North Region Music Camp

by Cadet Tom Hepworth

On the morning of the 27^th of October, six cadets from 1224 Wharfedale Sqn left to join the coach heading to the first ever North Region Music camp. This was to be my fourth band camp, though as it was my first region camp, I was unsure of what to expect.

When we arrived we were given our room numbers and given time to unpack before being sent out on a familiarisation exercise so we could see the layout of the base and learn some facts about it. Following that we just had time to get dinner from the Mess before the first muster parade, it hadn’t occurred to me before this just how many cadets were on camp, just over 150. It is the largest camp I have been on so far.

But it wasn’t just a marching band camp, there were a number of ensembles to pick from, including; Marching Band, Concert Band, Corps of Drums and Pop and Rock Group (led by 1224’s very own Sgt (ATC) Sam White), all the groups would be working towards an on base performance towards the end of the week for parents, honoured guests, and other cadets.

I was in the marching band during the day and the concert band in the evening, this meant I was playing almost non-stop for most days during the week. As we were all split up into separate flights based on which group you were performing in, we didn’t get much chance to mix with other cadets who were in different ensembles during the day, but in the evenings we were granted use of the Red Rose Club to socialise.

Unfortunately, due to the typical English weather, the marching band was unable to play outside, as the rain would damage some instruments, and so we became “The Marching Band that didn’t march!” Nevertheless, we carried on rehearsing the marches in our new home ‘The Red Rose Club’ so we would be ready for the performance at the end of the week.

Mid week each flight was given two half days off for shooting and field craft, some flights got the chance to use the outdoor ranges, before a few cadets caught hypothermia and it was banned, and so we shot on the indoor ranges instead. On our other half day we took part in field craft, which involved learning how to build shelters and being taught camouflage and concealment, unfortunately for us it was raining on the day which made the experience slightly less enjoyable.

At the very end of the week we had one final rehearsal with every ensemble, which gave us a chance to see what everybody else had been working on throughout the week, then there was just enough time to clear out the accommodation before rushing back for the final performance.

As we had to stay in our own performance areas during the final performance, we did not get the chance to watch each other perform, but from what we were told, it all went without a hitch.

I really enjoyed my first regional band camp and am looking forward to the next one!

All Photos by Pilot Officer Richard Pallett RAFVR(T)

Wharfedale Remembers in 2012

There are few annual events in the Squadrons calendar that carry quite the significance and importance of Remembrance Sunday.

This year the Squadron took part in remembrance services in three towns throughout Wharfedale; in Ilkley, Addingham and Burley-in-Wharfedale.

The day started with the band attending the church service at St Peters Church in Addingham before leading the parade to the cenotaph in the centre of the town, the last post here was played by ex-1224 cadet Andy Novell and the wreath was, for the first time in his 20+ years with the Squadron laid by Warrant Officer (ATC) David Wood.

Following the Addingham parade the Squadron assembled at Abbeyfield Care Home, who had kindly offered a room for the Squadron to serve the cadets lunch in. The lunch itself was very kindly prepared by the Civilian Committee of the Squadron, complete with poppy buns! As a thank you to the care home, the band then played a few songs for the residents.

The Ilkley parade was once again led by the Squadrons band and included various local dignitaries and veterans. The parade marched from Ilkley Car Park, up Brook Street and along The Grove to the Ilkley Memorial Gardens for a service during which the last post was played by Sgt Tom Smith from 2431 (Keighley) Squadron.

The Squadrons turnout was praised by many members of the public and the OC, Flight Lieutenant Sue Leighton praised the effort from both the cadets and staff and thanked everybody for their smart turnout.

All photos by CI Sam White.

Promotions at 1224

On Thursday 20th September 2012, Officer Commanding 1224 (Wharfedale), Flt Lt Sue Leighton made the following promotions.

To Corporal:

Cadet James Cooper
Cadet James Rowlands

To Sergeant

Corporal Jørgen Moore
Corporal Kjersti Moore

To Flight Sergeant

Sergeant Chris Cavaliere
Sergeant Jamie Partovi

Congratulations to all six on their well deserved and hard earned promotions!

Rheindahlen Camp 2012 Report

By Cpl Callum Parker

The 2012 North Region Rheindahlen camp didn’t get off to the greatest of starts for me, after trailing round Leeds for about half an hour and waiting in the bus station for what seemed like an eternity, we boarded the coach for Manchester airport. A coach journey and a half later we arrived at the airport and swiftly negotiated the numerous security clearances before boarding the plane. The flight was surprisingly short and we touched down ready for another coach journey to the base.

After the second coach journey of the day we arrived at JHQ (Joint Head-Quarters) Rheindahlen. After a short briefing outside the accommodation we were allocated rooms and told to wake up in roughly 4 hours’ time, so we did.

Thursday: We awoke early the next morning and changed into DPM’s for breakfast, and then off for the camp photograph, after that we changed into to ‘civvies’ for a trip to a local swimming pool and a short town visit. That night we went go-karting in Holland and returned for a well-deserved sleep.




Friday: Once again we woke up early and wore ‘civvies’ as today we would be visiting the German town of Cologne, During this visit we climbed the 533 steps to the top of the Cathedral and visited the ‘Olympia Museum’ before being let loose on the city. That night we returned to the base for a quiz in which prizes were awarded for: Best group name, best answer, first place and second-to-last place (which my group won!)

Saturday: As it was a weekend we were all allowed a 1 hour lie-in, once again we were in civvies for a trip to the Moehne Dam (the first dam that the ‘dam-busters’ broke). The trip consisted of two, three-hour long coach journeys (to get there and back…) and a boat ride on the reservoir. That night we watched the film ‘Dam-Busters’ in the youth club situated on the base.

Sunday: A one hour long lie-in was granted again as today we would need all the energy we could get, we were visiting an activity centre in Holland called ‘Break-out’. After a few wrong turns and the bus driver causing minor damage to the bus we arrived at the activity centre ready to do things like: climbing, archery, tunnelling/caving and a high-ropes course. The day was action packed and really fun until we returned to base and were told we had to practice for a drill competition on Tuesday.

Monday: Another early morning wake-up and DPM’s for a day at a nearby German Luftwaffe Base. Here we had a short presentation by a Flight Lieutenant from the R.A.F. and shown round the on-base museum dedicated to a World War 1 ace that taught the legendary ‘Red Baron’ to dogfight. After that we were given a tour of a Eurofighter Typhoon and the base itself. That night we spent doing drill practice for the inter-flight competition the next morning.

Tuesday: DPM’s for the last time, but also for the inter-flight drill competition… At 7:30 German-time the drill competition commenced (too early for drill!)After that we changed into civvies and went to a military museum filled with hundreds of military vehicles. On the journey home we stopped at both a Dutch military graveyard (which had 31,585 soldiers’ graves) and a British graveyard to compare the ways in which each country respects and remembers it’s fallen. After that short diversion, to lighten the mood, we stopped for ice-cream at a parlour where they make spaghetti ice-cream! That night we had a camp disco complete with karaoke and paper-plate awards.

Wednesday: It was the last day, and after packing our bags and cleaning the rooms we left our luggage in the resident ATC Squadron and went out for the day to visit a Dutch town (our last chance to buy souvenirs!). We then returned to collect our bags and headed for the airport, a quick flight home and before we knew it we were collecting our luggage at the baggage carousel and it was all over… everyone said their good-byes and I boarded the coach home along with about 20 others.

Overall the week was very enjoyable and one I will not forget. Oversees camps are amazing and a must-do during your time in cadets. As the station is set to close down, JHQ Rheindahlen camps are probably not going to be operating after this year, but I would thoroughly recommend that everyone should apply for an overseas camp as they are great fun and you will meet some amazing people.

RYLA 2012

RYLA 2012

By Sophie Latta

Through school, I applied for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. The interview panel believed that I had ‘leadership potential’ and granted me a place on the first course in the summer of 2012. In all honesty, I had no idea what to expect. When I arrived, I was rushed from my Rotarian’s car to a series of ‘icebreaker’ games, designed to help awardees get to know each other.

We were then informed of what we had ‘signed up to.’ The course is run by ‘Awesome Adventure,’ a team of predominantly ex-military staff. The selected outdoor activities on the course are all based on elements of problem solving, communication, organisation, delegation and teamwork. The personal development side of the course is based upon the ‘Kolb’s Learning Cycle’

The course was the busiest week I have ever experienced, so here are the highlights…

o  We learnt to work in a team, using delegation effectively 

‘Bell-boating’ – working as a team to travel along a canal in a canoe, delegating roles to manage the opening and closing of the locks.

o  We became more effective communicators

‘Murder Hunt’ – completing mini tasks, to earn money to purchase clues to solve a murder. This involved lots of organisation in the briefing and debriefing of tasks.

o  We learnt problem solving skills

…And we had a lot of fun learning all of the above!

My team (‘Dudes of Hazard’) won the competition that ran throughout the week, based on points earned in tasks.

We performed RYLA themed ‘Would I Lie To You?’ at the talent show at the end of the week,

  

To conclude; from my week at Hebden Bridge, I met some great people and the experiential learning style of the week has equipped me with leadership techniques and a developed range of skills that I hope to apply at Cadets, in sport and in my future career.

dd

Squadron Photo 2012

Olympic Torch

On Sunday 24th June 2012, the Squadrons band turned out to play as the Olympic Torch was carried through Ilkley.

The band played a number of their routine songs to the crowd as they waited for the torch to arrive before playing the traditional anthem 'On Ilkla Moor Baht 'at' as the torch was carried past.

The crowd very much enjoyed the performance and the band even got a mention on the BBC 2012 Olympics website.