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After a busy day selling poppies, the cadets had some fun at their annual Pickle Night. This is a tradition that celebrates the battle of Trafalgar, named after the vessel HMS Pickle which carried the news of the victory back to England. A feast is held to celebrate at which the officers and instructors serve the cadets and VIP’s.

This year, I held the role of Vice President, awarding me the task of giving entertaining fines to those who displayed questionable manners e.g. having elbows on the table. A fine could be anything from singing a song to doing an impression of an animal. As always, the meal was delicious and, with the disco, the evening was enjoyed by all those who attended.

The success of the evening was due to the amazing staff that made it all possible.

A/C Scott

On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour in 1918, the First World War came to an end. As in previous years, Tewkesbury school assembled on the same date and time in November to remember those who sacrificed their lives in two World Wars and Conflicts since. Over a thousand students and staff, including many Tewkesbury Sea Cadets parading in uniform, assembled together to pay their respects to the Fallen. A bugler sounded the Last Post and there followed the Two Minutes silence. Not a sound was heard from this vast gathering and the stillness could almost be felt. What a moving tribute from the present generation of young people.

Following this mark of respect, the Sea Cadets, together with other representatives of uniformed organisations, marched to the tree planted in memory of Matthew Stuart. A former student at Tewkesbury School, Matthew died in the Falklands' Conflict while serving in the Royal Navy on HMS Argonaut. He was only 18 years old and his body was never found. At the commemorative tree, a wreath was laid by the Head Teacher and prayers were led by the Chaplain of the Tewkesbury Sea Cadets, Canon Roger Grey. The Parade Commander was Lieut. (SCC) Ron Matthews RNR.

The community of Tewkesbury School showed great sensitivity and awareness in the way they commemorated the Fallen and we thank them for this.

Photos by kind permission of Rhys Taylor, Tewkesbury Photographer at http://rhystaylorphotography.weebly.com/

My name is Xander and I'm a Junior Cadet at Tewkesbury Unit.

I recently attended the Halloween weekend at the Cheltenham unit, it was great fun even though I was the only Tewkesbury cadet to go. There were loads of exciting activities to keep us busy; we made lovely cupcakes, played football, made chocolate apples, grave stones and carved pumpkins. There was also a Halloween fancy dress party that lasted until 11 o'clock, we played some great games my favourite one involved lying on the floor and trying to eat doughnuts tied to a stick without using our hands, yum!

The food was delicious and I made some really good friends from Malvern and Cheltenham units. It was an amazing weekend and I will definitely go next year, I can't wait!

I would definitely recommend it to any of my fellow cadets!

Jnr Cadet Xander

Tewkesbury Unit pulled out all the stops in supporting the District Trafalgar Day Parade; the first for three years, hosted by Forest of Dean Unit in the town of Lydney, adding substantially to the 150 cadets on parade. Our cadets were supported by all of our unit’s staff who were involved in various roles within the parade. The parade was led by Lydney Air Cadet Band and a 24 cadet guard, escorting the District Colour. The parade was greeted at the church by Dame Janet Trotter OBE DBE, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. The service was conducted by Severn District Padre, (our very own) Reverend Canon Roger Grey. The parade then reformed and marched the 1.4 miles back to Forest Unit where a superb buffet lunch was provided for all. Another very fine Tewkesbury effort. ‘Bravo Zulu’ to all.

The Parade next year will be hosted by Gloucester Unit.

Note for reference: - Bravo Zulu is Navy parlance for ‘evolution well executed’ - flags Bravo & Zulu being flown from the flagship mast 

The Trafalgar Night Dinner is a long-established tradition on Royal Navy ships and establishments across the world, and the staff and cadets of TS Otter do their part to ensure that the Immortal Memory of Admiral Nelson is celebrated in suitable style. The venue is the Gupshill Manor, where the function room is transformed into a Naval Officers' Mess for the evening, complete with unit silver and signal flags, and a full Mess dinner format is followed. So we went from Dinner Call, through parading of the beef by the cadets (to ensure that it is fit for consumption though, with the quality of catering at the Gupshill, that's just a traditional formality!) and Loyal Toast - conducted sitting down, of course, to reflect the low ceilings of the old sailing ships - all interspersed with readings by the cadets telling the story of the Battle. Over 80 diners were at table, amongst them unit staff, parents, local dignitaries, including the Tewkesbury Town Mayor, together with representatives of other Sea Cadet units from across the region, with Captain Philip Russell RN, Captain Sea Cadet Corps, joining us as Guest of Honour and exploring the links between the Battle and the Royal Navy of today before making the toast to the Immortal Memory.

Needless to say, what makes the evening special is the role of the cadets themselves, taking over serving duties from the Gupshill staff and proving themselves very adept at juggling plates and bowls of hot food. Nine cadets participated, under the direction of Leading Cadet Sam, and did the unit proud, as well as taking home some well-earned pocket money for their labours. The unit did well, too, with £400 added to the coffers from the raffle. To add to the occasion, Sarah Griffiths, Chair of the Unit Management Team, presented our Padre, Roger Grey, with a small memento in appreciation of his long-lasting dedication to the unit, which saw him attend every event in all kinds of weather! A superb night thanks to the detailed organisation by the Unit's Executive Officer, Ron Matthews, and enthusiasm of the cadets, all a credit to the unit and Corps.