28 NAVY NEWS, DECEMBER 2011


Monumental oc SEA Cadets took over the


heart of London to stage their annual showpiece ceremonial


event. Youngsters aged between 12 and 18 demonstrated their skills as musicians, clubswingers and masters of drill as they marked the 206th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar by parading in the square which took its name from Nelson’s victory.


More than 50 units were represented – including a handful of Royal Marines Cadet detachments – at a ceremony which required detailed planning, intensive


practice and precise timing, to say nothing of the


last-minute preparations which ensured the cadets – including Army and RAF youngsters – looked smart and neatly slipped into their allotted roles. Some 500 cadets were involved, with the highest profile going to the band, the Honour Guards and the various athletes in the PT displays. Army and air cadets also took part in the ceremony, and platoons of each cadet force were inspected by the Commandant General Royal Marines, Maj Gen Buster Howes RM, and Captain Sea Cadets Capt Mark Windsor. Sea Cadets led platoons with a traditional bluejacket parade


from the Mall to Trafalgar Square, joined by a 80-strong marching band and Army and Air Cadets. The cadets, from units across the UK, had just two days to practise and coordinate their moves for the very exacting and precise ceremonial display. And that display was carried out in a limited space, in front of around 2,000 spectators, whether they were tourists to the city or Royal Navy senior officers – so no pressure there, then. Capt Windsor said: “As Captain Sea Cadets, I was once again completely overwhelmed by the standard of drill,


dress and bearing of our cadets


on parade today bathed in warm autumn sunshine under the shadow of Nelson’s Column. “Above all the cadets really


were: Nottingham, Newark, Harrogate, Finchley, Willesden and St Marylebone, Bromley, Edmonton,


enjoyed the day, and for all this will long remain a once-in-a- lifetime memory to be proud of.” The units


which took ceremonial,


Balham, Walton-on-the-Naze, Basildon, Leith, Edinburgh (Trinity), Musselburgh, Dundee, Methil, Dalbeattie, Hoylake, Runcorn, Sefton, City Of Liverpool, Kirkby and Liverpool North, Liverpool Middleton


Tooting part and


Rhyl, Fleetwood, Aylesbury (RMCD), Herne Bay, Sheppey, Chatham Marines, Windsor and Eton, Chichester Harbour and Selsey, Reigate, Eastbourne, Eastbourne (RMCD), Hastings, Poole, Warsash, Chippenham, Bristol


and Chadderton, (West Derby),


Penzance, Plymouth (Drake), Birmingham Walsall


(RMCD) ,


Yeovil, Taunton, Barry, Torfaen, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth and Lichfield, Fishguard, and


(RMCD), Weymouth, (Sherbourne) ,


l Snapshots of the Sea Cadet Corps’ Trafalgar Day parade in central London, including intensive preparations, displays of club-swinging, and a demonstration of precision drill by Sea Cadets, Royal Marine Cadets, the marching band and other youth organisations


Pictures: Leon McGowran (Filton)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48