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So, you've been in the Army for about five minutes, you've drawn the kit from the stores, you put on the BD and the BIG beret. This is in the 50's, nearly everybody is a misplaced Teddy boy, Bebopper, or worse. What do you do? You modify, that's what.

The first thing is get the boxpleats in the BD jacket. I got mine done at 2TR (it was encouraged). Then you get the trouser bottoms taken in to 17'', (I hadn't got the guts to go for 16'').

Now 'tween times, you've been trying to get the beret in some semblance of style. The Tank Corps bods had the right idea, moulded to the skull, regimental badge dead centre, and the whole lot perched, tilted as far forward on the brow as possible. Soak the damn thing in water and mold it, wear it till it dries. All this worn with a DA and crepe soled shoes (brothel creepers), made a guy feel half human.

Mind you, it took me a long time to get the beret right.

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I was a painter and decorator

 

Floridablade ,Who did you work for?

 

I started with AXE in Nether Edge and a firm on Ecclesall Road, we were usually laid off for the winter so I had jobs as a Tram Conductor, Rolling mills plate ladding, went to Blackpool one winter decorating the B&Bs but so did everybody else. Axe had two sons the eldest he had beaten senseless the younger son lived in Dronfield and was the boss. Old man Axe was in his 60s 70s and threatened me once because I refused to whitewash his cottages for nowt I kicked him in the knee and went home but his son came and gave me a pay rise, it was May time and he needed cheap labour.

 

Who did you work for.

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I started out in the early 50's at Ackroys & Abbot.

They had about 20 painters working full time.

When they would not give me an apprenticeship I went to work for Gabbitas & Wood.

After I came out of the 'Soft & Barmy' I worked for Ibbotson up Stannington.

Gazzard,S&F of Nottingham.Finnigans,Singltons of Doncaster,and about 10 other company's I cannot remember

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That would be Goodge Street. Our demob group(only seven or eight of us)stayed there overnight on arrival back in the U.K.we just dumped the kit and were gone. Straight down Tottenham Court Road and the fleshpots. I didn't get back until three in the morning, along with my escort. ( I was supposed to be under open arrest).

I dont know when it closed but closed it is. All I can recall were bunks along the walls of a long corridor. There didn't seem to be anyone in charge, a Corporal gave us travel documents to Newton Abbot. And we got the lift.

 

I think you are right 'T' it was Goodge St. We were there for two nights before flying from Stansted to Fayed. I don't remember the lift though.

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I think you are right 'T' it was Goodge St. We were there for two nights before flying from Stansted to Fayed. I don't remember the lift though.

o foggy brain i sort of think shipped fm Torquay and demobed fm Christchurch Signals experiment, 1954 we was playing with beamed radio still don't understand how more than one person can talk over the same freq', course we was reg army so not to bright in the 1st place:D:D:D

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We had mosquito nets in Sudan and Egypt, but the big mosquito's used to lift the net up and let the littles ones in.

Oh yeah, the wildlife. I've been reading this thread again and no one has been specific about the 'critters'. For some reason we didn't get plagued much by mosquitos at 3GHQ and the only time I got bit was by one of those little tiny ones, the big b******* seemed to be in short supply.

We (that's a joke, the Africans, I should've said), were digging a trench for a cable one day, and we (sic) disturbed a Mole Cricket. Now if you've never seen one of these babies I can tell you they're impressive in an obnoxious sort of way, scary. But in the Middle East, you dont want to know. I was directing the digging procedure behind a half dozen Africans, when they all began to jump out of the trench, in good order, from the front. I was the last. The bloody thing must've been a foot long.

Another time we had a mass of locusts cross the transmitter field. Actually I nearly did say plague, but I thought it sounded a bit too biblical. Anyhow, our Africans were catching them and biting their heads off and stashing 'em away. One of them told me they were good to eat. Now I'll just eat about anything, but Locusts, no.

Another time I was looking for some tools in a box, in the stores, and this bloody snake shot across my hands and disapeared under some scrap cable. Our Troop Officer asked me what it looked like, so I gave a description, as best I could, and he said it could've been an Asp.

Me and Cleopatra eh?

Now in my dotage, I've developed quite an interest in wildlife and I really wish I'd had some interest when I was out there, in the Middle East.

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Oh yeah, the wildlife. I've been reading this thread again and no one has been specific about the 'critters'. For some reason we didn't get plagued much by mosquitos at 3GHQ and the only time I got bit was by one of those little tiny ones, the big b******* seemed to be in short supply.

 

Does anyone remember the anti malaria tablets ?

As for as i can remember the were called 'Paludrine' or somthing that sounded like that.

We took one a day, Monday- Friday .They told us we were OK for Sat & Sun.

No questions asked ,we were handed one every morning on parade.

Our camp, was in the middle of the paddy fields.

We also sprayed DDT with wild abandon.

How the hell I am still alive I'll never know

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Leeches! Big and swollen under the shirt, pants, front and back. You found out who your best friend was when you had them on your backside. Had to be burned out with a lighted cigarette. (Pull them out and you'd leave the head inside the skin and risk infection).

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I remember Googe St. We went there for one night after travelling from Newton Abbot. Down all the stairs with all your kit. Next day up all the stairs with all your kit. Out to Stanstead. On plane. Plane has fualt. Off plane back to London. Down all the bdy stairs with kit. Next day back up bdy stairs with all kit. Out to Stantead on plane. Three stops then Cyprus.

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I remember Googe St. We went there for one night after travelling from Newton Abbot. Down all the stairs with all your kit. Next day up all the stairs with all your kit. Out to Stanstead. On plane. Plane has fualt. Off plane back to London. Down all the bdy stairs with kit. Next day back up bdy stairs with all kit. Out to Stantead on plane. Three stops then Cyprus.

 

At least you were not throwing up your guts in The Bay of Biscay

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Yes I remember the paludrine tablets in Sek-Kong on morning parade the troop sergeant would give us all one and then dismiss us but he never looked back to see all the tablets on the rough ground each one dug in as we right turned and in proper guards fashion drove our right boot complete with regulation 13 studs 1 foot below ground level and the tablet with it.

 

Landed at the Hague and the MPs ordering us over the bridge which crossed the railway line in FSMO when we could have got to the other side by walking round the end which was nearer.

 

Coming back from Suez 1956 December in a Tank Landing Craft called Rampart and we had left Gibraltar the previous day and were off the coast of Portugal when the sea starting getting rougher and rougher until we seemed to be on the end of a mountain looking down then in a valley looking up to this massive wall of water. The radio relay trucks started moaning and groaning trying there best to jump over the side along with the rest of us to end the misery. I went to sleep in the lifeboat just in case until I was spotted by one of the Navy blue jobs and he just advised me not to do it I'd probably be killed if they decided to launch it. Anyway we pulled into a fishing town in Galacia called Vigo and had a great party with the locals and I ended up in bed with this beautiful Spanish girl but I was drunk as newt and so was she. We said goodbye the next day and set sail for Pompey.

 

We arrived in Pompey without incident and the drivers were there to drive the vehicles back to Colchester but we only had 1 shilling and sixpence between us but driving along came across this bloke standing beside his car having run out of petrol. I said to the driver fill up his tank and charge him a quid so he did and off we went to the next transport caff. Fish and chips all round and a mug of tea and off we go arriving in Colchester around 9 PM.

 

The Next morning the driver came up to me and said he had filled the blokes tank with water by mistake which was understandable in the dark. Remember the Black painted Gerry cans we used for water.

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Further to my post on the wildlife, remember the ants in Egypt. There seemed to be three species, tiny and red/brown jobs, small black, a little larger than the red/brown, and a big black about an inch or more. The big black, we gave them the name 'Camel' ants, were like a solitary individual, and made a hole in loose sand or gravel. If you caught a fly and put it near the hole the ant would come out the hole and grab the fly and carry it back down ( kicking and screaming, I should imagine). Endless hours of entertainment.

And those big beetles. I think they were a species of Dung Beetle, but bigger. We had an isolated tent for the Fire Piquet at 3GHQ and, apart from any other discomfort, at the end of a days spud bashing you had to be careful where you put your denims or they would be covered the following morning.

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