Army medics practise warzone rescue operation

Soldiers in Essex have been practising their ability to extract seriously injured casualties from the battlefield.

The training exercise, involving the British Army's 16 Medical Regiment and the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Tactical Medical Wing, got under way at the Merville Barracks in Colchester on Tuesday.

About 20 medics simulated a warzone scenario, where they might have to treat patients and rush them to a UK hospital.

"Being able to patch soldiers up and get them back into the fight if deployed on large-scale combat operations is key," said Maj Ed Tusting, who commands a squadron with the 16 Medical Regiment.

In a real scenario, the Army's light surgical teams would parachute into the warzone.

For this exercise, medics patched up serious wounds on model patients - including a life-size dummy - in a pitched tent at the barracks.

Once stabilised, personnel were driven to a helicopter where they were airlifted to RAF Honington in Suffolk.

Next, the team boarded an A400M plane and were flown in circles above the RAF base to mimic what would otherwise have been a journey to a UK hospital.

Members of the 16 Medical Regiment have already demonstrated their skills in the real world.

More than 100 of them were deployed after a large earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

They form part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade at Colchester, which is made up of 5,500 troops.

Radiographer Sgt James Longman said the practice scenarios gave them the opportunity to train in a "comfortable environment with simulated patients" so they could work better when the time came.

Alongside his role in the medical regiment, he works in the NHS to keep his skills sharp.

Longman said military care was more than just "gunshot injuries and explosions".

"What we can be exposed to when we're deployed can be the full range of healthcare needs," he said.

"From primary care, GP-style stuff, as well as surgery and things like that."

He recently returned from a major training operation in Germany called Exercise Rhino Titan, involving 2,500 British and French troops.

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