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Poole Sea Cadets recently played a prominent part in a wreath-laying ceremony in Poole Park to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the end of World War 2.

In front of the Civic leaders of Poole, Bournemouth, Christchurch and BCP Councils our buglers accompanied the poignant dipping of the military standards in salute.

The Branch President of the British Legion welcomed the VIPs, VJ Veterans and members of the public to the memorial saying, “On behalf of the Charter of Trustees of Poole and the Poole Branch of the Royal British Legion I would like to welcome everyone to this year’s wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the ending of the second world war in the Far East otherwise known as VJ day, and to pay our respects to those who lost their lives during that campaign. After the Exhortation there will be a one minutes silence and then the Mayor of Poole will be invited to lay the first wreath”.

The President of Poole Royal British Legion subsequently cited the Exhortation, “They shall grow not old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”.

The President of the Broadstone Branch of the Royal British Legion cited the Kohima Prayer.

“When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today”.

The “Poole and the Second World War on Poole Quay” event, co-ordinated by the Society of Poole, was a triumph with thousands of spectators attending the packed location.

Poole Sea Cadet’s award-winning band was honoured, after months of enforced hibernation, to both lead the parade of standards and then play several time-honoured and emotional tunes. Their enforced lay-off from public duties over the past few months certainly hasn’t blunted their musical prowess in the slightest.

One seasoned retired naval officer was moved to say, “I thought the band was excellent at the VE/VJ celebration on the Quay – well done to all of them. The rendition of Heart of Oak was superb, and the buglers deserve special mention for the Last Post/Rouse”.

Poole Sea Cadets currently number 60 in total, with another 60 on the waiting list. They are all aged between 10 and 18 years of age. There are relatively few Sea Cadet bands in the country and ours is certainly an attraction where recruitment is concerned in Poole and the surrounding area.  

After months of enforced hibernation, our award-winning band is proud to be contributing to the “Poole and the Second World War on Poole Quay” event on Sunday 15th August (1pm to 5pm).

Poole played a key role during the war, the flying boats connecting us to the world, Dunkirk small boats, raiding parties, D Day trials and being one of the largest embarkation points for D Day itself. The Society for Poole is organising an educational exhibition which commemorates the 75+1 anniversary of the end of the war and depicts some of the stories of the town.

Whilst there won’t be iconic aircraft, such as the Spitfire pictured here, the prestigious event is being held in aid of the RAF Association, RN Association, and the Royal British Legion.

Senior members of Poole Sea Cadets will be challenging themselves to climb the three highest mountain peaks in Wales, Scotland, and England within a self-imposed time limit of a mere 20 hours in early September.

Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike are their three imposing targets.

The team undertaking this fundraising challenge is headed by the two walkers,

SLt (SCC) Reece Oliver RNR, Commanding Officer, and Civilian Instructor Joel Nurser.

They will cover 23 miles in distance and ascend a total of 3064 meters. To achieve their aim, they are going to have to average a walking/climbing speed of 5 km per hour!

Their driver between those mountains will be Petty Officer (SCC) Jasmine Hughes.

On Saturday 4th September at noon, they will start the ascent of Ben Nevis, and the plan is then to complete Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon and the road journeys by 08.00 on Sunday 5th. 

Reece said, “Whilst I have done this before it was not against such a tight time frame. Throughout we will be using skills such as map reading, not to mention the application of resilience, with both being part of our Cadet’s curriculum. I will be displaying our GPS track data during the challenge so people can follow us as we go. This information will be displayed on the Unit’s Facebook Page: @pooleseacadets”.

Poole Sea Cadets is an independent charity and is constantly looking to raise funds to maintain a comprehensive list of activities for its 60 cadets. This is an expensive process.

The Unit is so popular that there is a waiting list for places, so it has embryonic plans to expand to be able to offer even more opportunities to 10–18-year-olds in Poole and the surrounding area in the future.

Should you wish to donate to Poole Sea Cadet’s Three Peaks Challenge the details can be found on GoFundMe.com:
gf.me/u/zfi2vz

The main photograph of Mount Snowdon is provided courtesy of Visit Wales (© Hawlfraint y Goron - © Crown Copyright (2021) Cymru Wales).

We were recently very pleased to welcome our three local BCP Councillors to TS Drax.

BCP Council was formed in April 2019 and is a merger of the previous Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Councils. Poole Council, as was, has always had strong connections with the Unit with TS Drax being physically located in the Poole Town Ward.

That local connection has recently been enhanced as the three Poole Town Councillors, Mark Howell, Andy Hadley and L-J Evans, came on board for a tour followed by a briefing from SLt (SCC) Reece Oliver , RNR, Commanding Officer, and Trustee Lee Hardy.

They said, "It was amazing to see and hear about the wonderful work the Sea Cadets do with up to 60 local 10 - 18-year olds. Whilst they provide training in numerous life skills, encourage physical and mental health wellbeing, and offer nationally recognised qualifications, there is also an awful lot of fun".

"After the stresses and strains of the past year, it is more important than ever that our children and young people have safe, inclusive, environments like this to grow and develop...and enjoy themselves".

The Councillors saw a variety of practical training sessions and were made aware of the Unit's 82-year history. They were told about the constant need as an independent charity for funding to maintain what is one of the largest Sea Cadet Units in the country. They were also briefed on a "wish list" for the future.

Cllr Mark Howell finally reflected positively on his visit by saying, "I was pleased to see the Sea Cadets are thriving and helping young people from a wide range of backgrounds to gain valuable life skills", and Cllr Andy Hadley added, "I was impressed by the work that Poole Sea Cadets do, ensuring that everyone can participate, and as an RYA centre, supporting Sea Cadet units across a wide geography.”