What do you miss

from the time you were a cadet?

Final parade on a Monday the OC saying Friday and Saturday night who’s interested in a 2 night camp, canoe in the lake and maybe a day walk up the big hill and at least 15 cadets or more saying yes please. I couldn’t tell you how much paperwork was needed if any around 25yrs ago or if we had to notify wing etc. So many weekends spent with the Sqn and the laughs we had. I’d suggested similar in the past with current Sqn but was told no due to it requiring paperwork and all the rest that goes with arranging such a thing.

We’d go shooting quite often, asking our next door neighbour Sqn if we could borrow the keys to their range and going on a non parade night.

We also enjoyed Drill…no honest! We had a big square next to our Sqn and we’d often have groups of kids watching us while marching about.

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From being a CI, borrowing half a dozen SLRs and a coule of LMGs from the TA and going to the range and booking out a thousnad plus rounds and add in the .303s. Weekends spent on the Squadron running courses and exercises with log runs round the local park 2.5 miles around at 06:00. Hikes in the hills of a Sunday. Plenty of other opportunities as well.

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Doing 7 nights a week as an SNCO, 2 parade nights a night of Rifle Drill plus going to Band night to do my planning for parade nights then every weekend was a long one of any activity. Middle of my GCSE’s I did 30+ nights without a break!

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Organising long walks in the Cotswolds on a Wednesday night and doing them on Sunday morning - no NGB’s, no hassle, just doing what several million people manage to do every weekend without killing their children.

It was almost as if we were sentient adults who could cope with maps, putting one foot in front of the other, and telling kids to put their waterproofs on when it rained.

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I miss
The days where there was a lack of heavy handed top down management by people needing to prove why they need to have a job, leaving things alone and letting squadrons get on with doing what they did.

The days when you got post once or maybe twice a week and things being done at a more civilised pace, unlike today’s 24/7 contact and reliance on e-comms, such that everything needs to be done now.

A potential new member of staff turning up and welcoming them the following night to begin as staff. Also staff not having to tick a plethora of boxes, because it will somehow make them better and in this I include the OASC nonsense.

Although I’m no longer an RCO, turning up and taking cadets shooting without needing several reams of paper and permissions and a veritable army of staff and not worrying if people have got a current WHT, qualifications etc etc etc, for 1½ hours on the range.

Like @angus , thinking we want to a day walk or weekend camping and because we had a blanket permission for the period Apr-Oct we just went. No need for pointless additional permissions, endless forms, qualifications and courses.

Not being required to do a course for everything and be bored to the point of thinking how many times has that drawing pin been used, or trying to read notices repeatedly as they are more interesting than the people talking.

Being able to just do things, because it would be good, fun and or interesting for the cadets and staff.

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When fieldcraft evenings were basically an organised fight :joy:

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Did a night exercise on annual camp once, the local Sqn played the enemy. More than one ‘stall’ turned into an organised brawl :joy:

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You were lucky.

We used to have to do 8 nights a week as a JNCO just to be considered for promotion.

On camps we had to get up at 4am - half an hour before we went to bed - …

< /python>

I think my highlight was doing a continuous gliding scholarship. ~Do we think they’ll come back?~ (edit: apparently they have!)
That and AEF several times a year…

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All of the above

There is one running right now in Scotland and another down south in a couple of weeks :thinking:

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A blanket permission for several locations would have been put in place for ‘the season’ and then just go as you suggest. This is how it happened when I was a cadet and I found out when I became staff and used it to its fullest.

Something I miss is CILOR for weekends, which in an average year netted c.£1K for the squadron funds. They shifted it from 48 to 72 hours which became a bit more awkward but we managed it 3 or 4 times a year. Still a nice little earner, my son.

I did not know this. That is good news!

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Annual Camps where the program was so full of proper uniformed activities that it was a push to get the single afternoon in town so the cadet NCOs could get out on the lash :crazy_face::beers::fries::beers::hamburger::beers::fries::beers:

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Camps where cadets could spend a week working on sections doing shifts as well. Seen cadets with someone stood by them marshalling aircraft in a pan.

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Camps where staff weren’t trying to fill every single moment for cadets with something, rather than letting them just relax at the end of the day. This puts a lot more pressure on staff, making camps something to miss.

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To be honest, I loved the busy camps. Too much slack time = mischievous cadets in my book.

I miss the amount of flying we used to get on camp…

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what do i miss?

flying and shooting.

as a Cadet these were the activities which excited me most, and unfortunately although they know no different as they don’t know what they are missing out on, Cadets do not get the same opportunities.

We had flying and gliding <30minutes away from the Squadron I was a Cadet at. we’d get at least 4 places and 9/10 everyone would fly plus the staff.

now all we get is 4 maximum, our last flying detail was reduced to 3 just 48 hours prior to the weekend due to shortage of pilots or aircraft either one.

gliding is self explanatory - it has simply disappeared. I know people will say its back, and tbf we have had slots, but our local unit has been closed and now it isn’t just going to the other side of the next town but across and through the next county…i appreciate that we were lucky in our location and 60 minutes was always the norm for some, but there is now no buzz around getting on the next flying or gliding slot as its so far away, so few Cadets get to go each time, which occur too infrequently…

Shooting has become harder and harder with no Cadet benefit. Unless I am mistaken no member of the CF have been injured because of the way ranges or training was conducted which indicated we didn’t respect the activity. to be involved in shooting requires it to be a dedicated interest to remain current as opportunities are now so few and far between to remain “current” and to simply practise the skills often enough means attending each opportunity which comes up…

Air rifle is great, but for all but one unit i know means the rest of the building is out of bounds so removes the chance to pick up a rifle of an evening and punch some holes in some card as that requires a separate commitment to take part in…

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I must have been a mischievous cadet then, as I remember and enjoyed the after tea downtime and think cadets should get as much as possible, as that means the staff do too and staff deserve as much downtime as possible. Camp days are long enough, without adding to them.
The only time I wouldn’t have as much is as CC, but in that role I tell staff to get out of uniform (excl duty staff) and relax.

I have to agree with @Teflon, It’s very important to plan downtime into a camp program.
Not only does it allow timings to slip here and there, but it provides the cadets, and staff, much needed chances to relax and recharge. Perhaps sort out a few of those odd jobs that take no time at all but build up.
Learning how to use down time effectively to relax and/or have fun while have the personal discipline to make sure everything is squared away is a very important skill.

All of the above - and scary how quickly it all went ‘out the door’!

I started as a CI, and the ‘night exercises’ we used to put on were great fun.

I went down the route of shooting, which was massive fun for tears - not so much fun now!

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