Army Summer Camp

A contingent of 56 members of Corps’ Army Section headed for Wathgill Camp in the Yorkshire Dales for the highlight of the training year: annual Summer Camp. After travel and an evening of revision and briefings, Days 2-3 took the cadet straight into a two-day battle exercise. This year’s exercise took the form of an inter-section patrol competition, in which the four sections, under their NCOs, patrolled to a series of stands to compete for points: observation, first aid, close target recce and fire and movement. The evening saw the sections conduct ambushes on an enemy vehicle, and the next morning in blazing sunshine they advanced to contact after order from the section commanders.

The prizes and medals went to 3 Section under Sgt Woods-Scawen, before the cadets were treated to visits on area from the regular Army: mine clearance and the GPMG with the Royal Engineers, up close with a gun thanks to the Royal Artillery, and a (not altogether successful) recovery of a topple truck with the massive machinery of REME. Still somehow not exhausted, the cadets returned to camp for Lt Carracher’s legendary games evening, where the laws of various sports were given inexplicable and seemingly arbitrary new twists.

On Tuesday, the contingent headed underground to the extraordinary beauty of Alum Pot – a vast natural chimney into which the cadets abseiled and around which they crawled. Then it was off to the Lake District for a two-day expedition phase: one day exploring Ullswater by canoe, the next climbing England’s third highest peak, Helvellyn, at 950m, in whose shadow we camped overnight. Helvellyn especially was an amazing experience, creeping along the tiny ridge at Striding Edge with sheer drops either side and arriving, in beautiful sunshine, at the summit with its stunning panorama across the Lakes

It was back into uniform for Day 7. The day was spent on the ranges, engaging targets from four positions at 100m and winning, in some cases, new badges for marksmanship, under the command of the unit’s old friend Capt Michael Jones. Thence to the parade square for a drill competition where the cadets showed how much hard work they had put in during their spare time all week, led and inspired, as ever, by the stellar NCO corps.

And in a jiffy, a superb eight days were up and the curtain came down on final parade, where prizes were awarded to several cadets, including Best Cadet on Camp, Cdt Tothill, and Best NCO, Sgt Roberts. But in truth many deserved prizes for their sterling performances over the eight days, in which all the cadets exhibited in buckets the spirit and values of cadetship.

Maj Owen

OC Army Section