New trainer for CCF

CADET FORCE: Warrant Officer John Middleton, front, with Major Richard Hoeren, Sq Ldr Paul Barnes and CCF members

MEMBERS of the Combined Cadet Force at Dover Grammar School have welcomed a new trainer.

He is Warrant Officer John Middleton who has joined the unit from the Air Training Corps, having been involved with cadet forces for nearly 20 years.

Warrant Officer Middleton has been a father figure and helped many cadets fulfil their dreams . We are delighted to have him on board," says the unit officer Flight Lieutenant Paul Hannant.

Mr Middleton, born in Hong Kong where his father was serving in the police, joined the Royal Marine Cadet Corps before signing up as a boy entrant with the Royal Air Force when he was 15. In his spare time he became a drum sergeant in their band.

As an armament mechanic he worked on the RAF's first jet bomber, the Canberra, and served in Cyprus, in the Suez crisis, and then back to Cyprus where he became a founder member of the RAF pipe band.

He left the RAF in 1964 and five years later joined the newly-formed Royal Marine Reserve unit in Chatham, served five years and in 1981 joined the ATC.

At Dover Grammar School he will be attending adventure training courses and be on duty every Friday afternoon for the unit's parade.

This summer he will be attending the cadets' summer camp in Germany and other training on Dartmoor.