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Hi everyone,

Im currentlly considerering a career in the army and in particular royal engineers as i know i will have a trade to fall back on when/if i returned to civvy street.

In particular i was interested in heating & plumbing and then was looking to "try" and get attached to the commandos which i believe is 59? I was looking at the commando role because i thought it would give more of an "experience" nd have greater chance fo doing and seeing more things than a regular RE unit?

Few questions.

How do you go about trying to get attached to 59 commando. I presume you have to complete the commando course like you would as a normal marine?

Would you say you have a better chance given you've already completed basic training and so your fitness should be further up there?

Once trade trained as a plumber do you actually get to do much plumbing when at barracks or is it typically normal soldiering and combat engineering stuff?

Is the plumbing trining you get the equavalent of civvy street training i.e up to nvq level 2 and 3 standard?

I've recently gone 24, will this be a hindrance as i imagine a lot of new recruit will be teenagers??

Cheers for all the help

ttp://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/org/59sqn/index.htm

http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/o ... /index.htm

Ive looked at them already

Wanted to hear advice from people who have actualy done it and know about it etc

As far as I know once you've completed your training you'll put in to be attached to that unit (which is now expanding to a battalion so im sure they're eager for blokes), and yes you will then go and do the All Arms Commando Course. Provided you pass, you'll then get sent to that unit. Can't help you with the technical questions, but if your training platoon is anything like mine (mine was Para mind), you'll be suprised to see the majority of recruits are early 20s, although being 24 you will be one of the older recruits yes.

Cheers

Skeav

We never had much need for plumbing in a trench. Best thing is to look at the Royal Engineers and see what they have to offer in this line. I can't see them training you for this and putting you in front line infantry unit so that you do not use the skill .

Hi Tabs,

I dont quite get what you are trying to say?

Are you saying they wouldnt train you as a plumber then let you attach to 59 commando?

Heating and ventilation or plumbing would not rate to highly with the field engineers

Tab wrote:Heating and ventilation or plumbing would not rate to highly with the field engineers

Well im not goin' anywhere without radiators, a/c and a flushing toilet!

What Tab is saying makes sense though, if you wanted to go down that line why not get a trade for the frontline and then do your Plumbing before you leave the army?

Cheers

Skeav

Well what trades do you count as frontline? i thought thats where "combat engineer" comes into play?

Most Royal Engineers have a trade but most of the time you will not touch your trade unless you are going on a construction tour. I was trained as a plant fitter and the only times I touched my trade were on tours of the Falkland Islands where I was attached to the REME workshops. Most of the time you will be doing Combat Engineering but there will be times when infrastructures need to be taken over , repaired or maintained this is when the trade part of your training will come in useful. As for going for 59 it does not matter what trade you have or havent got and as for your age I would say that most guys would be about your age so dont worry about that

Thanks for that

I hear the RE are doing lots in Afghanistan at the moment- in reference to them doing the "construction" side of things.

The Regiment is presently deployed in Helmand Province with 12 Mechanized Brigade as part of Britain’s support to the government of Afghanistan in rebuilding the country. The Regiment is going to be leading on the reconstruction and development works across the province; helping to establish schools, refurbish hospitals and rebuild war torn infrastructure, as well as improving the physical barriers and defences that protect the British bases.

We are not just here to build things; we will be supervising local works and utilities, helping to train the Afghan National Army and Police Force and working with government ministries to improve the running of the province as a whole. Indeed it promises to be a challenging, exciting and hugely rewarding experience.

http://www.army.mod.uk/royalengineers/o ... /index.htm

worked with 59 in afghan at the start of the year. there pretty squared away when it comes to blowing sh!t up

59 are expanding once you pass your basic army training and complete your phase two you can then go and do the AACC. You will be asked at some point during your basic training what your prefrence drafts are at that point you need to tell them your interested in 59 and going the Commando route, which should put you into a 59 draft.They will then put you on a beet up course in preperation for the AACC. That was the case when i used to work down the All Arms anyway. I think its changed now and we run the beet ups as 59 were just thrashing blokes to death and sending us a load of broken blokes.

I also worked with 59 in Afghan and as stated i dont think you realise what an engineers role is, they build shitters and put deffences around the FOB such as dannet wire,HESCO or dig trenches etc.. not plumbing and heating, building structures (though they are capble of that) there is just no requirment for that in the field.

For example, we would go out and patrol into the green zone and provide security for them while they laid dems in known enemy positions (once the enemy re occupied these position's the next day, they blew the shit out of them, providing we didnt get ambushed on route to the objective!). On completion of there tasks they would go back to the FOB while we then moved of into a fighting patrol to find baddies and smash the place up.