W Company

Love it or loathe it there's absolutely no escaping it as an army cadet. I am of course referring to foot drill (not dodgy contract catering).

Thirty young drill enthusiasts from W Company headed for Berwick Barracks where they spent the day pounding the square in preparation for the drill competition at Annual Camp next month.

The day started with the cadets being inspected by our new Company Sergeant Major, SMI Peter Lawrence. After checking their uniform was in top condition the squad practiced a wide range of foot and rifle drill movements.

Resident drill guru, SMI Lynne Bannister of Alnwick Detachment, put the cadets through their paces marching in slow time - something they have never done before but needed to practice for the competition.

The afternoon session was used to mop up any outstanding drill assessments.

The day ended on a high with 100% assessment pass rate and news that one of our cadets, Cdt Cpl Ross Holman of Belford Detachment, had just won one of the top prizes shooting in the national competition at Bisley.

Twelve cadets from W Company recently took part in Northumbria ACF's new cadet competition.

The competition, Northumbria Warrior, involved cadets from across the county battling it out during a timed route march, practical navigation, first aid and weapon handling on Otterburn Training Area.

Despite their valiant efforts the W Company team came in 4th place. Particular mention goes to Cdt L. Scott of Amble Detachment, who was the top individual on the shooting phase - a great achievement considering the experienced opposition.

Northumbria Warrior was in preparation for 15 Brigade's annual Colts Canter competition in early October. The W Company team will also be put through their paces at Annual Camp next month.

W Company cadets recently took part in a 15 mile sponsored walk from Cresswell to Alnmouth on the north-Northumberland coast.

The eleven youngsters, from our Alnwick and Broomhill Detachments, were raising funds for the annual W Company ski trip, which is taking part in January 2010.

SSI Ralph Brown shuttled backwards and forwards in the minibus and mountain bike to ensure safety coverage.

SI Becky Matthewson (and Rocky the dog) accompanied the cadets throughout the brisk beach walk, which included a well deserved fish and chip break at Amble.

The cadets who took part, shown in the image above, were LCpl Brett Rogerson, LCpl Joe Pendrich, LCpl Ed Inkster, Cdt Meg Straker, Cdt Kate Netherwood, Cdt Callum Turnbull, Cdt Will Young, LCpl Luke Wintrip, Cdt Mark Newson, Cdt Mark Robertson and Cdt Lydia Donaldson.