A Nottingham man joined the army after a disturbing realisation following the notorious Salisbury poisoning. Private Alan Bulman, 30, from Bulwell, has enjoyed travel, camaraderie and a sense of adventure since joining the British Army Reserves in 2019.
Pte Bulman, who works for ACAS as a Conciliation Officer, applied to join 4 Mercian, a Reserve Battalion within the Mercian Regiment, in 2019. He explained exercises and operations at home and abroad and increased his confidence and employability.
He said: “There are a number of reasons why I took the decision to join. One of them is I took more and more notice in the media of threats to our country and I was keen to do my bit.
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“One of the events that got me thinking was the Salisbury poisoning. This made me realise there are countries undertaking hostile operations within this country and that they are a threat to us.
“I’ve always had the itch to join the Reserves and I finally decided to apply after university, having settled into stable civilian employment.” The Reserve Forces play a crucial role in national security, from countering security threats, peacekeeping, and humanitarian efforts, making up roughly 18 per cent of Britain’s Armed Forces.
Three months after applying, Pte Bulman joined C Company, 4 Mercian, which is based out of the Bulwell Army Reserve Centre. Pte Bulman then put his training into practice on exercises and operations, with his being Exercise Iron Wolf in Lithuania, a multinational exercise involving more than 3,000 NATO troops.
The Nottingham Trent University graduate, who was recently presented with the Kohima Warrior trophy in recognition for being his company’s outstanding soldier, said: “Whether it’s training, going on exercise or a deployment, there are plenty of opportunities to do something completely different to your day job. It’s one of the beauties of the Reserves.
“There is an endless list of opportunities. If anything, my frustration is I don’t necessarily have enough time to make the most of all the opportunities I would otherwise like to. After university, a lot of my friends went back to where they live, and the Reserves has helped me build a new circle of mates.”
Pte Bulman said his service had also contributed to his career and was valued by his employer. “The opportunities presented by the Reserves – including working with NATO troops and interacting with officers and other soldiers – allows you to build confidence. And my employer benefits from that, especially as I work in conflict management.
“My ability to work in a team and ability to lead teams in quite unique situations have really benefited me and my employer quite greatly. That is certainly something I have transferred into my civilian role, whether through mentoring or problem solving within groups, being a leader or being someone who is trusted to come to for advice.”
Adventure training is high up the list of benefits Pte Bulman has most enjoyed in the Reserves. He embarked on a trip to Greece to run the Athens Marathon last year, has been coasteering in Wales, and will be climbing in the Dolomite Mountains in Italy later this year.
Captain Jason Longmate, Permanent Staff Administration Officer, C Company, 4 Mercian, added: “Pte Bulman’s experience is echoed around C Company and 4 Mercian. Each Soldier and Officer in C Company no matter what status they are; recruit or trained, get the opportunity to make the most of the Reserve experience.
“The Company has valuable operational experience from deployments from Afghanistan to Estonia and some parts of the world you would not expect to find a Reservist."
