Issue 87 - NWRFCA - Northwest Reserve Forces & Cadets Association

in the spotlight
IN THE
SPOTLIGHT
With SMI Roy Murtagh
Name: Serjeant Major Instructor
Roy Murtagh
Age: 36
LOCATION: Aintree, Liverpool
Role: Detachment Commander of
2 Rifles Detachment and Company
Serjeant Major 1 Company,
Merseyside Army Cadet Force
Career so far: I started my
military career by joining the
cadets in the late 80s and left to
join the Regulars in 1991. After 5
years I left to experience life in
Civvy Street. On a visit to my old
cadet unit in the TAC Strand Road,
Bootle, I found that my former
Army Cadet Instructor was still the
Detachment Commander there. He
suggested that I should become an
Adult Instructor and in February
1999 I became an AI for Merseyside
ACF in the BRLC Cadet Detachment’
in Bootle. After six years at BRLC
I moved to 2 Royal Green Jackets
Cadet Platoon and eventually
became the Detachment
Commander. In February 2007 the
Regular Army Royal Green Jackets
and the Light Infantry, DDLI and
RGBWLI, amalgamated to form
the Rifles and the Detachment
soon followed becoming 2 Rifles
(Litherland) Detachment.
I was surprised to receive a
Certificate of Commendation
of the Rifles Colonel in Chief
(HRH The Duke of Edinburgh)
from General Sir Nick Parker at
the Holcolme Moor opening in
recognition of my achievements
at the Detachment. This was an
honour to not just me but my
Detachment.
Up close and personal: I am
married to Lisa and have one year
old twin daughters, Chloe and
Connie. I work for Liverpool City
Council and enjoy cycling and
most outdoor activities.
FAVOURITE Place: My favourite
place is in Quesada, Spain where
we have a family villa and I like to
go there with my family each year
to chill out and relax.
FAVOURITE Food: My favourite
food is Chinese which I shouldn’t
indulge in so it could be my guilty
pleasure as well!
HAPPIEST MEMORY: My wedding
day. We got married in a small
chapel in Cyprus. The vicar
informed us that if we turned up
at the wedding smelling of alcohol
he would not marry us, needless
to say my wife and I made sure
we behaved ourselves and stayed
sober prior to the wedding but
certainly made up for it on the
wedding day/evening and the rest
of the holiday in Cyprus. My other
happiest memory was the birth
of my gorgeous twin girls Chloe &
Connie. I nearly fell off the chair
when we were told that there
were two heartbeats for the first
scan. It was certainly a shock, but
a nice one. They are non-identical
and both very vocal and screech at
the same level. With three girls in
my life I can look forward to cold
showers and my girls fighting over
the hair brush in the future!!
GUILTY Pleasure: My guilty
pleasure is cakes and buns besides
my love of Chinese food, however
the older I get the less I really
should indulge, but nothing
wrong with a treat here or there.
Ambition: My ambition would
be to always run a well organised
detachment with cadets that
thrive, prosper and enjoy the
activities. It would be based
on exciting, varied and well
organised training. This I think
is the key to retention. If they are
well motivated and happy they
not only stay at the detachment
but they bring their friends along
too! I have had a cadet whose
mother asked me to talk to him
as he was having problems and
getting into trouble in school
and she couldn’t get through
to him. This was not the cadet I
SMI Roy Murtagh receives the Commendation of the Rifles Colonel in Chief (HRH
The Duke of Edinburgh) from General Sir Nick Parker
“
Nothing
gives me more
pleasure than to
see cadets, who
may not achieve
academically,
turning into good
citizens, gaining
their stars
and attending
courses at
Frimley
”
knew; he was so well behaved
and respectful on training nights.
He later left the detachment but
called in one day to say ‘thank
you’ for all that I had done for
him. To me this is one of the
biggest rewards a cadet instructor
can receive as it shows that I
had a positive impact on this
cadet and to me this makes it all
worthwhile.
Inspiration: It was my cadet
Detachment Commander, Peter
Wareing, who had guided me
as a cadet and who I have a lot
of respect for; he inspired me to
join Merseyside ACF as an Adult
Instructor. His direction gave me
the discipline and confidence to
achieve when I left the cadets and
the courage to join again as an
Adult Instructor.
Final Words: I would like to say
that the ACF is a solid foundation
for young people to achieve
and mature in. I am so glad to
be part of this organisation and
having a small part to play in
their achievements. Nothing
gives me more pleasure than to
see cadets, who may not achieve
academically, but turn into good
citizens, gaining their stars and
attending senior cadet courses
at Frimley Park. I enjoy training
the cadets and it keeps me active,
definitely more enjoyable than a
visit to the gym!! I hope that I can
give the cadets good memories
and guidance that they will take
with them through the rest of
their lives.
60 the volunteer www.nwrfca.org.uk