WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN THE CADETS FOR 50+ YEARS

50+ Years of Service: A Life Time of Stories

The award was in honour of recognising his remarkable service to the Combined Cadet Force (CCF). This achievement is not only a reflection of his dedication and leadership in shaping the future of young cadets, but also a testament to the countless hours of hard work and commitment he has given to the organisation. Today, we sit down with him to hear more about his journey, the significance of this honour, and what it means to him as he reflects on his years of service.

Receiving the 6^TH Bar for your Cadet Force Medal is an excellent achievement, and you should be very proud! Tell us about how that came about and the day of the reward.

I had never really thought of what I had done. It was just fun inspiring cadets to achieve and giving back to all the cadets what I had enjoyed when I was young. Now, I am a Contingent Commander with 50 years of service.

My service was read out loud to me, and it was very moving.

Most importantly, I’d like to acknowledge the influence Warrant Officer Barton (Pictured in the ATC photo) had on me as a Junior and then Senior Air Training Corps cadet. Because of him, now I have the expertise to develop King's School CCF even more.

As this is your 6^th Bar and you’ve been in service for quite a few years now, am I right to assume you’ve been awarded more in your time?

I received a letter from then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2019. Have you ever seen one? It starts off with where it comes from. It came from One Horse Guard Road, London. And it says Ray Ogg. That's all it says on the front, and inside it reads; ‘Dear Sir, the Prime Minister has asked me to inform you in strict confidence that having accepted the advice of the main honours Committee, he is recommending that Her Majesty the Queen may be graciously pleased to approve that you be awarded a medal of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year 2020 honours list.’

I’ve received previous letters as well. I've got a very nice letter from the Lord Lieutenant who's followed me around in my career.
The Lord Lieutenant’s letter said, ‘I would like to offer you my congratulations on becoming an honour recipient to be announced in the New Year 2020 Honours list on the 28th of December 2019. I believe that this award is most justly deserved, and on behalf of the county of Lincolnshire, may I pass on my good wishes in respect of this recognition by Her Majesty the Queen with my very wishes, Toby Dennis, Lord Lieutenant.’

Another fond and proud winning memory was the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets).

Major General S H Brookes-Ward CVO OBE TD VR said of myself, ‘The recognition of your dedicated and extensive service speaks volumes for the valuable contribution you have personally given. Your significant and consistent efforts are a fine example of the crucial contribution that a skilled Cadet Force Adult Volunteer (CFAV) can make.’

Fifty years involved in the cadets is quite something to behold! Tell me, Ray, what inspired you to join the cadets initially, and what has motivated you to stay involved for five decades?

My inspiration to join cadets comes from having a wonderful time with the ATC in Market Rasen, a small market town in Lincolnshire. I remember being an excellent shot and even winning an ATC Trophy. I then visited RAF Brüggen in Germany after having never been abroad before I was 16. I then went on to achieve my Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Silver and Staff Cadet award and finished as a Cadet Warrant Officer. After all that time in the Cadets, I knew I wanted to give all this back to future cadets, so I joined the ACF. (Unfortunately, there were no vacancies in the ATC in Market Rasen at that time.)

Aside from dedicating your life to the cause, what has been your civilian-style job? Can you tell me more about that?

My dear Father died of leukaemia when I was 17, a long time ago. My Dad was a very wise man and had always said when I was making my application for any job role, ‘If you get a job in a Job Centre, you'll never have to look for work again.’ So that’s what I did.

On my first day, I was taken into this big office, heading to the back towards a separate L-shaped office. I remember the lady saying, ‘This is going to be your desk. And this is where you're going to work.’ As I peer over the desk, however, I’m greeted with a familiar face. ‘Oh, hello Ray’, ‘Oh, hello, Bob. How are you?’ A confused expression came upon her face as she asked us how we knew each other. As it turns out, me and Bob had gone to De Aston Grammar School together and sat next to each other in Economics. He got into the Civil Service in September before I did, and for the next five years, we sat opposite each other, swapping stories. I still work at the same DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) all those years later, but only on a part-time basis now.

Apart from being in the CCF, a civilian life is still needed. So, can you discuss a moment where the skills or values learned in the cadets significantly impacted your personal life?

When I first started working at the DWP, they had something called Hardship payment for those under 18 years old. Due to my time in the cadets, I had learnt how to assess those claims, which then made me very desirable in my role from the get-go.

Sometimes, you see the ‘odd’ cadet that would come into the Job Centre, so you’re a bit more equipped to deal with them as you have similar pasts.

When I was a Lt Col in the ACF, I did my Strategic Youth Management Training, and my boss was very impressed when I got my membership from (now Cadet Vocational College). So, I used that all the time when I was teaching and training 16-17-year-olds. I did that training for about four or five years.

How are you still involved in the cadets?

I’m the Contingent Commander at the King’s School at Grantham. Three of my cadets are, for the first time in our history, going to the Master Cadet Course in Frimley in October, so I’m very proud and excited for them for that.

I've got 78 new cadets starting in September, which will certainly be keeping me and the school busy. Of those, I only have about 20 or 25 senior cadets who are 16/17/18.

You must be very proud of your cadets.

Oh yes, absolutely. You know, you couldn't want better cadets, even the ones that don't get it straight away or even stick through every section, I promise they’re all the best.

I’ve probably had over 10,000 cadets. Sometimes, I feel like a celebrity when I get stopped in the street by random people calling me ‘sir’, standing there with their wives and kids, talking to me like we know each other. Unfortunately, at my age, memory isn’t what it used to be, so it’s best to just be polite, say you remember them, and wish them the best.

Speaking of getting recognised, for many of us who have been in the cadets or something of a similar nature, we’ve never truly let go of the friends we’ve made along the way. What relationships or friendships formed in the cadets have had a lasting impact on you?

Oh yes, many, absolutely. I have my best friend, and he's like a brother to me. He was a captain, and we went out for Sunday lunch recently.

There is one story involving an old cadet of mine and the air ambulance. There was an incident where I live, and I got my camera out to take a picture of the landing. He landed in Market Rasen, and as I walked up to them, the Pilot went, ‘Oh, Hello!’. Me, still camera in hand and my mind on the air ambulance itself, he continued, ‘Don't you recognise me?’

It turned out that he was a Cadet at the Boston Detachment and that I’d helped him join the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. He continued to say that he wouldn’t be where he is today, as an Air Ambulance Pilot, if it wasn’t for me helping him find his way. He went through 2 years of the REME and then decided to join the Army Air Corps, where he became a Sergeant Pilot flying Lynxes and Gazelles. He’s now one of the air ambulance pilots in Lincolnshire. To know I had such an impact on him, in turn, has had a massive impact on me.

Joining the cadets 50 years ago must have been quite different to joining the cadets today. What advice would you give to young people joining the CCF today?

The CCF offers so much more than just marching or playing in the band. They offer canoeing, adventure training, and various other activities, but in the end, you can also pursue a career. We have career advisors in schools, and they usually help you have a clear idea of what to do after leaving school.

If you can, you should try it out and see what you think. You get to wear a uniform and do the things that you enjoy with similar people. For example, I love shooting. My dad let me do some shooting on his friend’s farm, which I was then able to continue into in the cadets.

So come and join us! You’ll have a great time.

You can make it fun in your own way. Also, they don’t just show you the Army—maybe the Air Force as well. It’s all about having fun while exploring your options.

You’ll get to experience Army camps, and we’ll give you a taste of Army life. You might even get to go to places like Catterick or see the Gurkhas in action.

The Gurkhas are great at showing cadets how they work. You might visit places like Ripon, meet Royal Engineers, or go to Longmoor.

Eventually, you could even get into the Guards Regiment. There’s so much more to the cadets and being a part of something as great as them really impacts your life for the better, no matter if you end up in a regiment or not.

Times have certainly changed, as we’ve mentioned above. Though sometimes we tend to stay the same as our younger selves. What changes that have been made during your time in the cadets have you seen make a positive impact?

Of the thousands of Cadets that have been in my life, I hope I've positively influenced them. I don't get many that say, ‘I'm leaving, I'm leaving’. I'm just thinking now that very, very rarely do we get anybody that joins and then suddenly says, ‘Well, I don't want to do this anymore, this is not for me.’ For the rare ones that have, I think it’s best to be on their case straight away, but not in a way that you’d think. What we don't want to do is upset someone. We should be asking them what they don’t like about cadets, how to improve it, and where it went wrong for them, and we can correct those wrongs. Sometimes, it’s just cadets thinking that they have to do an activity that they really don’t want to do, and that’s when they may want to quit entirely. It’s our job as leaders to let them know their options and to let them know that we’re here to talk through their issues.

Keep it fun, that’s the best thing you can do.

Finally, a question you’ve probably asked yourself before, but how do you think your life would have been different if you hadn’t joined the cadets?

I can honestly say I have no idea what I would have done without the Cadets because I've always been involved with them in some way since I turned 20. My life has revolved around the Cadets ever since I became an adult. What would I have done otherwise? I really don’t know. I’m sure I would have found something since I love the outdoors.

I enjoy activities like fieldcraft, shooting, and going to ranges, so I imagine I would have found something in outdoor pursuits. However, I wouldn’t have had the same influence on 12 to 18-year-olds as I do now. For that, I’m truly grateful for the path the Cadets have led me on.