National service

[Harleyman 12]

Remember it well. I was there in `54.

 

It was 17 Trainig Regiment RA wasn't it? I was in Solma Ri Lines if I remember rightly. We had those old coal burning stoves in the barrack rooms and by the time I finished basic training in Octiober 1960 it was colder than a well digger's a*se in the mornings

 

There was rumour going around that the Army was putting bromide in our tea to deaden nature's male natural urges. We challenged the bombardier about it but he denied the rumour. Said it was the sudden change in our lives and the unacustomed military discipline that was the cause of our "limpiness"

[Gerry 10]

It was 17 Trainig Regiment RA wasn't it? I was in Solma Ri Lines if I remember rightly. We had those old coal burning stoves in the barrack rooms and by the time I finished basic training in Octiober 1960 it was colder than a well digger's a*se in the mornings

 

There was rumour going around that the Army was putting bromide in our tea to deaden nature's male natural urges. We challenged the bombardier about it but he denied the rumour. Said it was the sudden change in our lives and the unacustomed military discipline that was the cause of our "limpiness"

 

The two old codgers were discussing the army putting bromide in the tea and the one guy said. "Do you remember that stuff they used to put in our tea to stop us thinking about sex; well I think it's beginning to work".

[Harleyman 12]

The two old codgers were discussing the army putting bromide in the tea and the one guy said. "Do you remember that stuff they used to put in our tea to stop us thinking about sex; well I think it's beginning to work".

 

Good one Gerry :hihi:

[Floridablade 11]

The Kray twins were in the Royal Fusaliers in the Tower of London. I was stationed in Hounslow to work on the comm's for the Coronation and had to install the tannoy for the pass out parade. The Kray twins were under close arrest with heads shaved being marched around by a corporal who could stand in as a gable end. I didn't know or care at the time but I met that Corporal years later when I was with a T.A, unit in the city and was told to go and rewire a gun at a T.A. in Cambridge he was an RSM. He recognised me and related the story about the terrible twins.

[flyer 10]

try once more my story to relate,been out playing in the sand for two months ,no shave,dirty ,stinky and just plain ugly hit a tank track on my bike and came up with a busted hand, into the back of a truck go the bike,tin pot on top,so in the med truck heading north we go one lad with a huge pair of goolies he had to nurse with both hands all the way back #2 had slit open his back passage fm eating to many hard tack(ouch)must have been bad the blood was steaming down his legs to make thing just right the med' was a throw out fm our sigs for being useless he had done a one week course and was now trying to bandage as we bounced over the sand dunes.We arrived in Tubruk at the Scot Greys camp just as morning at work parade,now i know we were a scruffy lot but bull i thought it was the Queens Birthday, now my hand was resting in a leather jerkin with no hat my hair was just a huge mud pack, bumping into the R S M he said nary a word scared off by my scowl &bloodshot eyes Hmm more like he was killing himself laughing

[Texas 10]

Tea and crumpets anyone?

[flyer 10]

Well for tea we had those tin cans filled with sand and petrol boil up a pot nice (Bengarzi burner) when we broke into a hot sweat you could scrape the mud off your body ,and hard tack wasn't so bad with a little bully beef or jam just don't eat to many, in the middle of the night out there in the dark you could hear the cry's of pain fm those who a few to many,but looking back that was good tuck fm what we got back at camp,i think we had to be the words worst fed army,Even the N Koreans got a hand full of rice once in a while:hihi::hihi:

[sweetdexter 10]

I had a friend in the RAF he was in the RAF equivalent to the Catering Corpse.

He said the breakfast crew would poach dozens of eggs in the evening ,put them through a mincer and serve them as 'Scrambled eggs''

When we were up in the New Territories around Fanling,we were in an annex about 80 of us with our own cookhouse.

The food was abysmal,it turns out the Catering Corps Sgt was selling the good stuff and we got the crap

[Texas 10]

Just a few more thoughts on the old National Service days. Fleetwood mentioned the 'tailoring' of the battledress. When we were posted to 2TR we were encouraged by the NCOs to pay a visit to the military tailors and have our jackets box pleated. Of course almost everyone did without much encouragement. The business with the berets was an ongoing thing with me, I never got the damn thing perfect. The general idea was to be able to wear it so it showed the DA which was fashionable at the time. We were also encouraged to have the sleeves of the BD pleated square also. And wear the blue lanyard.

Proper little dandies we were.

Now, does anyone recollect a Albufira or Albuhira lines at Catterick? If so where was it. Or was it in Egypt? I know it was either 2TR Catterick or 3GHQ MELF.

Did anyone get posted to Eritrea? I guy came into our tent in Egypt, Colin Jacks, he'd come from Eritrea, filled me up with all sorts of sh** about Italian chicas and stuff. The stuff of envy. Before that I'd always wanted to be posted to Air Formation Signals. It was always depicted as somewhere where easy life was the norm. Airforce food, WAAF girls, no duties, WAAF girls, don't know what the reality was.

Did anyone get to go on a scheme, as they were called. I got on one towards the latter weeks of my time in Egypt. A few hundred miles down the Red Sea, by truck, to a place called Shayad or Shayid, ostensibly to try out some radio/telephone gizmo, but I think it was just to get us to sign on. I spent all my time fishing, used to do good too, the fish down there had never seen bread paste.

[prioryx 10]

Jazzing up the old uniform was a work of art for some, you either had to have a tailor or a mother that was adept with a needle and thread or try and do some of the remodeling yourself. It started with cutting some of the bagginess out of the jacket and stiching two pleats into the back, iron and press a sharp crease accoss the shoulders. When you were on leave you could always complete the ensemble with a couple of collar badges and knitted tie rather than the issued one, all topped off with a small beret well moulded to the head. Before any of that took place you could shave the uniform of all excess knapp and fuz, just to give it the well worn gaberdine look and feel. HARLEYMAN we used weights when gaitors had to be worn. A rather memorable parade overseas was prior to a visiting high ranking officer inspecting and taking the salute. The sergeant major gave the order that everbody wearing glasses should take them off 'as you bloody well all look like a load of Japanese Admirals'. To top this off, he gave the order that everybody will be on this parade with no exceptions, so a guy puts the record on which is going out over the intercom, it's the 'Signals' march 'Begone Dull Care' he runs on and joins the parade, the rest is like right out of the 'Carry-On' series. The needle sticks in the groove, it's playing the same passage over and over again with a loud audible click in between, this went on for a while until he brought the few hundred men to a halt dismissed the office n.c.o. to go and stop the music, it was hilarious, I don't remember how that little episode ended really.[/QUOT

 

On a divisional head quarters parade in Germany we were all standing at ease. The RSM called "Parade". then his dog barked and half the parade came to attention the rest a bit later. The problem was that the parade was being filmed by the Army Cinema corps.

Never did know if it was ever shown

[Harleyman 12]

From reading your posts on how you fared with the battle dress issues I think I got off lightly.

 

After finishing training at Oswestry I was posted to Royal Artillery depot Woolwich. Most of the time there we wore fatigues which were pretty horrible looking but at least were never seen beyond the depot confines.

We were allowed out in civvies in the evenings and weekends and then when we got posted to the far east turned in our BDs to Q and traveled by chartered plane to Singapore wearing civvies.

 

The army far east tropical uniform was olive green and the greatest i thought.

Light tunic worn either with long or short trousers with the impressive brigade flash sewn on the shoulders

 

The Chinese laundry did a smack up job with them too. Always returned beautifully ironed and starched to perfection.

 

Most of the days however we wore only a pair of navy blue PT shorts, beret or jungle hat, boots and socks

 

I loved those olive greens (OGs) so much that I ferevently hoped that we would be allowed to wear them on our return to England.

Not to be however and a week before docking at Southampton we had to turn them in for BDs issued by the ship's Q stores. Worse yet we didnt get the same BDs that we'd been originally issued with

[sweetdexter 10]

Yes, the O.G's were a great uniform.

We also had the benefit of civilian laundry service.

The puttees and hose were a bl**dy nuisance

We also had 'Sew-Sew' who came round the billets doing our sewing.

She had bound feet and was treated with the utmost respect by most of the guys

In all the camps we were in the Char Wallahs were from Pakistan.

One of the nicest people I have ever met was one of these 'Char Wallahs'

While on leave in Hong kong we would stay at the YMCA.we would blow most of our pay in the first few days.Never mind we would pay a visit to the first camp we were in and the for-mentioned 'Char Wallah '.would give us a loan to be paid back to the Char Wallah in our camp.