I met REME's Major Trevor Bowman and discovered that training in the Army's engineering corps is more about professional qualifications than deafening drills and combat. Upon entering Hazebrouck Barracks a young soldier with a rifle pointed me in the right direction, soon another arrived to escort me through the tank and helicopter lined barracks to Major Bowman's office. Surprisingly, I thought, there were no sergeants shouting the odds or petrified soldiers buzzing about looking for boot polish. Indeed the whole place was very calm and had the feel of an extremely organised campus. 'That's a popular view of the Army', said Major Bowman, highlighting the stereotypes that TV shows such as 'Bad Lad's Army' have created. 'It really is an outdated idea of how we get things done, and undermines the professionalism with which we operate.'
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