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FOR more than three weeks they have been tested to their max. Hampshire soldiers have faced every kind of weather and have been put through their paces on every kind of skill they possess, no matter what time of day or night.

But the challenging conditions on the terrain of the Canadian prairies has also seen other vital resources put to the test - no more so than the battlegroup medics, who have had their work cut out.

While the battles may have been fake, the injuries certainly were not - with a variety of problems out on the field, including serious casualties who had to be airlifted from the vast grasslands.

It's a situation for which the ultimate responsibility lies with the Armoured Tigers' boss, Commanding Officer Charlie Sykes.

Speaking just hours before the troops began the biggest and final part of their Exercise Medicine Man, CO Sykes said: "We've been quite lucky really, with only one or two serious injuries during our time here. The casualty evacuation plan has proved to be pretty well swept up as a result.

"We had one guy, who was wearing his helmet, but banged his head coming out the back of his vehicle. The guys informed the doctor and said it was a head injury, but by the time the doctor got to him five minutes later he had regressed quite considerably.

"We got a helicopter out and it was on the scene within five or ten minutes. But in the end it was too dangerous to put him in and instead he was taken off by ambulance to hospital.

"I'm pleased to say that our casualty evacuation plan worked very well, this has just been a bit of bad luck. The guys are concentrating on the job in hand out here. People get very excited out on the prairie, they want to get on and deal with the mission. Sometimes they need a little simmering down, a reminder to take care of themselves."

Other soldiers have been removed temporarily due to a collection of injuries, ranging from falls from vehicles to nasty bites and stings.

But so far the men of the First Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, have thankfully managed to avoid anything more serious.

The vigorous training, which will on this occasion help prepare the guys for the frontline once again later this year, has previously claimed many lives.

CO Sykes said: "Before we began we had a church service in which we paused to remember the 32 people that have died out here in 35 years.

"There is no doubt this can be a dangerous place. We are fortunate we can get someone out to hospital within 20 minutes and in the live firing part of this exercise, the whole thing would be stopped if we couldn't guarantee air support to do that."

For CO Sykes, it's the first time he has seen his men in a semi-real situation, having only come in to command the battalion a matter of months ago.

He said: "It's been great to get out and see them in the flesh because everybody gives at the top of their performance on an exercise like this - you really get to see what they are like. 1PWRR are certainly the backbone of this battlegroup, which has everything else joined on at the sides.

"The engineers have really come into their own out here and stepped up as vehicles have been down and they've been moved into an area we call the graveyard' to be fixed. Those guys have been working more than 40 hours non-stop to deal with that and get them back on the road."

The exercise, which in itself costs £1m a day to run, has seen some 400 vehicles taking part - 93 per cent of which have been on the road for the duration.

Asked about the potential of passing this vital training, a decision that will be made by the battalions' Brigadier Tom Beckett next week, CO Sykes is fairly confident.

He said: "Yes, I certainly hope that the brigadier will award the necessary tick at the end, but if I'm honest that's not what excites me. It's about being out here in a place where training value is unparalleled.

"Many have not been on exercise this long and it's extremely testing, but the team-building and the relationships built between the guys in the vehicles is incredible.

"All in all, this is a great place, and when the mosquitoes disappear the sunsets are absolutely fantastic. As it's training we have had portable toilets on site some days but I can honestly say we are all very much looking forward to reaching the end - and seeing porcelain!"

Speaking about pending deployments to the frontline later this year (brigade bosses are still waiting for confirmation on locations and numbers required), CO Sykes added: "If it happens to be Afghanistan then this whole exercise will be particularly relevant as a lot of the troops out there are having to spend a lot of time out in the field. Iraq, however, is a different scenario but the familiarity and the confidence in the live firing will be useful.

"It just goes to show that investing in training is essential. Although it may seem hugely expensive to fly everyone out here, what the soldiers gain is essential to make the British Army one of the best, if not the best, defences in the world."

12:28pm Saturday 28th June 2008

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