Gavin cleans up on his first Army tour
Jun 24 2009 by David Hedley, The Journal
“We were busy every day, and initially I was surprised at how much we were finding. But it feels good when you find something because you know it is worth doing then. The hardest thing to deal with is the heat, but you acclimatise within a few days and I am looking forward to the rest of the exercise.”
Operation Pine Apple saw the 20-strong team starting work at 6.30am every day, tackling long walks searching for the rogue munitions under the tropical sun. The team cleared an impressive 89 projectiles within the first two weeks and nearly 2,000 items of scrap from spent munitions.
Just one 105mm high-explosive projectile, the most common shell used by the British Army at the moment, is powerful enough to blow a two metre-wide, half metre-deep crater.
The tour also included a week of adventure training in Mombassa for Gavin, who is now enjoying the rest of the week off at his County Durham home. Charity work also formed a big part of the soldiers’ duties, with the team visiting local schools and villages to educate them on the dangers of handling unexploded munitions – a process which has resulted in a significant decline in injuries.
