Page 23 - Cadet Review Spring 2025

FIELDCRAFT
COURSE
– DRIFFIELD
TRAINING
WEEKEND
By Flight Lieutenant Gareth Thomas
It was a remarkably mild weekend in November that
saw 30 cadets head to Driffield CTC and Training
Area to take part in the new Blue, Bronze and Silver
Fieldcraft Skills courses. After a lesson by one of
the Qualified Junior Leader Staff Cadets on how to
correctly prepare, pack and fit their equipment, it
was off to the training area to commence the course
practical elements.
Two courses ran side by side, the first being a
Blue/Bronze course for cadets whose first time this
was operating in a deployed exercise environment.
A team of instructors led by Flight Lieutenant Rick
Lyon, laid the Fieldcraft foundations taking the
cadets through the basic skills they would need to
live and operate in the field, learning how to eat,
sleep and move tactically. The motto of train hard,
fight easy was instilled from the beginning.
The second was a Silver course led by Service
Instructor Corporal Tom Cooper and Warrant Officer
Colin Bell, which most notably developed skills
with weapon systems. Each cadet was issued with
an L98A2 individual weapon system, a formidable
responsibility that they took in their stride. After
careful explanations, demonstrations and dry
practices of reaction to effective enemy fire and
movement drills, cadets were briefed for their battle
exercise and issued magazines of blank ammunition.
Led to the start point by their Section Commanders,
they were then sent on patrol through a piece of
woodland. As enemy gunshots echoed from afar, the
cadets returned fire before taking cover and forming
a defensive baseline. Smoke grenades, launched
by directing staff enemies, signalled the time to
withdraw and cadets lay down covering fire to the
other's movements. Energised by the adrenaline,
everyone wanted a second chance to develop their
The motto of
train hard,
fight easy was
instilled from
the beginning
new skills with a clearer
mind, now working
better together with
communications to
supress the simulated
enemy force ahead. As
winter twilight fell, the
muzzle flashes became
more prominent and
added to the thrill. After
tucking in to an evening
ORP meal, both courses
came together to take
part in a tricky but
enjoyable NITEX, which
saw the cadets having
to use all the skills
taught so far to find vital supply drops, disrupt enemy
communications and extract information from a local
informant.
A beautiful Sunday morning started again with
a ration pack breakfast and prep for assessments.
Wearing full cam and the Wing's new radio headsets,
two fire teams from the Silver course moved from
objective to objective; first setting up a harbour,
taking it in turns to provide watch over the terrain.
After being relieved they set out on a recce patrol
across the area; regularly contacted by the enemy
and using their skills to hold ground and withdraw.
Every contact was a chance to further refine skills up
to the final move to “The Mound” and a securing of a
helicopter extraction Landing Zone.
All cadets excelled throughout their respective
courses, with all being awarded either Blue and
Bronze or Silver Fieldcraft Skills, a T-Shirt and a
weapon to clean down and place in the armoury!
CADET REVIEW SPRING 2025 23