Army Cadet Force

Army Cadet Force (ACF)
Crest
Founded	1859
Country	United Kingdom
Role	Volunteer Youth Organisation British Army
Size	41,370 Cadets 9,170 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers
Headquarters	CTC Frimley Park
Motto(s)	To Inspire To Achieve
Website	armycadets.com
Commanders
GOC Support Command	Maj Gen Richard Stanford MBE
Patron	Queen Elizabeth II
Colonel in Chief	HRH The Duke of Edinburgh
Insignia
ACF Colours	Colours of the ACF Stable Belt

The Army Cadet Force (ACF) is a national youth organisation sponsored by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and the British Army. Along with the Sea Cadet Corps and the Air Training Corps, the ACF make up the Community Cadet Forces. It is a separate organisation from the Combined Cadet Force which provides similar training within principally independent private schools.

Although sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, the ACF is not part of the British Army or Army Reserve, and as such cadets are not subject to military 'call up'. Some cadets do, however, go on to enlist in the armed forces in later life, and many of the organisation's leaders have been cadets or have a military background.

The Army Cadet Force Association (ACFA) is a registered charity that acts in an advisory role to the Ministry of Defence and other Government bodies on matters connected with the ACF. The Army Cadet Force is also a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS), as an organisation with a voluntary and community youth focus.

As of 1 April 2015 there are 50,540 Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.

In 1859 local Militia units (predecessors of the Territorial Army), were organised into a nationwide Volunteer Reserve Force because of the threat of French invasion. The first unit of the ACF to be formed was the Robin Hood Rifles formed by Mrs Octavia Hill on Frimley Park in 1859. These new Volunteer units formed Cadet Companies and eight public schools formed independent cadet units (fore-runners of the Combined Cadet Force). The late Victorian period was when the time of social change began to take hold in Britain and a Mr Adam Gray who was considered to be a pioneer in Social Work founded Independent Cadet Corps units. The formation of Cadet units also spread to the colonies. The Bermuda Cadet Corps was formed at the turn of the Century with detachments in the schools of the British Army's Bermuda Garrison and the Royal Navy's dockyard, as well as a handful of civilian schools. It's cadets wore the cap badge of the Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, to which the Bermuda Cadet Corps was attached.