'Hard work and plenty of smiles' - meet the reservist soldiers of Banbury

The squadron is a unique unit based out of the Army Reserve Centre on Oxford Road that specialises in transporting military vehicles for major exercises and operations in Britain and abroad.

The unit is made up of around 60 members who dedicate their Tuesday evenings and occasional weekends to training on how to use weapons, living in the field, and learning how to drive a wide array of vehicles, among other activities.

Many of the reservists have full-time jobs and families, so they have to combine their time with the army with their personal lives, but the friendships and camaraderie in the squadron often prove a welcome break from normality for many of the soldiers.

Lance Corporal Michael Gogut moved to Banbury from Poland 17 years ago and became an army reservist once he gained dual citizenship seven years ago. He balances his time with the reserves with his regular job at Cherwell District Council, looking after Ukrainian refugee families.

Michael particularly enjoys the adventure training side of the job but also values the trade training the squadron does, which gives him the chance to drive a lot of different vehicles. He said: "Recently I went to the French Alps for a skiing exercise in March, and that was very good. I had never been skiing before, so it was a great experience and a great opportunity for me to take.

"We also have our vehicle training, so we get to drive army vehicles and have the chance to get different driving licences. Last year I acquired the Category G licence, which is for road roller type vehicles, and that is something I could never imagine I would ever be able to drive.

"There is a lot of training and working alongside good people, so it produces a lot of camaraderie and friendships; that is the best part of the job. I have also travelled to Italy and Cyprus with the army for training; it's hard work, but there is always fun to be had and plenty of smiles."

Staff Sergeant Wayne Hayward is a former regular soldier with the Guardsmen and Royal Logistics Corps for 24 years and is currently head of recruitment for the squadron. He is one of the few soldiers who works full-time in Banbury and only lives a stone's throw from the base.

Wayne spends much of his time training and recruiting new members, and he achieves a high level of satisfaction from seeing fresh new recruits transformed into accomplished reservist soldiers.

He said: "I like to get them through their training, and once they have passed, I can pat myself and the soldiers on the back. It's always a great achievement for us to see new members coming through."

Every Tuesday evening and some weekends, Wayne trains the new recruits in a wide variety of skills, but in the daytime throughout the week, he spends his time looking for new recruits in Banbury, Aylesbury, and other towns in the region the squadron covers.

While many of the recruiting and training methods have been modernised, Wayne still finds that being away from their friends and families is one of the biggest hurdles a new recruit will face.

Wayne said: "There are guys that have never been away before, and there is a cultural shock of being away from family. I always give a presentation to the new recruits, explaining to them that it is a different culture and atmosphere and just let them know what to expect.

"Often when they come back from the weekend or week away on training, they often tell us how much they enjoyed it and that they want to do more, and some have even gone away to join the regular army because the reserves isn't enough for them."

The 142 Squadron is primarily made up of vehicle specialists, but there are also medics, chefs, and human resources-trained members.

Once a new recruit has completed their training, they are expected to commit a minimum of 27 days a year to the army, which can be made up by attending the base on Tuesday evenings and spending weekends away training at other army bases around the country.

One of the newest recruits, Private Kate MacAngus, runs a jewellery business from her home in a village near Banbury. She made the decision to join the army after becoming bored with her daily routine.

Kate said: "I was fed up and thinking there had to be more to mundane day-to-day life; my husband suggested joining the army reserves, and it was like a light bulb moment. I love being outside and taking on challenges, travelling, and being sociable, so they were all contributing factors to me signing up the very next day."

The process of joining took Kate approximately a year; however, the time frame changes from recruit to recruit depending on their situation. One of the toughest moments in training came for Kate when she had to experience what it is like to wear a respirator during a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack.

She said: "We go into one of the chambers and experience what it is like to have the effects of gas if it were a chemical war. Obviously, we recover with no lasting damages, but it's challenging because, in normal life, you would never experience something like that.

"It's hard because you have to complete drills under pressure in the gas tank, and I get nervous because I want to do well, and that was something that I had to overcome. These training experiences have 100 percent helped me control my nerves and anxieties away from the army.

"If I can handle myself in a gas chamber and bayonet training, then I can definitely deal with planning out my day and running my business."

Now that Kate has passed her training, she is able to attend the weekend adventure and sports activities. In the past two weeks, she has taken part in netball games and clay pigeon shooting, and she has signed up for a week’s horse riding in May.

Private Debbie Gilbert was previously in the navy and has now been serving with the reservists for two years. She juggles two other jobs with her work with the army: running a sports massage therapy business from her Bicester home and a part-time cleaning job at the Horton hospital.

She said: "I like being part of something worthwhile, and being part-time suits me better than being in the regular army because I have the freedom to live my life as well as being involved with the military. You can give as much time here as you want, and because I work for myself and am not contracted to specific hours at the hospital, it all works well together for me.

"Everyone here is really friendly and gets along with each other really well; I like that, especially because there is a wide range of ages involved."

The Banbury reservists have vacancies and are currently recruiting new members; anyone wishing to enquire should contact SSgt Wayne Hayward on 01295 458042 or [email protected]