Over the weekend of the 2 nd to the 4th of October 2009 , 67 Cadets and 14 Staff from Warwickshire and Birmingham Wing attended a Greens Camp called ‘Exercise Khaki Badger which was organised by Flying Officer Glyn Slade from 1289 ( Stratford ) Squadron and Sergeant Paul Caine from 2028 (Southam) Squadron. It took place at the Army Training Camp at Nesscliff in Shropshire . Six Squadrons in total were represented, 2028, 1289, 29F, 84, 487 and 1459.

On arrival the Friday evening everyone congregated in an old concrete bunker and, after a speedy health and safety briefing and some hot drinks, settled down to sleep. It was an early morning start on the Saturday, everyone enjoying their ration pack (rat-pack) breakfasts before being briefed more thoroughly on safety and hygiene in the field, getting their day sacks together and being formed into two flights and sections. The two flights then marched off to set up camp in their harbour areas, the old hands briefing the younger cadets on 'standing to' and general defence tactics on the way. Every situation from then on was a learning experience, as the cadets erected their bashers, made their way to and from in-field lectures and briefings; remembering all the time to use section formations and making sure to keep their observations where maintained.

For some cadets this was their first time on an Air Cadet Camp of any kind and so the more experienced cadets lent a hand with unfamiliar skills such as setting up a hexi-cooker and heating a rat pack meal. Equipment, as well as knowledge, was shared and the cadets really enjoyed the opportunity to work together as a team and get to know people from other Squadrons. They also had the opportunity to be taught by new members of staff as they learnt essential Field craft skills needed for the weekend ahead.

Sgt Caine set up a trained squad of Radio Operators. These cadets, after an in-depth briefing and refresher, returned to their sections in the harbour area, from where they set up communications with the base back at the bunker. The weather stayed mostly dry and fine the first day and as evening drew in and everyone realised just how dark the woods were, they prepared themselves for the night exercise. The Staff were briefed first and while they moved out to their agreed locations, the Flights were given their final briefings for the exercise. As usual with these exercises there were some minor blips along the way but soon the sections were crawling through the woods, avoiding patrols and attempting to reach the rendezvous points. At the end of the exercise the Cadets were given some hot soup before crawling exhaustedly into their bashers to sleep. Despite the best efforts of various woodland creatures, everyone managed to sleep through until 7am on the Sunday, when they woke to a bright sunny day and a welcome second ration pack!

After striking the camps and stowing their gear, the Cadets took part in some fun activities organised by the Senior Cadet NCOs, whilst staff prepared for the second exercise. Once again the flights were then formed up and moved off, making good use of the hand signals and section formations they had learned the previous day. Except for a brief squall the weather stayed warm and bright on the Sunday and the cadets returned looking a bit pink through the stripes of camouflage cream! At the end of the exercise they formed up for Final Parade and received their final de-briefing from Flying Officer Slade and Sgt Caine. The assembled cadets then showed their appreciation for the camp and staff with a round of applause.

Flying Officer Slade commented, “I'm very happy with the way the camp ran. The staff put a lot of work into setting up and running events like this, but it's worth it when you see how much the cadets get out of it. This is the second Khaki Badger Exercise and we're already looking at planning a third next year, the increase in numbers since the first camp speaks for itself and this is starting to look like a permanent fixture in our Squadrons' calendars!"

Flight Lieutenant Moreton, CO of 2028 Squadron said, “Sgt Caine came to me a while ago with his first thoughts on the idea of a Field craft Training Exercise. Together with Flying Officer Slade from Stratford they have now produced two ‘Khaki Badgers' and they are already looking to 2010; the success has to be down to their overwhelming enthusiasm and the incredibly positive feedback from the Cadets for a job well done.”