Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, Thursday, May 7, 2009

I got up at 3am and it is an early start today because we have to be in position by 4.30am.

2 Yorks – together with the Polish Army and the Household Cavalry – are trying to capture Copehill Down which is crawling with the enemy.

I had forgotten what first light looked like and it is an eerie sensation to hear the crackle of gunfire in the growing light.

They are gradually getting closer and several very loud explosions means they are almost here so I grab a boil-in-the-bag bacon and beans for breakfast before it all kicks off.

We wander into town and see the enemy defenders. They are putting up a spirited fight and it looks like it is going to be a long struggle.

Nothing can prepare you for how loud a weapon is when it is fired at close quarters. You instinctively flinch even though you know they are just firing blanks.

It was only later that I learn that, as we were wandering around town, the 2 Yorks lads were using us as target practice and I hope that it was not negative feedback on anything I had written in the past.

I met up with Caglar from Scarborough, who was an early casualty, who looked quite happy lying in a field on the outskirts of town.

The town looks just like Sarajevo and this is a wargame on a very large table.

It is a hard fight for every building and then they move onto clear the next one.

I even see a casualty lying on his back lighting a cigarette.

The town is fiercely defended but 2 Yorks win the day after a gruelling six-hour battle.

I get the train back and meet up with a mate at Paddington Station in London, for a drink and catch up, before catching the train back to Scarborough.