Suffolk ACF - B&C 105 Dec 05

The past months have been a period of success, at home, on visits to Europe and Texas. Spirits are high.

Organised by SSI Roger Hemp and SI Marc Hope from Southwold (Army Air Corps) Det, B Coy, a party of 20 Cadets and Adult Instructors from B Coy thoroughly enjoyed a week-long educational Battlefield Tour of WW1 and WW2 sites in Belgium and France in May.

The First Aid Team won a bronze medal at the Regional competition held at Waterbeach in June and Cdt Matt Dickerson of Stowmarket won a silver medal as the individual reserve.

Organised by Lt Ted Warren, C Coy Trg Offr, a most realistic, testing and enjoyable multi-skills weekend Medevac exercise was held on STANTA training area in June, involving a downed pilot, a crashed vehicle and section ambush, concluding with a stretcher race.

On a glorious June evening, in the beautiful gardens of our former Suffolk ACF Honorary Colonel, Maj Gen Tony Pollard CB CBE DL, Suffolk ACF hosted the Annual Garden Party to show local dignitaries what Suffolk ACF are about. It was heartening to see present Maj Gen Jack Dye CBE MC DL, a sprightly 85, who handed over as Suffolk ACF Honorary Colonel to Gen Tony in 1992. It was fascinating to hear of his exploits on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944.

At a B Coy Adventure Training Weekend in Thetford Forest in Sep, Cadets were involved in motorbiking, mountain biking, orienteering and high wires amid the trees.

At all the Suffolk Celebrations to mark the end of WW2, SACF Cadets were prominent in parades and commemoration services.

At a B Coy Adventure Training Weekend in Thetford Forest in Sep, Cadets were involved in motorbiking, mountain biking, orienteering and high wires amid the trees.

Sport
Medal winners at the Regional Athletics Championships held in Lincoln in May were: Dan Adlington, Holbrook Guards, Junior Shot Gold; Alicia Crewe, Kesgrave PARA, Intermediate Javelin Gold; Whitney Early, Felixstowe RA, Junior Javelin Gold; Tahnee Hearn, Ipswich Guards, Intermediate Javelin Gold; David Mills, Ipswich Guards, Senior High Jump Gold; Tom Tica, Ipswich Guards, Senior 800m Gold; Jake Allen, Felixstowe RA, Junior Long Jump Silver; Jamie Dines, Ipswich Guards, Senior 1500m Silver and Lindsay Harvey, Holbrook Guards, Senior High Jump Silver. The SACF Senior Girls Athletics Team were declared Regional Champions.

The following were medal winners at the National Athletics Championships at Grantham in June: Gold: Tom Tica (Ipswich Guards) Senior 400m, 800m and 4 x 100m Relay; Alicia Crewe (Kesgrave PARA) Junior Shot Put; Silver: Tahnee Hearn (Ipswich Guards) Intermediate Javelin; Bronze: David Mills (Ipswich Guards) Senior High Jump; Whitney Early (Felixstowe RA) Junior Javelin.

Coaches SSI Trevor Willoughby, SI Pete Fowler and the Suffolk ACF Girls 2005 Tug of War Squad are to be congratulated on becoming National Champions at Colchester in July. The team were: Sarah Revell - Felixstowe RA; Lindsay Harvey - Ipswich Holbrook Guards; Kelsey Coyne - Ipswich QRL; Katie Barnes - Ipswich RTR; Alicia Crewe, Rebecca Ford, Katie Hinton - Kesgrave PARA; Laura Day, Ali McLaren, Karen Rose - Stowmarket R Anglian; Lindsey Rumbell - Wattisham AAC.

Cadets Alex and Russell Rookyard - Beccles; Dawn Guinivan - Haverhill and Oliver Backhouse - Kesgrave, were selected to represent Eastern Region at the National Swimming Championships where Russell became ACF National Champion at Junior butterfly and Oliver ACF National Champion in the Senior freestyle relay.

Congratulations to:
SSI Christine Forsdike (left), our Admin Offr in Ipswich SACF HQ, who raised over £650 in sponsorship for the East Anglian Children’s Hospice from her parachute jump at Rollestone.

Cdt SSgt Olli Hare (right), Haverhill (R Anglian) Det, on his selection to join The 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment in Sep 05. A Cadet for five years, four of them at Sudbury, Olli concluded his service at Suffolk Army Cadet Force Annual Camp at Rollestone on Salisbury Plain and celebrated with a parachute jump from 3500 feet. Olli has represented Suffolk ACF in Cross Country, Rugby, Swimming and Tug of War. Earlier this year he gained 'Very Good' (the highest grade) on the National Cadet Leadership Course.

B Coy Training Officer Capt Malcolm Cole on his appointment as OC B Coy in succession to Maj Ted Askew.

Our 4 Cadets who joined the prestigious Defence 6th Form College at Welbeck in Sep 05: LCpl David Wilby and Cdt Will Wingfield from Halesworth Royal Signals Det, LCpl Vicci Willis from Ipswich Grenadier Guards Det and Bdr David McNeish from Bury St Edmunds Royal Artillery Det. The College, at Woodhouse near Loughborough in Leicestershire, has become one of the UK’s top 6th form colleges and has an outstanding academic reputation. It plays a unique role in providing a first-class education for young men and women making a head start to careers in our Armed Services and the Ministry of Defence.

Camp 2005
At Annual Camp Rollestone, Wiltshire on Salisbury Plain, 280 Cadets, of whom 100 were female, and 76 Adults, assisted by 1 and 2 R Anglian, 202 Bty RA, 14 Sigs Regt, the East of England Regt and RAMC, had a wonderful experience - abseiling, adventurous training, assault course, camping, fieldcraft, First Aid, helicopters, initiative tests, military training, Mortars, mountain biking, orienteering, signals, survival techniques, swimming and target rifle shooting. On several occasions the SACF Parachute Display Team were seen in action at the Joint Services Parachute Training Centre, Netheravon.
The pink jump hats of Commandant Col Paul Denny and our Hon Col, Col Paul Long OBE, were much admired!
Note the Minden Roses which arrived at Netheravon from 13 500'.

Cdt SSgt Luke Harris (below left) of Bury St Edmunds (Royal Artillery), A Coy, was the winner of the unique Suffolk ACF Brooks Stick. Awarded annually to the most outstanding Suffolk Cadet, it is named in honour of Col RW Brooks OBE who gave 44 yrs of service to SACF and was Commandant 1935-1947.Luke had earlier celebrated his 5th Annual Camp with a parachute jump from 3500 feet.

Cdt SSgt Sarah Revell (below middle) Felixstowe (RA) Det, C Coy, was promoted and appointed as the new County RSM. She celebrated her fifth Annual Camp with several parachute jumps from 3500 feet. Sarah also holds appointment as The Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet to The Lord Tollemache.

Cdt SSgt Matthew Porter (below right) Beccles (R Anglian) Det, A Coy, on appointment as County RSM from 1 Apr 06. An outstanding Four Star Cadet, he is the current County Top Shot with trophies for the Rifle, Section and Light Support Weapon Matches.

Camp photographs 2005 of 3 outstanding cadets

SSgt Luke Harris
lands from his first parachute jump

SSgt Sarah Revell
lands from her first parachute jump

SSgt Matthew Porter
of Beccles Det receives the County Archive Competition 1st Prize Cheque of £65

SSgt Luke Harris takes the A Coy Final Parade

SSgt Sarah Revell
on the County Parade

SSgt Matthew Porter
of Beccles Det with the Trophy for the Highest Attendance at Camp - 92%

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