Tucked away on Europe’s southern tip, almost 2,000 miles from the UK mainland, The Royal Gibraltar Regiment is perhaps not always the first cap badge that springs to mind for aspiring infanteers – out of sight, out of mind, perhaps.

But those who overlook it might well be missing a trick, and not just on account of the Mediterranean weather.

Having defended the outpost known as The Rock since 1939, the unit’s primary remit remains ensuring the territory’s security, including providing force protection to any visiting Royal Navy ships.

Beyond that, its personnel can also expect regular deployments on the likes of Operation Cabrit in Estonia, as well as stints on short-term training teams elsewhere in the world.

It’s a breadth of responsibility that makes any chance to sharpen basic soldiering skills invaluable – a point brought home during Soldier’s recent visit to Exercise Jebel Tarik.

This year’s package saw regulars and reservists (the regiment maintains a company-strength part-time element) converge on Lydd ranges in Kent for six weeks of intensive live firing and dry drills.

Major Elvis Pearce said the annual outing was a cornerstone of the formation’s training calendar, allowing experienced hands and new recruits alike to practise marksmanship on weapons including the SA80 and general-purpose machine gun, as well as to hone infantry tactics up to company level.

“It’s critical to our mission because it qualifies us for our routine operational commitments within Gibraltar and wider UK defence,” he said.

“A lot of what we do is in support of local and visiting capabilities, for example Royal Navy frigates, submarines, aircraft carriers or other Nato vessels that come through the strait.

“The secondary benefit is that the exercise provides the minimum training requirements for soldiers deploying on operations attached to other units.

Last year we had about 30 people serving on Operations Cabrit and Tosca.”

Meanwhile, other defence engagement taskings had taken troops even further afield in recent years, the officer pointed out, with Bahrain, Norway, Iceland, Chile and various African countries among the many destinations ticked off.

Such off-the-beaten-track opportunities were a major draw for Cpl Tom Bunting, who decided to transfer from The Rifles to The Royal Gibraltar Regiment four years ago.

Having been informed, incorrectly, during basic training that he wasn’t eligible to join, the 28-year-old eventually submitted the paperwork to complete the move and hasn’t looked back since.

“I was told it was only open to Gibraltarians, so I let it go, but my family lives in Portugal so a couple of years later I chased it up,” he explained.

“It has been amazing. Apart from the weather, it’s the camaraderie. There is lots of support and encouragement to progress.

“I’ve deployed more since transferring than I did during five years in The Rifles. We did short-term training teams in The Gambia and Morocco, both of which were really cool experiences. And working with the navy is a bit different to conventional infantry tactics.

“It’s a good team here and I feel like I belong. I don’t know why people wouldn’t want to come.”

Curious to find out more after such a ringing endorsement, we quizzed some of the regiment’s newer members about how – and why – they too joined the ranks of the Barbarians…