Combined Cadet Force

This year has been remarkable for the number of individuals who have taken opportunities to show initiative in helping to keep the contingent going.

It is always difficult to pick out names without seeming to neglect the contribution of others who are not named; nevertheless, there are some who should be clearly acknowledged.

Contingent Warrant Officer Abbott took over the Senior N.C.O. responsibility, and was quick to adapt himself to the task of organising parades, and wise enough to ask for instruction when he was not sure what was required.

Sergeant Hewitt has been a very valuable contributor not only in the skill of shooting but has given up much of his time, with others, in the armoury and as an instructor.

The Royal Air Force Section has thrived greatly in the year, not least because of the enthusiasm and efficiency of Flight Sergeant Swiers, who added authority to his instruction by taking advantage of what the C.C.F. has to offer to the R.A.F. Section, by obtaining a gliding qualification. ii

The Royal Navy Section fell rather low in numbers, but the dedicated efforts of a few not only kept it going but produced an infectious enthusiasm. Coxswain Lodge gave a splendid example of personal determination in a wide range of activities. However, much of the credit for the success of the Section during the year must go to Coxswain R. D. Nield, who took over responsibility as Section Coxswain quite unexpectedly in January, and stayed there throughout the school year, doing much to maintain morale. It is for this reason that he was awarded the Fernie Cup for 1979•

Section activities will be reported separately, but among events of general interest and importance we should mention the excellent presentation given by the Royal Air Force in October, and we would like to express our thanks to the presentation team. The night exercises on Strensall Common, planned and organised by senior N.C.O.s, were useful if only as showing how difficult it is for a group to keep the all important silence when moving in the dark,

Lastly, there has been a considerable movement for restoring an Army Section to the contingent. It can be done: but it will only be done if would-be members are prepared to commit themselves to a rigorous training and for a guaranteed period of service. Before such a section can come into being, parents of those interested will be asked to give it their full support. D . G. C.

ROYAL NAVY SECTION

The section has had a very successful year with its contingent of twentyfive cadets, all of whom have taken part in some of the many varied courses and camps offered by the Royal Navy. One of the most exciting was perhaps the week long Sea Training Course aboard the Guided Missile Destroyer, H.M.S. Bristol. Ten cadets spent an entertaining and often rigorous time working on, and learning how one of the most advanced warships in the modern navy is operated.

The Tuesday afternoon sessions, although of short duration, have continued to provide valuable opportunities for cadets in a variety of fields, even though last winter's weather prevented many of the usual outdoor activities. 42

Some excellent and informative talks and film lectures given by the N.C.O.s ensured that the time was not wasted.

During the Easter and Summer Terms the group took pat in .22 Rifle Range practice; constructing a jackstay across the River Ouse (we could do with a pontoon bridge to prevent some cadets getting their feet wet !); making a hoist with yard arms and rope; snorkelling in the school baths; tackling the assault course at Strensall and making the R.N. store shipshape.

We organised a night exercise on Strensall Common in conjunction with the R.A.F. section, which proved, if not entirely up to expectations, an enjoyable experience. The 'pyrotechnics' kept everyone alert on a rather cold evening and the hot soup, served back at school afterwards, was most welcome.

To the dismay of everyone in the section there was no General Inspection this year! Even so the general smartness and mirror-like toecaps were kept up to standard for the normal parades.

Two annual weekend camps were held, one at H.M.S. Caledonia in Rosyth, the other at the Dall Adventure Training Centre in Scotland. Many members of the section, in particular a very keen third form contingent, participated in swimming, shooting with S.L.R.s and S.M.G.s, sailing in diesel engined cutters, canoeing and the dreaded trip down the 'death slide'.

A nuclear submarine was visited and, for the first time, the section was asked at short notice to provide a four-man sailing team to take part in the Scarborough College Regatta. We hope to do better next year !

We are grateful for the help and guidance afforded unstintingly to the section of Lt. Bulcock.

Bob Nield, our Coxswain, is to be thanked for his hard work and enthusiasm as leader of the section over the past year. He was largely responsible for the moulding of the section into a small but efficient unit.

M.A.L.

ROYAL AIR FORCE SECTION

The section has enjoyed a successful year with numbers rising to fifty-one cadets in the summer term. Nineteen third formers joined at the end of the Easter term.

The 1978 Summer Camp was held at R.A.F. Cranwell and was most successful. Everyone had a flight in a Chipmunk and a glider (although Sgt. Wilson was only airborne for forty seconds) while many also flew in an Andover and a BAC 1-i 1. A series of initiative exercises provided much head-scratching and hilarity and it quickly became obvious that those cadets who had been in the Scouts and knew how to tie knots were at a distinct advantage. The section came second in the inter-school competition, having been narrowly beaten on aircraft recognition. At the end of a full week cadets and officers alike returned home exhausted.

During the year the section has been involved in a wide range of activities. These have included: orienteering, shooting (the section took part in the Assegai Competition which had been started by Sqn. Ldr. Morris, our assistant bursar, when he was with H.Q. Air Cadets) initiative exercises, slogging round the Army Assault Course at Strensall, night exercises on Strensall Common, aircraft recognition tests and the inevitable proficiency work.

The following cadets passed Part III Proficiency in Weather, Air Navigation and Engines: Cpl. Heap (Distinction), Cpl. Gair and Cpl. Coverdale. The following Cadets passed Part II Proficiency in Principles of Flight and Aircraft Operation: Paveley, D., Critchley, P. A. D., Hills, T. M., Midgley, S. M., Pemberton, D., Nield, J., Topham, K., Beaumont, D., Gair, R., Hall, N. and Kell, P. A.

To promote enthusiasm within the section an inter-flight competition was organised throughout the year. Sgt. Swiers's flight won in a close contest. The prize was a visit to the R.A.F. Museum at Hendon.

The air experience flying visits to R.A.F. Leeming have continued although we have been dogged by adverse weather conditions and unserviceable aircraft. Our thanks go to Flt. Lt. Bell for doing his utmost to get as many cadets airborne as possible.

Although we were not awarded any Flying Scholarships this year we were allocated five gliding courses at Arbroath. Sgt. Hewitt, Cpl. Walihead, Cpl. Heap and Cpl. Giddings attended. The weather at Easter did not allow Cpl. Walihead to complete the course and so he returned in August.

The summer camp for 1979 was held at R.A.F. Lyneham, the home of the R.A.F. Hercules squadrons. There was a full programme which ranged from an orienteering exercise to flying in the Hercules (Cpl. Giddings managed to get over four hours of flying, one of his main qualifications being a strong stomach). Although the section did not do well in the inter-school competition, the camp was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

The success of the section this year owes much to the N.C.O.s. Special thanks must go to Contingent Warrant Officer Markwick-Smith whose enthusiasm and dedication did much to sustain the section in previous terms. We wish him every success at Girton College, Cambridge. We are also grateful to Contingent Warrant Officer Abbott and Sgts. Swiers and Ellison for their hard work in the section.

Flt. Lt. P. L. Harris left the section at the end of the summer term in 1978. He had given twenty years of devoted service to the section and he is greatly missed. His determination and dedication enabled the section to survive the difficult years. When he left last year the numbers in the section were on the increase and he must take much of the credit for the strong position of the section at present. Our best wishes go to him in his retirement. R. C. G.D.

C.C.F. SHOOTING

In September, following our visit to Bisley, D. M. Ellison was made captain of shooting for the year. Full colours were awarded to the following members of the 1st VIII: L. G. Bleasdale, P. G. Cuckston, J. R. M. Hewitt, N. J. Jemmett, M. A. Lodge, and were reawarded to J. P. J. F. Abbott, D. M. Ellison, J. R. M. Hewitt and M. A. Lodge. Minor colours were awarded to D. A. Beaumont and R. J. R. Mansfield.

The greater part of the first two terms was spent making extensive use of our miniature range and this included in February the shooting of the R.A.F. Assegai competition, a national .22 competition for C.C.F. cadets. Although we did not win D. M. Ellison had a very good shoot. The other members of the team were J. P. J. F. Abbott, N. J. Hall and J. R. M. Hewitt. 44

We have made various improvements to our range this year. Initially, by a concerted effort spread over several options periods, we laid share chippings on the floor of the range forward of the firing point. This vast improvement was followed by the blacking out of the skylights, necessitated by the combined damage caused by strong winds and vandals, which means that now only the target frames need be illuminated, an improvement which can make snap shooting more interesting.

In the summer we were joined by eight new shots from the third form. Unfortunately we were unable to give them as much open range practice as one would normally expect in the summer term because the Strensall ranges are all undergoing extensive improvements. We had to make do with virtually no open ranges throughout the summer term and this severely hampered our performance in competitions.

Three teams were entered into the Strensall skill-at-arms meeting in May. We came third in all three events and reached the semi-final in the falling plate competition. J. P. J. F. Abbott was our only contender for the individual while C. Broadbent did very well to win the pool bull competition and a cash prize by beating over one hundred other cadets. The three teams comprised of:

D. M. Ellison L. G. Bleasdale P. G. Cuckston

J. P. J. F. Abbott M. A. Lodge R. J. R. Mansfield C. Broadbent D. R. Wass D. J. Paveley J. R. M. Hewitt P. A. Wood J. P. Simpson

Unusually the County of Lancaster R.A. meeting at Altcar was on a Wednesday this year and its clash with '0' and 'A' level exams severely depleted our team. Despite this some of the younger shooters gained the invaluable experience of competing in a real competition and this enjoyable trip can only benefit our performance next year. It was decided not to take a team to Bisley until we have had a chance to improve our performance and strengthen our numbers. For the rest of the term we therefore concentrated on the .22 range with the introduction of a cross-country or similar activity before actually shooting. This innovation has several advantages; not least is its beneficial effect on our shooting and consciences!

As has been normal in more recent years our internal competition took place on the electric range at Strensall in June. Following an afternoon and evening shooting the prizes were awarded as follows :- Recruit Cup (best shot under 16) D. A. Beaumont Green Howards Cup (for best individual shot) J. R. M. Hewitt

Inter-House Cup

House Falling Plate The Grove

J. P. J. F. Abbott, Grove

Our thanks to all those members of staff who have helped to run shooting this last year and our best wishes to J. P. J. F. Abbott and D. M. Ellison, who have done so much for shooting throughout their time at the School. J.R.M.H.

H.M.S. BRISTOL—GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER

In the middle of May ten R.N. cadets under the supervision of Coxswain Lodge spent a week at sea on H.M.S. Bristol, one of the Navy's most advanced warships. We were to go from the Firth of Forth to Portsmouth by way of the Skagerrak, over one thousand miles.

On the Sunday afternoon all ten cadets travelled up to Rosyth by train and arrived in the early evening. We spent that night comfortably billeted at H.M.S. Cochrane on the Firth of Forth. We joined H.M.S. Bristol at o.00 hours the next morning and were given bunks in the stokers' mess. The destroyer had also taken on cadets, mostly in smaller contingents, from four other schools and they were billeted elsewhere on board.

We sailed early on Monday afternoon while the occupants of 4F stokers' mess gave a hand on the forecastle. Once away from the quayside ten proud cadets lined the side in front of the 4.5-inch gun as Bristol passed out of harbour and in bright sunshine passed under the spans of the Forth Road Bridge. The rest of that day was spent being shown around the ship and being lectured to by officers from the various departments. We were to spend a day in each of the four departments and so get a glancing insight into the different aspects of shipboard life.

Tuesday morning was spent with the seamen. Most of the cadets helped 1 in various ways on deck while a couple took it in turns to take half hour watches on the bridge. They had to keep a good look-out for other vessels coming out of the mist, which had brought visibility down to just under one mile. Towards the end of this watch several cadets took the helm for half an hour and with grim-faced determination took control of the Navy's 6,000-ton monster. By Tuesday afternoon we were well out into the North Sea and nearing the Skagerrak, where Bristol was to take part in a N.A.T.O. communications link-up. We spent the afternoon and Wednesday morning with the W.E. Department (electrical engineers) where we saw banks of radio equipment, teleprinters and coding machines. The afternoon was broken up by the first of several man-overboard exercises watched by the cadets during the week and then by the meeting of old and new when Bristol caught up with a Danish cutter used as a training ship.

The next two watches were spent with the N.E. Department (Mechanical Engineers). Watches were taken in the ship's control centre, where cadets kept a close eye on and operated the steam and gas turbines while others worked in the engine rooms and did general checks. On Thursday morning part of the mortar pit was covered over to reveal a small flight deck on to which a Wasp from H.M.S. Hermione landed. Our final two watches were spent with 'supply' and a great many onions were peeled by all! For many the highlight of the trip occurred on the Thursday afternoon when the mortars fired twelve canisters into the Channel to mark the end of their use. It had been decided that they would be removed on arrival at Portsmouth as their role is now amply fulfilled by the Ikara radio-controlled missile.

We came alongside at Portsmouth on Friday morning and were released in the afternoon. Most cadets went straight back to York and a much needed half-term break. Although exhausted by the end everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of living in a guided missile destroyer.

Our best wishes must go with H.M.S. Bristol when she takes up her new role as flagship for N.A.T.O.'s Atlantic Fleet later this year. J.R.M.H. 46