Read all of 1861 (Wantage)
Squadron's News on the Thames Valley Wing website.
Thames Valley Powers To Pool Success - 22nd Oct 2011
A team of cadets drawn from across the Thames Valley area triumphed in the pool and came away with the silverware following the recent inter-Wing swimming competition which was held at HMS Temeraire in Portsmouth.
The competition was tough as the team was pitted against others drawn from across the South West of the UK including from as far afield as Plymouth, Cornwall and the Isle of Wight but the Thames Valley contingent proved themselves to be very much up to the mark. In an outstanding performance both the junior and senior girls teams swept to overall victory in their classes whilst the junior and senior boys also put in a highly credible performance. Overall the points gained were such that Thames Valley Wing was declared the overall...... read more
Thames Valley Go Football And Hockey Mad - 22nd Oct 2011
Want to be the best at football and hockey, Thames Valley Air Cadets is the place to be as their performance in both these areas has proven to be of the highest standard.
An unusually warm October Saturday morning in Tidworth, Wiltshire saw the 21 member junior football and hockey teams from Thames Valley Wing pitting themselves against the best cadets from across the South West of England. In a series of exhausting matches the teams came under increasing pressure and, as energy levels ran low had to dig deep into their reserves in order to be able to keep up the momentum. In the end they showed what grit and determination combined with some fantastic training can do as the boys football team came an overall second...... read more
Perfect Drill Techniques For Top Cadets - 18th Oct 2011
RAF Benson in Oxfordshire was the location of top quality marching drill when some of the best cadets from across Oxfordshire and Berkshire attended the latest Supplementary Drill Course to be run by Thames Valley Wing Air Cadets.
Led by the Wing Warrant Officer, WO Jon Lambert ATC, a cadre of 7 instructors took 41 senior cadets under their wing and taught them everything from the intricacies of banner and ceremonial drill through to the skills required to pass that knowledge on to younger cadets on their own Squadrons. The course was a mixture of classroom theory and parade square practice and saw each of the students develop gradually as the day progressed. The end result was a display of outstanding drill from all...... read more
Wantage Parades In Heroes Memory - 4th Oct 2011
Cadets from 1861 (Wantage) Sqn have attended a memorial service for Pilot Officer Dennis Holland from Chaddlesworth, a World War Two pilot with 72 Squadron who was killed in the Battle of Britain.
Pilot Officer Dennis 'Dutch' Holland began his flying career as a civil pilot and when war broke out in 1939 he had logged over 3,000 flying hours. During the Battle of Britain his Spitfire aircraft was hit by enemy fire whilst in combat in the skies above Canterbury, though badly wounded he was able to bale out, unfortunately he died of his injuries on the 20th of September 1940. His family brought him back to Chaddlesworth to be laid to rest at St Andrew's Church, he was 23 years...... read more
Sunny Side Up for Team Thames - 2nd Oct 2011
A team of cadets from Thames Valley Wing have come away from the South West Regional Activity Day with a haul of silverware and a respectable 3rd place overall.
Despite the unseasonable temperatures a team of cadets including those from Woodley, Windsor, Wantage, Wokingham, Reading and Earley took up the challenge in Squad Drill, Banner Drill, Websites, Media Skills, Aircraft Recognition, Aviation Art, Aero modelling and Photography.
Winning gold in the Squad Drill were the cadets of 1116 (Woodley ) Squadron who beat off a last minute challenge to make it two wins in a row and earn a ticket to the prestigious Corps Championships. In a step perfect routine Cadet Flight Sergeant Mayne showed perfect control of the team. Also coming top of their competition was 1996 (Earley) Squadron who...... read more
Wing Competition Heats Up! - 28th Sep 2011
In a nail biting finish the cadets of 381 (Reading) Squadron proved they were the best by winning the recent Wing Activities Day held at Edward Brooks Barracks near Abingdon.
Against the back drop of a deep blue sky and bright sunshine, 21 teams from across the Wing started the day in contention with a testing set of competitions ahead of them. This included Field Craft, Public Speaking, Adventure Training, First Aid, Aircraft Recognition, Foot Drill, Media Skills, Aviation Art, Photography, Website construction and Aero modelling.
The winners now go forward to represent the Wing at the South-West Region heats.
Results Aircraft Recognition (Individual): Sgt Mowhatt - 459 WindsorAircraft Recognition (Group): 2499 Wokingham
Media Skills: 1996 Earley
Website Class A: 211 Newbury
Website Class B: 1996 Earley
Public Speaking (U16): 1861...... read more
Bracknell Air Cadets are in a Swim! - 5th Sep 2011
A team of Bracknell Air Cadets have shown that history repeats itself by winning the Thames Valley Swimming Championships for a 3rd time.
The competition saw almost 150 Air Cadets from 20 Air Cadet Squadrons from right across Berkshire and Oxfordshire compete for silver wear and medals at Cowley Temple Pool in Oxford. The team of Bracknell team looked very strong for the very start and ended up in top three in all of the categories assuring them of their win.
Presenting the trophies to the jubilant team Squadron Leader Chris Beardsley thanked all of the Squadrons who took part, praised the staff team for a flawless competition and congratulated the cadets who had won trophies.
Team Captain cadet Flight Sergeant Ramin Irvanipour, 19, said "winning...... read more
Royal Spectacle for Wantage - 22nd May 2011
Take a quiet Oxfordshire town, add a member of Royalty, The Scots Guards, a rare set of medals worth £3 Million and 30 Air Cadets and you are certain to get a very special event!
The 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards were being awarded the Freedom of Wantage in the presence of HRH The Duke of Kent to say thank you for their service and to also commemorate the first ever Victoria Cross. Local Air Cadets from Wantage and Didcot were on hand to make sure the day went without a hitch!
Flight Lieutenant Nigel Furlong, CO of 1861 (Wantage) Squadron takes up the story "Today we are supporting the Freedom of Wantage parade. We are route lining and acting as VIP escorts for HRH The Duke of Kent and a number of...... read more
Rain Doesn't Stop Play! - 9th May 2011
Air Cadets from across Thames Valley Wing have just returned from a Duke of Edinburgh Training Expedition held in North Hampshire. Despite the weather forecasters predicting a weekend of heavy rain - the cadets managed to stay dry most of the time!
Following a welcome briefing on Friday evening, the cadets put up their tents before planning their route for the next day. Saturday morning saw heavy intermittent showers, but fortunately the staff found a large, hangar like, building for some revision in in team work, navigation, camp craft and first aid. After lunch the weather started to improve and the teams started their practice expedition which they finished on the Sunday in glorious sunshine.
The 25 cadets came from Squadrons at Aldermaston, Banbury, Wantage, Windsor and Witney and were supported by a cross-Wing training team....... read more
Road Marchers Set the Pace - 18th Apr 2011
Thames Valley Wings Marching Teams have been in action at RAF Cosford qualifying in style for the Dutch Nijmegen Marches being held in July.
Throughout a warm weekend the teams had to complete a challenging 40 Km route as part of the RAF 2-day march. Setting a fast pace the "A Team" won a trophy for being the Best ATC Team - surely a good omen in their quest for success in Holland later this year when they plan to tackle the world famous Nijmegen Marches in Holland which requires marchers to cover 25 miles daily for 4 days.
This marks a huge milestone for the team who started training back in January to achieve this goal
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January 2011