Page 111 - Mercian Eagle 2014

Denstone College CCF
We returned from the summer holiday to the welcome news that Rannoch Linnell had not only enjoyed his six week Canadian Cadet Exchange to the Rocky Mountains, but also won the best UK cadet award.
Mid September brought further success
as the two Exmoor 30:30 teams, led by Major Jarvis and Mrs Linnell, won in both classes. At the same time the shooting team, under RSM McCammon’s direction, were the winning CCF team at the Brigade Skill-at Arms meeting, with Ewan Jarvis and Dan Wright winning the pairs competition. This was an inspection year, with Group Captain Cunningham RAF as our Inspecting Officer at Swynnerton Training Area.
He commented most favourably on the resilience, enthusiasm and commitment of our cadets. The remainder of the Michaelmas term was taken up by routine training, to which the cadets applied themselves well. For recruits, this was largely weapon training, as they have to pass quite a rigorous test before they are allowed to fire a rifle.
In late January, 20 senior cadets attended a leadership weekend at Sennybridge, a training area notorious for foul weather, which quite excelled itself on this occasion, with gale force winds, torrential rain
and seasonal temperatures. The cadets performed admirably in
sporting conditions. The
second main event of
Cadet RSM Rannoch Linnell with the new Mercian Regimental Coin, in recognition of his outstanding service to the CCF. Brigadier Wooddisse was the OC’s first Cadet RSM in 1986!
The year culminated in an excellent annual camp at
the term was the Senior Cadet exercise on Leek Training Area, which also lived up to its reputation, giving cadets a better map reading lesson than a week of classroom periods.
The year culminated in an excellent annual camp at Nesscliffe in Shropshire.
Nesscliffe in Shropshire. For most cadets it was the highlight of the year, with some excellent training opportunities
in weather that was outstanding, after threatening to go either way. Interestingly,
The summer term brought the recruits their first field craft exercise, on a 24 hour exercise at Swynnerton. At last all the weapon training made sense, with both
live and blank rounds being fired to good effect. The end of the summer term brought Brigadier Ralph Wooddisse, MBE, MC back to Denstone for Speech Day. He presented
despite a magnificent set of training packages, our cadets often mentioned our Holy Communion on the banks of the River Severn, led by Father Ru Jarvis, as the sun set after a perfect summer day.
Denstone cadets quickly come to realise that the CCF is one of life’s best barely discovered secrets, hence the contingent is in good heart.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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