Page 108 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

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B Squadron, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland (LNR) Army Cadet Force
From music and signals to cyber cadets and sports, the year 2019 has seen many an achievement for our cadets and in- structors, both in military training and not-so-military... Train-
ing weekends for our cadets occur throughout the year, both lo- cally and on camps. B Squadron have seen an array of subject passes throughout the year, from first aid to drill and turnout, with commitment to attending training and testing boards, as well as our three major ‘priority’ camps a year. Not to mention our sporting achievements, where we have also become 2019’s County Swimming Champions and went on to help win the Eastern Region Championships!
Throughout 2019, our cadets have been privileged to be able to achieve star passes in not just the usual subjects, but also in Sig- nals courses and a somewhat new subject area for the ACF – the Cadet CyberFirst program, where young people can learn to keep themselves safe online as well as prevent programs being hit by cyber/online attacks. B Squadron is well known within its local communities with all the charity and community work we do all year round. Our cadets were seen at local charity football and bas- ketball games, raising money at supermarkets and out and about in their local towns and villages raising money for The Soldier’s Charity and the Poppy Appeal among other military charities.
2019 saw the opportunity for some of our cadets to head over- seas to France to visit battlefields and memorials and pay their respects to the fallen. Others ventured off to London to visit Windsor Castle and the Imperial War Museum. Each local de- tachment was given the challenge of holding open evenings for parents, friends and anyone interested to pop along to a detach- ment night and show off what they do each week. Needless to say, there were plenty of amazed, intrigued and happy faces!
Our Corps of Drums, collectively with the rest of LNR ACF and help from other counties in the UK including Clwyd and Gynedd and North West and Middlesex ACFs, took part in a once in a lifetime gig in November – The Royal Variety Show! Performing with Britain’s Got Talent winner Colin Thackery. The cadets and adults who drummed behind the Chelsea Pen- sioner stood proud in their uniforms and had nothing but shin- ing feedback from the crew, audience and family members. See how they did on BBC iPlayer!
In all, 2019 was a fantastic year for B Squadron and we hope to
accomplish just as much, if not more, in 2020!
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In September, B Squadron were once again involved in the cel- ebrated Victory Show in Cosby, one of Europe’s largest gath- ering of World War 2 enthusiasts. The 100 acre farm in Leices- tershire gets transformed into a weekend dedicated to all things military to the era, with historical societies, re-enactment groups, military vehicles, air and tank displays, a full on battle re-enact- ment, a 1940’s themed Dinner Dance and even a temporary air strip is opened up to receive some of the most historic and rare aircraft who visit and take part in breath taking air display’s.
B Squadron cadets were represented by all detachments within the Squadron and a great opportunity to show the public what the ACF is about and contributes. The Victory Show invites the Squadron along every year knowing what a great sight it is to see such an active local ACF engaging with the local commu- nity. There were several engagements we took part in this year including providing the Lance Guard in full ceremonials to the VIP area, where Veteran’s, vis-
to take our recruitment stand for the weekend, to educate and inform the public of what a great Military sponsored youth or- ganisation the ACF is, the variety of activities and sports under- taken, and the opportunities open to them by being part of it. We had several new recruits and adult instructors join the squadron in the following months as a result.
As well as raising monies for The Royal British Legion and SSAFA with cadets walking around with donation buckets, it gave the public the opportunity to talk to the cadets about their involvement in the ACF and the achievements and skills they have gained by being part of such a great youth organisation. The Victory Show is always a highlight on our calendar, where both cadets and adult instructors fully engage with visiting public and a great time is had by all...... The Squadron is looking forward to taking part in 2020, which is to be the last one to be held!
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iting dignitaries, pilots, and the RAF Falcons parachute team were situated, a duty that both the Squadron and the ca- dets were honoured to carry out.
Another highlight of the weekend was that our Squad- ron’s Corp of Drums were asked to perform throughout the weekend, a spectacle that the visiting public were really impressed with seeing such musically talented cadets. We also had the opportunity
ACF Lance Guard
LNR ACF Corps of Drums
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
LNR ACF at The Victory Show 2019