On Tuesday 11th February, I travelled to South and West Yorkshire Wing Headquarters for a board, competing for the nomination to represent the wing in the national RAF Air Cadets Dacre Sword competition. The Dacre sword is a prestigious award given to the best male cadet in the corps, after an extensive competition at wing, regional and national level.
The board was made up of Wing Commander Daniel, OC South & West Yorkshire Wing, Squadron Leader French, Wing Chief of Staff, and Warrant Officer Burbridge, Wing Warrant Officer South and West Yorkshire Wing. After a ten-minute presentation on my experiences in the air cadets, the panel asked me questions about the presentation as well as my cadet career, before giving me verbal feedback.
To reach the Wing Competition, a written application had to be submitted including a record of events from throughout my time in the cadets, a personal statement, as well as a reference from Squadron Leader Williams, OC 148 (Barnsley) Squadron. Competition throughout the wing was fierce and it was an achievement to even reach the wing interview stage.
Following the presentation, we received word from Wing Headquarters that I had been successful in my application for the nomination and will now go on to represent South and West Yorkshire Wing in the competition for the regional nomination, so a much more narrowed field, competing for the best male cadet in the north of England. It is a great honour to have been selected for this opportunity and my thanks go to the wing board as well as Squadron Leader Williams for the nomination.
