London University Officer Cadets Win Expedition Award

The first of our prestigious Expedition Awards was presented by Lord Lieutenant for Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE yesterday.

The Trust’s Expedition Awards highlight the very best in leadership, challenge, courage and planning. The latest awards were selected from the 95 cadet and reservist expeditions supported by The Ulysses Trust in 2022. Each recipient receives a certificate which is signed by our Chair, AVM Nick Kurth.

The winner of the University Category was Exercise Arctic Express Leg 9 2022. This expedition was undertaken by Officer Cadets from London UOTC who deployed to Reykjavik in August 2022 to sail to Scotland in a Challenger 72′ yacht.

Receiving the award on behalf of the unit is Officer Cadet Mirza and Major Terence Hackett.

The presentation took place on Thursday 11th May 2023 at the Lord-Lieutenant and GL RFCA Awards 2023 Yeomanry house, London. The event was organised by the Greater London Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association.

EXERCISE: ARTIC EXPRESS LEG 9 2022

Twelve OCdts from London UOTC participated in an adventurous training expedition sailing from Iceland (Reykjavik) in three stages and finishing in Scotland at Dunstaffnage Marina. The aim of the expedition was to encourage team ethos, leadership, and confidence within the cohort. The students were put to work and given specific roles that they had to fulfil in order to keep the boat on track, including roles of engineer and medic, each with specific tasks to learn. They were further pushed by performing man overboard drills and rotating in 4-hour watches, learning the importance of teamwork and relying on your watch buddies to get things done. Despite the trying conditions and sleep deprivation, team spirit and mentorship was evident throughout the expedition. Some OCdts who had sailed before were challenged in their leadership by becoming watchkeepers and having to lead a small group of 4 through tasks that were new to them all.