Reservists commission at BRNC

A new group of Royal Navy Reservists have commissioned as Officers at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) after completing a two-week intensive training course.

The latest group of seven included a double-glazing technician, a police sergeant and a student, who had been working hard to develop their skills within their units prior to joining BRNC.

Over the two weeks the reservists spent three days refining boat their skills on the River Dart followed by assessments on Dartmoor and within the grounds of BRNC alongside the regular Cadets.

They also took part in ceremonial training, weapons training, strategic studies, theoretical and practical leadership development, as well as gruelling physical sessions.

Midshipman Andy Heath from HMS Forward, the Birmingham based RNR unit, said:  “As reservists, we relished the fact that we were actually training side-by-side with our regular colleagues.  The sense of mutual respect between us all was evident as we were all getting pushed to our limits and aiming to meet the same high standards.”

At the end of their course the Cadets were formally commissioned as Officers during a ceremony attended by Captain Sue Jameson, Captain Training Royal Navy Reserves.

Chief Petty Officer Justin Blackford, an instructor at BRNC, said:   “All seven cadets did really well on course and are bound to be quality leaders and team members in their future RNR roles.”

The Maritime Reserves is made of the RNR and the Royal Marines Reserves.  In many cases reservists are indistinguishable from their regular counterparts.  In recent years the Maritime Reserves has been involved in a range of operations including counter-terrorism and anti-piracy work in the Gulf.