Page 24 - Cadet Review Autumn 2024

SWY Wing ATC
BATTLE OF BRITAIN
WEEKEND – A BUSY TIME
FOR MIRFIELD CADETS
Support for the Royal Air Force Association Wings Appeal and parades to commemorate the Battle of Britain mean that September is always a busy time for Air Cadets and for 868 (Mirfield) Squadron this year was no exception.
Over the weekend of 14-15 September, the Squadron, and in common with squadrons around the country, were out on Saturday with collecting
tins to raise funds for the Wings Appeal, which helps raise the vital funds needed to support serving and former serving RAF personnel and their families, whenever they are in need. Whether it’s an injured airman fighting to get back onto his feet, a young child missing their parent away on overseas operations or a WWII veteran needing a shoulder to lean on.
The tempo kept up for the Sunday too, as cadets turned out, alongside their colleagues from 185 (Batley), 96 (Dewsbury), and 2490 (Spen Valley) Squadrons, for the Battle of Britain Memorial Parade organised by the Batley branch of the Royal Air Force Association. This was attended by local dignitaries including His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury and Batley, Iqbal Mohamed and Mayor of Kirklees, Nosheen Dad.
For the parade, at Batley Memorial Gardens, banners from the four local Air Cadet Squadrons were paraded and commenced with the dedication of a new standard for the Batley and Birstall Branch. This was followed by a short service; a very moving event as the names of each member of the Royal Air
The Lord-Lieutenant and Mayor of Kirklees arriving for the parade
Force from the local area who had died in the conflict were read out, and cadets placed a cross on the memorial in memory of each one. Each of the VIPs on the parade laid a wreath on the memorial during the service.
Meanwhile another party of cadets from the Squadron had spent the weekend on a Bronze level Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition through
the countryside of West Yorkshire, also involving cadets from 59 (Huddersfield), 96 (Dewsbury), 103 (Doncaster) and 2490 (Spen Valley) and which was organised by staff from Mirfield Squadron.
Cadet William Senior, Corporal Neo Graham and
Blessing the new standard for Batley and Birstall Branch of the Royal Air Force Association
Cadet Arthur Bairstow collecting for the Wings Appeal
24 CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2024