OXFORDSHIRE cadets have marked the 150th birthday of their organisations by joining together for a traditional ceremony.

The Beating Retreat event in Oxford’s University Parks on Sunday marked the end of the county’s celebrations of the anniversary.

And youngsters taking part talked about how serving in the county’s 43 army, air and sea cadet units had boosted their confidence and were preparing them for careers in the military.

Fifty cadets marched and performed in front of Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire John Harwood, after a year of commemorative events.

In May, cadets took part in a skills competition at Dalton Barracks in Abingdon and in June they paraded through Oxford for a commemoration service at Christ Church Cathedral.

Able Cadet Matthew Reader, 14, from Didcot, said joining the Abingdon Sea Cadets had brought him “out of his shell”.

He said: “I joined just to have something to do, but I am a totally different person now. I am much more confident. I have done qualifications in seamanship, marine engineering and as a cook steward.

“My ambition now is to become a Navy chef.”

Lance Corporal Becky Cooper, 15, from Wheatley, said: “There is definitely more guys than girls in the army cadets, but girls can be much better than boys at a lot of the things we do.

“I joined with friends for a laugh two years ago, but never thought we would stick with it for this long.

“I have had loads of really good experiences, and I have made most of my friends through cadets.

“Now I definitely want a career in the army.”

She said service in the cadets had taken her to a Buckingham Palace tea party and celebrations of the Normandy landings, during which she marched with D-Day veterans over Pegasus Bridge, which was a major objective in the battle to liberate France in the Second World War.

Corporal Jake Witchalls, 15, also from Wheatley, is travelling to Cyprus with the City of Oxford Squadron of the Air Cadets next week. He will be camping at RAF Akrotiri.

He said: “Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a fighter pilot, and I have stuck to that. Joining the cadets has made me want to do it even more.”

Event organiser Major Alan Hames, of the Oxfordshire Army Cadet Force, said: “One of the original founders, Octavia Hill, created a group in London for social reasons, to get children off the streets and doing something useful with their lives. To some extent that theme continues.

“These groups give them experiences of things they would never do if they were sitting at home playing on Playstations.

“It gives them opportunities to do the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and BTEC qualifications, and in the end, it produces good citizens.”

lsloan@oxfordmail.co.uk