UNIT 8 - A HISTORIC GLANCE BY LANCE DOWRICH

62^nd Anniversary of the Presentation College San Fernando Cadet Unit

On 4^th day of May, 1959 a standard of excellence was birthed in the southern City of San Fernando.

Today, the Presentation College San Fernando Cadet Unit, which was the 8^th secondary school to be added to the establishment of the Trinidad and Tobago Cadet Corps in September of 1959, celebrates its 62^nd Anniversary.

The ‘Corps’ was then under the command of Lieutenant Colonel K S Gittens, and the Principal of Presentation College San Fernando at that time was Brother Jerome Kelly. The all-male Unit’s genesis came with the following directive which appeared in Order # 5 dated 4^th May 1959:

“Authority is hereby granted for the formation of an additional platoon to be known as No. 3 Platoon A Coy to be formed at the Presentation College San Fernando”.

In a subsequent order, 2364 Adult Warrant Officer Class Two, (AWO 2) P Young Lai was posted to A Company and later became the first Warrant Officer and adult attached to Unit 8. Through the years, generations of stalwarts emerged and joined society as pillars in their fields, leaving a legacy of greatness.

It was not until November 1959 that Presentation College students filled the ranks as recruits. After extensive training by AWO 2 Young Lai, 30 students of the college joined the ranks of the Cadet Corps. Their regimental numbers ranged from 2453 to 2482 and included 2471 Cadet Romilly M, who eventually became the Unit’s first Sergeant.

In September 1984 Mr. Gibbons Joseph, the Principal of the San Fernando Government Secondary School was approached for his permission to conduct a recruiting exercise at his school. This strategic move was made with the concurrence of Brother Michael Samuel and the Unit Commander, Lieutenant Anthony Pilgrim-Garcia. This relationship saw eight students of “Mod Sec” becoming cadets and has since continued and blossomed.

Some notable achievements of the Unit over the years include having the first cadet from Trinidad and Tobago participate in Commonwealth Camp in Republic of India through 6344 Cpl Roger Alexander in 1983. Another first came again in 1993 when the Unit’s own 9514 Sgt Blair Ferguson became the first cadet from Trinidad and Tobago to participate in the Master Cadet Course at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park in Surrey, England. In 1995 CWO2 Jerome Hackett became the second cadet of the Unit to attend the Master Cadet Course at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park in July, 1995.

When it comes to competition the Unit is known to exude excellence. In the results of the Inter-Platoon Challenge Shield Competition at the end of September 1961, Presentation College placed second. This was quite impressive for a unit which had started just under two years before. In the years that followed the platoon continued to improve in all areas, eventually winning the shield in 1967 under the leadership of 2900 Sergeant Clifford, K.

The Efficiency Shield Competition was suspended for a number of years and was reintroduced again in 1979. Unit 8 always strove to be among the best and placed 5^th in 1983 and again in 1984. The competition was suspended in 1985 and replaced with an Inter-Platoon Drill Competition as part of the itinerary of events for the 75^th Anniversary of the TTCF. Presentation College San Fernando placed 1^st in Area South and went on to place 2^nd in the national competition behind Bishop’s High School of Tobago.

With the reintroduction of the competition in 1987 “Pres” copped 2^nd place just marginally behind the winners Belmont Boys’ Secondary Platoon 1. The competition suffered yet another lull spanning seven years before being restarted under a new format in 1994/1995. The new look competition was structured along the lines of the various training activities and saw points being awarded from the following: Full bore shooting, Small bore shooting, Orienteering, Inspection of records, Drill and Army Proficiency Certificate examination results.

Presentation San Fernando Platoon One was the overwhelming winner in this competition setting a tremendous standard for the other platoons to follow. This was followed by another victory in 1996. In 1997 the Unit placed 2^nd to its brother unit at Presentation College Chaguanas. Victory was again achieved in 1998 and 1999. The competition was again suspended making “Pres” the current holders of the shield.

In more recent times PCS Cadet Unit copped 1^st place in the TTCF Orienteering Competition held on the 29^th February, 2020. The four-man team comprised of 25195 LCpl Mc Phie K., 27356 Pte Monsegue N., 27354 Pte Mc Donald J., and 27355 Pte Mitchell R.

The most recent development in the Unit came in August, 2020 with the launch of the Unit 8 Cadet Alumni Association comprising past cadets from the 1960s to present. The Alumni comprises an Executive Committee led by President, Mr. Jason Joseph, Attorney-at-Law. The Alumni embarked on its first successful project in the last quarter of 2020 which saw major renovations effected to the Cadet Side Room located next to the Armoury.

The Unit is currently commanded by Lt. C. Persadsingh who took over command from 2Lt B. Martin in 2019. Both officers are past students and cadets of Presentation College San Fernando.

The information and records herein were compiled and preserved by Maj. Lance Dowrich (Ret.) who continues to depart valuable knowledge to cadets past and present.

4^th May, 2021

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