This is a follow up to the last two articles in our association magazine about the origins of Fox Troop. I read these articles with great interest, as I was one of the fortunate students to have passed through this rigorous course during the summer of 1957 after leaving the Boys Regiment RA Hereford.

It was a great idea, as the continuation of our training was hard but constructive and in depth while still maintaining a very high standard of cleanliness and discipline. This method of training also taught initiative, motivation and teamwork.

I personally found the course interesting and enjoyable as I did during my time at Hereford. You could say that I was in my element after coming from a very hard but enjoyable upbringing, living in the weald of Kent (hop picking country) in a bungalow with no running water, electricity and little food; everything from there on was a bonus. It wasn't so much about promotion for me, more about survival, adventure and comaraderie, and the zest for life.

This early grounding gave me a platform to work from for the next episode in my Army and civilian careers. After completion of Fox Troop Training we were distributed to the specific regiments of our choice. A small group of us decided on 16 Para Brigade (33rd. Parachute Light Regiment RA). The sky was the limit so to speak and we all passed with flying colours, soon serving in Cyprus/Jordon.

My next move was to 29 Field Regiment RA at the Citadel, Plymouth for a short period of time before moving to Kuwait. During my time in Kuwait I trained for SAS selection and returned to the UK for the course. After passing the course I spent the next few years on operations in Borneo/Aden and then moved back to Plymouth to 29 Commando Regiment RA. After completing the Lymstone course and winning the Commando Medal, I spent some time at the Citadel training potential Commandos for the Lymstone course. My next move was to Singapore to join 20 Battery FO Unit fro a short period of time.

The final move was to Bramcote to join the team at the RA Adventure Training cottage in Dolwyddelan, North Wales (a round peg in a round hole) as seen in your first article by Brigadier John Painter. You could say that I completed the circuit as such and a lot of soldiers/juniors have benefited from my teaching and approach to training, becoming an asset to their respective regiments, thanks to the Boys Regiment and Fox Troop for that encouragement and training in those early days.

It doesn't stop there. After my ROD in 1982, I built up Breakaway Survival School, which is run in the Brecon Beacons area, and some 19 years and 8,000 students later the courses are still going strong. Obviously, the courses are adjusted to the civilian environment but the same basic principles apply in any survival situation. At the start of 2004 I will have completed a full 20 years of teaching survival, with one year off due to the devastating Foot and Mouth epidemic.