An Air Cadet from Leighton Buzzard has won an award for his performance on a tri-service leadership course.
The Kriegie Trophy has been awarded to Cadet Flight Sergeant Connor Liversuch from 1003 (Leighton Buzzard) Squadron, Air Training Corps who judged to be the best performing Air Cadet in 2012 on the cadet leadership course held at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park.
Flight Sgt Liversuch attended the six-day cadet leadership course in June 2012, joining cadets from the Army Cadet Force, Sea Cadets and Combined Cadet Force to undertake an intense course in leadership development, with training days often lasting 18 hours.
Each year, selected Air Cadets attend cadet leadership courses at the Frimley Park which is designed to build and test the cadet’s leadership skills through a series of practical lessons and demonstrations, and then tested through gruelling physical and mental tasks including completing the assault course at the Military Academy, Sandhurst.
The Kriegie Trophy was introduced in July 1981 when the Royal Air Force Ex-Prisoner-of-War Association presented the Air Cadet Organisation with a trophy in memory of the late Group Captain Day, to be known as The Kriegie Trophy.
Group Captain H M A Day GC DSO OBE RAF, who died in December 1977, served in both world wars, but spent most of the Second World War in prisoner-of-war camps, where he became famous as “Wings” Day, Senior British Officer of Stalag Luft III. This camp was built specially to prevent RAF personnel from escaping but was, in fact, the scene of many famous escapes. Some of the events that took place at the camp were later made famous in the movie The Great Escape.
The award was presented by the president of the Prisoner of War Association, Air Commodore Charles Clarke OBE at the squadron headquarters in Leighton Buzzard.
Air Commodore Charles Clarke was shot down on a mission with Bomber Command during the Second World War and was captured and detained at the Stalg Luft III camp at the same time as Group Captain “Wings” Day so for him to present this trophy was a fitting tribute.
Connor’s Commanding Officer, Flight Lieutenant Tim Greenaway, said: “ I am extremely proud of what Connor has achieved, I know how demanding these courses are and to win this award is testament to his ability and sets the example to the rest of the cadets at the unit.”
For more information on the Air Training Corps visit www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets or contact 1003 (Leighton Buzzard) Squadron by email to oc.1003@aircadets.org.