Page 155 - Bugle Autumn 2014

Durham ACF Shooting Awards Presentation
Durham Army Cadet Force held their annual County Shooting Awards evening at their headquarters in Chester-le-Street on 28 June. The event was attended by over 100 parents, councillors, cadets and instructors and other guests. Sir Nigel Sherlock, KCVO, OBE, The Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear made the awards.
Col Chris Tearney, Commandant of Durham ACF, gave the welcome address and invited the guests to view the trophies and shields won throughout the previous year.
Once again Durham ACF had dominated the national Cadet 100 small-bore competition and from an initial entry of over one thousand army cadets, the Durham cadets took six out of the top 10 places and 33 Durham cadets made it into the top 100, each winning a coveted “Cadet 100” badge.
Chester-le-Street (Rifles) “A” team won the Cadet 100 detachment team competition for the 6th consecutive year, with Durham (Rifles) second, and Chester-le-Street
(Rifles) “B” team third. Durham teams took the top four places in the concurrent Rifles regimental trophy competition, with Chester- le-Street winning The Rifles (previously
the Light Infantry Cup) for the ninth year in succession. Birtley detachment won The Royal Engineers Trophy and Hummersknott Detachment won The Royal Artillery Trophy. Teams from Durham and Chester-le-Street went on to compete in the News of the World Challenge Cup final, and Punch and Shell finals at the Lord Roberts Centre, Bisley, where Durham detachment won the News of the World Challenge Trophy and the Shell trophy.
The top 40 army cadets in the Cadet 100 are selected for the ACF national team for The Whistler Inter-Services Match; 23
Some of the recipients at Durham ACF’s Annual Shooting Awards Presentation Evening
Durham cadets qualified making up more than half of the ACF national team, which went on to win The Whistler and were awarded Whistler medals and national colours.
Taylor Mason was placed 16th in The Chairman’s Prize. In the coveted Queen’s Prize competition, which is shot over three days, at distances of 300, 500, 600, 900
Every Easter
Durham ACF holds a
six-day National Rifle
Association full-bore
target rifle course. This
year eight cadets and
one adult achieved their
NRA Advanced Skills qualifications and nine cadets achieved their NRA Club Instructor qualifications.
In full-bore target rifle, Durham ACF qualified six teams to participate in the Inter- Services Cadet Rifle Meeting at Bisley in 2013. Out of 460 cadets in the competition, eight Durham cadets achieved their Cadet 100 full-bore badge with three going on to represent the ACF in the Inter-Services Rifle Final, gaining national colours and medals.
Six Durham cadets competed in The Imperial meeting in July where CSM
and 1000 yards with an entry of over 1000 competitors, Cpl Christopher Walker,
a Rifles cadet from Chester-le-Street Detachment was placed 21st winning the
“George Twine Memorial Trophy”. After the awards presentations were
given by two of the three cadets who were selected for national teams and courses. RSM Taylor Mason gave a presentation about his tour as part of the United Kingdom Cadet Rifle Team to the Channel Islands and CSM Dean Yhia talked about his six weeks at the Army Cadet Leader Instructor Marksmanship Course in Canada. CSM Jed Calcutt earned a place on the British Cadet Rifle Team to Canada and had a successful tour.
Once again Durham ACF had dominated the national Cadet 100 small-bore competition
Local hero Durham Army Cadet wins CVQO Duke of Westminster Award
Durham Army Cadet, Colour Serjeant Daniel Wilkie, (18), from Ryhope in Sunderland, has beaten hundreds of other cadets to
be named the CVQO Duke of Westminster Award winner 2014. He was presented with his award by Lord Lingfield, CVQO chairman of Trustees, at a prestigious awards ceremony at the House of Lords hosted by education charity CVQO.
He joined Ryhope Detachment of
the Army Cadet Force in Sunderland in May 2010 at the recommendation of
his probation officer who warned him
he was facing a future potentially filled
with problems. This was the start of a life-changing time for Daniel who also spent almost four years taking care of his grandmother, who suffered from dementia, until she died in 2012.
Now seen as a local hero, according
to his ACF Commanding Officer, he is
a member of C Company Durham ACF
and in 2013 he was awarded the St John Ambulance First Aider of the Year Certificate and presented with a Royal Humane
CSjt Daniel Wilkie after his prestigious award ceremony at the House of Lords
Society Certificate by the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear.
Guy Horridge, CVQO Chief Executive, said: “Daniel has not had the easiest of lives and is a wonderful example of how he has turned his life around himself and not let his past get the better of him. He is a worthy winner of this award for his humility, self-
awareness and valuable contributions to his local community. He has demonstrated that whatever challenges life throws at you, it is possible to achieve great things and set example to others.”
On learning of his win, Daniel said: “I’m very proud and very shocked – I’m not sure what made me stand out from the others as they all deserved to be here. I will remember this day for a long time.”
From over 250 initial cadet nominees
for the coveted award, 24 regional finalists were selected to compete in a challenging four-day selection event in the Quantock Hills, Somerset, which tested their communication, teamwork and leadership skills through a variety of demanding physical and mental tasks. From that event, just nine were selected as CVQO Duke of Westminster national finalists.
The nine national finalists will be leaving for a three-week educational expedition in South Africa in July where they will undertake an environmental awareness course and a cultural project.
THE RIFLES
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