Arbroath-based Royal Marines help with post-Arwen support

The members of 45 Commando put their cold weather training to good use to help vulnerable people impacted by the storm.

Yankee Company are the Royal Marines’ Arctic and Mountain Warfare specialists, and between December 2 and 5 they were called to Aberdeenshire to visit people in some of the region’s remote areas who had been left without power in freezing conditions.

Working alongside troops from the Army and civil authority personnel, 45 Commando conducted door-to-door visits to check that people were well and assist them when required.

Lieutenant Colonel Ed Hall, commanding officer, said: “45 Commando were asked by Aberdeenshire Council to support the local community affected by Storm Arwen.

“Working in partnership with the civil authorities and the Army, 45 Commando’s Yankee Company have been conducting door-to-door checks to identify people who may be vulnerable and require further assistance.

“We have been based in the North-east of Scotland for 50-years and, as cold weather specialists, we have been working tirelessly to support the local authority during this challenging period.”

The Royal Marines were mainly operating in the Lumphanan area, around 25 miles from Aberdeen.

Together with troops from 39 Engineer Regiment and 3 Scots, the Black Watch, 45 Commando conducted visits to more than 4000 homes to check on conduct welfare checks.

The Officer Commanding Yankee Company, Major Johnson, added: “We were keen to reach out quickly to those in the affected areas.

"Conducting door-to-door checks in remote areas allowed us to support our local community and identify ways we could help them recover.”

In September this year Yankee Company spent two-weeks in Slovenia working with the Slovenian 132nd Mountain Regiment and the US Colorado National Guard’s 157th Mountain Regiment, honing their skills.

Held at constant readiness to deploy around the world, the elite regiment is ready to fight in the world’s harshest environments.