Bere Island pics in Irish Examiner County supplement

[na grohmití]

It was the piss up culture that made a joke of the organisation for far too long.

[Col]

Bere island, Tralee, Saudi and the Indian subcontinent are all places I'll never go to again unless on absolutely obscene money

and of course New Ross...

[apc]

Get pissed on your own time.Not on the taxpayers.
Camp is for gaylords and girl scouts.
FTT is for reservists who want to soldier and be part of something useful to the DF and those who pay your waqe.

Sure back in the day we called it CAMP and we got pissed on our time , hardly gonna drink while doing drill or on excercise, but come 5 o'clock unless you had other duties what else were you to do, watch RTE 1 in the mess with a bar in the mess or head out to the local and do the other thing. All part of the bonding with your comrades from other places that you only saw once or twice a year. Jez you sound like an FCA PA too

[Smithy]

Sure back in the day we called it CAMP and we got pissed on our time , hardly gonna drink while doing drill or on excercise, but come 5 o'clock unless you had other duties what else were you to do, watch RTE 1 in the mess with a bar in the mess or head out to the local and do the other thing. All part of the bonding with your comrades from other places that you only saw once or twice a year. Jez you sound like an FCA PA too

Sandbags at dawn??

[DeV]

Sure back in the day we called it CAMP and we got pissed on our time , hardly gonna drink while doing drill or on excercise, but come 5 o'clock unless you had other duties what else were you to do, watch RTE 1 in the mess with a bar in the mess or head out to the local and do the other thing. All part of the bonding with your comrades from other places that you only saw once or twice a year. Jez you sound like an FCA PA too

So long as you don't over indulge and your fit for work the next day.

Most messes only open at 2000 hrs, most courses I've been involved in are on programme till at least 1900 hrs

[apod]

Lets have a look at your comment again and see whats wrong with it shall we.

All work and no play.

FTT is supposed to training.Not PLAY.If your not there to TRAIN then you are in the wrong place

there has to be a reward for Camp.

Wrong attitude there straight away.Going on FTT should be the reward for putting in the time throughout the year.You still get paid for FTT don't you.

that used to be the piss up ( in the dark ages ) when life was fun and you didnt take things too seriously. I like a good piss up

Speaks volumes that does.Part of the reason that the FCA/RDF was never taken seriously in the first place.So the question is should the current organisation aspire to "take things seriously" and shake it's "Sandbags" "Fools carrying arms" label(s) or hark back to the pissheads carrying weapons and being paid to waste taxpayers time days??
(Don't worry apc that question isn't for you but for the others here who take things "seriously")

[trellheim]

wha top is the CQ wearing in the last photo is it a UBACS or the walking out jacket . fk sake.


drink ! a dash to the mess for a pint at 22:55 cos your up to your ass in work and need a sleeper - thats the life at the mo . thats been my last 3 FTTs ( or on an APC ex with no chance for pints at all but the experience is mega )

anyone not in the same boat isnt working at the right level and someone else is double jobbing your job as well.

I've 2 FTTS coming up - it'lll be the same, a 3rd coming up which I am GUTTED I cannot do due to time available.

[apod]

wha top is the CQ wearing in the last photo is it a UBACS or the walking out jacket . fk sake.

Neither.That's the Norwegian shirt.

In July.

[na grohmití]

wha top is the CQ wearing in the last photo is it a UBACS or the walking out jacket . fk sake.


drink ! a dash to the mess for a pint at 22:55 cos your up to your ass in work and need a sleeper - thats the life at the mo . thats been my last 3 FTTs ( or on an APC ex with no chance for pints at all but the experience is mega )

anyone not in the same boat isnt working at the right level and someone else is double jobbing your job as well.

I've 2 FTTS coming up - it'lll be the same, a 3rd coming up which I am GUTTED I cannot do due to time available.

Likewise. My last two years of ftt were long days and after hours you only hat time to organise your kit For the following day. We always brought tea making facilities to our billet. Plenty of time for socialising after ftt. I went to do military training. Not making new drinking buddies. Bond during training. My best memory was a 3 day corps concentration ex. Two overnights in the glen. One under poncho one in vehicle. No better way to bond than share the inside of a windowless metal box for 24 hours with two others.
The key is to keep snorers and smokers together.

[koppiteal]

My last few Ftt blocks have been dry messes. I do think the lets go on the lash brigade have mostly gone. Not really time anymore for going to the mess at 1900.

[DeV]

My last few Ftt blocks have been dry messes. I do think the lets go on the lash brigade have mostly gone. Not really time anymore for going to the mess at 1900.

they shouldn't be open till 2000 hrs anyway

[Poiuyt]

I do think the lets go on the lash brigade have mostly gone.

Depends on where you go - very strong in some units and locations.

[trellheim]

Depends on where you go - very strong in some units and location

I haven't seen a fat camp or drinking camp in many years, although sometimes we ran them as cynical exercises as easy touches to put the people who wanted an easy touch camp but who were utterly useless and would otherwise turn up anyway on the real hardworking camp and drag everyone down. This way we could get them out of the way and no tears.

Sounds stupid I know but if it works

[na grohmití]

I haven't seen a fat camp or drinking camp in many years, although sometimes we ran them as cynical exercises as easy touches to put the people who wanted an easy touch camp but who were utterly useless and would otherwise turn up anyway on the real hardworking camp and drag everyone down. This way we could get them out of the way and no tears.

Sounds stupid I know but if it works

Problem with this is inevitably someone useful had to waste their precious mandays to babysit these special cases.

[charlieecho]

Adding my two cents.. Bere Island was chosen centrally by Bde HQ. There was no drinking culture as consumption of alcohol was forbidden for those on FTT. The PDF had training staff attached for the two weeks and were always around overseeing and even took lessons on themselves. Bere Island has just been recently renovated and is of a high standard (on par with other training installations). end.

[Poiuyt]

I haven't seen a fat camp or drinking camp in many years,

You obviously haven't been to Bere island in a while.

[Archimedes]

You obviously haven't been to Bere island in a while.

The recent recruit course run on Bere Island was the first large occupation there in a number of years and it was a dry canteen so I'd like to know what you mean by that comment?

As for conditions on Bere Island, the accomodation and dining areas are much improved with new roofs, windows and heating. It could definitely do with a few proper section rooms but with just one platoon, there are plenty places to conduct classes even during foul weather.

As for the earlier suggestion that RDF commanders picked the remote location to somehow hide from the PDF, the RDF commanders were told where to run the course and then swung up the arms and got on with it. The simple fact is that there is a desire from higher up to see more use made out of the facilities on Bere Island. 1BAR RDF normally conduct FTT training while integrated with their PDF colleagues in the Glen of Imaal and don't need to hide from anyone.

[DeV]

The recent recruit course run on Bere Island was the first large occupation there in a number of years and it was a dry canteen so I'd like to know what you mean by that comment?

As for conditions on Bere Island, the accomodation and dining areas are much improved with new roofs, windows and heating. It could definitely do with a few proper section rooms but with just one platoon, there are plenty places to conduct classes even during foul weather.

As for the earlier suggestion that RDF commanders picked the remote location to somehow hide from the PDF, the RDF commanders were told where to run the course and then swung up the arms and got on with it. The simple fact is that there is a desire from higher up to see more use made out of the facilities on Bere Island. 1BAR RDF normally conduct FTT training while integrated with their PDF colleagues in the Glen of Imaal and don't need to hide from anyone.

A single recruit Pln is a large occupation?

I'd say it's more than likely to do with Accomodiation but if you have training rooms, square, tactical training area and range happy out

[Truck Driver]

A single recruit Pln is a large occupation?

I'd say it's more than likely to do with Accomodiation but if you have training rooms, square, tactical training area and range happy out

Unsure if there's a range on Bere Island. But then again, there are TCVs to get the troops to Kilworth, should it be needed

[trellheim]

there is indeed.

( and I did not know this ). but now with Google Street view lol https://www.google.ie/maps/@51.63728...7i13312!8i6656

[DeV]

there is indeed.

( and I did not know this ). but now with Google Street view lol https://www.google.ie/maps/@51.63728...7i13312!8i6656

Can't get over how high security it is

[apc]

The recent recruit course run on Bere Island was the first large occupation there in a number of years and it was a dry canteen so I'd like to know what you mean by that comment?

As for conditions on Bere Island, the accomodation and dining areas are much improved with new roofs, windows and heating. It could definitely do with a few proper section rooms but with just one platoon, there are plenty places to conduct classes even during foul weather.

As for the earlier suggestion that RDF commanders picked the remote location to somehow hide from the PDF, the RDF commanders were told where to run the course and then swung up the arms and got on with it. The simple fact is that there is a desire from higher up to see more use made out of the facilities on Bere Island. 1BAR RDF normally conduct FTT training while integrated with their PDF colleagues in the Glen of Imaal and don't need to hide from anyone.

jesus a dry canteen, wouldnt have happened in my day!

[Truck Driver]

jesus a dry canteen, wouldnt have happened in my day!

.... as the old song goes (Dylan I think) "ah the times they are a-changing..."

[na grohmití]

By dry, do they include the fact that the island lacks drinking water?

[na grohmití]

Unsure if there's a range on Bere Island. But then again, there are TCVs to get the troops to Kilworth, should it be needed

The range must cease firing when any vessel passes behind the butts. Kilworth Camp is roughly 4 hours drive away. (Not including the wait for the ferry). Kilworth is not realistic, no more than Bringing recruits from the Curragh to the range in Finner.