A Bury Territorial Army soldier battled extreme cold, rain and fatigue when he took on one of the toughest patrolling challenges in the world.

Officer Cadet Philip Douthwaite was part of the Liverpool University Officer Training Corps' TA team taking part in Exercise Cambrian Patrol in Wales. The annual event is a highlight of the British Army's training calendar and is viewed internationally as one of the most demanding patrolling tests facing the modern soldier.

Philip (20), a former pupil of Bury Grammar School, is now studying mechanical engineering at Liverpool University. He was the head scout in the Cambrian Patrol team and in charge of selecting the best routes.

Sadly, despite their best efforts, Phillip's eight-man team narrowly missed out on winning the competition, which attracted more than 75 teams from the British Regular and Territorial Army. Foreign army teams from Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan and Denmark also took part.

Each soldier had to march a distance of 55 kilometres, carrying full personal kit and additional supplies weighing up to 60lbs, and faced a number of gruelling tasks, including defensive shooting while under attack, accurate observation and reconnaissance of enemy forces and a deep river crossing with full kit.

Philip joined the Officer Training Corps in 2006. He enjoys running and was captain of the Bury Grammar School cross-country team. His parents, Stephen and Jeanette, live in Walshaw.