Recruits

The section starts the new academic year with one of the strongest groups of senior NCOs we have had for a while. Under Officer Harry Griffiths is the Contingent senior cadet, and also honoured by being selected as Lord Lieutenant's Cadet for Oxfordshire.

The Section is led by PO Cox'n Olly Smith, with watch leader POs Chris Kerrigan and Tim Noyce.

The section has started the term running a series of raft-building challenges for the year 10 recruit cadre, who will spend two terms of general training before choosing their sections. Some worked out better than others.

Babbage Society

The Babbage Society is for "the intellectually curious" - this evening's discussion was led by Mr Simon Balderson, who asked us to consider The Singularity - the point at which machine intelligence overtakes humans. We looked at the way in which the best machines (Deep Blue) can beat the best humans (Gary Kasparov) at chess - but not yet at Go.

Beating Retreat

Many thanks to the REME staff band who performed the ceremony of beating retreat this evening.

Sailing season

Great winds on the Thames today. This is why we joined the RN section.

6th form - a break

Conversation at break veers between 2nd order differential equations, the structure of a zygote, and the influence of hellenistic thought on existentialism.

Or so I'd like to think.

Sailing season

This is a quiet blog - we enjoy doing CCF things too much. The sailing season started today - when we also received a glowing report from our Bienniel inspection, so we were all smiling.

Field Day

Overnight for seniors at Bramley Training Area - and a joint service exercise for all including recruits throughout today.

I was busy running Ex HULLABALOO - a convoy of medical aid supplies threatened by local bandits - so didn't see much of the other activities. Debriefing in the coach on the way home showed that everyone seemed to have had a good day.