Almost 200 Bermuda Regiment soldiers were in Canada this week as Exercise Maple Thunder got underway.

As part of the two-week camp, the soldiers tested their endurance with kayaking, multi-stage rock climbing and the cold weather of the Canadian Army’s Meaford Training Ground in northern Ontario.

They were joined in the exercise by volunteers from the Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service and St John’s Ambulance.

Chief of Staff for Maple Thunder, Regiment Adjutant Major Ben Beasley, said: “The young men and women out here are demonstrating that they are robust and unselfish members of the community — they’re up at 5am, working all day, and mostly sleeping in their self-made accommodation; and always looking out for each other.

“They’re spending this week conducting enhanced training that can only be achieved on overseas camps — but will have to apply it over the course of a five-day exercise next week.”

He described the exercise as the largest and most complex that the Regiment has tackled in several years, and that it will help build a strong and versatile military unit.

“No one knows what’s around the corner and the Commanding Officer has ensured that the Island will have an adaptable and capable unit that can serve our home in whatever capacity is required,” he added.

Corporal Damir Armstrong, 28, of A Company, said: “The kayaking was fine — I was nervous about it at first because it’s Canada and it was wet so the potential for things to go wrong was high. But they all survived and none of them got wet — and we managed to post the fastest time on the foot-race which was great.

“Throughout all these rough conditions, their morale has stayed high, they’ve been energetic and got the job done.”