Walter’s dedication to cadet corps is honoured

A FORMER soldier has been awarded a long-service medal for his dedication to training cadets in Lochaber.

Flight lieutenant Walter Liddell, 59, has served as an officer in the air training corps for 12 years.

At just 13 years old, Lieutenant Liddell started out as a cadet with Lochaber Air Cadets 1730. His own experience spurred him on to joining the army, where he went on to serve with the Scots Guards and the special forces. For the past 12 years, Lieutenant Liddell has nurtured and trained cadets aged between 13-20.

The modest Fort William man said: ‘I don’t do very much. I make sure the cadets are up-to- date with their training and help them to get qualified, but the people in the offices do much more. It is seeing them when they first join to seeing them leaving with all the life skills that they learn. That is one of the highlights.’

Now the cadet officer is driving a recruitment and retention campaign for the Lochaber organisation. And in recent years, the corps has helped the career path of two of its members.

Lieutenant Liddell said: ‘One of the boys is now in the Royal Air Force and one of the girls is a police officer in Fort William. She is actually the youngest traffic officer in the area and an officer is going to come in and talk to our cadets to let them see what opportunities the skills they learn now can open for them.’

To find out more about the air cadet organisation and to meet current serving cadets call 01397 703565.