Last week on the 24 October, Over 50 new recruit cadets from Royal Russell Combined Cadet Force travelled to St Martins Plain (SMP) training camp located in Folkestone, part of the South-East training estate for Recruit Camp 2025. St Martins Plain training camp is used by the British Army, and recently it has hosted Ukrainian soldiers undergoing basic training.

On the day of our arrival at 1600hrs, we started our first day of activities filled with excitement and adrenaline to kick off this fantastic weekend! After a bit of admin work, we did some warm kit issue to ensure we are kept warm throughout the day and night, especially in the field. As well as sorting our groups for the next 48 hrs.

The first night arrived which meant so did dinner, where we were treated with an amazing Dominos pizza night. The room was filled, everyone getting to know each other, creating an amazing atmosphere. Followed by dinner, our free time had come, allowing us to visit the NAAFI, a place where we may meet up with others and enjoy a nice snack or two with purchase.

Eventually the time came for us to close our eyes and get some rest but before that could happen, we had a mini room inspection by our SNCOs to make sure our rooms are spotless and well cleaned, fortunately we were well prepared thanks to our NCOs who taught us the importance of having a clean billet and how to achieve it, then we had lights out at 2200hrs.

Waking up to the fresh air and clear sky at 0600hrs was a good wake up call to start our day of exciting activities. After a very nice breakfast we lined up outside the Dining Hall to then be sent to our Billets for our room inspection. At 0745hrs, the Officers entered our room to make sure it was clean and our uniform was smart before any such activities can be done! For some, this was unusual so it was definitely a memorable first time that their rooms were checked!

During Saturday, we covered topics of, Navigation, Fieldcraft and Drill. Our fieldcraft activities consisted of formations, how to move through land without being seen and observing from a distance, a small competition was created to see which pair could see the most objects from a distance. Our whole section was based on how objects are seen. A highlight of our fieldcraft activities was the learning how to camouflage ourselves using Cam-Cream and foliage to blend in with nature. Although it got messy, it was a very fun experience. Our Navigation sections covered the topic of grid references, how to find a location as well as how to give one. We also learnt what common symbols on a map related to. Followed by navigation we were then taught the basics of drill & turnout. This included how to ensure our uniform was smart and we also learnt how to march, turn and most importantly stop all at the same time!

It then came the hour of dinner, one of the great things about SMP camp is the variety of options you can have for a meal, they provide a nutritious meal for everyone and their respective dietary requirements. A particular favourite throughout the trip was the Full English breakfast. After a lovely dinner we met in the briefing room, where we received a set of orders from Captain Quick about how we were going to conduct our Close Target Recce (CTR) on a known enemy position!

The night exercise was a great way to recap on all our learning from the day, it allowed us to use the fieldcraft learnt such as the leopard crawl and formations we learnt in our groups. Not only did this activity benefit the recruits, but B Troop from the Army section who were on their radios weekend took part also, in an attempt to earn their radios badge. Our goal of the night was to collect information from a enemy location and report back to the section signaller (B troop) who would then send off the info to HQ so we could figure out were to go next!

It was an amazing experience filled with teamwork and fun! After a successful mission we were gifted with our free time to go to the NAAFI or to take showers after our day full of outdoors, which was recommended. However, as a treat for the last night of camp, lights out was now pushed back to 2300hrs for some more time to relax. And then it was time to hit the hay.

The last morning arrived with lovely weather and beautiful sunshine, we had woken up and made sure our uniform was spit spat and our rooms were even better. Breakfast at 0700hrs was a blessing, filling our stomachs full for our last day. At 0745hrs, we met our last room inspection, being the most important one because it was our last day and they were extra strict and the Officers didn’t miss a spot. For some it was satisfactory but for others, it took some time getting used too.

On our last day, we learnt about cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to achieve our certificate qualifying our ability to perform CPR if and when needed. We learnt that the song “Staying Alive” was a key tool to keeping us on beat to consistent and accurate heart pumps to save one’s life. We were then introduced to the DR ABC (Primary) assessment, which consists of checking danger and responses when finding someone on the ground. Following that was the topic of how to save someone from choking and what to do if someone starts to. We learnt the steps and what to do after.

Before we knew it we were travelling back on the coach full of life skills and memories we will hold onto forever. We arrived back at Royal Russell at 1530hrs, unloading the coach as well as the equipment in a chain formation for the most efficient and quick outcome.

We were joined together at final parade led by Captain Quick talking to us about our camp and notices for future camps, as well as qualification badges for B troop. There was also a prize for the best observation team from the recruit section.

We can’t wait for what’s next!

Written By: Recruit Cadet Goossens