Page 111 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Priory Heath (Royal Lancers), C Company, Suffolk Army Cadet Force
It has, once again, been a good year for the Priory Heath De- tachment. We have said goodbye to some senior cadets and JN- COs as they timed out or left to pursue their studies but the cycle of renewal continues and the year’s new crop has been excellent. The Detachment has maintained its numbers and welcomed two new Adult Volunteers as a bonus. After a testing exercise in Feb- ruary, March saw the detachment supporting local Horse Trials as part of their ‘Cadet in the Community’ and winning praise for their exemplary turnout, behavior and honesty: How many adults would hand in a lost £20 note these days?
June and July were extremely busy. In June the Detachment was grateful for an invitation to visit the Regiment at Catterick for the Regimental Weekend (despite being perhaps the farthest- flung of the Regiment’s affiliated detachments). While the re- mainder of the summer term was packed with preparations for Annual Camp the effort put in by cadets and instructors paid off massively. Certainly, my abiding memory of camp was of 1 Sec- tion, Arras Company tucking into a hot meal in the field while the other sections were still getting their mess tins out.
At Chickerell Camp, Dorset, cadets were able to make the most of a range package including: time on the Dismounted Close
Outside RHQ – Catterick Regimental Weekend
Combat Trainer (DCCT); adventure training including climb- ing, abseiling, and the high ropes course; cultural visits to Bo- vington Camp and the Tank Museum; as well as visits to Wey- mouth for ice cream and sandcastles.
Lancer cadets from the Detachment have taken part in sporting events this year in the Regional Cross Country competition and made a good showing in both the C Company inter-platoon com- petition and the Colonel’s Cup. Two cadets attended a national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) challenge weekend and the Detachment proved that they weren’t afraid to get dirty helping to marshal “The Whole Hog” mud run on an extremely wet weekend in October. Further com- munity events in November included two fireworks events (and a two-day first aid course for some) all on the same weekend. Again, in very muddy conditions the Lancers were praised for their behaviour, turnout, and kindness in assisting a wheelchair user and for their steadfastness in the face of a potential rocket barrage when some fireworks “got interesting”.
I will never know how we managed to get the cadets clean again
in time for Remembrance weekend!
JG
Admin assistance to The Whole Hog Mud Run
Looking over a CVR(T) Scimitar
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