FINAL WORD
It was always a childhood dream and a passion of mine to be a soldier and to compete at a high level in sport
Soldier athlete reflects on multinational achievements
“ An Englishman took a boat from Southampton to Australia in the late 1950s , but never made it past Cape Town ” so recalls British Army Sergeant Roger Sainsbury : “ My father was only meant to have a short resupply stop in South Africa , but instead he met my mother , and the rest is history . Otherwise , I could have been Australian !”
Born in Cape Town , Roger quickly found a passion and aptitude for rugby and judo in his childhood , an aptitude that eventually saw him move to England to take up a semiprofessional rugby contract . After a few seasons in Cheltenham , he returned to South Africa to study sports management and to compete internationally for South Africa in judo , narrowly missing Olympic qualification for Sydney in 2000 .
He returned to the United Kingdom in 2002 and joined the British Army as an Infantryman in The Rifles . Serving operational tours in Kosovo , Northern Ireland and Afghanistan , Sainsbury also played rugby for his local Gloucester regiment and competed for the Army and Combined Services judo teams .
“ That was my biggest drive ,” he explains , “ It was always a childhood dream and a passion of mine to be a soldier and to compete at a high level in sport .”
In 2006 , Sainsbury ( now a Lance Corporal ) represented the Welsh national team at the Commonwealth Games where he won a bronze medal . In 2010 he was selected for the Great Britain Masters team for the World Masters Championship in Abu Dhabi – an incredible achievement to have competed at the international level under three different national colors .
But the demands of soldiering and competing has come at a physical cost . A serious injury sustained during an infantry field exercise , meant Roger had to look for other opportunities in the Army . This brought him to the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC ) where he is now a key member of the ARRC ’ s Joint Visits Bureau , responsible for highprofile visits of senior military and foreign government officials .
“ I love working in a NATO environment ” he says : “ It ’ s an opportunity to work with fellow soldiers and officers from all 20 different nations - of course , that ’ s fantastic ! Especially when it comes to National Day , where we can exchange cultures and I can try some of their foods and drink .”
Now living in Gloucester with his fiancée and three step-sons , Sainsbury has established himself in the community as a serving soldier and retired athlete . Following his injury and a hip replacement , he can ’ t train and compete as before , but he still occasionally coaches at Cheltenham Rugby Club and takes the family to watch games at Gloucester : “ sport was a big part of my life for many years , and I ’ m happy that I can still find a way to enjoy it ”.
Roger will return to the 1 Rifles next year as Welfare SNCO . Looking back over his career to date , he reflects : “ I always wanted to represent my country on the battlefield and in the sports arena and I ’ m very proud to say that I ’ ve been able to do both .”
30 WINTER 2021 the imjin @ HQARRC Allied Rapid Reaction Corps