This is not going to be an in-depth diary but more of a summary of events from our course, as I do not think I can remember everything.
It was an average sized course, 42 in total, 8 failed making the pass rate 34 which I think is pretty good.
Tuesday 21st
Arrived at Lympstone around 14:50, and was taken up to PRMC accommodation which is in the same block as hunter troop. First of all we got issued with bedding, boots, combat trousers, combat jacket, Rugby shirt, Green t shirt, KFS, mug and a water bottle. The rest of the evening was pretty much free to us; we just had scran and an opening lecture on what we should expect.
Wednesday 22nd
We were told the be up by 0545, I woke my room up at 0515 so we can beat the other rooms to the showers, as there was only for heads for all of us, oh yeah and two baths, but there was no time to use them.
We cleaned our accommodations (oh we were issued Colour bibs with numbers, I was “BLACK 3”, anyway the four colours were Orange, Purple, Black and Red which each colour team was issued a part of cleaning in the accommodation besides our rooms, my team (Black) were in charge of cleaning the heads, after that we fell in for scran. Soon after that it was drill with the DL which I thought was good, besides a guy fainting in the drill house, and then I think we had the opening address from the SGT Major, and then it was into the combats, green t-shirt. Bibs and our own running shoes for the 3 miler
The 3 milers was ran around lanes outside of CTCRM, no-one knew when to 3miler would begin, firstly we had a short warm up of maybe 5 minutes on a football pitch and then we ran onto the lanes and the 3milers began. The 3 miler was run as a squad all way around I was just in the rank right behind Jack1988 all the way, we lost a 5 people on that one which was on he’s second try and failed the 3milers previously. In my view the 3miler was ran at a very steady pace, and if you can run it sub21minutes I do not think you will have a problem at all.
In the afternoon we had more lectures on pay etc, then after scran gym we went for Gym test 1, the gym rules were so strict, no fidgeting, no scratching, no losing attention to things around you and always double timing unless told not to, to be frank I was really shocked at the discipline you have to show in the gym. The PTIs have an eagle eye, so do no think you can pull a fast one (there everywhere)
If you are a fidget, or lose attention easy, start training yourself now, as you will pay for it in the gymnasium (Jack1988 got punished for wiping sweat off of his forehead, but he done it so blatantly with his whole arm ha-ha-ha)
First in gym test 1 we did the bleep test, followed by press-ups, sit ups, and then pull-ups. Do not rest to long on the press-ups or do them in bad form as you will have loads deducted, the pull-ups were done on beam in groups of 3 to the CPLS count, (Each colour team had a CPL in charge) the evening was easy.
Thursday 23rd
up at 0600 again for showers (they went boiling hot and freezing cold, pretty strange), after scran we cleaned the accommodation and went down to the Commando Slide which the first person will go down at 0800. We were instructed how to do the Commando Slide then we each had a go, it was great I really wanted to go again .
After we all done the Commando Slide, we were left alone to look at a sign for 5minutes then the CPL said he was going to ask us something about the board we were looking at, the CPL asked how many crowns were in it trying to trick us, but someone said 4 as there was two cap badges on it. Ha-Ha-Ha, the CPL was pretty bummed.
We then ran down to bottom were warmed up by running around doing press-ups, situps etc, and then we were showed how to properly conduct each obstacle and ad ago ourselves, these included the, Tank trap, 6ft wall, cargo net which was filled with water monkey bars, high rope, zig-zag wall, wobbly bridge, 5ft wall, hill sprint, over some bars, tunnels which had a few stones in (ouch), and a big wall which you had to climb up with rope.
We were told my the SGT Major to dunk our head in the water before we began anything, so your all wet before you begin let-alone the cargo net getting you soaked.
Then the timed run (we were already on the field along time before this), I found this quite hard but really fun at the same time.
The pain began soon after! its now called the determination / endurance test and I found it to be about your mental strength more than anything else at all. It seemed like it went on for hours. When we had to run around certain obstacles the CPL said when you get to him its push ups facing down hill, sit ups facing up the hill, then squat jumps down hill, then double time is not holding in the press-up position...then another obstacle! we also did piggy back races, up and down the hill. It’s all done at a sprint pace, and it honestly is mind over matter, JUST DO NOT GIVE UP. I got cramp in my left leg, so I was fighting that pain as well as the workout. Most of us if not all of us were tired from the assault course, so it was that much harder. We were all way out of our comfort zone at that moment, and every time someone went wrong we would start again, and all the time someone got it wrong so it went on and on and on, I felt like crying, but I could not give up I was to determined to complete it. We were on that field for 3hours
.After bottom field we had showers and then it was into smart civvies for the interview, I revised so much for this as was expecting a bunch of questions but the CPL did not ask me one question about the corps, and just asked me about myself, and how did I think I was doing, he told me that I have done really well and showed me my scores at the moment, he said that I will defiantly pass if I carry on the way I was going, but if he sees me coasting in Gym test 2 he would fail me, so of course I was ready to go balls out in Gym test 2
Gym test 2 was a hangout and once again mind over matter, this is because none of us could walk properly from what we endured on bottom field.
I found the game pretty easy, but really boring, I wacked my balls on the bar carrying the ammo boxers (OUCH!!!).
In the games you just work as a team and again do exactly as the CPL says and you will be ok, if you mess up you will get press-ups, once again in the gymnasium it was no scratching and this time all of team got push-ups for 1 persons mistake .
After the games, we had sprints, as we were all shattered and could hardly walk it was more like jogging/running, the sprint went on for quite a bit, and we had a few people watching us, as the CPL said that “We better give 110% or the viewers will think its easy to join the Royal Marines, which it hell isn’t. You could say that these sprints finished us off ha-ha-ha. They which felt like a long time, and was hell throughout! Especially press-ups to the CPLS count.
After that there were more lectures and a chat with 2 diamonds both name Chris, not that that matters, but it was really good as we fount out a few things.
Friday 24th
Woke up 0600 today. Had a typical start to the day involving showers, cleaning and scran. We stripped our beds and handed all the stuff we was issued (cleaned by hand, by us, not the bedding though). Then we had a closing brief, the people who had failed were giving a form stating why the previous night, I was very nervous as I thought the CPL was going to come back in and give me a form, in total there was 2 people that fail in out room both which failed the 3miler. When we had the closing lecture, the people who passed were told to line up in the lecture room and called out to receive PASS certificates and then we got our boots. Oh yeah, we were given new socks on the previous day.
I really do hope this helps someone as much as MFAT and the other diary’s helped me.
My advice to people going for their PRMC would be:
Train hard, do not underestimate the course, as I found it so demanding.
Go there expecting the worst and go balls out the whole time.
It is more of a mental thing more than anything else.
DO NOT GIVE UP. No matter how much you body or mind wants to, It will soon end.
DO NOT stand still unless told to.
Listen and obey every instruction.
Have fun
Jack please feel free to add to this, as I doubt I got it all down and all right.
Once again thank you MFAT and its members.
KJ
.. I am just waiting for them to give me the exact date confirmation
