King Edward's Bath

King Edward’s School Cadets tackle an emergency to gain First Aid qualification

Over 20 cadets from King Edward’s School’s Combined Cadet Force spent the weekend of the 4^th and 5^th February working towards the St John’s Ambulance First Aid qualification.

The first day was spent covering the basics of first aid. On the Sunday Cadets had to put everything they had covered in the Saturday training sessions into practice during some realistic emergency scenarios.

The Cadets were confronted by the scene of traffic accident with two casualties. Working in small groups they set about assessing the situation and preparing to administer relevant first aid help. Then suddenly, ‘CRASH!’ the Head of Maintenance falls off his ladder, now there are three casualties but wait, ‘BANG’, Lt. Drury staggers out of the range, a cadet had shot him by accident, four casualties.

The Cadets were now dealing with a crisis emergency situation where they had to think fast and work hard organising and distributing first aid to all, not forgetting to contact the emergency services to summon help.

Commanding Officer, Captain Holdaway, commented: ’The Cadets kept very cool under pressure, reaching the standards required of the First Aid qualification with ease. Congratulations to all Cadets who passed their First Aid qualification with flying colours. A great, enjoyable weekend was had by all.”

King Edward’s Combined Cadet Force hone shooting technique using state of the art laser equipment

King Edward’s Combined Cadet Force cadets were invited to use the state of the art electronic ranges at the MOD Corsham base on Thursday 26^th January.

After a full day of school the cadets spent an evening honing their shooting technique using laser equipped rifles and an electronic target screen. The weapons had a sophisticated array of sensors that gave instant feedback on how firmly the guns were held, trigger pressure and other metrics.

The grouping size improved as they quickly learned the correct technique and put into practice the ‘marksmanship principles’.

CCF Commanding Officer, Captain Holdaway, commented: “We are extremely grateful to the MOD for allowing our cadets to use their very impressive multimillion pound facility. We hope to make use of these facilities on a more regular basis, as our links with the MOD at Colerne continue to flourish.”

If your son or daughter is in Year 9, or above, or will be next academic year, and you would like details on how to join King Edward’s Combined Cadet Force please contact Captain Holdaway on Email: jsh@kesbath.com

Cadets see out the end of term with a shoot!

The Combined Cadet force took advantage of a school INSET day to enjoy a day of friendly competition to mark the end of the Autumn Term.

Activities were planned, headwear was changed and the battle lines drawn as the four CCF sections fought it out in friendly rivalry.

The weather was definitely on our side as the tug-of-war competition got us underway; take the strain and….pull. With the sections ranked, it was time to take on the officers. With, I have to say, a ratio of 10:1 in favour of the cadets, this was a little one sided! Afterwards we all had a well-earned drink and sweet break talking about what might have been.

Sections then competed in drill, a Christmas .22 shoot in the range, striping and assembling weapons in the dark and a tank recognition exercise.

Spirits were high as the cadets moved around the stands and by the end all waited with bated breath as the final standings were worked out and announced.

Well done to 4 Section as the overall winner and it just leaves me to say on behalf of the cadets, the officers and SSI Jones, a merry Christmas to one and all.

Commanding Officer Mr J. Holdaway

King Edward’s Combined Cadet Force take part in Bath’s Remembrance Sunday

For the first time in recent history the sun was shining on Remembrance Sunday. Cadets from King Edward's School Combined Cadet Force joined with cadets’ from our partner school, Beechen Cliff, to attend a service at the cenotaph in Bath, marked with a two minute silence and the laying of wreaths.

This event was to remember all those whose lives have been affected by war in both past and more recent times. The occasion was well attended by veterans, the Mayor and members of the public.

In the afternoon the cadets joined in with the large parade through the central streets. Marching as a Squadron with heads held high, they kept in step as they passed the Abbey to a cheering crowd.

The cadets all represented themselves and their respective schools with pride on this day when we remember those who are sacrifice so much.

New cadets enjoy their first CCF camp

The new CCF cadets were lucky with the mild weather as they experienced their first camp. Here is a full report by Lieutenant Drury.

It’s Not Cold Yet! – October CCF Camp

This was the moment our new recruits had been waiting for. After a month and a half of training evenings, the first training exercise in Emborough Quarry over Sunday 16^th and Monday 17^th October, was certainly a test. It was their first taste of cooking Army rations in the field, the test of building adequate protection from the elements, the challenge of moving stealthily through the night, the gaining of useful practical skills and the building of confidence that will strengthen any soul.

The exercise, which was shared with cadets from Writhlington School and of course, our partner school- Beechin Cliff, started with a full kit march down to the quarry. In no time at all, Sergeant Jones ushered the camp straight into well prepared lessons on fieldcraft which included such things as building bashers, hand signals, moving stealthily across country, crossing obstacles and of course, camouflage and concealment. Having experienced cooking rations over solid fuel hexamine burners and delighted in the high sugar treats provided to support tired bodies, the exercises main event began.

After observing the senior cadets receiving orders for a night time action, delivered by the OC, Captain Holdaway and Lt Matheson, the new cadets - having now practiced moving silently under the cover of darkness - then took up positions to observe the higher ranking cadets undertaking an ambush. After a careful movement to position and an agonising and cold wait in the darkness, the night sky light up as trip flares were triggered and the quarry echoed to the eruption of sound from automatic rifles, as the ambush swung into effect. The exhilaration had to be carefully contained within, as it was now a case of returning back to camp without being discovered.

On arrival ‘home’ hot chocolate, hot dogs and a huge bonfire were appreciatively welcomed and soon Lt Drury was leading the whole camp in the singing of rousing songs. After a section song competition, it was time to test the bashers! Most cadets arose dry and having experienced some sleep, but some will be listening carefully to the experienced cadets’ tips next time!

The rude awakening of an early reveille, which included fun physical warm-ups exercises, was quickly followed by more cooking. Once camp had been struck, the team were then tested on the information gained in Sunday’s lessons. It is to the great credit of the higher ranking cadets and the support staff that all cadets managed to pass these tests. A fantastic achievement by all, and in no doubt due to the exemplary, supportive atmosphere created by all the cadets within their sections.

We look forward to our next challenges with excitement as our seniors cadets prepare for a tactically advanced exercise in the first weekend of November, and of course, our community highlight – the Remembrance Day parades.

By Lt. Drury