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Army & R A F Recruiting Offices

Where did us who were about to Do our National Service go for the medical where you walked from cubicle to cubicle?..cough, bend over, stand on one leg, touch your toes close you eyes and touch your nose.....you are fit A1, Army, Navy or Royal Air Force? Uuuh Air F...., Army then for you. The day I was there I followed a young lad from the Black Country, we got to the doctor (they were all old) who looked at legs and feet and he looked at the lads legs and said'funny knees, what job do you do old chap? I'm nailing. Oh you are a carpenter?.......he looked at the lads knees again. They were very flat. The lad said no I'm nailing...this conversation went on for at least 10 minutes as we all stood there in our 1950s underpants, the victims were piling up in this cubicle and in the next cubicle we kept hearing a plaintive next or are we finished. Eventually the doctor said but if you are nailing you must be in a wood connected trade. The boy exasperated said in a very loud blackcountry voice, no I mek chains and I'm nailing in front of a b...?y fernice (furnace), all day long. He was signed off as medically unfit. However where was this?
Bob
 
For the life of me, I cannot remember where I had to go for my National Service medical in 1957 when it was decided that the R.A.F. could no longer do without me. Can anyone enlighten me where it was that I would have to go. I would appreciate your help. Regards. willey
 
I had 2 medicals when I joined the RAF in 1948, the standard entry medical and a much stricter medical when I applied for aircrew training, think that was at Halton, but not sure, (it was nearly 70 years ago !) and that was repeated every 12 months whilst flying. Eric
 
nice photo viv...i would love to know where my grandad joined up but i think it just says birmingham on his army records...i will have to check that out
 
There's a very good image of the James Watt office posted by Phil in post #28. Viv.
 
Darned if I can remember where I went for my RAF Medical in 1955. I just got the paperwork through the post and it seems before I knew it, I was in - report to Cardington, and then a week later that ominous coach journey up to Hednesford for square bashing. Two years later by brother, obstinate little beggar that he was, ignored the whole procedure and it was over a year before they twigged that he hadn't bothered to respond! They shoved him in the Army Pay Corps at Catterick for his obstinacy, though what good an electrician was to them, I shudder to think!

Maurice
 
I went to the RAF recruitment in Exeter. I was told that if I signed up that day I would be in one of the boys sections -Apprentices or Boy Entrants - but if I came back next month, at seventeen and a half, I would be in the mens air force.
Needless to say I went back a month later. My medical was also in Exeter - some thirty plus miles from where I lived.
On acceptance as a regular I went again to Exeter and joined three other lads and complete with warrants we headed on the Atlantic Coat Express to London and subsequently RAF Cardington. The ACE had a Tavern Car which was welcome, although at my age I was 'still under the age. I chose a drink that I was familiar with i.e. cider. :)
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My billet was opposite it. Never having been amongst drinkers or gamblers my week at Cardington (1955) was an eye opener. I saw more money lost at one form of gambling, or another, that I had ever earned! A good lesson in life as I have rarely gambled since.
Cowdrey was there at the same time as a prospective National Serviceman, but apparently he was unfit for Air Force service - work that one out! ;)
 
I was too young for national service but the attached clip will probably bring back memories for others. Also reminds me of when I dropped my son off on his first day at RAF Holton at the tender age of 17. We arrived late just as they were being dismissed in the parade ground, still in their civvies. My son running after the Sergeant to find out where he needed to go and me running behind them both carrying his clothes and ironing board. Driving home I felt he'd been dropped in the deep end and, unlike school, I could no longer protect him!

 
Called up for National Service I didn't visit a recruiting office but like all RAF conscripts at the time spent my first week at Cardington and we all seem to have had different experiences there ... my memories from the National Service thread ...
oldMohawk said:
When I went there in 1956 they were using Cardington as the central reception Camp and I remember those very large hangars. Uniforms were issued one or two items at a time and we wandered around wearing a mixture of civvies and uniform. We were a bunch of stangers in the billet from all over Britain and I always remember one guy from Norfolk who was a real slow talking 'country bumpkin' type with very poor eyesight. We took pity on him helping him find things, making his bed as he wandered around in a daze, we were amazed that he had even got through the pre-service medical.
With hundreds of servicemen coming through Cardington each week, the staff seemed rather bored and eventually the medics failed him which didn't surprise us. We were surprised however when he later came into the billet waving discharge papers and a rail warrant, quickly put his civvies on, expertly packed his bag, laughed at us all, and went home.
Next day some fierce looking NCO's appeared shouting at us, hustled us onto a train and made us sit upright 'to attention' on the journey from Bedford to Warrington.
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By 1939 the office seem s to have been 'combined' which I took to mean recruitment to the army and RAF. But additionally they were sharing offices with the YMCA in Dale End. Viv.

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would love to see any photos of men signing up for national service in 47/48 for the army...this is when our dad would have been called up

lyn
 
thanks viv...dad looked like this in his uniform.this was taken with our mom when dad was on leave year would be about 1948 they had just got engaged i do have a copy of this minus the creases and colouring but its in a frame it was taken in hunters vale next to hockley brook which is where dad lived

mom%20+dad.JPG
 
Love your photo Lyn. Had a look through the archives, but not found anything yet. Shall keep a look out. One thing seems to be coming through about National Service, is that early recruitment was slow. No surprise really given the experience of WW2 I suppose. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
There was also an 'enquiry bureau' near to the Council House entrance. Viv.

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I would hazard a guess that somewhere in that photo will be my father. He was a Territorial. As a child I never understood why he was gone before other children's fathers and home again long afterwards. For many the war finished in 1945 but mine did not until the end of 1946 when father came home again. I only remember seeing him twice in that period.
 
Signing up for National Service in 1940. This was being carried out at the Ministry of Labour building on Corporation St (near Aston Uni). It calls that part of Corporation Street 'New Corporation Street'. Viv.

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And many must have passed through these Tempke Row doors. Would have been a very worrying time for everyone, even as early as January 1939. Viv.

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