CCF & Expeditions

SCHOOL

CCF & EXPEDITIONS

CCF ARMY SECTION MILITARY SKILLS COMPETITION

The weeks leading up to the 11 Brigade Military Skills Competition were busy, not only with multiple additional training sessions each week, but also two weekends in which we seized every available opportunity to further refine our practical fieldcraft skills – mainly in the form of lots of blank firing and scenario rehearsals. Exercise Crouching Tiger left the team feeling far more confident in our ability to respond effectively to enemy fire, and the following activities weekend provided the chance for a final practice, as well as giving everyone the chance to pass what we’d learnt onto the younger cadets, experiencing it for their first time.

Everyone was in surprisingly high spirits at 0530hrs on the day of the competition, following a night spent in one of Longmoor Urban Training Centre’s hollowed-out houses and, after a nutritious breakfast of the issued rations, we were ready to patrol over to the first stand. A pairs patrol exercise was first up, testing not only our observational skills, looking out for any leftover enemy equipment, but also our responses to close contact by the enemy. This allowed us to put rehearsed drills into practice, focusing on communication within each pair, as well as maintaining effective positioning to ensure our own safety and the swift neutralisation of enemy targets. it comes to shooting, and the team performed reliably at the air rifle stand, seeing not just good scores across the board but some excellent grouping too, particularly from some of the shooting team’s newest members. In the meantime, we were also able to explore some of the British Army’s armoured vehicles, most impressively including a Challenger 2 main battle tank.

The final stand was the moment of truth, having left the section attack until last, we prepared ourselves and summoned the last of our energy in anticipation of an aggressive manoeuvre to allow us to respond to contact, and push through an enemy position. Despite the training staff’s best efforts to throw us off with a surprisingly early contact, some admirable decisiveness from the designated IC, Henry Anderson (L), led us to an effective response, and a brilliant finish to an immensely tiring but rewarding day.

Efforts appear to have paid off with the Charterhouse CCF Contingent coming third out of 27 CCF and ACF detachments from across the South-East and being awarded Bronze Medals. A presentation ceremony by the OC and RSM of the Brigade is due to be held after the Easter holidays. An enormous thank you is due from all of us to Major Eastham, CSgt Wilson and all the other CCF staff involved in our training and preparation for the competition.

Following this we were presented with the next task – to decode multiple coded messages and perform a radio check with the other fire team using a disassembled PRC 710 radio system. We divided the cadets accordingly to complete the decoding as fast as possible – and finished with an impressive time to boot. Next up was Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC), placing us in a scenario where the ‘United States Symbolic Revolution’ had targeted a supply train, leaving casualties needing urgent treatment and evacuation under threat of a potential second strike. Everyone worked together, either providing security for the area or directly using medical aid training to prepare the casualties for moving, before collectively moving out, taking the survivors (our own Sgt Godden amongst them), to relative safety.

A navigation stand put our map skills to the test, splitting up the group to complete a variety of tasks, and a command task stand presented us with various scenarios needing both effective teamwork and leadership skills to complete effectively within a time limit. Charterhouse has a strong reputation to protect when

George Lake-Coghlan (S)

CCF ROYAL NAVY ACTIVITIES WEEKEND

RN and RAF cadets combined on Saturday 5th March for training at Runways End Activity Centre in Aldershot. After splitting into two sections, the cadets rotated through kayaking, high ropes, archery (or caving) and team building exercises. The day was overcast and a cold wind meant that those who got wet early on from mis-timed paddle strokes during kayaking struggled to warm up for the rest of the day. However, thankfully none of them went in. Archery saw SLt. Ninham top the leader board with RN cadet Freddie Armstrong (R) a very close second. Team building saw some of the strangest cane structures ever constructed, with Team RAF winning that particular challenge after RN’s structure toppled over. Despite the cold wind, all cadets and officers had an excellent day. Sunday 6th March saw the RN cadets deploy to HMS Collingwood for Leadership Training on the low ropes equipment. The sun was out, and it was much warmer as the cadets got to grips with communication and problem-solving exercises. Cadets took turns to lead on each activity as they devised the best way to complete each task. Being outside and communicating with each other meant some great interactions were had and multiple skills were developed. Overall, an excellent introduction to leadership thanks to the Royal Navy.

Lt. Chris Barraclough

CCF ARMY AND ROYAL MARINES ACTIVITIES WEEKEND LQ 2022 –

EXERCISE TIGER FURY

On the morning of Saturday 5th March, 60 Remove and Specialist cadets from the Army Section and Royal Marine Detachment departed for Bramley Training Area near Basingstoke to conduct their Activities Weekend. The cadets were divided into three sections, each led by a small team of NCOs. Over the course of the weekend, they would do a round robin of activities, including a Section Attack, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) challenge and a clay pigeon shoot. For many, this was their first time on exercise, as well as shooting the L98A2 cadet rifle and 12g shotgun. Saturday would involve two of these activities, with the last one conducted on Sunday morning. After a bus journey, the cadets arrived at the training area. It was an overcast, cold and windy day, but that did not deter them, and they immediately started their first activity. After a quick stop for lunch, the cadets moved on to their second activity of the day. By the end of the day, they were all quite tired, and glad to be heading back to School for a warm shower and proper bed, ready for the next day. Sunday brought the sun with it, a nice conclusion to the weekend.

For the section attack, after an initial revision of the drills taught over the Quarter in School with the Colour Sergeant, the cadets were broken down into sections of ten, each led by a specialist I/C and 2I/C. This was a fantastic opportunity for the older cadets to gain some leadership experience and practice their command and control. After reacting to initial enemy contact and clearing the position, each section was presented with an unexpected second position. However, the section commanders quickly adapted to take the new position. With plenty of blank ammunition available, this was a great introduction for many of the cadets to what is considered one of the most physically and mentally challenging aspects of the CCF syllabus. STEM was another new aspect of the CCF for many cadets. The section was split into four smaller groups, each with a STEM kit from which they could build a multitude of different things. There then followed a series of challenges, some led by NCOs, others by a junior cadet and one which was completely leaderless! They involved building the tallest functioning pulley to lift a tennis ball off the ground, a wheelbarrow, the tallest free-standing structure and one group even got around to building a bridge!

The clay pigeon shoot accommodated all levels of experience, with two different traps, one to introduce the cadets to the basics of shotgun shooting, and then giving them the ability to shoot some more difficult targets. The instructors were very professional and could pick out even the smallest details to help immeasurably with your shooting, and clay was soon turning to dust with impunity!

Thank you to Major Eastham and the Contingent Army section staff, who provided excellent instruction, and without whom none of this could have been possible.

Henry Anderson (L)

REMOVES TATE BRITAIN ART TRIP

Removes from three art classes had an uplifting day at the Tate Britain exploring artworks ‘in the flesh’, a welcome change from online research in the hashroom. The physical act of looking at the real thing provoked some strong feelings and reactions. ‘Slow looking’ and contemplation of the Seagram room by Rothko alongside Turner’s sublime paintings was a moving experience for some and sharpened perception. Likewise, to experience the abstract 3D qualities of Henry Moore’s work alongside OC Sir Antony Caro’s sculptures allowed for comparisons and contextual analysis. In the hashroom, pupils have used the experience as a springboard to develop more personal projects.

Mr Peter Monkman

SPECIALISTS’ FIELD TRIP TO JUNIPER HALL

For our Geography field trip we went to Juniper Hall in Dorking to investigate environmental degradation in the area, in preparation for our Geography Pre-U examination.

On the first day we focused on air pollution and land degradation. We started by studying background information about Box Hill, the area that we were investigating. We also learnt some more general information on the topic of environmental degradation, such as potential sources and impacts, so that we knew what to look out for. Once we had done this, we spent most of the day walking around Box Hill, using different techniques to get measurements for things like soil depth, species richness and vegetation cover. In the evening, we took all the data we had collected and learnt how to put it into a GIS map, which we then used to analyse our data and discover more about the quantity of particulates and nitrogen oxides around the Box Hill area.

On the second day, we focused on water pollution. We were given background information about the River Tillingbourne and the causes and consequences of eutrophication and we then set off with our waterproof trousers and wellies to carry out investigations using the new techniques we had learnt. We went to two different sites, upstream and downstream, in order to carry out investigations into the effect of water pollution on the biodiversity, pH and oxygen levels. Everyone enjoyed the process of collecting and identifying the different invertebrates that live in the river. In the afternoon we analysed the data that we had collected and learnt about different ways of presenting data. Finally, we had a lesson on Geography Pre-U Paper Four with Mr Price, looking at the structure of the paper and how to use our knowledge to answer the questions.

Overall, the trip was really valuable, as we are now much better informed on environmental degradation, its impacts and how it can be investigated, which will help us for our final Pre-U exam.

Harriet McCreanor (Su) and Akaesha Negi-Tandon (Su)