The Combined Cadet Force
Royal Naval Section
The aim of the CCF is to broadly provide a disciplined organization within a school so that boys and girls may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance, perseverance and a sense of service to the community. It is firmly believed that the self-confidence and self-discipline required in Service life are equally vital in civil life of the nation today.
The aim of the training in the CCF is to develop in cadets powers of leadership by training to promote the qualities as outlined above and to give cadets a background knowledge of the methods and conditions of service in the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force.
The objectives are to provide the opportunity for young people to exercise responsibility and leadership and to learn from the Services how they can best be developed.
To show them why the Defence Forces are needed and how they function.
To encourage those who have an interest in the services to become Officers of the Regular or Reserve Forces.
The principles are fairly straightforward, in that training must be interesting, imaginative and purposeful helping the cadet to progress as they serve during their time in the CCF, striking a balance between service and adventurous training of about 60:40. The senior rates normally instruct the junior cadets with CCF officers and visiting personnel ensuring that the Seniors are fully trained in the technique of instruction. There is a syllabus to assist cadets in achieving skills, knowledge and direction towards maturing as responsible and skilled leaders. There are a great number of resources available to CCF RN sections - each section is assigned a full-time Area Instructor usually a serving CPO who is fully cognizant with the aims and content of the CCF syllabus and can give advice as well as take part in training. Each section will have at least one CCF Officer - usually a member of staff as well as the services of a contingent assistant (SSI). Each section is assigned an affiliated ship and a Parent Establishment - usually a shore base to act as an anchor for RN contact, stores, visits and the first contact of the CCF with the RN. The CCF HQ (RN) in Portsmouth act as the focal point for all this activity and direct all the training courses (numbering over 100 a year!) that widen the scope further for cadets to achieve the aims of the CCF.
In Practice - CCF RN sections meet once a week during term time for about two hours. Times, duration and activities depend largely on the location and quirks of school timetabling but the aim is to generally take people out of the academic classroom and provide them with an environment where the above aims and principles can be explored. A typical corps afternon may see one new recruit group being supervised by a Senior cadet in the art of Bends & Hitches - basic knots that are essential when afloat and possibly lifesaving in emergency. Another group could be getting to grips with PLTs (Practical Leadership Tasks) - getting the ever present casualty across an impossible river full of Piranha assisted by a not too keen group of colleagues - the solution is not how to get across but how to motivate the team to get across ! Or an intermediate group could be scratching nautical hieroglyphics on charts in an attempt to navigate from Plymouth to Falmouth avoiding land and other bits not too friendly to shipping. Apart from fulfilling the vagaries of the syllabus there are exciting spontaneous moments when helicopters turn up at the school and fly sorties around the fields or the entire section takes over a P2000 (fast attack craft) - a real warship - for a day. There's always plenty to do and little opportunity for boredom !
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