A TROOP from the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards visited Cwmbran yesterday as part of a defence engagement exercise.

Also known as the Welsh Cavalry, C squadron, under the command of Lieutenant Ross McKellar, comprise soldiers originally from Wales and the English border counties.

Corporal Karl O’Brien, who still lives in St Dials, Cwmbran when not at the barracks, was pleasantly surprised when he found out where the exercise was taking place.

“I was quite surprised to find out that we were coming back to my hometown. A number of my friends and family said they would pop down and see me as it’s been a while,” said the 33-year-old who has served on two tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I always knew that I wanted to be in the army, when I was working at the Celtic Manor before joining.”

The troop operates as a light cavalry battalion and the training exercise in Cwmbran is engineered to help with issues that could potentially arise during combat.

As part of the exercise, all members of the troop had to wear body armour, even if driving on the M4 to and from Cardiff's Maindy Barracks.

“The intention of the training exercise is to operate at reach, a key element of light cavalry,” said Lte McKellar, who commands the 12 soldiers and three jackals which were on display at Cwmbran Stadium.

“This includes using communications at reach or at distance from your headquarters, and operating the vehicles in case they breakdown to test the drivers’ knowledge of the Jackals, but it’s also a bonding exercise too.”

In February, members from the Welsh Cavalry are heading over to Sierra Leone to train the army in the African nation as part of their defence engagement.

“The Sierra Leone pairing will be somewhat of a litmus test for us, and this event in Cwmbran formulates part of what may happen over in Africa,” added Lte McKellar.