VE Day Parade

Adult Staff The Staff Mess
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I watched the VE Day parade from London this morning and it was wonderful to see two very smart and articulate ATC Cadets taking a leading role right at the start of the event. Well done to them. What wonderful ambassadors for our organisation.

Then there were the cadets who were part of the final contingent. What an extraordinary experience that must have been for them. I took part in something similar in the summer of ‘77 for the Silver Jubilee and remember it vividly.

Now, I’m not one to criticise over harshly but, who selected the band to lead the youth and cadet contingent? The boys and girls from the Boys/Girls brigade were so out of their depth I really felt for them.

This was a military parade so I would have thought the SCC/ACF/RAFAC National Bands would have been a better choice. Even a combined band from all three would have been possible.

Failing that, Brentwood Imperial Youth Band would have been more than capable.

Also, I’d have liked to have seen a Police or Fire Service Band leading the civilian service contingent. They do exist and hold a wealth of musical talent.

A great event but the tail end let the cadets and other youth groups down I thought when it could have been a fine showcase for our own musical talent. Pity.

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I managed to catch the fly past completely by accident! Was in London seeing friends over the weekend, was heading home via Victoria and got off the tube 10 mins before the flypast!

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“Dad, why are you wearing half of the curtains from the lounge”

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completely agree, heard on the comentary that the cadets were taking part. The RAFAC cadets taking part looked visibly embarrased, I felt for them. If the organisers thought it a good idea to have youth invlovement surely each organisation should have had a contigent, Brentwood Imperial band are fab, but so are Woolwich RAFAC band and many other uniformed youth bands.

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I did feel sorry for that group marching down, so separate from the rest of the parade it meant they got a lot of attention. For something so big it would have been nice to see a contingent from each organisation in their own flight instead of the bridge that there was.

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Cadet 150 parade down the Mall :man_shrugging:t2::roll_eyes: Now that was a parade!!

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