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News & Updates from 999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron, Air Training Corps. RAF Air Cadets.
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999 Squadron Christmas Special
Pirbright Adventure Training Camp
The 9 Cdts that went to Pirbright at
the start of the Summer had a very
exciting week full of Shooting,
Field Craft, Archery, Assault
Courses and some non-cadet
activities such as Bowling and Paintballing, all of which
made the Pirbright experience even more fulfilling.
Cdt Debnam-Sharp described Pirbright as ‘a great
opportunity full of fun experiences.’
WildBoar Newsletter
Page 1
Christmas Edition
999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron Air Training Corps
Drill Hall, High Street, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AP
Tel: 01371 878915
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.999sqn.co.uk (Currently under maintenance)
Newsletter written and produced by: Cadet E. Johnson
Photography by: CI Pack
Issue No.1
Flt Lt Wilding Interview What were your intentions when you
arrived at the Sqn?
When Flt Lt Wilding joined the Sqn as a Plt O,
he saw that there was ‘a lot of work to be done
to raise numbers and engage the current Cdts
with new activities and opportunities.’
Where do you see the Sqn in 5 years?
With only one high school in a small area, it
will be hard but with lots of new opportunities
presenting themselves, the Boss said that
‘there’s no reason why we can’t reach an
average of 45 Cdts per parade night whilst
maintaining fun opportunities and extending
the knowledge of the NCO’s.’
What’s been your most memorable
achievement at 999 Sqn?
Flt Lt Wilding was very proud of
exceeding other Sqn’s expectations by
reaching 30 Cdts, as well as providing a
‘great experience for the majority of the
Sqn at the Water Sports weekend.’
What are your main ambitions for
2013?
Raising £15k for a Sqn minibus is a ‘big
priority for more flexibility when travelling
to events and joining the likes of other
successful Sqns.’ As well as to continue
growing in number.
What’s your most memorable moment
in your Cdt career?
As a Cdt, Flt Lt Wilding enjoyed over 100
Flying hours with a CI Pilot at Halstead Sqn
who he ‘learnt a lot from’, unfortunately that
Pilot passed away recently. Other than
that, Flt Lt was very proud of
receiving his Gliding Scholarship,
as well as an Officer Commission
and two years later, being offered a
Command Post.
Operation WildBoar A lot of planning and preparation went into
Op WildBoar to make sure the Cdts got
the best experience they could out of it.
And they did! After lots of Field craft
exercises including Radios, First Aid,
impeccable Navigation (from at least one
team) and many more successful activities meant that the Cdts at STANTA
Military Base were able to drive back the insurgents and protect their base
at the compound and return to Dunmow to continue their Cdt experiences!
Water Sports Weekend The Cdts that went to Stubbers Adventure Centre for the weekend had lots
of amazing experiences as they tackled high climbing walls, Kayaked,
Canoed, Sailed and capsized into cold
waters and battled through the Lazer
Tag course. Even more fun was had
``` by those who bravely sped along the
zipwire, pulled by Cdt Ralph, in the
playground. Even braver were
the Cdts who crawled through the dark
underground tunnels of Stubbers!
The WildBoar Newsletter This is the first edition of many WildBoar Newsletters! 999 Dunmow Squadron have accomplished a lot since the
arrival of our new Commanding Officer, Flt Lt Wilding and we will be reviewing some of these great achievements
as well as asking Flt Lt Wilding what he thinks our Sqn has gained from the experiences.
999Squadron Christmas Update 999 Squadron Christmas Special
Fundraising Throughout the year, 999 Sqn have been involved in many
fund raising events such as Point to Point, Essex Young
Farmers show, Countess of Warwick, Dunmow Flitch Trials
and the Dunmow Carnival. The entire money raised
has gone towards buying new kit
for the Sqn as well as lowering
the prices of certain events
meaning more Cdts could go to
events like Operation WildBoar.
Poppy Appeal On Saturdays the 3rd and 10th of
November, several Cdts went
out into Dunmow and were very
successful in selling Poppies,
Wristbands and Crosses to the
public to raise £373.40 for the very
important Poppy Appeal.
WildBoar Newsletter
Page 2
Christmas Edition Issue No.1
RAF Benson
We asked Cdt Askew about his
week at RAF Benson and he
described it as an ‘amazing
experience’. He said that the
highlight was the Puma ride which included a retrieval
exercise. Other fun experiences involved a Chinook
Flight-Sim and a long night exped involving First Aid
and field craft. And finally, an enjoyable disco.
Falklands Memorial Competition Despite the fact that 999Sqn did not enter a full six-
member competing team, the Cdts that did represent
our Sqn in the Falklands
memorial competition 2012 made a commendable an
a great effort in challenges such
as the Missile Race and
Navigation. Let’s hope the 2013
team will be even better!
Dining In/Out Evening Lots of fun was had by all who went to the Dining Out of Flt
Lt Brooks (the previous CO of the 999 Sqn) and the Dining
In of Flt Lt Wilding. There
were various awards
handed out (next page)
along with a few speeches
and an excessive amount
of embarrassing dancing,
not just from the Dads.
Air Experience Flying and Gliding The Cadets who went either Gliding or AEF had a
once in a life-time experience of Piloting an aircraft
themselves by completing a few basic manoeuvres
as well as some more
advanced stunts like Loops
which proved to be the
highlight of each Cadet’s flight
and one they will never forget.
Remembrance Day Parade / Battle of Britain Parade On Remembrance Day 2012, the ATC and ACF Cadets of Dunmow marched to
the Great Dunmow War Memorial to show their respect to the fallen soldiers in
past and present conflicts with Cdt Johnson assisting Nobby, a 100 year old
War Veteran, behind the
Parade up to the memorial
and Cdt Witcomb laying our
wreath. Some Cadets
attended the Battle of Britain
Parade to commemorate the
Battle of Britain.
Padre The Sqn was very lucky this year to have the
addition of a Padre, Mr D. Brown,
to the Sqn as there hasn’t been
one for a long time. Other than
performing formal enrolements
and more, the Padre will be
discussing morale citizenship
issues on a regular basis with
the Cadets; a very important role.
999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron Air Training Corps
Drill Hall, High Street, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AP
Tel: 01371 878915
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.999sqn.co.uk (Currently under maintenance)
Newsletter written and produced by: Cadet E. Johnson
Photography by: CI Pack
999 Squadron Christmas Special
Duke of Edinburgh Awards As you can see from Cdt Ralph’s expression, all three Duke of Edinburgh expeditions this year were very
successful and lots of fun was had by those who embarked on the two day Navigation, Camping and Teamwork
expedition that is DofE. Of course, lots of other Cadet activities contributed to the
Cadets below who got their award such as sports and volunteering. Congratulations to
those Cdts who have received their Duke of Edinburgh awards with Cadets and a
special congratulations to Cdt East who, because of his outstanding performance on
the most recent DofE expedition, was voted by his fellow DofE participants for the Jack
Petchey Award; following Cpl Sawyer as the second Cdt to receive the Jack Petchey
Award as well as their DofE. Also, thank you to Miss Old for helping the Cdts to
achieve their Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Youth First Aid Course A Youth First Aid course was
completed by Cdts Johnson,
Thomas, Witcomb and Jones
who have all received their YFA
Badges after proving
their First Aid
knowledge in
challenging
scenarios.
Marksman Awards 14 Marksmans of various levels
have been achieved by the Cadets
this year including Sgt Martin and
Cpl Muirhead who achieved the
highest Marksman, Corps. Sgt
Martin did this by shooting a 100%
score! There will be many
opportunities next year for the
Cadets to achieve a Sqn Marksman
or above next year.
Duke of Edinburgh
This year, nine Cadets have
completed their Bronze
Duke of Edinburgh awards
after many physical and
volunteering events on Sqn
Parade nights and several
weekend-long expeditions.
Achievements Many achievements have been made by 999 Sqn over the past year including all Cdts completing their
Radio Comms certificate, as well as many Marksman Awards, YFA Courses and Duke of Edinburgh
Awards, with more opportunities to gain these qualifications coming up over the next year.
WildBoar Newsletter
Christmas Edition Issue No.1
Page 3
Sqn Dining In/Out Awards Several awards were presented at
the Dining In/Out evening to the
Cadets/NCO’s who have stood out
over the year in the endeavours.
Cdt Johnson received the Best
Cadet of the Year and Cpl Martin
the Best NCO. Cdts Witcomb and
Thomas also received the
Endeavour award for their
commitment through their time at
the Squadron.
Promotions Many promotions have been made this
year as more and more Cadets were
joining the Sqn. FS Smith was
promoted at the beginning of the year
along with Cpls Martin, Sawyer,
Muirhead and Richardson with Cpls
Kelly and Thomas being promoted
recently, as well as Cpl Martin to
Sergeant.
Radio Comms Certificate
Every Cadet at 999 Sqn has
passed their Radio
Communications Certificate in
2012. And in 2013, several
Cadets will achieve their Radio
Communications badge to add
to their Radio knowledge.
999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron Air Training Corps
Drill Hall, High Street, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AP
Tel: 01371 878915
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.999sqn.co.uk (Currently under maintenance)
Newsletter written and produced by: Cadet E. Johnson
Photography by: CI Pack
999 Squadron Christmas Special
The Year Ahead… 2013 2012 has been a very prosperous year for 999 Dunmow Sqn. Since the arrival of Flt Lt Wilding at the
start of the year, many camps and achievements have been made such as the ones you have read
about in this Newsletter, as well as many more activities that the Cdts of 999 Sqn have been doing
every Monday and Thursday that have resulted in a positive year of fun and rewarding experiences.
2013 has lots of events in store for 999 Sqn including more Youth First Aid qualifications, more
Marksman Awards, more Bronze DofE Awards as well as some Silver DofE Awards, another great
weekend at Stubbers Adventure Centre, another great experience at STANTA including Op WildBoar ll
and a week-long camp there but almost most important of all, winning the Falklands Competition after
all the hard work that has been put into training over the past few months and of course much,
much more! Flt Lt Wilding has also said that he would like to reach an average of 45
Cadets per Parade night so be sure to promote the next 999 Sqn Open Evening on
the 28th January at 8:00pm!
WildBoar Newsletter
Page 4
Christmas Edition Issue No.1
NCO Interview Sgt Martin (recently promoted)
What did you enjoy most about
2012?
‘Achieving my promotion to Sergeant,
and receiving my Corp marksman.’
What achievements do you hope to
make in 2013?
‘I hope to obtain Flight Sergeant by
the end of the year.’
What are you looking forward to
most in 2013?
‘I am looking forward to the Falklands
competition and Pirbright camp.’
Seasonal Newsletters At the end of each season in the year to come, me
(Cdt Johnson) and CI Pack will be producing a two
page newsletter to recap all of the achievements and
events that the Cadets have been experiencing over
the past few months so make sure you get your copy
of the Spring Update Newsletter!
Cadet Interview Cdt Winter (recently enrolled)
Have you enjoyed your time so far?
‘Yes, I have learnt a lot and doing
sports with other Cadets is very fun.’
What achievements do you hope to
make in 2013?
‘Going Flying, completing a camp and
shooting.’
What are you looking forward to
most in 2013?
‘I’m looking forward to joining in with
the regular Cadet activities after
finishing my training.’
Cadet Interview Cdt Pack
What did you enjoy most about
2012?
‘Definitely Operation Wildboar
because of all the fun activities we
did.’
What achievements do you hope to
make in 2013?
‘Hopefully a promotion to Cpl and
getting my Bronze DofE award.’
What are you looking forward to
most in 2013?
‘The week-long STANTA Camp.’
Sqn Achievements At Wing Parade earlier in the year, our Cadets
managed to come 3rd in the Aircraft Modelling
Diorama competition (thanks to Cdt Scott) and 20th in
the Aircraft Recognition competition. Flt Lt Wilding
also considers reaching 30 Cadets to be a great
achievement.
999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron Air Training Corps
Drill Hall, High Street, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AP
Tel: 01371 878915
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.999sqn.co.uk (Currently under maintenance)
Newsletter written and produced by: Cadet E. Johnson
Photography by: CI Pack