TS Churchill, Ashford Sea & Royal Marine Cadets

TS Churchill, Ashford Sea and Royal Marine Cadets. . , The 1854 Crimean War created many orphans living on the back streets of England's sea ports. On returning home from the conflict, a Whitstable clergyman established an orphanage and recruited sailors to pass on nautical skills giving these young, desolate children a future. Similar institutions were soon established in Whitby, Brixham and Deptford., In 1856 The Sea Cadet Corps was established as the Naval Lads Brigade with brigades springing up across the country. In 1910 the brigades were sponsored by The Navy League, an organisation dedicated to supporting the Royal Navy and influencing maritime thinking in Parliament., By 1919 the Admiralty of the Royal Navy officially recognised the brigades and changed their name to the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 there were almost 100 sea cadet units training more than 10,000 cadets in seafaring skills. During the Second World War many more sea cadet units were formed and affiliated to the Royal Navy warships adopted by towns, cities and villages during 'Warship Week'. As a result the Corps swelled to almost 400 units and 50,000 cadets., The citizens of Ashford adopted HMS Albacore during their Warship Week on 28 February 1942 and subsequently the Ashford unit of the Sea Cadet Coups was officially founded on 2 June 1942. Ashford Sea Cadets took the name "TS Albacore" after being affiliated to Ashford's adopted warship HMS Albacore., Since then Ashford Sea Cadets has also been affiliated to two other Royal Navy warships; in the 1960 HMS Pellew, a Blackwood-class frigate and during the 1970s HMS Churchill a nuclear hunter-killer submarine., TS Churchill, Ashford Sea and Royal Marines Cadets has come a long way since its foundation. In the early years, the main purpose of the Sea Cadet Corps was to train youngsters to become future sailors and prepare them for war. While today cadets follow the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy, the main purpose of the Corps is to equip young people with essential life skills, self-confidence and responsibility, helping them to become good citizens and giving them the opportunity of a better future.