SOLDIERS from a Kingsbury Territorial Army squadron braved freezing conditions on arctic warfare training this week.

Somewhere outside the sleepy Norwegian town of Harstad, inside the arctic circle and far from cosy Harrow, groups of technicians, mechanics, artists, landscape gardeners and civil servants are learning to live in below zero conditions.

Members of 131 Indpendent Commando Squadron, based in Honeypot Lane, are plying their trade in what the Royal Marines say is the most inhospitable environment around.

Some wear white balaclavas and carry guns, practicing the unique tactics needed to fight in this terrain against thick snow and a biting wind.

But for Norway first timers, learning how to survive and move cross country was enough for this trip.

Lance Corporal Justin Appleby, 32, from Harrow, was on the basic training programme, which requires the reservists to jump through a metre-thick hole in the ice, into freezing water below.

He said: “It's the coldest I've ever been in my life and not very pleasant. I've never experienced anything like that.

“You have to roll in the snow to absorb some of the water, you have a shot of rum and then you go into a tent to get changed.

“It's in that short period that your extremities start to freeze - it's very difficult to move your fingers.”

With the wind up, temperatures dropped to minus 12C on Monday night but they can go as low as minus 20C or even minus 30C.

In those conditions the soldiers need to know how to look after themselves and guard against conditions like frost bite and trench foot.

They all wear thermals and take two layers of warm fleece to wear underneath their combat fatigues and white waterproof tops and trousers.

They sleep in tents but are also taught how to build igloos and “snow graves,” six feet holes in the ground with shelves cut into the ice on either side where the troops lie down.

They carry mini cookers which they use to turn snow into boiling hot water for tea, hot chocolate, energy drinks or dried out food from their ration packs.

They get through three packs a day, each with more than 5,000 calories, to give their bodies the energy they need to work and keep themselves warm.

Today they will be shown how to catch and eat their own food, in this case a deer killed using a special technique designed to give it a painless death.

The terrain tests the soldiers “admin,” the routines they go through to keep their clothes and kit dry, and their bodies hydrated and fed.

Major Mick Coles, officer commanding 131, said: “For so many brigade groups this is one of the harshest environments that you can train in.

“You've got extreme temperatures, it's teaching them how to survive, it's teaching them how to operate and fight in. If guys don't get their admin sorted out they will struggle.”

Soldiers on the more advanced training regime have been learning how to dig-in to defensive positions and tomorrow will practice mounting an attack.

In a real combat situation they would set up defensive posts behind around 13ft of “snowcrete,” condensed snow with twigs and rubbish packed inside it, which can be enough to stop a machine gun round.

Sapper Tom Hearn, 21, who is part of 131's Bath troop, said: “It's difficult in the arctic. Everyone struggles at different temperatures.

“We have people who are quite good skiers but it's the equalizer when you put on a heavy pack. We have to focus on the tactics, doing recces of positions and building up defensive positions.

“The main challenge has been the amount of weight you have to carry.”

He said the weight of the army backpacks, known as bergens, and other kit they have to carry can be as much as between 90lb and 100lb.

Alongside 131 Commando were soldiers from the Royal Marine Reserves (RMR) who got a visit from Prince Michael of Kent, the commodore-in-chief of the Maritime Reserves.

He said: “In the old days reserves were very much kept in the background and no one expected them to be called up.

“Now we have Iraq and Afghanistan so it's very much in the forefront of people's minds. They are now completely integrated into the same job as the Royal Marines in spite of the commitments they have in their ordinary lives.”

The reserves come from a wide variety of backgrounds but most say they are attracted to the forces out of a sense of adventure, looking for challenges and new experiences which their day jobs cannot give them.

Lance Corporal Appleby said: “I could have gone one way growing up and I'm really proud to be in the position I'm in.

“Stepping outside my comfort zone has made me a stronger person.”

Many say they pick up skills, like team work and leadership, and for some it helps build confidence but it also gives them responsibility.

Even the groups put on basic arctic training contain soldiers who have seen active service in Afghanistan or Iraq.

When they get called up they fight alongside full time soldiers and some commanders on the ground say they cannot tell the difference.

Soldiers from 131 support 24 Commando Regiment of the Royal Engineers, who in turn support 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.

The excerise started last week and finishes tomorrow.