Are any of you in the TA?

[MarkG]

Are any of you in the TA and do you know if there are any specialist units / training that would be benifical to our shared interest?

I'm waiting for some more info back from them at the moment and I know that there are loads of training coarses you can go on but I can't find a list of them anywhere.

[tenbears10]

I've been getting info from them recently. The problem I've found is that the closest detatchment to me is Logistics and i'm not that keen on doing logistics. The travel puts me off going further away to a different detachment.

What else have you found Mark?

Bill

[MarkG]

Not a lot really I've only just started looking at it after talking to someone I work with that used to be in the Army.

[mercury]

Ello , I'm in the TA and I'm afraid to say I don't think there would be much interest. Mosty of the outdoorsy type stuff is covered by training relevant to the regiment you are in, however I do see the odd opportunity for survival weekends etc . Problem in the TA is that programmed training takes up a lot of the weekends of the year leaving very little slack - and thats usually taken up by social functions

Best method of attack so to speak would be to target ( sorry) your local TA centre and see if they can use you

:chill:

[tenbears10]

Not from a bushcraft point of view then Mercury but do you enjoy it and would you recomend it?

Bill

[leon-1]

Mark, to be honest there are not that many courses that have even survival training in them (LRRP, Mountain and arctic warfare and JWLRPC have), but they are highly sought after and heavilly contested.

Not all of them are run for the army either. Your better bet is to look at one of the medical units, at least here you will learn a very good level of first aid, you may also do health and hygiene courses at Ash Vale (they deal with sanitation and health in the field, including what diseases specific types of insect carry and how to recognise them). They also do courses on the selection of water sources and the purification of water and what you learn on them can work for 1 or upto battle group level. These skills will serve you better than a lot of the others and at the same time you also learn about siting bashas and the like. :wink:

I am not in the TA, but one of my old comrades in arms is down at Ash Vale now doing his CMT (don't ask what level) and he is with the TA now ):

[Viking]

Can someone explain what the TA (Territorial Army?) and how it works?

[tenbears10]

In Britain we have reserve forces supporting the Army, Navy and Air Force. The TA is specifically the army reserve force. People join and attend weekly meetings one weekend a month and an annual camp. The commitment can be more or less depending on the role and the individual. Some people who leave the Army are required to serve in the TA for a length of time as well.

A sizeable proportion of the british troops in Iraq are from the TA so it represents a chance to serve as a soldier alongside regular troops but not commit full time to Army life. The pay is the same as regular army pay for the hours you attend.

Correct me on any points if I've got anything wrong. As I say I have been looking into it recently.

Bill

[leon-1]

Yep you are correct it is the territorial army. In some ways it could be compared to the american homegaurd.

As with the normal armed forces in the UK it is broken into divisions and units, they are affiliated with regular army units. My old unit has TA battalions.

Generally they meet on weekends and also on some week nights. At this time they undergo military training.

Some of the guys also do what used to be called S type engagements where they are attached to regular army units for a fixed period of time. In that time they undertake the normal tasks that a unit does (if the unit is operational in Iraq, Kosovo or Northern Ireland so is the S type soldier). At the end of thier S type engagement they can return to Civvy street or they can extend thier term. Some even join the regiment that they are attached to as regular soldiers.

They have been used in roles for home defense and as reinforcement to regular armed forces units and as such help to keep the numbers up and maintain the commitments of the Armed Forces.

I hope this goes some way to explaining the TA :wink:

[Viking]

Sounds pretty much as the Swedish Homeguard.

Thanks for the info

[Beer Monster]

Ten Bears I'd recommend the TA. I'm a member of a TA Infantry Regiment up here in Scotland. Training commitment is fairly intense in the first couple of years after you join but thereafter it becomes a bit more relaxed. On a monthly basis I normally do 1 weekends training (Fri night through to Sunday early afternoon) and 1 training night (Tues) each week although this varies month to month.

Our annual 2 weeks training camps are often held overseas and being in Scotland we make up the land proponent for Mountain and Cold Weather Warfare so some of our guys have been out to doing courses similar to that originally undertaken by the Royal Marines.

Another added benefit is the adventurous training we get to do. This training weekend I'm off mountain biking, rock/ice climbing, kayaking and hill walking on the west coast ....... and they are paying me to do it :?: . You can also gain alot of civilian qualifications such as Summer Mountain Leader, Winter Mountain Lead, Expedition leader (a large number of adventurous training expeds overseas each year) amongst many others. If you complete all your minimum training requirements you also get a tax free bounty that ranges from about £300 in your first year to just over a £1,000 after serving 5 years (I think!). You do get extra payment for travel expenses on any training you attend.

It has it's flip side though. My regiment was deployed in Iraq and unfortunately two good jocks were killed whilst out there. Today there is a very good article in the Guardian about the guys that have gone back for a second tour. If you join up now then I'd be surprised if you didn't go operational within the next 2/3 years ..... so bear (no pun intended) this in mind before you sign anything :shock: ! Overall you get out what you put in so if you throw your self into it then the TA has alot to offer.

Whooah that was a bit of a recruitment drive wasn't it! Sorry :-P

If you've got any questions then PM me and I'll try and give you an answer.

[mercury]

Not from a bushcraft point of view then Mercury but do you enjoy it and would you recomend it?

Bill

Goodness me yes , why else would I get wet thru and cold when I could be at home with the wife and kiddies


Oh hang on ):

[tenbears10]

Thanks

That article is very interesting Beer Monster. If I think of any questions I will let you know.

Bill

[RAPPLEBY2000]

i was in the royal anglians (TA) around 1990, i just did the basic training , passed everything but after a while nothing much happened and i got bored and left.

prehaps it was just the area i was in but there was very little in the way of specialist courses on offer :?:

as for having a go?

it's fun, gets you fit, you get to play with guns and go camping :wink: !

i woulden't join up to learn outdoor skills, as i got more from the scouts!
they will teach you how to "survive" as a soldier using NBC kit and camp gear but that's not much use to most of us.

just remember there is a serious side to it! you could get called up! :shock: