National Bronze Medal for Army Cadets
Cambrian Patrol 2025
Last weekend, a team of eight cadets took part in the legendary Cadet Cambrian Patrol in Sennybridge, Wales. It was a physically demanding military skills competition that tested our endurance, teamwork and tactical ability over the course of three intense days. Following months of training and preparation, Friday evening found us at Farm 5, settling into a barn and being issued with ammunition and rations as we awaited a kit inspection that, rather annoyingly, never came. Despite the blaring lights and a fair bit of background noise from excited sections arriving throughout the night, we managed to get some rest.
We were up at 0445 hrs for a chaotic breakfast: another team had eaten our rations, so we had to make do with a random assortment of leftover curries and stews. But by 0700 hrs we were ready to go for our first stand.
The day’s challenges came hard and fast. We started with a first aid exercise involving the treatment and extraction of two casualties from a helicopter crash, then a long trek up the hill over difficult terrain to our next stand. This was a section defence exercise in an urban environment, a new skill especially among us younger members of the section. Despite this, we seemed to do a good job, and we moved happily onto our next challenge: a command-task building an observation post, while our commander and 2 i/c sketched out a range card of the landscape. Then came another two tests of our tactical skills, first fighting in a wood block and finally a demanding section attack as our last stand. Our team was one of few to complete all the stands and the entire 25km route without any injuries or drop-outs, which was a huge achievement.
Exhausted already, we then faced a final physical challenge of carrying our heavy bergens 1.5km to our designated harbour. There, CSgt Woods (our patrol commander) spent the evening—and much of the night—preparing his orders for the next morning, while the rest of the section made a start on the detailed models of the area we would be using the following day, finally settling into what turned out to be another late night. We were up early again to finish our models and receive our commander’s meticulously prepared orders for the last phase of the patrol: the platoon attack. At the form-up point, we had a moment’s respite and the honour of chatting with Brigadier McDade, Deputy Commander Cadets. But soon we were off again, joining two other sections to conduct a series of attacks along a 2km lane.
At a sunny final parade at Dixie’s Corner, we were proud to receive a hard-won Bronze Medal, even if we felt we might even have deserved a little more. Nonetheless, the sense of achievement and camaraderie in what we had accomplished together was tremendous. Cambrian Patrol was a true test of grit, determination, and team cohesion. The memories made, the lessons learned, the laughs and tears shared are sure to stay with us for years to come long after the blisters and sore backs have healed. Roll on next time!
LCpl Mulcaire
Army Section, Fourth Year
