CCF team achieve the ‘Gold’ standard

Last weekend, a select team of eight cadets from the College and JAGS travelled to the Sennybridge Training Area to represent London in Cadet Cambrian Patrol 2025, widely regarded as the most demanding competition in the CCF calendar.

The section arrived on Friday evening and woke up at 04:45 the following morning to prepare for the day of patrolling. Beginning the patrol at 07:00 and with a pack weight of up to 20kg each, they covered 35km over the next 11 hours, completing tasks throughout the day. Some of the stands included destroying enemy positions in woods and open fields, dealing with casualties in a scenario where a helicopter crashed into enemy territory, and clearing a building to extract intelligence on the enemy.

They were the only section to complete the entire patrol route - and did so more than an hour before the final cut-off time.

They spent the rest of the day setting up a night position in a wood block and completing a patrol report to record that day’s activities. On the Sunday morning, after delivering and receiving a set of formal orders, they completed a set of rolling section attacks with another team, using a wide variety of tactics to destroy multiple enemy machine gun positions.

Months of dedicated training culminated in a display of exceptional determination, resilience, and confidence throughout the weekend.

The section was awarded the coveted Gold standard, one of only three teams out of 20 to achieve this, and the only CCF. In addition, they were named Best CCF, and WOII Oliver Dodd received the prestigious title of Best Patrol Commander—an incredible and thoroughly deserved result.

Report: WOII Oliver Dodd