Visit to 2 Rifles – Longmoor

By Gil Carter – liveryman

A few surprises were in store for a number of liverymen who visited troops of the 2^nd. Battalion Rifles at their current base in Hampshire where they are engaged in Operation Interflex, a British-led multi-national military operation to train and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On arrival at Longmoor liverymen were met by the Commanding Officer and his team who, over coffee, gave us a comprehensive briefing on the role they are playing in the operation which has trained over 30,000 recruits since June 2022. The Rifles deployed in June 2023 and are engaged in training groups of recruits, some with no military experience at all, through an intensive 5 week modular course of basic combat training, first aid, operational law, tactics, fieldcraft and live firing.

We were then taken to observe a session of weapons training in the ranges where we were able to meet some of the riflemen (including the most recent winner of our sponsored Rifleman of the Year Award) and also the Ukrainian Commanding Officer who declared his approval of the training.

The first surprise was being given the opportunity to fire the current standard issue SA80 rifle on the range where our scores were no doubt enhanced by the modern sighting accuracy which we never knew in our schooldays with the Cadet Force Lee-Enfields!

Following this we moved on to the urban training centre where we watched a patrol demonstrate the clearance of an enemy-occupied house with grenades and assault weapons.

The next surprise – we were invited to don full Personal Protective Equipment and with blank-loaded SA80s join a patrol under the watchful eye of an instructor, and managed to successfully clear the building again!

These exercises, while fun, gave a tiny flavour of the dangers and difficulty faced by troops in the field, and enhanced our respect for the riflemen involved.

We then retired for lunch in the officer’s mess where we were able to talk to all those who had taken so much trouble in organising the programme for our visit.

A formal thank you was offered to the officers and riflemen, highlighting the value we place on our affiliation, the impressive professional regime of training and, above all, the humility we felt on seeing the enthusiastic contribution the Rifles are making to serve our friends in Ukraine.

The Commanding Officer responded with his own thanks to the Furniture Makers for the support, both moral and financial, which we offer them.

This was a superb event for liverymen, and any member should seize the opportunity of future visits to the Rifles.