Recollections and images of KHS's
Combined Cadet Force CCF
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During
his military service our historian served twice
with the regiment that our CCF detachment was first
badged to, holding the rank of Colour
Sergeant. He
is keen that this history can now start to be
documented on these pages by sponsoring the start
of this archive. He invites others to add their
recollections to this.
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Many bands of brothers where forged when
in our CCF detatchment. Most if not all public and private
schools have a combined cadet force detachment. Ours started
its life as an army cadet detachment. Army cadet detachments
are adopted by local regiment in their own area's. This is
referred to as being badged to a regiment. Our ACF detachment
was then badged to the:-
| The Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry. Our historian recalls back in the 1950s
polishing with pride his cap badge ready for the Monday
afternoons' ACF parades.
It was on the night of the 5 June
1944 that a force of 181 men of the Oxon & Bucks,
led by Major John Howard, set out from an RAF station
in Dorset, southern England, in six gliders to capture
Pegasus Bridge. The bridge crossed the Caen Canal, between
Caen and Ouistreham in Normandy, France. |
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Some gliders landed
as close as 40 yards to the bridge at 16 minutes past
midnight. The Oxon & Bucks poured
out of their battered gliders, completely surprising
the German defenders, and took the bridges within 10
minutes. This was the opening raid of the Normandy Landings
on D-Day the sixth of June.
Coincidently, during the 1950s
two brothers were at KHS [the older in Sheffield
and the other in Bradford house] whose father was
on that raid. Unfortunately he was killed in action
some ten days later.
Thomas
Payne (Sheffield
House 1940 - 45) Reports
that it was during his time at school that
our Cadet detachment was formed out of necessity
during the World War 2 years.
A.S.R.Parker, the
schools English & French
master, founded the Cadet detachment.
The following military
skills were taught in those early days: Drill & Turnout,
Field craft, Map & Compass, and Weapons
Training. There was also
shooting at Bisley Ranges.
Tom Payne, who reached
the rank of Cadet Sgt, also recalls doing
an Army sponsored motor transport course, in Poole
in Dorset. He was the only KHS representative on
the course.
In the early days to qualify
to join our
cadet detachment, pupils needed to be able
to complete two circuits using the road way
running around the main sports field past
Severn House, Greenwich, up Chapel Hill, past Top
School, down the hill towards Durham House, and
then round to Severn House again. This would be
done in full Battledress and boots - a distance
of two miles in the qualification time of
15 or 20 minutes.
The historian also
recalls in the late 1950s a similar task
was dished out as a punishment duty. Any
defaulters would be ordered to run round this same
circuit; the added bonus being that cadets
would carry out this duty holding a Lee
Enfield MKII Rifle above their heads. (The
MKII weighed around 10lbs). |
| "Monty" inspects
Kingham Hill School army cadets.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery
KG, GCB, DCO, PC. inspected the CCF detachment of our
army cadets at our army camp in June 1961.
Captain T A Bowker was our commanding
officer, Lieutenant Benson our second in command, and
Sergeant Major Clarkson.
Sheffield house master Captain Tom
Bowker recalls Monty asking him “Kingham Hill - where
is that?”. |
Field Marshal Montgomery |
Pipes and drums on the hill for the march past.
Inspection of our cadet corps.
Teddie Cooper, Warden, escorted by no less than two
county Lord Lieutenants to inspect his troops.
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Images from the history of our CCF.
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Mark Mitchels MA
Sheffield House 1960 – 1966
Cdt. Mitchels was the first detachment bugler 1962 |
The Officers & Cadet NCOs'
in Summer 1964
Seated Central from left
as viewed:
Sergeant Major Clarkson,
Major Green, & Lieutenant Chapman.
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 The
Officers & Cadet NCOs'
in Autumn 1965
Seated from the left
as viewed:
2nd Lieutenant Woolliams, Maj. Green,
Sergeant Major Clarkson*, Lieutenant Chapman.
* Sergeant Major William (Bill) Clarkson,
was an Airborne
veteran of WWII, D-Day 6th June 1945.
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In 1965 our Cap badge changed because the Oxon & Bucks
amalgamated with both The Kings Royal Rifle Corp
and The Rifle Brigade to become the Royal Green Jackets.
All three regiments that amalgamated can trace their ancestry
back through the British army as far as 1740. They all
played prominent roles during the Napoleonic Wars,
and all used the Baker
rifle that was first produced in 1800.
During this period all these regiments wore the distinctive
Green Jackets: hence the name Royal Green Jackets. |
1966
The detachment Shooting team: CLICK
PICTURE FOR SOUND EFFECT
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| Standing: Officer IC. Lieutenant Chapman
Standing Rear on telescope:
Range NCO Cdt.Lcpl. Reed
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On the firing
point in prone position .
(Left to right as viewed):
Cdt.Crewdson,
Cdt. Foley,
Cdt.Sgt. Forsdyke. Shooting team captain
Cdt. Quelch. |
By the mid to late 1970s, as can
be seen in our next illustration, our detachment now
included sections representing the other armed services:
The Royal Air force and The Royal Marines.
The historian invites any former pupil
who wishes to add to this story of
our school cadet detachment to please contact
him.
Sovereign's Parade
Front
Row seated from the left:Two Cadet NCOs with red
sashes. Then in RAF blues: Pilot Officer Malcom Fry,
Sgt. Maj Bruce Strongman, Teddie Cooper,
Cpt. Rodney Chapman (Contingent Commander),
Flt. Lt James Woolliams. |
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