Ross-on-Wye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On camp one year all the cadets were issued with packed lunches and transported off camp by covered lorry, which weaved back and forth across country to give the cadets a good challenge. When the driver was having a quiet smoke at the side of the vehicle a couple of enterprising cadets jumped back on board and hitched a lift back to camp. The original reason for getting all the cadets off the camp was that there was an inspection due to take place. As boys will be boys it was thought that the station could be more presentable without the cadets present.  When the lorry arrived back at the MT section the two cadets were seen running off. When the cadets were challenged they said they were always being told to use their initiative and once the driver got out of the cab for a smoke they jumped back in the lorry. The cadets were then sent back to the MT section to help wash down the vehicles for the rest of the day.

In the early 1980’s  1002 Squadron came into contact with female cadets and staff (Girls Venture Corps) for the first time. This was a mixed camp boys from the Midlands and girls from Liverpool. The camp was broken into flights with equal number of boys and girls and a equal number of boy and girl NCO in charge of the flights. Each flight was issued with a map with a grid square cut out. The task was to go and find the grid square and sketch what they see (this exercise was well prepared as the local shop keeper was asked not to sell any cadets a map of the area). As the exercise came to a close it was found that one flight had drawn a perfect sketch map of the area. This was thought to be quite an achievement it was found out later that the whole area of the wood was not accessible so the cadets must have cheated. When challenged the cadets revealed that a couple of girls had befriended a fireman on the station and he had lent them a map to trace. In conclusion it was decided to award 10 out of 10 for initiative then deduct 8 for cheating.

On another occasion as the cadets set off on a map reading exercise a group of Officers were discussing who would find the exercise difficult and possibly get lost. But as the exercise was terminated the tables were soon turned - when the roll was called it was not a cadet missing but one of the Officers - so a party of cadets were dispatched to find him.

One of the squadron’s Officers retired to the mess bar one evening after a long tiring day escorting cadets at annual camp on seeing a piece of rope hanging from a contraption on the wall “said what happens if I pull this?” but alas he soon found out when the bar filled very quickly, as the toy on the wall signalled drinks all round.