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How to Join
Anyone wanting to join should come down to the unit headquarters on a parade night (Tuesdays and Thursdays between 7.20 and 9.30) where you will be given a tour of the unit and we'll tell you about what we do and how to become a cadet.
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Commanding Officer
The Commanding Officer of our unit is Lieutenant Commander Lisa Maynard.
She has been in Command since 1995 taking a short break in 2006 and taking back the reins in 2007.
She is also the Assistant District Officer for Cambs & Beds District.
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First Lieutenant
PPO Oliver Barnes is the First Lieutenant of TS Leopold Muller.
He has been a cadet for 5 years and now after turning 18 has taken on the role.
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Aims of the Sea Cadet Corps
The aim of the Sea Cadet Corps is to help young people towards responsible adulthood by encouraging valuable personal attributes and high standards of conduct using a nautical theme based on the customs of the Royal Navy. Through adventurous activities the Cadets become self reliant, and through teamwork they develop consideration and respect for others.
The Corps encourages high personal standards and a sense of purpose, and provides a sound foundation for future careers. The Corps provide a range of activities and skills, which are attractive and adventurous within a caring discipline to which young people can respond.
This in turn aids their development into self-confident, self-disciplined young adults and encourages a sense of responsibility to the community. It is important for your youngster, that in order to get the most out of the Sea Cadet Corps, he/she tries to take part in as many Unit activities as possible and, towards this end, your encouragement will be greatly appreciated. The Unit staff will do their utmost to ensure that your son/daughter enjoys his/her stay with us.
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History
The Sea Cadet Corps has one of the longest continuous histories of any youth organisation in the country, but it has evolved haphazardly. The Corps dates back to the Crimean War (1854-1856) when sailors returning home from the campaign formed Naval Lads' Brigades to help orphans in the back streets of sea ports.
The SCC in the UK can be traced back to the Kent port of Whitstable where the first of the Naval Lads' Brigades was established. The success of the brigades in helping disadvantaged youth led to the formation of the Navy League, a national organisation with a membership of 250,000 dedicated to supporting the Royal Navy, which subsequently adopted the Brigades in 1910.
1914
The Navy League applied to the Admiralty for recognition of its 34 Boys' Naval Brigades. This was granted in 1919 subject to an annual efficiency inspection by an officer on the staff of the Admiral Commanding Reserves, and the title Navy League Sea Cadet Corps was adopted.
1937
Lord Nuffield gave £50,000 (over £2 million in today's money) to fund the relaunch and expansion of the Sea Cadet Corps.
1939
At the start of World War II here were almost 100 Sea Cadet Units in the UK with more than 10,000 Cadets
1940
In June the Navy League purchased an old sailing vessel and renamed her TS BOUNTY. She was fitted out to accommodate 40 Cadets. In July weekly courses started for Cadets from all Units. These ended in September and the ship closed down.
1941
The shortage of visual and wireless ratings in the Royal Navy led to special three-week training courses being run on board TS BOUNTY for Sea Cadets, to qualify them more quickly for entry into the RN. This made good use of the training and skills they had already gained in the Cadets and meant a considerable saving in training time for the Admiralty.
1942
The 1941 scheme had caught the Admiralty’s imagination. As a result, the Admiral Commanding Reserves took over the training role, HM King George VI became Admiral of the Corps, Officers were granted appointments in the RNVR and the Corps was renamed the Sea Cadet Corps. A huge expansion to 400 Units and 50,000 Cadets coincided in many towns with Warship Weeks, so the newly formed Unit took the same name as the adopted warship. The Admiralty now paid for uniforms, equipment, travel and training, while the Navy League funded sport and Unit headquarters.
In the same year, the Girls’ Naval Training Corps was formed as part of the National Association of Girls’ Corps, with Units mainly in southern England.
1948
The Sea Cadet Council was set up to govern the Corps, with membership from the Navy League and the Royal Navy, and a retired Captain took on the task of supervision, first as Secretary to the Council and later as Captain, Sea Cadet Corps.
1955
The Commandant General, Royal Marines asked permission to form a Marine Cadet Section that could be fitted into the existing organisation and the Council agreed to this. By 1964 the Section had expanded from the original five Detachments to 40. Today there are 98.
1963
The Girls’ Nautical Training Corps became affiliated to the Sea Cadet Corps, in many cases sharing the same premises with local Units.
1976
The Navy League was renamed the Sea Cadet Association since support of the Sea Cadets and Girls’ Nautical Training Corps had become its sole aims.
1980
The admission of girls into the Sea Cadet Corps was approved and the Girls’ Nautical Training Corps ceased to exist as a separate body.
2004
In November the Sea Cadet Association merged with the Marine Society to form a new charity ‘The Marine Society & Sea Cadets’
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