Combined Cadet Force
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The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance". It is not a pre-service organisation, although it acknowledges that one of its objectives is "to encourage those who have an interest in the services to become Officers of the Regular or Reserve Forces", and a significant number of officers have indeed had experience in the CCF. Prior to 1948 cadet forces in schools existed as part of the Officers' Training Corps framework, but in 1948 the Labour government founded the Combined Cadet Force as a separate entity on the grounds that the previous name was deemed elitist.
Contingents
The first CCF to be established was at Eastbourne College. Unit contingents exist in UK independent schools, some grammar schools and a handful of comprehensive schools.
The CCF is distinct from the Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force, and Air Training Corps.
- The Royal Navy Section wear a distinct CCF Cap Badge .
- Army Sections wear the cap badge of their associated regiment or corps,
- The RAF Sections of the CCF wear the RAF cap badge.
Cadets
| Section | Number of Cadets | Number of Schools |
|---|---|---|
| Army | 25,724 | 238 |
| Royal Air Force | 9,438 | 185 |
| Royal Navy | 5,347 | 124 |
| Royal Marines | inc. in Navy | 18 |
| Total | 40,509 | 565 |
Cadets mostly hold standard non-commissioned ranks, prefixed by "Cadet". The highest ranks are usually Cadet Coxswain (Royal Navy Section), Cadet Contingent Sergeant Major or In Household Cavalry Units, Cadet Squadron Corporal Major (Army and RM Sections) and Cadet Warrant Officer (RAF Section). These ranks are considered to be of equal parity. Larger contingents may have Under Officers in any or all of the three sections. To give total parity of ranks among the different sections, the RAF section has a special rank - that does not exist in the regular RAF - of Cadet Junior Corporal; equivalent to Cadet Lance Corporal in the Army section.
Officers
CCF officers are generally teachers from the school, and are not normally eligible to be called up. They hold commissioned ranks up to and including lieutenant colonel or its equivalent in the other services, although there are a small number of officers above this rank. On occasion you may also have Ex-army soldiers working as cadet instructors, although this is becoming more and more rare now.Training
The different sections naturally have different syllabi, but a certain amount is common between them. All cadets are trained initially to fire the Lee-Enfield No. 8 rifle, or the L98A1 Cadet General Purpose rifle. Later there are also opertunities to fire the L86 LSW and the L81 Cadet Target rifle. All the sections instruct fieldcraft, navigation, drill, leadership and first aid. Cadets in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines sections receive instruction in boatwork and other naval subjects (including flying with the Fleet Air Arm). Army section cadets are able to specialise in various subjects such as signalling and infantry tactics, and are trained accordingly. RAF section cadets are given the opportunity to fly in both powered and unpowered aircraft. All sections can undertake leadership courses at Frimley Park, and adventerous training. The army section also has "special to arm" courses, such as advanced weapons theory, royal signals training, and REME courses. Parachuting courses are also available, though their attendence is said to have slumped as of late.History
The CCF was created on 1 April 1948 by the amalgamation of the Junior Training Corps (formerly the Junior Division of the Officers Training Corps) and the school contingents of the Sea Cadet Corps and Air Training Corps. CCFs are still often referred to as "the Corps".Alternative organisations
Some schools recognise that pupils may not wish to participate in CCF activities and so alternative organisations exist, such as the Community Service Organisation, which allows pupils to volunteer to help in hospitals, schools, and charity work.Example: [City of London School].
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