SOLDIERS from the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers (LCV) went on a hi-tech mission on their annual camp at Sennybridge, Wales.

The infantry troops got kitted out in battle dress and went to attack the 'enemy', played by cadets, with support from visiting officers from America, Denmark, Poland and Germany.

But whereas usually the soldiers keep firing the blank rounds until the assault is over, this time they had to stop and play dead if they were hit.

And they knew exactly when the enemy had hit them, thanks to the DFWES equipment, special jackets fitted out with electronic receivers, activated by lasers attached to the rifles. WOII Steve Cato, the senior permanent staff instructor (SPSI) at Kimberley Barracks in Preston, the LCV headquarters, went to Warminster to learn how to use the DFWES, short for Direct Fire Weapons Effect Simulation. Sergeant Major Cato said: "It is used by the regular forces all the time but we are the first TA unit to use it.

It made a significant difference to the troops. It made them realise that they were not invincible to bullets."

Among those taking part were Carol Milner, aged 27, from Fulwood, a new recruit with the Lancastrian and Cumbrian Volunteers (LCV). She said of the mission: "It was completely different to my day job, as a clerk."

Craftsman David Martin, a member of REME attached to the LCV, is an electronics technician from Leyland. He repairs military vehicles during his time in the TA.

Private Lucy Leeman, a student from Preston, joined the TA to help finance her studies at the University of Central Lancashire.

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