Top dogs
1RAR takes coveted infantry trophy

Amazing: Pte Daniel Lobascher, 2RAR, emerges from the barbed wire maze in the obstacle course. Photo by Bill Cunneen

Jail house rock:1RAR’s section clears part of the old Maitland Jail. Pte Troy Burgess is secured as a prisoner during the activity. Photo by Bill Cunneen

Top effort: Section commander of the winning team from 1RAR Cp Andrew Crawford holds the Duke of Gloucester Cup. Photo by Bill Cunneen

Cover: Pte Marco John Henry O’Hehir, 1RAR, covers the rear as the rest of his team moves around a corner during the 1RAR dog squad team’s lead-up training in Method Of Entry and operating in urban terrain for the DoG Cup. Photo by Cpl Hamish Paterson

Out and about: Cpl Steven Dowd with a group of local children at a roadside stall.

By Cpl Damian Shovell

1RAR has proved it has the best section in the RAR following the revival of a 60-year-old infantry skills tradition – the Duke of Gloucester (DoG) Cup.

In a gruelling five days at the School of Inf from October 30 to November 4, participating battalions vied for a collection of trophies including the coveted DoG cup, a trophy awarded since 1947 to Army’s best infantry section.

The cup was held on and off until 1988 when it lost its unique competition identity and became part of the ASAAM, largely due to the increased operational tempo since East Timor.

1RAR, 2RAR, 3RAR and 6RAR contested this year’s event, with 4RAR and 5/7RAR unable to attend.

Apart from winning the DoG Cup, 1RAR also claimed the Falling Plate Trophy.

2RAR took out the Gurkha Trophy for shooting and the Arthur MacDonald Trophy for night navigation and firing, while 6RAR was awarded the Oscmar Cup for IWESS/TESS.

CO School of Inf Lt-Col Dean Franklin said the competition challenged participants in a range of military activities designed to assess team dynamics and individual soldier skills under stressful and enduring conditions.

“The broad variety of assessed activities varied from physically demanding tasks, conventional IMTs and complex war fighting, battle shooting and leadership,” he said.

Coordinating officer Lt Matthew Lewis, one of the planners for the event, said each section had a lieutenant or sergeant as a team manager, with a section including a section commander, a 2IC and seven riflemen.

The competition consisted of stands and activities beginning with a 15km forced march in hot and humid conditions on day one, followed by a night navigation exercise. Days two and three consisted of a 48-hour patrol, with a section attack, section withdrawal, CASEVAC and PW handling stands. Day four was at Maitland Jail where urban operations were tested, followed by an 84mm shoot, then target grid procedure, QDE, an observation stand and a stores carry. The competition culminated on day five with an LF18 shoot, stretcher carry, falling plate shoot and defence shoot before tackling the obstacle course.

“We were after a number of activities that would give the section commander a great deal of freedom of action, and what we targeted was section individual and collective skills, looking at each member of the section and identifying skill sets that they should have to get an understanding of the good and bad points across the battalions in the RAR,” Lt Lewis said.

“We used a lot of good ideas that came out of the early ’90s DoG cups, and we used the after action reports for those competitions and combined them with the some of the experiences that we’ve had in the battalions to come up with some very good activities.

“The DoG Cup has been a prestigious event for the RAR that has been strongly contested by every battalion since its inception during the occupation of Japan in 1947. It has always been aimed at testing soldiers from each battalion of the RAR in military skills pertaining to the standard infantry section.

“The reinstatement of the 2005 DoG Cup is a significant event and this competition is designed to be a physically tough, mentally demanding and rewarding opportunity for all participating battalions.”

Presenting this year’s award, Colonel Commandant of the RAR Maj-Gen Jim Connally (ret’d) praised all the competitors.

“They’ve worked had with great resolve, without rest and, despite the heat, gave their all to try to win this trophy,” he said.

“This competition tests the war fighting standards of the regular battalion infantry sections, and it has achieved that and more. It has tested battlefield discipline, leadership, physical toughness, resolve, mental agility and knowledge and skill. It has tested each of you as an individual and, more importantly, as part of a war fighting infantry section.

“This competition aims to measure, developed and improve the fighting spirit and professional mastery of our RAR sections.”

Cpl Andrew Robert Crawford, section commander for the winning section from 1RAR, said his section comprised a mixture of personnel from 1RAR who were thrown together on short notice to compete.

“None of us had worked together, but we did know each other,” he said.

“We had about one solid week [of training] because we kept dropping blokes so we had to start from scratch again.”

He said the lead-up training to the event was also ad-hoc as the actual event stands were a close-held secret before the competition.

“We knew there was going to be shooting and a lot of endurance, but that was about it – the actual stands we didn’t know about,” Cpl Crawford said.

He said the most difficult part was the 15km forced march and 48 hours in the bush in hot and humid conditions.

“It was hard just getting up and getting going every time you pick up out of the harbour because your feet are just so sore and you just have to get back into it. Then there was the endurance of backing up after doing the march in the rain, plus the navigation, because we only got about two hours sleep that night then had to patrol for two days, and were only averaging about two hours sleep at night.”

He said every section member concentrated on maintaining fluid levels in the humidity, heat and sun, and consumed about seven litres a day.

Apart from its arduous nature, the competition was full of surprises.

“While conducting a stretcher carry, were ambushed and gassed, but we had our gas masks on before it could get to us,” Cpl Crawford said.

He said the best part of the activity was the obstacle course as it was the final event after five days of intense activity.
“It was great – I enjoyed that. We started with all the blokes and finished with all the blokes. It was great to have them there together at the end.”

He said the section looked forward to competing again next year.

Final tallies

1st score of 2008, 1RAR
2nd score of 1918, 2RAR
3rd score of 1860, 6RAR
4th score of 1650, 3RAR

Oscmar Cup (IWESS/TESS)
6RAR

Gurkha Trophy (shooting)
2RAR

Falling Plate Trophy
1RAR

Sir Arthur Macdonald Trophy
2RAR