Is there an appetite within the ACO to start new units in towns that currently don’t have one? When was the last new Air Cadet unit set up? I’m assuming it was a DF of an existing unit…?
A friend who runs a local youth network has been contacted by someone who seems interested in trying to set up a unit in the town I now live in, and curious why there isn’t one. She knew I’d been involved in the ATC in the past so put us in touch with each other. Turns out this chap has a very interesting background, is a trustee of the General Purpose Fund, Air League trustee (I think), GAPAN Fellow, involved with a lot of aviation charities and organisations, etc etc and has the ear of a lot of very senior folk, so I suspect could pull some strings.
The town I now live in used to support what was a very successful DF of a squadron about 20 miles away (I was a cadet in it - I know these things!) but it seemed to die a death a few years after I moved away - not sure why, but there was a nucleus of “founder” cadets such as myself who all left about the same time, so suspect that explains a bit part of it.
I’ve been out coming on 4 years, so haven’t really kept up that much with the goings on in the ACO, but this chap suggested there was a push to expand the organisation? I’d have guessed it would have been through school based units (CCF I’d have guessed?), but maybe not?
So my curiosity has been piqued. I don’t quite know what to make of this…! I’m not sure whether I’d be interested or not, but I’m interested enough to consider it or consider helping. I was a cr@p CO, so there is no way in hell I’d consider running the unit, but anything else might be worth considering.
We’ve left it that he’s going to visit the neighbouring units, as there might not be much point even considering this if they’re struggling for either cadets or staff. I know the chap who ran both the squadron and the DF, so may ask him what went wrong.
It is certainly possible. The last unit to form is 558 Sqn at Finningly which stood up this year. It was a DF of a local unit for a bit (maybe a year).
Might be worth your contact dropping their OC an email? I think one of the HQAC perminant staff might be involved in this new unit too?
Oh and get back in before April then you’ll be a VRT officer for 5 years
If you’re in a ‘deprived area’ (defined IIRC by proportion of kids on free school meals) then yes, they would like to open new cadet units but you’re right, they want these to be CEP CCFs. (‘They’ in this case means the government; and therefore the MOD civil servants in charge of cadets in RF&C Division. There’s no military conspiracy going on. It was in the manifesto.)
I would have thought that a DF would be the first step to establish an interest in the area.
If this was established and seen to have the required number of cadets, then squadron status is applied for.
I think you’d need to establish a committee to manage funds. Every DF I’ve seen recently has had its own committee, compared to my cadet days.
The single biggest problems will be :
staff unless there is a group locally who are willing to move and
where to do it and the hire costs, given RFCA tell us they’ve never got any money.
Other than that, if the chap mentioned has the background suggested it shouldn’t be too much of a problem if he has local influence.
I do hope someone doesn’t mention the bone CEP as an option which would only be open to one school.
You need to establish an interest before a DF is established. Maintain the strength for 12 months and full status can be considered but don’t expect to be granted this (or permission for a DF as there are no estates funds and there’s a crisis afoot with buildings that have been destroyed). DFs shouldn’t operate their own Civ Com, the associated unit manages their funds. The nearest Sqn also has to agree to adopt them and the choice is down to the OC since he/she will be responsible for what happens.
OK, so it’s interesting that new units are still being created, so that’s one plus.
In terms of it being a school unit, there is only one school in the town, so it wouldn’t be too much of a restriction, though I don’t know if staffing has to be school based, in which case I suspect there wouldn’t be an interest. We’re also not in a deprived area I don’t think. The local ACF unit might also have something to say about it!
The DF route is what I would have expected, and was how it was set up originally. There are 2 squadrons about 20 miles away in different directions. That I suspect would also impact on the question of staff. In terms of “civilian” staff, I suspect there would be an interest locally, but I don’t know if there are any current uniformed staff in the town. There are “retirees” like me, but I don’t know what the route back into uniform would be if we thought we’d want to go back in.
In fact, what is the route back to uniform? I know in the past (10 years or so ago when someone came back in on my unit) it was all very informal, and they’ve basically just recommissioned back into their old rank, been rekitted, and had no requirement to attend Cranwell. I suspect things might have changed a little though!
My suspicion is that this will probably come to nothing, but you never know.
OK so the initial step is to ascertain an interest, but hopefully a DF is formed on the basis that there are youngsters travelling to a sqn from that area, which is the initial interest. But with sqns that far away I doubt it.
DFs in the modern era seem to have their own CWC and keep their own funds etc and operate pretty much as sqns. I’ve worked with a one “DF” for 3 years as my mate moved there and the DF Cdr has said the sqn takes little or no interest or involvement. I was on a sqn with a DF as a cadet and we did everything together, the CO and SWO went there twice a month, the cadets came to us once a month for shooting and the treasurer (I found out when doing my Staff 2) went twice a month to collect subs and other payments. But it seems this isn’t the case anymore in this and a couple of instances I’ve come across.
Whatever happens good luck to all interested / involved and lets hope it happens. WRT the school option the initial thrust seems to be for Army units, given it’s driven by RFCA.
It would be interesting to see what happened if someone opened a unit and funded it privately or got financial backing from local industry, given RFCA always plead no money. Maybe there’s a thing for the big lottery win.
I believe that the Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) target for schools to establish new CCF(RAF) was about 150 and this has not yet been achieved. (The cynical part of me thinks that the reason that the CEP was CCF rather than ATC focused was because David Cameron and George Osbourne were both public school educated (Eton) and possibly had never heard of ATC sqns!).
Anyway, this route may well be worth a look as it would give you a ready ‘in’ with respect to accommodation and your primary source of potential recruits, especially as your are a one-school town.
However, there are some downsides. The headmaster plays a key role in the management of the unit and would have to be brought on side. If you have kids in the town who travel to other schools, they may be excluded from joining - especially if the unit is run along ‘after school club’ lines. And, for that latter parade time reason, the staff are predominantly teachers - thereby limiting your gene pool for staff. There is also no special financial incentive for the school to take on this additional ‘burden’ of a cadet unit, only ‘side benefits’ with respect to discipline, etc.
Having started a DF of my own back in Nov 2008 I can confirm you cannot have a CWC… when you look like your getting close to becoming a Sqn you can start to build a CWC, but they are a “CWC in waiting” If you have a good Sqn CWC they will look at your numbers and how much you have put in while a DF and then give you a lump sum split on those numbers… in the case of my old DF we got about £5k on day one of becoming a Sqn.
