Some 35 cadets and officers spent the weekend of the 11th and 12th of March over at Trentham Army Base for a training weekend that is known as Barracks Weekend. The cadets were dropped off by parents at 7pm on Friday evening at the Messine’s block, after which the cadets were issued with room keys and instructed on how to set up their rooms for the weekend.
The next morning it was up early to ensure the rooms were ready for inspection before everyone was shipped over to the mess hall on base. This year’s cadets were probably the best behaved in a number of years, keeping the noise to a reasonable level and proving to be a credit to the unit and the ATC. From the mess it was the short drive over to No. 22 Squadron ATC’s home where the cadets split into their respective service and knowledge levels – basic, proficiency and advanced.
For the next 2 days the cadets were instructed on subjects from rank structure to risk management, with a bit of drill instruction and practice thrown in to break things up. At the end of day 1 the cadets ran their uniform shirts through the washing machine before the proficiency cadets practiced their leadership skills by taking it in turns to instruct the other proficiency cadets in drill, while the rest of the cadets settled in to watch a movie on the big projector screen in the main classroom. Unfortunately with shirts to be ironed after the dryer the movie had to be cut short – sorry!
Day 2 brought more practice and lessons to build on day 1’s techniques before the afternoon brought all the cadets together to form teams to complete 4 leadership exercises whilst being led by 1 of the proficiency cadets. Challenges like getting the team through a rope spider’s web without touching it and only using each hole once proved both fun and instructional, with each task leader being given a debrief on the completion of each task by one of the officers and an NCO.
There was just enough time (good planning/time management!) for a tidy up of the classrooms and camp before it was back to Messine’s car park where parents collected the cadets. A quick debrief of “goods” and “bad’s” of the weekend showed that the good’s far outweighed the bad’s and the food had been a big hit, plus everyone had enjoyed the day 2 leadership exercises!
A big “thank you” goes to Trentham Military Camp for hosting the squadron and the Mess for providing some very tasty meals, plus No. 22 ATC Squadron for allowing us to use their facilities over the weekend.
Pictured:-
1) – 3) Practicing drill – getting better, 4) – 5) In the classroom, 6) Planning to lead, 7) Cdt Gordon briefs his team, 8) Cdts Ogilvie and Robinson carry out a leadership task – dressing an ironing board, 9) You tell me!?!, 10) – 12) Leadership task – Cdt Fowler – getting over an electric fence, 13) – 14) Leadership task – Cdt Gordon – Get the whole team on top of a barrel, 15) – 19) Leadership task – Cdt Bassus – Get through the spiders web
