wildboar newsletter

999 Squadron Christmas Special

Pirbright Adventure Training Camp

The 9 Cdts that went to Pirbright at

the start of the Summer had a very

exciting week full of Shooting,

Field Craft, Archery, Assault

Courses and some non-cadet

activities such as Bowling and Paintballing, all of which

made the Pirbright experience even more fulfilling.

Cdt Debnam-Sharp described Pirbright as ‘a great

opportunity full of fun experiences.’

WildBoar Newsletter

Christmas Edition

999 (Dunmow & District) Squadron Air Training Corps

Drill Hall, High Street, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1AP

Tel: 01371 878915

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.999sqn.co.uk (Currently under maintenance)

Newsletter written and produced by: Cadet E. Johnson

Photography by: CI Pack

Issue No.1

Flt Lt Wilding Interview What were your intentions when you

arrived at the Sqn?

When Flt Lt Wilding joined the Sqn as a Plt O,

he saw that there was ‘a lot of work to be done

to raise numbers and engage the current Cdts

with new activities and opportunities.’

Where do you see the Sqn in 5 years?

With only one high school in a small area, it

will be hard but with lots of new opportunities

presenting themselves, the Boss said that

‘there’s no reason why we can’t reach an

average of 45 Cdts per parade night whilst

maintaining fun opportunities and extending

the knowledge of the NCO’s.’

What’s been your most memorable

achievement at 999 Sqn?

Flt Lt Wilding was very proud of

exceeding other Sqn’s expectations by

reaching 30 Cdts, as well as providing a

‘great experience for the majority of the

Sqn at the Water Sports weekend.’

What are your main ambitions for

2013?

Raising £15k for a Sqn minibus is a ‘big

priority for more flexibility when travelling

to events and joining the likes of other

successful Sqns.’ As well as to continue

growing in number.

What’s your most memorable moment

in your Cdt career?

As a Cdt, Flt Lt Wilding enjoyed over 100

Flying hours with a CI Pilot at Halstead Sqn

who he ‘learnt a lot from’, unfortunately that

Pilot passed away recently. Other than

that, Flt Lt was very proud of

receiving his Gliding Scholarship,

as well as an Officer Commission

and two years later, being offered a

Command Post.

Operation WildBoar A lot of planning and preparation went into

Op WildBoar to make sure the Cdts got

the best experience they could out of it.

And they did! After lots of Field craft

exercises including Radios, First Aid,

impeccable Navigation (from at least one

team) and many more successful activities meant that the Cdts at STANTA

Military Base were able to drive back the insurgents and protect their base

at the compound and return to Dunmow to continue their Cdt experiences!

Water Sports Weekend The Cdts that went to Stubbers Adventure Centre for the weekend had lots

of amazing experiences as they tackled high climbing walls, Kayaked,

Canoed, Sailed and capsized into cold

waters and battled through the Lazer

Tag course. Even more fun was had

``` by those who bravely sped along the

zipwire, pulled by Cdt Ralph, in the

playground. Even braver were

the Cdts who crawled through the dark

underground tunnels of Stubbers!

The WildBoar Newsletter This is the first edition of many WildBoar Newsletters! 999 Dunmow Squadron have accomplished a lot since the

arrival of our new Commanding Officer, Flt Lt Wilding and we will be reviewing some of these great achievements

as well as asking Flt Lt Wilding what he thinks our Sqn has gained from the experiences.

999Squadron Christmas Update 999 Squadron Christmas Special

Fundraising Throughout the year, 999 Sqn have been involved in many

fund raising events such as Point to Point, Essex Young

Farmers show, Countess of Warwick, Dunmow Flitch Trials

and the Dunmow Carnival. The entire money raised

has gone towards buying new kit

for the Sqn as well as lowering

the prices of certain events

meaning more Cdts could go to

events like Operation WildBoar.

Poppy Appeal On Saturdays the 3rd and 10th of

November, several Cdts went

out into Dunmow and were very

successful in selling Poppies,

Wristbands and Crosses to the

public to raise £373.40 for the very

important Poppy Appeal.

WildBoar Newsletter

Christmas Edition Issue No.1

RAF Benson

We asked Cdt Askew about his

week at RAF Benson and he

described it as an ‘amazing

experience’. He said that the

highlight was the Puma ride which included a retrieval

exercise. Other fun experiences involved a Chinook

Flight-Sim and a long night exped involving First Aid

and field craft. And finally, an enjoyable disco.

Falklands Memorial Competition Despite the fact that 999Sqn did not enter a full six-

member competing team, the Cdts that did represent

our Sqn in the Falklands

memorial competition 2012 made a commendable an

a great effort in challenges such

as the Missile Race and

Navigation. Let’s hope the 2013

team will be even better!

Dining In/Out Evening Lots of fun was had by all who went to the Dining Out of Flt

Lt Brooks (the previous CO of the 999 Sqn) and the Dining

In of Flt Lt Wilding. There

were various awards

handed out (next page)

along with a few speeches

and an excessive amount

of embarrassing dancing,

not just from the Dads.

Air Experience Flying and Gliding The Cadets who went either Gliding or AEF had a

once in a life-time experience of Piloting an aircraft

themselves by completing a few basic manoeuvres

as well as some more

advanced stunts like Loops

which proved to be the

highlight of each Cadet’s flight

and one they will never forget.

Remembrance Day Parade / Battle of Britain Parade On Remembrance Day 2012, the ATC and ACF Cadets of Dunmow marched to

the Great Dunmow War Memorial to show their respect to the fallen soldiers in

past and present conflicts with Cdt Johnson assisting Nobby, a 100 year old

War Veteran, behind the

Parade up to the memorial

and Cdt Witcomb laying our

wreath. Some Cadets

attended the Battle of Britain

Parade to commemorate the

Battle of Britain.

Padre The Sqn was very lucky this year to have the

addition of a Padre, Mr D. Brown,

to the Sqn as there hasn’t been

one for a long time. Other than

performing formal enrolements

and more, the Padre will be

discussing morale citizenship

issues on a regular basis with

the Cadets; a very important role.



Tel: 01371 878915






Duke of Edinburgh Awards As you can see from Cdt Ralph’s expression, all three Duke of Edinburgh expeditions this year were very

successful and lots of fun was had by those who embarked on the two day Navigation, Camping and Teamwork

expedition that is DofE. Of course, lots of other Cadet activities contributed to the

Cadets below who got their award such as sports and volunteering. Congratulations to

those Cdts who have received their Duke of Edinburgh awards with Cadets and a

special congratulations to Cdt East who, because of his outstanding performance on

the most recent DofE expedition, was voted by his fellow DofE participants for the Jack

Petchey Award; following Cpl Sawyer as the second Cdt to receive the Jack Petchey

Award as well as their DofE. Also, thank you to Miss Old for helping the Cdts to

achieve their Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Youth First Aid Course A Youth First Aid course was

completed by Cdts Johnson,

Thomas, Witcomb and Jones

who have all received their YFA

Badges after proving

their First Aid

knowledge in

challenging

scenarios.

Marksman Awards 14 Marksmans of various levels

have been achieved by the Cadets

this year including Sgt Martin and

Cpl Muirhead who achieved the

highest Marksman, Corps. Sgt

Martin did this by shooting a 100%

score! There will be many

opportunities next year for the

Cadets to achieve a Sqn Marksman

or above next year.

Duke of Edinburgh

This year, nine Cadets have

completed their Bronze

Duke of Edinburgh awards

after many physical and

volunteering events on Sqn

Parade nights and several

weekend-long expeditions.

Achievements Many achievements have been made by 999 Sqn over the past year including all Cdts completing their

Radio Comms certificate, as well as many Marksman Awards, YFA Courses and Duke of Edinburgh

Awards, with more opportunities to gain these qualifications coming up over the next year.

WildBoar Newsletter


Sqn Dining In/Out Awards Several awards were presented at

the Dining In/Out evening to the

Cadets/NCO’s who have stood out

over the year in the endeavours.

Cdt Johnson received the Best

Cadet of the Year and Cpl Martin

the Best NCO. Cdts Witcomb and

Thomas also received the

Endeavour award for their

commitment through their time at

the Squadron.

Promotions Many promotions have been made this

year as more and more Cadets were

joining the Sqn. FS Smith was

promoted at the beginning of the year

along with Cpls Martin, Sawyer,

Muirhead and Richardson with Cpls

Kelly and Thomas being promoted

recently, as well as Cpl Martin to

Sergeant.

Radio Comms Certificate

Every Cadet at 999 Sqn has

passed their Radio

Communications Certificate in

2012. And in 2013, several

Cadets will achieve their Radio

Communications badge to add

to their Radio knowledge.



Tel: 01371 878915






The Year Ahead… 2013 2012 has been a very prosperous year for 999 Dunmow Sqn. Since the arrival of Flt Lt Wilding at the

start of the year, many camps and achievements have been made such as the ones you have read

about in this Newsletter, as well as many more activities that the Cdts of 999 Sqn have been doing

every Monday and Thursday that have resulted in a positive year of fun and rewarding experiences.

2013 has lots of events in store for 999 Sqn including more Youth First Aid qualifications, more

Marksman Awards, more Bronze DofE Awards as well as some Silver DofE Awards, another great

weekend at Stubbers Adventure Centre, another great experience at STANTA including Op WildBoar ll

and a week-long camp there but almost most important of all, winning the Falklands Competition after

all the hard work that has been put into training over the past few months and of course much,

much more! Flt Lt Wilding has also said that he would like to reach an average of 45

Cadets per Parade night so be sure to promote the next 999 Sqn Open Evening on

the 28th January at 8:00pm!

WildBoar Newsletter


NCO Interview Sgt Martin (recently promoted)

What did you enjoy most about

2012?

‘Achieving my promotion to Sergeant,

and receiving my Corp marksman.’

What achievements do you hope to

make in 2013?

‘I hope to obtain Flight Sergeant by

the end of the year.’

What are you looking forward to

most in 2013?

‘I am looking forward to the Falklands

competition and Pirbright camp.’

Seasonal Newsletters At the end of each season in the year to come, me

(Cdt Johnson) and CI Pack will be producing a two

page newsletter to recap all of the achievements and

events that the Cadets have been experiencing over

the past few months so make sure you get your copy

of the Spring Update Newsletter!

Cadet Interview Cdt Winter (recently enrolled)

Have you enjoyed your time so far?

‘Yes, I have learnt a lot and doing

sports with other Cadets is very fun.’


make in 2013?

‘Going Flying, completing a camp and

shooting.’


most in 2013?

‘I’m looking forward to joining in with

the regular Cadet activities after

finishing my training.’

Cadet Interview Cdt Pack

What did you enjoy most about

2012?

‘Definitely Operation Wildboar

because of all the fun activities we

did.’


make in 2013?

‘Hopefully a promotion to Cpl and

getting my Bronze DofE award.’


most in 2013?

‘The week-long STANTA Camp.’

Sqn Achievements At Wing Parade earlier in the year, our Cadets

managed to come 3rd in the Aircraft Modelling

Diorama competition (thanks to Cdt Scott) and 20th in

the Aircraft Recognition competition. Flt Lt Wilding

also considers reaching 30 Cadets to be a great

achievement.



Tel: 01371 878915





wildboar newsletter

Documents

current cdts

halstead sqn

cdt experiences

sqn minibus

flt lt wilding interview

dunmow squadron

great dunmow

pirbright experience