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• Lt Col Kelvin Ives on his appointment as Commandant SACF, in the rank of Colonel and to Maj Bob West TD on his appointment as Deputy Commandant SACF, in the rank of Lt Colonel, wef 1 Feb 08. Click here for the photographs.

• Cpl Lauren Stoddart, Hadleigh REME, on being awarded a BTEC Merit.

• C Coy on winning the County Cross Country Competition held on Sun 3 Feb 08 at Woodbridge, organised by C Coy. Click here for some of the photographs.

• A Coy teams in the Colonels Cup Competition held on STANTA Fri 8 - Sun 10 Feb 08. It was won by Team A1 from A Coy, led by Cpl John King of Wattisham with a score of 31 points. Runners-up were Team A2 from A Coy, led by Cpl Daniel Allsebrook of BStE with a score of 29 points. It was masterminded by Lt Nick Binks with adult support from Cty HQ, A, B and C Coys. Click here for some photographs - more to follow.

• 2Lt Rob Simpkin, Mildenhall Det, A Coy on his commissioning.

• All SACF participants and supporting Adults at the Regional Cross Country Competition on Sun 2 Mar 08 at Waterbeach, Cambs. Far right, below, is Col Roger Herriot, Cambs ACF Commandant and a SACF silver medallist.
  More photographs, results and Regional selections to follow. Meanwhile, see below.

• Recipients of awards presented by The Right Honourable Lord Tollemache KStJ JP, HM Lord Lieutenant for Suffolk, to members of Suffolk Reserve Forces and Cadets at the Yarmouth Road Territorial Army Centre in Ipswich on 11 March 2008.
  He presented Suffolk Army Cadet Force Staff Sergeant Instructor ('Mr Fixit') Roger Austin, Hadleigh Detachment, C Coy, with his Cadet Medal, awarded for 12 years of exemplary service, near left.
  Cadets, selected from the Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadets, Combined Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps, who have achieved exceptional results in training proficiency, bearing and turnout, were appointed as Lord Lieutenant’s Cadets for 2008 and received badges, which they will proudly wear on their uniform, and certificates. Cadet Company Sergeant Major Luke Underdown, Lowestoft North Detachment, B Company, was selected to represent SACF, 2nd photograph. Click here for more on Luke.
  3rd photograph, Maj Bob Potter MBE, CEO Suffolk ACF; Suffolk Army Cadet Force Staff Sergeant Instructor Roger Austin, Hadleigh Detachment, C Coy; The Right Honourable Lord Tollemache, HM Lord Lieutenant for Suffolk; Cadet Company Sergeant Major Luke Underdown, Lowestoft North Detachment, B Company.

• Our 2 Suffolk ACF runners, right, who represented E Region at the National Cross Country Championships held at Warcop in Cumbria on Sat 15 Mar 08: LCpl Libby Kelly (Haverhill Det, A Coy) and Cdt Lee Lockwood (RTR Det, C Coy) ensured E Region yet again were declared 'Overall Champions'. In gruelling conditions, they were placed, respectively, 4th and 22nd out of 60 runners in their group. Cdt Lee Lockwood was awarded his Regional Cross-Country Colours - LCpl Libby Kelly was awarded her Regional Colours in 2007, coming in 2nd.  More photographs to follow.

• RTR Det, C Coy, at Ipswich, on a most successful and enjoyable Inspection by the Webmaster on Mon 31 Mar. Cdt Cpl Katie Barnes conducted the opening and closing parades, smartly and promptly, with excellent presence and command.
  Special thanks to CAA C Coy Capt Ron McDaid, Det Comd SI Libby Stopard and SI Carl Sheehan for a most efficiently prepared evening. The lessons given by SI Paul Perry of Ipswich Holbrook Guards and Lt Glen Page of C Coy were admirable.

• SSI Ian Partridge, Ipswich QRL Detachment, C Coy and SSI Mark Cummings, Ixworth Grenadier Guards Detachment, A Coy on their promotions.

• Our SACF Cadets participating in the Apr 08 Combat Cadet Competition on STANTA : Cdt James Baxter - Ixworth Det A Coy; LCpl Callum Featherstone and LCpl Shannen Garner - Beccles Det B Coy;
  LCpl Mark Nagorski - Haverhill Det A Coy; LBdr Owen Pick and LBdr Ryan Ward - Mildenhall Det A Coy; Cdt Tara Salter - Ipswich RTR Det, C Coy and LCpl Alexander Quelch - Stowmarket Det A Coy (To whom thanks for the names. Ed.)
  Their 'Command Task' was executed with the utmost precision, directed by Team Leader LBdr Daniel Allsebrook, BStE Det, A Coy.
  And thanks to the supporting adults: Capt Cathy Bradshaw, SSI Grant Crouch, County HQ and SI Paul Rumble, A Coy.
  The ashes of the parents of the Webmaster were scattered at Frog Hill and it is a poignant reminder of their influence when an opportunity arises to visit Frog Hill, (where the closing scene of Capt Mainwaring and his 'Dad's Army' were filmed) and that of the Bailey Bridge by the R Wissey where memories of STANTA exercises of the 1970s and 1980s with 6 (V) Bn, The Royal Anglian Regt come flooding back !

• Cadet Company Sergeant Major Luke Underdown, Lowestoft North Det, B Coy, on promotion and appointment as Suffolk ACF Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major wef 19 Apr 08. See above and click here for more photographs.

• All participants and Adult staff at the damp Sat 17 May County Athletics and County Tug of War Competitions in Colchester. The Junior ToW was won by A Coy, the Senior by C Coy and the Champion Coy were A Coy.

• SSI Jason Wade, Lowestoft RA, on his May 08 promotion, right at Rollestone Camp 2005.

• SMI (Retd) Ralph Bianco on his presentation, at the May E Region Sports Ctee Mtg, of a framed set of military cigarette cards in recognition of his sterling service to Eastern Region Athletics over many years.

• Southwold Det on collecting £800 and A Coy collecting £500 for SSAFA.  At the Sat 5 Jul Suffolk ACF evening Reception in Lowestoft they will present the cheque and, for the 2nd year running, receive the SSAFA Trophy for raising the most money. For 7 years, a challenge trophy has been presented annually to the Suffolk ACF Detachment raising the most money for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.  They were the winners for the 1st 3 years.

• The SACF County 'Headshed', the Camp Trg Team presenters and all attending the most successful Sennybridge 08 Camp Briefing Weekend at the WETC Croxton Sat 14 - Sun 15 Jun.
  The briefings were magnificent and the bonding through the inter-unit and Mess Sat evening competitions of 'Volleyball and Archery' and 'Pub Quiz' (for which special thanks to CEO Maj Bob Potter MBE) will ensure a 'Good Camp.

• Capt James Preston on assuming the appointment as OC C Coy wef 1 Jul 08.

• The promotion of SI Jerry Ballam, OC Leiston Det, B Coy.

• Beccles Det on providing 18 Cadets and Adults for the Jun 08 re-dedication of the War Memorial and the addition of the name of LCpl George Davey who died in Afghanistan in May 2007 while serving with 1 Royal Anglian. Click here for the photographs.

• Beccles Det on providing 6 Adults and Cadets to assist with erecting the stalls for the Jun 08 Beccles Hospital Fete. Click here for the photographs.

• the following on their 1 Oct 08 postings : Maj Andy Smith from OC A Coy to Cty HQ as Cty Training Offr; Maj Glyn French TD (3 R Anglian dual commission) as Sen Cdt Trg Offr; Capt Cathy Bradshaw from Cty HQ as OC A Coy;
  Lt Ted Warren from Cty HQ as Trg Offr A Coy; Maj Terry Thacker (ex-Norfolk ACF) as OC B Coy; Maj Brian Lawn JP from OC B Coy to B Coy Staff Offr; Lt Nick Binks from Cty HQ as Trg Offr C Coy.

The Beast is back ! After 5 months 'in-dock, the SACF Webmaster's 1962 race-spec Austin Healey 3000 returned to Suffolk in Oct 07 after major repairs. It had been a sad summer without my and my wife of 40 years, Janine, feeling the 'Wind in our hair'!
A free 'fast ride (in daylight and dry weather only) {J9 was once clocked at 124ph and at 101 db before 'running out of road'} is offered to the 1st SACF Cadet who can state the 1st name of the originator of the 'Healey' marque.
Ah, it was 'The Beast' J9 which clocked 124 mph - not my long suffering wife Janine - aka J9 - hence the roundel ! Wife J9s decibel level when I have offended is 'Classified' !
Send me Major John L Raybould TD your rank, 1st name and surname plus home address and tel no and a suitable date for a ride. Ear defenders are essential !
For SI Libby Stoppard - your promised free drive is in place. Suggest the 08 Camp 'Briefing w/e at WETC Croxton on Sat 14-Sun 15 Jun 2008'.  Do remind me, nearer the time, to arrive in 'The Beast !' Ensure your ear defenders are packed !

Col Alan Munro TD   Jenny Hammond   John Hunns   Addition to the obituary for Capt Doug James by Lt Col Dan Baily

to:

• Alicia Crewe, former Kesgrave PARA Det, C Coy, for the info that her name was missing from 2 site pages, now corrected, at Cty XC 06 and Regional Tug of War at Lincoln May 06

• Many thanks to many for your most valued contribution to the Sat 1 Mar SACF Offrs Mess Dinner at the WETC in Thetford when we 'Dined Out' our Past-Commandant, Col Paul Denny. I thought it was the best ACF best dinner I have ever attended.
  The menu, selected by Col Paul, was excellent, the amended room layout superb and our new sharing of kit with the WO's & Sgt's Mess added to the ambience.
  The success, was, as I stated aloud, due to the considerable input/output, effort and contribution (before and after the event) of many SACF Offrs, Adults and Cdts: CEO Maj Bob Potter MBE, QM Capt Brian Gerrard RA, RSMI Mal Anderson, SSIs Christine Forsdike and Leigh Smith plus his team of expert Cadet staff.
  Additionally, but not stated, with the fatal crash of my PC a few days before the Dinner, I was most grateful for the gift of a labelling printer from my daughter Elfrida. It indeed saved the day with making new seating plan labels and place cards!
  Capt Brian Gerrard RA - Your contribution to the Dinner was just majestic. To dine with that wonderful long buried silver Suffolk Regt cutlery was truly regal. You indeed 'broke the mould' of the age-old QM principle: 'Stores are for storing - but NOT for issuing.'
  Mrs Liz Reeve - Many thanks for the use of the RHQ Nch PC and printer so I could print copies of the Guest List and Menu.
  3 R Anglian - Many thanks for the loan of the silver and place mats. Click here for some photographs of the Mar 08 Offrs Mess Dinner

• My Welsh wife Janine for 'riding shotgun' (and missing seeing a live broadcast, for the 2nd year running, of Wales playing rugger - thank goodness they won the 'Grand Slam' !) to the National Cross Country Championships held at Warcop in Cumbria on Sat 15 Mar 08. Also to Mrs Emma Kelly, Mrs Sam Lockwood, Mr Andy Lockwood and Mrs Almera Flatman for delivering to, and collecting from, our Tesco BStE RV, their star SACF runners (including support from Cdt Amy Flatman of Haverhill Det, A Coy) - saving Janine and I many miles. The total run was over 600 miles, the return in appalling rain

• LCpl Alexander Quelch - Stowmarket Det A Coy for the Combat Cadet Team names, above.

• Col Kelvin Ives - 'Commandant's column'; Lt Col Bob West TD - 'Annual Camp 2008 Sennybridge'; Maj Andy Smith, our 'Monocled Mutineer', OC A Coy - 'Suffolk Estates': Capt James Preston, C Coy - 'Willis Associates charity Dress-Down Day'; SMI Mark Galley - 2 DoE articles and WO2 Gus Kaye - 'H&S and Duty of Care for cadets' for the Jul Suffolk Cadet magazine.

• back to SSI S Gallagher, formerly Lowestoft  (N)  B Coy and Lt Glen Page as Pl Comd C Coy.

• to SI K Joynes on transfer from Sussex ACF to C Coy, in Apr 08.

23 Apr 08 to David Shipton - ACF National Marketing Manager :
 'At the Apr 08 PR Conference we were advised that the new website template is available and that we should contact you. May I therefore register our interest and intention to use it for Suffolk ACF.'

29 May 08 from David : 'It was going to take a few weeks to get these up and running as there is a lot of background work to do for each county wanting a site and that currently stands at around the 20 mark.
I will chase the web people to see if we have an idea of when all sites are up and running and ready for counties.'

4 Jun 08 from David Shipton - ACF National Marketing Manager :
'My web developers are ready to set up the sites and can do this reasonably quickly. Each site attracts a set-up fee of £340 which will be covered from the national marketing budget.
This budget was presented to the Army before Xmas and we are still waiting for confirmation as to what our budget will be.
In the mean time, ACFA General Secretary, Brig Wharmby, has authorised me to spend ACFA money to set up your Suffolk site. I will now organise this with the developers.'

Maybe the fact that Brig Mike Wharmby OBE was my Commander of 'Split Station' in Bosnia 1997 and said, in, 2006: 'I've looked at your site - very impressive. I hope our new www.armycadets.com site is as good when we re-launch it later in the year.' had some influence ?

So, wait out for a new SACF site !

David Shipton - ACF National Marketing Manager, has set us up with a the new ACF County website template, in the style of the ACF site.David.
www.armycadets.com/county/suffolk

The webmaster has been somewhat busy with editing our flagship glossy magazine 'Suffolk Cadet' so nothing has yet been added anything to this new site.

So, wait out for a new SACF site !