The Combined Cadet Force This has been a very busy fortnight for the CCF. Acts of Remembrance The contingent has represented the Academy at Remembrance Day events in Ashington and at the Academy on the 11th November 2014. During the Remembrance Day service, attended by representatives from The Coldstream Guards Association, their Padre, and four representatives from our partner school and town in Remscheid, the The Coldstream Guards presented the Academy with their banner for safe-keeping and had their new banner blessed by their Padre. The service of remembrance was a very moving occasion with the Academy represented by members from all phases of the school. In my address to the assembled group, I reflected on acts of remembrance and reconciliation. This is an extract. “Conflict and war pits people against one another. On a recent visit to our partner school in Germany, I noticed above the door in the parish church the words: Unser Helden – Our heroes. It is easy for us to forget that although once facing each other across the muddy trenches of Flanders as enemies, remembrance is also very much about reconciliation – the process of bringing former enemies together again as friends. That is what twinning of towns was meant to do after the Second World War and why we as Ashington have a link with Remscheid. The First World War was meant to be the war that ended all wars; if we do not remember the sacrifice of those who gave their lives, we may continue to make the same errors in future. In the same way we regard our soldiers as heroes, so too did those fighting in other armies. The German author, Erich Maria Remarque, in his famous book Im Westen nichts Neues – All Quiet on the Western Front writes: “Comrade, I did not want to kill you. . . . But you were only an idea to me before, an abstraction that lived in my mind and called forth its appropriate response. . . . I thought of your hand-grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony—Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?” We will remember them! Mr John Carr-Ellison, High Sheriff of Northumberland, has very kindly donated a salver to the Academy to be awarded annually to the Cadet of the Year. The High Sheriff presented the salver to Cadet Katie Moffat at the Academy’s annual prize-giving on Wednesday, 12th November 2014. We are extremely grateful to the High Sheriff for his generosity. At a glittering ceremony and dinner at Ramside Hall in County Durham last Thursday, the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowden, presented the Academy with one of the first fifteen Silver Awards to be awarded in the North East. I was very proud to receive the award on behalf of the Academy, as it reflects the Academy’s commitment to the CCF, to servicemen and women, ex-servicemen and women, and to ensuring that their needs are met within our community. The Academy’s cadet of the Year, Cadet Katie Moffat (13), spoke very eloquently of her experiences in the Academy’s CCF and what she has gained from being a member. Reflecting on all that she has accomplished since the CCF was established under the cadet Expansion programme in September 2013, she explained how she had gained immeasurably in confidence and self-esteem; how her skills had been developed; her leadership and teamwork; her sense of perseverance and teamwork; her courage and conviction. She spoke with great clarity and purpose alongside Post 16 and university students. I was immensely moved to watch her deliver confidently from a podium in front of serried ranks of Lords-Lieutenant, Generals, Air Vice Marshals and a whole array of uniformed, bemedalled, and regimentally tied guests. It was a splendid occasion, generously chaired by Lt General Robin Brims. First Annual CCF Dinner The first annual Academy CCF Dinner will take place on Wednesday, 26th November in the Academy. We look forward to welcoming a number of guests to the Academy for this great occasion. Guests will include the Vice Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Northumberland.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 09:04:36 +0000
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