Churcher's College Combined Cadet Force holds Biennial Inspection

Posted on 21st Nov 2017 in School News

Churcher’s College Combined Cadet Force held its Biennial Inspection on Tuesday 14 November 2017 and, for the first time, held the day in partnership with The Petersfield School, showcasing how well cadets from both schools have integrated.

The inspecting officer was Group Captain Colin Bruce RAF and both the Petersfield School and Churcher’s College Headmasters were in attendance. In addition, Colonel Patrick Corley, the Head of SERFCA, Mr M Gallagher, Chair of Governors plus senior representatives from the Royal British Legion, the local community, parents and many of our pupils turned out to witness the day’s events.

The day commenced with a Salute and Inspection during which the inspecting officer spent time speaking with each individual standing to attention. This was followed by a ceremonial March Past set to musical accompaniment by the Churcher’s College Band.

After a well-deserved Cadet lunch a range of afternoon activities got underway, split by The Royal Navy, The Army, and the RAF Sections. These included tent-building, ship-turning, weapons training as well as outdoor cooking and survival.

The Army Section Attack was watched with particular interest by those attending, in which one team of Cadets were the advancing party while the other were the target - the Cadets commandingly demonstrated their knowledge of tactics and teamwork as well as weapons-handling. The day concluded with a Final Parade.

CCF Contingent Commander, Lt Cdr Kirsty Verney commented:

“This was the first Biennial Inspection I have been part of and the thing that struck me most was the sheer sense of celebration about the day – our unique community within the school and the huge variety of opportunities that CCF provides our cadets.

"I would especially like to thank all our volunteer Officers and Staff for their hard work; not only in making the Inspection itself such a great success but also for making the CCF at Churcher’s College work on a weekly basis throughout the year.”

"Overall, the cadets worked extremely hard to ensure they were well prepared for the Inspection and March Past in the morning and their efforts paid off. Looking incredibly smart, they were an absolute credit to the Contingent and loved being able to show what we do at the CCF to the visiting personnel and all our visitors."