Air Defence Cadet Corps
1939 – 1941
82nd (Wandsworth) Squadron of the Air Deference Cadet Corps was formed. The exact date isn’t known, but based on records of officer appointments, our earliest guess is on the 14/04/1939.
The first Officer Commanding (OC) was Sqn Ldr W. O Turner (ADCC) and appointed on 29/04/1939.
On the 31/08/1939, the ADCC standard was given to the squadron (pictured below) alongside 34th(F) (Wandsworth) Squadron ADCC on parade at King George’s Park. Flt Lt R. Turner (ADCC) received the standard on behalf of 82nd (Wandsworth) Squadron. Lt Col A. Bellamy presented the standard.
Air Training Corps
1941 – 1980 (Approx.)
The organisation was reformed into the Air Training Corps (ATC) on 5th February 1941, with 82 (Wandsworth) Squadron becoming part of the new formation.
Not much is known during this time period for our squadron. We are working hard to research our history and will update this section with photos and significant events during this time period.
For more information about the history of the Air Training Corps, click below.
The Modern Years
1980 (Approx.) – 2022
Around 1980 was the introduction of our most infamous squadron crest, unveiled by WO (ATC) Barry Clarke, who was our Squadron Warrant Officer at the time. The motto “Optimus Supra” was chosen to inspire the cadets to set standards high and be “Above the Best”.
The squadron has had a few changes of OCs during this time, with one of our most recent, WO (RAFAC) Leslie Brandon sadly passing away in May 2022 in post.
The Present Day
2022 –
The new Officer Commanding, 82 (Wandsworth) Squadron was appointed on 11/11/2022. Sgt (RAFAC) Derry Ross took command.
With the squadron building undergoing refurbishment work from 20/07/2023, the squadron crest underwent a refurbishment of it’s own! Thanks to the work of Sgt (RAFAC) Derry Ross and the guidance of staff and cadets, the new crest was made to symbolise our previous history with the eagle on top. The “gaining” weathervane onto our crest shows a fortunate coincidence that we share the same squadron formation number as the former 82 Squadron RAF. Their squadron featured a similar weathervane with a Cockerel on top. This new crest design was introduced on 06/10/2023!
