C.C.F

A new syllabus of C.C.F. training has been published by the Joint Cadet Executive, and considerable changes will be necessary. The revised programme can be summarized as follows : 1. Basic training is as before, up to The Basic Test (formerly the

Certificate "A", Part I). 2. Service Section training will be modified, and aimed at the Naval,

Army or Air Force Proficiency Test. The Naval Test will be very similar to the present R.N. proficiency examination; the

Army Test will be a modified form of the Certificate "A", Part

II examination; the Air Force Test shows the biggest change, being similar to the Army Test plus at least one R.A.F. subject. 3. The third stage provides optional advanced training in each

Service section, and, for selected cadets, the possibility of an Inter-

Services Cadet Badge, for which one qualification will be to have passed a week's leadership course run by the Services. It is intended that this badge shall be a high qualification for a regular or reserve forces commission, and that it should acquire a status in civil life comparable to that of a National Service commission.

The completion of the new but greatly eases the storage problem and makes it passible for all kit to be kept away from Houses. On the training side, the Signals and R.A.F. Sections have gained much improved accommodation, and an Information Room has been opened, so that all cadets can have access to training sources and to information about the regular and reserve forces.

Capt. J. N. Gaastra has joined the Contingent this term. He served from 1939 to 1946 in the Royal Artillery and the Royal Armoured Corps.

Main Events of the Summer Term

27TH MAY.

March-past. Salute taken by the Chief Constable of York.

24TH JUNE.

General Inspection by Air Vice-Marshal H. V. Satterly, C.B., C.B.E., D.F.C., Air Officer Commanding No. 64 (N) Group, R.A.F.

The Inspecting Officer arrived by helicopter on the cricket field, where the inspection was carried out; a march-past and inspection of training completed the programme in the morning.

In the afternoon an exercise was held on the golf course area, and this included a river crossing in assault boats and by jackstay. At the same time the Basic Section did some shooting at Strensall, and the Recruits had a map reading exercise on Strensall Common 49

15TH JULY.

Drill competitions for the Fernie and Recruit Cups. The Fernie Cup was won by the Rise, the Recruit Cup by Queen's.

24TH JULY.

The Pageant, "The Citizen Soldier Through the Ages", was presented under artificial light at 10-0 p.m. in front of the Library. There is a separate report on this.

The Dronfield Trophy

The year's Inter-House Competition for this trophy was won by the Rise.

CAMP

Castlemartin, near Pembroke, where the Company attended camp, could be a most bleak spot in the wrong weather. We were therefore very lucky to have good weather, and this made it an excellent camp.

After some early troubles over the serving of meals, the organisation improved greatly, and there were few serious grumbles.

Capt. Craven and Lieut Mair devised some splendid training schemes, including two at night, of just the right kind to give an N.C.O. the chance to show ability and leadership. The value of this will, we hope, show itself in the coming year, when many will be given positions of high responsibility in the Contingent because of their work at camp.

The demonstrations were not all good, particularly when the commentary was apparently ill-prepared, but the fire-power demonstration was very well arranged and most impressive.

Use was made of an open range near the camp for most cadets to get some experience in firing the service rifle and the Bren gun.

It was a long way to go, but the good training, amenities and accommodation (which included beds), made the journey worthwhile.

R.N. SECTION

This term the R.N. Section was without its whaler. During the floods in February, the boat had been capsized, and subsequently its stern was crushed by the derelict M.T.B. which collapsed on top of it. This was a sad blow for those who had taken so much trouble over the boat for so many years. However, there was great determination to get the boat out of the river before the General Inspection, and this was achieved by a considerable amount of hard work by J. S. Ibberson, assisted by many volunteers from the R.N. Section, and generally aided and abetted by the boatman at the Scope. The damage to the stern was found to be serious, but not beyond repair. The Admiralty has, however, decided to provide the Section with a second whaler, and the first one will be transferred to the School grounds for dry land training. 50

Apart from the above excitement, the programme of the term has been mainly devoted to the Inspection and to signals training. Leading Seaman Jenkinson, as Yeoman of Signals, has supervised all ceremonial at the Flag Mast, and performed many other useful services to the Section. The Stores have been under the control of Leading Seaman Humpherson, who has done some splendid work in this department. A.B. Slater has been a most reliable R.N. Writer and he will be difficult to replace. All the electrical equipment has been kept in good repair by A.B. Field. Finally, P.O. Clark has kept a watchful eye on the standard of marching and drill, which has been quite good, and has set a good example of smartness himself.

R.N. CAMPS

This year it was not possible for the R.N. Section to proceed to camp as a unit at the end of term, and it was accordingly split into three small groups, the first visiting Britannia R.N. College, Dartmouth, the second H.M.S. Vernon, Portsmouth, and the third joining H.M.S. Northumbria for a cruise to Norway. The accounts of these are given separately below.

Britannia R.N. College, Dartmouth

Six members of the R.N. Section, with Lieut. Jeffs in charge, attended this camp along with some 95 boys from other schools. Each cadet either shared a cabin, or had one to himself.

The daily routine started with a dip in the baths at 0700, followed by breakfast. At 0840 everyone mustered for divisions, which were followed by four classes, when instruction on drill, gunnery, navigation, signalling, and torpedo and anti-submarine work, was given by the regular C.P.O.s at the College. After lunch the cadets mustered at 1400 hrs. for riverwork, which included the handling of sailing dinghies, cutters, whalers, motor cutters and picket boats. Here, however, a lack of experienced instructors made itself felt.

After afternoon tea, at 1545 hrs., leave was obtainable for all but the duty watch. Those in the duty watch then did fire drill and clearing for rounds, as well as providing a colour party for the lowering of the ensign at sunset. Supper was at 1900 and everyone was supposed to be in bed by 2230.

Excellent sporting facilities were provided and organised games, such as water polo, were arranged, and on the final day everyone took part in a large scale relay race. On the 7th there was a trip to Devonport for a conducted tour round H.M.S. Ark Royal, which unfortunately was undergoing a major refit at the time.

Other activities, such as a Banyan picnic up the Dart and a trip out to sea in the motor cutters, were arranged but had to be abandoned owing to adverse weather conditions. 51

On the Sunday the whole parade for divisions was inspected by the Captain of the College, after which a service was held in the College Chapel.

Everyone on the course learned a lot and enjoyed it immensely. C.W.G.

H.M.S. Vernon

This year, there being three choices for camp, part of the Section went to a shore establishment in Portsmouth, H.M.S. Vernon, which is situated near the entrance to the harbour. The party collected at Waterloo on the 17th August but set off minus one member, who was delayed by a late train. We arrived at Vernon in the early evening and were then issued with bedding and other kit.

There was a good selection of activities, including visits to ships, lectures, films, demonstrations and sailing. The first morning, however, was spent in helping to uncoil a magnetic loop from a minesweeper for repair work. The work was stopped rather abruptly owing to a mishap with the motor drum. In the afternoon we were shown diving equiment and this was followed by a demonstration in a nearby diving tank The other lectures consisted of a film and a talk, after which the instructors showed us the various pieces of equipment connected with the subject. The first lecture was on mines, sweeping and laying, and the other on torpedoes and anti-submarine apparatus, including an asdic trainer, which was made to produce all conditions met with in practice. We were later allowed to work it.,

Visits were made to a submarine at H.M.S. Dolphin, the submarine establishment opposite Vernon, an anti-submarine frigate H.M.S. Zest, H.M.S. Victory, which is in dry dock in Portsmouth Dockyard, and H.M.S. Victorious, which has just been fitted out with a fully-angled deck.

There were some opportunities for sailing during the day and more was possible in the evening when on duty watch. There was also a choice in the evening to go shooting or swimming. Leave was granted every alternate night when not on duty and also the whole of Saturday afternoon.

On the 24th August the loaned bedding and kit was returned and the party left for London soon after breakfast. The camp proved to be most interesting and enjoyable.

J.G.S.

H.M.S. Northumbria

Every year since 1949 a party of C.C.F. cadets has taken the Tyne Division R.N.V.R minesweeper on a continental cruise for their annual training. This year, for the first time, St. Peter's was invited to send a contingent to join the Norwegian cruise.

We joined the ship on Saturday, 23rd August, and sailed that evening. The ship's complement consisted of 7 officers, 15 R.N.V.R. 52

petty officers and specialists and 29 cadets. The C.O. was Lt.-Cdr. De Winton, of Durham School. On a rough crossing, P.O. Clark distinguished himself by being one of the few people well enough to be on duty the whole time. Late on Saturday night and in the small hours of Sunday morning we had an exciting time passing through a large fishing fleet, and in spite of violent turns, overran at least one net.

On Monday afternoon, we arrived at Molde, a small town (population 7,000), set in one of Norway's most beautiful fjords. It was blitzed in 1940 but has since been completely rebuilt, and the gaily painted wooden houses rising up a steep hillside were a beautiful sight. We stayed there until the Friday of that week and were made very welcome by the inhabitants, most of whom spoke English very well. Entertainments arranged for us included a dance, a conducted fjord cruise, a folk dancing demonstration and a football match. This we lost 11-1. Leading Seaman Wheeler played back, and P.O. Clark was, for a time, a very spectacular, though unsuccessful, goalkeeper.

After bidding a sorrowful farewell to Mold; we spent three days cruising through the fjords with nightly stops at MaJoy on Vragso Island, scene of many Commando raids during the war, Hjcellestad, near Bergen, which we were able to visit for a few hours, and Rosendal, a tiny hamlet in the marvellous Hardanger Fjord. Those visiting Bergen were most impressed, for, although the town is little bigger than York, the broad streets and large shops remind one more of Newcastle. Russian ships were also visiting Bergen at the time and we learnt that their sailors were only allowed 5/- for 4 days shore leave, and had to return to the ship by 9 p.m. When leaving Hjcellestad, the anchor came up without flukes, an incident the Captain had never experienced before, but owing to the depth of water (34 fathoms) we could not investigate.

On the way to Haugesund the following Monday some of the crew tried their hand at water skiing behind the minesweeper. On arrival at Haugesund, Norway's fourth town (population 28,000), we again were made most welcome. Our first engagement—a visit to the local school—was received with mixed feelings, but on learning that it was co-educational we brightened up and several members of the crew stayed there for two extra periods, nearly missing lunch. Other engagements included a supper-dance at the local youth hostel, a tour round the town and district, including a visit to the British War Graves, where the C.O. laid a wreath, and another football match, which we won 7-6.

We left Norway on the Friday night, and had the calmest North Sea crossing possible (sighs of relief), arriving and anchoring off the Tyne at 0330 on Sunday, '7th September. We sailed up the Tyne that morning, and disembarked at midday after a brief Customs examination.

Whilst in Norway we were allowed leave in the evening on every possible occasion, and thus had a marvellous opportunity to learn about the Norwegian way of life. If the opportunity to go on such a cruise comes again I strongly advise all eligible to put down for it. Our thanks go to Lt.-Cdr. De Winton, the other officers, and all the Norwegian authorities for making the cruise so enjoyable.

P. J.B.

R.A.F. SECTION

The new training syllabus will affect this Section more than the others, as the emphasis will now be on subjects similar to those in the Army syllabus.

Cpl. A. 0. Sutcliffe completed Flying Scholarship training at Cambridge, and Flight-Sergeant Thorp and Leading Cadet R. A. Hodgson gained gliding certificates.

R.A.F. Camp, Cranwell

Once again the R.A.F. camp was held at Cranwell and was greatly appreciated by all cadets.

Flying took place in Provost trainers and the average instructional time worked out at 1 hour 40 minutes, there being, fortunately, little interference from the weather.

The training programme included the usual dinghy drill, shooting, and lectures on a variety of technical subjects. The demonstrations used to illustrate the aerodynamics and thermodynamics lectures aroused considerable interest and of these the supersonic wind tunnel was the most impressive.

A novel feature in outdoor activities was a combined map reading and survival exercise. Cadets were shown (among other things) how to utilise the materials of a parachute to construct equipment calculated to aid survival in isolated areas.

Opportunities existed for mixing with other school contingents, particularly at the highly organised athletics meeting held on Sunday afternoon in the college stadium.

Royal Air Force Star Camp

The purpose and aim of a Star Camp is to show how a regular officer in the R.A.F. lives and works, and the emphasis is on flying. This year the camp was held at R.A.F. Tern Hill, a charming little station a few miles from Market Drayton in Salop. The camp started on Wednesday, the 6th of August. There were 24 cadets on the camp from schools as far apart as Dollar Academy and Plymouth.

For clarity the report is a day-to-day one, elaborated where necessary.

WEDNESDAY, 6TH.

Arrival and briefing by the camp C.O., hints on Mess etiquette. Each of us had a private room to ourselves, though the ablutions were communal. We soon discovered that there was a games room with several snooker tables and a table tennis table, and these proved invaluable on the wet evenings. "Lights Out" was supposed to be at 11 o'clock, though this was not strictly adhered to. THURSDAY, 7TH. "Reveille" at the unearthly hour of 0630, then the fitting of flying clothing at 0800 hrs. It was emphasised how important it is to have an oxygen mask and "Bone Dome" that fit when flying in jets.

After we had had our flying clothing fitted, we all had a lecture by the station medical officer. He told us of the perils of annoxia and the effect of "G" or the increase in weight of the body during acrobatic manoeuvres. During this lecture A. V. M. Macfadeyen paid us a visit and asked us the usual questions.

In the afternoon I did a conversion flight on to a Chipmunk : this means stooging around in it doing circuits and bumps and generally getting the feel of it. I found it a very nice and docile aircraft to fly, but it lacks the power of the Provost. FRIDAY, 81u.

We started our first lecture at 0800 hrs. prompt : this was a "Dry Swim" or an Air Plot. The lecture was long drawn out, and about the lecturer the less said the better.

Before lunch I visited the Control Tower : this visit was as instructive as it was informal. Not only is the Flying Control situated there, but the Met. Office as well.

I was supposed to be flying in the afternoon, but over lunch a thick "Pea Soup" descended on the aerodrome and visibility was reduced to a few yards. Instead of flying I watched two films at the instruction cinema, one of which was the usual R.A.F. propaganda of how the immortal "Little Willie" became a navigator during the war.

The evening was also spent watching two more films even more boring than the afternoon's. SATURDAY, 9TH.

At 0800 hrs. we all attended the morning Met. briefing which ran something like this . . . . Past weather rain ... Present weather continuous rain with eight eighths cloud at 200 ft. . . . visibility 400 yards. The morning was therefore spent "flying" in a Link Trainer or listening to "Music while you work" on a dinghy radio in the survival section.

The afternoon was devoted to a "Leadership" course, which consisted of eight cadets defending an aerodrome against an attacking force sixteen strong. Though I sat at a strategic point in a 55

hedge bottom guarding a bridge all afternoon, the only hostile beings that passed were several yokels who gave me rather indignant glances, but soon passed on their wondering way.

The evening was free and we retired to the Bar (strictly no alcohol), the games or television room.

SUNDAY, 10TH.

After one of the quickest church services that I have ever attended we went to the swimming baths at Shrewsbury only to find them closed, so we returned to Market Drayton and swam in the baths there.

MONDAY, 11TH.

In the morning I flew in a Vampire T11 from R.A.F. Shawbury. The flight was very pleasant, though I prefer to have an engine where I can see it and the open cockpit of the Tiger Moth. After I had landed, I flew a Chipmunk back to Tern Hill : I had flown with the pilot before, so I did all the flying and, much to my surprise, we arrived at our destination with no mishaps.

The first half of the afternoon was devoted to a lecture on "Operation Becher's Brook", which was the ferrying of some 420 N.A. Sabres from America to this country. The lecture was given by one of the pilots who actually participated in this operation.

The latter half of the afternoon was taken up with more Chipmunk flying, circuits and bumps for about half an hour.

TUESDAY, 12TH.

The morning was taken up altogether with flying. The first flight lasted well over an hour and was with the station C.O., Group Captain Beare. It was in a Provost aircraft, on which I have eight hours experience, so I flew it most of the time. He directed me towards the low flying area and took me down to 50 ft. and said that I was to fly around at that height. It is the only time during all the flying I have done that I have been on the scared side : that was when the Group Captain was flying it, but when I took over, it was a terrific feeling seeing trees approach at nearly 150 m.p.h. After the low flying I did a radio controlled descent through the cloud and then carried out a beam approach to land at Tern Hill. A few minutes after landing I took off again for another flight in a Chipmunk.

The afternoon was spent visiting the De Havilland aircraft factory at Chester where we saw the latest Comet, the Comet 4, being built.

In the evening there was a dining-in night, at which everyone wears full uniform with a white shirt and a bow tie. Unfortunately, as this report will have to pass the Editor's censorship, I can only 56