Soldier trains in jungle warfare techniques

A WARRINGTON soldier is training in jungle warfare techniques deep in the rainforests of Central America.
Corporal Martin Shaw 34, who serves with the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, is working alongside the Belize Defence Force (BDF) – some of the world’s best tropical warriors.
The former Padgate High School pupil has been in the Army for 10 years and has served in Canada, Kenya, the Falkland Islands, Iraq and three tours in Afghanistan. He is now in Belize for a month working in energy-sapping humidity and temperatures of more than 30°C.
Martin said: “I actually joined the Army for a bet. I had a mate who joined the Royal Logistics Corps and he was telling me I would not be able to cope with it, so I did it to show him that I could. It was the best thing I ever did.”
Martin is in Belize along with more than 100 others from the battalion’s Blenheim Company, learning how to survive and fight in some of the toughest conditions on the planet.
He said: “We’re based in the primary jungle which is very dense, hot, humid and sweaty. We work really hard during daylight but at night we get to rest well in our hammocks – which are great; they keep us off the ground and away from the bugs. We’ve also got a river nearby which we can dip in and have a wash after training.”
Perhaps the hardest work has been at Sibun Gorge. The location’s holiday brochure natural beauty hides a deadly arsenal of snakes including the giant boa constrictor and the venomous Fer de Lance. The region’s lush vegetation, hilly terrain and still air, thick with humidity, add an extra dimension to the daily tests of survival, navigation and attack.
Exercise Mayan Warrior examined how well personnel adapt to such a demanding environment. Soldiers live in the wild, sleeping in tree-slung hammocks and drinking river water they purify themselves. British Army jungle warfare instructors and soldiers from the Belize Defence Force educate the 2 LANCS personnel in how to navigate the featureless jungle, move through it undetected and strike enemy positions fast and hard from close quarters.
Martin, who is married to Emma, said: “I love my job. I’ve been in Belize through the Army once before and I thought that would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but lucky enough here I am again. I do enjoy the big exercises like this one and I’d rather be doing this here than on a cold training area back in the UK!”