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134 (Bedford) Sqn Air Cadets |
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Press Release |
134 (Bedford) Squadron |
25 August 2005
Success On All Fronts
Most weekends hold something in store for the cadets of 134 (Bedford) Squadron, especially during the summer months but over the weekend of the 20th and 21st August 2005 the unit was participated in no fewer than 3 separate events.
The busiest event of the weekend was situated in the magnificent grounds of Woburn Abbey in rural Bedfordshire just to the south of Milton Keynes in the form of the annual De Havilland Moth Club Rally. This prestigious event draws pilots, owners and enthusiasts of various examples of De Havilland aircraft from all over the world including an impressive number of the best-known type, the Tiger Moth. The rally is a two-day event with Saturday seeing many of the aircraft arriving on the specially prepared grass airfield to the front of the Abbey. Two of the aircraft flying into Woburn departed from near by RAF Henlow within which were two very excited passengers. Sgt Marianne Butler takes up the story.
“Formation Zulu Ready for Takeoff. With these words my pilot gunned the engine and we soared up to meet the clouds. Sitting in the front seat of a Tiger Moth with nothing between me and the outside was a thrilling experience, and the 15-minute flight from RAF Henlow to Woburn Abbey was one I will remember for a long time. After touchdown and ‘check in’ I rejoined my fellow cadets for our briefing. 134 (Bedford) Squadron were at the Woburn Moth Rally in our official capacity, helping the De Havilland Moth Club man the gates in and out of the various enclosures. The event, which spanned the entire weekend, involved Tiger Moths from all over the globe, all painted in various colour schemes and patterns. An interesting weekend was had by all, and to keep our spirits high, we were treated to a full lunch by the organisers. Mine was not the only flight for a Bedford cadet over the weekend, in total 7 Bedford cadets got flights over the weekend, thanks to the persuasive techniques used by the staff! On Sunday afternoon, a number of cadets were asked to present bouquets to their various recipients, and we were officially thanked for all the hard work we had put in over the weekend. Although the majority of us used the minibuses to return to the Squadron, two cadets made their return trip via RAF Henlow, again in Tiger Moths. Hmmm, Woburn Abbey does look rather splendid from the air….”
Back on the ground the cadet’s duties were fully underway assisting the club and providing helping hands, advice and directions to the general public as well as helping the Royal Air Force Association sell tickets for their grand draw. Sunday saw a bigger crowd as the programme encompassed the Home Front Recall, one of this year’s 60th anniversary celebrations to commemorate the end of the Second World War, it saw invited guests attending a lunch in the marquee and watching the air show. The guests were a mixture of former De Havilland employees from the war and the next generation in the guise of Air Cadets.
The Woburn event was rounded off with an awards ceremony with the Moth Club president and location host Lady Henrietta, the Duchess of Bedford presenting the trophies. A complete surprise was the Youth Enterprise Shield, which was presented to 134 (Bedford) Sqn. The award is made annually by the Moth Club to the person or organisation that in the eyes of the club has done the most to promote and encourage aviation amongst junior citizens, and 2005 saw it presented to an Air Cadet Unit for the first time in its history. The ceremony was concluded by a bouquet presentation to the Duchess of Bedford by Cpl Michael Every on behalf of the De Havilland Moth Club.
Meanwhile the squadron had seen success elsewhere over the weekend. The Annual Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire Wing Modelling Competition was held at 2482 (Henlow) Sqn HQ at RAF Henlow on Sunday 21st August 2005. 134 (Bedford) Squadron submitted 2 entries with Cdt Scott Pickering entering the regional kit class with the specified 1:48 scale F117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter of the US Air Force and AWO Taylor entering a 1:72 scale Royal Navy Westland Wyvern in the Staff Open category. Both entries picked up gold medals and Cdt Pickering will now go forward to represent the wing at Regional Field day on the 4th September at RAF Wittering. This brings the number of events to 3 that 134 (Bedford) Sqn will be entering on behalf of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Wing at Regional Field Day, the others being the Drill and the Public Relations Competitions.
In addition Cdt Katherine Le Suer of was not only representing her Squadron but also the Corps in the junior women’s discus category at the inter youth organisation athletics championship. Representing the Air Cadets as an organisation is an achievement in itself and is certainly a first in 134 (Bedford) Squadrons recent history. However not content with getting that far Katherine went on to break the corps record and pick up the gold medal.
All round the weekend saw impressive work from all cadets who took part in the activities with enthusiastic complements received from people at all three. It is a practical demonstration of the Squadron’s desire and ability to succeed even when it is dispersed at such a wide variety of events.