Last night saw the delayed formal opening ceremony of the Ty John Fox-Russell building – the new headquarters for Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force (C&G ACF) and for C Detachment of 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital - at Kinmel Park Camp, North Wales.
The new building forms phase one of a project which will see the site transformed into a modern training facility with accommodation that will meet the needs of cadets and reserves in the 21st Century
The building has been named after Captain John Fox-Russell VC MC. John has been selected as he was first commissioned into the Royal Welch Fusiliers (RWF) in 1913 and then transferred into the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) when he qualified as a doctor. He won his VC as the Medical Officer of 1/6th Battalion the Royal Welch Fusiliers at Gaza, Palestine in November 1917. Clwyd & Gwynedd Army Cadet Force draws its heritage from the RWF and C Detachment 203 Field Hospital the RAMC.
It was officially opened by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Clwyd, Henry Fetherstonhaugh Esq OBE FRAgS. The event included the story behind John’s exploits more than 100 years ago and the links between Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF and C Detachment 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital, a short drumhead service, a tour of the building and presentations from cadets and reserves. Members of the Fox-Russell family travelled to North Wales to attend the event.
Commandant Col Martin L Craven, who gave a presentation on C&G ACF, said “it was great to welcome the many guests to the event and I look forward to the next phase of the transformation of Kinmel Park Camp”.
Lord-Lieutenant Cadet Cpl Venables said “We had lots of fun and met lots of very important people including the Lord Lieutenant himself. He was really nice and even offered for me and Cpl Jones to sit down and have a cup of tea with him. We met many new people and it was great to talk to everyone and I am really proud of us both as this isn’t something that comes around very often.”
Colonel Cadets Wales Col LT Williams who attended the event said “an excellent evening and a welcome start to the rejuvenation of the cadet facilities at Kinmel” adding “it was also good to see cadets’ enthusiastically extolling the benefits of the cadets to the guests”
