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Thongsbridge Army Cadets
June 2012 Newsletter Issue 2
Thongsbridge Army Cadets Huddersfield Road, Thongsbridge, HD9 3JQ Mobile number: 07917086623 E-mail: thongsbridgeacf@hotmail.co.uk Web: www.yorkshirearmycadets.co.uk Detachment Commander: C/Sgt Dan Heneghan
Getting stuck in! It wasn’t that long ago we were complaining about the snow and breaking our new years resolutions, and yet so much has happened at Thongsbridge Detachment that it feels like century’s ago.
Recent Awards & Promotions! New promotions include: L/Cpl Lewis, L/Cpl Haigh and Cpl Steadman Cadets who have recently achieved their basic, Cdt Green, Bushell, Dronsfield, Wormald, Stewart, Waller & Ettienne. Well done!
We are very excited to let you know whats been going on – Armed police, Royal British Legion, Promotions, Sports and that’s just, the tip of the iceburg!
Don’t forget that you can get involved in all the fun, just call down to your local cadet unit and ask for some information on joining. Anyway, what are we waiting for, lets get stuck in and spill the beans.
Building a team As you may have seen, we at Thongsbridge have been on a recruiting campaign for both cadets and instructors and with much success!
“Attendance up 60%”
We have also had Miss Hannah Dawson join us, who from a
New Mill Royal British Legion went the extra mile for the cadets in April as they presented the detachment with a brand new ceremonial standard. Thongsbridge Army Cadets and New Mill Royal British Legion Branch have always had a close working relationship but this act of generosity has strengthen the bond.
May Cdt Cornforth
May Rec McDonald
Above: Liam Boland-Quinn on exercise
New Mill Royal British Legion Present Standard!
March L/Cpl Holmes
March Cdt Bushell
Both Hannah and Liam join a proactive team at Thongsbridge, pushing all aspects of the cadet force for our cadets, with excellent results!
Our cadet attendance has risen by 60% since November. To add to this we have 2 new volunteers joining us, Liam Boland-Quinn is an Ex Thongsbridge Cadet and also ex regular army. Liam has been able to pass down experience from both backgrounds to our recruits and is keen to help with building Thongsbridge into an excellent cadet detachment.
Cadet of the Month
Recruit of the Month
civilan background is keen to learn the military side of cadets and is looking forward to pushing the detachment to new levels
Above: New Mill RBL President Ivan Conroy presents the standard to C/Sgt Dan Heneghan of Thongsbridge Detachment. Right: Cadet of the month for March, L/Cpl Holmes
Thongsbridge detachment has not had a parade standard for many years and we are excited to use it on our next parade. Training has already commenced on the use of banner drill so we hope to make the RBL proud when we show it off on rememberance parade! Detachment Commander, Ashley Brook gave a speech to the cadets about the importance of the RBL and ACF’s relationship shortly followed by a small parade. If you are interested in becoming a member of the New Mill RBL who work within Holme Valley please contact us to find out more.
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Thongsbridge Army Cadets MOVING UP THE RANKS! after 7 cadets within the detachment and Corporal Steadman is appointed nd Platoon 2 In Command, he is tasked in organising the Section Commanders and the Sections at the detachment.
2 cadets from Thongsbridge have recently been promoted, Adrianos Lewis was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and Peter Steadman was promoted to the rank of Corporal, both these promotions have come through their hard work at the detachment.
Above: Newly promoted L/Cpl Lewis
“It is really good of both officers to take time out of their busy schedule to show the cadets what goes on in the real life of West Yorkshire Police.”
Each cadet has put the effort in to benefit the detachment, as they have now been promoted to their new ranks, they take on new responsibilities are the detachment, Lance Corporal Lewis takes on the role of Section Commander, looking
ARMED POLICE MEAN BUSINESSS WITH THONGSBRIDGE CADETS! Two Police Officers from the Wakefield Armed Response Unit gave Thongsbridge Army Cadets an insight into their specialist and sometimes extremely dangerous roles within the West Yorkshire Police. Cadets listened intently as Officers Tim Schofield and Alan Farrar spoke about the role that the Armed Response Unit played throughout West Yorkshire and how the team provide 24 hour coverage every day in order to deal with public incidents or situations where weapons could be involved. The team are trained to deal with many dangerous situations and are instrumental in dealing with terrorist attacks.
Above: Armed police show cadets the different rifles they use.
Above: Newly promoted Cpl Steadman
Cadets are promoted at Thongsbridge Army Cadets when they show that they have got what it takes to lead a Section of 7 cadets or can take on the role of managing all 3 sections, these 2 cadets have definitly got what it takes and we are sure they will continue to strive for perfection!
The cadets were then shown a number of weapons that are used by the Armed Response Officers during operations.
of the cadets or adult instructors, at which he was asked about the specialised training and how long the training would take. “If your lucky enough to be selected to enter for the assessments for the team you do a number of suitability assessments such as ‘shooting’ and ‘conflict management’ before going on to a full training regime for 9 weeks” said Officer Schofield. The individuals within the team then carry out a weapons handling test every 10 weeks and an assessment on ‘shooting skills’ every 2 years.
“Tazers, pistols, flashbangs and a combat clipboard!” The cadets were also given the opportunity to have a close
inspection of the Armed Response Vehicle, which completed the full insight into the important work these officers carry out every day. Thongsbridge Army Cadet Force Detachment Commander Sergeant Ashley Brook said “It is really good of both officers to take time out of their busy schedule to show the cadets what goes on in the real life of West Yorkshire Police. Getting talks from people in the Emergency Services helps the cadets to achieve their ‘Cadet and the Community’ aspect of their progressive learning ACF syllabus but also brings to light the dangers of getting mixed up with the wrong crowd and hopefully avoid getting on the wrong side of the law. Lets face it you wouldn’t want to cross paths with these guys; they mean business!”
As the officers displayed and talked through the various weapons used the cadets had the opportunity to see close up, Tazers, pistols, Flashbangs, shields, and various rifles together with holographic sights and even a clipboard that also doubles as a ‘mini’ shield. The indepth display certainly held the cadets interest however the piece de resistance was a futuristic ‘Recon Robot’ with live camera feed. It was indeed a case of “boys and their toys” Officer Schofield opened the floor to invite questions from any Above: C/Sgt Dan Heneghan just couldn’t resist!
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Thongsbridge Army Cadets
BASIC TRAINERS ON PARADE! Thongsbridge recruits have flown through their basic training in no time! 8 cadets that joined Thongsbridge detachment in December have been put through their paces, learning new skills which involve weapon handling training, map and navigation training amongst many others, each area had a test at the end of it and then at the end of their training they were put through a final shooting competition and a recruits test on the overall cadre.
Cadets visit police operations support unit
Cpl Jess Nunns who has been the main trainer for the Basics said “I am very proud of all of them, they have worked hard at the detachment and they are really keen to move onto the next stage”
C/Sgt Dan Heneghan who is involved with the training at the detachment said “Things have changed drastically in the past few months at the detachment, basic training is one of these To celebrate their hard work, the things and it is working a treat! I cadets were put on a special passing can see a few Sergeant Majors out parade and parents were invited in the making here, we look down to watch while the Detachment forward to seeing them develop Commander, Sgt Ashley Brook presented them with their basic badge. in the future”
From Right to Left: Cadet Dronsfield, Wormald, Green, Bushell, Stewart and Waller
Treats for Heroes in Afghan Thongsbridge detachment has always had a close rd relationship with the 3 Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment. To this end cadets have often left to join rd the 3 Battalion when pursuing a career in the armed forces and with 3 ExThongsbridge cadets either in or leaving for Afghan soon, Thongsbridge cadets took it upon themselves to get some treats and luxuries to send out to these guys and the rest of their platoon.
3 Yorks has strong ties in the local area and cadets have relatives serving so they did not have to think twice about getting things together to send over. Thongsbridge detachment is proud to be affiliated to the Yorkshire Regiment and to have a history with 3Yorks (DWR).
Thongsbridge cadets visited West Mounted section and the Yorkshire Police’s Operational air support unit and support unit in Carr Gate in May. Firearms unit. Cadets were shown round the centre, having full access to all areas. The day started with a presentation then they went on to each different sector, meeting the Armed police, dog sections,
Above: Thongsbridge cadets with the Valley Police Team
Holme Valley Parish Council share the wealth! Holme Valley Parish Council granted Thongsbridge detachment £200 in April for them to purchase a new laptop for the detachment! The £200 has gone towards a brand new laptop which will help instructors and cadets achieve more in the likes of BTEC and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award but also it will help volunteers provide better lessons with the use of Powerpoint presentations.
C/Sgt Dan Heneghan who organized the grant application said “The addition of the laptop is a step in the right direction for Thongsbridge, look out for some top results coming soon from its use”
Above: L/Cpl Holmes with laptop
“Ex Thongsbridge Cadets in Afghan” Ex-Thongsbridge Cadet, Cpl Matty Lawton who is currently serving in Afghanistan said “I loved cadets when I was in and the fact that these guys are doing this for us is brilliant, it really gives us a morale boost when we get something simple like haribo sweets or the latest nuts mag”
L/Cpl Holmes said “It has been a really good day and it was good to get an incite into all different areas of police work”
Above: Cadets from Thongsbridge box up their treats for Heroes
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Thongsbridge Army Cadets Athletics & Hockey
Calendar of Events June - October 1-4 June County Expedition 8-10 Jun - D Company Weekend Strensall/Galtres 17th June - Regional Hockey 16 June - D Coy Shooting Day 23 June - Thongsbridge Bag pack 22-24 June - Target Rifle competiton
It might be a damp April but the weather is not something that phases Thongsbridge cadets, especially as they readied themselves for various events at the County Athletics and Hockey completion!.
with Cadet Waller and Cadet Bushell being selected for the next set of athletics competitions and Cdt Cornes to represent D Coy at Regional level Well done to all those taking part, we wish Cdt Waller, Bushell and Cornes the best of luck!
A full day of Olympic style competitions saw Thongsbridge competing for Gold and with fantastic results. 7 Cadets attended from Thongsbridge helping D Coy nd come 2 overall,
29 June – 1st July D Coy Expedition
County Expedition
1 July – Honley School Gala
Thongsbridge Cadets and Detachment Commander Ashley Brook donned their hiking gear and set out for the hills in May. A full weekend of expedition training and testing saw cadets face navigational challenges.
7 July - National Hockey competition 8 July - YACF Swimming competition 21 July – 3 Aug - Annual Camp
Faced with a map and compass cadets had to follow a route in the region on North Yorkshire, all contributing to their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award!
31 Aug – 1 Sep - Colts Canter 1 7-9 Sept - County SAAM – Shooting comp 14 – 16 Sept - Colts Canter 2 15 Sept - Regional Swimming 28-30 Sept - Colts Canter 3 5-7 Oct – Colts Canter Comp 13 Oct – D Coy Shooting Day 12-14 Oct – National Swimming 19-21 Oct – D Coy Weekend
We’re on the Web! See us at: www.yorkshirearmycadets.co.uk or email us for more info thongsbridgeacf@hotmail.co.uk
Surprise Visit from the Honorary Colonel! Thongsbridge Detachment were graced with the appearance of the Honorary Colonel for Yorkshire (N&W) Army Cadet Force in May. Hon Col James Selka is a local resident to Holme Valley and was keen to see a detachment on an average parade night.
The Hon Col. got stuck in with some SAA during his visit, learning how a rifle could be stripped down Thongsbridge cadets and instructors had chance to speak to the Hon Col, Detachment Commander Ashley Brook said “I am
very pleased that the Honoury Colonel picked our detachment to visit, I am very proud of our achievements, and to give him an insight into training at detachment level is a privilege , It was good to see someone at the top end take a keen interest into the workings at detachment level”.