During the Summer holidays 18 cadets and 4 Officers from the Bearwood College Combined Cadet Force joined 400 other cadets at the 2 South East Brigade (2SE Bde) CCF Central Camp held at Crowborough Training Camp in East Sussex. The 5 days training was entirely organised and delivered by Regular Army officers and soldiers from 2SE Bde.
Once re-familiarised with the L98A2 Rifle the contingent deployed to the Cinque Ports Training Area (CPTA) to take part in a Military Skills Day. The cadets rotated around a number of stands, based around the varying aspects of the Army Proficiency Certificate (APC), which included : Survival, observation, command tasks, rafting, archery and first aid.
The practical Fieldcraft Day which followed included a sniper task, an ambush, pairs fire and manoeuvre and a platoon sized attack. This was a fantastic day where the cadets could put into practice the theory they had previously learnt and then take part in small exercise. The platoon attack was led by our own cadets which was such a great achievement considering their age and experience. All were able to take part as an offensive force against static electronic targets, which seemed to pop up everywhere keeping the cadets guessing. The attack culminated with the clearance of an enemy compound. The Bearwood College platoon was congratulated by Directing Staff for their demonstration of exceptional leadership, personal skills and communication.
Wednesday’s activities were based in and around the camp and included: the assault course, firing the 5.56 mm L98A2 semi automatic rifle on a 25 metre range, a modern and exciting defensive scenario utilising and air rifle range, paintball stand, laser quest, observation and .22 inch indoor range. For some of the cadets it was the first opportunity they have had to fire the L98A2 with live ammunition, which they all thoroughly enjoyed. The laser quest and paintball stands were also very popular, particularly with the Royal Navy cadets.
On Thursday all cadets took part in the competition day. Tests and assessments were conducted across the entire cadet camp attendance and were based on all skills covered in the first 3 days. There was a total of 10 competition stands requiring a team of 10 cadets from each contingent to compete. The stands were: March and shoot, drill, command tasks, map reading, military skills, military general knowledge, first aid, observation, survival, and signals skills. All Bearwood College cadets took part in a minimum of 2 stands each with team selection being left entirely to the young cadet JNCOs. All cadets performed their very best and were appropriately rewarded by winning the military knowledge and survival competitions as well as being placed highly in a number of others. This was a remarkable achievement considering that, in many cases; they were competing with very experienced 6th form cadets from other schools and colleges.
Bearwood College congratulates all those that attended for their outstanding enthusiasm and performance and for showing commitment by giving up the first week of their summer holidays. They have experienced so much and learnt a great deal about themselves in such a short space of time, they will undoubtedly remember CCF Central Camp 2012 for the rest of their lives.