The Territorial Army is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, continuing its important role as the principal volunteer reserve force of the British Army.

This major milestone has been marked at a number of special TA100 events throughout the year – including a garden party at Buckingham
Palace in July which Lieutenant Rob Martin of Grangemouth's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) attended.

Rob was one of 7000 TA representatives at the event, rubbing shoulders with Princess Anne and other esteemed guests.

"I've been in the TA for nearly five years now and that is the biggest single gathering of TA personnel I have ever seen – it was amazing,'' he told the Herald.

''When you're in the TA, you're part of a unique group and you get to know the guys so well.

"You also get to go to the odd interesting event."

TA volunteers come from all walks of life and 29-year-old Rob, who joined in 2004, is just one example of the people who make up the modern territorial ranks.

Rob, from California, Falkirk, said: "At the time I was looking for a new challenge and something to improve my fitness.

''I joined as an officer to learn leadership skills which could help me in my civilian life as well.

"I think just generally being fit in life is a good thing and the leadership skills are a bonus. I was put in charge of guys from a young age and it helps you to build up empathy with other people."

A marketing and PR manager by trade, Rob has used his TA training to good effect while working for the likes of Redeem, CHAS and Strathcarron Hospice.

"Some managers work in an aggressive style, but in the TA I've learned to think of other people first – if you're going to be in a trench together it doesn't matter who you are, you need to respect each other.

"There are different benefits for different people and you get to travel as well. Although most of the training takes place in the UK, we do have annual camps in Gibraltar and Germany."

During his TA career, Rob has been in charge of a squad of young soldiers during an annual camp in Gibraltar, teaching them leadership skills, and he also attended a three-week course at Sandhurst for his officer training – which he passed with flying colours after 96 hours of intense physical and mental tasks.

"I only got about five hours sleep during that whole time.

''They drain you physically with things like long marches to see how you will react mentally. It's ingrained in my memory – there were lads that were literally sleepwalking during the course.

"They wanted to see if you could still make decisions and give orders even though you were tired."

The Grangemouth TA currently has one of its number, Sergeant Paul McGrogan, serving in Afghanistan, but Rob and his colleagues know that any one of them can be called up at any time.

"We are a REME unit, but if the regular Army finds itself short for a particular situation or operation it will send out notice that men of a certain class or rank are needed.

"We should be trained up to a standard that we are able to fit into any position that's asked of us.

''The TA is the personnel reserve for the regular Army and 33 per cent of current TA personnel have served on operations in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Balkans.

"It gives people a taste of the Army life and, if they enjoy it, they may go into it full-time.

''We have a guy who is looking to join the Paras and another who wants
to join the RAF.

"One of my friends who was on the course with me is about to pass out as a regular officer."