Framlinghamian 2022 - Flipbook - Page 46
OUTWARD BOUND
ARMY FIELD
WEEKENDS
On the 7th October a crack team
of aspiring Army SNCOs set forth to
Woodbridge Barracks to complete
their leadership test on how to conduct
deliberate ambushes and two phase section
attacks. The weather was kind and the
empty shells were flying everywhere as the
enemy forces (S.W.O Joss Easey (Head of
CCF and RAF), WO2 Felix Heywood (head
of Army) and Cpl Archie Goodhead) were
shot and mysteriously came back to life in
different guises on multiple occasions.
The cadets were challenged throughout
the day and could not believe the amount
of carbon that had built up on the internal
mechanisms of the rifles they had to
clean upon their return. On Sunday 18th
November, an enthusiastic bunch of cadets
went to Merville Barracks, Colchester to
use the 25m range for their 5.56 Fullbore
Classification Shoot. Cadets Swinburn and
Fiske and L Cpl Easey and Cpl Gladwell
each fired 100 rounds and they shot well.
100mm groupings are rare, but they all
managed to succeed and so the scores
were the best the Cadet Training Team had
seen in a long time. Congratulations to
Cpl Easey on his ‘battlefield’ promotion!
On the 10th/11th March more than 50
cadets from the Army and RAF Sections
attended an action-packed field weekend
on Thetford training area. Battling sleet,
rain and high winds was challenging, but
they rose to the occasion, as they always
do, and we kept to the programme. On
the Army side of life the Year 10 recruits
passed their weapon handling tests and
fired blank for the first time with a series
of ambushes, section attack and platoon
attack scenarios. Meanwhile the senior
cadets set up a platoon harbour and honed
more specialist fighting skills. The RAF
set up some lower level training and were
often seen scampering around the area
on leadership tasks. A cold night was had
under bashas and in shipment containers,
but at least we saw some sun on Monday.
Congratulations to Cadet WOII Lipman, S
Sgt Williamson and to Sgts Monaghan and
Gladwell on their promotions.
On the 12th and 13th May Framlingham
College CCF Army Section spent time,
amongst other things, on the ranges
at Merville Barracks Colchester and
44
THE FRAMLINGHAMIAN 2019
CCF Honour Guard on duty. 11.11.19 - From L to R: Paul Taylor, Lt. A Hendy, Lt. C Turner, Lt. Colonel M. Myers-Allen,
WOII F Heywood, WOI R Monaghan, Sgt J Easey., C/Sgt C Mears, Sgt Garcia, WOII Roy Witham, Rev. B. Bayman
Fingringhoe Ranges on the Mersea Road. It
is at events like this that sharp shooters of
the future can be spotted and the College
needs to find these people. Historically,
shooting at the College and later as Old
Framlinghamians, enjoys an enviable
reputation, but things have been quiet of
late. However let’s hope that from the
likes of Sgt Monaghan, Cpl Knight, Cpl
Bowditch, Cpl Mayall, Cdt Myers-Allen and
Cdt Budd (who all shot particularly well
with the 5.56 calibre LA98A2 assault
rifle) that we can start to build things up
again and return to those heady days.
Next year, WOI R Monoghan assumes
head of the CCF, taking over from WOI J
Easey, and WOII W Gladwell takes over as
Head of the Army from WOII F Heywood.
C/Sgt C Mears will be the Training
Sergeant replacing WOII J Lipman.
RAF FIELD
WEEKENDS
The RAF Year 10 Cadets
spent the Field Weekend
based at RAF Henlow
Fun in the sun!
in Bedfordshire, hosted by
our RAF liaison Sergeant, Sgt
Seed. On Sunday, the cadets tackled
leadership tasks, including problem
solving, construction and selling their ideas,
followed by archery and then simulator
flying in a very realistic “fake” cockpit
with three huge screens. This was very
much enjoyed and showcased the cadets
with the most promise. We also had a
look around the aircraft collection on the
CCF and Rangers Mess Night
airfield, which includes Prince Charles’
personal Chipmunk and a WW1 era Avro
504. Many vintage aircraft had been flying
around all day; Henlow is particularly
unusual because the taxiway out to the
runways from the hangars goes across
the fairway for the first hole of the Henlow
golf course - potentially hazardous for
both golfers and pilots! Sunday concluded
with pizza and then settling into the
cadet accommodation block. Monday
dawned fair and, after breakfast in the
Sergeants’ Mess, we headed off to the
nearby Shuttleworth Collection. This is not
really a museum because every aircraft
you see there can, and does, fly (except
for the “Flying Flea” which is banned from
flying due to its inherently dangerous flying
characteristics!) The collection includes
the oldest flying aircraft in the world - a
Bleriot monoplane of 1909. The tour there
is excellent and it takes you behind the
ropes amongst the aircraft and picks
out highlights from the collection.
During the day we discovered that
Cadet Bela Reader’s Great, Great
Uncle was the first man to drop a
bomb on the famous Dambusters
Raid in 1943. We also explored the
Lysander aircraft that flew spies and
agents into France at night during WWII
and which has a link to Framlingham’s
most famous former pupil (RAF-wise), Gp
Capt “Percy” Pickard, who led the famous
Amiens raid (also of 1943) and who had
flown Lysanders for most of the war before
swapping to Mosquitos. Sqn Ldr Skitch,
who retires from the College this year, also
told us about his grandfather flying Sopwith
Camels during WW1.