The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC) is a national

youth organisation The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise. 0 ...

managed by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and sponsored by the UK's

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. The VCC comprises: * Headquarters VCC. Based at in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

. * VCC Training Centre. Based at . * Royal Naval VCC. Units in , and . * Royal Marines VCC. Units (Divisions) in

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. The ...

, Chivenor,

Lympstone Lympstone is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the England, English county of Devon. It has a population of 1,754. There is a harbour on the estuary of the River Exe, lying at the outlet of Wotton Brook between cliffs of red breccia.< ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. plus the Band of the RMVCC Plymouth and the Band of the RMVCC Gosport. The VCC is not part of the

Sea Cadet Corps Sea cadets are members of a sea cadet corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or a naval s ...

but exists alongside it as part of the Royal Navy's 'Navy Cadets' organization, which also includes CCF(RN) and RN Recognised Sea Scouts. The Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps are part of the Royal Marines Cadets family alongside the Royal Marines Cadets of the

and

Combined Cadet Force The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, and normally includes Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a ...

History of the VCC

The VCC traces its history back to the formation of the Royal Marines Artillery Cadet Corps (RMACC) in the Mission Hall, Prince Albert Street,

Eastney Eastney is a district in the south-east corner of Portsmouth, England, on Portsea Island. Its electoral ward is called Eastney and Craneswater. At the 2011 Census the population of this ward was 13,591. History Barracks and fortifications Ea ...

on 14 February 1901. The new Cadet Corps was then based at the now closed Royal Marines

Eastney Barracks Eastney Barracks was a military installation occupied by the Royal Marines and located at Eastney near Portsmouth. History Eastney Barracks, designed by William Scamp (assistant director, Admiralty Works Department), was built as headquarters f ...

. It was formed, so the story goes, to "gainfully occupy the spare time of sons of senior

Non-Commissioned Officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s (SNCOs)" after an occasion when the colonel's office window was broken by a ball kicked by an SNCO's son playing outside. The RMACC was initially formed with the motto 'Manners Maketh Man', and re-titled as the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps in the mid-20th century. Girls were accepted and the current title was adopted by all units in the 1970s. However, RMVCC Portsmouth only accepted girls from the mid-1990s. Since 1901, units were also formed at the

Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham The Royal Marine Barracks, Chatham was a military installation occupied by the Royal Marines and located at the Gun Wharf at Chatham in Kent. The barracks were situated immediately to the south of the Dockyard, just above the Ordnance Wharf. Th ...

Deal, Kent Deal is a coastal town in Kent, England, which lies where the North Sea and the English Channel meet, north-east of Dover and south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town whose history is closely linked to the anchora ...

Forton Barracks Forton Barracks was a military installation near Gosport in Hampshire, which served first as an Army barracks and then as a divisional headquarters for the Royal Marines. It subsequently served as a Royal Navy training establishment. Today, the sit ...

, Gosport and

Stonehouse Barracks Stonehouse Barracks is a military installation at Stonehouse, Plymouth. It is the home of 3 Commando Brigade and referred to by commandos as 'the spiritual home of the Royal Marines'. Origins Since the Corps' foundation in 1664, Marines have bee ...

, Plymouth. Later on, another unit was formed at

, Devon (

Commando Training Centre Royal Marines Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) is the principal military training centre for the Royal Marines. It is situated near the villages of Lympstone and Exton, between the city of Exeter, and the town of Exmouth in Devon, England. Histo ...

). RMVCC Deal closed when the Royal Marines School of Music left the town and moved to

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...

; RMVCC Chatham transferred to the Sea Cadet Corps when Pay & Records Royal Marines left Chatham in the 1960s, and RMVCC Gosport was disbanded and then re-formed as a non-MOD cadet marching band in the 1970s following the traditions of the Royal Marines Light Infantry but closed again in 2006. Cadets from the RMVCC have appeared at Navy Days and the

Royal Tournament The Royal Tournament was the world's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. In its l ...

as well as in the 1955 film ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the ...

''. As of 6 July 2014, following a tri-partite RMC parade at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

in the presence of The Duke of Edinburgh (then

Captain General Royal Marines Captain General Royal Marines is the ceremonial head of the Royal Marines. The current Captain General is King Charles III. This position is distinct from that of the Commandant General Royal Marines, the professional head of the corps, who is c ...

) and in celebration of the 350th anniversary of the formation of the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

, all cadets from the RMVCC, RMSCC and RMCCF can be titled as Royal Marines Cadets. The Royal Naval Volunteer Cadet Corps was formed in 1904 when the officer in charge of HMS ''Victory'' barracks in Portsmouth, now known as HMS ''Nelson'', requested permission from

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succe ...

to form a cadet corps unit similar to the Royal Marines Artillery Cadets in Eastney. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

granted permission and soon units were also established at HM Dockyard Devonport, HM Dockyard Chatham, , HMS ''Daedalus'', and , as well as the three RNVCC units that still exist today. Entry was originally restricted to the sons of serving ratings but was later opened up to boys and girls from the general public. The date of the request, 29 July 1904, is regarded as the birthday of the Royal Naval Cadets. Tragedy struck the RNVCC in 1929 when four Royal Naval Cadets were killed during the Gillingham Fair in what is now known as the Gillingham Fair fire disaster. There was equally a sad occasion in the Medway area when 24 Royal Marines Cadets from RMVCC Chatham were killed in the

Gillingham bus disaster The Gillingham bus disaster occurred outside Chatham Dockyard, Kent on the evening of 4 December 1951. A double-decker bus ploughed into a company (military unit), company of fifty-two young members of the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps, ...

in December 1951.

Structure and Organisation

Each VCC unit is staffed by unpaid adult volunteers, some with former military service, and sometimes with current serving personnel helping the Cadet Corps in addition to their duties. The units are under the command of their own Commanding Officers (usually a cadet force adult volunteer (CFAV)) who report into HQVCC. The VCC is led by Commander VCC who is assisted by Deputy Commander VCC, Executive Officer (Training) and Executive Officer (Support). There are also a Regional Officer (South) and a Regional Officer (West.) The VCC as a whole does not have charitable status but each unit is either a charity or in the process of applying. Each VCC unit is either based within or provided support from a designated Royal Navy parent establishment. The CO of the parent establishment (COPE) acts as the President of each unit and appoints a senior officer from their staff to act as the Parent Establishment Liaison Officer (PELO) to ensure that the CO is running their unit in accordance with the VCC Regulations. Sponsorship within the Royal Navy is provided by HQ Royal Navy Cadet Forces (HQRNCF) (branded as 'Navy Cadets') under the command of the Head of Youth & Cadets and STEM who in turn reports to the Director of Strategy and Policy via the Naval Regional Commander NE England. The support provided to the VCC is governed by a Memorandum of Arrangements (MOA) approved by the

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

. The VCC does not have an associated civilian charity or association and has always been under the command of the Royal Navy. In this way the VCC is very much 'owned' by the Royal Navy. The RMVCC shares the Colonel Commandant Royal Marines Cadets (CCRMC), currently Brigadier Ged Salzano MBE, with the Royal Marines Cadets elements of the SCC and CCF. The VCC's motto is 'Meet The Challenge!' (which appears in its Latin form on the VCC Crest) whilst the motto of the RNVCC is 'Be Ready' and the RMVCC is 'Be Worthy'. The former motto of the RMVCC was 'Manners Maketh Man' and whilst it not known when this changed to 'Be Worthy' the new motto has been in use for at least 50 years.

Funding

The VCC receives a modest capitation grant from central government each year, but otherwise is self-funding apart from the logistical support each unit receives from their parent establishments. Additional funding is usually self-raised through events and display groups, plus donations and subscriptions/joining fees paid by the cadets.

Membership

The VCC will accept boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 16 who can serve until their 18th birthday. The VCC is not a pre-service organisation, although any older cadets who show an interest in joining any branch of

HM Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, su ...

will be given appropriate support and guidance. Many cadets go on to equally rewarding civilian careers. Adult volunteers may join from age 18 to 60 (65 for non-uniformed support staff) subject to application, interview, references, enhanced DBS check and a probationary period (during which time they will undergo an induction programme).

Activities and Training

Cadets can take part in a variety of activities including: *

Drill A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driverchuck. Hand-operated types are dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating due to ...

. * Camps including Weekends and Summer Camp. *

Fieldcraft Fieldcraft is the techniques involved in living, traveling, or making military or scientific observations in the field and the methods used to do so. The term "fieldcraft" is used in a broad range of industries including military, oil and gas, wi ...

. * Military skills (i.e.:

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

and field exercises). * Navigation (including

Ten Tors Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike in early May, on Dartmoor, southwest England. Organised by the British Army, starting in 1960, it brings together teams of six young people each, with the 2,400 young participants hiking to checkpoints on ten ...

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

). * Seamanship. * Band. * Sports and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

. *

Target shooting Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms su ...

. *

Parades A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of ...

. Boys and girls join their chosen VCC unit as 'recruits' and undergo a 4 to 5 month basic training period before 'passing out' for duty during a ceremonial parade in front of family and friends. Where a unit has a band cadets can choose either to become a musician or drummer, or proceed to Naval General Training (RNVCC) or General Duties Training (RMVCC). Cadets then follow the VCC's Cadet Common Military Syllabus (CCMS) and progress through a number of phases and command courses to achieve promotion. Each unit usually meets on two training nights per week, and some unit offer extra activities such as evening swimming lessons. There are also many weekends away and a week long annual summer camp. The VCC also provides Display Teams that appear at public events in the South West and South East of England, and sometimes further afield. In recent times, the VCC has appeared at the Castle Combe Steam Rally, Cumbria Steam Rally, Attleborough Tattoo, Kirkcudbright Tattoo and the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey. The Display Teams generally provide a 20 to 25 minute display and are ideal for fetes, fayres, tattoos, carnivals and other such public events. A modest donation is asked for, which is put towards the cost of attending, and any funds left over are put back into the VCC to fund its other activities.

Ranks

VCC Rates and ranks

Boys and girls enter as a Recruit, and having 'passed out' at the end of their basic training become a cadet. Command Courses allow the cadets to progress up through the rates:

Adult Volunteers

All uniformed and non-uniformed staff (cadet force adult volunteers or CFAVs) undergo enhanced DBS (formerly CRB) checks and a 3 to 6 month probationary period before being confirmed as a CFAV. Training is offered to all staff, including safeguarding, both locally and through RN, RM and SCC shared resources. Applications are welcomed from all walks of life (subject to intended level of involvement) and previous military experience is not a basic requirement; a willingness to learn and be an example to the cadets very much is however. CFAVs follow the same ranks as cadets above Petty Officer and Sergeant respectively but with VCC added. Some CFAVs may be awarded a Cadet Forces Commission subject to selection and approval by the Royal Navy. Uniformed staff may serve until their 65th birthday (with annual extensions at CO's discretion) and non-uniformed staff may serve until their 70th birthday (again, with annual extensions at CO's discretion).

Chief Cadet VCC

In November 2019

Ant Middleton Anthony Middleton (born 22 September 1980) is a British adventurer, writer, television personality and former UK Special Forces soldier, Royal Marines Commando, and Royal Engineer in the British Army. He is best known as the former Chief Instru ...

was appointed as Chief Cadet in the Volunteer Cadet Corps. He left the position nine months later amidst controversy surrounding a comment he made on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, which appeared to compare

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

protesters with the

English Defence League The English Defence League (EDL) is a far-right, Islamophobic organisation in the United Kingdom. A social movement and pressure group that employs street demonstrations as its main tactic, the EDL presents itself as a single-issue movement ...

as extremists and "scum", though he later said he was not equating the two groups.

External links

VCC WebsiteVCC FacebookVCC Twitter

References

{{UK Cadets Royal Navy Cadets Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom British Cadet organisations 1901 establishments in the United Kingdom