Staffordshire and West Midlands (North Sector) Army Cadet Force
by SMI G Edwards
Ex Ski Caper Bavaria 2010 Capt A Lester and 2 Lt Sarah Howes
The Army Cadet Force is busy celebrating a century and a half of support to young people with events all over the country throughout 2010, all designed to promote the movement and encourage people of all ages to get involved. The year of celebration is entitled Cadet150 and HM the Queen is Patron. Cadet150 honours the rôle which the Cadet Forces play in assisting young people towards responsible adulthood through learning new skills and developing self- confidence and it recognises the contribution which the young people themselves make to their local communities. Central to the national commemorations will be a Royal review of the Cadet Forces in central London in 2010 but regional celebrations will continue throughout the year, all reflecting the spirit of fun, excitement, adventure and community service at the heart of the movement.
This year, we welcomed our new Commandant, Colonel K J Knutton, who has taken on the responsibility of the County as a whole along with the daily management of discipline, welfare and operational issues affecting the County. His new position will
The Mercian Eagle
also involve close liaison with members of the wider military and civilian communities, including the Regular and Territorial Army, Ministry of Defence and a spectrum of local community associations and representatives. Col Knutton hails from Tamworth and has served with the Army Cadet Force for 37 years - five of these as a cadet. In his long and outstanding service, Colonel Knutton has been a Detachment Commander of Rugeley, Abbots Beyne and Tamworth, before moving on to a Company position where he has held various appointments including D of E Officer, Training Officer, Adjutant, Company Commander and Deputy Commandant before taking his new appointment of Commandant on 6th January this year.
Despite a cold, blustery and snowy day on 19th February, Cadets from D Company in Stoke on Trent formed a guard of honour outside the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley to welcome The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during a Royal visit to the City which was to mark the centenary of the city’s federation. The Prince and the Duchess took time to chat with the cadets and Officers before viewing
The Staffordshire Hoard treasure as part of a whistle-stop tour of the city.
On Saturday 15th May, the Cadet Forces of Staffordshire and West Midlands celebrated the cadet force movement with over 700 cadets parading through Lichfield following a short Cathedral Service. The parade involved elements of the Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. The parade included a march past the Guildhall where Staffordshire Deputy Lieutenant (DL), Major General Andrew Farquhar CBE, took the salute. Other guests attending the Parade and Reception at the Guildhall included the Chairman of Lichfield District Council, the Mayor of Dudley, the Mayor of Walsall, the Mayor of Wolverhampton, the Mayor of Stone, the Mayor of Stoke on Trent, the Mayor of Stafford, the Mayor of Lichfield, the Mayor of East Staffs Borough Council, the Mayor of Tamworth and Surgeon Commodore Walker OBE Royal Navy, Medical Director of Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, as the senior Royal Navy Representative.
The chance to carry out a week of non-stop military and adventurous training away from home with your friends is what being in
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