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Events Calendar
To read the unit news scroll down the page.
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12/03/2010 - Philip asks girl cadet if she works in a strip club
Prince Philip put the question to Elizabeth Rendle, 24, as he and The Queen met cadets at Wyvern barracks in Exeter, Devon. Asked what she did for a living she told him that she worked in a nightclub to which the Duke responded: "Is it a strip club?"
Daily Telegraph 12th March 2010
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09/03/2010 - Message from the Captain - rebranding
I write to inform all members of the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC), volunteers, cadets and staff about the re-branding of the Marine Society & Sea Cadets which we aim to roll out starting on 26 April 2010.
Message from the Captain - rebranding
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04/03/2010 - City of Bath SeaCadets, Royal Naval Parade
City of Bath Sea Cadets entertained 40 guests during their Royal Naval Parade; the Unit hosting the parade for their Area Officer Commander Martyn Skeer MBE RN provided a superb parade and then two imaginative and informing Displays about what activities they cover within the Unit. Commander Skeer addressed the Cadets, Staff and Visitors he said that ‘it was great to attend a unit that had some much going on at such a high standard, the cadets were superbly turned out and were able to relay knowledge so well, the staffs commitment made this all possible and then the support from the community was superb’. The unit is now awaiting to see the result on paper but it looks very promising for the cadets and staff and the units’ future looks very bright.
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All Parents Invited to attend the RNP on Thursday 4th March 2010
The unit RNP wil take place on Thursday night. The cadets are carrying out evolutions for the inspection to show what kind of things we get up to in our unit. All family members are invited to attend to see what it is the cadets have been preparing so hard for over the past few weeks.
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02/02/2010 Full Blues
All Cadets attending on Tuesday 2nd are to bring full blues. We are checking uniform for the last time before the RNP.
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26 - 28/02/2010 - A Cracking Unit Weekend
Families are encouraged to attend our Unit on Thursday 4th March to see what the cadets have been so hard at work doing this weekend in preparation for the RNP. (Royal Navy Parade)
Friday: Cadets and staff mustered at the unit for 20:00 followed by a briefing and some prep for Saturday’s events.
Saturday: The cadets rehearsed various roles for the RNP and to their credit they worked extremely hard.
Saturday Evening: All staff and cadets at went to Laser Storm (Melksham) for some laser gun shooting fun.
- First Shootout was an all out shoot ‘em up where it was everyone for themselves.
- Second Shootout they were split into Red and Green Teams. Green team won.
- Third Shootout was Cadets v Staff. Staff out numbered 2-1 came out on top as the victors.
OC Button took the highest score of the night and was presented with a Laser Storm T-Shirt for his dead eye shooting skills. A great evening was had by all.
Sunday: Final rehearsals and clean ship.
Note from PO Ferrington
Hi All
I would just like to say thankyou for your support and making it a whole heartedly successful weekend, that would not be possible without your commitment and ideas to improve the evolutions. To those of you that dealt with the uniform I think that if you have the patience to keep pricking yourself in the finger all day you deserve a medal in my opinion.
Many Thanks
PO Ferrington
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25/02 2010 Juniors Presented with Section Badges
PPO Perrington presented some of our newest cadets with section badges today because they completed sections of the Junior Cadet Programme.
• JC Towner earned the Red Section Badge
• JC Lodder earned the Red Section Badge
• JC Basson earned the Blues section badge to add to Red and Green section badges already earnt.
• JC Basson was also presented with the Junior Cadet 1st Class Rate Badge which was achieved by gaining the Red section Badge and a minimum of 6 months attendance.
PPO Perrington was heard to say that is was a very proud moment for him presenting the badges to these young aspiring cadets.
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2010 Happy New Year
The unit has opened its doors to a very cold new year with us having to abandon the first night due to the snow.
While the year may be new, the staff are not and with the resignation of S/Lt (SCC) I Woodward, RNR from the post of Commanding Officer, our previous Officer in Charge, CPO (SCC) Jon Moore has taken up the post once again.
"I am really pleased to be back in the command post in Bath, I have been a member of the unit since 1982 and I have always been amazed with how it constantly evolves. While our Senior numbers are slightly down, our Junior numbers increased by 40% at the end of 2009 and with 2 cadets reaching 18yrs and becoming staff in the first quarter I am looking forward to the changes that we will see this year."
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18/12/09 Cadets Christmas Mess Dinner
A great turnout from both the cadets (in mess dress) and their stewards (the staff in fancy dress) for what was a memorable evening. The unit main deck was surrounded in sheeting and Christmas lights and our guest of honour Lt (SCC) L Painter, RNR gave a warm speech of her memories of Bath over the 30yrs she has had contact with it in her various roles.
A big thanks to all of the staff for transforming the unit, our guest of honour for bringing some grandeur to the occasion, the cadets for really making the effort and last but not least Mrs Perrington, Mrs Williams-Trim and Mrs Basson who cooked a 3 course meal that only mums can make!
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8/11/09 Rememberance Day Parade
Well done to the whole unit who helped cover no less than 5 acts of rememberance in Bath and Trowbridge. The Bath Parade (supported by Trowbridge unit) threatened to be very wet but thankfully we managed to get away with cold and slightly damp.
The cadets dress and bearing was very good and they were a credit to both the unit and the corps at large. We will Remember.
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TS John Jerwood - 7-13/11/09
It's all well and good learning all the skills necessary for a trip on the briny blue within the safe, warm, dry and immobile confines of TS Avon, but as four City of Bath Cadets recently discovered, it's a different matter entirely to put those skills to the test for real.
OCs Bodman, Perrington, Basson and Clegg joined the ship's company of TS John Jerwood for a week-long voyage from Gosport to Southampton and back, living and working aboard for the duration of the passage. All four Cadets got a chance to experience a number of different roles on board as they worked towards completing their Offshore Hand 1 qualifications.
Each Cadet got a chance to try their hand at practical ropework, pilotage, chartwork and navigation whilst on board, and with the exception of a slight collisuion with a channel marker buoy, all went smoothly.
As well as time on the Jerwood, the Cadets also got to take a look around TS Royalist with whom they were sailing in company.
Aside from a few bouts of seasickness brought about by the rough seas in the Channel all the Cadets had a great time on board, and were given a great chance to put their hard-earned skills into action.
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Halloween Party - 3/11/09
We may have missed Halloween by a few days but the ghosts and goblins came out tonight for the Units' annual Halloween Party.
After all their hard work over the summer, the Staff felt that the Cadets deserved an evening of fun and games. No effort was spared in creating costumes that captured the Halloween sprit, and a frantic and slightly crazy lineup of games ensured that much fun was had by all. None of this would have happened it wasn't for all the hard work that CI Bird and her friend put into decorating the main deck. Also a big THANK YOU to unit assistant Mrs Bodman for making her fantastic 'spooky' cup cakes to add to the horror of the night.
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Runners up at the District ME Competition - 25/10/09
Considering the team was solely of girls and one member short, Bath made an impressive statement at the Marine Engineering completion. AC Herrington C, OC Herrington I and AC Brown pulled through, despite the crucial knowledge of the 4th team member that could have possibly pushed them to 1st place. Never mind guys, we still came 2nd!!!!!!
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City of Bath take part in Tri Service Parade in Bristol - 18/10/09
POC Bodman S, OC Bodman E and OC Clegg respectfully paraded for the final time with the Normandy veterans through the city of Bristol. Our community appearances are increasing and we are still aiming to be there for our communities in the future. Next up - Remembrance Day!
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City of Bath Represented at Area Swim - 10/10/09
We are all very proud of Able Cadet Holmes who made it through to the area swimming competition and represented the winning District team. BZ
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Cadet Training Weekend - 11-13/09/09
A successful weekend with all cadets that attended gaining a qualification including: Williams-Trim: - Drill Holmes: - Drill Button: - Seamanship Clegg: - Communication
A well done to these cadets
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Distirct Shooting Competition - 06/09/09
Following up the success of the district swimming competition 4 of our determined cadets turned up the next day with enthusiasm to show off their shooting skills. With harsh competition Williams-Trim, Holmes, Brown and Thorn made it to 6th place. Still, more points towards our unit. We're doing a great job guys and girls!!
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Sucess at District Swimming Competition - 05/09/09
Out of the 10 units in the district Bath came a proud 3rd overall in the district swimming competition. Not only are the cadets that took part to be thanked but those who boosted the morale and came to support. This is really showing what a great team we are!!
Places: Junior Boys - 3rd Junior Girls - 5th Senior Boys - 4th Senior Girls - 2nd Aggregate Boys - 3rd Aggregate Girls: 5th
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Duke of Edinburgh's Award Training Weekend - 21-23/08/09
With the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award marches coming up in October, PO Fairnington (accompanied by CI Lewis and both PPO Clancys) took LCs Williams-Trim and Brown on a nice gentle jaunt along the wind-blasted ridgeliness of the Black Mountains near Abergavenny for the final part of their training.
The weekend also provided a great opportunity for PPO Dominique Clancy to get some training in, as in September she's off to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro - a far cry from the sunny peaks of Table and Sugarloaf Mountains!
Based at Cwrt-Y-Gollen in the valley between the two mountains, the team ended up covering almost 30km over the course of the weekend, over some very challenging terrain - and still had time to light a campfire and relax in the evening. Maybe they weren't working hard enough, PO Fairnington?
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District Camp - 16-22/08/09
This year's District Camp saw thirty Cadets and fifteen staff (including six and three respectively from City of Bath) take over HMS Bristol for a week of activities, instruction, and plenty of fun.
With the weather staying warm and bright for most of the week, Cadets were able to obtain qualifications in powerboating, sailing and pulling on the water around Portsmouth - in the shadow of H.M. Ships Ark Royal, Illustrious and Invincible, as well as most of the destroyer fleet - and provided the opportunity to pick up land-based specialisations in first aid, seamanship, navigation and chartwork.
Other highlights of the week included the chance to hear S/Lt. Woodward belting out 'American Pie' during the annual karaoke contest, an inter-division football tournament, and the chance to spend a week experiencing genuine warship accomodation.
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Adventure Training Weekend - 07-10/08/09
Ten of the Unit's Cadets spent this weekend tromping through the Cotswolds, sleeping under canvas and learning a whole range of useful navigation and survival skills under the watchful eye of PO Fairnington.
One of the more rigourous and exhausting dates in our training program, the weekend had to be extended by a day to accomodate a visit to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta (see below). Although aimed at helping the Duke of Edinburgh's Award team get in some hiking and land navigation practice, the weekend provided an excellent opportunity for some of our younger or less experienced Cadets to get a feel for the outdoors.
"The whole weekend went really well, and we couldn't have asked for better conditions" said PO Fairnington. "The Cadets were great, and I think most of them learnt quite a lot of new skills this weekend."
Thanks need to go to the Support Staff for making the weekend such a great success, and the Brown family for making sure the Cadets were fed and watered. A special mention should also be made for LC Williams-Trim, who not only displayed great potential as expedition leader, but also celebrated his 16th birthday while we were away. Happy birthday, Josh!
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Bristol Balloon Fiesta - 08/08/09
With more than 500,000 people flooding into Ashton Court during the four days of festivities, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is one of the most high-profile events in the entire region. Therefore it came as no surprise that when City of Bath SCC were offered a chance to help out on the Royal Navy recruitment stand, we jumped at the chance.
Gorgeous weather, a flypast by the Red Arrows and the chance to help set up and observe a Reserve Forces Capability demonstration made up for the slight change to the initial plan for the weekend (see above), and the ten Cadets who attended received numerous compliments on their appearance, professionalism, and overall conduct. This was a fantastic chance to raise the Units' public profile (despite the announcer on the day referring to the Corps as "The Royal Navy Cadet Club") and as usual the Cadets did themselves proud. Well done, guys and girls!
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London Triathlon - 01/08/09
Despite the fairly grotty weather, 1,500 people lined up to take part in the London Sprint Triathlon this weekend - and somewhere in the crowd were PO James Willis and PO Jamal Banjar, who have both been training hard to complete the 25km event.
Consisting of a 750m swim followed by a punishing 20km cycle cours and topped off with a final 5km run, the Sprint Triathlon is part of a weekend of different triathlon events, which combine to make the event the largest in the world.
A time of 1:18:21 was enough to secure 77th place for PO Willis, a phenomenal achievement that marks the culmination of four months of hectic training. PO Banjar (who boasted beforehand that he was fitter than his running partner, and therefore didn't need to train quite as hard) managed a respectable 1:27:38, a time which placed him 491st overall.
This was a fantastic personal achievement for both members of staff, and the Unit is very proud of what the pair accomplished. Congratulations, James and Jamal!
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TS Royalist - 25-31/08/09
Six Cadets from City of Bath SCC joined the crew of TS Royalist as she sailed from Milford Haven to Bristol to attend the annual Harbourside festival.
POC Bodman, LC's Williams-Trim and Nicholls, and AC's Brown, Thorn and Holmes spent seven days aboard the Corps' Sail Training Ship, learning all about how to handle, sail, and crew the 97-foot brig. They even got to take a term helming the vessel as she made her way through open water.
"It was a fun week, and nothing really disastrous happened. No-one even got really seasick!" remarked POC Bodman. "It was a really good trip."
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Cadet 100 Inter-Service Shooting Competion & Preparation - 05-12/07/09
City of Bath's trio of wannabe Annie Oakleys spent the whole of last week on the range in preparation for, and then racking up impressive scores at, the Bisley Cadet 100 Inter-Service Shooting Competition at Pirbright.
POC Bodman, AC Thorn and AC Brown all turned in stirling performancess, with AC Brown coming 95th overall - one of only seven Sea Cadets nationwide to make the top 100. She was also selected for the South-west Somerset Cup squad for Sunday's inter-area competition.
All three markswomen shot their personal best scores during the weekend of the competition, and all three did the Unit proud. Congratulations, girls!
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Duke of Edinburgh's Award Training Weekend - 10-12/07/09
The Units' DofE team were put through their paces on the Mendip Hills this weekend, with a mixture of weather contributing to what PO Fairnington referred to as "a real expedition."
The team, accompanied by an Air Cadet, spent the weekend practicing navigation under the leadership of LC Williams-Trim, who showed a good deal of promise as an Expedition Leader. It was noted by an ex-Army Lieutenant that the Sea Cadets "really knew their drills well" - a glowing compliment!
However, the real stars of the weekend were Williams-Trims' new boots and LC Nicholls' socks, both of which held up to the rigours of the weekend and prevented their feet getting too wet, apparently.
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District Pulling and Boat Handling Competition - 28/06/09
Despite a much smaller turnout than last month's kayak regatta, the Annual District Pulling Competition was a tightly-fought event with both City of Bath teams putting in great performances.
With a controversial decision preventing them bringing home two first place positions, the boys'race team (coxed by LC Dan Nicholls) had to make do with fourth place overall.
The girls' team, under POC Stacey Bodman, did even better. A strong performance on the water led to them finishing in second place on the leaderboard, leaving City of Bath in third place for the entire competition, which isn't a bad result when you consider that we didn't have a single Handling team entered!
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Unit Photographs - 23/06/09
The annual Unit photograph is now on sale for £5, and features most of the unit as dressed at the Unit Cocktail Party last weekend.
Copies come ready-framed and labelled. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy should contact PO Quilliam.
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Flag Raising Ceremony - 22/06/09
Four Sea Cadets from City of Bath represented the unit at this years' Flag Raising ceremony, marking the start of a week of preparations for Armed Forces Day.
Accompanied by PPO Fairnington,OC Abigail Basson, LC Josh Williams-Trim, LC Dan Nicholls and OC Regan Clegg spent the morning chatting with the veterans at the Guildhall and representing the Unit at one of the city's most important ceremonies. By all accounts they impressed just about everybody present with their discipline, appearance and general conduct - well done to everyone involved!
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Annual Cocktail Party - 20/06/09
Pomp and Circumstance at Sea Cadet Cocktail Party
The Mayor and Mayoress of Bath, along with over forty Cadets, parents and associates, visited TS Avon for City of Bath Sea Cadets’ first annual cocktail party on Saturday.
Commander Steven Webber RNR, Commanding Officer of HMS Flying Fox, was also present as Guest of Honour at the cocktail party, held to raise funds for the renovation of TS Avon.
Complimentary food, cocktails (both alcoholic and alcohol-free) and glorious weather all contributed to a wonderful evening, capped off with a traditional Evening Colours ceremony.
“I have to admit that this was the first time in my 20-year career in the Navy and the Navy Reserve that I have been inside a Sea Cadet Unit” said Cdr. Webber. “Now, after seeing the effort and dedication put in by the Cadets and Staff, if my child ever asked to join the Sea Cadets I would support her wholeheartedly.”
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day” added Sub-Lieutenant (SCC) Ian Woodward RNR, the Commanding Officer of City of Bath Sea Cadet Unit. “The weather was brilliant and it was a real honour to welcome so many friends and associates of the Unit.
“The Cadets made a great impression on those present with their immaculate appearance, discipline and warm hospitality.”
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Promotions - 29/05/09
Congratulations to AC Dan Nicholls who passed his Leading Cadets' board this week, and will soon be promoted to Leading Cadet.
Good job, Dan!
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Avon District Kayak Regatta - 24/05/09
Sea Cadets from the City of Bath unit put their canoeing skills to the test in Chippenham last month – and ended up being crowned kayaking champions for the district.
In a tightly-fought competition on the River Avon, 16 cadets and ten members of staff beat off spirited challenges from other local units, some of whom had travelled from as far afield as Swindon, to win the Avon District Kayak and Canoe Regatta.
Ten units attended the event on the 24th May, and took part in a series of races including short-distance sprinting and a gruelling marathon - on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
Cadets were able to show off their skills in both individual and two-man kayaks, and the boys and girls from City of Bath proved they were more than up to the task, finishing in the top three in every race category held on the day across all age groups – an achievement that led to them being named overall champions.
“It was a great day for the Cadets, and they’ve certainly done the unit proud” said Sub-Lieutenant (SCC) Ian Woodward, Commanding Officer at TS Avon, where the City of Bath unit is based. “They have put a lot of time and effort into their kayaking skills, and it really paid off on the day.”
Leading Cadet Josh Williams-Trim, 16, won three of the hardest-fought contests of the day, coming out on top in the Boys Individual Open Sprint as well as being a member of the winning pair in the Boys’ Sprint and Marathon Doubles.
“We treated it like we treated Bath City winning promotion” he laughed. “As we crossed the line, we were singing Bath City songs.”
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DofE Bronze Practice Expedition 08 - 10/05/09
Blisters, snakes and spilt rice couldn't dampen the spirits of the City of Bath SCC Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Bronze) team as they spent a beautiful weekend walking around the Mendips in preparation for their final DofE marches later in the summer.
The highlight of the weekend's walk came when OC Basson stumbled (literally) upon a friendly adder that had come along to say hello.
Thankfully the team managed to avoid a repeat of last month's heat exhaustion incident, the only injuries reported being a couple of blisters and a spilt pot of ration-pack rice, much to A/C Nicholls' dismay.
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Mere Cup - 03/05/09
Rogiett Moor rang with the sound of gunfire this weekend, as cadets from across the South West turned up to compete in the Mere Cup shooting tournament.
Among the rifle-toting Cadets were City of Bath SCC's own shooting team, consisting of POC Bodman, AC Thorn and AC Brown.Although the team didn't place the three markswomen all put up a sterling performance, shooting at ranges of almost twice the distance that they are used to.
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Shooting Weekend - 19/04/09
As part of their preparations for the international shooting camp and competition at Bisley in the summer, POC Bodman, AC Brown and AC Thorn spent the weekend training on the ranges at Sennybridge. With just a few months left til the week-long camp, the girls are making good progress.
"It was a good weekend for the girls" said UA Bodman, who accompanied the team. "And useful practice also for the Mere Cup in a couple of weeks."
Best of luck for that, girls!
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Swim Tests - 07/04/09
With the boating season looming, Cadets faced the chilly waters of the River Avon for their annual swim tests this week.
Needless to say, every Cadet present passed the test with flying colours, despite plenty of complaints about the temperature of the river.
Kudos goes to the OIC, SLt Woodward, who spent the evening treading water in full drysuit in order to supervise the Cadets. As he later claimed: "The suit may keep you dry, but it doesn't stop you from getting freezing cold!"
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Bowlplex Visit - 31/03/09
The Cadets turned out in force for the last night of the winter programme, filling two minibuses for an evening at Bowlplex Longwell Green. With scores ranging from 46 up to a whopping 126 (of which the XO was very proud) we'll be the first to admit that we didn't set the lanes on fire, but it was a good laugh nonetheless.
While the pros on the Brunswick tour may not have too much to worry about on the bowling alley, we're certainly not short of talent in the video arcade. With the girls busting a move on Dance Dance Revolution, PPO Fairnington showing off his marksmanship skills on Time Crisis, and the lads chalking up impressive times on some driving game or another, it seems the Units' skills aren't just confined to the water!
All told, it was a nice, relaxed evening to conclude a busy few months. Don't expect a break, though - things are going to be just as hectic, and just as much fun, throughout the summer programme which kicks off next week!
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Unit Inspection - 12/03/09
On Thursday the 12th of March the District Staff, lead by the District Officer Lt. Cdr. (SCC) Fowler RNR, came to inspect our unit.
They were very impressed with what they saw, and the Cadets all looked very smart.
We wait with bated breath for the results!
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HMS LEDBURY - 18/02/09
On Wednesday the 18th of February 10 Cadets from Bath, accompanied by SLt Woodward and TI Hudd, went to sea with HMS Ledbury for the day. The Cadets had a tour of all the ships' departments, and enjoyed lunch Onboard. All the Cadets had a wonderful day (despite the early start) Many thanks to the Ships Company of HMS Ledbury for hosting us - and letting us drive their ship.
Of course, don't just take our word for it...
here's what the Cadets had to say!
“From visiting HMS Ledbury I learned that females can’t be divers! I enjoyed the whole day, especially watching the fire drill.”
“A very good day – learned a lot about life on a ship”
“It was very enjoyable learning about the ship”
“It was great fun – I enjoyed steering the ship”
“Ledbury was great, though the steering wheel was tiny compared to the size of the ship”
“I really enjoyed the tour of the ship, it was really interesting”
“I really enjoyed going on Ledbury and learning about the diving”
“I loved wearing the gas mask! I felt like I was in a fire.”
“The whole experience was good.”
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Christmas Mess Dinner - 19/12/08
On the 19th of December the Cadets sat down to a full mess dinner on the Main Deck - hosted by the Mess Vice President SLt Woodward with CPO Moore as the Guest of Honour. A great night was had by all.
Mess Dinner Pictures
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Rememberance Sunday - 09/11/08
Bath and Trowbridge units joined strength again this year to remember those who give their lives for our country. They all did their units extremely proud, despite the freezing cold and the rain.
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