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Private Notes
The 52 recruits of 819 troop arrive at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon, and start to prepare for 32 weeks of the longest and toughest military training in the world.
The recruits head out into the field for their first taste of outdoor training including everything erecting a tent, personal hygiene and preparing food. Meanwhile out in Oman the marines of 40 Commando test their survival skills in the heat of the desert.
The families of 819 Troop get the chance to visit the recruits at the Lympstone Commando Training Centre and speak frankly about their impressions of the tough course : which this week involves practising escape techniques from a submerged helicopter. Hundreds of miles away in the Omani desert, 40 Commando's chaplain provides an insight into his responsibilities toward the troops.
Now at the half way point in their training, and having seen 20 of their number fall by the wayside, the remaining recruits head out on exercise Baptist Run which will test their signals and NBC skills and their physical endurance on the speed march.
The 32 remaining recruits of 819 troop enter phase two of training including mountain warfare, while 40 Commando welcomes its new commanding officer.
As graduation day approaches, the recruits of 819 Troop face their final test : a 30-mile run across Dartmoor which they must complete in eight hours while carrying full kit. Meanwhile, Taunton-based 40 Commando embark on a mountain navigation exercise in Scotland, and snipers reveal the tricks of their deadly trade.
