British Army team paddles into the record books

A British Army team has completed the first recorded descent by canoe of Africa’s White Volta River – which turned out to be longer than expected.

The 12-strong squad of paddlers from 5 General Support Medical Regiment, based at Fulwood Barracks, Preston, navigated a total of 1,071km in 32 days – which was almost 100km more than they’d budgeted for, but still a day ahead of schedule.

Delighted team leader Captain Mike Tomkins, now back in the UK, said today: “This is a huge achievement. We are all ecstatic – as well as more than a little tired. It was an awesome experience and one we will all remember for many years to come.”

The team started the journey in early November, at a remote location deep in primary and secondary jungle in the north of Ghana. They travelled up to 45km per day, in temperatures averaging 38 to 42 deg C. They navigated 30 rapids, dealt with the dangers of five team members falling into the crocodile-infested waters (including one total capsize) and traversed one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.

Capt Tomkins said: “The best maps we could find were nearly 60 years old, with several overlays added since. They were not accurate at all and we would suddenly come across huge bends in the river which were not on the maps. We managed to keep track of our location using GPS systems and talking to people in local villages.”

The team used purpose-built tandem canoes, in which they also carried their rations, supplies and equipment to set up camp beside the river. They were supported by a land-based team of three, driving a Land Rover specially-adapted for the terrain.

Each day, the team would get on the water at 5.30am and paddle until 10am, when the extreme heat dictated they set up camp and stay in the shade. They would set off again at about 2pm and paddle for a further two hours towards a suitable point to set up camp for the night. Capt Tomkins said: “No matter where we stopped, no matter how seemingly isolated or remote the location, you could guarantee that within minutes we would have local people turn up at our camp. We would always have to ask permission to stay from the chief of the tribe – and they never said no.”

Thirty-two days after setting off, and after crossing Lake Volta, one of the world’s largest man-made lakes, which forms part of the river system, the team arrived at the Gulf of Guinea, to be greeted and congratulated on their achievement by the Defence Advisor for the British High Commission in Ghana, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Howard KRH and several high-ranking officials from the Ghanaian military.

Capt Tomkins added: “If I am honest, I had thought we would be lucky to get to the finish with three of our boats and six people. To have all six boats get to the end, and all 12 people, is a massive achievement.”

he team members all serve with 5 General Support Medical Regiment and are based at Fulwood Barracks in Preston. This exercise is one of many adventurous training exercises undertaken by the British Army during 2005. Adventurous training is a key element of the training agenda for the Army, offering ideal opportunities to develop leadership and teamwork skills, and test soldiers’ abilities to adapt.

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