Our Combined Cadet Force showed excellence and diligence at this year’s Annual General Inspection held on Wednesday 27 March.
We were delighted to welcome Old Bedfordian Col. James Shaw (90-98), the Household Division Brigade Major, into school as the Inspecting Officer. Col. Shaw recently oversaw the ceremonial side of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the Coronation of King Charles III.
Read Old Bedfordians to Lead Jubilee Celebrations
Although the parade may not have had quite the royal standards that Col. Shaw is accustomed to, the cadets performed extremely well, not even phased by the weather which chose to pour with rain at the exact time of the inspection.
After the parade, the Corps attended School Chapel where the colonel gave a very interesting sermon, reflecting on his experiences of both operational tours and ceremonial events, throughout his career in the Army.
The afternoon saw a round robin of activities for the cadets which culminated in the inter-service Field Gun Run. This was much enjoyed by cadets and onlookers alike and showed the very best of teamwork and competitive spirit. The competition was closely 
fought, with the Royal Navy section finally emerging victorious.
A prize-giving ceremony followed, where prizes were given out for best recruits of the sections. The winners were Toby Coles (Royal Navy), Lukas Collins (Army) and Stirling Smallwood (Royal Air Force). All the Upper Sixth cadets were also presented with medals to commemorate their time in the corps.
The day rounded off with a formal regimental dinner in the Great Hall. This was attended by the Sixth Form cadets, CCF Officers and staff, with guests from the schools and services. In addition to Col. Shaw, we were also honoured to have the Lord Lieutenant, Susan Lousada, as our guest of honour.
The Head of Corps, Lottie Giles, and Deputy Head of Corps, Will Reddy, gave a very interesting toast to Col. Shaw, who made a speech in reply, and spoke very highly of both the cadets and the staff and of how pleased he was to be invited back to the school, and recollecting on his time as a cadet and being on AGI parade some 26 years ago with the RSM.
The evening ended with a few words of farewell from Major Peter Lumley-Wood, the Contingent Commander, finishing off a memorable day for the CCF.
