Behind the barbed wire, amongst colossal air hangers, is a sea of young recruits putting body and soul into Royal Air Force.
And although the intimidating fences which surround the base, suggests an ‘us and them’ attitude, don’t be fooled. At the heart of the RAF bedrock is a strong ethic for team building and community spirit.
You only need to look around our own town to see their work which has played an integral part in the Newport Canal and In Bloom projects. Yet their work often goes un-noticed.
However, the recruits are not only training to be top-class in their specialised divisions, part of their learning programme also requires them to go headlong into community work and learn the benefits of team spirit.
Within the cofines of the Cosford camp there is a distinctive smell of aircraft oil, freshly cut grass and good old hard work.
And indeed, hard work, pays off in the RAF with potential to move rank in constant sight, a plethora of different working avenues and the possibility of being posted, in another part of the world, at the drop-of-a-hat.
Squadron Leader, Lawrie Boardman, provided the guided tour of the airbase and we were often accompanied by marching, saluting trainees, travelling from building to building and class to class.
The training programmes are thorough and a striking chord which resonates is the huge opportunity for each individual here.
Lawrie said: “The RAF has vacancies in a wide variety of jobs, a number of which are trained at our local base including Aircraft Technicians, Physical Training Instructors, Information and Communication Technology Technicians, Safety Equipment Fitters and Photographers.
“Since 2004, the former RAF Cosford site has been known as the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering.
“However, this name is a little misleading because at the site, in addition to the headquarters DCAE, are 34 separate training schools which have responsibility for training the trade areas.”
Some people rarely leave the base and that is easily believable with the bars, lunch halls, state-of-art gyms, swimming pools and more than convenient walk to work.
There are even residential areas for families, playgrounds for the kids and allotments for the vegetable patch. At times it seemed like a utopia of order and harmony set apart in the Shropshire countryside.
“Although the recruits in different trade areas receive different types of subject training, certain things are common to all,” added Lawrie.
“The training is second to none, thorough and comprehensive, it delivers personnel that are not only trained to a high level but who are also highly motivated to provide support to the operational deployment of Air Power around the world.”
The equipment and facilities at the camp are extensive and the site extends to about 640 acres, with a runway and numerous hangars used for delivering realistic hands-on engineering training.
There are also state-of-the-art simulators and emulators to support the more traditional theory.
Lawrie said: “In addition to all this we have a Deployed Operations Training Area which enables the trainees to put into practice their newly acquired skills and knowledge.
“So they are not just in the comfort of a hangar but also in an operational environment similar to that they may find in, for example, Afghanistan.
“We try to foster a culture among staff and trainees of mutual support and help. The young trainees not only receive lessons in technical matters, they also receive teaching in moral and ethical decision making skills.”
Security was of paramount impotance at the base, with no door left open, and entry to each building required a palm reading on a James Bond style hand pad.
And unlike the Army, who tend to live a transitory existence moving nomadically from base to base, the RAF has a keen sense of home. New recruits are welcomed with open arms onto the site.
Walking through the gym area it also is plain to see how strongly physical fitness is advocated. Trainees are guided in the importance of ‘Fitness for Life’ – a reflection of the positive benefits that keeping fit has for good health.
“Being a military training environment, Cosford also takes the trainees to a minimum level of fitness that the RAF demands,” added Lawrie.
“The service encourages fitness by allowing time to train but it also demands that in return each serviceman passes a mandatory fitness test twice a year. This prepares the personnel for the arduous physical condition that can be experienced abroad. If they are fitter, the easier they will find it to cope when working in hot or cold climatic extremes.”
Cosford’s aim is not just to provide high class recruits ready and able to contribute to the RAF team, it also builds a desire to work in the wider community, developing thoughtful citizens with a broader perspective than an ‘I come first’ outlook on life.
The communal life of the Armed Services demands that its members be capable of working well together and for the common good.
Lawrie said: “When the trainees graduate from their courses at Cosford and start to serve on the front line of the RAF, they will be part of a large team where every member is key to success and even survival of the others in that team.
“It is vital that they be fit for their job, be good at their jobs and be good team members. At Cosford they train them to be just that.”
If you are interested in the above or any other jobs in the RAF then go to the RAF Careers website or contact the Armed Forces Careers Office, at Shrewsbury, on 01743 351292.
By Sam Pinnington