NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011


39


Kettering unit adopts air squadron’s name


Hartlepool duo are honoured


KETTERING unit got off to a flying start in 2011 by


TWO members of Hartlepool unit have been honoured by the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sir Paul Nicholson. Unit chairman Eric Priest (pictured below), who leads a team responsible for securing funds to support the unit, was recognised for his outstanding commitment and dedication in turning the unit’s fortunes around.


POC Phillip Riley is the top cadet in the unit and will be the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for 2012, one of the highest honours a cadet can gain during their career. He was chosen from cadets throughout the county and will escort the Lord Lieutenant on his ceremonial duties.


POC Riley will be the third cadet in a row to be chosen from Hartlepool for such a duty. Unit CO S/Lt (SCC) Stephen


Harvey RNR said: “Obviously the unit is extremely proud to have such outstanding people involved as POC Riley and Mr Priest – both are an asset to the unit.”


assuming a new name. And as the Harrier has bowed out of service, and the last Fleet Air Squadron which flew it has been decommissioned, it leaves the youngsters as the only current holders of the name 800 Naval Air Squadron. Staff at the unit had sought to encourage closer links between the unit, formerly known as TS Pytchley, and the Joint Force Harrier aviators based at RAF Cottesmore.


The cadets visited Cottesmore last autumn, enjoying a tour of the facilities and a close-up look at the fabled jump jet. Then the Strategic Defence and


Security Review pulled the plug on the Harrier force, and instead of enjoying a link, the unit is now the standard-bearer for the defunct squadron. Cdr David Lindsay, Commanding Officer of 800 Naval Air Squadron, said: “As the squadron is being disbanded as result of the recent Strategic Defence and Security Review, we wanted to ensure that the name would live on. “We felt that Sea Cadets share our ethos and values, so there is no better way to secure our future than by giving the next generation a legacy they can be inspired by.” The unit’s official renaming ceremony took place at the end of January, during which Cdr


Lindsay formally handed over the squadron’s name and presented the cadets with cap tallies. The squadron also handed over


their Battle Honours board to the unit for safekeeping. A number of personnel, including pilots, from 800 NAS attended the evening, and enjoyed an event which included a performance by the unit band of the Fleet Air Arm march, Flying Stations, and a recitation of the history of the squadron by cadets and juniors. A cake was cut by Air Engineer Officer Lt Cdr Mark Kingdom and Cdt Taylor, the youngest in the unit (pictured right), and the unit’s guests were given tours of the unit.


Lt (SCC) Marc Pether RMR, the Commanding Officer of the Kettering unit, said: “The Harrier jet is the last of the fixed-wing aircraft within the RN Fleet Air Arm, and we are hoping that our affiliation with this illustrious squadron will help raise the profile of our unit to people in Kettering. “We are really grateful to 800 Squadron for this opportunity and are looking forward to a new chapter in Kettering Sea Cadets unit’s history.”


And with perfect timing, the cadets were able to show off their new cap tallies at the squadron’s official decommissioning parade, which was staged at RAF Wittering the following morning.


Waitrose backs Buxton


BUXTON unit was delighted to receive a donation from the Waitrose ‘Community Matters’ Fund early this year.


A cheque for £321 was presented to PO Becky Luckman and four cadets from the unit by Dan Hopkinson of Waitrose.


particularly welcomed as the unit is still working hard to raise funds for a new extension on their headquarters at the Cadet Centre site. The work would also include internal alterations.


TS Jersey gun pull raises thousands


THE balmy days of early September seemed a long time ago when the cold weather set in, but the efforts expended by cadets in Jersey as the summer faded yielded a tidy sum of money for a local charity which was handed over in the depth of winter. Every year, Sea and Marine Cadets and staff from TS Jersey pull a gun and carriage around the Channel Island, raising money for a local charity. The distance involved is around 37 miles, and the 2010 version – the 21st gun pull – involved groups working in shifts to cover the route, the ‘off’ crews being transported by bus to and from handover points. They were seen on their way from St Saviour’s Parish Hall by the Lieutenant Governor, Lt Gen Andrew Ridgway, the Connétable of St Saviour, Peter Hanning, and Robin Rumboll, the chairman of Help a Jersey Child, which was the beneficiary of the event. For the first part of their route they were escorted by the Honorary Police.


Mr Rumboll visited the unit’s headquarters to receive a cheque for £2,281.95, which will go direct to deserving island children via Help a Jersey Child, set up five years ago by local radio station Channel 103.


The unit has also held its annual


awards evening, at which the two major prizes were awarded.


The contribution was The existing building, at


Silverlands, has recently been upgraded with new doors and windows installed, as well as improved toilet facilities. However, in winter, space is


very restricted for indoor activities, and the unit has around 42 cadets aged between ten and 18 to accommodate.


Staff and management at TS


Bulwark would like to be able to open up the Sea Cadet experience to more youngsters.


The proposed extension


would meet the demands of adequate space in a more modern environment.


The unit is lucky in that it has


received support from some local businesses, but it still needs to find around £15,000 before work can start.


The hope is that more local people can be persuaded to donate to such a project right on their doorstep.


Meanwhile the cadets are


busy preparing for their annual inspection by the Royal Navy, and are learning new skills for the sailing season.


Six of their number have recently passed a course in navigation. Our next fundraising event is a


family quiz night on Friday March 11 at Buxton Football Club, just across the road from the unit’s HQ, starting at 7.30pm.


The maximum size of a team is


● Members of TS Jersey present the cheque to Robin Rumboll, chairman of Jersey Help a Child


POC Jenny Taylor was named as Sea Cadet of the Year, while Sgt Craig Norris took the honours as Marine Cadet of the Year. Jenny joined TS Jersey as a


14-year-old, quickly working her way up through the ranks and breezing through her Petty Officer Cadet exams last November. She has made full use of the


opportunities available, including attendance at French Camp and a chance to sail between the Channel Islands and France. She is particularly proficient


at seamanship, having gained


what are believed to have been the highest marks ever in the Southern Area for her 2nd Class Seamanship.


Craig joined the unit five years ago as a Sea Cadet, transferring to the Royal Marine Cadet Detachment within three months. Craig too has excelled in formal tests – last March he gained the joint highest score in the country for his National Sergeant’s Board exams, winning the prestigious Halliday Trophy for his efforts.


five people. Tickets, costing £5 for adults and £2.50 for under 18s, including a buffet, are available from 01298 24373. Since its launch in 2008,


Waitrose’s Community Matters initiative


has donated more


than £3 million to a wide range of charities and community groups. The scheme allocates each


supermarket £1,000 to share out between three local good causes each month. Customers ‘vote’ for their


preferred cause using a green token each time they shop, and the money each cause is given is directly proportional tokens they receive.


to the


● OC Roisin McElroy lays a wreath at the HMS Brazen memorial in Newhaven


Newhaven honours victims of shipwreck


THE annual Sea Cadet Sunday and HMS Brazen memorial service took place at St Michael’s Church, Newhaven, at the end of January. Officers and cadets from the


Newhaven and Seaford unit, along with their Lewes Division TS Defiance, proceedings.


took part in


Also there were the Mayor and Mayoress of Newhaven, Cllr Graham Amy and Mrs Marlene Amy. Following a short service in the


church, the party moved outside into the churchyard for prayers at the memorial to HMS Brazen. OC Roison McElroy laid a


wreath on the memorial. HMS Brazen was a captured


French privateer of 18 guns which had been deployed from Devon to patrol the coast of Sussex in January 1800 in response to reports of French privateers operating offshore. Having taken one ship off the


Isle of Wight, the sloop continued east but was wrecked early the following morning,


January 26,


under the cliffs of Newhaven. All but one of her crew of around 105 died, and ten bodies – including that of her captain, James Hanson – were never recovered. Bodies washed ashore were


buried at St Michael’s Church, and friends of her commanding officer paid for a memorial in his honour.


Wirral win three out of four


CADETS from across the North West Area converged on Leasowe Recreation Centre, Wirral,


for


the finals of the area five-a-side competition. Youngsters from Liverpool, Manchester, Lancashire, Wirral, Stafford,


North Wales and


Cumbria battled it out in a series of matches in four classes – junior boys, junior girls, senior boys and senior girls.


And home advantage seemed to


pay off, as three Wirral teams took the honours, in both the junior competitions and the senior girls. The senior boys title was taken back across the Mersey by the Liverpool cadets. Trophies and medals were presented by the Senior Staff Officer for the North West, Cdr (SCC) Janet Evans RNR, who said: “Our young people can have a great time whilst getting involved in sport and making friends from all over the North West Area.


“It is a testament to youth at its best.” In the swim


FINCHLEY unit has been celebrating success at their local swimming gala. TS Tartar took the honours in the boys, girls and juniors competitions – but at least one of those victories was pretty much on the cards.


Because the boys of Finchley


have won their district swimming gala for the past 59 years in a row, in fact, every year since it started.


It will be 59 and out, though, as a district rearrangement means they will not be able to make it to 60.


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