71 Engineer Regiment is the only Army Reserve Regiment of Royal Engineers within Scotland. Their capabilities include combat engineering, logistics, construction and plant.
This year, over a two-week period and supported by 50 members of the South Dakota US National Guard, they were deployed to various locations in the Highlands to hone their construction and plant skills.
The tasks included construction of 800m of trackway at the Garelochhead Training Camp, track upgrades and culvert construction in support of the 2015 World Orienteering Championships. They also developed a Regimental Plant training area.
The tasks were selected as they allowed training opportunities for operators of all abilities. In addition to the technical plant training they also provided an opportunity for the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers to develop their planning and management skills – all the tasks were planned and executed by the Reservists within the Regiment with over sight from the Regular staff.
The equipment used are military variants of civilian Plant: the Volvo G930 grader, Volvo EC210C excavators, the JCB 436 EHT and the JCB 4CX.
The Regiment is currently recruiting, specifically for individuals with construction or plant skills who want to test their abilities on exercises all over the world, build confidence and learn communication and management skills. Within the next 18 months the Regiment will deploy on exercise to the Falkland Islands, to Kenya, to Cyprus and to South Dakota. For more information about 71 Engineer Regiment and the opportunities available within the Royal Engineers please call 01334857632, search 71 Engineer Regiment or find them on Facebook.
