2 SCOTS company supporting fellow soldiers from 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS), who are based on the island as the Regional Standby Battalion.

During the week of training, 2 SCOTS took on the role of the enemy, using the Cypriot terrain to stay hidden while 4 SCOTS worked to locate and track them. It was Fus Collier’s first experience playing an opposing force.

“It was completely different from a normal exercise and from what I’d been used to in training,” he said. “We would go out on patrol, try to stay hidden and make it difficult for 4 SCOTS to find us.”

The following week, Fus Collier took part in Exercise CRONOS CLANSMAN, spending time on the ranges and firing a Glock pistol for the very first time.

“In training, you touch on a lot of different things, but this gave us more time on the ranges. If you were shooting too far to one side, the corporals could come over, tell you exactly what you needed to change and help you improve.”

Away from training, the trip also gave Fus Collier an opportunity to get to know his new colleagues, with downtime spent on the beach and taking part in water sports. He also caught up with former training mates who had since joined 4 SCOTS.

“It was a good chance for me to get to know everyone because I hadn’t really had the opportunity yet,” he said. “It was also interesting going to another battalion and seeing how they do things.”

Before joining the Army, Fus Collier had spent six years working at McDonald’s. Wanting a change from the routine of civilian life, he decided to pursue something he had thought about since growing up in East Lothian.

He said: “I had been doing the same thing for a long time and I wanted something different. One day I just decided I was going to join the Army and I’m glad I did. I wish I’d done it sooner.”

Fus Collier joins the Regiment as The Royal Regiment of Scotland marks its 20th anniversary. Formed in 2006, the Regiment is celebrating two decades of service while looking to the next generation of soldiers who will carry it forward.

With his first overseas training already complete, Fus Collier is now continuing his training and preparing for what comes next.

Portobello Beach becomes training ground for SCOTS soldiers

Portobello Beach has become an unlikely training ground for soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS), who swapped their usual training area for the shoreline, to undertake an intense Battle PT session on the sands of Edinburgh’s coastline.

The Penicuik-based soldiers took part in the physically demanding training designed to build resilience, teamwork and fitness in a challenging environment.

Throughout the session, the Jocks tackled a series of team-based exercises, carrying weighted burdens across the sand, running through the surf and working together to overcome the challenges posed by the coastal setting.

Battle PT is designed to push soldiers beyond conventional fitness training by incorporating realistic physical challenges that require teamwork, determination and mental resilience. The soft sand, water and additional weight of equipment made even routine exercises significantly more demanding, testing both the physical robustness of the soldiers and their perseverance.

The training comes just weeks after the battalion returned from Exercise SPRING STORM in Estonia, a large multinational NATO exercise conducted close to the Russian border. Moving from the forests of Eastern Europe to the shores of Edinburgh highlights the diverse conditions infantry soldiers must be prepared to face throughout their careers.

LCpl Thomson, 2 SCOTS, who delivered the session, said: “”Training in different environments and across different terrain is extremely important for an infantry soldier. We deploy all over the world and you never know what conditions you’ll find yourself working in.

“Training on sand and in the surf brings its own challenges. The ground is harder to move across, your kit gets heavier when it’s wet and it makes exercises that little bit harder. It pushes everyone physically and forces you to work together.

“As The Royal Regiment of Scotland marks its 20th anniversary this year, it’s been a good reminder of the variety of environments SCOTS soldiers have operated in over the last two decades. We’ve been in forests, deserts, mountains and coastlines so we need to be constantly prepared for whatever comes next.”

“It’s not necessarily the beach trip most people would choose but it’s a great way to develop the fitness, resilience and teamwork you need, and hopefully it’s good preparation for summer leave.”

SCOTS soldiers help Edinburgh school students to develop essential skills though new project

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Students from Beeslack High School, Penicuik, had the unique opportunity to interview soldiers from The Royal Regiment of Scotland, working together to create content for the Museum of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Edinburgh Castle.

Marking a first of its kind, a group of 25 students across S2-S6 took part in this special project, working in partnership with the museum and soldiers from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS).

The content they produced will be featured on the museum’s online learning hub, offering future students’ valuable insights into life within The Royal Regiment of Scotland and the history of Glencorse barracks.

This collaboration was made possible through Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), a Scotland-wide network that helps young people prepare for the world of work. The project was designed to be accessible to students from various backgrounds and abilities, with the aim of helping them develop essential skills like communication and teamwork.

Over six weeks, soldiers from 2 SCOTS and museum representatives worked closely with the students to improve their interview skills, help them develop thoughtful questions to ask the soldiers and enhance their overall communication abilities and confidence. 

Joshua S, 15, a student from Beeslack High School, commented on the opportunity: “I was really excited to take part in this course because I’m in the cadets, but I wanted to learn more about the barracks, which is just up the road from our school.

“The course has been really fun, and I’ve had the chance to ask real-life soldiers questions that me and my mates have always wanted to know, like what’s deployment really like, what’s your favourite military vehicle and who famous have you met. I can even use some of the content I’ve helped film in my college application portfolio!”

Major Joe Willden, Regimental Administration Officer who is attached to 2 SCOTS said: “This has been a great opportunity – the students came prepared, asked us thoughtful questions and really took an interest in what life in the Regiment is actually like.

“It’s not often that we get the chance to support this kind of creative learning, and we were genuinely impressed by the level of enthusiasm they brought to the project.”

Allison Spark, Curator of Museum of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, said: “It’s been brilliant working with the students – helping them build key life skills while also exploring how the modern Royal Regiment of Scotland operates in a way that goes beyond the classroom.

“It’s especially exciting that the content they’ve created will actually be used to teach their peers on our learning hub and will remain a valuable resource for years to come.”