1475 Dulwich Squadron ATC - Royal Air Force Air Cadets

Congratulations to Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO) Boaz Tambatamba, 19, for being selected as one of London Wing’s representatives put forward for the RAFAC’s Dacre Sword Competition.

The Dacre Sword is one of the highest honours in the Air Cadets, awarded to the cadet who stands out as the best all-round performer across leadership, discipline, and dedication. It represents excellence at the very top level of the RAFAC.

Last month, he had an interview with the Regional Commandant, Kevin Walton, reviewing his CWO’s cadet career over the past 7 years.

Unfortunately, our CWO did not make it through to the National stage to be one of two cadets representing London and South East Region, however, we are so very proud of all the hard work CWO has put in over the years.

The last cadet from the unit to win the Dacre Sword was one of the previous Commanding Officers, Flt Lt Wash, who had won the award when he was a CWO!

To even be considered for this award is an achievement in itself and CWO hopes to continue motivating, inspiring and leading cadets into the next generation!

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Last week, 1475 (Dulwich) Squadron bid a heartfelt farewell to Cadet Warrant Officer Crespo, marking the end of an incredible 5 1/2 years of dedication and service to the RAF Air Cadets.

Throughout his time with us, CWO Crespo has been a driving force within the unit, leading training alongside CWO Tambatamba and the NCO team, mentoring cadets through the Progressive Training Syllabus, and supporting most London Wing and Sector 5 Radio Courses.

Over the years, he’s built an impressive list of achievements, including:

🥈 Silver Leadership
🥈 Silver Radio & Cyber
🥈 Silver First Aid
🥈 Silver Marksman
🥈 Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Beyond qualifications, CWO Crespo has proudly achieved more awards and has represented the squadron in numerous events:

🏅 Cadet of the Year – Royal Society of St George (2025)
🎺 Participated as a Trumpeter at the St George’s Parade with the Sector 3 Band (2024)
🇧🇪 Tri‑Service Parade in Ypres (2024) where he honoured those who served before us.
🎖️ VE Day Commemoration (2025)
✈️ RIAT 2025, working at the world’s largest military airshow.

We’re incredibly proud of everything he’s achieved and wish him the best at university and maybe one day, welcoming him back as a member of staff!

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1475 Dulwich Squadron was once again honoured to lead the Remembrance Parade in Lewisham, marking a moment of reflection and unity for our local community.

Our band’s dedication over weeks of rehearsal was clear, as cadets performed with discipline and heart.

The route took us from Slaithwaite Car Park, past Lewisham Hospital, and back, gathering cadets, families, and residents in remembrance.

A highlight of the day saw our percussion team making a powerful impression when introduced to the Mayor of Lewisham; an opportunity which our cadets embraced with professionalism and pride.

As we close another meaningful parade, our focus now turns to the annual Beating Retreat.

We look forward to gathering together again and welcoming the support of families and friends as our year draws to a close.

WE. WILL. REMEMBER.

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Congratulations to our very own cadet Flight Sergeant (FS) Chanelle, Green and cadet Corporal (Cpl) Zayd, Radder for not only being selected for the Lord Mayor’s Competition with the London And South East Region (LaSER) Band but also winning the band competition, helping LaSER come out as the overall winner. 🥇

The Lord Mayor’s Competition - held at London’s historic Guildhall, this annual event brings together some of the most talented young musicians from the city’s cadet forces. 🪖🎖️

Bands and Corps of Drums from across Greater London showcase their precision, discipline, and musical skill in a spirited competition that celebrates the best of cadet music. 🥁

Founded by Sir Andrew Parmley during his term as Lord Mayor of London, the competition features two main categories, Full Band and Corps of Drums, with trophies awarded for outstanding performances and musical excellence. 🎶

Audience members saw a brilliant display of teamwork, talent, and tradition right in the heart of the City of London. 🇬🇧

Well done to the both of them for representing Dulwich and the Air Cadets at this event! 🏆

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Since April, our cadets have been actively involved in the RTX Quadcopter Competition, a technical challenge designed to develop drone-building and piloting skills in partnership with aerospace experts. 🤖

A few weeks ago, London Wing’s Sector 5 team, consisting of Corporal (CPL) Leigh, Flight Sergeant (FS) Hale, and Corporal (CPL) Kasprzak, competed at Wing level at 34F.

Having successfully progressed, the team is now preparing for the Regional stage of the competition! 🦾

This programme aims to cultivate practical engineering knowledge, teamwork, and problem-solving skills among cadets, preparing them for potential future careers in aerospace and related disciplines. 🔭

We congratulate our team on their achievements to date and look forward to their continued progress in the competition! 🏆

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✨ 2nd Place Overall at Wing Field Day 2025! ✨

Last month, we finished 2nd out of 28 Squadrons at this year’s London Wing Field Day at RAF Northolt! 💪

Wing Field Day is the ultimate highlight of the year, bringing together Squadrons from across London to compete in everything from Foot Drill and Full Band, to Photography, Aircraft Modelling, and more.

This year, our cadets entered every category — and their dedication truly paid off but here are some of our top places:

🏅 Best NCO iC: 2nd place
✈️ Aircraft Modelling: 2nd place
📸 Photography: 3rd place
🎺 Solo Bugle: 3rd place
🥁 Full Band: 3rd place
🪶 Foot Drill: 4th place
🥁 Solo Drummer: 4th place
🎶 Percussion: 4th place
🎵 Ensemble: 4th place
📯 Fanfare: 4th place

Over the summer, our cadets have worked tirelessly to prepare for this competition — and all that hard work has secured us a well-deserved spot on the overall podium once again! 🏆👏

A huge thank you to all the staff for their incredible support, guidance, and commitment throughout; the unit’s success wouldn’t have been possible without them!

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Last month, the Squadron promoted 12 new Corporals who successfully passed the unit’s annual Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Course.

1475’s NCO Course is a 2-3 month long programme for cadets aiming to become effective NCOs. Its purpose is to build leadership, communication, teamwork, organisation, and responsibility within the squadron, while maintaining high standards of uniform, discipline, and punctuality.

The annual NCO Course has a long history of running as we have just completed our 38th cohort!

Congratulations to all!

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Congratulations to Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO) Tambatamba who completed his Gold Cyber Course at RAF Cosford this past summer!

The RAFAC’s Gold Cyber Course is held every year and it’s a week-long course where its cadets explore advanced topics such as cybersecurity, ethical hacking, digital investigation, and the protection of national systems.

The training is delivered by RAF experts and specialists from the cyber industry, offering the most advanced level of cyber education available within the RAF Air Cadets.

It’s an invaluable opportunity for those aiming to pursue careers in technology, cybersecurity, or the military.

He now joins FS Bakowski as one of the unit’s Bronze Cyber Course instructors as he gained the Advanced Cyber Specialist qualification.

CWO Tambatamba plans to run Bronze Cyber Courses alongside fellow Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in London Wing, contributing to the organisation’s ASTRA objective which includes more education on air, space and cyber.

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This Summer, the unit saw many of our cadets attend the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).

For those who are unaware of RIAT: it is the world’s largest military air show, held each July at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England.

It brings together aircraft from around the globe for dramatic flying displays and extensive static exhibitions, drawing crowds of around 150,000 to 200,000 people over three days.

Also, it is run by the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, the event showcases international aviation, celebrates military cooperation, and supports RAF-related causes.

One group of our cadets went to be a part of the camp to assist whilst the other went with London Wing for a day trip. Two different experiences but just as much fun!

RIAT is a wonderful opportunity not just for our cadets but also for families and friends.

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Congratulations to newly promoted, Sergeant (Sgt) Chanelle Green who was promoted by Wing Commander (Wg Cmdr) Braddy-Green who visited the unit for our Annual Formal Inspection (AFI).

Sgt Green has been working effortlessly for the past year and continues to be an asset to the unit as she leads the Drummer Section and is a part of the Recruitment Flight where she teaches lessons, drill and introduces the fantastic opportunities that the organisation provides for young people.

Sgt Green has had an excellent cadet career so far where she recently was awarded the Air Cadet Pilot Scheme (ACPS) and before awarded the Viking Gliding Scholarship (VGS).

She also currently trains with the Scottish Pipes and Drums for future competitions and performances just like our previous FS Daniel.

She has attended many fieldcraft camps and has a decorated brassard of silver badges, one of the current best in the unit!

We wish Sgt Green all the best with her newfound level of responsibility as now she is an Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO), mentoring not only cadets but her fellow Corporals (Cpl) too.

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🚨Promotion Alert - New CWO for 1475🚨

Congratulations to Flight Sergeant Luis Fernando Crespo, 17, who has been promoted to Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO) having recently passed his Wing Board (interview) with the Officer Commanding London Wing, Wing Commander (Wg Cmdr) Braddy-Green and Wing Warrant Officer, Warrant Officer (WO) Wright last night at 31 (Tower Hamlets) Squadron.

The rank of Cadet Warrant Officer is regarded as the highest point of achievement for cadets within the RAF Air Cadets and represents the pinnacle of experience and responsibility in the Air Cadet world.

CWO Crespo plans to work with the other CWOs in London Wing to help improve its overall standards and he wants to help deliver radio training across the Wing to ensure that each cadet has the opportunity to achieve minimum blue radio.

CWO Crespo has had a brilliant cadet career so far with accolades such as being a recipient of the St George’s Cadet of the Year Award, 2nd place in the Solo Bugler Competition for London Wing Field Day, achieved Silver badges such as Activity First Aid, Leadership and Radio as well as having assisted many radio courses for Sector 5.

Now, the unit has 2 Cadet Warrant Officers with both CWO Tambatamba and CWO Crespo leading the unit with excellence.

We can’t wait to see this duo in action!

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Congratulations to both of our very own cadets, CDT Leigh and CDT Kasprzak for their Jack Petchey Awards.
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Both cadets are leaders within the cadre, aspiring to become Non-Commissioned Officers but their abilities, ambitions and progress make them worthy to be recipients of the Jack Petchey Award.

Additionally, both have silver leadership and a full brassard of bronze badges and both play an active role in the unit’s media team.

CDT Leigh, an A-Flight cadet, works extremely hard by seeking opportunities regularly and always being the first one to be seen on Cadet Portal. Her brilliant efforts in the media team have also excelled the quality of the media team’s output. Her willingness to always go above and beyond certainly makes her an outstanding cadet within the cadre.

CDT Kasprzak, a B-Flight cadet, akin to CDT Leigh, Kasprzak always seeks courses and events with a passion to build her repertoire of experience in the organisation. Kasprzak’s amazing photography skills are displayed throughout the media team’s posts which will not go untold. Her confidence and “strive to win” mentality are what make her deserving of this award and should not go unrecognised.

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