868 Squadron Cadets enjoy RAF mess dinner

The men donned their white shirts and bow-ties and the ladies their evening dresses and headed off to the Old Colonial in Mirfield.

The guest for the evening was Squadron President Major Stan Hardy, who is also a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, and he made sure he arrived in good time for a ‘meet and greet’ session with the newer cadets, who were introduced by Flight Sergeant Kiara Baillie.

When the time came for speeches there was a high-value sweepstake taken for how long the Squadron Commander, Flight Lieutenant Peter Doubell, would speak for. This was won by Blue Cockcroft.

In his speech, Flt Lt Doubell reflected on the level exposure that the Squadron had attained in the past year, gaining the favourable attention of the past Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Nick Houghton,

FS Baillie being called on to give a presentation to the Air Officer Commanding 22 Group RAF, Air Vice-Marshal Warren James, and Sgt Fedzin and Cpl Kvederaite becoming the first cadets in South and West Yorkshire Wing to gain their solo, Silver Gliding Wings at 645 Volunteer Gliding Squadron.

In his address, Maj Hardy announced that the reputation of the squadron had gained them a repeat invitation to assist at a prestigious Lord Lieutenant’s Garden Party to be held in the summer of 2018.

In all, an amazing evening was had by all and it was a fantastic social event to celebrate the success of the year.

A big thank you to Tim and Carol Wood at The Old Colonial for providing the catering and venue for the fine meal, and to Mrs Doubell for organising the table layouts and the games.