Part 1 How to Make a Royal Marines Officer

They're going to be very worried about life.

They're going from civilian street or from university, college, school

into a military environment.

If they're not worried, they ought to be.

Mr...

Trotman.Minster.

Corps commission, yeah? Yes,ColourSergeant. Timpson.

Ainsworth. What sort of jacket's that, Mr Ainsworth?

Don't know, sir.Have you joined the Royal Marines or the Air Force?

RoyalMarines,sir.You were told to wear a jacket like that?No,sir.

Colour Sergeant.ColourSergeant. Pick your kit up and follow me.

'There will be moments

'when the strongest will wish they'd never come.

'They have 12 months to prove worthy of commanding 30 Royal Marines

'on active service.

'It is why their training will be without remorse.'

MUSIC: "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big"

'The band plays This Could Be The Start Of Something Big.

'Indeed, it could.

'They've been chosen from hundreds of unsuccessful candidates

'and commissioned with a £2,000 uniform allowance

'and £600 a month.

'But their goal is the green beret of the Commandos, price £5.80.

'That has to be earned and the true cost, they say,

'is six tons of sweat.'

I'm sure you've seen it before.

That's the front door of the officers' mess.

We're going to go through the front door of the officer's mess.

That will be the last time, until you finish training.

Do you understand? ALL: Yes, Colour Sergeant.

There is a back door you will use at all times.

There's also stairs going up to your accommodation.

Next to the stairs is a lift - out of bounds to you.

You use the stairs at all times. Do you understand?

ALL: Yes, Colour Sergeant.

Good. Now, we're going to go in the front door,

go downstairs and start your documentation

for you to join the Royal Marines.

Wait there for Mr Ainsworth.

You can only get better, Mr Ainsworth.Yes,ColourSergeant.

'The commandant of training is Colonel Ian Moore.

'What qualities does he look for?'

If I was to select one, I think, er...

it would be that quality

which John Kennedy was said to have possessed,

which is grace under pressure.

Because there will be pressure. There will be danger.

There will be discomfort, hunger, fatigue, sometimes exhaustion.

But there must also be

that ability to control, to go on thinking, to go on leading,

to go on being an inspiration when times are very difficult.

I'd have thought that is the real quality

that is central to so many others.

You worked around London doing what? Iworkedinasupermarket.

I worked for a removal company. Then I went to a travel agent.

Just sort of filling in time.

All right. I've got my work cut out with you.

If you've got a degree in zoology, what made you want to join us?

I studied zoology because I have an interest in bird watching.

You're into bird watching?Iam.

You'll be all right under cover, then?

One of the main paragraphs that you should note in the, er...

mess rules and by-laws, is that on dress.

The first paragraph is the most important. That's paragraph 51.

If you always remember this, if you remember nothing else,

that members in the mess are to maintain a standard of dress

appropriate to the dignity of the mess,

and are to ensure that their guests conform to that standard,

you won't go wrong.

A fine array we've got here! A fine array.

Stand easy.

Mr Jackman, you look immaculate. That shirt is something else.

It's a corker!

What's this tie made out of? What does it mean?

Barbadian Beach Boys Club? No,ColourSergeant.

This is my school tie.

Notshootingpooltie? No, Colour Sergeant.

What's going to happen now is

the Batch Officer will come forward and have a look at your suits,

then give you a little spiel on what's expected of you in the mess

at your piss-up...cocktail party!

Evening, Mr Cunnings. Good evening, sir.

<Mr Porter, you wearing that tie for a bet?

Simmonds, I don't think this is really the thing.ColourSergeant.

Not really for the mess.

Don't know what... You've spoken about that one, sir?

Yeah. You've got a grandmother you can give this to?

ColourSergeant.Good.

Drop your shoulders, Mr Crocket. Relax.

They are relaxed? You're deformed, then?

You happy with this, sir? This suit? Doesn'tfitverywell.>

I mean the colour.

It's a bit bright, don't you think?

When we've got a rock 'n' roll night, can I borrow it?

Yes, Colour Sergeant. Great.You'lldoforme.

Good evening. Good evening, sir.

Do the top button up on your jacket.

When you're getting very casual late at night

you might venture to undo it.

For this evening, you will all have jackets done up.

He means when you crap.

Are you bow-legged? Slightly sir.

You have the same problem as I do. Keep your knees close together.

You have decided to become officers, and there are certain standards

that you must adhere to in your dress.

Don't get too worried if I'm being hard on your tie

or your shoes.

You will soon learn that is the life that you are going into, gentlemen,

especially the three members who are corps commission,

who have chosen to come from the other ranks to become officers.

It will be harder for them than the rest of you.

Anyone got any problems?

Areyouallhappy? ALL: Yes, Colour Sergeant.

Are you all going to get pissed? ALL:No,ColourSergeant.

HUM OF CONVERSATION

I think that you begin to feel military

when you've got the uniform on.

I'm feeling like a civilian

standing in a military establishment with military things around me,

as opposed to being one of those military things.

I'm 22, the old man of the group.

I spent four years at the bank, which I went into after school.

I enjoyed my time with the bank, the people I worked with, the customers.

The job wasn't that good. I wouldn't be here now if I enjoyed that.

It's been an ambition to get here and I've made it - so far!

Well, coming straight from school,

I think that I'm not quite mature enough yet.

This following year will tell whether I am mature enough

or whether I'm becoming mature enough.

I think that that is perhaps my biggest fault at the moment.

I'm straight from school and I'm still in the school way of thinking.

I do think it's simply the best around.

My father was in the corps, but that's not why I'm joining.

I've looked at other opportunities. Didn't want to go to university.

Wanted to do something active.

I thought, this is it. Commando, green beret.

A lot of...pride, I think, the day you get your green beret.

The reason I joined the Marines was because of the training,

the hard work, the adventure and the challenge of physical exertion.

I decided to become an officer

because I was frustrated with being a marine.

I wasn't a thinking soldier. I was a doing soldier.

Being told to dig that hole, do this, do that.

It was extremely frustrating.

I thought I'm going to be here nine years and not achieve anything,

so I decided to try and get to a position where I could use my brain.

SHOUTING

Wake up! Wakey wakey!

'This gentle early morning call is given, not by the instructors,

'but by trainees already three months into the course -

'the start of an initiation rite that's been going on for years.'

It's now five past five.

Front and support, please.

Move yourselves. Not quick enough. On your feet.

When I say move, gentlemen, I want you down there.

Front and support, please!

How many more to come?

RESPONSE UNCLEAR

Move it!

These men have been waiting for you because you were late.

<27, sir.

OK.

Gentlemen, one thing you'll learn over the next few weeks,

is when you're told to parade at a certain time, you will be there!

If not, you will suffer.

Arms bend!

And stretch. Bend.

And stretch. Bend.

And stretch.

Across the railway track, form a single line.

Come on! Quickly! Move!

'Some may interpret what comes next,

'the sort of beauty treatment society ladies

'pay through the nose for, as bullying.

'It's hardly that,

'since any young officer may ask, or be asked, to resign at any time.'

Tough shit! Two forward rolls. Go!

SLOSHING

On your feet in a single line when you've finished.

Why are your faces still clean? Lookateachother.

You're all clean! Head stand. Go!

Get them heads down there!

Get your heads down! Go! Headsdownthere!

Get your feet up, man!

On your feet. Go on! On your feet!

Pick up your kit. Follow me!

Starting at the far end,

do backward somersaults.

SPLASHING Go!

SPLASHING Go!

Go! SPLASHING

Go!

Change direction, left. Left wheel.

Forward!

Change direction, right. Right wheel.

Don't kick the bollard. Hasn't done you any harm.

Fine. Well, we'll start. Welcome. That's the first thing to say.

We have discussion periods.

And if nothing else, we're good for a cup of coffee and some biccies.

One of the things we shall be talking about

is the "just war" concept.

We'll be talking about things like pacifism

and whether the profession of arms

is compatible with Christianity.

I suppose I rather, um...

answer the question by standing here in this training rig,

when I talk about things like pacifism and the profession of arms.

Your function, basically, is to kill.

There is no other reason for your being here,

other than that one day, you might have to kill an enemy.

All your training is arduous. You're going to get cruddy.

You're going to get stinking. You're going to get rotten.

What happens when you come in from your day's work,

you get yourself stripped off into your rig you're in now,

flip-flops, PT rig.

You do the following things. You wash your shirt.

You wash your socks. You wash your knicks that you've worn that day.

Before you do anything, you wash those items.

They're the ones that are gonna stink the most. OK?

I'm going to show you how to wash your kit

cos some of you, I'm sure, have not done it.

Mummy's done it in the washing machine. We've got washing machines.

You're not going to use them until I tell you you can.

What gets really smelly on shirts? ALL: Armpits.

Armpits! Clever boys.

Get some dust in the armpits.

Rub it in.

Make sure you spend plenty of time on there.

Not much point in putting your clean shirt on,

then finding it's honking as soon as you've got it on.

In front of your troop,

you salute and they all fall over. LAUGHTER

That's the routine for washing your kit every night.

Any problems?

The second thing I want to go through is the shower routine.

Very important.

Mr James, come and speak to me.

ColourSergeant. Come and speak to me, Mr James.

Come and speak to me over here.

We've just finished training for the day. Smelling slightly.

Which he is, of course. All day, running around with kit.

In the shower, make sure the hair is washed every day.

None of this nonsense about not washing your hair every day.

OK? Make sure, obviously, under your arms are washed properly,

round your crutch and your feet are washed correctly.

Stacks of soap, stacks of lather.

We're going to have a quick demo from Mr James. Strip off.

LAUGHTER

Mr James, being a corps commission, knows the routine.

Hope he's got a fairly well sized willy...

LAUGHTER

It's like a cock, only smaller.

Exactly.

LAUGHTER

Showers around the corner there.

Get yourself lathered up properly and show them the routine.

SHOWER RUNS

Let Mr James get through there.

Don't be there all day!

Routine - stacks of soap all over your body

and get the grime and dirt off.

Fine. OK.

LAUGHTER

Let's see you, Mr Jackman.

Let's see if it's true, eh? LAUGHTER

Right, any problems on that? Showering?

You WILL shower every night.

'It's about now they begin to wonder whether they're elite or off their heads.'

I'm always rather concerned when I hear the word "elite".

It always assumes something, and that assumption can never be made.

You have to go on keeping yourself good day after day,

year after year.

As soon as an organisation starts calling itself good,

it almost always starts to go downhill.

'We must be constantly striving to be competent.

'We must be confident in that confidence,

'but we can never afford to be complacent.

'Day after day, I hope that officers, young officers,

'leaders at every level, are giving themselves their own audit board

'as to whether they have measured up that day

'and how they can do better next.'

If we go around the camp and get the salute from the men,

"Is someone walking behind us?

"God! I've got a pip on my shoulder!"

I think you salute the commission. You don't salute the person.

You salute the rank. They're saluting the Queen's commission.

Putting on this uniform for the first time is...nice.

Very nice.

You may have noticed at the moment we only wear

what I think is called the crap hat.

We don't deserve the green beret yet so we get this black training beret,

which is very, VERY noticeable.

It's only till the green beret

that I think you feel as though you've made it.

<You need some more shirts before very long.

<Get some nice new crisp ones.

OK.

<I suggest that you look around for a suitable sports jacket.

Make sure it's a properly cut,

tailored sports jacket with vents in the back.

Yes, sir. >

The game we're in now is the officer game. Right?Yes, Colour Sergeant.

You've come from one sort of life into another.

All right?Yes.

Smile at me.Yes,ColourSergeant.

I've just finished school.

Father owns his own garden centre.

We're not that well off a family.

My dad's put his money back into his garden centre.

I have to buy all my own clothes.

This is a bit different. I usually wear jeans, T-shirt when I'm out.

Suits, jacket and tie all the time is a bit different.

<All right. That's all satisfactory.

Good. Thank you, sir.

Don't panic!

No, Colour Sergeant.

Put your stuff away. Get yourself sorted out.

'At the moment, a little bit shaky under pressure, I feel myself.

'I'm confident that I can do it with training.

'It'll take a lot of work. Hopefully, they'll iron that out.'

I was told at my interview boards that I was not flexible enough,

but they believed that could be trained into me,

although I don't agree with that view.

I think they only saw a few sides of me at the interview board.

I think I have the flexibility. I'm entering training with an open mind.

They make what they want of me.

Change direction. Right. Right wheel. Forward!

Now slow the pace down.

Left, right. Left, right. Left, right. Left.

Change direction, left. Left wheel!

You're like a handcuffed crab!

Two paces, step back.

March!

One, one-two.

Keep the legs straight as you go back.

You will find

that I will nit-pick.

There are certain things that I will pick up

and you will think to yourself,

"Bloody hell!

"Why is he picking up that little thing?"

It is to train you to pay attention to detail.

So that later on in your careers, when you've got your troop of men,

and your company commander gives you a mission

to accomplish with your men,

you carry out that mission to the finest detail.

That way, you'll probably stay alive and keep your men alive.

The centre and rear ranks, stand at ease!

Where's your name tag?

I'myettopickitup... I told you yesterday to pick it up.

I do not expect to tell you more than once to do things.

Do you understand that, Mr Sear? Yes,ColourSergeant.Good.

What'sonyourstar? Three ships, Colour Sergeant.

What'sthewriting? "Three In One", Colour Sergeant.

What's it say in Latin? TriaJuncta...

I've forgotten the third word, Colour Sergeant.

What does it mean?ThreeInOne. What's that? What's Three In One?

Signifies England, Scotland and Wales...What does it also mean?

It's illegal, isn't it? Yes, Colour Sergeant.

Mr Ainsworth, what happened?

You got dressed last night and slept in it.

Tell me.No,ColourSergeant. What's your excuse, then?

Don't know, Colour Sergeant.

I'm going to have problems with you, aren't I, Mr Ainsworth?

Don't look so worried.

Put your shoulders back.

Open your toes up slightly.

30 degrees between the toe caps when stood to attention.

Right.

Down!

'There is shrewd strategy afoot. In years to come,

'the lives of the sergeant instructors

'could be in the hands of the young men they're training.

'Sergeant-ocracy rules, demanding almost unobtainable perfection.

'The system is proven.

'Sergeant Mick Eccles survived the Falklands War

'and won the Military Medal in the fight for Mount Harriet.'

Stand by... Ready!

'There's another unique aspect of the officer's course.

'From time to time, they train with men they're learning to command.

'The men are blind if they don't see

'that, if anything, their future officers get an even tougher time.'

We have got a gentleman from Eton here

who decided we do barrel changes

after 200 rounds on the LSW. CHUCKLING

Sir, could you please get down and show us how to do a barrel change?

On the LSW. And talk us through it, sir.

Have you got your repair kit, sergeant?Ihaven't.

Demonstrate it by explanation, please.

I'm afraid I can't, Sergeant. ButyouattendedEton.That's right.

What do you know, if you attended Eton?

That I wouldn't be able to change a barrel.Basically,sir,

thousands of pounds spent on your education.

Whathappens? I reckon I can change a barrel.

And you can't, can you? You'll give us a good demonstration on this one.

Can you tell me please what that is?

When you release the bolt, you use the bolt release. Thank you.

Mutton.

Place entire contents in quarter a pint of water.

Simmer for five, ten minutes. I can cope with that.

'The experience of centuries

'is distilled into the Royal Marines' obsession

'with self-sufficiency in uncomfortable places.

'The food may bear uncanny resemblance to a dog's dinner,

'but it is nourishing and hot.

'Combat strategy is useless if officers and marines are under par.

'They spend ten weeks learning to survive in alien conditions.'

Right, that's the boring bit.

You've got to wait while this hubbles and bubbles.

Just done the entire Scout course

in about two hours!

We're fully trained Adventure Scouts now, I think.

Seems a bit too relaxed. Sure it's going to change.

They have to teach us these basics.

Probably better at a relaxed pace so we take it in.

If somebody drops a goolie, everybody goes and does a beasting.

It's not that one bloke. Everybody does a beasting.

It's drilled into you. You work for each other.

After a while, you don't think about it, you just pull together.

Don't you, you bastard?Yeah. BOTH LAUGH

You should have your rifles slung across your chest

not carried like some handbag.

You're making a right cock-up of this, aren't you, sir? Eh?

No. It's going to be all right.

You want to try to get it finished before it goes dark.

You been camping before?

I've seen Wimpey's build a block of flats quicker than this!

You're looking so you can put an officer in front of 30 marines

and he's not going to make a fool of himself.

Also, that he's got the ability to lead, to take charge,

his man management's good.

And he can understand the marine.

We also try to make him streetwise,

so he doesn't get messed around.

Cos if he's not up to scratch, the marine will find out.

'You've got to break them in gently.'

It's no good shouting at them.

What's the point in bullying somebody? He doesn't learn nothing.

You don't achieve nothing. You'll find times when WE shout at him.

But to shout for no reason? You're there to help him through.

The pressure gets greater in each stage of training.

By the time you get to the end of training,

you don't have to bully them so much cos the pressure's on THEM.

You don't have to shout. They know if they're in the wrong or right.

Do you like them? Are they a good bunch? Have you got time for them?

LAUGHS You have to have time for them!

But "like them"?

Yeah, you respect them, providing they turn out the goods.

If they don't and they're not giving 100%,

then respect, I'm afraid, declines.

The only thing that's missing is a big campfire, funny hats

and people saying Akela.

It's a holiday at the moment. I'm sure it'll change for the worse.

I am November Oscar 28007, acting Lieutenant Cameron.

The batch has fallen in in three ranks at your disposal, sir.

Good morning, Mr Cameron. Stand the batch at ease.

Batch, stand at ease!

Let's use the voice a little more, Mr Cameron. It's a bit pathetic.

Give it as an order, not as a whisper or whimper.

Attention, NCOs. Please carry on.

Section TWO!

Join that section, sir.

Why were you adrift? Get up to attention!

Why were you late? Why were you late?

Why? No excuse, Sergeant!

Front support position. Down.

Five minutes! Five minutes early! You should have been here.

I don't want my section ever again

shamed by Two Section being here on time,

and Three Section being here before you.

And One Section being last.

Get your knees straight, sir.

Make sure your straps are tight.

That will bang you on the head. Won't it, sir?

Yes, Sergeant.

Make sure your equipment is done up, otherwise that happens.

Have a look through there.

Sergeant.

What'sinit?Bits of dirt. Why didn't you pull it through?

Ididpullitthrough,Sergeant. Youdidn'tpullitthroughenough.

Just push that.

Dirty weapon, sir. Get on the flank. Get it together.

Why haven't you used your soap, sir? RESPONSEUNCLEAR

Why carry it, then? Which soap have you used?

You didn't use that soap either. Which would you use?

Pardon?Which would you prefer? Which is better?

It's not me, sir! Imperial Leather is perfumed.

Start using perfumed soap in the field, start smelling like a posy

and you can be smelled for miles!

Have you shaved this morning, sir? No,Sergeant.

Whynot,sir? I don't ever shave, actually.

You don't ever shave?No,Sergeant.

What do you use, sir? A "delapatry" cream?Pardon?

There's a hair, sir. You'll shave in future. Hair!

Yes,Sergeant.You'll shave, sir.

Get out your water bottle. Get out your mess tin and shave now.

Look down there. It'sshit,Sergeant.

You haven't even looked down it. Ihavelookeddownit.

You haven't bothered to pull it through?Didn'thavetime.

You've been up since six o'clock. Quarter to eight, you parade.

That gives you an hour and three quarters to get your act together.

Start learning quick, sir, otherwise you're active in civvy street.

PANTING

'Michael Jackman is on attachment from the Barbados Defence Force.

'He's homesick and feels the cold,

'but he wants the green beret desperately.'

As soon as you've got your equipment on, front support position place.

You're waiting for the slower members of the section

who can't get their act together.

Dirty faces, dirty razors, dirty rifles, dirty soap.

Equipment stowed in polythene bags so it goes mouldy.

Just a few of the things wrong with you after one night.

One night out in the field, where you were finished by eight o'clock

and had nothing to do!

We will have immaculate kit and rifles, and you will be clean.

Stand up.

GROANING AND PANTING

That way, turn.

You see the knoll?

Go!

It pays to be the winner!

The first two back don't go again!

PUFFING AND PANTING

Mr Porter. Mr Porter!

Pays to be a winner. Back you go.

PANTING About turn. Back you go.

About turn, sir.

Pays to be a winner, sir.

About turn. Back you go.

Firstthree,thistime. Let's move it, sir.

Back you go, sir.

Back you go. Sorry,Sergeant?Back you go.

More effort's required, sir.

Back you go, sir. Sorry,Sergeant?Back you go.

More effort's required, sir.

We know what to do tomorrow, what standards we have to achieve.

ALL:Yes,Sergeant. You'll expect it of your troop.

ALL: Yes, Sergeant.

PUFFING AND PANTING

Why was you walking, Mr Morris?

Whywasyouwalking,MrMorris? ToletMrTimpson past,Sergeant.

That's very kind of you. Get fell in.

Thatisyours,isn'tit? Yes,Sergeant.

That could have been any bit of kit what could have been important.

It could have been a map. It could have been an orders book.

But you would have dropped it, wouldn't you?

Yes,Sergeant. Take charge of your kit, sir.

Fall in.

One Section, attention!

You let me down three times. You let me down last night...

Stand still, sir!

You let me down last night by having a banyan in that bivvy position.

You let me down this morning by being adrift.

You let me down by your turnout.

I don't enjoy doing that, but I'd do it again

if you ever come and let me down again.

Understand me, One Section? ALL:Yes,Sergeant!

Good. Stand at ease.

Take off your kit.

You're all thinking, "I wish I was back on the parade now."

I'm thinking I wish I was back doing drill work with Sergeant Williams.

And you're all probably not working on Saturday.

You ain't bonking the old...young horsey birds.

LAUGHTER

Eh? Trying to find a little wife for the future.

<A nice little Sloane, I'm looking for.

Never with hair like that!

'A relaxed atmosphere,

'but the pressure's growing on the younger men.'

I find things difficult to start off with.

Problem is, that's when your name gets picked up.

Other people make mistakes and get away with them.

They've got my name in their heads. "He's making a mess here!"

Everyone else gets away with it a bit better.

When we're doing it in practice, I can do everything OK.

When we get out there, like on those ranges, I thought about everything.

I got picked up again.

I was thinking about things, running along and firing.

I wasn't thinking about the targets, my drills and things.

It's more difficult. I'll get there. Just takes a matter of time.

Have you felt any changes in yourself?

I don't think you can tell when you're here.

But when I go home, everybody will say, "You've changed."

You don't sort of realise you're changing.

But must be.That's very true.

I went home this weekend and went out with my brother.

Had a few wets. He said I'd changed, got louder and rowdier.

It was really good to get home, to see your friends and stuff,

and know that you're away from the pressure for a short moment.

Whoisit?Mr Trotman, Sergeant.

Howfarawaywasyouwhenyoufired? About 80metres,Sergeant.

Aboutwhat?80 metres, Sergeant.

Look where Sergeant Ashby is and you was way behind him!

I was only two metres behind him. He's120,30metresaway.

He said, "If you think you're 75 metres..."

You've got to think for yourself. Ihadalook,Sergeant.

You didn't look far enough, sir. That's nowhere near 80 metres.

Yes,Sergeant.I'll show you where you've got to go now.

You see that hill?Yes,Sergeant. I want you to shout from the top,

"Sergeant Eccles, I apologise for not listening to your orders."

I'll acknowledge and you can come back.Yes,Sergeant.

'Does Jim Trotman feel confident?' Yes,Ido.

It ebbs and flows, shall we say?

At six in the morning, you want to write the letter of resignation

when you're scrubbing the floor.

But that soon goes. Yeah, I think I'll crack it.

These guys, a few of them have a little experience,

so they make it a little easier for you.

They help you along when you fall short, like this morning.

The guys had to pull things together for me because my fingers were numb.

I couldn't use them at all. You're going to see it through?

Well, Sergeant Ashby was telling me

that he's going to get me through, whether I like it or not!

Alive or dead, I'm going to come through with a green beret.

In the field, you pair off into the buddy system immediately.

You share a bivvy with somebody, so you have to put that up together.

When you get up in the morning, you wash individually,

then you check the other person

to see he's got all the cam cream off and that he's clean.

Cos he can't see himself.

You mentioned this morning, we ought to have Desmond Morris over

to be a commentator, if you like.

It's very much like hamadryas baboons playing with each other,

picking nits out of each other's backs and things like that.

You see a little clump of troops under trees.

And in the same way that hamadryas baboons go in troops,

we move in troops as well. LAUGHTER>

What a simply marvellous analogy!

EXPLOSIONS

GUNFIRE

Let's move! Let's move!

'Now they're not even allowed to sleep at night.'

Get yourself off the floor!

COMMANDS SHOUTED

HEAVY RAIN FALLS

'Some are on the verge of breaking point.

'Even if there's an air of menace, marine standards are so high,

'it's essential to test their fortitude to the limit of endurance.

'Men's lives will be in their hands.'

How are you finding this? It's getting chilly now.

LAUGHING: Chilly? You mean devastatingly cold!

Ah! It's...manageable, I think, for now.

My hands I can't feel at all, but... Really?They'recompletelynumb.

Right, the kit people have lost,

or the kit we've picked up in the positions this morning.

Waterproof. Come and claim it, Mr Ken.

Take charge of it, sir.

Three Section, one heaving sock.

Who's going to claim that? Who's got the balls to claim it?

<Put it down. It might return to its owner.

Stand at ease.

Listen in, the rest of Two Section.

Not a bad effort. Lesson's been learned. Make sure it's remembered.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four.

Change direction.

One, two, three, four.

CONTINUE CHANTING

If you keep closed up, keep the step, it's no problem, is it?

MEN: No, Sergeant. Well done. Any problems, anybody?

Both the backs of my heels are rubbed raw.

Are they?Yes,Sergeant. We'll get it fixed.

It happens. You won't be the first. You're not the last.

A few problems? OK. Sit on the desk.

Put your feet up.

Right, OK. Are your boots too tight?

Not too tight. I think, probably, just badly fitting at the back.

There's no problem in comfort.

You'll have to go down to sick bay and get them to look at those.

What should I wear? I've got problems getting my boots back on.

Put your training rig on and put your training shoes on.

<Yes, sir.

I kept being done for being out of step.

Every time I went for a full step it really hurt.

"Get in step!" I couldn't keep in step.

But I kept going. There was no way I was giving up.

Is that the philosophy for the rest of the course?

Yeah. You just have to ignore pain.

<Sir, don't worry. We're going to let you go for a swim as well.

You're happy with that, are you?

Off you go, then.

Keep it to the right-hand side.

Don't mess around, sir. Get straight in. It's not that cold.

It's not cold. It's freezing.

That's it, sir. Good effort.

Keep the rope to the right.

That's it, sir. Well done.

Nice! Tepid!

Temperate climate, sir, isn't it?

Terrified! I really was.

I kind of got in the water and almost panicked.

I really thought I was going to go under.

The sergeant had to pull the rope up to keep me out of the water.

My pack was fine. Everything was bone dry. It was me!

I just don't like to cross the water like that.

Frightens me like anything.

'Barbados is hardly the ideal background

'for a man training for Arctic warfare.

'It's no longer whether Jackman completes the course,

'but how long he can survive.'

It's been a constant struggle. The cold has been extremely difficult.

The training has been manageable.

It's the training coupled with the cold that has made my life a horror.

You're very cold, very wet.

Just can't get dry, which is the most miserable thing about it.

Once you're wet, you get cold more easily.

Freezing!

Could you describe to me in 50 words a hot bath?

LAUGHTER >

One word - heaven!

Nobody else is wearing a towel, sir.

You won't, either.

It's not raining. It's perfectly nice weather, sir.

Make sure this is tucked up tidily. Yes,Sergeant.

Keep still, sir. Keep still.

You've got every item of clothing on known to man, haven't you, sir?

Yes, indeed, Sergeant. Yes, indeed.

The best thing you can do, sir, is start taking it off.

I want you to drop that pack, take this off, take this off,

take your gloves off, sir, and shout out when you've done it.

'No doubting his determination,

'circulation problems have been confirmed

'by Surgeon Commander Ian Riddle.'

If he were a Royal Marine young officer

who we were expecting to serve in the Arctic at some stage,

we would not be able to allow him to continue training.

Under his particular circumstances,

he should be returning to a warmer climate

and it should not give him future problems.

But you're going to monitor him very closely?Verycloselyindeed.

Very closely indeed.

Unfortunately, he will suffer considerable pain

after every cold exposure.

He has made the decision that he wishes to continue,

and I respect that decision.

What would your reaction be

if you were forced, due to cold weather injuries, to leave training?

I wouldn't like that very much.

You've got the additional pressure of leaving Barbados, coming so far,

everybody knowing that you are here to get the green beret,

to go back home as one of the elite.

For me to leave at such an early stage in training,

we still have 30-odd weeks to go, it would be heart-breaking.

'Michael Jackman was incapable of carrying on

'and returned to Barbados.

'One in three of these men is to discover

'that the Royal Marines are not for him.'