Living off the land
It was decided that the Commandos should be proficient in survival, wilderness navigation and stealth. Instructors were rich and varied, including Lord Lovat and his ghillies, who taught their skills as stag hunters, which had been used previously in the Boer war; And Major Roger ‘Jumbo’ Courtney, a big game hunter who also taught valuable skills in stealth honed from their craft.
36 hour schemes
In the area between the River Arkaig on the opposite side to Glas Bheinn Mhor, and beyond the Chia-aig waterfall and forest, the recruits were taken on cross-country marches led by an officer and an NCO navigating on a compass bearing or picking his route using a map. The leader would set the pace, tramping in single file up and down mountains, over heather and swampy moors, through glens, across shallow burns and deep and fast flowing rivers. The cross-country marches were developed into 36-hour schemes so that the trainees slept out and learnt to make the best of any shelter they could find, or to use natural materials to construct simple bivouacs.
Living off the land
They also had to cook their own meals and this is where the 'Me and My Pal' system came to the fore. One man prepared the 'bivvy' whilst the other got 'cracking on the grub.' This is where their survival training from Achnacarry's CSM 'Ossie' Moon was put into practice. Alongside the River Arkaig Ossie would describe the basic principles of building a natural bivvy to provide shelter from the rain, wind, and cold. How to live off the land, and how to procure all kinds of food, animal and vegetable, and prepare and cook the same on a wide range of improvised fires. This training was done all year round and in all weather conditions; The soldiers had no special clothing, dressed only in standard issue battle dress and carrying their rifles.