For one of our leave activities I, along with a bunch of other University Cadets, completed the POLC. We formed course no 1562. The POLC was held at HMS Royal Arthur, which was near Corsham in Wiltshire. The point if this course was to teach mid-seniority Naval ratings some management techniques, to promote fitness, and to provide a fistful of experience. It was required as a pre-requisite to the next promotion – to Chief Petty Officer, so far as I can remember. the course lasted four weeks, with square- bashing (parade training); compulsory afternoon sports (mainly Shinty, or Deck Hockey); leadership exercises, and taught classes. The leadership exercises were non-trivial – one involved erecting shear-legs and lifting an old aircraft over a set of rugby posts. The course culminated with an) exercise in stamina and endurance undertaken either in the Black Mountains, or the Brecon Beacons. This was a ‘whole-course’ activity; we had had to plan, and then complete, a route to visit a (very large) set of points – trig points and paint-marked cairns, over a 72-hour hike. To ensure fitness for this arduous trip, there were set runs that we had to complete, including a five-mile run in boots and fatigues. It was up to us plan when and whether we rested, camped or slept. The excercise was competitive; there was a leader board that was maintained and recorded the time taken by the fastest teams to achieve the maximum points.
All in all, the POLC was a good experience. We completed our hike arounnd the Brecon Beacons, and were very pleased to feature on the leader board. We had walked over 70 miles in the 72 hours alotted.