RAOC and RLC Association Salisbury Branch Spring Outing 2025
The weather was on our side as thirteen of our Branch members assembled outside the gates of SMC Marchwood for our Spring outing to 17 Port and Maritime Regt RLC.
Our hosts for the day were two enthusiastic Troop Commanders from 52 Squadron who, after issuing us with the now obligatory hi-viz jackets, led us into the Barracks – first stop being a comfort break – via a new side gate. Unfortunately, there was a lot of work being undertaken on the dockside by the civilian owner of the site – Associated British Ports – so we started with a tour of the SMC REME Workshop with briefings on the equipment support being given to the Regiment for both the vehicle and vessel fleets. Outside, we were introduced to the heavy lift crane and recovery vehicles whilst indoors on the workshop floor, we saw the inevitable row of vehicles being serviced and repaired. Good to hear positive words from even the most junior soldiers on their day-to-day experiences.
Next port of call was the Mexeflote team, where we were given a full insight on the new upgraded engines that had recently been received and shown the intricacies of fitting together the various combinations of hulls and ramps. Most of us had had experience of using these wonderful floating platforms but had had little working knowledge of how they were operated. The final port of call was the Port Ops area where we had two briefings, one on the role of Vehicle Support Specialists (the old and bold amongst us knew it as the VS trade) and one on the role of the Port Ops. Both briefings given by junior members of the teams. Interesting questions were raised and answered well.
Our time soon overran and then we were off to the Officer’s Mess for lunch. We all posed for the obligatory photoshoot before tackling the somewhat different system of ordering our meal à la Compass Catering! We stayed on in the Mess anteroom for a fascinating briefing by the Regimental Ops Officer on their current deployment and the varied roles of 17 Port and Maritime. The scope and breadth of unit tasks was quite awe inspiring and we all came away with a much clearer idea of how far the Regiment has moved on to meet the new world order. One area that we all agreed upon had not really changed over time was the vital nature of the Bath and Hygiene Unit which seemed to be still much in demand!
Our thanks to all those at the Regiment who gave up their time to provide us with a really inspiring day and to our own member, Stephen Day, who made it happen.
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