Ex Midnight Sun - What is it?
Exercise Midnight Sun is the Royal Signals Territorial Army exercise to Greenland in August 2008. It will take 82 personnel from all units within the R Signals TA (including attached Arms), and will see these officers and soldiers involved in mountaineering, sailing and sea kayaking. For more details on each activity, click on the ‘Activities’ link above. There will also be a bespoke communications package provided by the BT Emergency Response Team (ERT), as part of the Defence Career Partnering. It will certainly be the biggest TA expedition thus far. Coming at the time of the 100th anniversary of the TA, the expedition celebrates all that the TA is about; demonstrating the opportunities available to the TA, and helping to train robust, resilient soldiers for the demands of today’s army. You can read more about the TA 100 celebrations at http://www.ta100.co.uk/
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News so far…
Planning has now been going on for over a year to get us to this stage. Early on in the process BT expressed an interest in accompanying us to Greenland, in order to exercise their Emergency Response Team (ERT). Since then the expedition planning team and BT have been working closely together to ensure this joint venture is a great success for both organisations. You can read more about the ERT via the link at the top of the page. BT also gave us £100,000 sponsorship, an immensely generous offer which was the key to allowing the expedition to go ahead in its current format.
Soon after this the Master of Signals, Major General Sir Sam Cowan KCB CBE, and the Chairman of BT, Sir Michael Rake, agreed to be the expedition patrons. They have since represented the expedition’s needs in many forums, helping to ensure its success.
All the Adventurous Training participants were then selected, after the 5 selection weekends for the kayakers and mountaineers (based out of Capel Curig) and the 2 selection weekends for the sailors (based out of Gosport). Over 200 people applied in total, so the selection process was challenging! Bad weather was the norm on all of these weekends, so if your weekend was bad don’t think that you were the unlucky one. All participants have now also done one week of training, sailing across the English Channel, kayaking in the seas around Anglesey, or Scottish mountaineering on Skye. Some challenging conditions were had by all; but the winners were certainly the kayakers, who had the worst winds so far this millennium to deal with! Articles and photos from all three expeditions are in the process of being published in the Blog.
We are now well into the training and development weekends, which train the participants in the skill sets needed for Artic Survival. Each group has a nominated group medic, an equipment guru, a mountain rescue expert (for the mountaineers), and a communications operator. Training for all of these is carried out during these weekends, and ensures that every participant plays a crucial role towards the success of the team. And once the training is completed, all we have left to do is actually go to Greenland!
News just in – the expedition would like to express its thanks to Blizzard Protection Systems Limited, who have kindly donated 6 blizzard survival bags for the use of the expedition. Blizzard Survival Bags are full-sized sleeping bags which come in a pack the size of a video cassette. They provide total warmth and shelter - anywhere, at any time. If you are interested in reading further, you can visit their website at www.blizzardsurvival.com
Why Greenland?
Greenland is one of the last great unspoilt wildernesses on this planet. Few places combine such magnificent scenery, such clarity of light and such raw power of nature. Once you have seen its soaring granite cliffs under the dancing lights of the aurora borealis, or been warmed by the rays of the midnight sun, you will know there’s no place on earth like it.
For more information: http://www.greenland-guide.gl/
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