Air cadets from Nuneaton and Bedworth have been given a valuable insight into what life as a new recruit in the RAF is all about.

Youngsters belonging to 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron Air Training Corps have just returned from a week long Easter camp at RAF Halton which is the home of the Recruit Training Squadron that is responsible for training all new ground trade airmen and airwomen to the required standard during their first nine weeks of basic recruit training before they progress to their trade training.

During their time at RAF Halton the cadets slept in RAF accommodation ate in the airman’s mess and underwent rigorous uniform and room inspections. The training programme for the cadets included many aspects of the course undertaken by the new recruits such as the high ropes leadership exercises, shooting and some eye opening sessions with a real Drill Instructor!

But as usual Air Cadet camps are not all hard work and no play; the cadets also visited the RAF Museum at Hendon and the Imperial War Museum in London

Flt Lt Ian Crewe Officer Commanding 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron said, “Every year, the Air Cadets are given the chance to attend a camp on an operational RAF station but the RAF Halton camp has given the young cadets a valuable opportunity to get first hand experience of what life is like as a new recruit in the RAF. It was obvious that all the cadets had an excellent, interesting and memorable camp.”

He added, “As well as the RAF Halton camp we have also got cadets away on foreign camps at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and RAF Gibraltar and we are looking forward to hearing all about their experiences when they get back”