The Prince of Wales found out at first hand what it was like to be inside a Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle and received a lesson in firing a Javelin missile system when he visited the 3^rd Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Staffords) on Salisbury Plain Training Area on the 25th November.

HRH The Prince of Wales

Dressed in the uniform of the Colonel in Chief of The Mercian Regiment, the Prince was given a tour of Copehill Down, the military training village where houses, shops, school, church and town hall provide a backdrop for simulated urban fighting. The battalion is currently the Land Warfare Centre Battle Group, and acts as opposing forces for all Army units training on Salisbury Plain Training Area.

During the visit His Royal Highness saw the workings of a battlegroup headquarters, soldiers demonstrating signals equipment and a sniper engaging with soldiers in other buildings. He met two soldiers, Cpl Michael Pickering and CSgt Gary Pemberton, who had been wounded in Iraq and after months of rehabilitation have now returned to duty.

The Prince of Wales Inside a Warrior Armoured Vehicle

He climbed inside a Warrior and shared the cramped two-metre by one-metre living space for with five soldiers who told him what living, eating and sleeping inside a Warrior, sometimes for several days, was like. Major Graham Crowe, second-in-command of 3 MERCIAN, said, "The Prince of Wales is very hands-on, very approachable and very friendly. As our figurehead he enjoys coming out here and spending time with the soldiers."

He was briefed by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel  Richard Spiby, on the Battalion's current role and its move to a permanent base in Germany next summer. Nearly 600 soldiers of 3 MERCIAN and their families will move to Fallingbostel in the north of Germany in July 2009.

Long Service and Good Conduct medals were presented by the Prince of Wales to four senior Non-Commissioned Officers, Sgt Maj Robert Mears, CSgt Ian O'Connor, Sgt Michael Ricketts, and Sgt Paul Spilsbury, and a further three, RQMSgt Dave Travis, Sgt Maj Mark Brown and Sgt Maj Mark Collacott, were presented with Royal Warrants.