W Company

The first County Cadre Weekend of the year is rapidly approaching. The weekend will focus on SCIC training, 2-Star training, adult first aid, adult D of E and adult shooting coaching.

Transport timings this Friday (10 Feb 2012) are as follows:

Berwick: 1830 hrs
Belford: 1850 hrs
Alnwick: 1915 hrs
Rothbury: 1940 hrs
CTC Otterburn: 2010 hrs

Cadets are to ensure they are at their designated pick up times promptly, with all the uniform and equipment they'll need for the weekend.

We shall depart CTC Otterburn at around 1400 hrs on Sunday, 12 Feb 2012.

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Timings for the cross country this Saturday are as follows:

Outward journey:
0800 hrs Alnwick (3 cdts)
0815 hrs Rothbury (5 cdts + 1 adult)
0845 hrs Otterburn (Border Reiver)(max 7 cdts)
0945 hrs Cramlington

Return journey:
1330 hrs Cramlington
1430 hrs Otterburn (Border Reiver)
1500 hrs Rothbury
1515 hrs Alnwick

All cadets attending will need running kit, including something warm and waterproof, and a packed lunch.

Unfortunately, given a lack of drivers and transport, we only have the one bus which SSI Dullaghan will be driving.

To that end it is necessary to make some compromises on the transport front:
- The Belford cadet is asked to make his own way to Alnwick. If he can't get to Alnwick then he can stand down from the event.
- The Bellingham cadets, no more than 7, are asked to make their own way to Otterburn Border Reiver. If they can't do that then they are to stand down from the event.
- Other Detachments not mentioned on the transport plan above are not to send cadets to the event.

Transport timings for the JNCO Cadre at Alnwick this weekend are as follows:

Minibus 1 (SMI Guthrie to drive):
Broomhill 0800 hrs
Amble 0810 hrs
 
Minibus 2 (Major Ewart to drive):
Berwick 0715hrs
Belford 0745 hrs
Rothbury 0830 hrs

Cadets attending are reminded to bring their overnight kit, including sleeping bag. The Regimental Dinner is now cancelled, but there will still be food and entertainment on the Saturday night.

Please stay tuned to this website and the Company Twitter feed for any last minute changes. It's getting to that time of year when we need to think about the possibility of bad weather.

One hundred W Company cadets from as far afield as Berwick in the north and Bellingham in the west attended an action packed weekend at Otterburn. 

Despite storm force winds the cadets battled against the elements to improve their skills on the ranges, obstacle course and practical navigation. 

Below are some comments from the cadets who attended the weekend:

_The Company welcomed SSI John Gaskin to Otterburn for his first Company weekend. Reflecting on the weekend, SSI Gaskin said: "I have enjoyed working with the cadets and staff and I have been impressed with their level of training.  The food and accommodation were good and I look forward to working with W Company in the future".

Three cadets were presented with their newly earned APC Star badges on final parade. Cadets Joe Hale and Zak Summers completed the final assessments towards their APC 1-Star and Cpl Kevin Straughan received his 3-Star badge.

The Company Commander, Major Mark Ewart, said: "Once again it is a pleasure to report a very successful weekend. The cadets took the opportunity to experience a diverse range of challenging exercises over the weekend.  I was very impressed by their technical ability, efforts and general humour at all times".

Cadets from Y Company, Northumbria ACF have won the annual 15 (NE) Brigade cadet military skills competition, Colts Canter, which was held in North Yorkshire earlier today.

The team, led by Cdt CSM Liam Arnot, were incredibly worthy winners, having spent months of effort on painstaking preparation to make sure everything went right on the day. Their efforts weren't in vain, with the team scoring highly on several of the competition events.

Our cadets, from W Company, came in 13th place overall from a field of 25 ACF teams based between Humberside to the Scottish Borders.

The final cut for team W Coy were:
- Sgt Will Young (Alnwick)
- Sgt Ellie Tribe (Alnwick)
- Cpl Ed Inkster (Alnwick)
- Cpl Josh Truman (Broomhill)
- LCpl Brandon Mayes (Broomhill)
- LCpl Joe Miller (Broomhill)
- LCpl Bethany Charlton (Bellingham)
- LCpl Jake Douglass (Bellingham)
- Cdt Teri Hall (Alnwick)
- Cdt Matthew Witherley (Broomhill)

Reserves were:
- Cdt Kirstyn Crate (Alnwick)
- Cdt Jess Campbell (Alnwick)
- Cdt Matthew Nixon (Broomhill)

The team was accompanied by adult team manager Lt Barry Lister, ably assisted by SI Andi Allan. The 2IC W Coy, Capt Tom Jackson, also attended the event as DS on the first aid scenario.

The cadets battled it out on Catterick training area, with wind so strong it was sometimes a struggle to stand. They began the event by having their kit inspected and taking part in theory tests on fieldcraft, skill at arms and fieldcraft. The teams then had to deal with a simulated first aid incident, which this year included a gunshot wound and hand laceration.

A huge thank you to all of the W Company cadets involved with this tiring weekend. Despite finishing 13th we're a lot wiser for the experience and know where to focus our efforts next time.

Photographs of the event will be added to our 2011 gallery shortly, so stay tuned for their arrival.

The Champion Company Colts Canter team is as follows:

Sgt W. Young (M) Alnwick
Sgt E. Tribe (F) Alnwick
Cpl E. Inkster (M) Alnwick
Cpl J. Pendrich (M) Alnwick
Cpl J. Truman (M) Broomhill
LCpl B. Mayes (M) Broomhill
LCpl J. Miller (M) Broomhill
LCpl B. Charlton (F) Bellingham
LCpl J. Douglass (M) Bellingham
Cdt M. Nixon (M) Broomhill
Cdt M. Witherley (M) Broomhill
Cdt T. Hall (F) Alnwick

We will move to Otterburn this Friday night, spend Saturday on last minute training and take part in the competition on Sunday. All cadets will need weekend kit plus competition kit.

Transport times for Friday (Lt Lister driving):

Alnwick: 1830 hrs
Amble: 1850 hrs (if anyone to pick up)
Broomhill: 1900 hrs
Otterburn: 2000 hrs (drop off)
Bellingham: 2030 hrs

We will return late on Sunday - it's difficult to give a time, but the last cadets are unlikely to be home before 1900 hrs.

Timings for Colts Canter training this weekend will be as follows:

Fri, 16th Sept: Minibus 1 (SI N. Watson):
Broomhill: 1845 hrs
Amble: 1900 hrs
Alnwick: 1915 hrs
Otterburn: 2000 hrs

#Note these timings have changed slightly from earlier.

We should leave Otterburn at around 1400 hrs on Sunday for the return journey home.

The training will involve navigation, first aid, command tasks, shooting and the march. Please pack accordingly and remember you'll need a parental consent form for the weekend.

Please keep checking back here in case there are any last minute changes before the weekend.

Annual camp finished on an even bigger high than normal this year, with the brilliant news that W Company is Northumbria ACF's Champion Company for 2011.

The announcement was made by outgoing County Cadet Commandant, Colonel David Smith, at his final parade earlier today.

As the results of various competitions were read out by the County Training Officer, Major Andrew Brown, the realisation that we couldn't be beaten slowly dawned on members of W Company.

As the final result was read out euphoria swept the squad, who relaxed into triumphant cheers and clapping. Following the parade the Company marched back to our lines via roads flanked by magnanimous applauding colleagues from X, Y and Z Companies.

Our journey towards Champion Company has seen us win the barrack room competition, first aid competition, County SAAM, County cross country. We were also highly placed in the annual military skills competition, Northumbrian Warrior, and the County orienteering competition.

In the end there was a 7 point gap between us and arch rivals Y Company, who pipped us to the post last year by the narrowest of margins.

The OC W Company, Major Mark Ewart, congratulates all the cadets and staff who have given so much of their valuable time to achieve this magnificent result.

We might be a small Company on paper but working together we're able to pack a big punch.

Photos of final parade can be found in our annual camp gallery.

On the final day of annual camp today the Company recognised the leadership, instructional skills and dedication of several cadets by making the following promotions:

To LCpl:
Cdt Bethany Charlton, Bellingham Detachment
Cdt Jacob Douglass, Bellingham Detachment
Cdt Natasha Reid, Bellingham Detachment
Cdt Joe Miller, Broomhill Detachment

To Cpl:
LCpl Josh Truman, Broomhill Detachment

To Sgt:
Cpl Ellie Tribe, Alnwick Detachment
Cpl Will Young, Alnwick Detachment

Newly promoted LCpls Charlton, Douglass and Reid are the first cadet NCOs to arrive at Bellingham Detachment, which only opened in September 2010.

The cadets were presented with their new stripes by the OC W Company, Major Mark Ewart, at a special promotion parade early this morning.

The Company congratulates the cadets mentioned above on their achievements, thanks them for their commitment to the ACF and looks forward to them developing their NCO skills further in the future.

Photos of the presentation appear in our annual camp gallery.

A very quick summary of what the cadets have done today, which is also captured on the photo gallery.

Most of the cadets spent last night outside in bashas, where they had a surprisingly good night's sleep despite the heavy rain showers. We decided to keep the more junior cadets, 1 Platoon, inside our converted farmhouse because we knew they'd probably get soaked through inexperience.

After rising at the unusually civilised hour of 0700 hrs the cadets got washed, cleaned their kit, polished their boots and started preparing breakfast. Depending on their choice of ration pack they either had bacon & beans, beans & sausage or creamy porridge oats. Even the porridge tastes good after a spending the night in the bracing fresh air.

Straight after breakfast the cadets cleaned their weapons, which they are responsible for until we get back to camp on Monday. The damp conditions means they need to be kept clean and well oiled so they don't seize up and become rusty, which happens remarkably quickly if left unchecked.

The Padre, Major Stephen Caddy, visited the Company out in the field. We spent a few moments reflecting on the responsibilities of being an army cadet and remembering the fallen.

Back out onto training and the cadets finished their preparation for the assessment phase, which begins later today. They have been practising obstacle crossing, duties of a sentry and fire & movement, to name but a few.

Just before lunch the Deputy Commander of 15 (NE) Brigade, Colonel Jeremy Hughes, visited the farm and toured some of the training. with the OC, Major Mark Ewart, and 2IC, Capt Tom Jackson. He spent some time chatting with the cadets to find out what they thought about the ACF and Army in general. 15 Brigade is responsible for all of the British Army units between the Humber and Scottish border.

After lunch the cadets moved 2 miles eastwards across the training area to their new location for tonight's assessment phase. 1 & 2 Platoons, under the command of SSI John Rollo and Lt Barry Lister respectively, are spending this evening practising their harbour drills, observation and sentry skills whilst 3 Platoon, under the command of Lt Keith Marchant, are conducting patrols against an enemy force located a couple of kilometres away.

The cadets are all likely to work late into the night, with their position being attacked periodically to test their response. That will involve lots of flares, smoke and blank ammunition, which they should all enjoy.

I haven't mentioned the cadets of Minden Company much, because they have been working separately to the rest of W Company. They're all doing well and were very chatty when our paths crossed earlier today.

Tomorrow 3 Platoon have an all out assault on the enemy's farm buildings so stay tuned!

New photos uploaded.