AN ARMY reservist from Basingstoke has been put through his paces in a battalion’s first overseas exercise in Denmark.

Corporal Russell Butler, a section commander for A Company, 4th Battalion, The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment (4 PWRR) is taking part in the battalion’s inaugural overseas exercise since it formed a year ago.

Exercise Viking Star is a two-week bi-national training exercise, which is designed to demonstrate the combat effectiveness and readiness of the British Army Reserve Battalion and their ability to train, exercise, and deploy as part of a multinational force.

Father-of-two Cpl Butler, who has always lived in Basingstoke, has been a part of the force for a number of years. He was a a regular soldier with 1 PWRR from 1994 until 2005.

He then joined the Reserves in 2012 with 3 PWRR in Farnham before transferring to 4 PWRR in 2017.

The 35-year-old said: “Military life is something very different from the norm and it was therefore something that interested me hugely. I suppose it was the excitement of it all that also drew me back.”

By day, Cpl Butler is a logistics operator for Berkshire-based CTS Logistics and is a section commander in his spare time in command of seven soldiers, reporting to a platoon commander.

This exercise to Denmark is one of many Cpl Butler has taken part in. He has previously been deployed to France, Spain, Germany, Canada and Estonia, as well as being deployed on operations to Kososvo and Iraq.

He said: “This exercise has been great, it has given me the opportunity to step up and I have been acting as a Platoon Sergeant which is fantastic but challenging.

“It is a steep learning curve but a good opportunity to apply new skills.”

Around 120 troops were deployed on the exercise.