William W First Lord Sea Cadet Award

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In 2022, current Upper Sixth pupil and CCF Cadet CPO William W became the 1st Sea Lord’s Cadet, an incredibly prestigious position and on 10 February, William visited Portsmouth where he was invested with the badge of office by the First Sea Lord himself (Admiral Ben Key – former parent of the School) in the Great Cabin on board HMS Victory, before proceeding for a tour of the dockyard, a visit on board one of the Type 45 Destroyers, ahead of lunch in the wonderful HMS Nelson Wardroom.

William said ”The Vesting day was a day unmatched by any other in my life. Being presented with my badge of office in the great cabin of HMS Victory by the First Sea Lord was an amazing experience and I will cherish my memory of the day for the rest of my life. I must, however, thank all the staff and my fellow pupils at Sherborne and in the CCF who have supported me and helped me to get this amazing opportunity”.

William is an outstanding ambassador for the RN section, the CCF more generally, and our school. William seeks out and accepts responsibility, he is kind, interesting, personable, generous with his time with other cadets, displays absolute competence, and he is an exemplary role model for young people. His knowledge of all things Royal Navy is frightening (!) and he is absolutely passionate about the CCF.

Lieutenant Campbell and the entire CCF at Sherborne School are incredibly proud of William’s achievement. As stated by Lieuten

ant Campbell ”This was a truly magnificent day, certainly among the best of my career. To see William, whom I have the great pleasure of teac

hing, in Nelson’s Great Cabin, meeting Sir Ben Key and being invested with the insignia of a First Sea Lord’s Cadet was truly memorable and for me a cause for enormous pride that one of our own had been recognised in this way.”

Sherborne School wishes William every success in the future and looks forward to hearing news of his journey within the Royal Navy.