Sierra Bravo

THE noise is ear-splitting, as a storm of copper-jacketed lead zips through the rain-filled air at 900 metres a second, ripping chunks out of the ground ahead. Streams of brass cartridges are spat out sideways as a group of prone camouflaged figures pours fire from its 5.56mm SA80 rifles and belt-fed, 7.62mm general purpose machine guns.

Smoke and steam rise as the non-lethal rain sizzles on the blazing barrels spewing out a shower of bullets punctuated by the phosphoric glow of tracer rounds.

This is 1st Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, aka The Yorkies, going ballistic.

It is the kind of deadly reception any hostile force can expect if it decides to tangle with them on their mission among the mangrove swamps and jungles of Sierra Leone.

A reception which would be backed by the high-explosive deliveries of 81mm and 51mm mortars, plus the armour-piercing punch of .50in heavy machine guns mounted on Wolf Land Rovers - the Army's new souped-up V6 off-roader.

But the regiment, which recruits 25 per cent of its ranks from the York area and the rest from other parts of the White Rose County, will have another secret weapon up its combat jacket sleeve when it flies out there this weekend. As commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel David Hill, MBE explains: "We pride ourselves on a bit of real Yorkshire grit."

But it's hoped their guns and grit will not have to be brought to bear in battle in a country forbiddingly dubbed "the white man's grave".

The Yorkies' mission is to secure a camp, near to the capital Freetown and a few kilometres away from the fighting, to provide military training to 1,350 Sierra Leone Army (SLA) recruits.

The rebels, led by the Gucci-suited and Versace-sunglassed Issa Sessay, have been pushed back from Freetown but still control the key to the country's wealth - its diamond mines.

Lt Col Hill says: "The aim is to train their army to the highest standards so it can take the fight to the rebels and defeat them."

The firepower demonstration we have just witnessed at Altcar Ranges, near the battalion's base at Chester, demonstrates the sort of force at the disposal of the 100-man security company guarding the camp's perimeter.

Behind this safe cordon, 57 officers and senior non-commissioned officers will impart the fighting skills of the world's most professional army.

Specialist training will cover subjects such as leadership, vehicle repair, administration, engineering and radios.

At 38, weapons and tactics instructor Sgt Major (WOII) Fred Byrne, is making this his last major mission before he leaves the Army in 2002.

His daughter Lisa, 13, lives in Strensall and attends Huntington School.

He says: "We have been told the SLA are a mixed bunch and can be a bit undisciplined. Most will have fired weapons before. We are there to bring them up to standard so they can defeat the rebels and prolonged their own lives while doing that."

Pte Ian Shawe, 28, from Harrogate, is part of a three-man mortar team also heading out. The former Rossett High School pupil, who is married to wife Lisa and has two children, says: "I'm looking forward to it. It's an important role and it's something different. Hopefully we won't be in a situation where we come under fire, but if it goes wrong then we'll stand our ground and do our job."

Pocklington School old boy Major Tom Wagstaff, will command the troops in charge of the camp's ring of steel.

Maj Wagstaff, 35, is married to Alison from Haxby, and his three children were born in York. He and his men will control the camp's perimeter and mount patrols to secure the area and liaise with nearby communities. He says: "I think we are going out there to do a difficult task, but it is well within our capabilities. People join the Army for excitement and adventure and something like this gives you those opportunities. It's something different and every soldier going is up for it."

On patrols outside the camp Maj Wagstaff and his men are likely to encounter the country's Civil Defence Force (CDF). These fighters are loyal to the government and are seen as an effective fighting force.

Witch doctors are still powerful figures in these communities and many fighters wear special amulets believing they will fend off bullets.

Lt Col Hill described Commander Snake, a CDF leader he met on a pre-mission reconnaissance visit as "a wildcard, to say the least", but added these were "capable people". "Our soldiers will be witnessing situations and conditions they have never seen before, and they will need to adapt to that," said Maj Wagstaff.

'We train for the worst and hope for the best. We must be prepared for the worst the minute we go out there to secure the area. There are all sorts of people carrying weapons out there, some high on drugs or alcohol and very unpredictable. If we are attacked, we will react as we have been trained to do. If it takes lethal force to create a solution, then that's what we will do."

But probably the biggest threat to the troops is the environment itself. Many have compared themselves to pin cushions because of the number of jabs they have endured to guard against malaria, typhoid and yellow fever.

The men will be living in tents in a hot and humid country where daytime temperatures reach 35C so each man has to drink nine litres of bottle water a day to stop them dehydrating.

The troops are expected to return to the UK in time for Christmas, burnished by the African sun and with interesting tales to tell of leaving behind a Sierra Leone Army that can take on the rebels and win.