On assembling at school and after sorting out some rather important forgotten items, namely Ali Greens boots and Malcolm MacNeills passport - The Edinburgh Academy CCF Marching Team set off for Holland. Ally Walker provided the entertainment within the bus managing to create several new countries in an interesting word game that we played on route to the Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry which turned into a very pleasant voyage and an enjoyable night on the ferry.

We continued the bus journey the next day which ended in excitement for all, especially those of us who hadn’t before witnessed the buzz and excitement of Nijmegen in full marching season. The enormity of what is only a temporary camp, with probably the biggest tents (marquees) most of us had ever seen was extremely exciting as we began to realize how big an event the marches were. After unloading our kit from the bus and settling into the accommodation, we headed into Nijmegen town to experience even more of the ecstatic atmosphere which would surround us for the next week.

On the Sunday we were to attend the main opening ceremony. Taking our seats in the packed football stadium, we were unaware that we were about to experience a very odd but strangely entertaining spectacle. Several different forms of entertainment were on display within the stadium but the Edinburgh Academy CCF was mostly consumed by trying to get the attention of the camera man so we could appear on the big screen. All would agree that the most memorable part of the ceremony was an off course parachutist’s very near miss with a part of the stadium, only to end up having a full on collision with the camera man who hadn’t managed to notice our shouts. Luckily the only real damage done was to the camera and not the two individuals involved; still, all those playing rugby this year were shown the perfect tackling technique. Ali Green also made a commendable contribution by representing our CCF in the march past.

On Tuesday the festivities came to an end for our team as, along with the other marchers, we began the first day of marching. After a good night’s sleep we were awoken by the camp ‘wake up song’ which went on a bit and was a little annoying. Breakfast was different, the less than appetising meal of bread with ham, cheese or chocolate spread (the most popular). We formed up with the rest of the British contingent at 5.30 a.m. and after being announced by the voice of Wilma who we would hear for the next three days, we marched out from Camp Heumensoord under the inspiring sound of the pipes. We headed into Nijmegen and over Nijmegen Bridge; the crowds were incredible with huge support for the marchers with the military teams receiving even more attention. The world’s supply of marshmallow and liquorice must have been in Nijmegen as children handed out sweets whilst looking for ‘sooooveneers’ in return; most teams had stickers which became prized possessions of the kids. The first day was extremely hot which affected some more than others – the paler of us had to apply several layers of sun cream. By the end of the day the whole team had experienced the buzz of the marches, the first 40 kilometres were over and the team had received their first taste of real Dutch hospitality.

The early awakening the next day was felt even more by the team as our legs experienced the strain from the day before. The same routine followed; everyone was once again encouraged by the amount of support for the marchers, even at such an early time in the morning. The pipers – Ali Green, Sean Macpherson and Chris Allan – improved both the mood and tempo of the team throughout the day, especially within the built up areas were the crowd got fully behind them. Once again the humidity began to creep up on us and the last leg back to camp was a long one. Nevertheless, we reached the gates of Camp Heumensoord by early afternoon, giving several members of the team the much needed time to attend the medical tent for some foot repair; less Calum Brown who chose to tape his boots and not his feet!

The third day came far too soon as once again the ‘wake up song’ was played over the tannoy system and we arouse to face another day on the road. The senior lads warned us that we would encounter some hills today, but with the whole team having witnessed the climbs at Garelochhead these ‘mounds’ went by without issue; if we didn’t feel at home enough marching up the hills we were welcomed with some ideal Scottish weather as it went from hot and sunny to constant rain.

The lads put their heads down and after Captain Burnett made the executive decision to miss the third rest stop we pushed on towards the end. Even in such poor conditions the pipers once again stepped up to the mark, encouraging everyone onwards towards the finish. As the final few kilometres passed we found ourselves stuck behind two Swiss teams. Our true team spirit saw us through however and with Calum Brown shouting our new chant ‘Accies are coming, get out of the way! Push harder!’ which then changed into another member of the team shouting ‘I’m hungry, get out of the way! Push harder!’ and with everyone joining in we shot past the Swiss. We would find out later that we were the 1 st team to finish from the British Military Contingent which was quite an achievement and very pleasing. The only negative which came from our quick time was that as we entered the International Arena with a stylish routine planned by the seniors, there was absolutely no one there to witness it! However the speed of our march once again gave us ample time to fix any ailments, and to wash the days grind off in the shower tent.

On the final day we experienced our earliest reveille - 2.30 am. Everyone felt weary; the mood within the team was pretty sombre. The weather was forecast to be hot, which didn’t help as the ‘dreich’ conditions of the previous day seemed to suit us better, but with the end in sight the lads spirits gradually began to rise – nobody was willing to go home only 40km short. Aonghas Maxwell managed to raise the mood with some top class singing, worthy of the chamber choir.

As we entered the town of Cuijk our mood was once again raised as calls for the ‘doodle sac’ rang out from the crowd. The spectators were unbelievable as the Dutch gave their full support to all the marchers. As we crossed the pontoon bridge to the third rest area we were all boosted by the site of Douglas Morgan and family, Douglas was a member of our Garelochhead team who had come all the way to support us. During the last stretch we were warned to look out for the McDonalds sign which was close to the finish line for the military teams; with the end in sight and with pipes playing and heads held high we reached Charlemagne field, the official end to our ordeal.

We were awarded with our medals and the sense of achievement began to set in. The McDonalds sign which had led us to the finish line was not forgotten and everyone tucked in to a much deserved burger and ice cream. Once the rest of the British Contingent arrived we set out on the march past into the heart of Nijmegen. Despite this extra distance everyone’s pain subsided as we entered the most concentrated area of support seen all week. The town was absolutely buzzing and once again our pipers proved their worth as they gave the Dutch one last taste of the Edinburgh Academy ‘doodle sac’. The weather turned slightly sour with some heavy showers, however umbrellas the team had been handed earlier that day came in useful and we formed a ‘phalanx’ of multi coloured circles, keeping morale at an all time high.

This final extra leg was truly exceptional and showed every member of the team why exactly they had put themselves through all the pain of the last four days. Our team had finished in high spirits and most importantly all having completing the four days of marching. Our efforts had not gone unnoticed as we were awarded the prize for best cadet team although we tied with an ACF unit from Somerset which was a repeat result from 2008; both teams were more than pleased with the outcome.

The trip back included a large amount of sleeping by our less than energetic team, however we did stop at the military cemetery at Oosterbeek in order to pay our respects to Captain James Dundas an Accie who had been part of the Airborne landings during Operation Market Garden and was interred there. The next day we arrived in Edinburgh, having completed the gruelling task set for us several months before, and with a sense of accomplishment only those who’d gone before could appreciate.

By Sergeant Struan Murphy