JIM GREENHALF casts the spotlight on the Bradford Army Cadet Force of 60 years ago, and recalls a 1971 expedition to the seaside by cadets

This large photograph of 90 or more uniformed young men is thought to have been taken 60 years ago in 1953, inside Bradford’s Exchange Station – where the Crown Court building now is.

It was brought into the T&A by expatriate Bradfordian Vincent Finn, on one of his regular visits from Massachusetts, USA, where he lives.

In his youth he was a member of the Bradford Army Cadet Force. A confident-looking Vincent can be seen at the left of the picture, second row from the front.

In their berets, boots and uniforms, they were off to their annual camp at picturesque Hornsea on Yorkshire’s East Coast. Among them that day were Barry Shaw, top left at the back; Tony Lawson, fifth in from the left at the back and Jimmy Farrar, seventh in from the left. Next to him is Brian Fox. First chap in the next row down is Sergeant Derek Lamb.

Vincent is less sure about others he thinks he recognises, among them Leonard Mudd, second from the right in the first standing row; and two whose surnames are Roebuck, sixth from the right at the back; and Thomas, sixth in from Vincent’s row.

Mr Thomas senior, Vincent thinks, was Regimental Sergeant Major in the Regular Army and was stationed at Thornbury.

Looking back at those days, Vincent said: “It’s hard to believe that there was a time when iPods, iPads, iPhones, Xboxes, video games and multiple TV channels available 24 hours a day didn’t exist.

“For boys, and to some degree girls, many of us belonged to one or more of the numerous organisations that then existed in the city.

“At my school, St Bede’s, the Scout troop, 1st Bradford West, was credited as being the oldest Catholic Scout group in the world, having been formed in 1908. Father Doyle was in charge of the troop.”

Another of these organisations was the Army Cadet Force. The Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force all had units in and around Bradford. Some independent schools, such as Bradford Grammar, had their own units.

“Bradford’s ACF units were based at Valley Parade, Greengates (the Royal Artillery) and Thornbury Barracks (the Parachute Regiment) at Pudsey.

“Most young men who joined these groups were destined for National Service, as was everybody who reached the age of 17½.

“The units had two drills a week, usually Monday and Friday. Outside the regular drills, several courses were offered to help develop advanced skills: radio communications, first aid, physical training leadership, rifle and small arms training at Hawkesworth Range and Strensall, near York.

“If you took any of these courses and successfully completed them, you were awarded a certificate, and a badge that was worn on the uniform. As your training progressed, you were tested to see how proficient you had become in the various skills. The basic awards were called a Certificate A part 1 and Certificate A part 2.”

Referring to the large photograph, Mr Finn said annual camp lasted a fortnight (hence the old battered suitcases and kitbags visible) and always coincided with Bradford holiday weeks – the first two weeks in August.

“I would imagine most of the people in this picture are now in their early seventies. I would also imagine that most of them went on to do their National Service when they were called up.

“When this picture was taken, National Service men were in action in Malaya (Communist insurrection), Cyprus (EOKA terrorist campaign), Kenya (Mau Mau campaign), and the Korean War was just coming to an end (it ended on July 27, 1953).”

The Army Cadet Force is still going strong, with about 46,000 cadets aged between 12 to 18 and 8,500 adult volunteers, located in 1,700 places in the UK, including Allerton, Batley, Bingley, Bradford, Odsal, Otley, Shipley, Skipton, Thornbury and Yeadon.

Being in the cadets was not always plain sailing. In August 1971, for example, 90 Bradford area Army Cadets were taken to Scarborough to take part in a beach landing from a tank-landing craft.

But the North Sea was a bit choppy and instead of hitting the beaches the cadets found themselves trying to stay upright on the swaying deck of the flat-bottomed landing craft as it pitched and rolled.

A dozen or so of the cadets were reportedly wretchedly seasick.

If any of Vincent’s former ACF colleagues wish to contact him, his e-mail address is finn.vincent@gmail.com