Taylorian 2020

125 O nce again it has been a busy year for the Army section. Fighting off stiff competition, James Tillotson and Max Arlen were appointed as Under Officer and RSM respectively. Both have been outstanding in carrying out their duties throughout the year. The October Field Day was soon upon us, and the Army Section was deployed to the Oxney Farm training area near Longmoor on Exercise Taylors’ Valkyrie 19. There was a lot of excitement for the trip, as the Friday CCF sessions leading up to the day focused on the specific training in requisite skills for a fun and productive day. The Year 10 cadets visited Liquid Leisure near Datchet and were faced with challenging activities including a waterborne obstacle course. The remaining cadets spent most of the evening at Oxney Farm planning, practising skills, and preparing their kit for the next day. Most senior cadets chose to sleep outside in bashas, despite the heavy rain. The following morning they cooked ration packs for breakfast and fuelled up for an action-packed day of training. The cadets navigated in patrols to a series of stands. One activity required cadets to operate a vehicle checkpoint, stopping vehicles to gather information from the driver and passengers relating to a local militia group known as ‘BORIS’. Though they were met with some colourful and dangerous characters, all groups exercised good crowd control and teamwork, reaching back to their previous training to find all the potentially dangerous items which passengers had been carrying. The highlight for many was the blank firing section attack on BORIS positions in woodland. Every group demonstrated and improved not only their military skills, but soft skills such as clear communication, which they will be able to incorporate into other aspects of their lives.  In November, a selection of cadets attended the Guthrie Cup. The Guthrie Cup, held annually at Harrow School, is a CCF competition whose patron is former Harrovian, Field Marshal Lord Guthrie. After parading before the Colonel Cadets (London District) and receiving a safety brief, the team competed in a variety of activities. These included fitness, section attacks, fire, and manoeuvre, along with target indications, observation, first aid, leadership tasks, military knowledge, and the drill competition. Every member of the team performed exceptionally well. We finished in third place overall and were the first-placed mixed team.  For Exercise Taylors’ Patrol in March, stands were set up along a fixed route at Crowborough Training Camp. Cadets were split into patrols and navigated their way around the area, undertaking various tasks. These included a Paintball Jungle Lane with moving and static targets, first aid, observation, and camouflage and concealment. One of the most entertaining standswas the set taskhosting the ‘Warlord’ who had to be treated like he was taking dinner in The Savoy Grill whilst observing tribal etiquette. The cadets prepared a combination of flavors and textures from ration packs that would live long in the memory and palate of the Warlord and his accompanying henchmen. It is unfortunate that in late March COVID-19 put a halt to all subsequent Section activities. Capt (SSI) K M Sharrock Cadets Combined Cadet Force Army