CCF EXERCISE SENIOR STRETCH
Weather did not dampen the spirits of Warminster School CCF cadets.
Warminster School CCF has had a busy start to the academic year, with a large number of new recruits and two training exercises.
Exercise SENIOR STRETCH was a joint exercise with cadets from Plymouth College, West Buckland and Mount Kelly schools. Senior cadets developed their military skills alongside their peers, leading groups of cadets from other schools. They patrolled around the inside of Scraesden Fort before attacking enemy lurking within. On Saturday they faced a series of tasks, dealing with dubious insurgents loitering in a field and rescuing a casualty. There was even time to explore the extensive tunnels hidden beneath the Fort. When given responsibility and independence, our cadets thrived.
The second training exercise at the end of September, provided our new cadets with their first glimpse into the CCF experience. Cadets had a lesson about personal administration in the field, including the importance of taking care of their feet and washing. There was the opportunity to sample military 24-hour ration packs, with items in each pack containing about 4000 calories and high levels of carbohydrates. Cadets were given a lesson in setting up a patrol harbour by our OV volunteers, Nick McCormack and Luke Lomas, before erecting simple, lightweight shelters called ‘bashas’ in their own patrol harbour area. With torrential rain and gale force winds, most cadets took shelter for the night in an open barn. A few hardy souls put their bashas to the test, sleeping outside in the woods. To round off the weekend, red and blue teams were pitted against each other in laser tag battles in the woods and on a derelict building. Fun for staff and cadets alike. Thankfully the weather did not dampen the spirits of Warminster School CCF cadets.
Ange Garner, CCF Contingent Commander