Cadet Newsletter 2012

It all started by chance, I was drinking in my local back in 1974 when my mate Paul said “Dave you’ve got guns, would you do a talk at the local ATC unit?” (1475 Squadron in Forest Hill South East London). At the time I was a Fire Arms Certificate holder and had been shooting pistols and rifles since I was 19. A date was set and I went to the unit taking my six pistols, my 7.62 SLR rifle and my old 303 Enfield. The evening was a great success the cadets and staff all had a good look and afterwards the CO asked if I would consider joining as staff. I did and soon became a Warrant Officer which was good for about three years until the first wife gave me the “me or the Corps” speech. I chose her and left the Corps however after about six months she left me for an Army Air Corps Corporal and took our daughters Rachel and Victoria. I married Lesley 1985 and had two children Peter and Joanna. A mutual friend’s daughter was in the ATC at 19 Squadron Crawley and when Peter was 14 in 2000 I took him down to join. The CO Flt Lt Andy Skinner had found out that I had been in the ATC before and asked me to rejoin at the ripe old age of 49. Well I was surprised at this but I was sucked in and was a CI in three months, WO in the first year, commissioned and CO within three years. Three courses at the Adult Training Facility in RAF Cranwell which went well apart from the marching, I had to work at that. While I was at 19 Squadron I started the Nijmegen four day march training with Andy Skinner, Alan Shave and Gordon Lambert. I eventually completed 5 marches and one day, as in 2006 it was cancelled due to the heat where eight civilian people died. To undertake Nijmegen you had to qualify at the RAF Cosford two day march. Six times I completed Cosford and three times the Spitfire one day 26 mile march in Folkston Kent. In 2007 I left 19 Squadron and took over at 2530 Uckfield Squadron and had two good years as CO. In 2009 I was back at 19 as a squadron officer until taking over at 172 Squadron in March 2012. This was a challenge as the cadet numbers were very low but the staff and cadets there were very receptive to my style of leadership. I delegated as much responsibility as possible to staff and cadets alike and the transformation was fantastic. Now some nine months later the cadet numbers are over fifty and we welcomed two very able new to the ACO staff who I know will go far. For many years I wanted to go to the Normandy Beaches and march over them. The Invasion off mainland Europe in 1944 was a subject I was very interested in so in 2008/2009 a plan was hatched. A group of us marched from Honfleur to almost Cherbourg some 120 miles with a support team, minibus and sailing yacht if your feet wanted a rest. Only two of the group marching managed or wanted to go sailing the rest of us marched the whole way over six days. This was a great feet as we did not undertake any training except a few of us who were still Nijmegen training just for the hell of it. This has turned into the Overlord March and is going from strength to strength now some 50 to 60 staff and cadets participate and I am looking forward to 2013.

Flt Lt Dave Thompson

Squadron announces new Commanding Officer

172 Haywards Heath Squadron

Special points of interest:

• New Commanding

Officer joins 172

• 7th at Sussex Wing Field

Day

• Squadron grows to 54

Cadets

• Cadets represent Sussex

Wing

• Cadets attend RAF Shawbury for Annual

Camp

• Flt Sgt Kraus achieves

Virgin Apprenticeship

Included

RAF Camp 2

Flying / Gliding 2

Wing Field 3

Cadet Joins Virgin 3

Sport 5

Upcoming Events 5

Squadron Shop 6

Our 2012 Year December 2012


Our 2012 Year

This year CWO Laura Ferguson and Flt Sgt

Henry Kraus were fortunate enough to gain

places on the summer camp trip to RAF

Shawbury. RAF Shawbury is the home of the

Tri-Service central defence flying school. So it

is the primary station for the RAF, Royal Navy

and the Army Air corps to train all personnel

to fly rotary aircraft. It is also the station where

Prince William (Flt Lt RAF) and Prince Harry

(Captain Army Air Corps) both trained to

become military pilots.

During the week stay at Shawbury everyone

partook in activities ranging from traffic stops

and searching vehicles, to flying in the Grob

Tutors at RAF Cosford, getting simulator flights

in a Griffin Helicopter and flying in a Squirrel

Helicopter, for a select few. In addition they

shot the L98 A2 service rifle and the No.8

Rifle. They also participated in drill practice

with a drill competition at the end of the week,

many various sporting activities, with a day trip

out to a local water sports facility for canoeing,

rowing, and ‘swimming’ for those unfortunate

enough to have fallen into the river.

Because of the nature of the station it didn’t

have any room in the general quarters for the

cadets to stay in, but did offer Sussex Wing an

old aircraft hangar which had been transformed

into a modern sports facility to use for

accommodation. This meant that all cadets

who attended slept in 12x12 canvas tents

inside the hall, which made it a more unique

experience than usual camps.

Some of the more senior cadets who attended

the camp were able to fly in the training

helicopters, the Squirrel, at 705 NAS (Naval

Air Squadron). The selected 12 cadets, who

included both CWO Ferguson and SGT Kraus,

were taken up in 3 groups of 4 with the RAF

Pilot who trained Prince William for a year and

a half to become the pilot he is today.

All in all this was a very memorable and

successful camp for the two 172 SQN cadets

who attended and for Sussex Wing as a whole.

September 2012

Cadet Alex Harfield - Corporal

Corporal Sam Sanders - Sergeant

Sargeant Andy Rice - Flight Sergeant

Sargeant Henry Kraus - Flight Sergeant

Flight Sergeant John Burton-Gow - Cadet Warrant Officer

February 2012

Flight Sergeant Laura Ferguson - Cadet Warrant Officer

March 2012

Cdt Jonathan Hall - Corporal

Cdt Christian Orchin - Corporal

Cdt Rose Sargent - Corporal

Cdt Lucy Sargent - Corporal

Corporal Andy Rice - Sergeant

Corporal Henry Kraus - Sergeant

Sergeant John Burton-Gow - Flight Sergeant

RAF Shawbury

“Adventure, fun,

incredible experiences

and making new

friends”

Page 2

Cadet Promotions

Our 2012 Year

Wing and Region Field Days 2012

Adventure Training

Remembrance Parade

As the most important event of the year we were

pleased to see a good turn out to the 2012

remembrance Parade. With the newest Cadets

applying themselves excellently and the more

experienced Cadets maintaining their excellent

presentation, the Parade was a definite success

parallel to previous years and setting a standard for all

in the ATC and other organisations besides to follow.

The event is an important date in the Air Training

Corps year with Cadets across the country coming

out to pay their respects to those affected by and

involved in combat across the globe and history. As a

squadron we encourage the Cadets to get involved

and represent the organisation at this highly regarded

Parade.

172 squadron is proud to have such motivated

individuals actively engaging with the Remembrance

Parade and presenting themselves with the level of

dedication as benefiting the Parade.

At 172 great emphasis is put on teaching transferable life skills such as pride in

appearance and communication but, most of all, leadership and team working. We

regularly use Adventure training and field craft activities to instruct and demonstrate

these abilities. In 2012 this culminated in taking an Adventure Training team of 7

inexperienced cadets and 3 NCOs to Wing Field weekend to compete over 10

activities including raft building and chasm crossing.

Under the leadership and Instruction of Flight Sergeant Rice, the team achieved 5th

place out of 20 (beating last year’s performance

by three places) despite competing against teams

comprising of more senior and experienced

cadets from other squadrons. This is a

tremendous accomplishment which reflects the

high standard of all cadets at 172.

This past year has been one 18 year old

Cadet Flight Sergeant Henry Kraus will

never forget. He applied as one of 600

applicants for an engineering

apprenticeship for Virgin Atlantic Airways.

He was informed in mid-April that he had

been successful in the initial stage and had

been invited back to sit some

examinations, consisting of a maths paper,

some timed psychometric tests, and a

short essay on an engineering based

subject of his choice. It came as a big

shock to Henry when he found out he had

made it into the top 32 applicants based

on the examination results out of all 350

applicants, and he had been invited back

for an interview with the apprentice

manager and the lead instructor. After the

2 hour interview Henry said he was

amazed he’d gotten as far as he did but

said there was no way he could’ve gained

one of the 12 places that were on offer.

In July Henry received an email from the

recruitment department at VAA, and he

was expecting the worst; he read it and

read it and read it again, but it stayed the

same, and it said we’d like to invite you to

start the job in September 2012.

Since starting Henry has completed 8

EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency)

modular examinations and had completed

4 weeks of practical hand skills at

Northbrook College in Shoreham. Henry

will finish his apprenticeship in September

2015 and we wish him the very best of

luck with his work, and his very

promising future career.

Page 3

“Develop the

qualities of

leadership and

good citizenship.”

2012 was a record breaking year across the board for 172 Squadron at wing field

weekend. Cadet Warrant Officer Ferguson led the drill team to 7th place and

achieved 6th place for her performance as drill commander in spite of having to

direct the squad during a hailstorm. The Adventure Training team, led by Flight

Sergeant Rice, came 5th and Corporal Harfield’s Aircraft recognition team came

7th Finally, the First Aid team achieved 2nd place under the guidance of Cadet

Warrant Officer Burton Gow.

This entitled us to send a team to represent all of Sussex Wing at region field

weekend at RAF Northolt where Cadet Warrant Officer Burton Gow, Flight

Sergeant Rice, Flight Sergeant Kraus and Corporal Orchin competed against the

best teams from London and the South East and ultimately came 5th. All in all, a

fantastic performance from all who attended wing field weekend which resulted in

172 coming 7th out of 20 squadrons overall – the best in 172 recent history!

Cadet Achieves Apprenticeship with Virgin

Classifications and Courses Passed Our 2012 Year

“The Ultimate

Challenge for

young people”

NIJMEGEN MARCH (13TH JULY 2012 – 22ND JULY 2012)

Nijmegen is a 100 mile road march across Holland in 4 days. It is an

annual march which takes place in and around the City of Nijmegen

in East Holland, near the border to Germany in the summer.

Nijmegen is believed to be the oldest city in Holland, celebrating its

2000th birthday in 2005. The march is the largest march in the world,

where civilians and teams of military personnel all partake in a 30km,

a 40km or a 50Km route each day for 4 consecutive days.

My journey for this epic challenge started in September 2011, with

my first 15 mile practice march, which was held in Crawley. Then

once a month we practiced once or twice a month either in

Worthing, Crawley or Uckfield, in order to be able to bond as a

team and also get used to the distances we’d be travelling in Holland.

Before we were allowed to go out to Holland my team and I along

with every other military team had to complete a practice march at

RAF Cosford. This was a 50 mile march over a weekend in early

April 2012. Sussex wing took 2 teams of 10 cadets along with 2

marching staff per team. The start for Cosford on both days was

roughly 4:00Am both mornings, which would allow us to travel the

25 miles by foot, and also prepare us for the wake-up times of

3:30-5:00 am which we’d have to adhere to in Holland.

After I had completed the RAF WARMA (Royal Air Force Walking

and Road Marching Association) 2 day march at Cosford, I was

selected to travel to Holland to take part in the 100 mile challenge

with 9 other cadets and 2 adult staff. We travelled out to Holland by

coach from RAF Northolt at 00:00 on Friday 13th July, in order to get

to Holland Saturday Evening to register our team for the March on

the Tuesday.

We spent the Saturday evening , Sunday and Monday exploring the

city, and we visited an old war museum showing a very detailed story

of the Battle of Arnhem in WWII. As this is the largest event of its

kind in the world, Nijmegen city was bursting with life and frivolities

in build up to the marching days.

After the march had ended we packed up and

departed for England at 07:00Am on the 22nd

July, which was the day I should have been

attending camp, but being in the wrong

country meant I wouldn’t have made the

connection, so I had arrange prior for myself

and CWO Ferguson to travel up on the day

after.

Page 4

Passing First Class First Class to Leading Cadet

July:

Cpl Hall

Leading to Senior Cadet

October:

Cpl Sargent L

Subjects Passed:

Basic Navigation

Principles of Flight

Airmanship II

October:

Cdt Fitzpatrick

Subjects Passed:

Propulsion

Aircraft Handling

Junior First Aid Course

Crowborough Training Camp, in October, Cadet Jarvis and

Clarke from 172 squadron attended the youth first aid course

run by St. Johns. The first day consisted of learning the theory

from videos, demonstrations and power points. The last of part

of day one was spent putting what we had learnt into practice.

After an early start on the second day we started with more

practical training, in preparation for our practical assessments.

We practiced CPR and spent lots of time patching each other up

with bandages. After lunch came the assessments. The skills we

had learnt from the theory and practical parts of the course

meant both the squadron cadet who attended the course passed.

Passing MOI

October:

CWO Burton-Gow

Method Of Instruction:

Learning how to and

Preparing a lesson which

was delivered to a group

of students, whilst being

accessed.

April:

Cdt McPhee

June:

Cdt Lunt

Cdt Bailey

July:

Cdt Houlton

September:

Cdt H Robinson

Cdt Plowright

November:

Cdt Clarke

Cdt Dean

Cdt Hacker

Cdt Knight

Cdt Javis

Cdt Myres

Cdt Trehearne

December:

Cdt Peckham

Cdt J Robinson

Subjects Passed:

The ATC

The RAF

Initial Expedition Training

Map Reading

History of Flight

Airmanship I

Basic Radio Communications

Squadron Sporting Cadets

This year, not only has Great Britain as a whole excelled and shown the world what we're made of with the home Olympics being a success, but our cadets have also. They have been digging deep and the effort and enthusiasm never seems to end; I should know because I am part of the NCO team who are constantly pushing them that bit further and harder and they never fail to deliver. The Cadets have been achieving exceedingly high standards in their sports both at the Squadron and on further-afield visits. Many cadets took part in wing sports such as hockey and some persevered to outperform many others and follow through to region level (the equivalent of playing for south east in civilian teams). On top of such gains, our squadron has grown so much and with growth comes a bigger and better competitiveness which is an admirable trait that has blossomed with these cadets. I take my hat off to the cadets and my fellow NCOs at 172 for they have proven their worth and Haywards Heath squadron will rise above the rest with new year just beginning, providing plenty of time to show the rest of the Corps what we have in store. A salute to our cadets for demonstrating the true grit and determination of a great British citizen and most importantly, a

member of the Air Training Corps.

Our 2012 Year

Upcoming for 2013

January 2013

13th - Inter Wing Cross County (Stubbers Adventure Park)

20th - Air Experience Flying (RAF Station)

19th-20th - YFA/Heartstart Instructor Training Course

20th - Junior Hockey & Soccer, Netball & Rugby Trials

February 2013

03rd - ATC Service of thanksgiving and dedication

(RAF Church, St Clement Danes, London)

March 2013

10th - Inter-wing Junior Netball and Rugby (Guildford)

24th - Inter Squadron 5-a-side (Broadbridge Heath)

April 2013

Easter Camp

06th-13th - Llanbeda Adventure Training Weeks (Wales)

09th-18th - Cyrus Easter Camp

May 2013

12th - Inter Squadron Athletics (K2 Crawley)

25th-1st April - Exercise Overload March 2013 (Normandy, France)

25th-1st April - Field Skills Week

20th - Junior Hockey & Soccer, Netball & Rugby Trials

June 2013

02nd - Inter Wing Athletics (K2 Crawley)

July 2013

Summer Camp

06th - Exercise Green Guardian (Charlton Forest)

August 2013

Cyrus Summer Camp

23rd-26th - Edenbridge and Oxsted Show

30th-01st September - Shoreham Air Show

September 2013

04th-08th - Excercise Clog Dance IV ( Netherlands)

20th-22th - Wing Field Weekend (Crowbrough)

October 2013

05th - Region Field Day (RAF Northolt)

26th-02nd November - Wing Aerospace Skill Week (Crowbrough)

Inter Wing (Representing 172 squadron):

Inter Region (Representing Susses Wing):

Inter Core (Representing London and South East Region):

CWO L Ferguson:

Hockey

Flt Sgt H Kraus:

Senior Soccer

Cpl L Sargent:

Hockey

Cpl R Sargent:

Hockey

Netball

Cdt Watson:

Discus (1st)

Shot-put (4th)

First Aid Team:

CWO Burton-Gow

Flt Sgt Kraus

Flt Sgt Rice

Cpl Orchin

Cdt H Robinson:

Discus

Shot-put

Cdt Watson:

Discus (2nd)

200m (1st)

Cdt T John:

Cross County

Cdt A John:

Cross County

Cdt Vestdam-Crowe:

Cross County

CWO L Ferguson:

5-a-side Football

Flt Sgt Kraus:

4x100m Relay (2nd)

5-a-side Football

Long Jump (5th)

100m Sprit (4th)

Flt Sgt Rice:

5-a-side Football

800m (2nd)

4x100m Relay (2nd)

1500m (3rd)

400m (6th)

Cpl L Sargent:

4x100m Relay (2nd)

5-a-side Football

High Jump (3rd)

Cpl R Sargent:

200m (6th)

4x100m Relay (2nd)

Discus (2nd)

Cdt Bailey:

5-a-side Football

400m (1st)

1500m

Page 5

Cdt Watson - Discus (5th)

172 Squadron Stores Shop

95 Pattern Trousers

£16.00

New - Please Order

• Lightweight

• Poly-Cotton Mix

• DPM Camo

• Drawstring Waist & Bottoms

Rip Stop Combat Jacket

£30.00

New - In Stock

• 100% Ripstop Cotton

• 4 Pockets

• DPM Camo

• Large Toggle Buttons

Bush Hat

£6.00

New - In Stock

• 100% Cotton

• DPM Camouflage

• Air Vents

Parade Shoes

From £10.00

New and Grade 1

Limited Stock

• Leather Upper

• Leather Toecap

• DMS Sole

• 5 Eyelet Lace System

Kiwi Black Polish

£1.00

Sylvet Cloth

£6.00

Boots

Various Boots

Various Sizes

Various Prices

New and Grade 1

In Stock and Please Order

Camouflage Cream

£5.00

Emergency Whistle

£2.00

Bungees

£1.50

Assault Vest

Various vests

Various Size

Various Prices

• Lightweight

• Easy to use

• Water resistant

• Velcro patches

“Grade 1

means the

item has had

light use and

still has many

years service

left in it.”

Shemagh

£5.00

Grade 1—In Stock

• Protection from sun

• Protection from sand

• Protection from wind

• Useful as winter headgear

• Field towel

Page 6



58 Pattern Water bottle

£8.00

58 Pattern Cup

£2.50

Grade 1 - In Stock

• Fits in 58 pattern water

bottle pouch

• 1L Capacity

• 500ml cup

Knife, Fork and Spoon

£4.50

New - In Stock

• A military styled Knife

Fork Spoon set with an

added feature of a bottle

and can opener

Mess Tins

£8.00

Grade 1 - In Stock

• Lightweight

• Made from aluminium

• Sit neatly inside each

other

Spork

£2.00

New - In Stock

• Heat resistant material

• Teflon-friendly

• Machine washable

• Weight: 16g

Survival Bag

£3.00

New - In Stock

• Single Survival Bag

• helps to keep a victim

warm

• Acting as a shelter

Sewing Kits

From £5.00

New - In Stock

Contains:

• Buttons

• Thread

• Needles

• Scissors

First Aid Kits

£14.00

New - In Stock

• Small and compact

• Fits easily into a pocket

• Vertical and horizontal

belt loops

• Easily identifiable

We aim to keep the price of items stocked cheaper than any of the local suppliers.

All money made from the stores will be used to purchase further equipment for cadet use.

For Enquiries about any of the products please e-mail your orders to [email protected]

Or Speak to Flt Sgt Hewson, Flt Sgt Martin or CWO Burton-Gow

Page 7

The Cadet Centre

Eastern Road

Haywards Heath

West Sussex

RH16 3NQ

Phone: 01444 441 072

E-mail: [email protected]

172 (Haywards Heath) Squadron

Air Training Corps

Page 8

Raise money for 172 squadron by shopping online.

It doesn't cost you anything - just shop online using our partner retailers including: Amazon, John Lewis, M&S and over 2000 others. When you make purchases, they will donate money to your chosen

cause.

The great thing is it won't cost you any more, plus we've got lots of voucher codes and special discounts so you can actually save money while you help your good cause. There is no cost for the

good cause either – our service is totally free.

It's very simple - once you've registered with us, when you shop with one of our retailers, our system makes a note of your purchase, collects the donation from the retailer and passes it to your chosen good cause. That's it! No hassle for you, we do all the hard work while you shop as your normally

would.

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/

The 172 Squadron Committee

Chairman - Mr Kelvin Booth

Treasurer - Mrs Debbie Robus

Secretary - Mrs Tammy Booth

Member - Mr Vic Sherwood

The committee are always looking for new members to come into the

squadron.

Squadron Program

January 2013

1st - Squadron Stand Down

3rd - Working Blues

8th - Wedgewood Blues

10th - Working Blues

15th - Sports Kit

17th - Combats

22nd - Combats

24th - Combats

29th - Working Blues

31st - Working Blues

Squadron announces new Commanding Officer from 2013

In September 2012 my work took a turn and I have to work all over the country and at very short notice. This makes it impractical for me to be CO so I have stood down but will be continuing as a Squadron Officer for the foreseeable future.. Flt Lt J. Pelling is taking over as CO and I wish her all the best as the boss and I am convinced that the staff and cadets will give her their full support. To some of the friends, colleagues and family without whom a lot of the things I attempt would not be possible, I offer my sincere thanks. Their

help and commitment is greatly appreciated by the cadets and I.

Family:

CI Lesley Thompson

CI Peter Thompson

Sgt Joanna Thompson

Friends:

CI Cheryl Mason

CI John Mason

CI Barbra Buss

CI Ray Buss

Colleagues:

Sqd Ldr Kevin Tucker

Flt Lt Sally Rattle

Flt Lt Helen Duddly

Debbie Robus


As a squadron we also support the Royal British Legion and RAFA. British Legion - Poppy Appeal RAFA - Wings Appeal

Written by:

CWO J. Burton-Gow, CWO L. Ferguson, F/Sgt Rice, F/Sgt H. Kraus, Sgt S. Sanders, Cpl C. Orchin, Cdt J. Clarke

Documents

Cadet Newsletter 2012