An expedition to Africa to celebrate the 300th anniversary of their regiment will be anything but a holiday for Moray army troops.
Soldiers from the closure-threatened Kinloss Barracks are preparing for an arduous trek through South Africa’s Drakensburg mountain.
About 30 members from Moray are embarking on the high-altitude climb, entitled Exercise Northern Otters, at the end of the month to mark three centuries since the Corps of Engineers was created.
The Kinloss troops from 39 Engineer Regiment will be put through their paces, reaching heights of nearly 10,000ft across the mountainous region.
During their visit to South Africa, the soldiers will also be honouring Edinburgh-born Lieutenant Digby Jones, who died during the Boer War while serving the regiment and was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously.
Lieutenant Colonel Jim Webster, commanding officer of 39 Engineer Regiment, is proud to be honouring former comrades with the mission.
He said: “Royal Engineers have taken part in every major campaign fought by the British Army since 1716.
“We continue to be deployed all around the world and we are immensely proud of our history.
“With this year’s tercentenary, we wanted to do something particularly special. The spectacular Drakensburg location, combined with the link to such a distinguished Scottish Royal Engineer, allows us to do exactly that.”
The regiment will also be completing a battlefield study focusing on the Zulu and Boer Wars, finishing with the memorial for Lt Jones and the rest of the fallen in the conflicts during a spectacular hill-top location.
Major Gerry McKay, who is leading the expedition, added: “We are looking forward to the challenge of the exercise itself, which involves a lot of arduous trekking in mountainous conditions.
“It’s also very fitting that, as the only regular Royal Engineers regiment in Scotland, we take this opportunity to pay tribute to Lt Jones.”
