News

Despite it being the morning after our Unit Annual Dinner, an impressive number of cadets and staff turned out to collect money for our Minibus Appeal at 0900 hrs on Saturday 1st December. It was not warm!

Tescos kindly permitted us to collect at their entrance and we advertised our cause by positioning the Trinity 500 and our current minibus nearby. Various other cadets and staff arrived during the day to relieve the original team but many of those brave souls stayed on most of the day. Scott Williams was there until we knocked off just before 1500 hrs.

It was a really good effort and we collected £239. Thanks, once again, to the public of Tiverton for supporting us so generously.

On 21st November 1961, a Canberra light bomber on a training flight from Germany to Devon developed a serious engine problem as it approached Tiverton. The crew could have ejected to safety from the crippled aircraft but elected to stay on board and turn it away from the town. The two RAF officers, pilot and navigator, were killed when the aircraft crashed into the Grand Western Canal near Manley Bridge.

A wreath has usually been laid at the memorial plaque that marks the crash site as part of the Remembrance Day ceremonies on 11th November. However, this year Remembrance Sunday fell on the 11th November so the town was busy parading to the church. Instead, the Council decided to hold a separate commemoration on the anniversary of the crash.

Tiverton Sea Cadets were asked to support this short ceremony and, with the kind permission of parents/carers and headteachers, four cadets were released from school or college and were able to take part.

Despite some problems with the minibus, we arrived at Manley Bridge in good time. It had been a very wet morning but the weather cleared just in time for the sun to shine as the Mayor (Cllr Tom Lindus), Cllr Kevin Wilson, Cllr Des Hannon, Cllr Lewis Clarke, an ATC contingent and a handful of others assembled at the memorial. Wg Cdr Chivers gave a short introduction, a bugle sounded the Last Post and Reveille and the Mayor laid a wreath.

It was only a short ceremony but a fitting tribute to two brave men. Our cadets were back in school shortly afterwards!

The sun shone brightly on Sunday 11th November as the Tiverton Sea Cadets assembled in the Boots car park for the 2012 Remembrance Day Parade, Church Service and Wreath Laying.

Led by the Tiverton Town Band and with a welcome contingent of regular servicemen on parade, we marched through the streets to St Peter's Church. As well as our main contingent, Leading Cadet Hunter Annan, as Mayor's Cadet, guarded the back of the Mayor, Councillor Tom Lindus, with dirk drawn!

We consider this a very important event in our calendar as we remember all those servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives for their country in the World Wars and in minor wars since.

After the service we reassembled and marched back to the Town Hall where Ordinary Cadet Alex Cole laid a wreath on behalf of the unit.

With the parade completed, we were all kindly invited into the Royal British Legion for refreshments.

Our numbers were down a bit from last year but we acquitted ourselves well.

Thanks to all who took part and particularly to those cadets who helped clear up at the Legion. 

Tiverton Sea Cadets volunteered to assist the Royal British Legion with their Poppy Appeal street collection.

We turned out on two successive Saturdays, 3rd and 10th November, and did pretty well, although we haven't yet heard how much we collected for the Poppy Appeal.

There was a good turn out of Cadets (including Juniors) and Staff, particularly on the 10th, and, together with the Army and Air cadets, we pretty much swamped Tiverton. The people of Tiverton were generous and several bought poppies more than once! Luckily the weather was quite kind to us although we did have to endure a couple of hailstorms on the 3rd.

The Royal British Legion expressed their thanks to all those who took part. Well done, Sea Cadets.

Saturday 20th October was a chilly morning but at least it was dry! Bright and early at 0900 hrs a team of volunteers from the Unit assembled at Lowman Green (by the clock tower) to start our annual street collection, which, this year, was to raise funds towards a new minibus. We did pretty well although we cancelled the afternoon shift due to lack of staff (thanks to Adam and Scott for turning up).

In all we raised £323.55, which is a very useful sum and signifanctly more than last year's total. Top collector was Lt Saupe and the top cadet collector was AC Al Andrews.

Thanks to all those who donated and to the 8 cadets and 4 staff who braved the cold. A special thanks to AC Rachael Chapman from the Torbay unit who  collected for us.