National service

[Highnote 10]

I did my basic training at that haven of rest and relaxation West Kirby,now just a muddy field but forever imprinted on my memory,and its wonderful staff whose one object in life was to provide every comfort!!to us poor bewildered recruits, led by the a leader in who had one object in life make sure our induction into the RAF was a wonderful experience the never to be forgotten DI Corporal Vance,.

We were given a very great shock into the ways and standards required, like once we returning from drill or a lecture or something and as we were marching back to our billets someone whispered "What has been happening?"--"NO TALKING IN THE RANKS!!!!",what a sight met us,all our bedding,kit,everything had been thrown out of the windows in complete disarray,mugs broken and scattered to the four points of the compass, and we were lined up and told our billets were a disgrace,but in more colourful language!,mugs had been broken because of the dirt and wild life,spiders,earwigs,and filthy condition of our mugs, can you believe that,and were ordered to have it back to normal the next morning,so we were set to work to restore our quarters to their former condition,what a job,sorting out whose was what and what went where,it took us the best part of the whole night,not much sleep that night, and of course the next morning our dear Corporal found another list of faults for us to fix.

All part of lifes rich tapestry, but it did not seem it at the time

[Floridablade 11]

I was called up in 1947 to do what was then 18 months but the Berlin airlift added another 6 months, I was stationed in Gibraltar at the time with the Royal northumberland Fusaliers who went to Korea just after I escaped. I did go on to serve a total of 25 years in the Royal Signals as a radio Tech leaving in 1973. I also served in the new territories at uan long and on the Island in 1955-6.

 

What is needed in the U.K. is national service but not in the forces. A special force should be formed and the 18-20 year olds of both sexes serve the community.

[Ted Hills 10]

Enjoyed reading of others experiance of National Service I was fortunate to be called up at the very end in August 1960 and like others have written it made me grow up and taught me how to get on with all sorts of men. I was amazed that I was trained for 32 weeks to service navigational instruments but loved every minute, I finished up at RAF Wittering near Stamford working on Valiant V bombers but later on worked on the Victor. This was of course before transistors were invented every thing was mechanical and thermionic valves which was right up my street I found everything fascinating the bombsight computer has to be seen to be believed, The station comander tried his hardest to persuade me to stay on but the loading it over you by loutish corporals was too much to cope with for the rest of my life so on 23 Aug 1962 I returned to civvy life. But I woundn't have missed any of it, what a pity it ended.

[saxon51 10]

What is needed in the U.K. is national service but not in the forces. A special force should be formed and the 18-20 year olds of both sexes serve the community.

A sort of 'National (Community) Service' involving environmental work (litter picking, grafitti removal, hedge trimming, grass cutting, OAP helping etc) for all those louts - male and female - with nowt better to do at 75% minimum wage. Compulsory job search and training to be included.

 

I'd go for that.

[Texas 10]

I trained as a lineman at 2TR Catterick. I suppose you could say it was a technical kind of a job, and what little I actually did at the job was good enough for the Army. I must admit though It seems I spent the most of my service just trying to get an easy time and keep out of trouble. Anybody remember their first 'rollicking?' Mine was actually the day I registered. Up Eccleshall Road it was. We all had the medical, interview,etc. I was asked which regiments I fancied. My reply was 17th/21st Lancers, 'cause I liked the badge, the Royal Engineers, I was a railway fireman at the time and there was a Military Railway at Liss, and any other regiment that needed a trumpet player. So I got in the Royal Signals.

After the interview we all trooped into another room for an intelligence test.

Two sheets of questions were handed to each of us, the officer in charge told us on no account must we look at the questions until he gave the word. So that's when I got my first *ollocking, and I wasn't even in yet. That's got to be some kind of record.

Then we had a practical test. We were given a bicycle pump, a lock, and a rachet screwdriver, in bits, and told to assemble them. In ten minutes. What a laugh that was.

So thats how I got to be a lineman.

[sweetdexter 10]

When I went in to do Basic training, prior to joining The Regimental Band .

Also in training was a guy called Tony Wills who was destined for the band.

We both came from Sheffield, born on the same day, same year ,same hospital, how's that for coincidence.

Lost track of him now.

One time around 1965 I was in the Museum on Orchard St when I got talking to a guy who had been in The Northumberland Fusiliers band.

We had been in the same room at the same time in 1960-1 in Hong Kong.

We invited their band to our party ,met him on the other side of the world 4 years later.

It seems he was working for a contractor on Victoria Station and had just wondered up to the Museum on a walk about

[Floridablade 11]

In 1956 I was stationed with 42 Artillery Signal troop at Sek-kong in the new territories and I had a call from a Ship in the Harbour to ask if I could arrange a football match, it was an old school pal of mine from Southey Green who went to Manchester with me to join the Navy, he got in I was rejected on medical grounds, hernia. His ship was involved in the Yangse river incident in China. Great posting that in Hong Kong.

 

What is needed is the formation of a national service for the 18-20 year olds to run a national rail and bus service.

[Arundel 10]

I went to Pontefract Barracks on 22nd August, 1947, to do my Initial Training. Good grief ! Thats 60 YEARS ago. Maybe I remember it so well because the first thing that happened was we all had to jump in a bath of LYSOL to get rid of the bugs someone had brought with them. Our first lesson in army dicipline was that when the Sergeant yelled "Stick your head under lad" you did it or got pushed under and held there for a while. But we did it with a thmile.

[Floridablade 11]

Arundel you must have been in the same squad as me, I went to pontefract on 21st of August, wish I could remember some names.

 

My army number was 21033347 what was yours?

 

There was a full corporal who was a bit of a bully and in our squad was a homosexual and of course this corporal started to pick on the " lad ". In order for the corporal to show his muscles a boxing match was arranged and low and behold he was drawn against the " lad " .

 

The corporal came out from his corner with every intention of knocking the kid's head off, unfortunately every time he threw a punch he got 5 in return and missed in the bargain. The kid became a Physical Torture teacher after basic training. I went into Pinderfields to get a Hernia op then went to Richmond Park for recoup and get the camp ready for the 1948 Olympic games. Then to Strensall in York where I was shipped to Gib. and 14 months of pergatory with the Nortumberland Fuseliers.

[Texas 10]

Strange nobody's mentioned the food yet. From day one, food, and getting enough of it, was a major concern. Not that I'm a gourmand or anything, just that I burn it off quick.

My first inclination that we were in for something different on that first day, was the experience at Baghdad Lines at Catterick.

We all trooped into the cookhouse to be greeted by this Sargeant cook. He was sat at a table, a 12'' cooks knife stuck in the table, and him with his hands and chin resting on the handle, the blade bending almost double. He was grinning at us. 'Bleedin' hell, he said, there in't owt to eat.' There we were clutching our brand new mess tins, still in civvies.

'Some bread in there.' He indicated a large box about 5' long and 3'' deep. Indeed, it was two thirds full of bread slices. 'And some butter, this floating in water in a pan,'and some jam o'er theer.'

Well, we'd all been running around collecting bedding, clothing, all sorts of stuff, for about 6 hours and speaking for myself, I was hungry.

There must've been around 30 blokes around that box and it was down to the last six inches in no time at all. Thing was though the last six inches of bread had been in there a long time. It was all shades of green and blue. Nobody wanted to know, obviously. We were all still starving though. One or two bleated about the mouldy bread.

'It'll be theer tomorra, said the Sargeant, when your ready for it.'

It was aswell, 'cos I had some. Mind you I scraped it off first.

[Floridablade 11]

I remember Baghdad lines and the German Prisoners walking around sneering at our incompetence. The assault course with an icy pond which I could jump but the sadistic NCOs expected everybody to get an icy bath so they put barbed wire in front to prevent me jumping across so I simply dived in head first, it was only 3 feet deep, i still have the scars.

[Arundel 10]

Fancy that, Floridablade! Mine was 21033341. Hello again. Like you I don't remember any names. Went to Barnard Castle to do a Regimental Signaller's course, then to Aldershop, Bulford, and Germany with the Airborne Artillery - Rensburg, Flensburg, Fallingbostal, etc. The Berlin Airlift was on and we were almost permanently on Stand-to. Wonder what happened to the five squaddies with numbers between yours and mine? I bet there are some interesting tales to tell.

 

Back to names, the only one I recall, not from Pontefract Barracks, but from when I was doing my Signaller's course at Barnard Castle. One instructor made us learn his name in Morse Code and to this very day I have not forgotten it. It goes -"diddley dit-dit-ditda-da-diddley dit" which, for any of you Morse geniouses out there, means HEATH. Thmile!