Page 44 - Cadet review Summer 2022

HSY ACF
EX ARES CHALLENGE – AN HONORARY
COLONEL’S PERSPECTIVE
by Colonel Simon Banks-Cooper
Visiting Cadets undertaking any form of training is always an enjoyable experience, even if I do declare a partiality to field training exercises and range days but catching up with them when they are deep into a prolonged period of activity, having had time to get into a rhythm and become cohesive, is always going to be special. So it was, arriving to see senior cadets from the Humberside & South Yorkshire Army Cadet Force when they were in full swing on Ex Ares Challenge in Cyprus, I knew that I was in for a treat for the next 48 hours, albeit unbeknownst that British Airways were to have the final word.
Overseas visits have been in short supply over
the last couple of years, and acutely aware of the frustrations of earlier cancelations and the sheer effort expended in making the trip work, it was incumbent on me to make the time to pay HSY a visit. Not just to see what the cadets were achieving but to offer my thanks to those people who had made the exercise possible, particularly the Regular units who so willingly had offered their support.
I was not to be disappointed. Six days in and a
well planned, comprehensive and packed exercise programme clearly had the cadets buzzing, aside from the obvious evidence of hard work and sunshine, so in terms of fostering Espirit de Corps, there was very little for me to do. Chatting with them, you are quickly reminded of what a diverse group the cadets are, something that the uniformity of dress and unity of action hides, yet despite the differences the magnitude of the impact the Army Cadet
Force has had on their lives was all too evident. As Professor Simon Denny succinctly explains in his report*, improving the self efficacy of the individual has a profound impact on their future lives with a corresponding societal benefit and for the partici- pating cadets. I can honestly say that I could see this trait being developed right in front of me; intensity resulting in amplification. Justification, if it were needed, for overseas exercises and the increased effort required to make them happen.
The Army Cadet Force sets itself apart from other youth organisations and the clue to that differentia- tion is in the name, and dilution of the elements that make it so must be avoided. Maintaining the theme, the exercise highlighted the importance of strong and active Regimental affiliations and on this occasion HSY, and the attached cadets from Yorkshire North & West, were on camp with, and being supported by, the 2nd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment. Whilst
all the cadets, irrespective of cap badge, benefited from the training provided and with the strong contingent of Yorkshire Regiment Cadets present
it was not lost on me that some of the instructing SNCOs had been in the Army as long as the cadets had been alive, and that some of the adult volunteers had joined Yorkshire Regiment antecedents before
Chatting with them, you are quickly reminded
of what a diverse group the cadets are
those SNCOs had been born. Whatever differences between the Army Cadet Force and the Army exist, when you are witness to a three generational group with shared traditions, values and standards passing down skills and experience, the term Regimental Family seems eminently appropriate. More so, such activities develop a mutual understanding that allows differences to be celebrated and the many shared benefits to be exploited. As the majority of cadets do not join the military, a developed understanding and empathy, built on the back of the experience and enjoyment of such encounters and carried into the civilian workplace can only be of benefit to service leavers, Reservists and adult volunteers in years to come. Add to which, it may also encourage some service leavers to become volunteers in the future and the virtuous circle is maintained. All it takes is maintaining a longer term view.
Equally apparent, is the role of the adult volunteers
44 CADET REVIEW SPRING 2022