annual camp

August 7 2014August 7 2014

CCF Camp LOO

I spent a week recently on CCF Annual Camp at RAF Linton-On-Ouse. It was a busy week, travelling early one Saturday and returning late the following Saturday.

Here’s a rundown of the activities:

Invasion planning activity
Flight simulator activity
Ten pin bowling
Visit to RAF Fylingdales
Visit to Whitby
Obstacle Course
High Ropes
Elvington Aircraft Museum
Linton-On-Ouse Memorial Room
Sport
Section visits to:
- Air Traffic Control
- Flight Safety Equipment
- 72R Squadron
- Flight Planning
- Depth Engineering
Drill competition with the SWO
Dishforth Army Air Corps base
- Armoury
- Lynx Squadrons
- Survival Equipment

Some things of note:

One evening we saw two V22 Ospreys fly over the base.

There were two fire alarms in the officers’ mess. One was about 0630 and we all left the building in whatever state of dress we were in. The next was later that day as we were all sitting down to dinner. No one moved for quite a while, we were all quite sure that it was not a “big thing”. Eventually someone told us to get out of the building and we wandered out the front door just as the firemen were walking in [they had driven from the other side of the airfield] I don’t think they were too happy with us!

Here are a selection of photos from that camp:

Taken with my iPhone, hence the finger marks — Whitby

Here’s a couple of amusing things, just because there probably isn’t enough humour on this site [it’s mostly me moaning about things].

This was a question that came up on some crappy Tv show I saw when I had a spare ten minutes just before dinner one evening:

Here’s a picture that I tweeted not long after a visit to Dishforth. This is probably the best toilet I’ve ever seen. It’s not glamorous but it does have a magazine rack!

Also, here’s a running route I did. It was a standard PTI route I found when I was in the station gym.

May 23 2014July 22 2014

This continues the dissection of my Form 3822, my record of service book for my time in the Air Cadets. To see others communications in this thread click here.

Attendance At Annual Camps

26 July to 2 August 1986 RAF Coltishall
22 August to 29 August 1987 RAF Brize Norton
7 April to 18 April 1988 RAF Akrotiri
23 July to 30 July 1988 RAF Coningsby
12 August to 19 August 1989 RAF Swanton Morely
4 August to 11 August 1991 RAF Waddington

I missed the 1990 camp at RAF Odium because I was on a pre-booked holiday. I missed a flight in a Chinook that year. Although I was in the cadets in 1985 I was not allowed on the camp that year as I hadn’t completed my basic training. I left as a cadet towards the end of 1991.

RAF Coltishall (above): I’m in the back row and on the right. This was my first annual camp and this is a photograph of just the 309 contingent of the camp.

For some reason I don’t have the photograph from RAF Brize Norton to hand. I will keep looking to see if I can find it.

RAF Akrotiri (above): I think this was just the East Essex Wing contingent of the Cyprus camp that year. I’m in the back row, five from the left.

RAF Coningsby (above): This was the 309 contingent at this camp although we also had one cadet from 414 (Epping) Squadron with us. I’m front and left.

RAF Swanton Morley (above): There are a few tales to tell about this camp. I shall dedicate a future communication to my memories from all these camps. I’m in the middle row of cadets just left of the flag pole.

RAF Waddington: My last annual camp and my first in proper billets. I’m on the steps, number six from the left.

These are all the official photographs that I have. I am going to put more photographs on this site over time. If you are unsure about the aims of this website then please read the homepage. It’s about me you see.

December 16 2011July 22 2014

Annual Camp

So, for many years I was involved with the Air Cadets. I joined the band of 309 (Sawbridgeworth) Sqn when I was twelve and a half and then joined the squadron properly when I was thirteen and a half. I left when I went to university when I was 19, although I did two stints as a Civilian Instructor. I look back fondly on my time in the cadets and had so many great experiences that I think it really changed my outlook on life during my formative years. I’ll do another more comprehensive post about my cadet career another time but this post is just to list the official annual camps I attended.

1986 RAF Coltishall
1987 RAF Brize Norton
1988 RAF Coningsby
1989 RAF Swanton Morley
1991 RAF Waddington
1993 RAF Manston (attended as a CI)

Also in 1988 I attended a two week camp at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.