Page 86 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

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Derbyshire ACF
Annual Camp
The highlight of the year for all Army Cadets and adult volunteers is the annual camp. For two weeks this August, Derbyshire
ACF attended Strensall Camp which is a few miles north of York. Camp started on Thursday with the advance party taking over the bricks, mortar and training facilities ready for the adults to arrive on Saturday. The first two days enabled essential training and competency qualifications to be updated so that all was ready for the arrival and training of the cadets.
Monday saw the skies growing ever darker during the morning, not a good sign with the cadets
due mid afternoon.
opportunities for APC training within the camp grounds. The senior cadets had their three day exercise run by 14 cadet training team at Langdale Forest with the benefit of sleeping at the Birch Hall Scout Camp.
Good use was made of the excellent ranges at Strensall with all cadets being able to fire the relevant APC practices. This included the use of the 25 metre indoor range, DCCT and an outdoor air rifle range. This allowed the use of the full range of weapons available, L92A2, Number 8 and the Gammo air rifle. As well as the above, the cadets also had the opportunity to
Weapon zeroing complete
much enjoyed by all who went. The two Padres who attended camp looked after the spiritual needs and welfare issues of both cadets and adults. They also presided over the Church Parade on Sunday, another time the weather was good to us.
Now after all of the training, testing and competitions including evening sports it was time for the final parade and camp clean up before the journey home. Many trophies and medals were handed out by the Commandant, lots of sore hands from clapping, lunch and then load the coaches.
Camp was over for another year but look out Yorkshire, we will be back next year only this time at Ripon.
the climbing tower put to good use
The first coaches
unloaded without
incident, however we
then experienced some
of the worst rain to fall
in the memory of the
camp permanent staff.
Spirits remained high
and the few cadets who experienced a minor soaking were soon dry, comfortable and enjoying the food which was excellent for the whole of camp.
The blue sky returned to enable the Commandant, Colonel Trevor Paulucci
to welcome the cadets with his opening address outside the training wing. Training which included both military and adventure training began in earnest on Tuesday. All companies had a twenty four hour exercise on the local training area with many other
experience Archery and Clay Target shooting. The shotguns used included 12 bore and 20 bore so everyone who wanted to try could have a go.
The adventure training took the form of a cycling course
of twelve miles and a
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
Spirits remained high and the few cadets who experienced a minor soaking were soon dry
run over a distance
camp based cycling orienteering course. This gave all cadets a chance to use the mountain and trail bikes available. Also on offer was a climbing experience using both the fixed climbing wall and two portable towers.
The cultural visit for all cadets took the form of a morning visit to Eden Camp, an old second world war prisoner of war camp, closely followed in the afternoon by a trip to the Royal Armouries in Leeds. An experience
Did Robin Hood have to fetch his own arrows back?
Air rifle instruction