ARmy Rumour SErvice

Generally a "good idea" but I echo the questions above about finding the instructors and money. My 1970s vintage CCF survived on a mix of wartime, national service and ex-TA officers. I doubt too many schools can generate the same now but that's a matter of willing.

Develop the course accordingly too. If you're out to develop self respect and self reliance then it'll be heavier on the A/T and DofE side which might fit the instructors' skill sets better than the drill and tactics side.

The CCF I was in had (and needed) its own armoury managed by a retired sergeant major on the school payroll. The RAF section had (and needed) its own hut. Plus, the Thursday afternoon activities, quite apart from a large area of asphalt for parading, took up quite a lot of ground. The teachers who ran it were fresh back from the war (one had a DSO). In those far-off days those who were not seeking to be professionals (i.e. nearly everybody else) had national service staring them in the face and I believe in the Army a CCF Certificate 'A' chiselled a few weeks off basic.

The moral benefit to me of selflessly hurling myself onto the wormcasts to perfect the lying load with an SMLE is unquestionable, but, more enjoyably, the RAF section put me up for a Flying Scholarship - thirty hours on a Tiger Moth resulting in a private pilot's Licence, at 17 before I joined the Navy.

Today I believe the benefit to the youngster can be enormous, but the cost needs to be funded and how many of today's generation of schoolteachers would volunteer top 'officer' the CCF I do wonder. Also the kids who need to be reached may not be the same ones that volunteer to join.

Anyone here been to a CCF recently?

The DofE and Adv Trg and the developmental parts of the activities are very much in ascendence. Drill is often low ont he agenda.

Whilst teachers are often painted with the left wing brush, the few State School CCFs, the 'closed' ACF dets (anACF det attached to a school) and the ACF dets housed on school premisis (a quasi-closed det) often get a LOT of support from the teachers.

It isn't hard to see the advantages of such activies... as one teacher made clear to me after pulling his (now enthusiastic and buzzing kids) from the lake. They just lashed together 3 canadians and stacked 6 kayaks on top (with kayakers int he boats) and paddled accros a lake, using rope skills and canoing skills they'd picked up over the course of 3 days. The rain mattered not one jot after about 15 mins.

You should see the difference in the Cadets after a week on the SCIC.

Plus there would be the issue of were to sotre weapons if they were allowed to train with them. My old school is about as secure as jelly and I'd bet they would be increasinly targeted by criminal elements trying to obtain them. Way back in the day late 80's early 90's a det of my old ACF was broken into and weaopns stolen which were later recovered.

You could also centrailse them but were? TAC's aren't in enough places and who would collect/return them? Then there's the issue with BFG winding down and trying to fit everyone into ranges/training area's camps etc.

I think the exsisting cadet branches are going to suffer due to the draw down never mind trying to add more into the mix.

It will be seen as some as a bit Hitler Youth, why does it have to be CCF? Are there no other youth groups that can be set up in schools? Will it be compulsory, always doomed to failure. What about YFA or how to use JCB's?
Oh and where's the money coming from?

Actually a really good idea as we slowly and painfully transition towards a bigger role for the reserves. Well run CCFs will help to recruit for reserve forces as well as supplying a modicum of pre-military training. They will also broaden the horizons of a lot of fat, listless, masturbating, X-Box fixated kids who might otherwise be utterly useless.

If you have a school run det (ie an CCF contingent) you tend to get teh school thinking it is 'theirs' and they may not like the idea of their det being closed down

I agree, I did a stint in a CTT and one of our CCF Dets in Exeter was Signals affiliated
so it came under my wing, no way on this earth would that School ever have agreed
to a merger with the Local ACF, nor would the other CCF Dets in Plymouth, Tavistock
or Exeter..........Is it a Class thing?

I may have misheard but I believe the ACF units were MOD funded, while CCF were Home Office.

My CCF was officered by two WWII vets, Paras and RTR, there were 2 teachers and the school officer. Plus the general attitude was positive among the other staff, many of whom were WWII vets or National Service.

Would that same attitude prevail amongst the current teachjng class, raised on Greenham Common, Che, and CND, I doubt it.