Page 120 - RSDG Year of 2023

118 EAGLE AND CARBINE
WEST LOWLAND BATTALION ARMY CADET FORCE
The West Lowland Battalion Army Cadet Force has two detachments who are proud to wear the Grey Beret and capbadge of the SCOTS DG – Garnock Valley and Saltcoats Detachments, who together make up a quarter of Balaklava Coy. The Battalion also has detachments in Girvan and Chalmers Road, Ayr wearing the SNIY capbadge.
The two SCOTS DG detachments have had an amazing year for both cadets and instructors alike.
At Garnock Valley, Cadet Sergeant Scott Magee was promoted to Cadet Company Sergeant Major. Scott follows in the footsteps of his older brothers Gary and Craig, who are now Adult Instructors, with Craig, himself a former Cadet Company Sergeant Major, now the Training Sergeant Major.
Saltcoats Detachment has had a few changes at Instructor level. Lieutenant Gary Caulfield has moved from being the Detachment Commander to overseeing media for the Battalion. He was delighted to pass the baton of Detachment Commander to SI Sam Birkhead. Sam has brought with her a wealth of experience that belies her age- six years as a cadet herself, she has made the transition to Adult Instructor seamlessly, and has continued to develop her skills to allow her to offer the cadets the best level of training.
Cadet Corporal David Inglis, the youngest of three siblings to attend Saltcoats Detachment, has left the ACF to join the Army as a Junior Soldier. He is currently in Phase 1 Training at AFC Harrogate, with a view to going to Bovington and retaining his SCOTS DG capbadge. Not content with doing just this, David recently threw himself
(Left) Scott Magee receiving his new rank slide on his promotion to Cadet Company Sergeant Major. (Right) Yvonne Miller being congratulated by the Commandant, Colonel Alan Middleton, on her promotion to Lieutenant
out of a perfectly good aeroplane in a tandem skydive to raise funds for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
Annual Camp is always the highlight of the year, with Lapwing Lodge in Paisley serving as base for paddle- boarding, football and the high wire. We were fortunate to use Glasgow and Lanarkshire Battalion’s Headquarters at Dechmont as a base for fieldcraft and all other “green kit” training. Saltcoats Detachment were delighted when Cadet Savvanah Wilson was awarded Best 1 Star Cadet, and the newly promoted Cadet Corporal Katie Wyllie was awarded best 2 Star Cadet, out of the whole Battalion!
Balaklava Coy has also welcomed the appointment of 2Lt Yvonne Miller as 2IC, and all cadets and instructors in the Company would like to express their thanks to Company Sergeant Major Alan Finnigan, a former Detachment Commander at Saltcoats, who has decided after so many years to hang up his Grey Beret.