YORK CADETS listened to fighting talk from returning Royal Marine Corporal Robert Barnett.

Army cadets aged between 12 and 18 watched as Robert demonstrated first-aid and resuscitation on a dummy, before sharing his experiences of war.

Robert, 23, who returned to Rawcliffe from Iraq earlier this month, attended the cadets at Lumley Barracks, Burton Stone Lane, when he was a teenager.

He wanted to revisit the group to thank it for the skills he once learned there.

He said: "The cadets developed my skills as a leader, as a team player and it kept me involved, kept me off the streets. I enjoyed it immensely and I owe a lot to this place for getting me where I am now."

Cadet Jamie Scott, 15, said: "I was really looking forward to hearing his stories, to finding out what it was like for him during his experiences."

Adult instructor Lieutenant Kerry Hutchinson said: "It taught them something else that they can carry away with them to help them focus on their own development in the community."

Adults who could spare one weekend in five, one or two weeks of the summer holidays and one or two nights a week to be an instructor, should telephone 01904 490529, or visit their local army cadet detachments.

Updated: 10:46 Tuesday, May 20, 2003