DATE 01-01-08    

NEWS

New Men At The Top

Colonel Roger Herriot & Lt. Colonel Mark Knight MBE

TWO new Colonels have been appointed to take charge of Cambridgeshire’s 600 army cadets and 100 adult instructors working from the county cadet training centre at Waterbeach near Cambridge.

Colonel Roger Herriot has been promoted to County Commandant, succeeding Colonel Roger Burgess OBE who retired in December whilst Lieutenant Colonel Mark Knight, MBE, has been appointed as Deputy Commandant on promotion from Major.

Col. Herriot (55) has many years military service and was awarded the cadet forces medal in 2006.  He has seen service in the Ulster Defence Regiment and Territorial Army. He joined Suffolk army cadets in 1994 and transferred with his wife Captain Lynn to Cambridgeshire in 1998. At one stage the entire family including their two sons and one daughter were all serving in the army cadet force together!

“I am greatly looking forward to the challenge of managing the active and exciting youth organisation that is Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force” he said. “Bringing life skills to young people so that they can take a useful place in society is a real privilege. Youngsters between 12 and 18 are in their formative years and in the ACF we have a real opportunity, supported by the army, to make a difference to so many young lives”

 In his ‘off duty’ hours Col. Herriot runs a furniture restoration business in Stowmarket and is well known in his support of the Cambridgeshire Regiment Old

Comrades Association and the cadet supporters league. 

Lt Col. Knight (51), from Wisbech St. Mary, joined Cambridgeshire ACF aged just 14. Since then despite a demanding job as financial controller for the regional newspaper group Johnston Press, he has progressed through commissioned service holding key posts including County Signals Officer, Peterborough Company Commander, County Public Relations Officer, and most recently County Training Officer. In addition to being awarded a Lord Lieutentant’s Certificate he was honoured for 31 years cadet service in December 2006 at Buckingham Palace, when he received the MBE medal personally from HRH Prince Charles and in 2005 won the ACF Sword of PR Excellence for his work in cadet public relations. He is married with two grown up children.

“I am looking forward to my new appointment as in Cambridgeshire ACF we have a wealth of experience from qualified instructors drawn from all walks of life,” he said. “Part of my new role will include responsibility for adult training with a particular emphasis on the recruitment of new adult instructors.”

Other staff changes in the county include Major Trevor Cox (51) from Barhill, who is appointed County Training Officer. Trevor, a senior site manager with ISG Jackson building contractors, has served with Cambridgeshire ACF since the age of 13 and for the past 6 years has been a company commander at Waterbeach. He is the holder of the Cadet Forces Medal with two bars and two Lord Lieutenants Certificates for valuable service.

     Major Trevor Cox