Page 65 - QDG Year of 2020

1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards
63
E Squadron
Dyfed and Glamorgan Army Cadet Force
2020 – Well, what a bizarre year that was... and what a plethora of new skills The CFAVs (Cadet Force Adult Volun- teers) and Cadets have all learnt here in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire!
As mentioned in the last Journal which we were kindly invited to submit to, we have 12 Detachments including the Corps Of Drums across our area and have approximately 180 cadets between the ages of 12 and 18 on strength along with 35 Adult Volunteers. We have all had to adapt very rapidly to the world of ‘Zoom’ and improvise the Cadet Force Syllabus lessons to
a virtual environment. Most
have embraced it imme-
diately whilst some others unfortunately do not have
capabilities at home to do
such which is a frustration as
I’m sure you can appreciate!
However; we did manage
to squeeze the ACF National
Football Competition in
February and a Syllabus
training weekend event at
Penally Camp in March prior to Lockdown. During the weekend we conducted training at different levels on Drill and Turnout, Military Knowledge, Skill at Arms, Basic CIS (Communica- tions Information Systems), Navigation and Shooting to name a few and relevant awards were presented on the Sunday Afternoon by the Squadron OC, Major Protheroe.
Since then, we have had an impres- sive effort conducted by the CFAVs to engage with the Cadets in a virtual learning environment where we have seen Camouflage and Concealment, Care of Kit, Navigation (utilising Google Streetview), Vehicle Maintenance on PI Gideon Carpenter’s Series 3 Land Rover, Introductions to various Corps and Regi- ments roles (Power Point, You Tube and Forces TV were a great help with these!),
Military History and Traditions, Physical Training (phenomenal selection of pres- entations done by SSI (Staff Sergeant Instructor) Thomas, Country Code, CIS (which concluded with the setting up of a Signals Voice Procedure Assessment with the Scenario of a Whaling Station being taken over on Skomer Island and relevant Forces being tasked!) as well as Quiz nights and other fun activities to keep them engaged as Syllabus lessons on Zoom can be monotonous as we all know too well!
even in these difficult times; Cadets George Holroyd, Sasha Bates, Evan Davies, Taya-Leigh White and our Cadet SSM (Squadron Sergeant Major) Rhidian Rhys-Jones have all taken the oath and are well underway with their Army Careers!
To finish the year off, the Cadets and CFAVs of E Squadron participated in a charity event for “Walking with The Wounded” which saw many of us “Walking home for Christmas” - 24 miles during the 24 days leading up to Christmas Day. The Cadets gained Sponsorship and Donations from friends, family and others which gave us a total of £738.16 toward the Charity which specialises in supporting mental and physical injury health issues with veterans and their families. A fantastic result for a great cause which I am sure you will agree!
Hopefully later in 2021 we can look forward to catching up with members of the Regiment, maybe on our Annual Camp at Sennybridge and please do remember, we are always on the lookout for new members for the Squadron, both cadets and CFAVs, so if you live locally to us and feel that you and/or a family member would benefit from the fun and enjoyment that can be achieved by being a member of the Army Cadet Force, then please call Squadron HQ on 01554 756777. Aspire to Achieve!
MM
The Cenotaphs and Memorials were very quiet this year
the first
As well as the Cadets, the CFAVs have also had to adapt to Zoom for Training, including Courses at Frimley Park which are normally residen- tial now being conducted online. We have had several CFAVs successfully complete these as well as the normal annual manda- tory training. We had a huge input from all Detachment CFAVs to complete relevant on-line courses so we were able to return to Face to Face training with the Cadets (Masked and Socially Distanced!) albeit only for 4 weeks prior to going into a further Lockdown. We were amazed by the healthy return of Cadets all keen to get progressing and back to Detachment Training which was mentally very rewarding for all and in fact, we even had some new recruits turn up
in that short time!
Remembrance Parades this year
were attended by a Single CFAV and some locations had a single Cadet (with parent) at the traditional locations with Social Distancing being adhered to and Wreaths laid to pay respects to the fallen. The Cenotaphs and Memorials were very quiet this year which was a reminder as to the World we live in currently.
I’m pleased to announce that a handful of our Cadets have joined the Forces