The Mission and Purpose of the CCF

According to the Ministry of Defence:

“The aim of the CCF is to provide a disciplined organisation within schools that enables pupils to develop leadership skills through military-style training. It fosters responsibility, self-reliance, endurance, perseverance, and a strong sense of service to the community. The self-discipline and confidence nurtured in CCF training are just as vital in civilian life as they are in the Armed Forces.”

The training provided by the Combined Cadet Force is designed to:

1. Offer opportunities to develop leadership and responsibility, while learning how these qualities are fostered in the Armed Services.

2. Provide a basic understanding of the role and structure of the UK Armed Forces.

3. Encourage those with an interest in military service to explore careers in the Regular or Reserve Forces.

Formation of the Stonyhurst College Cadet Corps

The Stonyhurst Cadet Corps officially mustered for the first time in the Ambulacrum on Tuesday, 16 October 1900. Oversight of military training was entrusted to the First Volunteer Battalion of the East Lancashire Regiment, as directed by the War Office.

Historical records describe how Colonel Robinson, Commanding Officer of the Battalion, made multiple visits to Stonyhurst. He was accompanied by Sergeants McHugh and Buckley, from Blackburn and Clitheroe, who instructed pupils in drill and musketry.

The early uniform featured scarlet with white piping and a slouch hat, later replaced by standard khaki uniform sometime after 1911. By 1913–14, the Corps wore the standard British Army uniform of the day.

Stonyhurst’s Cadet Corps was honoured to send contingents to the Coronation in 1910 and the Royal Review at Windsor in 1911.

Service and Sacrifice: The CCF Through the World Wars

The First World War (1914–1918)

Throughout the Great War, cadet training continued steadily with a focus on musketry, drill, and tactics. Many senior pupils were commissioned directly from school or attended military academies such as Sandhurst or Woolwich.

• 160 Old Stonyhurst pupils gave their lives during WWI.

• Stonyhurst’s record of military awards is remarkable for a school of its size.

Victoria Cross recipients:

• Lt. Maurice James Dease V.C. – Mons, Belgium (1914)

• Capt. John Aiden Liddell V.C. – Ostend, Belgium (1915)

• 2nd Lt. George Gabriel Coury V.C. – Guillemont, Somme (1916)

Other WWI honours include:

• 30 Distinguished Service Orders

• 77 Military Crosses

• 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses

• 2 Air Force Crosses

The Second World War (1939–1945)

Cadet training and camps continued until the outbreak of WWII. Many senior boys went directly into service. The Stonyhurst War Record 1939–45 honours all who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

• 101 pupils gave their lives during WWII.

Victoria Cross recipients:

• Capt. Harold Marcus Ervine Andrews V.C. – Dunkirk (1940)

• Capt. James Joseph Bernard Jackman V.C. – Ed Duda, Tobruk (1941)

Other WWII awards:

• 12 Distinguished Service Orders

• 8 Distinguished Service Crosses (including one with Bar)

• 32 Military Crosses

• 9 Distinguished Flying Crosses

• 4 Croix de Guerre (including one with Palm)

• 1 Air Force Cross

Additionally, two Old Stonyhurst boys were awarded the Victoria Cross before WWI:

• Lt. Edmund William Costello V.C. – Matakand, India (1897)

• Capt. Paul Aloysius Kenna V.C. – Khartoum, Sudan (1898)