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Cadet Force can trace its beginnings to 1859. At that time there was a threat of a French invasion. Few units of the British Army were at home; most of them were serving in India after the Indian Mutiny. The Volunteers were formed because of the threat of invasion in order to defend the country. Many schools also started cadet units. -
Octavia Hill created the first community cadet force boys who lived in the London slums. She felt strongly that the military context would socialise urban youths struggling for direction. -
First iteration of a cadet force at Hymers. It's aim was to train the future generation of officers in military and leadership skills. -
It is an army of volunteers that supports the British Army and the idea of a volunteer force that can be called upon when the country is threatened has been in existence for hundreds of years. -
WWI had just started and they wanted support to fight. So invested money into cadet forces to expand and try to convince more people to fight. This also helped to teach people basic and advanced army training from a young age. -
The Hymers OTC was sent to guard some railways against possible espionage. The unit expanded to around 200 cadets at the time. -
There was a big expansion in the Army and Sea Cadets and there was the creation of the Air Training Corps.
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Here is a photo of army cadets in WW2 -
The second iteration of cadets at Hymers. A Combined Cadet Force is 'owned' by a school, and can have multiple sections (Army, Air Force, Sea, Marine... but I think Hymers just had Army!)
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The National Cadet Centre opened in 1959 and it is in Frimley Park, Surrey.
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The end of the Hymers CCF was caused by Col Lund retiring. Col Lund was the last Contingent Commander and this role is needed to be able to keep a Combined Cadet Force. -
A trial for female volunteers to be able to join the cadet force in 1978.The first female cadets joined in 1979 as part of a pilot and the ACF was opened to all girls in 1982. Now 35+ percent of cadets are female.
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Captain Summers (back then 2Lt Summers) was an officer in the Territorial Army who started the Hymers ACF in 1992 and has continued ever since. The detachment initially paraded around the back of the Biology buildings and use the labs for classroom activities and the equipment was stored in a garden shed.
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