Summary
Since 2019 Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force has had a formal Alliance with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Army Cadet Force and this year was the turn of GMACF (Greater Manchester Army Cadet force) Cadets to visit Gibraltar. Support from the REME Charity helped the cadets to experience a wide variety of training from Adventurous training on water to Military training in the Buffadero FIBUA Village and blank firing exercises in the Maida Vale Tunnels. Friendships and memories were made and the Alliance was strengthened with joint training and visits to the beach. When interviewed by local TV News station, GBC, about the experience support from the Ulysses Trust was highlighted. A week of many “first” with some cadets experiencing their first trip outside the UK, first time flying, scuba diving, paddleboarding, on an RN Patrol boat, blank firing in simulated tunnel battles all helped by the generous support of the REME Charity.
Pre-Departure
The Alliance was initiated by Col Martin Newman, a former GMACF officer who, later became Colonel Cadets Gibraltar. In 2019 this was formalised with a signing of the Alliance document by officials including the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and representatives of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Army Cadets.
This was the second visit of Greater Manchester Cadets to Gibraltar and the ambition was to strengthen our alliance and friendship and enable the Cadets to have an experience which would last a lifetime.
12 months in the planning GMACF enlisted the help of many colleagues in Gibraltar including all three services, National Museum of Gibraltar, HM Government of Gibraltar and in particular the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Army Cadets led by Officer Commanding Major Jurie Williamson.
The cadets began by raising money for the exercise by holding a sponsored swim where they collectively swam the distance across the straits rom Gibraltar to Morocco (14km). Supported by staff and parents they raised nearly £2000.
Training, Adventure, Culture
After a day of acclimatisation at Devil’s Tower Camp and a trip out into the Bay of Gibraltar to experience Dolphins up close in the clear Mediterranean waters it was straight into military training at Buffadero Training facility where the cadets competed in teams on the 25m live firing range and were given instruction from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Instructors on building clearance which they then practiced in teams.
After training it was a trip to The Convent (the official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar) for a private tour and a meeting with HE The Governor Lt Gen Sir Ben Bathurst KCVO. CBE
The following days saw the cadets divide into three groups to take part in around robin of activities which included, visiting to RN Gibraltar Squadron, being shown the range of weapons used by the Squadron and then being taken out into the bay on board HMS Dagger, one of the two patrol boats in the Gibraltar Squadron. After this the group went on the water in powerboats for a high speed trip around the bay with expert RN crews and then received instruction in the art of paddleboarding (or falling off the paddleboards as the adults showed they were expert at!). The day ended with a SCUBA try dive session with Royal Navy BSAC Instructors.
Other groups were given a guided tour of the Northern Defences from local guide and RGACF Instructor CSgt Ian Bramble and after some free time exploring Gibraltar were given a personal tour of the Gibraltar Museum by Director Philip Smith
The third group meanwhile scaled the heights of the rock itself visiting the natural wonder of St. Michael’s cave and testing their nerve on the skywalk and Windsor suspension bridge before visiting the Great Siege Tunnels and the WW2 Tunnels. While there they laid a wreath from GMACF at the monument to the fallen. Asked about the day of history Cadet Sgt Hennigan from Ramsbottom detachment said “It’s been great fun on the rock but at the same time we are in awe of the history of the rock and the efforts of the engineers through the years to create th vast tunnel network which we explored. I would urge anyone interested in history to come here”
More SCUBA diving filled our evenings as well as visiting our friends at No.2 (Overseas) Squadron RAF Air Cadets and their Commander Flt Lt Ivan where they were able to fly around the rock on the new state of the art flight simulators.at the Military Heritage Centre located at Princess Caroline’s Battery.
The week culminated in a subterranean exercise with cadets practicing tunnel and cavern clearance skills in a blank firing exercise, again with the help of CSgt Barmble and the team from the RGACF. The day was rounded off with a trip to the Gibraltar Fair.
Reflecting on the week the cadets were asked their thoughts as they prepared to return to Manchester Cadet RSM Ionescu said “brilliant week, never thought I could finish my time in cadets with an experience like this, first trip to Gibraltar, training in FIBUA and tunnel fighting, Adventure training, powerboating, The Rock, SCUBA diving and friends, what a week”
Cadet Sgt Jones – who had been given a shout out on the flight out to Gibraltar from the Easyjet captain for being on her first flight, commented:
“If I had been told I would have a week like this in cadets when I started, I wouldn’t have believed them. But it has happened, and I’ve done so many things with a great group of friends all because of the Cadets”.
During the week staff kept parents informed through daily Facebook posts and messages which resulted in comments such as “This is mazing and will stay with them forever, thank you for giving this to our children”
“A huge THANK YOU to all staff members who have given up their free time and annual leave to make this amazing trip happen”
“I cannot get over how amazing an opportunity has been given to our young people, this is what Cadets does for them. Thank You”
A wonderful week of adventure and military training, cultural experiences and celebration of friendships old and new. The alliance between Greater Manchester and Royal Gibraltar Army Cadets is stronger than ever, thanks to the generous support of the Ulysses Trust.
