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Dursley Cadet’s Strong Community Spirirt

Cadet Sergeant Joshua Rowles has been recognised by the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire for his steadfast commitment to volunteering in the community.

He has volunteered for many years both in and out of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, starting in 2009 with the Play Gloucestershire charity, which helps young people enjoy and learn about being creative and socialising. Sgt Rowles made a huge difference to this charity by donating 600 hours of his time over the years.

His skills were further developed when he worked with a group of disabled children to give them a weekend away from home. Sgt Rowles was motivated to do this because he got so much in a personal sense from the charity.

Sgt Rowles went on to join the Scouting Organisation as well as the Air Cadets, where he has since become a huge asset.

Somehow Sgt Rowles also has time to volunteer at local schools on various projects, in the local library and with World Jungle, a local organisation committed to entertainment and providing one-off sessions at local events. For his Duke of Edinburgh Award Gold Award he volunteered to create a promotional video to help with fundraising for the Jet Age Museum.

He is now at university but returns to his Squadron to assist as an Instructor Cadet. He is a great ambassador for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets and for volunteering in general.

In short, Sgt Rowles is one of our extraordinary young people who feels he has a duty to pay actions forward by helping in local areas to inspire and push young people to try new things because they have lasting effects on their lives.

We are proud to have him as a member of 649 (Dursley) Squadron and Bristol & Gloucestershire Wing.

Photo Credit: Honourable Company of Gloucestershire

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OC Wing Receives MBE

Wing Commander David Cox RAFVR(T), Officer Commanding Bristol & Gloucestershire Wing, has been presented with an MBE for his tireless 49 years’ service to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

David is a successful accountant and family man with 2 children and several grandchildren. He has previously been awarded a Lord Lieutenant’s (Avon) Certificate; and his long association and commitment to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets has earned him 5 clasps to his Cadet Forces Medal.

More recently he has completed his Level 7, Master’s Degree equivalent, City & Guilds Membership in Strategic Youth Management.

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2342 Squadron Rewarded for Community Service

Flight Lieutenant David Park, Officer Commanding 2342 (Innsworth) Squadron received on behalf on the unit, the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire (HCG) Award, presented by Air Chief Marshal Sir “Dusty” Miller KBE, Warden of the HCG. The Squadron also received £500 for their contribution to helping their local community.

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RBL Gloucestershire has selected a new County Junior Standard Bearer

On Sunday 1st October 2017 Cadet Corporal Joe Hughes-Gardiner of 614 (Lydney) Squadron took part in and won the Gloucestershire County Junior Standard Bearer Competition for the Royal British Legion.

Corporal Hughes-Gardiner took up the post of standard bearer for his Squadron for the Remembrance parades last year (614 (Lydney) Squadron take part in 4 parades each year!). Joe has been a quick learner and was spotted by the Royal British Legion standard bearer and former cadet D Rudge, who fine tuned Joe’s skills and entered him into the county competition.

Joe will take up his new post in January 2018, as Gloucestershire’s Junior County Standard Bearer.

Flight Lieutenant Paul Beard, everyone at 614, and the rest of the Wing wish him the very best of luck in both his new post and the next round of the competition at regional standard bearer level.

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Wing Activities Day 2017

Sunday 9 July saw approximately 250 cadets descend on Buckley Barracks near Chippenham to take part in the annual Wing Activities Day Competition. From First Aid to Drill; Aircraft Recognition to Photography, the cadets braved the heat to win points for their unit and ultimately pursue the big Wing Activities Day trophy.

All competitors put in bags of effort, especially with the team managers giving plenty of encouragement!

The cadets had opportunity to enjoy the flight simulator, mountain biking and fieldcraft sessions in between competitions and some were lucky enough to meet the ‘boss’, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty, Commandant Air Cadets.

1st Place Diarama - 2152 Sqn
Some notable wins on the day were 2152 (North Bristol) Squadron taking the trophies for Foot Drill and Banner Drill, while 93 (City of Bath) Squadron picked up 1st place in the Continuity Drill Display. 1860 (East Bristol) Squadron and 2124 (Bristol Airport) Squadron shared 1st place for Senior First Aid!

2152 Sqn showing off their trophies
After all the scores had been tallied, there could only be one overall winner. This year, that honour goes to 1860 (East Bristol) Squadron. Congratulations to Flight Lieutenant Wild and her team.

Thanks to all support staff as well as the cadets for working hard and making the day a huge success!

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Awards for Air Cadet Staff

Recognition for Bristol & Gloucestershire Wing of the Royal Force Air Cadets came in the military section of Queen’s Birthday Honours List, with two of our own adult volunteers being rightly awarded for their many years of service and commitment to the cadet forces in the local area.

Wing Commander David Cox MBE, FCA, MCGI


Wing Commander David Cox, Officer Commanding Bristol & Gloucestershire Wing, receives an MBE for his tireless 48 years service to the organisation. He was commissioned into the Volunteer Reserve (Training) Branch of the Royal Air Force in 1981 and has commanded both 2146 (South East Bristol) Squadron and 2152 (North Bristol) Squadron. He proved to be an inspirational leader, encouraging his staff and cadets alike to strive for the top honours in the Corps. As a Wing Staff Officer he has held many appointments, bringing to each of them his characteristic enthusiasm and leadership. In November 2002 he was appointed Officer Commanding Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing, responsible for nearly 1200 cadets. He has led many initiatives to motivate and enthuse the young people and adults under his command and has passionately guided units to offer all possible opportunities to their cadets. Committed to reducing the administrative burden for volunteers he continually seeks to streamline processes, including designing a tool to ease the accounting workload on the civilian welfare committees, which will be adopted across the Corps. David is a successful accountant, a family man with 2 children and grandchildren. His contribution as a new, young officer was rewarded with the award of the Lord Lieutenant’s (Avon) Certificate and his long association and commitment to the Corps has earned him 4 clasps to his Cadet Forces Medal. More recently he has completed his Level 7, Master’s Degree equivalent, City & Guilds Membership in Strategic Youth Management.

Warrant Officer Brian Simmons


For his continued dedicated service Warrant Officer Brian Simmons has been awarded the Chief of the Air Staff Deputy Commander’s Commendation. With over 50 years service to the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, Warrant Officer Simmons is a most respected and valued member of the Wing and the South West Region, putting the needs of cadets and colleagues before his own. A warrant officer for over 42 years, Brian continues to be a key player within his Wing. He has held various appointments, including 15 years as the Wing Warrant Officer. He is also a leading volunteer for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, adventurous training, road marching and sport within his Squadron and across the Wing. He had directly trained and supported hundreds of cadets, allowing them to partake in the Nijmegen Marches. He had influenced and moulded hundreds of young people between the ages of 12 and 20 years into becoming useful citizens, and this has earned him the praise and respect of all who have known him. Brian is married to Alison and they 2 sons and a daughter.

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2002 (Kingswood) Sqn Parent’s & Prizegiving Evening 2017

On the evening of April 6th 2017, 2002 (Kingswood) Squadron paraded in front of their proud parents.

It was a fantastic evening where the parents were treated to an excellent continuity drill display, followed by cadet presentations and a demonstration of their award-winning First Aid.

Also in attendance was Guest of Honour, Major J Flexman of the United States Air Force.

The event was successfully capped off with an award ceremony, followed by cheese and wine (for the parents!).

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Headteachers Heap Praise On Cadets

Two headteachers were ‘blown away’ by the range and scale of activities undertaken by cadets from 2328 (Bishops Cleeve) Squadron. The Guests of Honour at the Squadron’s recent Annual Presentation Night were Wing Commander Rossi RAF, Head of Human Resources for the RAF in the South of England, and the headteachers of Bishops Cleeve and Winchcombe Secondary Schools, which most of the cadets attend.

The cadets highlighted the fast growing unit’s achievements, including Wing sport participation and its commitment to community support activities. Over 90 parents and friends of the Squadron turned out to hear cadets’ presentations and see videos of the year’s activities. For 2328 Squadron, by far the most popular activities of the year were the visit to RAF Hendon as well as the ‘Kip in a Ship’ on board HMS Belfast in London to celebrate the ATC’s 75th Anniversary.

The Presentation Night concluded with the Chair of Cheltenham Rotary Club generously presenting a cheque for £500 to enable the unit to purchase new radio communications equipment for cadet training.

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Alpine Adventure 2017

RAF Air Cadets from Northern and Southern Ireland, Scotland, Jersey and across the UK, have just taken part in a fantastic Alpine skiing exercise in Germany. Over the February half term holiday, 120 cadets took part in the exercise, named Alpine Adventure, which has now been staged in Bavaria for 20 consecutive years.

Most cadets had never put on skis before but by the end of the week they were able to emulate Ski Sunday by taking part in a slalom they also achieved different levels of Snowlife Awards. During the week cadets skied at four different ski areas, including one in Austria, and enjoyed sunny weather for five out of the six days. The cadets also visited a swimming complex with spectacular slides, went ten pin bowling and took part in a Gala Night. Last year Commandant Air Cadets, Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty, saw for herself the amount of dedication and effort applied by the attending staff which accumulated in a Commandant’s Commendation for those who attended, a true testament to its success.

Alpine Adventure, organised by Bristol and Gloucestershire Wing, now involves a large number of other Wings. This year an Alpine Ski Leader (ASL) course ran in parallel to build up the number of volunteer ski leaders for the future. Plans are now being made for 2018 and any new staff interested can find more information here or contact the Project Officer, Flight Lieutenant SallyAnne Grimshaw via [email protected].

[metaslider id=2603]

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Success for 1860 (East Bristol) Squadron at Wing Activities Day

A day of competitive activities was held at Buckley Barracks at the weekend in involving drill, modelling, sports, first aid, and aircraft recognition amongst other things. Although it was hard fought there could only be one winner, 1860 (East Bristol) Squadron led by Officer in Charge Flying Officer Meg Wild rose to the challenge letting out a big cheer on hearing the results read out by Officer Commanding Bristol & Gloucestershire Wing, Wing Commander David Cox. Flying Officer Wild said “I am really proud of them, the agreement was if they win it was a trip to Nando’s on the way home”.

Cadet Warrant Officer Grey receiving the trophy from Wing Commander Cox