Recently promoted to Acting Leading Hand, Andy Westlake has been patrolling the waters around Iraq with the Royal Navy Reserves.
We have the training, so we get out there and do our jobs properly.”
During his first mobilisation Andy was stationed on a Royal Fleet Auxilliary (RFA) oil tanker in the Southern Arabian Gulf around Dubai.
More recently, he spent five months providing security for RFA ships among the oil terminals off the coast of Iraq and through the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Although it’s a far cry from his day job as a Quantity Surveyor for construction firm Cowlin, both roles require Andy to work in a high-pressure environment where there is little room for error. Andy is the first to admit that the frequent training he receives as a Reservist helps stand him in good stead for both his civilian work and his mobilisation experiences. With his Reservist training reinforced by intensive predeployment instruction in weapons systems and first aid, he was well prepared for the range of duties he faced in operational theatre.