Lots of amazing effort on last night (#6) of athletics training ahead of Wing competition. What really stood out (and then in) was the traditional 1368 Hokey Cokey warm-down, possibly the last as a cadet for our 19 year old CWO  who took on the master of ceremonies responsibility. OC cadet of the month for April 2025 was Cdt H for throwing himself into things. CWO D became the latest NCO inaugurated into the illustrious "Gnorman Knights of the Domino Pizza order" for his work over the last 6 months, esp in admin and cadet coordination. He gets to wear the Gnorman the Gnome bucket hat till the next illustrious cadet leader steps forward with amazing NCO-ness (e.g. achieving outdoor quals and ensuring cadets get to achieve road marching, that sort of thing). 

Monday's commemorative VE parade at Sherbourne Church saw cadets from 1368 Sqn perform as a Sqn band for the first time in public. Making public performances was their challenge for 2025 off the back of the first entry of the 1368 band in the Wing music competition in October 2024. The band challenge for 2025 was to perform in public, hence we thank the visitors to Sherbourne Church for providing them with an audience. The band was formed last year with the arrival of new instruments. February to April has seen a 2nd wave of cadets learn how to play drums and bell lyre, so what's particularly nice about this performance is that it included some of the cadet's who've just gone through basic band training and have yet to get their blue band badges. All the more impressive is that they're pretty much self-taught, i.e. cadets teaching other cadets.

Cadets and Staff from 1368 Squadron took part in a WWII Dam Buster RAF Pilot and crew VE Day Commemoration and Wreath Laying at Sherbourne Church on Bank Holiday Monday. This was in memory of 617 Sqn pilot Henry Eric Maudslay from Leamington who died aged 21 along with crew when returning from Operation Chastise, an RAF mission to destroy the Ruhr dams using special bouncing bombs, a pivotal moment and RAF mission in Second World War.  

Well done to the 4 cadets and 1 SNCO from 1368 Sqn attended last weekend's Wing course at RAF Cosford aimed at increasing knowledge of Foot, Banner & Ceremonial Drill.  The course is designed to bring knowledge & enthusiasm onto back Sqns to deliver consistent teaching across the Wing and was also a great opportunity for them to do rifle drill.  The next step is to use their new found knowledge to raise 1368 drill standards for newbies, so to match recent focus on improving uniform standards.

1368 (Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa) Squadron tends to do intakes at the beginning of each school term, hence we are doing a small intake in May 2025.  Procedure for recruitment is based on the following steps: 1. Expression of interest submitted via RAFAC webform:  https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/interested-in-joining-as-a-cadet/?squadronno=1368 . This gives us the details we need to email or phone parent/guardians to arrange a tour. 2. Parent/guardian responds to tour request and visit date/time for tour is arranged. 3. Parent/guardian & prospective cadet attend a show around tour, followed by a chat with OC. Tour is usually done by a cadet and gives an opportunity to find out what it is like being a cadet at 1368 Sqn. 4. If still interested after tour then we would add to desired intake list. 5. Closer to the intake date, forms are sent out electronically with a welcome pack. Parent/guardians return forms electronically and date/time of first parade is confirmed. In...

Some great coaching of juniors was really nice, e.g., Javelin and High Jump. Cdt H's commitment to high jump was astonishing. Lots of race-offs.   Relay practice hard as ever and, of course, the 1368 Hokey Cokey.  Athletics training really good for DofE Physical section sign offs for those that needed it.

Well done to 11 cadets who were down on Monday to get their St John's Essential First Aid badges. EFA is delivered to new recruits within the first 6 months of their joining the air cadets. The next badge up is Youth First Aid. 23 of our cadets are already YFA qualified hence we are contemplating running a weekend YFA for 0125/0924 to keep up momentum on First Aid delivery with the help in First Aid equipment provided by a recent Warwick Town Council grant.

Monday's parade saw 1368 cadets receive an insight into post WWII with a talk by Mr Jennings who was working on Canberra air sampling aircraft during the Grapple Y Nuclear Tests, a British atomic weapons trial conducted on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1958, as part of Britain's programme to develop a hydrogen bomb. A video was shown. Not many young people get to hear first hand what it was like to witness a nuclear explosion and a great way of connecting the young with history. It was an insightful talk with some humorous reflective moments from his experiences in the RAF and life in general. The Wing Commander for Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing, Wg Cdr Lee Cassidy, had the pleasure of presenting him with a Nuclear Veteran's Medal and he gave some awards to 1368's younger cadets.

Well done to 13 cadets from 1368 Sqn who were down on Monday to get their badges for Blue Leadership. The Sqn ran a large scale leadership training programme in Feb->Apr that involved our newbies working together as a team to solve command tasks and learn leadership and briefing techniques. It's been a popular yearly part of the programme, great for building teamwork and friendships. Blue leadership is also a solid foundation badge for building self-confidence and opening up ability to bid on Bronze leadership courses run above Squadron level.