05/05/2026
THE GOLDEN JOURNEY
Gone Tabbing review of the Test March series qualifying 'Q Course.'
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22nd and 23rd September - AEE Qualifying (Test March) and Nav Trg weekend. - Critique.
AEE recently held one of their Q Course/Test Week march weekends in the Brecon Beacons, which I attended
as a guest. My mission was self-appointed somewhat after earlier in the year suggesting to KJ that I'd
like to spend the Q Course weekend activities with the AEE team and students which I've often done, but
this time being embedded as a student on the receiving end of the training perhaps to personally refresh on
long since learnt skills but also if appropriate to give some feedback to their team on how the weekend went from a
student perspective.
KJ was delighted to have AEE viewed from this angle and welcomed the idea wholeheartedly - a sign to me of a solid
organisation keen to look for feedback and where/if appropriate to consider how it does things.
To very quickly put a bit of perspective in the frame on my viewpoint and where I might be able to offer some value,
my military background is 10yrs Special Forces, the latter 3yrs of which served in Trg Wing at Hereford on SF Selection, both in the SAS Signal Sqn
and also 22 SAS as i/c Comms.
As a result I have a huge interest on the Hills Phase of Selection and many things associate with tabbing, having completed
Selection twice personally and since leaving the forces have pretty much adopted the Brecon Beacons and tabbing as an
alternative mid-life crisis outlet to help me keep in touch with some embedded and hard to get rid of roots.
Those of you that know me will also be aware of where in Social Media I continue to express myself in the tabbbing arena.
Tabbing - "tactical advance to battle" - ing by definition if you're in Falklands-mode but more simply
to you and me is "putting your boots on and carrying your bergan, while navigating from Checkpoint to Checkpoint"
but it has some pretty important supporting acts aside from getting from A-B.
AEE's Q Course acknowledges those supporting acts and provides the requisite introduction to topics which
support the avid Tabber while he/she is out on the ground.
It's worth noting that everyone who takes part in Selection will be expected to know these skills and to apply them when
asked (by nature or the D/S). It is also worth stating that people have died, and continue to die on the hills because they
are not demonstrating the necessary skills that come from the required supporting acts.
Lessons in the recent AEE Q Course included:
Map Reading basics (both theory and practical).
First Aid of a type likely to be encountered (at the time of year of the Q Course. For example on this occaision
we learnt about hypothermia/cold self and casualty treatment), medical evacuation of a casualty off the hills, wound
treatement and maintenace of a casualty, how to treat bleeds and breaks until the casualty got to professional
medical care.
Clothing and personal equipment prep and usage.
Emergency Basha protection and basic meal and brew prep (getting a brew on when the s**t hits the fan can be very
calming).
Use of Radios to provide a safety mechanism - simple voice procedure and radio familiarisaton. Their usage (both generally
and more specifically how to utilise them on an AEE Test Week march, particularly when communicating with emergency services).
Teamwork.
All of the above from the Q Course was before any tabbing was even mentioned.
A small "dit" for your - One particular simple practical lesson served a very important purpose. RV (Checkpoint) Procedure (how to approach,
interact and behave at a Checkpoint). Why is learning this drill so important you might ask? Why are the AEE students asked to repeat it,
repeat it until it is 2nd nature?... and then repeat it again...?
Why is it so important for the D/S to be sure that the student knows this drill so well? You can speculate, but to learn the full
reasons you'd need to attend the Q Course.
There are many lessons to be learnt on the Q Course, which you will only learn by being there.
I witnessed professional Medics, professional Comms Officers, ex SAS/SBS soldiers interacting with their students during
the instruction periods and also in their closed-door breifings as a training team.
Do you know what it reminded me of?....
22 SAS Training Wing. Seriously.
If you want to experience the most emulative SF type training that will keep you safe on the hills, and get you through the
supporting acts of your tabbing adventures, and quite possibly keep you and other people around you alive, then I have no
hesitation in recommending that you get yourself on an AEE Q Course at your earliest opportunity.
From there... the AEE Test Week marches are yours to be taken.
Good luck.
Name witheld by request.
