W Company

Alnwick Detachment was officially reaffiliated to the Alnmouth Branch of the Royal British Legion on Monday night.

The cadets regularly help the Legion with fundraising in the local area.

The hour long presentation saw an exchange of certificates between Branch officials and Detachment Commander, SSI Ralph Brown. Our colleagues at 1801 (Alnwick) Squadron ATC were also reaffiliated.

The image above shows army and air cadets, members of the Royal British Legion and local dignatories.

Thirty five cadets from W Company took part in the now annual Armed Forces Day celebrations in Alnwick.

The cadets from Alnwick, Amble, Belford, Broomhill and Rothbury Detachments marched along Bondgate Within to the Market Place, before being inspected by the Mayor of Alnwick, Councillor Eileen Blakey. The banners of Alnwick and Broomhill Detachments were also paraded through the town.

Local ATC Squadron Commander, Flt Lt Dave Gamlin RAFVR(T), acted as Parade Commander and our own SMI Lynne Bannister took the important role of Parade Marshall, making sure the event ran smoothly.

A Sea King helicopter from 202 Squadron at RAF Boulmer flew over the parade, which basked in the uninterrupted June sunshine.

The Company also ran Northumbria ACF's recruiting trailer in the Market Place all day. Some of the adults involved with manning the trailer are seen above enjoying a quick ice cream in the hot midday sun.

The day culminated with a short church service in the shadow of the Northumberland Hall, which included the lowering of the Union Flag and Last Post.

The OC W Company, Major Mark Ewart, said: "It was heartening to see so many of the people of Alnwick line the streets in support of our Armed Forces. The cadets of W Company are privileged to be associated with the fine work our Armed Forces personnel do overseas on operations."

The 2IC, Capt Tom Jackson, added: "We're grateful to all the cadets and adults of W Company for their enthusiastic support this Armed Forces Day. We look forward to making an even bigger contribution next year."

We hope to publish further images of the parade shortly, so stay tuned for updates.

Cadets from Belford Detachment were on hand to make sure Seahouses Summer Fete went with a bang last Saturday, 19th June.

The cadets helped assemble and dismantle the 25 market stalls, which took pride of place at the annual event. The work was gruelling as the hot summer sun beat down all day. Luckily the lads managed to get the stalls up before the strong sea breeze took hold later in the day.

Cadets from across Northumbria ACF took to the streets of Newcastle today, in a celebration of 150 years of the Army Cadet Force.

The showcase event, benefiting from the splendid backdrop of Grey's Monument, included demonstrations spanning the entire cadet training syllabus from physical training to foot drill.

Cadets from W Company presented a segment about adventurous training, which included displays of mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, skiing and expedition work. The cadets also took part in a climbing wall relay race, which is shown in the video below.

Company Commander, Major Mark Ewart, was MC for the entire event and gave an almost flawless running commentary on the action. SSIs Ralph Brown and Becky Matthewson ran the climbing walls, which daredevil members of the viewing public also had chance to climb. Company Sergeant Major, SMI Peter Lawrence, narrated the Company's presentation and 2IC, Captain Tom Jackson, wore his second hat by provided first aid cover for the event.

After a hard day's work in the public eye W Company retired back north, calling for a healthy bite of lunch at a well known restaurant chain.

More than 200 Fusiliers marched through Morpeth on Saturday to celebrate the Regiment's Freedom of Northumberland.

The honour, bestowed by Northumberland County Council, allows the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers to march through the streets with colours flying and bayonets fixed.

Cadets from W Company assisted on the day by lining the street and guarding the saluting dias. Brigadier Trevor Minter OBE, Regimental Colonel, and the Duke of Northumberland, Honorary Colonel, took the salute from the massed Regular and TA soldiers.

Lt Col Sue Haughie TD, Deputy Commandant of Northumbria ACF, said: "I would like to thank all cadets who took part in the St George's Day and Freedom of Northumberland Parade in Morpeth on 24th April. I was incredibly proud of you all."

I hope to bring some photos of this event shortly, so stay tuned.

Cadets from across Northumbria ACF converged on Amble today for a full dress rehearsal of the County's Cadet 150 celebrations.

The Army Cadet Force was founded in 1860, when the threat of invasion by the French was heightened and the British Army was spread thinly across the Empire. Step forward 150 years and we've come a long way since Octavia Hill started the first Army Cadet units in deprived areas of London.

Back then the fortunate few boys who made it into the ACF struggled along with primative equipment on a shoestring budget.

Today's ACF has almost 50,000 cadets and 10,000 adults, based in local Detachments from Lands End to John O'  Groats. It uses some of the most modern equipment the British Army has to offer, including our own brand new weapon system.

Each of Northumbria ACF's four Companies staged a different activity at today's event, which ran alongside Amble Town Council's St George's Day celebrations.

Cadets from X Company gave a demonstration of PT; cadets from Y Company took a  historical look at cadet dress and equipment through the ages; cadets from Z Company gave a demonstration of foot, rifle and banner drill.

Northumbria ACF also had recruiting, Duke of Edinburgh's Award and first aid stands for members of the public to view.

Unfortunately our own cadets, from W Company, were unable to stage their segment because the climbing walls they planned to use have been recalled for a safety inspection.

Cadets from Amble Detachment were on hand to ensure the smooth running of the local event - some of them were even seen to participate in the country dancing sessions on the Town Square!

Overall it was a pretty good day, which has given us a good idea of where we need to concentrate in the run up to the big Cadet 150 event in Newcastle in June.

Another W Company cadet has won the prestigious position of Lord Lieutenant's Cadet for Northumberland.

Sgt Guy Renner-Thompson of Belford Detachment will be officially installed as the Lord Lieutenant's right hand man at a ceremony next week. The accolade, which is the pinnacle of a cadet's career, is awarded to only one army cadet in the County each year.

Guy will spend the next year or so assisting HM Lord Lieutenant, the Duchess of Northumberland, at high profile events around the area.

Guy, of Belford Detachment, has been with Northumbria ACF for six years and has achieved success in a number of fields. In particular he has represented the County at Brigade and National level shooting competitions on several occasions.

Our congratulations go to Guy for his appointment and the hard work that went behind it.

Cadets from Berwick Detachment are coming to the end of a mammoth six months of fundraising in support of forces charity Help For Heroes.

Back in April three of our cadets - Cpl Greg Hogarth, Cdt Nathan Jerdan and Cdt Connor Armstrong - hit on the idea of raising a few hundred quid towards this very noble cause. With the help of Debra Jerdan of Berwick Youth Project, Lt Keith Marchant their ACF Detachment Commander and Tony Brown of the Royal British Legion they set about gathering public support for their fundraising efforts.

The lads' fundraising frenzy culminated in a coffee morning in the town's Guildhall, which saw their total shoot to well over £6,000. This event was well supported by many local businesses but a special mention has to go to Haggerston Castle Holiday Park, who donated the four main raffle prizes, hosted a car boot sale and whose enthusiastic staff participated in a number of different fundraising events.

Army cadets from Berwick and Duns took part in a sponsored overnight 25 mile walk around Berwick's historic town walls and organised collections in several shops and pubs around the area.

With sponsor money still trickling in the grand total could top £7,000 - a tremendous effort by all those involved.

Further coverage appears in the Berwick Advertiser.