Having originally intended to attend London District cadet training team’s at Longmoor, we were very grateful that 4X North East Brigade were able to offer us 70 places on their camp based at Driffield in the East Ridings of Yorkshire.

Although the first day consisted mainly of travelling, we arrived at the North Yorkshire Water Park campsite in time for sports alongside cadets from other units. In our training group, we enjoyed a particularly memorable seven aside football match against Merchant Taylors’ CCF, refereed by the contingent commander.

An early start on day two saw the cadets and the majority of the adult staff clambering into wetsuits for the first three of six outstanding activities. Paddleboarding took its strain on older knees and backs, but was enthusiastically engaged with by the cadets. Despite the previous experience of some of the senior cadets, the raft building activity inevitably ended in squeals and shouts as virtually all the craft disintegrated in the lake, plunging their occupants into the water. The inflatable obstacle course was favourite with many with it 10-metre jumps and slide, and a climbing wall, which left those failing to scale it falling back into the lake!

Out of their wetsuits and back into their own clothes, the dry activities in the afternoon consisted of a climbing wall, puzzle room and a 200m long zip wire.

The evening was spent back at the campsite, preparing equipment for the exercise the following day in the gaps between torrential downpours.

On Day 3 we found ourselves in uniform for the first time, deployed to the training area. Wilson’s School CCF had opted for the advanced Fieldcraft package, once the two platoons of Wilson’s cadets had established their harbour areas, they were issued with Cadet GP rifles and on rotation took part in a paintball lane and section attack stand.

The weather was kind to us during the day and cadets successfully negotiated, both aspects of training, focusing on pairs and fireteam skills with the paintball markers moving on to section attacks in a blank, firing exercise. As evening arrived, so did the rain, testing the resilience and administration skills of even the hardiest and most experience cadet as they cooked and ate the ration pack dinner and cleaned their rifles. As night fell, the continuing bad weather was a good test of the basha building skills of all concerned. The final day of training required transport to Driffield Camp where a couple of hours allowed everyone to shower and change into dry clean uniform before a day in camp training. This included a laser clay pigeon shoot, the DCCT, air rifle shooting, training on the cadet field gun and a series of demanding command tasks. After dinner the Cadet Company Sergeant Major selected an A and B team for an evening of competition against each other and the teams of the other two schools in our training group. Each stand was visited on a carousel with the cadets competing in command task, requiring them to cross a “minefield”, a drill competition, archery, and a gun run, using the field guns that they had trained on earlier in the day. It wasn’t until the final parade and address by the OC of the training team that it became apparent that the CSM’s handpicked ‘A’ Team had been pipped to the podium and the medals by a ‘B’ team captained by Sgt Oki.

The journey home was uneventful, mostly because those on the two coaches slept for most of the journey!

This was a hard-working camp requiring stamina and resilience from all involved, but much fun was had, much training completed and all in customary high spirits, and with more than a dash of professionalism.

Thanks must go to the contingent staff who attended, the hard-working, senior NCOs, and most of all to 4X Brigade cadet training team, whose cadet-centred approach and flexibility meant that Wilson’s enjoyed a camp to remember.

While Exercise Fielding is still yet to come this will be the last time we see many of our Year 13 representing the CCF. As ever, they have done the two schools and the contingent proud in their efforts in this year and will be much missed.