Volunteers recognised by Lieutenancy

Two Inverness-shire Adult Volunteers have recently had their service in helping the young people of the Highlands recognised.

Major Iain Cassidy (67) (pictured above, left) and (pictured above, right) Regimental Sergeant Major Instructor Gordon MacLeod (42), from 1st Battalion The Highlanders ACF, were both awarded with Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificates of Meritorious Service by the Lord-Lieutenant for Inverness Mr James Wotherspoon.

Major Cassidy who is currently the Detachment Commander of Aviemore Detachment, as well as the Company Commander of Inverness Company, has held several key appointments within the Battalion. Iain has been the Battalion’s Adventure Training Officer, where he was responsible for planning Adventure Training activities for the cadets, to being appointed the Battalion’s Training Major, where he was responsible for planning the Battalion’s Training Programme for the year as well as the Battalion’s two-week Summer Camp. Between 2014-2020, Major Cassidy was appointed as the Battalion’s Commandant, where he was responsible for all Officers, Adult Instructors and Cadets within Battalion and was responsible for training and administrating the Battalion effectively.

RSMI MacLeod has been with the Army Cadets since May 2005, where he started as an instructor with Forres Detachment and was later appointed the Detachment’s Commander in 2007. In 2013 he transferred to Culloden Detachment to take over the role as Detachment Commander, where he later dual rolled as the Company Sergeant Major for Moray Company. As the CSM he was responsible for standards and discipline of the cadets as well as representing the views of the younger adult instructors of the company and highlighting any matters up through the Chain of Command. In 2019 he was appointed as the Battalion’s Regimental Sergeant Major, where he is now responsible for the discipline of all Adult Instructors within the Battalion and representing the views of all those adults to the Battalion’s Commandant.

The presentation took place at the Culloden Cadet Centre.