Sappers build a Hardened Accommodation Bunker from Hesco kit at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Sangin [Picture: Steve Dock, MOD/Crown Copyright 2009]
Barren land in the middle of a desert, cut off from guaranteed supply chains and devoid of basic bricks and mortar, might cause a property developer to run away and hide.
But for the Royal Engineers on operations in Afghanistan such a scenario is real and just the tip of the iceberg - and they thrive on the challenge.
Soldier Magazine stepped onto the building site at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Jackson to watch personnel from 42 Field Squadron, 28 Royal Engineers construct a Hardened Accommodation Bunker (HAB).
Under the command of Captain Gail Fisher, the sappers used a seemingly indestructible medium-wheel tractor to manoeuvre heavy wire mesh into position before filling it up with ballast.
The HABs, which have been designed by Hesco, arrive flat-packed and ready to use as soon as they are delivered:
"It's just like one big Meccano kit. It takes about six men to build and it provides accommodation for about 30 personnel,"
said Capt Fisher.
Lance Corporal Michael Westaway (RE) explained:
"We use a plywood screen which adds protection and there is sand and small gravel used as fill. If the HAB is hit, the fill absorbs the impact."
The robustness of the tractor was also praised by LCpl Westaway:
"It was driven all the way from Bastion to get here because it was too heavy to lift," he said.
"It was worth the effort though because we can take it outside the wire as it's armoured - it actually saved the life of one of the lads who was contacted by an IED while he was in it."
"The engineers just work endlessly to make all of our lives more comfortable. Without them, morale would not be as high. Hot water, lighting, accommodation - it's all down to them."
Captain Gail Fisher
As well as building the accommodation in rapid time for Servicemen and woman, the engineers have also installed two large generators and rewired the whole of the FOB, providing the much-needed power for lighting, heating and computer terminals - essential for the operation.
"Power like this is easy to come by on a big base like Bastion, but out here it's a Godsend," said Capt Fisher.
"The engineers just work endlessly to make all of our lives more comfortable.
"Without them, morale would not be as high. Hot water, lighting, accommodation - it's all down to them."
Another string to the engineers' bow has been the ability to devise a hydration-supply, eradicating the need to fly in masses of bottled water from Camp Bastion.
The soldiers have exploited the Sangin Canal, a tributary of the Helmand River which runs through camp, by pumping the water through filters into 'pillow' storage tanks.
"It's a good system and it's amazing to know it comes straight from the river and is perfect to drink - it's actually cleaner than UK water," said Capt Fisher.
The headlines in Afghanistan are rightly grabbed by those, including the engineers, who step outside the wire on to the roads, which double as minefields.
But just keeping the camps running - with comfortable accommodation and utilities - is an impressive feat and something worth taking note of.
This article is taken from the December 2009 edition of SOLDIER - Magazine of the British Army.