Long Eaton Sea Cadets bids farewell to Leading Cadet Will Lowe
Long Eaton Sea Cadets have said their final farewell to Leading Cadet Will Lowe, who has bowed out of the Sea Cadet Corps after a 6-year career that came to an end on the completion of the Notts & Derby District annual Trafalgar Day Parade in Burton-upon-Trent on Sunday 20 October 2019.
Its not all bad news though, as Will leaves us to enter the Royal Navy at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint Cornwell on the 21 October 2019, to begin his 10 weeks of Phase 1 Recruit Training. From there he will then head to HMS Sultan to begin his Phase 2 apprenticeship to become a Royal Navy Marine Engineering Technician.
Leading Cadet Will Lowe joined the Sea Cadets as a shy, unassuming 11-year-old in 2013 at Long Eaton Sea Cadets T.S. Indomitable. He initially joined the Junior Section, as he wasn’t quite old enough for the Seniors Cadets at that point, and soon began to make his mark. Will quickly made friends within the Junior section, of which two in particular became close and remain Cadets to this day; we lose the other two to the Royal Navy later this year.
Upon turning 12, Will then transferred to the Senior Section of the Sea Cadet Corps, and that’s when the trouble really began.
It soon became apparent that Will had thirst for knowledge and was keen to be involved in everything the Sea Cadets could offer him; in fact, his training record as a Cadet makes for impressive reading.
As the years progressed Will could always be found supporting the Unit at Parades and Fund Raisers, as well as supporting and helping staff with various tasks. If Will wasn’t at the Unit he was away undergoing training which ranged from First Aid Training to Offshore and Inshore Dinghy Sailing and much, much more besides. In addition Will, along with his friends, was always at the front of the queue when it came to putting a rowing team together for the various regattas in the Sea Cadet Calendar.
Will was a particularly strong rower and through great team work and effort always managed to pull the team through and bring home the achievement certificates for all their hard work.
During his time as a Sea Cadet, Will also showed liking for taking part in Adventurous Training and achieved his Campcraft, Mountain Biking and Rock-Climbing awards. However, it was when he undertook his Marine Engineering Qualifications that the seeds were sown for him wanting to become a Marine Engineer in the Royal Navy, thanks in part to the enthusiasm of his instructors.
The highlight of Will’s Career was when he had the opportunity to go to sea as a crew member of one of the Sea Cadets many offshore craft. During these voyages Will was taught the fundamentals of Navigation and offshore sailing. This quickly went on to him gaining RYA qualifications in Power Boating and sailing. He also gained nationally recognised Paddle Sport Qualifications for kayaking and windsurfing.
As Will matured it soon became apparent to his Instructors that this young man had a flare for leadership and could often be seen organising and supporting younger members of the Unit in all that they were doing. If a younger cadet was struggling to grasp something, or just needed that little bit of extra support, you would find Will calmly going through what needed to be done.
To sum up Leading Cadet Will Lowe – Will is an enthusiastic young man who has often shown maturity beyond his years, and has the courage and commitment to step up when needed. Will throughout his career has unflinchingly upheld the Core Values of Sea Cadet Corps and is a role model to the younger cadets of Long Eaton Sea Cadets.
So, as one-page closes, another opens to a long and exciting career in the Royal Navy.
On behalf of the OiC, XO and all the Staff and Cadets at Long Eaton we wish Royal Navy Recruit Lowe well in his new career and wish him fair winds and calm seas
BZ (Royal Navy speak for Well Done) and Good Luck Will Lowe
