CCF

Trips, Camps and Expeditions

Cadets have the opportunity to go Adventurous Training each year, usually in Snowdonia. Activities on offer include, rock-climbing, abseiling, pot-holing, canoeing and hiking.

Adventure training in Capel Curig - March 2008

Some Cadets enjoying Adventurous Training in Snowdonia in the Easter holidays this year

The cadets practice ‘section attacks’ at this year’s summer camp.  summer camp in Crowborough		The RAF cadets have frequent opportunities to go flying

Each year cadets can also attend a RAF or Army summer camp, depending on the service they have joined. These camps are held in the first week of the summer holidays and are normally organised and run by the regulars who make up the Cadet Training Teams within the Army and RAF.

These ‘summer camps’ provide a whole host of opportunities for those cadets that attend. For Army cadets, as well as further Adventurous Training, there is a chance to learn some more advanced infantry skills, such as section attacks, harbour drills, dawn raids and ambushes. Survival skills and first aid are also learnt. Shooting is conducted using air, 2.2 and L98 cadet rifles on 25m ranges. Shotguns are used for clay pigeon shooting. The week culminates in a test day, where the 10-15 schools attending each camp compete against one another, over what they have learnt during the week.

At this year’s Army summer camp in Crowborough, despite fierce competition, Hampton CCF won the inter schools cup which tests each contending school on a wide-variety of military skills. The Army Section are not the only part of the Hampton CCF to enjoy success this year. In October the RAF cadets won a prestigious drill and turnout competition at RAF Uxbridge.

At their summer camp, RAF cadets are similarly well looked after. Understandably, flying forms an important part of the itinerary and cadets are treated to sorties in rotary and fixed wing aircraft, as well as gliders. However, flying is not the only activity on offer. At this year’s camp in Shawbury, the itinerary included drill, shooting, command exercises, use of a pilot simulator and a night time search and rescue exercise.
There are also a number of foreign trips available to senior RAF cadets. This Easter, 4 cadets went on a subsidised trip to Cyprus. Another cadet is off to Germany on a similar trip in the near future.

One of the key themes running throughout the CCF’s syllabus is to foster leadership. Leadership is clearly a valuable commodity for a young person to develop, no matter what career they pursue at a later date.

To that end, cadets who demonstrate good aptitude are promoted and upon reaching the 6th form, are given the responsibility of training junior cadets in skills such as weapons handling, drill and navigation. They also teach other aspects of the CCF syllabus, such as how to prepare and wear the issued uniform correctly, as well as regimental history and general military knowledge.

Pictures from this year’s leadership course held at Longmore Army Camp in Hampshire

To help prepare senior cadets for this challenge, another optional trip (open only to cadets in the lower 6th) takes place during October half term at Longmore Army Camp. Here cadets have the opportunity to not only perfect their own drill, navigation and weapons handling, but are also taught by Army instructors how to best train those junior cadets they are about to be responsible for. With physical training held each morning at 6.30am it is a challenging course, but it nonetheless ensures that those about to take charge are well-equipped for this important role.

Another, slightly more relaxed ‘training event’ open to senior cadets is the annual CCF dinner held at the end of each academic year. This enjoyable evening gives the cadets a chance to experience a formal dinner, in black tie and there is usually an after dinner speaker of some esteem. It is also when annual prizes, leaving gifts and future appointments, such as senior cadet, are awarded.

2Lt Davies.
Army Section Officer.
November 2007