2018 has started well for the Sqn with Cadet Warrant Officer Billie James being selected as the Best Female Cadet in London Wing - Royal Air Force Air Cadets and who will now represent the Wing in the 75th Anniversary Sword competition to find the best female cadet in the UK, and to Cadet Warrant Officer Natasha Lindsay Holder who has been selected to attend the International Air Cadet Exchnage progamme with a 2 week visit to Turkey over the summer hosted by the Turksih Air Force and Air Cadets with aviation and cutural events. Cadets from 241 have participated in IACE exchanges regularly with Ghana, the USA, New Zealand and Canada being recent destinations. Their selection was by competative interview by OC and Deputy OC Londin Wing against other candidates and CWO James now goes into the Region Competition at London & South East Region Air Cadets. CWO James is the Lord Lieutentants Air Cadet for London, has a Gold Duke of Edinburghs award, Flying Scholarship, Cadet 100 for Target Shooting, has has shot in the Imperial Meeting at the NRA Ranges at Bisley, achieved a Corps Parachuting course, is an Air Cadet Leadership Course graduate, was Leader of the winning Elworthy Sword Team in 2015 and has Wing Blues for sport amonst many other other achievements. We wish her luck as she represents London Wing.

2017 has been an incredibly busy year for the Sqn, and it has also been successful in a wide range of activities with the cadets winning the London Wing Field Day Competition for a 3rd consecutive year, being the Best ATC Unit in the Inter Service Rifle Meeting at Bisley, winning the London and Middlesex Cadet Rifle Meeting for a 3rd consecutive year, coming 2nd in the National Service Rifle Championships against the Army, Air and Sea Cadets, winning the London Wing Athletics and Cross Country Championships, and the Fanfare Team winning the Regional Competition and representing LaSER in the Corps Finals. The cadets achieved 8 Cadet 50s, 8 Cadet 100s, 10 Corp Blues for shooting, over 60 of the new Progressive Training Syllabus Marksman awards, an International Air Cadet Exchange to New Zealand, a QIAC graduate, 2 Flying Scholarships, and cadets flew in Tutors, Chinooks and Pumas, and in sports 26 Wing Blues, 8 Region Blues and 1 Corp Blue. A Sqn parachute camp saw 8 Cadets awarded the Corps Parachute badge. Cadets attended the Corps Drill and Ceremonial Camp, RIAT and the Corps Aviation Camp at Syerston. The Duke of Edinburgh’s scheme saw cadets gaining 51 Awards - 3 Gold, 9 Silver, and 39 Bronze awards. Cadets have also gained band badges and seen the band continue to improve, winning the London Wing Band competition. Over 40 cadets gained a First Aid qualification, including some of the first Silver badges gained by cadets. Staff qualified as Mountain Leader, Skill at Arms Instructors, Range Conducting Officers and other skills to enable us to keep providing the cadet experience. We continued to build our links with our affiliated Livery Company - The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers, and raised over £5000 for the Royal British Legion Poppy appeal. We also had FS Holder appointed as the 1st ever Mayor of Redbridge Council Cadet, and CWO Billie James was appointed as the Lord Lieutenants Cadet for London. None the Sqns ongoing success would have happened without the dedication and enthusiasm of the staff and committee team who have worked long and hard to facilitate the achievements of our hard working and dedicated cadets. We also thank our friends in 31 Tower Hamlets Squadron - Royal Air Force Air Cadets and 1838 - Elm Park Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets for their help over the year and we look forward to working with them in 2018. 2018 will no doubt be equally as busy as we will be providing the full Cadet Experience to a Sqn that continues to have over 100 Cadets, and we will be striving to continue our successes and build on them further. We will also be working with a new Sector model in London Wing - Royal Air Force Air Cadets and working closely with neighbouring Squadrons as part of No 1 Sector. We will also be supporting RAF100 – the hundredth anniversary of the parent Service in what promises to be a great year.

As 2017 draws to a close the Sqn held its annual presentation night with the Worshipful Mayor of Redbridge Council, Cllr Linda Huggett, accompanied by her husband Brian, and Mr Clive Capel from our affilitated The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers kindly presenting the awards. The guests and parents were given presentations by cadets on their very busy year on 241, a full band display was given and certificates for Heart Start, Youth First Aid, Activity First Aid, Flying Scholarships, and Wing Blues, Corp Blues, Blue Leadership, Radio, Aviation and Pre DoE Bagdes, DoE Bronze and Silver Certificates, Silver Band Badges and CCRS Gold Medals for shooting being awarded. After refreshements laid on by the Civilian Committee the Poppy Shield (for the highest collecting cadet in the Poppy Appeal) was presented to Cdt Haroon for collecting £334, Best Junior Shot to Cdt Brooker, Best Shot to Sgt Acton, Best Sportsperson to Cpl Clark, Best Bandperson to Sgt Sachdev (a new award for 2017 courtesy of the Sqn Bandmaster CI Dave Collett), best Recruit to Cdt Teper and best Cadet to Cdt Dobson. The Best Flight was No1 Flight commanded by FS Ali and the Brinner Shield for the OCs choice was Sgt Acton. These awards represent a huge amount of time and effort for the cadets involved and indeed for all the cadets on the Sqn who compete for them. Thanks are also due to the Sqn Staff Team and Committee without whom nothing would happen,

The Sqn attended the last L98 shoot of the year last weekend at Ash Ranges. Inspite of the appalling weather on way, heavy rain, wind and cold the cadets still managed to have a good shoot with some excellent potential for 2018 from the new firers. Congratulations to Cdt Ashvin Vijayan who scored 60/60 on the Silver Marksman shoot, Cdts Dervill and Hutchins on their Silver Trained Shot and Cdt Meyers on his Silver Marksman. Those who didn't qualify also shot well considering the less than optimal conditions and should be able to qualify on the next shoot in2018 (hopefully) better weather conditions.

The Sqn has welcomed the London Wing Honorary President, Air Vice Marshal The Honourable David Murray CVO OBE for his first formal visit to a London Squadron following his recent appointment. The AVM inspected a Guard of Honour, watched a band display and was given a number of briefings by Cadets on their Cadet Experience. On final parade, with 118 cadets, present he made a number of awards including the Sqns first Parachute Badges to several cadets from our summer course. A great effort from the cadets, staff and committee for pulling the evening together and thanks for AVM Murray spending his evening with us.

The Fanfare Team in action

For the first time in the Squadrons history we competed in the Corps National Band Championships, held at RAF Honnington. Our fanfare team, having won at Wing and Region level, gave an excellent performance under the gaze of the Corps Bandmaster and Commandant Air Cadets. Led by Cpl John, with Cpl Chandler, Cdts Ali, Arif and Satalmis the team came overall 4th, which is no mean feat as the Sqn only started a band in 2014, with trumpets being introduced in 2015. Cpl John also represented the Region in the Solo Bugler competition. Many thanks to Flt Lt Robin Harris for his tutition of the team and the score of the fanfare.

The Sqn has won the London Wing Cross Country Championship, held at Chingford Plain in Epping Forest on a sunny but cold day. This is the 16th year in the last 18 years that the Sqn has won this event, and this year had one of its best results ever winning the Junior Girls, Senior Girls, Junior Boys, Intermediate Boys and Overall Girls, Overall Boys and the Overall Championship. Cpl Clark, Cdt Bushdari, Cdt John and Cdt Mathuran also won their age categories. Several cadets will now go to the Region Championship to represent London Wing. Congratulations to 31 Tower Hamlets Squadron - Royal Air Force Air Cadets who won the Senior Boys. A further well done to the Marker Party from the Sqn who marked the route through the Forest.

The Sqn has remembered the fallen of 2 World Wars and other conflicts this week. CWO Bille James was present at the Field of Rememberance at Westminster Abbey as the Lord Lieutenants Cadet for London, FS Nataysha Holder attended the Rememberance service at City Hall as Mayors Cadet for Redbridge and on Sunday the Sqn paraded simultaneously at Wanstead, Loughton, and for 3 Cadets and the Sqn Warrant Officer as part of London Wing,at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. At Loughton the Sqn Band led the parade, setting the pace with an excellent performance, and we joined with 2324 Chigwell Sqn to provide the light blue presence and at Wanstead we joined with the Volunteer Police Cadets to ensure that "we will remember them"

4 Teams from the Squadron have participated in the National Cadet Skill at Arms Meeting (CISSAM) held at Pirbright over the last weekend of October. Shot on the L98 rifle and the Light Support Weapon (LSW) between the top 52 Teams from the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets and Air Cadets the shoots are a test of skill, discipline, fitness, teamwork and determination, working on various ranges from 25 to 300 metres, in various positions with running between firing points. The Top 50 Cadets from all 3 services are awarded the coverted Cadet 50 Badge. By the end of the competition Sgt Yasmin Sachdev had won the won the Urban Contact Shoot on a tie shoot, the A Team (Sgt Drew Acton, Sgt Duvall D'santos, Cpl Richard John & Cpl Mathew Raj) has won the Advance to Contact match, the Advance and Reorganisation Match, the Section Match and had come 2nd in the overall competition. Sgt Acton came 2nd overall and 3rd Cpl John. Additionally the whole A Team and 4 cadets from the B and C Teams gained the Cadet 50, and Sgt Acton, Sgt D'Santos and Cpl John gained Corps Blues for representing the Air Cadets in the Inter Service Final, with Cdt Tognu as the reserve firer, in which the ATC beat the other 2 services. This was our best ever CISSAM result and we also congratulate 31 Tower Hamlets Squadron - Royal Air Force Air Cadets for winning the overall competition for a 3rd consecutive year and 1838 - Elm Park Squadron Royal Air Force Air Cadets for winning the Falling Plate match, making this an excellent result for London Wing - Royal Air Force Air Cadets shooting.

Civilian Instructor Jameel Campbell has completed an Air League 12 Hour Flying Scholarship with South Warwickshire Flying School based at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield. Jameel, who has already gone solo with the Air Cadets gained this further opportunity to work towards his Private Pilots License through the The Air League who support the development of young people in the aviation sector. The culmination of the course was Jameel flying cross country from Wellesbourne to Cambridge to Leicester back to Wellesbourne, a 175 mile trip, on his own as a navigation exercise. This is just one of the benefits of being in the Air Cadets!

Recruit and Fieldcraft training was the order of the day over the weekend, in spite of the heavy rain on Saturday evening for the Sqn as 70 cadets deployed to Crowborough Training Camp in Sussex along with adult staff and cadets from around the Region for an authorised Fieldcraft Instructors Course run by OC241 and London Wing Staff. The recruits carried out challenging training on the camp obstacle course, drill, night navigation and stalking, strecher race, 2 lots of early morning PT and the bridgebuilding and steeplechase with the aim of developing team work, mental and physical fitness, rising to the challenging of gaining the Sqn Black Witch Badge which all recruits have to earn the right to wear by passing the course. More senior cadets trainined on the Air Cadet fieldcraft syllabus on Pippingofrd Park sleeping out under "bashers", cooking for them selves with compo rations and working as a team in challenging conditions including night navigation and morning inspections. Cadets and staff from London, Surrey, Kent and Middlesex Wing were also on the area training to be an authorised Fieldcraft Instructor to be able deliver fieldcraft to the training to cadets - they now will be assessed as instructors in four weekends time. All in all a busy but rewarding weekend for all ranks in delievering the cadet experience!

241 is now recruiting! Anyone between the age of 13-19 can join. See the website for details & visit us every Wednesday until November 9th from 7pm - 9pm! #areyouupforthechallenge #Aircadets #WhatWeDo @aircadetslaser @aircadets

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My son on parade at 241 Squadron for 75th anniversary parade