Durham Brochure Final(4) - Flipbook - Page 9
DURHAM
RIFLEMEN
Lance Corporal Ross Carroll
Rifleman Thomas Gilbertson
Section 2IC, Rifle Company, 3 RIFLES
Rifle Company, Rifleman, D
Company 8 RIFLES
Home city: Durham
Lance Corporal Ross Carroll left St.
Leonard’s in Durham at the age of 16
and started a course in public services at
College. Ross knew he wasn’t cut out for
the classroom and wanted a job that he
could be proud of and would take him all
over the world, so at 17 he joined up and
started his training at the Infantry Training
Centre in Catterick.
Since he joined 3 RIFLES in Edinburgh
he has been to Kenya, Kuwait, America,
France, Germany and Cyprus on
operations and exercises. He also served
in Sierra Leone during the Ebola crisis.
IT’S A POINT OF PRIDE TO SAY
I AM A RIFLEMAN
Cadet Band Serjeant Major Abbie
Beange
Cadet, Durham ACF
Hometown: Peterlee
Hometown: Chester-le-Street
In his day job, Rifleman Thomas Gilbertson
is a production operative at AKS Precision
Ball Ltd. His role within D Company is very
different to his civilian profession, but he
finds they both complement each other,
taking lessons that he learnt in the Army
Reserve back to his civilian role.
Joining the cadet force in 2015, Cadet
Band Serjeant Major Abbie Beange had
only been playing the drums for a few
years prior. Throughout her career as a
cadet she has been able to widen her
musical abilities significantly. Over the
past 5 years, Abbie has had the chance
to take part in a number of incredible
opportunities such as playing at Wembley
Stadium, Disneyland Paris, Royal Hospital
Chelsea, and also performing as part of
The Rifles Sounding Retreat on Horse
Guards Parade in 2016. She also performs
with the band at other marching displays,
often alongside the DLI association.
Since joining in May 2017 he has grasped
every opportunity. He has participated in
adventure training in Italy, deployed on a
joint training exercise with the Slovenian
Army and just returned in October 2020
after being mobilised for Service in Kabul,
Afghanistan.
Major (Retired) Chris Lawton MBE DL
Veteran, The Light Infantry
Hometown: Durham
Major (Ret’d) Chris Lawton joined the DLI
in 1967. After the County Light Infantry
Regiments merged into The Light Infantry
in July 1968, Chris served with 2LI from
1969 to 1993 in Cyprus, British Army of the
Rhine (BAOR), Northern Ireland, Malaysia,
Kenya, Gibraltar, Canada, USA and
Germany. In 1990, he commissioned from
the appointment of Regimental Serjeant
Major 2LI after 22 years in the ranks. He
was awarded an MBE in 2001 and retired
from uniformed service in 2005 after a
38-year career in the Army. He went on
to become The Rifles Secretary Durham
from 2007 to 2019, finally retiring after 52
years’ service to the Regiment.
