Page 110 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

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D Squadron, Nottinghamshire Army Cadet Force
Another busy year has passed for D Squadron Nottingham- shire ACF and our cadets as well as the Adult Volunteers have gone from strength to strength with numbers at each of the seven detachments moving in the right direction and some chal- lenging yet rewarding training being delivered.
The year began with new appointments at Squadron HQ, how- ever the pace of camps, activities and weekends remained their unrelenting self, as such it was a short sharp shock for the new Officer Commanding (OC) and Training Officer to deliver a camp within just a few weeks of being in post. Needless to say, it went off with(out) a hitch and set the tone for the whole year training towards a complex exercise at Wathgill and Whinny Hill in August.
The weather at Beckingham granted us a reprieve from the snow of the ‘Beast from the East’ the previous year and instead insisted on torrential rain. So, some happy but rather sodden cadets man- aged to complete their one and two star training with a night out in the field and a series of attacks. Echoed naturally by the shouts of the adult instructors “If it ain’t raining it ain’t training”.
Moving towards the summer we completed exercises across the region and the cadets acquitted themselves excellently at sports with a number being selected to represent the cadets both Re- gionally and Nationally for cross country, swimming and foot- ball. The OC even got involved with a charity boxing match which pitted the ACF volunteers from across the county against the Nottinghamshire Police. The adults turned out in force to watch the ACF trounce the police including a knockout win for the OC. Throughout the summer Sgt (Instructor) Williams also
ran a number of walking expeditions around the area of Sher- wood Pines in order to help the cadets on the way to a number of gold and silver Duke of Edinburgh awards
Annual Camp saw us return to Wathgill to test the skills we had been honing throughout the training year. A three-day exercise as well as an advanced infantry cadre ran by Sgt (Instructor) Gill- man saw the Squadrons cadets conduct both rural and urban op- erations. The Squadron cadets fighting through the village and clearing the buildings in a company level attack with support from the GPMGs of Tpr Bishop and LCpl Cheetham-Pasquier. The feedback from the cadets sang the praises of having regu- larly trained soldiers on their exercises adds another dimension to their training and makes them all fell far more ‘ally’.
Finally, the Squadron finished the year competing in a full-bore shooting competition at the ranges over a series of shoots from different ranges and different fire positions. The Squadron fin- ished a valiant second place by the smallest of margins and have vowed to win it next time out.
Over the past 12-months we have been ably assisted by a number of soldiers from the Regiment, and specifically C Squadron on a few weekend camps as well as our Annual Camp at Wathgill. The troopers and NCOs have left such a positive impression upon a number of our cadets over the last few years that they have pursued their regimental interest and joined the RL as troopers. A sincere thank you to all those who have assisted over the past training year and in recent years.
JL
REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Hamley’s! Down outside our dressing rooms was a large telly and also in Mary Poppins dressing room was another. They had it in there as the Mary Poppins cast were first on then disap- peared as they had to go and do their own show that night.
The evening seemed to rush really quickly; We saw Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive as we were called to stage, then we arrived at our holding point in the Donkey Run as the cast from Mary Poppins were whizzing past getting changed to go to their show. Before long we were in the wings and the music started it was our time to shine. As we marched on with the Chelsea Pensioners who were backing vocals there was a massive cheer, not that you will hear it on the TV! I could see the whole team grow. I could also see Prince Wil- liam from the wings. Faultless performance and a massive cheer and round of applause and the curtain was down. It all happened so fast, but the CoD crew were beaming.
Back to the hotel dressing rooms to watch the rest of the show and wait for the finale. We could get in Mary Poppins dressing room now to see the show. We shared the TV with all those men- tioned before but also the two children of Mary Poppins and Frank Skinner! Another surreal moment.
Back on stage for the finale, unfortunately not part of the Roy- al Line up, but we have done more in the two days than ever thought possible anyway. Time for a few selfies with some stars and of course Colin then it was time to leave. It was an amazing couple of days, days that are unlikely to be repeated. It was a spe- cial crew that worked together to make it real. The ACF makes many things possible and gives memories that will last forever. This is definitely one of those sorts of memories.
SS