19th February 2015
Junior soldiers
graduate from the AFC in Harrogate
The end of the
beginning for hundreds of recruits passing out from their phase one training in
the British Army
 |
| Platoon 6 on parade at Harrogate earlier today. |
Today almost 500 soldiers from intakes 36 and 37 passed out
of the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
The ceremony that took place in Penny Pot Lane marked the
end of 457 male and female junior soldiers phase 1 army training.
Despite the heavy rain, the young soldiers didn’t let the
weather rain on their parade as they graduated with their heads held high.
The AFC parade is the second biggest military parade in the
UK. The biggest being the Queens ‘Trooping of Colour’ birthday parade, that is held
annually in June on Horseguard’s Square in London.
Training Courses
The AFC provides junior soldiers with both a 23-week and
49-week course depending on their chosen unit.
The 49-week course leads to phase two training in the Royal
Artillery, Royal Armoured Corps and Infantry. The 23-week course is for
soldiers from other cap badges who will go on to have more increased technical
coaching within their new unit.
After graduating today, each soldier will continue to
progress their training with their chosen regiment in different locations
around the UK.
Lieutenant General Sir Gerald Berragan – the Army’s Adjutant
General, awarded 22 Junior Soldiers with respected trophies during the ceremony.
JS Crawford was one of the young soldiers to win a trophy; he was awarded with
‘Best Junior Soldier’ from intake 36.
Infantry
18 year old JS Crawford confessed ‘There’s a lot of good
recruits from this intake who are equally as worthy of this award, but I am
honoured to be representing everyone involved’.
JS Crawford’s chosen unit is Infantry, his next step will be
moving on to the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) in Catterick on the 8th March
2015.
Recruits joining the Infantry regiments like JS Crawford
need to finish the specialised Combat Infantryman’s Course at the ITC, which
will finalise their combined phase 1 and 2 training.
Thousands of families and friends watched with pride at the
Uniacke Barracks as each soldier finalised their time in Harrogate.
Among the relatives was proud mother Lesley Crawford who
revealed ‘When my boy first told me he wanted to be in the army I was scared,
but today I’ve realised that the army are lucky to have him as he is now a
loyal soldier, I feel nothing but joy’.
As they march onto their next stage of training, they will take
forward all that they have learnt from their last year at AFC.
Addressing the Junior Soldiers in the final stages of the
ceremony, the Adjutant-General ended with ‘Critically being here you have
adopted a new set of values and standards which if you follow, will stand you
in good step, not only for your time in the army but for the rest of your
lives’.
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