2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment from Kendrew Barracks in Cottesmore train for urban fighting at Salisbury Plain

andrea.scholes@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Published: 11:06, 03 March 2025

Soldiers have been training to become experts in urban fighting.

The 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, from Kendrew Barracks in Cottesmore, practised crawling through tunnel systems and balancing across beams from house to house as part of the course.

The training comes ahead of the batallion’s deployment to Exercise Wessex Storm, an annual validation exercise which prepares soldiers for the challenges of extended periods of fighting.

Private Warren crawls through roof rafters.

The troops from C (Northamptonshire) Company trained at Copehill Down on Salisbury Plain

Captain Cameron Johnstone said: “The urban environment is the most complex terrain a soldier can deploy into. There are many challenges to overcome including people, both friendly and hostile. This is why such training is essential and it means we are ready to fight and win in this environment.”

It was the first time Private Gareth Rees had experienced urban training. He said: “It was testing and we’ve developed skills that are very different from fighting in the field. These included going into dark buildings that the enemy can easily defend and fortify with a small number of people.

The Confidence Course is located at Copehill Down.

“The key is being methodical but with speed and aggression. It’s important to train for all different types of scenarios - you can never do too much or over prepare.”