Page 91 - MERCIAN Eagle 2011

running, helping to mark the beginning
of the annual Armed Forces Celebrations throughout the country. The Ceremony which takes place in June has proved to
be an excellent opportunity in raising public awareness of the contribution made to our Country by serving and ex serving members of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and gives the Nation an opportunity to show support for the men and women, who make
up the Armed Forces community: from troops currently serving on the front line to Service families, including veterans from past conflicts, to cadets participating as ambassadors of the British Forces.
Working under the direction of Lt Carina Spence, the Corps of Drums have been ever active and represented the Army Cadet Force on many occasions at public and
civil events. The Corps is based in Beacon Barracks draws on Cadets from Stafford and the surrounding area and are now actively seeking additional cadets and Adult Instructors so they can continue to build on their past achievements.
Of particular note was a fund raising concert in the grounds of the Wedgwood Museum at Barlaston in June. There, under the musical direction of Major Tex Calton and Warrant Officer Class 1 Ivor Evans,
the (Bandmaster of the Mercian Regiment Band), for the first time ever successfully massed together were the Mercian Regiment Band, the Derbyshire Army Cadet Force Band, the Shropshire Army Cadet Force Bugles, the Staffordshire & West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force Corps of Drums and the Staffordshire Air Training Corps Band.
Sadly for one talented young lady, Cdt Sergeant Jessica Pugh this year will be her last. Jessica (17) from Rugeley joined her local detachment in 2007 before moving to the Corps of Drums based at Beacon Barracks in Stafford
High wire
involved a lot of time out in the field, which I do not normally enjoy, but I found it to be good fun, especially at the end of the week during a platoon attack where the weather was cold and wet we had to cross a river and we all got absolutely soaked through after jumping in. This is my last year with the cadets as I leave next June because
of my age, but I will definitely remember my last Annual Camp as being a good and
Shooting Ground near Uttoxeter and involved 17 teams, including 3 Army teams and 2 teams of young Army Cadets.
Honorary Col Graham H Stow CBE
DL, Friends Trustee, said: “This is the first clay pigeon shoot we’ve organised and
we remain eternally grateful to all of our sponsors for helping to make this a very successful event. I would like to offer a special thank you to Lt Colonel Ged Argyle and his Army team personnel who gave valuable advice, support, and assistance to the young cadets and novice members of participating teams during the day.”
Finally a heartfelt farewell from all serving members of the County who would like to give their special thanks and best wishes for the future to Lt Col E (Ed) Sandham who has retired after 47 years service, and Maj TG (George) Oldfield after 36 years service. Their vast amount of experience and knowledge will be sadly missed.
Maj Oldfield recently visited County Headquarters where he proudly presented a Coat of Arms to serve as a reminder of his time served with the County.
Any person, male or female, who feel that they can assist our dedicated team
of Officers and Adult Instructors, please contact us on 01785 257804 during normal office hours. We look forward to hearing from you. Alternately visit our website www. staffsacf.org
in 2009. During her
time with the Corps
of Drums Jessica
has risen through the
ranks with her musical
talent to become not
only the Drum Major
of Staffordshire Army
Cadet Force, but also
the Senior Drum Major in the UK.
Jessica said “I was a little apprehensive
at the time of transferring to the Corps
of Drums because I enjoyed all the other training and opportunities that were available to me as a cadet, but I enjoy music and thought I would try it out. I
soon found that we were still trained on military subjects as well as practising for
our musical role which I really enjoy. In 2010 I visited Malta to take part in the Malta Military Tattoo and it was an experience I will never forget. During camp this year I was with the senior post 3 star group and this
memorable one.” Special thanks go out
to “The Friends of the Staffordshire & West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force” who have been extremely busy fundraising during the past year helping to provide direct financial
support to the region’s Cadet Movement. This valuable support enables young people to develop their self confidence, their teamwork and their citizenship through challenging adventurous, community, sporting and military activities.
One favourite fundraising event enjoyed by the Cadets was a clay pigeon shoot organised by the “Friends of Staffordshire & West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force” which proved to be a flying success raising more than £3,000 to provide additional finance to help young cadets. The shoot took place in August at Doveridge
“I will definitely remember my last Annual Camp as being a good and memorable one.”
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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