ARMY CADET VOLUNTEER G O I N G
Winter 2015/16
F U R T H E R
armycadets.com
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HAVE YOUR CADETS GOT WHAT IT TAKES?
TEAM BUILDING
THE LATEST COMMAND TASKS URBAN FIELDCRAFT
How to make the most of small spaces
TIME TO GIVE BACK Help your local community and promote the work of the ACF
INSIDE: NEWS
ONLINE SURVEY RESPONSES YOUR LETTERS AND PHOTOS REMEMBRANCE
ISSUE #3: WINTER 2015/16
W E LC O M E
Commanding four ACF sectors in London prepared me well for this job. I know how much time adult volunteers spend leading, administering and instructing cadets: without you the system would fail, so you are my main effort. This means we have to recruit more of you and make being a volunteer rewarding and fun. But there’s a dilemma. To run inspiring activities for cadets we need to be properly trained and do some administration. This takes precious time – often at the expense of others in our lives. So I’ve asked an ACF commandant to do a study called Project LIBRA to check we are getting the right balance between you feeling fulfilled and the system being a safe place for cadets. We are also developing a more modular syllabus to take account of differences in local resources. It will include the Army Leadership Code tailored for adult volunteers and cadets, and put our standards and values at the heart of everything we do. There’s a new package for developing young officers too. Our leadership is already good – let’s make it great! It’s an exciting time for cadet equipment. Our laptops and sticks have arrived and once we get used to them they will provide greater freedom and security. We’ve run a competition to replace the No 8 rifle and have selected a replacement; I hope to see the first tranche of the No 9 rifle next year. The new cadet radio project is into its stride and we might see the replacement for Clansman in late 2016. So it’s a terrific time to be back with cadets! BRIGADIER MATTHEW LOWE MBE Deputy Commander Cadets, Regional Command
CONTENTS 24
12
14
EVERY ISSUE 04. THE BRIEFING Army Cadet news round-up
08. THE DRILL Ideas, advice and comment
26. NUMBER-OFF!
I wanted to be a Master Cadet but I didn’t think I was good enough Champions League p24
10 things about your mag
28. STEPPING UP New officer training
30. ACF POLICY Update on ACF issues
32. IN THE FIELD Your photos from ACF events
34. DAY IN THE LIFE Meet black-cab driver 2Lt Lee Richards
THIS ISSUE 12. COMMAND TASKS Team-building tasks to try with your detachment
14. TIME TO GIVE BACK Get involved and help to make a difference
18. REMEMBRANCE Cadets from the four nations took part in events to commemorate the fallen
20. THE GREAT INDOORS How to teach fieldcraft if you’re short of space
24. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Could your cadet lift next year’s trophy?
ON THE COVER Time to give back Team building Champions League Urban Fieldcraft Cover image Adult instructor Lorraine Owen, Clywd and Gwynedd ACF Photo Major John Baxendale
GO FURTHER Look out on Westminster for a new user guide for editing your county website
Army Cadet Volunteer is produced by the ACF Marketing and Communications team, based at the Army Cadet Force Association: Holderness House, 51-61 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4DW Get in touch: Tel: 020 7426 8377 Fax: 020 7426 8378 Website: www.armycadets.com Email: marketing@armycadets.com Facebook: facebook.com/ Armycadetforce Twitter: @ArmyCadetsUK Army Cadet Volunteer magazine is designed and edited by James Pembroke Publishing
Printed by PrecisionColour Printing This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or in part without prior written permission of the publishers. All contents and addresses correct at time of going to press. Every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, but neither James Pembroke Publishing or ACFA can be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein, or any consequences arising from it. Views expressed by contributors might not reflect the views of the ACF or the Army.
Editor: Carly Chynoweth Art editor: Simon Goddard Project manager: Esther Newman
ARMYCADETS.COM 3
THE BRIEFING ARMY CADET NEWS FROM AROUND THE UK
CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Merseyside ACF on a wilderness trail in the bush; cadets and adult volunteers meet local children; a cadet prepares to abseil down a cliff in Zingela
MILITARY TAT TOO
Band together
YOUR
Flash STORIES
INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
OUT OF AFRICA A trip to South Africa proves to be a life-changing experience for members of Merseyside ACF
T
he first stop was Mpila Camp at Hluhluwe Imfolozi safari park, where cadets learnt about conservation and saw a huge variety of wild animals, including white rhinos, zebra, giraffes, elephants and monkeys. Later, cadets and CFAVs took part in a bush tracking and wilderness course during which a local guide taught them bush craft and survival skills – an experience Maj Claire Edgerton found fascinating. “We learned so much about the African bush and the animals, and appreciated the importance
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of the volunteers and the teams that dedicate their lives to protecting the animals and the landscape,” she said. Cadets and CFAVs also visited the education centre on the Pongola River that their support had helped to build and develop earlier in the year. This gave them a chance to see first-hand how it was being used by local schools. The final phase of the exercise was a trip to a local Zulu village, where adults and cadets were treated to a performance of traditional songs and dance. The cadets
Write to us with your news and stories at editor@army cadets.com
were also challenged to a game of netball and a football match, with the local children winning both matches. The trip concluded with a day of adventurous training that included open-boat kayaking and abseiling off a cliff edge overlooking the Zingela valley. “The whole experience was more than I could ever have imagined,” said Lt Jennifer Richardson afterwards. “Experiencing it with 20 of Merseyside’s finest young people and witnessing how the trip affected their lives and decisions was a privilege.”
IN SEPTEMBER young musicians from the 1st Battalion the Highlanders ACF took part in the Highland Military Tattoo. Nineteen members of the battalion’s pipes and drums represented the ACF in the threeday event at Fort George, Ardersier. The cadets played alongside pipers and drummers from eight other pipe bands as well as the Military Band of The Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Stadacona Band of the Royal Canadian Navy. The ACF pipes and drums band was the largest youth band at the event, with cadets having to take it in turns to play in the performances. For most of the cadets it was the first time they had played in a public event. Pipe Major Kirsty Campbell was extremely pleased with how the cadets performed. “It was a fantastic performance by our excellent group of young musicians,” she said. The 2015 tattoo also marked the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, which saw the massed bands play the theme music from The Magnificent Seven. The 19 members of the ACF pipes and drums band at Fort George
GET IN TOUCH E: marketing@armycadets.com facebook.com/Armycadetforce @ArmyCadetsUK cadetsarmy
THE BRIEFING
There are a number of awards that recognise the achievements of CFAVs and cadets
ACF AWARDS
The following have been recognised for their commitment and dedication to the ACF CADET FORCE MEDAL
RECOGNITION OF SERVICE
Awards awareness THERE ARE a number of honours and awards available to CFAVs and cadets to recognise their efforts and dedication to the ACF. But do you know about them all? Cadets Branch has been working on a set of guidelines and links to forms and example citations on the Cadet Forces Resource Centre to help CFAVs to better understand the different awards and eligibility criteria. The guidelines will be available to view and download from the Resource Centre from January 2016. Forthcoming awards include the ACF Certificate of Good Service, which is awarded twice a year in recognition of exemplary work by adults and cadets over a long period or connected to a specific
ACF activity. The calling notices for recommendations for the 2016 awards will be dispatched in January and July this year to ensure recipients receive their awards in time for Annual Camp and the start of next year. CFAVs are also eligible for the New Year and Queen’s Birthday Honours, so look out for the calling notices and further information from Brigade HQ. All recommendations are to be endorsed by the commandant/ contingent commander and forwarded to Cadets Branch via the respective brigade. For more information on awards and eligibility criteria, please see the new guidelines in the Resource Centre and in the Army Cadet Force Regulations.
B A C K I N T H E D AY : INVASION 22 Feb 1797 IT’S BEEN MORE than 200 years since the French last invaded Britain, when 1,400 troops aiming for Bristol landed at Fishguard in Pembrokeshire. Rumour has it that the invaders mistook Fishguard’s women, who they saw walking along the cliffs in black hats and red coats, for Grenadiers, and promptly gave up. This may not be quite true, but it does go to show that a well-presented uniform can have quite an impact.
SSI SI SSI SSI SSI CAPT SSI SMI SMI SMI SSI SSI RSMI SMI SI 2LT REV CF3 LT LT CAPT SSI MAJ SSI SSI SSI SMI SI SMI CAPT SSI CAPT SMI SMI SMI SMI CAPT SMI SSI RSMI SSI SMI SSI SSI SMI SSI SMI LT COL SSI LT CAPT LT SSI SSI SI SSI SMI SSI LT SMI SSI SMI SMI SI SSI LT SMI SSI 2LT SMI SMI SI MAJ SMI MAJ LT CAPT LT SMI
KM M AS SGA PK AC D GM R JT E KL A S CR TP M MD SL SR N LG A S RA DA D AC N GE MN DE RC DE A SC S GT S JP HA SR M S RM F PW R C K MJ MH PS PJ JE JL K WT M SM WJ G F DG ST G JL EM RK L TIR HLA L G KL B KL CP
CAMPBELL BLAIR DOUGLAS BAIN BOYLE MYERS HYND DANBURY DICKSON MERRY RICHARDSON MUNDY NEGUS LEAVENS PLAYFORTH GEACH COE HUTTON JENNER SPENCER LITTLEWOOD GREENSLADE NASH NORRIS BARTLITZ MCHALE WARSAP PRITCHARD PROBERT CROUCH CLARK ROSS BRUTON BRADLEY GARDINER JAMIESON BRETT BARRY HALVORSEN O’BRIEN TOSER SMITH THORPE WHITNET WOOLLEY COLTHERD BROOME AMOR HALL DEE HARRIS DOCKSEY GRIFFIN SMIT WOODCOCK CHITTY COOPER CHIVERS BYRON MILLINER BOYD CAMPBELL CASSIDY DONNELLY GRAY MACALISTER STACEY RICHARDSON FAHY HESLINGTON IRVINE MAUNG MIDDLETON ALEXANDER HIRST LISTER PARKER ADAMS
SMI SI
PA L
BRENTANO TEMPLEMAN 1ST CLASP
MAJ SMI RSMI SSI SMI SMI MAJ SMI CAPT SSI CAPT SMI SMI SMI SMI SMI 2LT SMI CAPT CAPT CAPT SI CAPT 2LT SSI SSI SMI SMI SSI SMI SSI SMI RSMI SSI CAPT SSI MAJ SMI VLT COL RSMI
GL EH P WG PL PJ SC CD KW KJA PL D GA BC R T K SP LA TP SP T LM PL A CG PJ DS BJ RC C SM AR RG L SE CA P G SJ
SMITH SIMPSON O’DONOGHUE MCALLISTER WILLARS LYDDIATT ANSTEY DUTTON HOLMES BUCKLAND CLARKE KELLY PARKER SNOWDEN GALLAGHER GOAMAN BARKER CROUCH EDGAR MCCUTCHEON HODDER SERLE COX LEVITT MARTIN SMITH BUTLER WESTALL DOHERTY BRUTON MELLOR CROSSLEY MORRISON MACKAY HARPER GARDNER PELL DELLIUS ALEXANDER DOBIE 2ND CLASP
CAPT SMI SMI REV CF3 SMI SMI CAPT SMI MAJ COL SMI SMI SMI SMI MAJ MAJ LT COL SMI MAJ
PA PL L K SA A N SA SC RJG S JMA RA IV TJ CJ GD M MJ
ATKINS WILLARS EDWARDS BAL GREEN BARTLETT PIRIE SHELLEY DEANS HUGHES WILLIAMS SMITH WOOLSTON MILLS BOWBRICK PEARCE BRITTON DOVE BORASTON 3RD CLASP
CAPT MAJ SMI SMI MAJ MAJ SMI MAJ CAPT COL MAJ CAPT
BOA J A DK N I P P CS TE PB N
CATCHPOLE ROBERTSON MORGAN CRADDOCK WARREN FLAMSON BATEUP CURRAN POVEY RICHMOND KINSEY FREEMAN 4TH CLASP
COL SMI
AI P
DENISON BATEUP
FOR A FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS VISIT ARMYCADETS.COM/ACFAWARDS
ARMYCADETS.COM 5
THE BRIEFING
Captain Kimber receives his certificate
IN THE MEDIA
ACF luminaries making headlines reported The Ballymena Times. The team will travel to Canada to compete.
Cadets from Staffordshire and West Midlands (North) ACF at Whittington Barracks
Hertfordshire finalists in the 2015 Yopey awards
HISTORY LESSON
RELIVING WAR IN TRENCHES
A
dult volunteers and cadets from Staffordshire and West Midlands (North) ACF were given a taste of life as a WW1 soldier during Exercise Coltman Trench in October. The weekend event was organised in partnership with the Staffordshire Regimental Museum at Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, as part of the county’s continuing support of Operation Reflect. Museum staff, soldiers from 4 Mercian (Reserves) and some very enthusiastic WW1 re-enactors were on hand to teach the four CFAVs and 23 cadets about trench life and show them the differences between modern and period weapons, equipment and drill. Members of 4 Mercian also played the role of enemy soldiers during the night-long routine in the museum’s mock trenches and twice “attacked” the cadets in their tunnels.
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Hidden speakers and sensors simulating the artillery and rifle fire added to the authenticity of the exercise. The next morning the bugler sounded the charge and the company was ordered to “go over the top”. No one survived the frontal assault; the cadets lay in no man’s land for two minutes until the bugler signalled that the exercise was over. 2Lt Jamie Hayward said the experience was poignant. “Even though it was an exercise, when you are stood with one foot on the ladder watching the clock tick down, waiting to blow the whistle, your heart starts to race and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up,” he said. “The whole company has gained a valuable insight into the privations of life on the Western Front. One cadet said ‘I will never forget this experience’ which to me is what Operation Reflect is all about,” he added.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire ACF: North Herts teenager Tom Ellwood was a runner-up in the Mitsubishi Electric Young People of the Year awards for Hertfordshire. Tom turned his life around with Hitchin Army Cadets, earning him a place as a finalist in this year’s awards, reported The Comet. Royal County of Berkshire ACF: Captain Gary Kimber, from Thatcham, and SMI Annette Foale, from Newbury, were featured in Newbury Today after being presented with Lord Lieutenant’s Certificates for their work with the Royal County of Berkshire ACF. Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF: The Grimsby Telegraph reported that local cadets raised £1,000 for their 2016 annual camp to Sennelager in Germany through packing bags at a local supermarket, an open day and running a prize bingo event. 1st Northern Ireland Battalion ACF: Cdt Sgt Harry McCaughey from Cambridge House Grammar School Detachment has been selected for the UK under-19 rifle team,
Derbyshire ACF: More than 200 cadets and CFAVs attended a special service at Derbyshire Cathedral celebrating the achievements of Derbyshire ACF, reported The Derbyshire Times. Colonel Chris Young, Commandant of Derbyshire ACF, said: “It is a proud moment to see so many cadets out in force to represent their county.” The Cadet Sunday service recognises Derbyshire ACF
Nottinghamshire ACF: Cdt Sgt Chris Grimes from West Bridgford detachment featured in the West Bridgford Wire when he was appointed Nottinghamshire’s first ever “Mayor’s Cadet”. He was awarded a certificate and a badge to recognise his dedication and achievements over the past year.
Councillor Francis Purdue-Horan, Mayor of Rushcliffe, appoints Cdt Sgt Chris Grimes “Mayor’s Cadet”
THE BRIEFING
TIME TO GIV E BACK Cadets are capable of achieving much more than they can imagine SI Gill Bedding page 17
NATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS Results for swimming championships, first aid and girls’ football
National First Aid Competition 2015 Ten teams of ACF cadets and nine teams of CFAVs, representing 14 counties, took part in the National and Inter-Service First Aid Competitions from 17-18 October at Strensall, near York. National Swimming Championships The ACF National Swimming Championships were held at Aldershot Garrison on 10 October 2015. Ten regions from across the UK and Northern Ireland competed against each other over six events – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, individual medley and a team relay. National Girls’ Football Championships The ACF National Girls’ Six-a-Side Football Championships 2015 took place at the South Nottingham Academy, Radcliffe on Trent, on Saturday 21 November. Ten regional teams from across the UK and Northern Ireland participated in both the junior and senior competitions.
RAISING AWARENESS
N AT I O N A L F I R S T A I D C O M P E T I T I O N 2 0 1 5 ACF SENIOR TEAMS COMPETITION
INTER-SERVICES SENIOR TEAM COMPETITION
1st
Durham ACF
1st
Durham ACF
2nd
Staffordshire and West Midlands North Sector ACF
2nd
1406 (Spalding) Sqn ATC
3rd
Dorset ACF
3rd
Dollar Academy CCF
ACF CADETS COMPETITION
INTER-SERVICES CADETS COMPETITION
1st
Durham ACF
1st
2nd
Cambridgeshire ACF
Bournemouth School CCF
3rd
Merseyside ACF
2nd
Durham ACF
3rd
115 (Peterborough) Sqn ATC
N AT I O N A L S W I M M I N G C H A M P I O N S H I P S JUNIOR BOYS
2nd
Eastern
1st
South West
3rd
South East
2nd
Eastern
3rd
North West
SENIOR GIRLS 1st
Scotland
SENIOR BOYS
2nd
Eastern
1st
Eastern
3rd
North East
2nd
North West
3rd
South East
OVERALL WINNERS 1st
Eastern
JUNIOR GIRLS
2nd
South East
1st
3rd
North West
West Midlands
N AT I O N A L G I R L S ’ F O O T B A L L JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS London
SENIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS North East
FINAL North west versus London
0 2
SEMI-FINAL
Open to all LAST AUTUMN the ACF launched its first national Open Week campaign in a bid to raise awareness of its work and encourage adults and young people to join local detachments. Detachments held a variety of open days to give the public a taste of life in the cadets, with activities including first aid and drill demonstrations as well as lessons on camouflage and concealment. The feedback from participating counties has been positive. “A few weeks after the event I had seven forms back,” said 2Lt Robb Blomfield, 11 (Wolverton) Platoon, Buckinghamshire ACF. Cambridgeshire ACF set up a climbing wall in Peterborough. Major Mark Knight, MBE, said: “In all cases detachments reported an interest from potential recruits.” The ACF marketing and PR team will be producing supporting materials for all counties wishing to take part in 2016. Information will be sent out to counties in May.
FINAL North West versus North East
0 1
SEMI-FINAL
North West versus Eastern
2
London versus North East
2
1
1
Scotland versus North West
0
North East versus West Midlands
3
3
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Cambridgeshire ACF’s climbing wall at its Open Day in Peterborough city centre
ARMYCADETS.COM 7
THE DRILL TIPS, ADVICE AND COMMENT
O N LY I N T H E M O V I E S
ZULU
5
MINUTE TURN OUT
RSMI Tony Allen of Cornwall ACF shares his last-minute turn out tips for anyone in an ACF uniform
LOOK SMART
T
he best way to look good in five minutes is to have done some preparation in advance. That means keeping your hair tidy, your uniform ironed and your boots clean. Taking a few minutes to hang up your kit and brush any mud from your boots as soon as you get home will save you a lot of time in the long run. But there are a few things you can do if you need to sharpen up in a rush. First, make sure your beret is clean by rubbing it with the sticky side of some sellotape wrapped around your hand.
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Next, hang your shirt and trousers in the bathroom while you shower so the steam helps the wrinkles drop out. A hand steamer – the sort people use to clean curtains – also does the trick, while I know a few cadets who use hair straighteners to make sure their collars are flat and their trousers creased. It should go without saying, but never do either of these things while your clothes are on. Finally, run a shoeshine pad across your boots. It’s not the same as a proper polish but it will do the trick in a hurry.
THE CLASSIC BATTLE MOVIE THAT PLAYS FAST AND LOOSE WITH THE FACTS ZULU’S RETELLING of the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift might be a cinematic masterpiece but whether it is historically accurate is another question entirely. For a start, the 24th Regiment of Foot was a Warwickshire regiment at the time, only becoming the South Wales Borderers in 1881. Equally, Men of Harlech, which features prominently in the movie, was not actually the regimental song at the time – that honour went to The Warwickshire Lad. Henry Hook, a cowardly drunkard in the film, was actually a teetotal model soldier; his daughter was so appalled by his portrayal that she walked out of the premiere in disgust. And the moving climax is also a bending of the truth: the Zulus left when they saw British reinforcements approaching. But what is absolutely true is that 11 men were awarded the Victoria Cross as a result of their actions in the battle, with a twelfth declining the honour in favour of a commission.
THE DRILL
LE AGUE LE A DER S
The 2015 Champion Cadet competition was a huge success Lt Col Gavin Jones page 24
HOW TO : U S E WE S T M I NS TER
T
he syllabus progress report on Westminster is a very useful tool for detachment commanders and other adult volunteers. It allows CFAVs to spot whether they, or their cadets, are missing any modules that they need to progress – making it easy to identify development opportunities. It is also possible to print out a report that can be pinned up at the detachment so that cadets can see their own progress. Here, Anthony Shallow, SO3 Westminster, Cadets Branch, explains what to do after logging in to Westminster: Select “personnel”, use the unit filter to select your unit and detachment, then choose either cadet or adult qualifications. At the bottom of the menu, select “syllabus progress”. Choose the cadets or CFAVs that you want to view, up to a maximum of 100 at once. Once you’ve done that, click the “select people to view progress” button.
DO YOU MEASURE UP?
TA R G E T T E S T Click “view progress” to generate a table showing the progress of each individual within that module (see below). This table can be printed out or saved to Excel. The subjects in each module are displayed at the top of the table
SSI C CARROLL from B Coy, Humberside and South Yorkshire ACF, scored 42 points to win a silver medal in the adult competition at the Cadet InterServices Skill at Arms Meeting at Bisley in October 2015. “This is an excellent score for such a difficult shoot,” says Col Neville Stebbings, the shooting adviser at ACF Regional Command. COULD YOU DO IT? One match, shot at a distance of 300m Use L98A2 Cadet GP Rifle, which has iron rather than optic/telescopic sights Each firer has two sighting shots, then 30 seconds to get into the prone position to fire 10 shots to count Score five points for each shot that hits the 30cm wide bull, and four for any shots that hit another part of the target
The green ticks indicate that all modules have been completed
W H A T T O D O I F. . . …YOU HAVE A VIP VISITOR Select the module that you want to look at. Clicking on the drop-down arrow will expand your selection. Anthony Shallow
A VIP visit is a thrill for cadets and a great chance to showcase the ACF’s work. Make the most of it by preparing thoroughly, says 2Lt Darren Brookes of Batley detachment, Yorkshire (North and West) ACF, who recently hosted a visit from his local MP. RESEARCH your visitor. Find out about his or her interests and background so that you can plan the right activities.
KNOW what you want to achieve. When Jo Cox MP came to visit we wanted to showcase the ACF and to explain that we needed more funding. PLAN how to do this. We arranged a tour that included activities that we do really well, such as fieldcraft, but also showed her that we needed money for a new bugle and drums. DECIDE how to publicise the visit. We contacted the local press in advance and took our own photographs.
BRIEF cadets beforehand. They are great ambassadors for the ACF but you don’t want them to go off message. REHEARSE. Don’t try to wing it. A practice run is a chance to make sure everyone has the right kit and they know their part.
ARMYCADETS.COM 9
THE DRILL
THE GR E AT INDOOR S Use your imagination. It’s all about thinking creatively
2Lt Lara Henwood page 20
RECRUITING
VOLUNTEER DRIVE CHANGES ARE UNDERWAY TO HELP BOOST THE NUMBER OF CFAVS. JACKIE ALLAN, DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF EAST ANGLIA RFCA, EXPLAINS
I
n 2014 the ACF conducted research into the recruitment experience of new adult volunteers who had applied to join their local ACF. Our records show that we receive almost 5,000 online applications every year, but that fewer than 1,000 people actually complete the application process. The research included “mystery shopper” experiments with county HQs, with callers acting as potential CFAVs, and a survey of recent applicants designed to find out what they thought of the recruitment process. The results of these inquiries revealed significant dissatisfaction among potential CFAVs. In response a big project was launched to improve the experience for everyone applying to become an adult volunteer.
TRIED AND TESTED
With support from the Help Agency and the ACF Marketing and Communications team we started by analysing best practice. Working with four volunteer counties (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, Greater Manchester, Surrey, and Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland) we identified a new and improved recruitment process and developed a suite of user-friendly communications materials for use with applicants. In 2015 we piloted the new process with the volunteer counties. The results were positive, with benefits including: Happier customers More user-friendly materials and communications give potential CFAVs a better idea of what the process entails and how long it should take;
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Better, more timely information This means that people who aren’t suitable – for example, those who cannot make the required time commitment – are better able to recognise this early in the process; and More useful feedback data We can identify at what stages applicants drop out, allowing us to refine the process still further. As a result of the pilot’s success the new approach will be rolled out across the ACF this year. Regional training workshops and supporting materials, including a new application form and access to a helpline facility, will be delivered to CEOs, county commandants and county admin officers from January. We hope that all county admin staff will be fully trained and using the new process by the middle of April. Jackie Allan helped to facilitate the best practice project
The new recruitment process should help to boost volunteer numbers
PROFILE
SHAUN BAILEY SHAUN BAILEY, a former adviser to PM David Cameron, credits the ACF with helping him to turn his life around. “I was 12 when I joined,” said Shaun, who is Honorary Colonel of Greater London South East Sector. “My initial experience wasn’t great. I had fun, but I wasn’t used to being told what to do, so after about eight months I left.” Six weeks later he returned and the officer in charge gave him back his old uniform – he’d been so confident Shaun would be back that he’d kept it for him. The “sporty kid” was soon hooked. “I stuck with it because I wanted to achieve,” he said. “I wanted to earn more star grades and the respect of my peers. That kept me going.” Cadets also showed him that, despite struggling a little at school, he did have academic strengths. “It showed me that I could do things like read maps and plan lessons, and that I could work out how to catch up when I was behind.” His mum helped too: “She said ‘work hard at school or quit cadets’. That transformed my behaviour.” Shaun valued his time as a cadet and now encourages other people to get involved. “I’d had years of people supporting me and I wanted to give something back,” he said. “Cadets is one of the most modern and progressive youth movements in the world… and I know first hand just how valuable it can be.”
THE DRILL
GETCONNECTED
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SPEAK OUT YOUR LETTERS, EMAILS, TWEETS & POSTS
YOUR FEEDBACK Last autumn we asked you to fill in our online survey to tell us what you think of the new-look Army Cadet Volunteer magazine and what sort of articles you’d like to see in future issues. We had a great response – 275 of them, to be exact – with almost every county represented, and we will continue to keep our readers at the centre of all our efforts to produce a great magazine. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with almost three quarters of readers saying that they like the magazine and only 2.5 per cent disliking it. The most popular sections are the news pages, which 58 per cent of respondents always read, followed closely by the national ACF policy pages. A significant number of people asked us to provide even more information about national policy and Westminster and more updates on changes, so watch out for more features like the one on page 9 of this issue as well as our regular coverage. We’d love to see more CFAVs suggesting ideas for articles, too; the survey suggests that around a third of readers don’t know that they can submit news stories, photographs or feature ideas either via their PRO or directly to the editor. We rely on you to tell us what’s going on in the field, so
FRONTLINE ON FACEBOOK We asked you to tell us what your detachment was doing to mark Remembrance Day 2015 and share your stories using #ActionForRemembrance Nico Josh Pileci: Cleveland Army Cadet Force are going to France to go to the beaches of D-Day and to the monuments and museums. Adrian Lilley: Clitheroe Detachment, Lancashire ACF – proud to represent the ACF at the Clitheroe Remembrance Parade. Derbyshire Army Cadet Force: Hundreds of Derbyshire ACF cadets and adults attended various parades and events this weekend to honour the past and present members of our Armed Forces.
please don’t be shy about getting in touch. You can reach us at any time by emailing editor@armycadets.com. Finally, although some people think that paper magazines are out of date in this digital age, an overwhelming 87 per cent of readers told us that they prefer a printed copy – so they’re staying. But if you do want only a digital copy, email us on marketing@armycadets.com to let us know. For a light-hearted look at some of the responses, turn to Number-Off! on page 26 LAUREN DUNBEVAND ACF Marketing and Communications Officer
GET IN TOUCH Send your letters, comments and ideas for future conversation starters to marketing@armycadets.com
Phil King: Corunna Band and Bugles of Oxfordshire (The Rifles) Battalion Army Cadet Force led the Remembrance Parade in Oxford today with the buglers playing the last post during the Act of Remembrance. Everyone did very well!
TOP TWEETS ACF in the Twittersphere @BucksACF Multiple breaks in her pelvis, coccyx and sacrum didn’t stop Lt Murdoch paying respects today @selacf Our most powerful photo this year #Action ForRemembrance @GLRFCA @ArmyCadetsUK @LondonRBL @1hldrsacf Well done to Cpl Jones who was Thurso RBL’s Best Dressed Cadet at Thurso’s Remembrance parade
ARMYCADETS.COM 11
Cadets from Dyfed and Glamorgan ACF pulling barrels in the minefield task
DID YOU KNOW?
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SI Thomas Thomas from Dyfed and Glamorgan ACF supervising cadets
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12 ACF WINTER 2015/16
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In 2014/15 the ACF supported 41,500 cadets across the UK
TEAM BUILDING
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Fuel Drop in a Minefield
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Fox, Rabbit, Cabbage
COMMAND TASKS CADETS FROM DYFED AND GLAMORGAN LEARNED ALL ABOUT WORKING AS A TEAM WITH SI THOMAS THOMAS. WHY NOT HAVE A GO WITH YOUR OWN DETACHMENT?
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FUEL DROP IN A MINEFIELD Equipment: A barrel or bucket, tape and two lengths of rope Time: Two minutes for discussion and five minutes to extract the barrel from the minefield Where: Indoors or outdoors Aim: To encourage teamwork among cadets and the process of selecting a leader Benefits: Helps to develop communication, teamwork and leadership skills Instructions: The task requires the group to extract the barrel of fuel from the minefield without touching the wire (tape) or the minefield (taped-off section of ground). Cadets can only use the two ropes and nothing at all can touch the
FOX, RABBIT, CABBAGE
ground. Start by briefing the cadets on the situation: their fuel has been dropped in a minefield by the Air Force, and they need to retrieve it before the enemy gets to them. Results: This task results in a lot of communication between the cadets to determine how best to approach it. A natural leader usually emerges to take overall control of the activity by directing and coaching cadets in how best to pick up the barrel. Make it harder: Add a time limit to create extra pressure; add water to the barrel or bucket to make the task more complex – they cannot afford to spill any ‘fuel’ in the minefield while trying to extract it. Mark out a large circular area with rope as the minefield and place the barrel or bucket in the centre
Fuel Minefield
Equipment: Crates or tyres, planks of wood and ropes or mine tape to mark out the area of the river; cuddly toys or similar to represent the fox, the rabbit and the cabbage Time: 20-30 minutes, depending on size of area being crossed Where: Indoors or outdoors Aim: For cadets to appreciate the importance of teamwork and how it can help with problem solving Benefi ts: Promotes communication, teamwork and problem solving Instructions: Cadets must work out how to get the fox, the rabbit and the cabbage safely from one side of the river to the other using the wooden planks as a crossing. However, certain objects cannot be left together on one side. The fox cannot be left with the rabbit because it will eat it, while the rabbit cannot be left with the cabbage, for the same reason. The team must work out the optimum way to get everything from one side to the other. Results: The cadets have to think carefully about the task to decide how to use the information to complete it. This task involves a lot of trial and error.
WORKING WITH PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW HELPS TO PREPARE YOU FOR LATER LIFE Cadet J Wisman
ARMYCADETS.COM 13
Major Rob Holland raised ÂŁ500 for a charity that helps veterans who have lost their limbs
DID YOU KNOW? The ACF handed out 674 DofE Award certificates in 2014/15
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COMMUNITY
community work
time to give back getting involved in your local community is a great opportunity to make a difference and to promote the work of the ACF
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CF cadets and adult volunteers are at their most visible to the public when they are collecting for the Royal British Legion or involved in Remembrance events but the ACF’s contribution to communities around the country goes far beyond this. ACF detachments have rebuilt playgrounds, cleared rubbish from rivers and planted hundreds of thousands of trees. Cadets help old people stave off loneliness through visits to retirement homes and encourage other young people to try out activities such as wall climbing. These and other activities can be used to meet the community involvement element of the ACF syllabus, and – at the same time – to fulfil
ARMYCADETS.COM 15
COMMUNITY
TOP TIPS
Cadets from Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF with children from the village in Romania that they visited
MAKE THE MOST OF COMMUNITY WEEK This year we’re holding the ACF’s first Community Week from 18 – 24 April. Here’s how to make the most of it: TALK TO YOUR LOCAL PRO He or she will have access to a special Community Week pack with lots of ideas for new activities or for promoting what you’ve been doing. MAKE PARENTS PROUD Parents take great pleasure in seeing their children take part in ceremonial activities and doing something useful for their local communities. Highlighting this work is a great way to sell the benefits of the ACF. RECRUIT MORE ADULTS Adult volunteers tell us that a big reason for them joining the ACF is to help their local community. Make sure that potential CFAVs get a chance to see how they would be able to do this with your detachment. DEPLOY YOUR CADETS Is there an activity you can do during Community Week? LOOK FOR QUICK WINS We love to see counties testing their creativity and ambition with big ideas but doing some supermarket bag packing or organising a local clean-up activity is still a great way to spread the word and celebrate your work through the year. Grab a copy of ACF’s Community Week guide for more ideas and practical advice. This will be circulated electronically to all county PROs and will be available to download from Westminster. If you would like a copy of the guide please email marketing@ armycadets.com
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fulfil the volunteering requirements of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Captain Lucy Welch, the ACFA UK DofE development manager says: “The volunteering section forms such an important part of a DofE Award as it completely encompasses the ethos of the DofE and is perhaps one of the most self-fulfilling and valuable sections from which cadets and CFAVs can take personal skills into future life. “Volunteering builds confidence and selfesteem. We have seen DofE participants in the ACF assisting with teaching and running
their detachments, fundraising, setting up big projects and linking with other charitable organisations. It requires persistence, commitment and has a lasting impact on the attitudes and outlook of all young people who do their DofE.”
You can do it It was commitment and persistence that saw SI Gill Bedding of 9 Pl Gosport, Hampshire and Isle of Wight ACF, raise money for The Veterans Charity by completing a series of 10 challenges in 2015. She started with a
HOW TO BRIEF CADET AMBASSADORS Cadets are the best advert for the ACF so encouraging them to talk to people at Open Week and other community events is a great way to attract potential volunteers, says 2Lt Simon Crossley, the assistant PRO for Northamptonshire, LNR ACF. First, though, they need to be briefed to ensure that they stay “on message”. Here are his dos and don’ts CFAVs should share with their cadets:
DO Smile and say hello. This will break the ice and encourage passers-by to stop and find out more Ask your CFAV to help if a difficult question comes up; for instance, if someone asks about cadets and shooting, or about how a military situation is being handled Look smart and well turned-out
DON’T Exaggerate. Field exercises are there to build confidence and leadership skills – they are not training you to be a soldier Answer political questions – always refer to a CFAV Be regimented. You’re not a guard at Buckingham Palace – you’re allowed to talk to people!
SI Gill Bedding set herself a series of 10 challenges
COMMUNITY
Lancashire ACF helped the local Sea Cadets paint a fence
Warwickshire and West Midlands (South) ACF
5km run in January, and capped the year off with a half-marathon. She hopes that, as well as helping the charity, her efforts will teach cadets “that they are capable of achieving much more than they can imagine,” she says. Major Rob Holland, a retired serviceman and a member of Lincolnshire ACF’s professional support staff, ran 50 laps of Grantham’s Meres Stadium and did 1,000 sit-ups and 1,000 press-ups – raising £500 for Blesma, a charity that helps limbless veterans. Not all community activities are individual pursuits – far from it. Last year eight cadets from Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF visited Romania to help villagers carry out repairs and maintenance. Meanwhile, cadets from Lancashire ACF joined forces with the local Sea Cadets to help paint a fence as part of a heritage trail community development project. And Warwickshire and West Midlands (South) ACF raised £1,357.40 for ABF the Soldiers’ Charity. Other memorable fundraising initiatives include clearing snow, working on a charity calendar and, in the case of NI CFAV Ricky Allen, baking hundreds of cupcakes. “All of these achievements by cadets are underpinned by the support and leadership
of adult volunteers,” says Valerie McBurney, the ACF’s head of marketing. “Without adults to organise, train and supervise these events, cadets would not be able to make the enormous contribution that they do.” But, despite the great community work being undertaken by cadets and the CFAVs who train and support them, it is not as visible at a national level as it could be, says Valerie. “Events such as Community Week, which is taking place from 18 – 24 April, are great opportunities to make some noise about what cadets do. Our marketing team is here to help PROs publicise the community work being done in their area by providing ideas, press release templates and other materials.” Valerie also encourages CFAVs to find out more about how other detachments are promoting themselves and the work done by cadets. “Some counties are doing really innovative stuff, including building strong relationships with charities and local community organisations,” she says.
QUICK TASK
BRAINSTORM COMMUNITY WEEK IDEAS EQUIPMENT: Flip chart/large sheets of paper, sticky notes, coloured pens TIME: 5-10 minutes WHERE: Indoors, with space for a group of cadets and adult volunteers to congregate AIM: To come up with ideas for a community activity BENEFITS: Gives cadets the chance to participate, have a voice and share different ideas, making them more likely to be engaged in the final activity INSTRUCTIONS: Explain the aim of the activity and then get the cadets to shout out their ideas, or write them down on sticky notes. Encourage them to put forward all their ideas, no matter how strange they might sound. Next, group common ideas together to narrow down the suggestions. Keep going until there is a shortlist or a clear winning idea. Later, a CFAV will have to investigate further to discover whether it is practical, and take over the organisational elements.
FIND OUT MORE
Get your copy of the ACF’s Community Week guide by emailing marketing@armycadets.com
ARMYCADETS.COM 17
REMEMBRANCE
LEST WE FORGET
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ACTION FOR REMEMBRANCE REMEMBRANCE IS A SPECIAL OCCASION FOR THE ACF, WITH ALL FOUR NATIONS TAKING TIME TO COMMEMORATE OUR FALLEN SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN
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hether leading parades through towns, bearing standards or laying wreaths at memorial ceremonies, Remembrance showcases the hard work, dedication and pride of our cadets and adult volunteers in their communities. We are only able to share a fraction of the ACF’s Remembrance commitments, but every CFAV and cadet should be proud. Major Margaret Brown, OC Salamanca Company, Angus and Dundee ACF, was
selected to carry the Legion Scotland National Standard at the National Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. She said it was “an honour and a privilege to represent Scotland”. She was also chosen to be the wreath-bearer for Legion Scotland’s national chairman, Jan Harvey, at the Cenotaph parade in Whitehall. Cadets from Berkshire ACF and Staffordshire and West Midlands (North) ACF were also among those involved in London’s National Festival of Remembrance. Proud father SMI Tim THIS IS THE LAST TIME Smiles, A Coy, Gloucestershire MY DAUGHTER WILL BE ACF, paraded PARADING WITH with his GLOUCESTERSHIRE ACF daughter in Cheltenham. SMI Tim Smiles, A Coy “This is the
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last time my daughter will be parading with Gloucestershire ACF as she will be going in the Army,” he said. Cadets from Northern Ireland represented their detachment at a ceremony in Belfast’s City Hall. Welsh cadets LCpl Jack Wade and CSgt Craig Jones, from Holyhead detachment, Clywd and Gwyndd ACF, had the honour of being standard bearers at their local parade, which was attended by the Duke of Westminster, Admiral Keith Beckett and the High Sheriff of Anglesey and Gwynedd. “To be invited to such a high profile and monumental event in Holyhead’s history is a huge honour,” said Craig. “It is something Jack and I will remember for years to come.”
FIND OUT MORE To see more images of the ACF’s involvement in Remembrance visit armycadets.com/remembrance2015
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in the photos: 1 : Capel Curig Remembrance, Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF 7
2: Giffnock RE1, West Lowland Battalion ACF : CSgt Karl Morris Douse, Greater London 3 South East Sector ACF, planting a poppy in the RBL’s Field of Remembrance : Whitehouse detachment, 1st Northern 4 Ireland Bn ACF: (from left) Cpl Kaci Smith, LCpl Brittney Heatherington, Jack Carlisle, Sgt Natasha Rutherford, Sgt Thomas Crawford, LCpl Catherine Robinson, Layla Creaney and LCpl Nathan Ferris
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: Holyhead detachment (Clwyd and 5 Gwynedd ACF), Wales : C Coy, 1st Northern Ireland Bn ACF, 6 Remembrance & Polish Independence Day : Fraserburgh detachment, 2nd Bn the 7 Highlanders ACF 8: Angus & Dundee ACF 9: Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire ACF 0: Major Margaret Brown, OC Salamanca 1 Company, Angus and Dundee ACF, representing Scotland at the National Festival of Remembrance
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FIELDCRAFT
URBAN FIELDCRAFT
THE GREAT INDOORS DON’T LET A LACK OF FIELDS AND OPEN SPACES DETER YOU FROM TEACHING FIELDCRAFT SKILLS: A LITTLE IMAGINATION CAN GO A LONG WAY
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ost cadets love fieldcraft – it’s the third most popular activity in the ACF – and it has plenty of enthusiastic supporters among CFAVs, too. “It’s why I joined,” says 2Lt Lara Henwood of Kent ACF, adding jokingly: “To get dirty and play with guns is what it’s all about.” But what happens if your detachment is in an urban area or
IT’S ALL ABOUT THINKING CREATIVELY 2Lt Lara Henwood
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otherwise short of field space? Use your imagination, says Lara. “My first instructor role was at Hainault [in London] and we literally had just a backyard. In 2008 I was transferred to Kent, where I thought there would be loads of space… but my 12m x 12m concrete yard turned into a 6m x 20m concrete yard and a 6m x 6m patch of grass. “As much as we would like our fieldcraft activities and sessions to be conducted in a large outdoor space, we need to be realistic. And we need to stop using it as an excuse not to conduct fieldcraft activities at all.” Lara’s view: it’s all about thinking creatively.
Use your imagination SSI Matt Hilton, the detachment commander at Failsworth in Greater
Manchester, agrees. “We are fortunate that we have a small patch of grass and a couple of trees, so we can teach the cadets most of it until we get more advanced at 2 star, where we teach fire and movement,” he says. “There we start to struggle a bit, so we have to use our imagination.” The car park, which he shares with the Army Reserves 75 Engineer Regiment, is a good starting point. “They have some big vehicles to move equipment, so we say things like, ‘right, that vehicle is now a hedge’ and get them to picture the sort of scenario we want.” He also looks for opportunities to borrow facilities. “When I have been at smaller detachments I have covered all the theoretical
fieldcraft
DID YOU KNOW? 66% of cadets say fieldcraft was one of the reasons they chose to join
ARMYCADETS.COM 21
FIELDCRAFT
ANOTHER GOOD INDOORS OPTION IS MAKING USE OF MOVIES SSI Matt Hilton
aspects, then spoken to another detachment commander in a similar area with more room, and all my cadets go there so we can apply the theory on the ground. It can be challenging to get cadets to a different location but when you do they seem to appreciate that they need to make a bigger effort and get more out of it.”
Sticky-back plastic Lara is a big fan of the Blue Peter approach to things. For instance, when she needed to do a session on ‘indication of target’ but did not have a good enough arc to cover it, she used an illustrated panoramic view combined with her own additions to teach it in a classroom. “Such a landscape target can also be pinned to a portable board and used outside,” she adds. “It is only a picture with all your landmarks and other things on it, but it doesn’t have the range, so I used some drawing pins, a bit of green string and Post-it notes with 100, 300 and 400 marked on them to create lines indicating distance. The kids said it was really helpful… it was a good way of teaching the session.” Another option that can be used indoors to teach tactics, and which is handy in bad weather as well as for detachments with limited space, is a tactics pit or orders pit made of sand or gravel and kitted out with plastic soldiers. “I have personally conducted model kit-making sessions with cadets to not only add to their own kit and equipment, but also to assist with our orders pit sessions,” she says. For one awards evening she and her cadets conducted “Operation Show Off” so they could demonstrate fieldcraft to visiting family members. “I got one of the parents to
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help by sticking hooks in the ceiling. Then we covered the whole room with cam netting, blacked out the windows with black paper and stuck targets and fieldcraft aides-memoire on the cabinet.” This, combined with a wooden box filled with sand and a skill-at-arms mat, created a room that people loved so much that it stayed in place until the building was refurbished. Another good indoors option is making use of movies, suggests Matt. “We have four rooms inside, each with a TV and DVD, so if I have seen something with a good battle scene that is quite realistic I show it to them. The first time I just let them watch and enjoy it, then I rewind and talk through it to explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.” He recommends Band of Brothers (rated 15+), saying that the tactics 3,492 ACF cadets are similar to those taught through have enrolled on the
DID YOU KNOW? CVQO-led vocational courses in the past academic year
ABOVE: Most scenarios can be recreated with the help of a little bit of imagination LEFT: Much of the theory of fieldcraft, such as navigation, can be taught in the classroom
FIELDCRAFT
QUICK TASK
BUILD AN INDOORS OBSTACLE COURSE EQUIPMENT: Anything you have to hand TIME: 10 minutes WHERE: Drill hall AIM: Teach elementary obstacle crossing INSTRUCTIONS: Build a course using your imagination and the bits and pieces you have around the detachment. For instance, old boxes could become a stile, string could become barbed wire, two ropes can make a road junction and command task equipment could be turned into a bridge.
QUICK TASK
HUMAN BATTLESHIPS
the ACF and that the historical setting also makes it possible to compare and contrast what is shown with what is taught. “It’s also good when you get 3 stars, teaching them things like fire control orders. There’s one really good scene where the officer in charge of a platoon makes a complete hash of things, the platoon gets pinned down and he is frozen with fear… then a new leader comes to the field and they rally. It really shows the impact one leader can have.” Lara argues that learning the theory of fieldcraft in the classroom can be an advantage for cadets in the long run. “Fieldcraft is an outdoor activity but there is a lot of theory in it. Teaching that theory in the classroom means that you aren’t wasting time in the field, that they already have
Cadets can learn effective – and not so effective – tactics from TV shows such as Band of Brothers
the knowledge foundation when you go on camp… when kids are outside they want to be outside, not sitting down learning things they could have done back at the unit.”
EQUIPMENT: Water balloons and blindfolds TIME: 10 minutes WHERE: Outside AIM: Teach tactics and communication when it’s too hot to run around INSTRUCTIONS: Form cadets into two teams. Those selected as ‘ships’ stand in a grid formation while a thrower (blindfolded) gently lobs the water balloon as instructed. Rules as per the game Battleships.
FIND OUT MORE Find out more in the Fieldcraft and Tactics Syllabus in the Resource Centre on Defence Gateway
ARMYCADETS.COM 23
AWARDS
CLAIRE SHORE TROPHY
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE THE ANNUAL CHAMPION CADET COMPETITION PITS THE VERY BEST ACF CADETS AGAINST EACH OTHER. COULD IT BE A CADET FROM YOUR COUNTY LIFTING THE CLAIRE SHORE TROPHY THIS YEAR?
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AWARDS
QUICK TASK
PROBLEM SOLVING AND PFT
RIGHT: Senior cadets on parade at the end of their Master Cadet course LEFT: The Champion Cadet competition tests a range of abilities, including navigation and command skills
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very year the Claire Shore trophy is awarded to the top ACF cadet in the country. Even making it to the competition – a rigorous two-day test of cadets’ physical and mental aptitude – is an achievement, given that it is only open to those who have completed their Master Cadet qualification. “This is the pinnacle of a cadet’s career and the culmination of five or six years of training and commitment,” says SMI Abi Everall, a training instructor at Frimley Park. “But it is also a test for counties. Entering a cadet into the competition is a marker that their adult volunteers are doing a great job of training young people and encouraging senior cadets to stay on.” She wants more counties to rise to the challenge by entering their top cadet for next year’s competition. It is a sentiment echoed by Lt Col Gavin Jones, Commandant CTC Frimley Park. “The 2015 competition was a huge success and all competitors worked extremely hard,” he says. “However, we need more county representation to ensure that it truly is a national competition.” The first step is making sure that cadets are encouraged to complete their Master Cadet
THE 2015 COMPETITION WAS A HUGE SUCCESS Lt Col Gavin Jones
COMPETITION TASKS ARE KEPT SECRET TO ENSURE EVERYONE HAS A FAIR CHANCE, BUT THIS ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY IS A GOOD WARM-UP
qualification. From there, preparing cadets for the competition is a matter of ensuring that their subject knowledge is irreproachable and they are very physically fit. Abi encourages CFAVs to set a good example by ensuring that they maintain high standards in these areas themselves.
Master class “We work on the values and standards of the British Army, so at the competition we are looking for cadets to demonstrate moral courage, leadership, the ability to motivate, self-discipline, the ability to work in a team and the willingness to act unselfishly,” she says. “They do a PFT so that we can test their physical stamina against the same standards they would be expected to reach in the Army.” Other challenges include command tasks, navigation and logical problem solving. The written tests cover the entire syllabus. “They take into consideration that there are different routes that cadets can follow, so it tests them on general knowledge but they are also given the chance to specify exactly what they wish to do, depending on their specialisation.” The competition is set up so that all cadets are judged objectively, explains Abi. “When they arrive they receive a number and they are that number all weekend. We don’t know their name or their county. And each activity has a scoring system – none of it is subjective. This ensures that the competition is absolutely fair.”
FIND OUT MORE To download a testimonial form visit armycadets. com/about-us/champion-cadet
Equipment: Tape measure or string, pencil and paper Time: 5-10 minutes Where: Inside or outside Aim: Test problem solving; familiarise cadets with PFT Instructions: Form into groups. Write the junior entry PFT standard for running (1.5 miles in 14.30 minutes) on a board, then ask cadets to measure your outdoor area (or drill hall) and calculate how fast they would need to run each lap to make the time.
CHAMPION CADET 2015/16 Winning this year’s Claire Shore trophy was a proud moment for Maxwell Rogerson, 18, but it might not have happened had it not been for the support and encouragement of adult volunteers. “If I’m honest, I didn’t actually want to go on the Master Cadet course,” he says. “I wanted to be a Master Cadet but I didn’t think I was good enough. But after some persuading from some adults and my Company OC… I realised that maybe I should.” The competition focuses on navigation and fitness but Maxwell found the written tests most challenging. “It wasn’t just APC tests, there was general knowledge and other things, too,” he says.
S U RV E Y R E S U LT S
NUMBER-OFF! OUR SURVEY ASKING YOU TO TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ARMY CADET VOLUNTEER SERVED UP SOME INTERESTING RESULTS…
10 THINGS…
…THAT PEOPLE TOLD US ABOUT THE NEW-LOOK ACF MAGAZINE
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e’ve had more than 100 overwhelmingly positive comments from readers about the new-look Army Cadet Volunteer magazine, and we’re keeping all of them in mind as we plan future issues. You can read a detailed review of the results on page 11, but here is a taster of the thoughts raised:
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MORE PRACTICAL EXERCISES
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PROVIDE REVIEWS OF CAMPS/ ACCOMMODATION “For example, ‘Camp Y, bring a hanging rail because there are no lockers’.”
“There are lots of times that cadets are sat waiting that could be filled with useful tasks.” Watch out for the new ‘Quick Task’ boxes alongside features.
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THINGS TO GET READY FOR CAMP 26 ACF WINTER 2015/16
LIEUTENANT DEBRA JERDAN, THE BERWICK DETACHMENT COMMANDER, NORTHUMBRIA ACF, WAS A TRAINING OFFICER AND 2IC AT LAST YEAR’S EASTER CAMP. HERE ARE HER FIVE TIPS FOR GETTING READY
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REMEMBER THE SIX PS Proper prior planning prevents poor performance. Make sure that your lessons are written and your resources are in working order – and that you know how to use them.
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HAND OUT A GUIDE BEFORE YOU GO Explain what will happen and how cadets – and their parents – need to prepare. For many young cadets it will be their fi rst extended time away from home.
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S U RVE Y RE S U LT S
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
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MORE MUSIC
@ArmyCadetsUK facebook.com/ Armycadetforce E: marketing@ armycadets.com
“I like to see features on Cadet Force Music.”
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LESS MUSIC
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“There is far too much detail on the bands.”
MORE LOCAL STORIES
Other people said: fewer local stories; more regional stories; more NI stories; more Scotland stories; fewer stories about the Highlands; and more about ACF opportunities in Doncaster.
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DIFFERENT MUSIC
“More articles about piping and drumming, not just bands.”
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HIGH PRAISE
“Keep up the good work… Loving the new look!”
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NOT SO GOOD
“Type of article OK; content is dire.”
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DO NOT RELY ON WESTMINSTER Chances are it will go down right when you need it. Make sure you keep backups of everything, including subject level passes and star passes.
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BUILD IN FREE TIME CFAVs give up a week’s holiday to go on camp, but so do the cadets, so try to incorporate some time that they can spend relaxing with friends.
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GREATER FOCUS ON MILITARY TRAINING
“I currently feel the ACF brand has too much [of a] ‘youth worker’ approach.”
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LESS FOCUS ON MILITARY TRAINING.
“Diving, low ropes, horseriding etc.”
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PACK SWEETS I did quite a bit of pastoral work last year and having a bag of squishy sweets makes it easier to say ‘let’s have a chat’ when cadets are a bit homesick.
ARMYCADETS.COM 27
OFFICERS
STEPPING UP RECENT PROMOTIONS AND AWARDS FOR OFFICERS, TRANSFERABLE SKILLS, AND GOING THE EXTRA MILE
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2014/15 there were 112 first aid award nominations
The course culminates with a weekend at Sandhurst
SKILLS PROGRAMME
DISTANCE LEARNING FOR OFFICER TRAINING
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CF OFFICERS are selected through a rigorous process at Westbury but, until recently, they have not been given any formal training after receiving their commission. Instead, they were “thrown in at the deep end, with the burden for training falling to individuals or counties,” says Captain Katie King of UK Regional Command HQ.
This changed at the end of last year, as any officer commissioned from November 2015 onwards will receive tailored training to ensure that they have the tools needed to fill their roles effectively. “They will also earn a level four qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management,” says Katie. “This is a well-respected qualification that could bring significant benefits to their civilian careers.” The year-long programme will be run online, meaning that officers will be able to fit it in around the
What: Officer training When: 12-month courses starting every year in January, April and September Where: Online Why: To help officers develop their leadership skills Who: Compulsory for all officers commissioned in November 2015 or later
demands of cadets and work. “Officers will usually be asked to do one task per week,” says Katie. “We don’t want to create significant extra workload, so all of the tasks will be based around activities that officers would be doing already. This is simply a chance to learn and develop at the same time whilst feeling supported.” For instance, it will prepare THIS IS A WELL-RESPECTED participants to plan and deliver a detachment QUALIFICATION WHICH COULD event, then BRING SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS encourage them to TO THEIR CIVILIAN CAREERS ref lect on how they could improve it in the future. Captain Katie King
All the resources will be provided online and delivered by a qualified tutor, so officers will not need to purchase workbooks or other equipment, but they will be asked to make a small contribution to the cost of the qualification, says Katie. “Cohorts will also have access to a dedicated forum to discuss the course with others on the programme, making it a collaborative process. The officers on our pilot programme have said that this is really useful, and that they are getting a lot of support this way. We don’t want people to be isolated – we want to generate discussion.”
stepping up
the detail Term 1
Module 1 The Cadet
Forces and your place in them as an officer Module 2 Leadership Content Course intro; self development; values and standards; charter and ethos; characteristics of an officer; roles and responsibilities; understanding leadership; goal setting and decision making; leadership in the Cadet Forces; setting standards
Term 2
Module 3 Information
and communications Module 4 Practical application of leadership Content IT; research skills and organisation of information; effective communication; recruiting and marketing; planning; problem solving; managing people and situations; mentoring; risk and responsibility
Term 3
Module 5 Additional
responsibilities Module 6 Complete portfolio tasks (throughout) Content Duties; the Officer’s Mess; funds; run an event external to the detachment; run an outdoor training event; attend (and ideally participate in) a ceremonial event; participate in a training event above detachment level; give a briefing about the wider Army
This is based on the draft programme; some details may change depending on feedback from the pilot
Time to celebrate The course culminates with a weekend at Sandhurst where officers will really be able to put their skills to the test. “We are not trying to make ACF adults into Army officers equipped for war fighting, but we want to allow them to apply what they have learnt,” says Katie. “It is also a celebration – there will be prizes awarded, you can meet the other people on your
course and you can bring along a guest to celebrate with you.” Katie encourages all officers and potential officers to go into the course with an open mind. “We believe that even the most experienced AI will find this course useful. Go in with an open mind and you will see that there is a lot to learn that will be useful both in the ACF and in civilian life.”
ac f o f f i c e r s
The following have been selected for a commission by CFCB PRV RNK SURNAME INITIAL
COUNTY/BATTALION/SECTOR
SI Montgomery SA 1st (NI) BN ACF SSI Smith GF 1st BN THE HIGHLANDERS ACF SSI MacFarquhar LMW 1st BN THE HIGHLANDERS ACF SMI Deans CS ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS BN ACF RSMI Adams TG BEDFORDSHIRE AND HERTFORDSHIRE ACF AUO Howieson R BLACK WATCH BN ACF (ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND) SI Lambert DP BLACK WATCH BN ACF (ROYAL REGIMENT OF SCOTLAND) SMI Frith OPR CITY OF LONDON & NE SECTOR ACF SMI Jeffries KLM CLEVELAND ACF SSI Pengelly JJ CORNWALL ACF AUO Leaman MJ DEVON ACF AUO Teague R DEVON ACF AUO Tyldesley E DEVON ACF AUO Richardson GM DURHAM ACF SSI Miller J DURHAM ACF SI Hugill N DURHAM ACF SSI Metcalf EL DURHAM ACF AUO Evans DJ DYFED AND GLAMORGAN ACF AUO Hastings DW DYFED AND GLAMORGAN ACF AUO Reading NJ ESSEX ACF AUO Mapletoft GB GWENT AND POWYS ACF SSI Brown SW HAMPSHIRE AND IOW ACF AUO West S HAMPSHIRE AND IOW ACF SSI Ford-Hunt RJ HAMPSHIRE AND IOW ACF SMI Edwards J HEREFORD AND WORCESTER ACF AUO Keyte C F HEREFORD AND WORCESTER ACF SI Waldron MC HUMBERSIDE AND SOUTH YORKSHIRE ACF SI Lundie MJ HUMBERSIDE AND SOUTH YORKSHIRE ACF AUO Andrews AS KENT ACF AUO Platt D KENT ACF AUO Macfarlane TA KENT ACF AUO Tweed GS LEICESTER, NORTHANTS AND RUTLAND ACF SI Parr M LEICESTER, NORTHANTS AND RUTLAND ACF AUO Thomas GJ LINCOLNSHIRE ACF AUO Amara-Carnell M LINCOLNSHIRE ACF AUO O’Dell AMV LINCOLNSHIRE ACF AUO Jones CM MERSEYSIDE ACF AUO Beber DCC MIDDLESEX AND NW LONDON ACF AUO Saunders GAR NOTTINGHAM ACF SI McCluskie SA NOTTINGHAM ACF SMI Pullen AE OXFORDSHIRE ACF SMI Johnson M T OXFORDSHIRE ACF SSI Trunks Z SOMERSET CADET BN ACF SI Easterbrook M STAFFORDSHIRE AND WEST MIDLAND ACF SI Buchhierl E SUSSEX ACF AUO Egginton E SUSSEX ACF SSI Brady LP WARWICKSHIRE AND WEST MIDLAND (SOUTH SECTOR) ACF
ARMYCADETS.COM 29
POLICY The ACF will soon be publishing its own Leadership Code
ACF UPDATE DR RICHARD CRAWFORD, SO1 CADETS POLICY AND PLANS AT REGIONAL COMMAND, GIVES AN UPDATE ON ISSUES AFFECTING YOU AND YOUR DETACHMENT
VALUES AND STANDARDS
Leading the way
W
NEWS
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30 ACF WINTER 2015/16
hen we think about leadership we typically think of the people at the top, but in the Army Cadet Force everyone has a part to play: keeping an organisation of more than 41,000 cadets and 9,000 adult volunteers motivated and enthused requires leadership at all levels. Late in 2015, the Army published the Army Leadership Code, which reinforces the values and standards of the Army and the behaviours it expects of its leaders at all levels, from soldiers up to senior generals. These values, standards and behaviours are also shared by the ACF. Shortly we will be publishing our own Army Cadets Leadership Code, drawing on examples of cadet activities to illustrate how we are all leaders. We are introducing the Initial Officer Training Course for all our newly-commissioned ACF officers to better prepare them for life-long leadership both in the cadet force and in their wider life (see p28). But leadership is not just about our adults; it is equally important for our cadets, as well as being an essential skill as they go through their lives. This year we are increasing the number of cadet leadership courses being run, with
more places being made available in locations across the UK, so more cadets will be able to benefit from the training delivered by our cadet training teams.
NEW BENCHMARK One of the behaviours of leadership is recognising and rewarding achievement. This year we have introduced a new PI rank slide to do just that. Why, you might ask? With the single red band rank slide for all PIs it makes it hard to tell who has built up some experience from those who are completely new to the ACF. From a trial conducted last year in North Wales, many undergoing their induction training welcomed the recognition that they had completed parts of their training. The introduction of the additional yellow PI rank slide for all those who have completed their Intermediate Induction
UPDAT E Teaching cadets leadership skills is an important part of the ACF’s role
Course provides this recognition of achievement and will, we hope, further motivate them to complete their training.
ACF REGULATIONS We also start the new year with the new ACF regulations. While this may not seem an exciting subject Effective leaders recognise achievements
to many of you, it represents a step-change in how we will run the organisation in the future. The old ACF manual had seen little change in the past ten years while many other changes went on around it. As mentioned in the last issue of the magazine, the new ACF regulations will be kept as up
to date as possible, and be fully referenced and linked online to allow the most current information to be accessed, all via the Defence Gateway Cadet Forces Portal.
EXTRA RESOURCES We are now starting the next stage to rationalise the format and number of forms used in the ACF, making as many of these accessible online as possible. And we will continue to improve the Resource Centre this year to make it even easier to fi nd and access references and information. Combined with the new IT being rolled out to detachments, these changes all aim to make being an adult volunteer in the ACF easier.
The additional yellow PI rank
LEADERSHIP IS NOT JUST ABOUT OUR ADULTS; IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR CADETS, AS WELL AS BEING AN ESSENTIAL LIFE SKILL
ARMYCADETS.COM 31
G A L L E RY
IN THE FIELD
KEEP IN TOUCH BY SENDING US YOUR PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD. WHETHER SELFIES OR ACTION SHOTS, DRILL OR FUNDRAISING, SEND THEM TO EDITOR@ARMYCADETS.COM
IN THE PHOTOS: 1: Kent ACF cadets and CFAVs visit 84 helicopter sqn, Akrotiri air base, during their trip to Cyprus
THE GALLERY
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2: PIs from Greater Manchester ACF brave the weather during the last training weekend of 2015 at Halcombe Moor Cadet Training Centre 3: Forres detachment cadets, 1st Bn The Highlanders ACF, help to give their local war memorial garden a much-needed facelift 4: Cadet Quarter Master Rob Holland, Lincolnshire ACF, trekked 50 miles along the Great Wall of China to help raise £288,000 for cancer charities 5: Cadets from Vickery Platoon, Dorset ACF, successfully complete their First Jump Course at Netheravon, Wiltshire 6: SMI Alex Mountain from Dyfed and Glamorgan ACF is crowned the First Aid category winner at the prestigious British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Awards at the House of Commons 7: Cadets from A Coy, Hampshire and Isle of Wight ACF, at Hawley Lake in Surrey during a visit to 3 RSME Regt 8: Cadets and CFAVs from Middlesex and NW London ACF get ready to march in the Lord Mayor’s Parade as part of London’s annual Lord Mayor’s Show 9: Cadets from the ACF are joined by CCF cadets at the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award presentation at St James’s Palace 3
32 ACF WINTER 2015/16
We want to see your pictures of ACF life. Send pictures of your detachment’s activities to us by the end of March 2016
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Photo credit: Sgt Mike Bowler
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SHARE YOUR PHOTOS 8
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Whether you’re at camp, doing command tasks, or any other fun or adventurous activity, send your images to editor@armycadet.com
ARMYCADETS.COM 33
2Lt Lee Richards enjoys teaching fieldcraft and navigation
D AY I N T H E L I F E
I’m helping kids reach their goals Black-cab driver 2Lt Lee Richards on celebrity passengers, his favourite caff and why he often chats to customers about the ACF 07:00 When I get up I have a quick coffee then go for a short run through the park. Then it’s home, shower, breakfast and off to work.
10:00 Getting to work is simple: I just leave my house and turn my light on. Sometimes my first customer will get in straight away but other times I could be waiting half an hour.
Noon If it’s a busy day there will be customers in and out quite regularly. I’ve picked up a few celebrities over 26 years doing this job, including George Best, Dustin Hoffman, Liz Hurley and probably half the cast of EastEnders at one time or another. You get talking to them and realise they’re just normal people. 14.00 I often get to talking to people about the ACF and when I do I work my way around to seeing if they are interested in becoming instructors. At least half the people I talk to think that you have to be ex-military to be an instructor but when I explain that you just need to be interested in adventure, and in helping kids reach their goals, they are really positive about it. Often they say that they couldn’t give up the time themselves but they are very supportive of me and other adult volunteers who do it.
Lunch I eat lunch any time between 11.30 and 15.30, depending on where I am and how busy it is. There’s a caff on Gray’s Inn Road that I go to when I can. I’ll have grilled chicken, chips and salad or a couple of rolls and a cuppa depending on how the day is panning out and whether I have cadets in the evening – on ACF nights I need a big lunch because I won’t get
34 ACF WINTER 2015/16
to eat again until much later.
15.30-16.00 I finish a bit early on cadet nights so that I can switch off my light and miss rush hour as I drive to the detachment. Once there I change into my uniform and do all my admin and paperwork before the cadets arrive.
18.45 Cadets start to arrive about now before our formal parade and flag-raising ceremony at 19.30, which is followed by two or three lessons. I particularly like navigation, fieldcraft and the DofE side of things. 21.30 I pack up and lock up as soon as the cadets have left, then hop in my cab and head home – making sure that my light is off! I have been caught out a couple of times where a customer jumps in and I have to go miles in the other direction. I do give other members of staff a lift home if I can though, especially in winter.
22.15 Home, a bite to eat and maybe a beer while I catch up with my family. Then it’s off to bed to watch a bit of telly – my favourite at the moment is Alaskan Bush People but I like most factual programmes – before I fall asleep.
MEET LEE Lee Richards, 55 Rank: 2nd Lieutenant Joined: 2012 Detachment: 31 Detachment, 3 Company, City of London and North East Sector ACF Day job: London black-cab driver Why I became a volunteer: I’ve been involved in youth sport since 1978. In 2012, after one of the athletes I coached made it to the Paralympics, I decided I wanted a change. I’d always liked outdoor life and adventurous training, so I applied for the ACF – and I’ve loved it ever since.
Share your story
Write and tell us how you manage a day job and volunteering for the cadets. Email editor@ armycadets.com Lee at the wheel of his black cab
ARMY CADET VOLUNTEER
NEXT ISSUE COMING UP IN THE SPRING ISSUE
Adult volunteers From complete beginners to ex-military: how to get the best from everyone Post 2 Star Hints and tips on keeping older cadets engaged Open Week 2016 Even more ideas for successful events