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CCF Autumn Camps and Events

 

Third Form Induction Camp

On Friday 12th October, all of the third form that had joined the Combine Cadet Force departed on their first camp. We got to St Martins Camp in Folkestone fine and the cadets started to unload their kit from the coaches, which is quite a daunting task considering there were over 100 cadets. After the chaos, we managed to get them sorted out and off to their first lesson. The NCOs could already feel the pressure of so many unorganised cadets and had to show their true leadership abilities.

The first night was a very easy introduction to the military and the rank structure. It was not as easy for the NCOs as we had to keep all the cadets quiet. They eventually passed their first round of tests and we were able to go to their huts to turn in for the night. That night, the cadets were shockingly well behaved. Without even being told, some of the cadets packed their stuff away, cleaned the hut, and got into bed with the lights out. The NCOs actually felt lost as we were prepared for a night of hell.

The next morning was an extremely early start. After a quick breakfast, we had to quickly prepare for the morning hut inspection. As ever, the officers went easy on the new recruits (thank Goodness) and we were able to quickly get on with the days training. They had to complete a round robin of different activities. The first was their map and compass. Navigation is one of the most useful things they would have to learn, and most of them got through it fine. There were obviously going to be a few complicated cases. Once they finished their map and compass, they would move on to the number 8 rifle. This is the first of the three rifles they would fire in the CCF. They learnt the basic use very quickly and they all did well in their shooting and safety test. But all of their activities were insignificant compared to the last activity. They had the privilege of (or rather they were expected to) experience the world famous ‘Woody’s drill without tears’ (not ‘Woody’s drill with no tears’, as I was constantly reminded). This is the immaculate drill school of Lieutenant Woodhouse. The cadets were taught how to wear their kit, and were taught the basic principals of drill, an orderly way of moving a body of troops from one place to another (PS: Lt Woodhouse, please don’t grill me if I got the definition slightly wrong). The cadets got through it ok in the end. Lastly, the cadet all got to attempt the trim trail, a miniature version of an assault course. They sailed through that and so completed the training they had set out to do.

By the evening, they were very tired and were rewarded with a well earned film. To top off a good day, England won against France (no joke). The cadets went to bed surprisingly quickly again and the NCOs knew something must have been wrong. We were proven wrong. We had a peaceful night and everyone was well rested for the journey back the next day.

Overall, it was a very successful camp. All of the new recruits pulled through, and all of the NCOs managed to keep order. Credit must also be given to all of the officers and adult instructors, without whom the camp would not have been possible. Lets just hope the future camps can run as smoothly.

Mohamed Seedat S6RFD

 

CCF RN Section aboard the HMS Illustrious 

 

This year, the CCF’s Naval section started off with a bang, with a trip such as this only several weeks in. The boys travelled by coach to our frequent haunt, the HMS Bristol, a type 82 class destroyer now permanently moored in Portsmouth, in the evening after school. Following a short briefing, sadly lacking the ship’s traditionally hilarious safety video, most of the section were eased into their evening aboard the ship, arguing over who was to have the top bunk as well as begging for change for a packet of fruit pastels from the ever-unreliable vending machine close to the entrance. The new third form recruits, on the other hand, were not quite so lucky. They were taken outside of the ship that evening to be taught to march, as this was their first camp. Due to the cold, the drill was quite brief, and the cadets themselves demonstrated an admirable grasp of the manoeuvres for first-timers, perhaps encouraged by the cold, the wind, and the thought of the heated ship they would be returning to. The return was therefore a triumphant one and one full of relief. I know the non-commissioned officers wanted to get out of the cold just as much as the cadets did, and on our return, our beds seemed very much welcoming come lights out at 10 o’clock.

The next morning, we rose bright and early at 6 o’clock, got dressed and marched down to breakfast at the on-land services complex, the HMS Excellent. Following a breakfast that was, as it always has been, truly excellent, we returned to the jetty, from where we took a boat across the bay to the HMS Illustrious. The Illustrious itself is an Invincible-class aircraft carrier, as well as being our Navy’s flagship. It is therefore very unusual for it to hold an open day of sorts such as this, and so we as a section were delighted to be invited along. The ship itself is enormous, and once we had entered, we were divided into four groups, each of which was taken round the ship to be shown the sights, including the bridge, in which the captain’s chair, donated by Rolls Royce, was located. It was indeed a very nice chair, and the crew were clearly very proud of it. We were also shown the rooms in which the ship’s radar and navigation equipment were kept, and the central area where the day-to-day running of the ship was taken care of impressed upon us just how much of a floating city this ship had the potential to be when loaded with crew of just over 1000.

After our tour, we returned to the hangar, our designated meeting place, where we were all delighted to see that tea, coffee and squash had been laid on for us, along with various cakes. Queuing up like the true gentlemen we are in the CCF, we quickly realised that such conduct was not likely to earn us our share of the goodies, so we nabbed what we could before retreating to a safe distance to eat and drink. We were then given some time to peruse the stands that had been set up by the crew, as well as being shown a demonstration of the ship’s fire fighting procedure, and the types of equipment involved. Among the stands were the ever popular mini-gun, through the sites of which the cadets were encouraged to look, as well as a real rocket following an unfortunate encounter with the ship’s Goalkeeper defensive system. There were also stands containing the full range of survival gear a pilot is equipped with upon flying a plane from the Illustrious, and various forms and encouraging leaflets urging us to seek out a career in the Navy or the Marines.

Once we had all finished our tea and cake and browsed to our heart’s content, we were taken up to the flight deck on the lift designed to take aircraft from the hangar, where the main event began in earnest. As we looked on, a pair of Hawk jets flew right over the ship in a variety of impressive manoeuvres, with one jet even turning on its side and flying between the bridge and the radar array. After the Hawks, we were introduced to a Hercules transport plane, which made a show of parachuting supplies into the water, which would have been picked up by the crew, as well as a Lynx gunship, which hovered and swayed all over the place.

After a thoroughly enjoyable day, we returned to the Bristol, from where we hurriedly marched to dinner, packed away and returned home by coach, a little later than expected but certainly with the sense of a day well spent.

  

Harry Richardson

 

Royal Navy November Camp 2007 

            Having arrived at Portsmouth with only one wrong turning and half-hour delay we boarded HMS Bristol, the ship we stay on every November located at the naval base: HMS Excellent on Whale Island. The inevitable safety video followed much to the chagrin of the senior NCOs each of whom have seen the same video at least three times. The inter-watch sports activities were next on the agenda consisting of a four-way tug-of-war and various races such as dragging the lightest cadet of each team on exercise mats – the section has two teams or ‘watches’ which compete during the course of each year in sports, sailing and other activities. After this the tired cadets quickly bedded down for the night because they knew what was coming the following morning; the wake up call, also known as the ‘Call to Hands’ at 0630.

The following morning after the wholesome military breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages and cholesterol, the cadets were split into three groups. The fifth year cadets were taken to the nearby establishment of HMS Collingwood where they spent the morning learning about electronics. The thirds and fourths on the other hand were taken to RFA Fort Victoria – a massive support tanker crewed by the courageous men and women of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. We all met up again at Action Stations – a Science Museum-esque building with a Royal Naval theme. There the cadets learned about weapon systems, ship capabilities and what the inside of a Merlin helicopter looks like. The building also boasts a climbing wall where I and Cox’n Oliver Keers and two of my fellow junior sixth NCOs raced as a testimony to our manhood. That night there was the inter-watch football competition with sterling work from red watch who, I can safely say, walked away victorious.

On Saturday the lucky third form cadets travelled to Cowes on the Isle of Wight on two Fast Motor Launches aptly named Blue and Black Swan where they feasted on fish and chips. That isn’t to say the fourth and fifth formers missed out, as they were given a tour around a submarine that had fought and participated in spying missions in the Falklands war. The guide gave an in-depth and interesting tour as he had actually been a submariner during the fighting. To match the lunch of the third form, the fourths and fifths were able to visit a crêperie before they were bundled onto HMS Victory – Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship. There they learned about the crew’s quarters, the punishments that unruly members of the crew had to suffer and the surgical items that where used at the time and on Nelson himself to extricate the stray French bullet that mortally wounded him.

Sunday morning consisted of packing and cleaning up after an enjoyable weekend before piling back onto the coach to return to London. Well done everyone for making the weekend so enjoyable.

LS Alistair Faiers

 

Army Section Camp to Crowborough, November 2007 

We started the long week-end on Thursday lunchtime, setting off from school just after 1pm. The journey was long and tiresome, yet we all somehow managed to survive it, finding entertainment from the smallest of things. Darkness quickly loomed upon us as we drove through the countryside, and by the time we arrived at camp at around 5pm, it was pitch black save for the few overhead lights that beamed upon the drill square. What shocks some in camp is the early dinner at 5.30pm, and so immediately after disembarking the coaches, we marched off to the mess hall for dinner before continuing on to our respective huts. After accustoming ourselves with our accommodation, we spent the rest of the night, until 9pm, revising the safety tips on how to use and fire the Cadet GP Rifle. On finishing, we spent the last hour and a half before lights out relaxing and getting to know the camp layout a bit better.

The next morning was an early start, not unusual to the common CCF cadet, and upon getting up at 6.30am, we all began to clean the huts in preparation for the inspection later on. 7.30 am saw breakfast, and straight after, it was back to the brooms and scrubs as we all rushed to perfect our huts to try to pass the inspection with flying colours. After the inspection, which in some cases went well while in others not so well, we were split into three groups and marched down to the firing range where one group would fire the Cadet GP Rifle and the shotgun, and the other two set up signal masts and learn how to lay communication wires. This inevitably took time and before we even knew it, lunch had passed and dinner drew closer and closer. Along with dinner at 5.30pm came the cold, harsh, winter darkness. After dinner, we were again split into our groups and began learning radio commands (mainly ‘BatCo’ which is a way of encoding messages).  We were ‘let loose’ as it were at nine, we were then either buying sweets and crisps from the NAFFI, or just generally listening to music and relaxing in our huts. At half past ten came lights out and the usual night patrols to see if we were all in our beds and sleeping. But one finds that being at camp with all your mates never really encourages sleep. 

The early start on Saturday morning brought the usual routine of cleaning huts, brushing teeth, getting changed, and having breakfast, with the rest of the day spent going through our signals classification course which included learning how to use two portable radio clansman’s (the PRC 320, a big bulky radio used for long distance communications, and the PRC 349, a smaller compact radio, that can be carried with ease by a person, but which has a smaller range than the PRC 320), and again re-iterating the importance of using the correct radio terminology. It was long and at times admittedly boring, but in the end (with some support from the NCO’s), we saw the good side to learning the dozens and dozens of rules that the signals course had to offer. That night held both the shooting of the .22 rifle and a series of unfortunate events with many people falling sick to an unknown illness.  It even got bad enough to bring down a whole third form hut and its NCO’s! Nonetheless, the section stood firm and saw the night through despite the many stomach-lurching sounds coming from the distant huts of boys throwing up.

The next morning was an even earlier start with the NCO’s barking at us to get packed and ready to leave. The last morning of any camp is always hectic and busy as the constant rush of people packing, cleaning and getting frustrated, circulated around camp. But in the end, despite being worn out and exhausted, the 140 strong force never fails, always managing to leave camp on time in true army fashion.

Overall, I think the organisers of the camp should be commended for making it so ‘action-packed’ and fun for all, and I’m sure I speak for the whole force when I say that it was another very enjoyable camp never to be forgotten.

By Orestes Nicolaou, 4C