Central & East Region are delighted to announce the appointment of Squadron Leader Lawrence Buckingham to the post of Regional Training Officer.
Squadron Leader Buckingham joins the Region from being a Wing Staff Officer in South and East Midlands Wing Air Cadets, looking after squadrons across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, as well as being the Wing Road Marching Officer.
Squadron Leader Buckingham began his cadet career at 1474 (Wickford) Squadron at the age of 13, following his passion for aviation. His time as a cadet only served to build on this passion, leading him to study Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London.
During his studies, he spent time as a Civilian Instructor at squadrons in London and Bristol & Gloucestershire Wings, before returning to Essex Wing and commissioning into the RAF VR(T) in 2012.
Squadron Leader Buckingham served on squadrons in Essex, South & East Midlands, and Central & East Yorkshire Wings, including Officer Commanding of 2195 (Long Eaton) Squadron.
He then took on the Wing Training Officer role in South & East Midlands Wing, which he held for 5 years including throughout the pandemic. In this role he shaped the Wing’s integration of the Progressive Training Syllabus whilst delivering training to over 400 cadets each year and the Wing’s annual competitions at Wing Field Day.
Squadron Leader Buckingham said “I’m privileged to be returning into the community of Training Officers in the RAFAC. The Region has such a plethora of talent and I’m keen to work with the Wing Training Officers to shape the future experience of cadets and the development of staff across the Region. It is an exciting time to be in the RAFAC and, with the diversity of changes coming, we as a Region have an opportunity to be a key piece of the RAFAC Astra journey”