Recruits
You are here because you are a new cadet to the army section of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). In this section of the website, you will find useful lessons to help you get accustomed to the culture and training within the army cadets. This section is continually growing as more content is created, and as we get more suggestions of what you would like to see. The syllabus you will work towards will be the Army Proficiency System or APC. By your first year you will have completed about half of the subjects required to gain your full qualification, and as such can achieve a half-star.
In our sister organisation, the Army Cadet Force (ACF), they run a slightly different system to training and qualification. Still using stars as the qualification badges, a 1 star cadet would be your equivalent in the ACF.
Your First Year
In your first year in the CCF at Campbell, you will have the opportunity to undertake a wide range of training. Starting off in your first term, having a look at all 3 services in the CCF, including the RAF and Navy section, you will have the chance to attend a field day. A day out of school to undertake some low level cadet training. This is a good opportunity to experience what a CCF career may have in store for you should you decide to continue. You will then sign the dotted line at the end of the Christmas term to decide which section you would like to continue training with. You will be measured for and issued uniform quite quickly after that.
During the easter term you will continue your training in school on a Wednesday afternoon, as well as being able to attend your first army section field day to give you much more of a flavour of what the army section can offer you. The easter term culminates in our annual easter camp – a week long residential camp where you will immerse yourself in the CCF and be taken from a recruit to a full member of the CCF army section; learning how to safely use the Cadet GP rifle, firing blank and live ammunition as well as spending up to 2 nights sleeping outdoors on this first camp. Easter camp is a personal favourite of mine because the development of someone who joins the army section is so evident after such a short period of time. Hopefully after this camp you’ll be hooked!
Finally, the summer term. Continuing Wednesday afternoon training, you will hopefully get the chance to fire in the indoor range we have in school. The seniors soon head off on study leave, but training will continue for you most of the term. And very quickly it is the end of term and time for our summer camp. We try to travel to England for this camp, but in recent years have stayed at home to run our own. This 8 day camp is now a chance for you to really practice those APC skills you’ve bene learning throughout your first year. You will become more skilful at fieldcraft, you will learn tactics, take part in larger exercises against a real enemy, as well as have more opportunity to shoot live ammunition on larger ranges up to 100m and even 300m. The weather is usually pleasant, and the last few days of this camp are a little more relaxed, running a competition between the different sections and spending a day doing some adventurous training in the great outdoors.
Why things are seen
Understanding the reasons why things are seen in the field will not only help us to remain undetected, but will help us detect and observe the enemy. This lesson will…
Organisation and Grouping
As a member of a section, you form part of a much larger grouping structure. The section being the smallest tactical formation that is able to operate independently, and it…
The two person shelter
Having a way to keep ourselves protected from the weather is important to make sure we keep warm and dry, but having a shelter also gives us somewhere to conduct…
Preparation and packing of personal equipment
During your time in the cadet force, you will be issued a lot of new equipment. Being able to pack and use this equipment efficiently is important to being effective…
Feeding in the field
In order to work effectively on exercise, you need to be able to sustain yourself independent of prepared meals and dining facilities. This comes in the form of the 24…
