Amphibious beach assaults. Attacking an airfield. Conducting a riverside operation and base infiltration. A further amphibious assault culminating in a company-led assault on hill-top enemy positions. Over ten days, these took place across the width and breadth of the United Kingdom. Throughout the whole ten days, we had full trained Royal Marines commandos to assist us, and they were absolute fucking legends.

Passing Final Nail, the last couple of weeks were... slightly anti-climactic in my mind. We were still learning and training, but 'Final Nail' had been the last major exercise we had undertaken. We were now, for all intents and purposes, officers. That meant acting like and performing the...