Our way of saying tank-you (From Western Telegraph)

Our way of saying tank-you

From Kosovo to Castlemartin - Britains mighty Challenger 2 main battle tanks are lining up for action on Pembrokeshire soil on Saturday.

This £3 million tank is Britains biggest direct fire weapon and has been used in action in Kosovo.

There are 57 currently at Castlemartin Range with the Kings Royal Hussars and they will form the star attraction at the annual open day at Castlemartin Range on Saturday.

The Kings Royal Hussars, have been training at the range for the last three weeks. It is the first time the tanks have been fired by a full regiment, said its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Allen.

He has been very impressed with the training conditions at Castlemartin, regarded as Britains principal tank gunnery range. From a military perspective, Castlemartin is extremely important to the armoured regiments in the British Army because of the scope and capacity it offers, he said.

It forms a crucial part of our training programme and is a key to maintaining our standards of military training and capability.

The range, he added, is well resourced and has a committed and professional civilian staff. Simulation facilities are no substitute for tank crews to experience the full effects of their weapons capability under training conditions, he insisted.

Commander Allen believes the open day offers a unique opportunity for the public to see the Army.

We fully acknowledge that there has been an impact locally from our training. This event offers us a unique opportunity to say thank you, he said.

The range is headed by Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Rogers who is organising the open day. He is urging people to support an event which raises money for the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmens Families Association, and Warren Church.

Our relationship with the general public is good, but this gives us a chance to explain why we have an Army; why we have to have the capability we have and why we need to train, he said.

The Royal Kings Hussars will be conducting dry training on the battle run to give the public a flavour of what armoured operations are like. Weather permitting they will be accompanied by helicopter support.

Other regiments will also be present together with the Territorial Army, the Dyfed Army Cadet Force and Tenby Sea Cadets.

We are very much a part of the community in this part of Pembrokeshire. We want to welcome everyone, said Colonel Rogers.