Matthew Bowden was responsible for keeping the troops’ gear in check
Reservists from around the Potteries flew out to Europe last month after being called up to take part in a week-long training exercise alongside the Croatian Armed Forces. Lance Corporal Matthew Bowden was one of those troops.
Self-styled as ‘Trentham’s most eligible bachelor’, Matthew enlisted five years ago after seeking a new challenge.
StokeonTrentLive interviewed him while he was out on his latest expedition. When asked if he’d be happy to answer a few questions, Matthew replied: “What the hell are The Sentinel doing out here?”
The 45-year-old Port Vale supporter was taking part in Exercise Sava Star, an annual training drill which sees troops from the British Armed Forces train alongside the Croatian Armed Forces.
Matthew, of Trentham, told StokeonTrentLive: “This is my first time coming out to take part in Exercise Sava Star. But it’s not the first time I’ve been away with the Reserves. Last year, I was sent to Poland for the EU Integrated Resolve crisis management exercise. That was part of a battle group and was a much bigger picture operation.
“Sava Star is a smaller-scale exercise with lots of familiar faces. It’s nice because we get the chance to mingle a lot more with our allied troops. I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with lots of the Croatian soldiers. It’s a lot more interesting. We get to see how they do things, observing their weapon systems and their tactics.
“But really, the best thing is just talking with our allies. Soldiers are soldiers across the world, whether they’re from the regular forces or the reservists. These guys are a bit different from us, but they’re all pretty cool. I’ve not had the chance to tell them about oatcakes – I don’t think it translates very well!”
Matthew was training how to conduct an ambush from the trees
When asked why he joined the reserves, Matthew said: “I first looked into joining the Reserves quite a few years back. It was something that I thought would challenge me physically and mentally. But I kept putting it off.
“When I turned 40, I realised it was now or never. I signed up and I haven’t looked back since. It’s certainly lived up to my expectations.”
In his day-to-day life, Matthew works to keep the streets of Stoke-on-Trent clean. He says working in the public sector makes juggling his work responsibilities with his military duties easy.
He explained: “I work for Stoke-on-Trent City Council as an Operations Manager on the waste collection side of things. Myself and group of others manage all the bin men taking on the routes across the city.
“Stoke-on-Trent City Council are part of the Armed Forces Covenant. They’ve actually got a Gold Star rating. That means I’m awarded 10 extra days of paid leave to come out and do exciting exercises like this.
“If you’re looking for a challenge or something new to do, I’d definitely recommend joining the Reserves. It’s given me a lot of good opportunities and I’m glad I joined.”
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