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National Service

They were still doing those "first aid & stretcher", courses in the early sixty's, you had to go for four weeks to, "RAMC,Keogh Barracks", Mitcham Aldershot.
paul
 
Hi Eddie can't remember how long my interview was but nothing was mentioned which army service i be in only ffound out when i arrived at the training camp
Regards Richard
 
Hiya Paul thanks commenting on my thread i really enjoyed my last few weeks up in Cumberland on the first aid and stretcher course.anyway got me away from doing all them chores at my last camp and a earlier demob by six weeks
Richard
 
Hi Alberta i remember whenever i had a 36 or 48 hour pass i used to get a lift off a driver who used deliver the sauces from HP every Friday.
and he once asked if i could drive a truck.once or twice i drove his truck for him to Birmingham and he would get some sleep.
Regards Richard
 
Hi Richard, yep me too, I seemed to live between, fire piquet, guard, and jankers, being at the Guards Depot, was horrendus, and the relaxed pace at the RAMC depot was heaven.
paul
 
hello Paul .I was always getting into trouble.remember one morning waking up with a Cypriot Lance jack balling down my ear
i sat and gave him punch. it didn't take long to be marched to hq they seven detension.it must ofdone some good he never bawled down my ear again.
Cheers mate
 
Richard,
The interview took place at Blandford when I was already in the R.E.M.E, that related to what craft I was suitable for.
As regards which regiment, that was decided when I went for my medical I think in Broad St. because the camp was a R.E.M.E. camp at Blandford, there could have been other Regs for all I can remember.
Dave
 
Having been less than keen upon receiving call up for National Service and then completing two years with the Army I am with the guy's that on reflection saw this period in their lives as a positive time and well worth experiencing .
 
Hi Roy, I have not been on this site for a few months as unfortunately only a few of us were adding to it and I got the impression that the stories had run out. Far from it in my case but I felt that that some of the lads wanted a change. Also I have been suffering with a leg ulcer for the past 3 months and I have not been able to get around.
I agree with you about the learning curve but it was the silly things that were a pain, Cutting grass with a pen knife after jabs, it would have been better doing P.T but thats how some of the N.C.O.s thought. Another one,painting the stacked coal white to denote the edge of the pile and mostly before C.Os inspection but usually war office inspection.
Dave
 
HI
Talking about the jabs,as an ex P.T.I, one of our rotten tricks was to get the squads doing wallbar exercises after they had had them.
KEN
 
Roy Blakey said:
Having been less than keen upon receiving call up for National Service and then completing two years with the Army I am with the guy's that on reflection saw this period in their lives as a positive time and well worth experiencing .
Click to expand...
Hello Roy - Welcome to the thread, every time I see a post pop up it rolls back the years as I have a read through. I wasn't keen on doing National Service but in those days you had to, so I made the most of it meeting new people, doing new things, it was a good experience. With most of my uncles serving in WW2 I saw a lot of uniforms and was soon wearing a cub's uniform, then the scouts with camping at Beaudesert, and eventually the Air Training Corps.
The only bit of RAF kit I still have is my best blue hat with it's well polished badge.
 
Hello Eddie 14 and oldMohawk,
Perchance,did you immediately after completion of your Nation Service have to register with a' Territorial Unit" for the following 3 to 4 years ? I found this period worked well in so much that the blend of getting back into ' civvy street ' whilst still being in touch with ' Part time Army life' helped to smooth the ' Changeover '.
 
Hello Roy - On RAF demob I was put on 'H' Reserve which meant I was liable to recall for up to six years,and I was told I would have to look after my kit etc. I remember being rather annoyed on being told I would be dropped a rank from my hard won technician rank, apparently this happened to every technician rank and the 'H' reserve also required 21 days training each year. At the end of my two years I was ready for 'civvy street' looking forward to going back to work, the pay was much better !
I never had to do further training and was never recalled.
 
As I moved around different units during National Service I observed certain characters that seemed to be in whatever billet I ended up in.
The self selected ' Barrack Room Lawyer'. Mainly tended to be a bit of a 'Power Freak'. Not too much of a problem so long as you ignored him enough.
The Scrounger. The one that somehow avoided ' Paying his round ' at the NAAFI on beer nights. He never seemed to have any fags of his own either and would scrounge for your last bit of a Cig as you where coming to the end of your smoke.
The Runner. The one that seemed to enjoy 'Carrying and Fetching' for the rest of the guy's in the Billet. You had to take care of this one and not let him over do it.
The ' Sleeper '. This one would 'Hit the Sack' at any time of the day or night.
The ' Spiv Man'. This was the guy that spent most of his spare time doing ' Deals' that wold provide ( at a cost ) useful bits
and pieces that you otherwise couldn't get hold of. Useful character but you had to do a bit of haggling to avoid a ' Rip off .
The Snorers. Hells Bells these would really send you up the wall. Ther was no solution to these guy's.
The one with the ' Excused Duties ' chitty. He would dodge any work or duty based on the possession of his chitty.
Recognise any of them ?
 
Roy Blakey said:
As I moved around different units during National Service I observed certain characters that seemed to be in whatever billet I ended up in. Recognise any of them ?
Click to expand...
We had most of those in our billets, but a very important one we had was a British Rail fireman who could get the stove going red hot on cold winter nights.
 
Roy Blakey said:
Hello Eddie 14 and oldMohawk,
Perchance,did you immediately after completion of your Nation Service have to register with a' Territorial Unit" for the following 3 to 4 years ? I found this period worked well in so much that the blend of getting back into ' civvy street ' whilst still being in touch with ' Part time Army life' helped to smooth the ' Changeover '.
Click to expand...
Not NS myself but I remember those blokes I knew were assigned to a TA unit when they were demobbed. In those days a lot of them had (sometimes highly elaborate) "Chuff Charts", on which they would cross off the days till they could catch the train back to Blighty. NS men would delight in brandishing their Chuff Chart under your nose shouting things like "seven days and a TA posting to do !". A variation on that would be "seven days and an early breakfast to do !".
 
I am delighted to see that this sight has not gone dead as I still have many stories to tell. To be honest I have been off colour these past 4 months with a very bad leg ulcer again, a disaster really. Here goes, in my previous post I did mention that the Sgt Major at Goldenhillock rd wanted me to look after the small amout of weapons they had for the T.A but I declined, I still had to sign on to the Para Reg in Barrows Ln Yardley and I think that was for seven years (I will stand correcting as it has been a long time ago)
 
Talking about the billet scrounger,we had one who was always borrowing money and was out every night on someone elses cash. Before i moved up to the 4 man billet in the keep at Devises I was in a billet of about 14 with 22 beds the spare could be stacked by removing the top and bottom rails. This one night we all got together and stacked this guys bed onto the spare beds until there was about 18-20 inches between the ceiling and his bed. How the hell he climbed up there without waking us but he was fast asleep on the top the next morning.
Dave
 
Hi Dave, "Stand easy man", sorry to hear you have 'gone sick', what Para Reg was this Dave?? don't think you mentioned this before!!!, normal engagement was 6, or 9, did you reenlist or were you transferred??!!paul
 
Black Beauty.
Having just joined and having a pile of supplied equipment to sort out and get prepared do you remember the old black boot polish covered electric Iron. The one most guys used to get the ' Pimples'
flattened out on the Toes of their Parade boots. This Iron (No-body new where it came from) was most sort
after and was passed around from billet to billet as quickly as possible. A fast mirror effect on the toes of your boots could be achieved using this beauty. This activity on your boots was officially ' frowned on ' by
the ' Service' but it was the only way you could get the necessary results ' on time'.
 
Hi Paul,
Yes I have had a bad five months what with a leg ulcer and other things I ended up in hospital on the 22-7-13 and came out on the 24th having a very bad bout of Gastro Enteritis. That in the past, thanks for your concern, Paul. The barracks that I signed on to eventually closed and were transferred to the 18th ( royal Warwicks) bn Para. Reg.TA Aston Barracks, Witton Rd Aston bham !6-8-56. I did not have to go down to Aston to sign on to T.A as I went to the barrows lane ones which are still there.
Nice hearing from you Paul, thanks

Dave
 
Roy, we did not use the iron as that was for doing your B.D. We used to put a little Brasso in the lid of the polish tin,light it and use the handle of your dessert spoon with plenty of polish on your boot and burn the polish into the leather, this also flattened the pimples. If you burnt the leather first it went brittle and rough and took a lot of building up, I honestly have never heard of burning the toecap first. I remember taking a whole afternoon and evening sewing the buttons on my Greatcoat as they had changed from brass to anadised and there were sixteen and the R.E.M.E. logo had to be absolutely upright on inspection.
Dave
 
Hi Dave, all the very best old mate, I hope all goes well, health wise, I understand now as you transferred to the TA, being ex-Guards, the horrors of candle, kiwi boot polish lid, large spoon handle, and yellow duster, and hours of turning circular motions on a couple of pairs of " Ammunition boots" became second nature to me. As the guards depot required the under sole to shine as brightly as the top, and the studs had to be rubbed with the side of a matchbox, and then "Brasso'd", it seemed never ending. This coupled with sewing on some 100 buttons of various sizes, "whitening with piping fluid", blanco'ing, and even polishing the soles of our gym shoes, I became quite proficient in cleaning everything from toilet urinal brass, and bumpering cardinal polish floors that stretched to infinity. paul
 
" Geronimo ". 1949-1951. Great adventure. Basic training : Aldershot. Driver training: Somerset. Vehicle Machanic training: Farnborough. Para training : Assault and Disapline: Aldershot. Parachute School: Middleton Stoney,Upper Heyford,
Oxfordshire. Posted Overseas: El-Kirsh,Egypt ( Vehicle Inspector ). " Red on stand to the door " - " Green on GO ". I wonder if they still use the FAN and the TOWER for para training these days. Imagine how much it would cost you to go on
such an adventure.
 
Dave. Sorry to hear about the Hospital hope all is well now. lucky for me I have kept in pretty good health. Rode 80 miles to celebrate my 80t D/Bay 7th June. Have to admit my memory is going on the blink! Anyone have any idea how I could get records of my National service? John Crump OldBrit. Parker. Co USA
 
Eddie14. Eddie,just viewing your resoonse referring to the use of Irons and BD pressing. Brought up a memory. One time
during a cross service training period a couple of Marines doing the same course demonstrated to the rest of us how to keep
the BD pressed and ready without the use of an Iron. They achieved this by laying pieces of Cardboard below and on top of
their carefully laid out BD's. They then placed this ' sandwich' carefully between the wire bed frame and the mattress . One
nights sleep pressing on this sandwich provided a very reasonable outcome. I tried it myself a few times and short of a flat
out Brigadiers Inspection it worked OK. The art was in the positioning of the BD.
 
I tried that once and ended up with a Battenberg pattern on blouse and trousers, lost 4 days pay and 4 days CTB, and 2 days jankers, used the iron after that. Thinking back I don't think I ever received a full weeks pay, my 'Paybook' had more red than black enteries in it. 'Oldbrit', try Army records, Glasgow. paul
 
The times I have seen lads put the BD under the matress and to see the end result, pure idleness because they had not got time to press it properly and wanted to go out. One thing we did was to shave the inside of the seems to remove the knap off the material this made it better for pressing. The other thing that used to take place was only pressing your trousers from the knee down for guard duty in Winter time as the greatcoat would cover the rest. God help you if the Officer pulled the coat away and saw unpressed trousers, usually in the Winter the guard mount was done when it was dark so things got missed.
Dave
 
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