• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

National Service

Hey Love your Westie, Had Westies for years love them my wife Marcia is a member of the local Westie rescue.
Thanks oldbrit, Hamish will be 12 yo in 4 days & he still thinks he`s young `un. He makes a change to my last dog, a Bulldog!!
And now you`ve got me in trouble for going off topic. Oh well, trouble is my middle name.
 
Thanks oldbrit, Hamish will be 12 yo in 4 days & he still thinks he`s young `un. He makes a change to my last dog, a Bulldog!!
And now you`ve got me in trouble for going off topic. Oh well, trouble is my middle name.
Sorry about that, maybe we should start a WESTIE topic?
 
Heres one for you National Service Guys
2 pair of 1953 made army boots we used to wear these at work in the early 70s I brought loads I still have these left
 

Attachments

  • Boots 002.JPG
    Boots 002.JPG
    507.1 KB · Views: 24
  • 51909a.jpg
    51909a.jpg
    45.7 KB · Views: 24
  • 51909b.jpg
    51909b.jpg
    41.1 KB · Views: 23
Looking at those boots reminded me of how we used a hot iron to burn off the dimples to get a really good shine. I also had an elastic band over my gaiters to tuck up my bd trousers. Got loads of bollocking because of that. With my peaked dress hat i used to fold the sides down slightly, looked a lot smarter but that was also frowned upon. "You is not an officer Smith so stop trying to look like one"
 
Always had elastic in my gaiters, although some guys used weights. (All this probably sounds double Dutch to non service personal). "What are they talking about, Fred?"

Eddie
 
I do remember the boots and also polish the brass badge till smooth. Of course as a BATMAN I did my officers everyday One thing I remember was marching and keep my back straight and my head up.
 
I was just eading some old cycling mags and came across this. Thought maybe someone would get a chuckle out of it
 

Attachments

  • TomtugInTheArmy.jpg
    TomtugInTheArmy.jpg
    137.2 KB · Views: 23
I was in the RAF (1948-56) and being aircrew I was excused all guard duties and CO parades due to unsocial flying times , even so I think the RAF appeared to have far less 'bull' to put up with, less parades, kit inspections etc... We tended to wear shoes as opposed to boots and gaiters, we were issued with boots but apart from the odd parade and guard duties they were rarely worn, I should think most ex-RAF bods would agree with me there. Of course I am talking of over 60 years ago and no doubt there have been changes. I think National Service was a good thing and do not understand why it ceased. There would always be a small percent crossing off their days to demob and constantly whingeing, but the majority seemed to accept it and even enjoy it. Have a attached a pic of a group of National Service friends with my Wife and I at a club in Hong Kong in 1953with friends at the Winner HouseHK.JPG , they seem happy enough. Happy days Eric
 
Eric,

I agree entirely - far less bull. Being in the Station Band, I was also excused guard duties & fire picquets, though, of course, we had the monthly CO's Parade and a similar arrangement with RAF Shawbury, because their band only had four members. Fortunately the band never got inspected at either airfield, which is just as well because we were the scruffiest irks imaginable. The fact that I & two others were on permanent night shift meant that no one could kick us out of bed at some unearthly hour and we were even allowed to sleep through the C.O.'s hut inspection.

My brother, two years younger than me, decided that he was going to ignore his call up papers and carry on as usual. However, they eventually caught up with him and instead of having his choice of service, was drafted into the Army Pay Corps at Catterick, where he spent the whole two years. You can't beat the system!

National Services was abolished purely on the grounds of cost. I and two of my mates were doing third line servicing of Marconi Radio Compasses. Having very little to do, because the sets were only used for their original purpose during an exercise, we spent many hours on the night shift making coffee - boiling water in the mug by connecting two carbon rods out of a dry battery across the mains. We also did fairly pointless accounting exercises and calculated that the cost of repairing a set across the board was about £800. The cost of a new set from Marconi at that time was £365, so repairing equipment was far from being an economic operation, but, of course, it carried on as a means of giving us irks something to do.

In the eyes of the aircrew, the radio compasses had just one useful feature - the ability to tune into was was then the BBC Light Programme on 200 kHz. From our point of view, we had a component store of readily useable civilian bits, so another another pastime was building illicit radios for whoever would give you a couple of quid.

Maurice
 
Maurice, I cannot remember the year National service ceased, I think it was still going when I left the service in June 1956. I ceased flying duties in late '54 because of failing the annual medical due to a weak right eye, although modern communications was making wireless operators obsolete anyway and flying and travel were my 2 reasons for joining the RAF so I never extended my service. Referring to my pic in my last post all those NS 'lads' will all now be in their 80's !! what a frightening thought. Eric
 
Eric,

Wiki puts the cessaation date as 1960 with the last conscript having left the service by 1963. I came out in May 1957. I was 80 last week so there must be a few National Servicemen who have yet to reach that age!

Maurice
 
Sloppy Battledress and clodhoppers??? from Tomtug, in my prev post, any comments, anyone take the time to read it, some parts are very funny? CLODHOPPERS my Dad used that a lot By the way Tomtug is a racing cyclist from the 1950s I have many of his writings, funny stuff
 
Ted and all, I read with great interest all your reports of National Service. Mine was very boring, in fact I do not remember a lot about it. I was at Cosworth and rode my bike there from Yardley on weekends, I was a batman!!! to a sports officer and cleaned the house he and his wife lived in, also pressed his pants polished his shoes etc. Then I worked in the officers mess laying the tables etc. Guess with my School of Art and working for an Sculptor and cycling they thought that was about all I was good for? I did cycle race a lot for the RAF teams and got to go training so i was a pretty cushy time for me.
John, Cosworth are a racing car manufacturer, you were at Cosford near Wolverhampton.

Dave
 
Back
Top