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National Service

Never was in mortar platoon, though did theory in basic training, and at School of infantry at Warminster, for section commanders briefing.
 
The Mortor was just one of the weapons during the six months training. Twenty four in all and a lot of paper work. When you think of it ,Paul, it was a waste of time for just 18 months of actual using that info and then throwing it all away, which is what we were told to do with the paperwork.

Dave
 
paul stacey said:
#1237, the last thing my dad said as I left Snow hill was , "Don't ever Volunteer for anything son", within about and hour of arriving and being kitted out in working kit a GG Sgt, about 6'8", appeared, we all stood in awe of him, in nice quite voice said, "hello lads, now then who amongst you can ride a motor bike well", within a second a dozen hands shot up including mine, "good, good, you lads come out here , your all on coal fatigues, for the next 3 days", I have never worked as hard before or since, talk about gutted. Taught me a valuable lesson though. #1236, thanks Dave you've made my day.!!!! #1235, the best one I heard recently was in " Forest Gump", when the master Sgt asked him on the bus to join the Marines, "What are you going to do in this mans army son", every thing you tell me Sgt, "Correct answer, God damn boy, you will go far in this mans army".
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Volunteering never did me any harm while doing N/S.
I had my Father and six brothers go through the military system before me so I learnt a lot of wrinkles on what to volunteer for or not.
The best was volunteering to help in the other ranks mess during the evening when it had to be cleaned ready for the next day. Used to come back to my billet with bread, butter and tins of those lovely tinned sausages we had. My mates and myself never went to bed hungry on those nights.
Never had enough money to feed ourselves in the NAAFI.
Happy days.
 
I actually did volunteer for a couple of duties after sussing out the wrinkles, 1. was the Salvation army rest club, 2. the officers mess cleaning after a "Dine In Night", the sally army ladies always made sure we went back with goodies, and the Officers Mess manager gave us all the unfinished booze and food. Like K2 we really never had much money for the NAAFI, except Friday nights.
 
paul stacey said:
You'll be on Army Charge B252, Smudger my lad, jankers on the horizon.
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Not for the first time Paul. Paul, did you ever visit Belsen while you were in Germany? You may have heard about the urban myth that birds never sing there, & when i visited there i can`t recall any sounds at all, just silence, but maybe that was because i was totally overwhelmed by the place.
 
I have been around Belsen Smudge, and true enough , no animal, or bird sound, actually my mate made a comment, that where ever you looked there were no birds in the air overhead. or near the site.paul
 
I visited Belsen back in the 1950's I agree it was a very eerie place. remember the several signs 'Here Lies The Body's Of five Thousand Jews'
 
paul stacey said:
I have been around Belsen Smudge, and true enough , no animal, or bird sound, actually my mate made a comment, that where ever you looked there were no birds in the air overhead. or near the site.paul
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Paul, I bet that was really spooky.
 
Hi Maypole Baz, Drill Sgt told me he was going to open my AB64 part 1 and do unmentionable things over my next of kin! Another pearl of his was "outside in three ranks, thats one behind the other twice!
 
foggy39 said:
Hi Maypole Baz, Drill Sgt told me he was going to open my AB64 part 1 and do unmentionable things over my next of kin! Another pearl of his was "outside in three ranks, thats one behind the other twice!
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They're new ones on me foggy !

A couple I DO remember are, "The squad will move to the right, in bundles of three !" or "The squad will advance, in a cloud of dust !"

There are, of course, many more.
 
I think that for most of us. The TWO years we spent in the service of our country where the most important two years we EVER spent. We where taken from our NORMAL life at a very important time in OUR lives AFTER going through a WORLD WAR and exposed to who knows what. We had NO choice DID WE? My life was changed I found myself going in a direction that I had no control over. Of course it WAS a learning experience, maybe good for some of us. I find now that MY memory is getting dimmer as the time passes. I love to read all the tales, some long and some short that the lads have to tell. This forum has give ME untold joy since joining. MY heart felt thanks to Jim and of you that allow us to share what we have left to share. John Crump OldBrit in Parker. Colorado USA
 
Isn't strange how with the numbers of Brummies that were called up for N/S at more or less the same time, I only ever knowingly came across two other Brummies during my two years.
One was an old school mate who I meet at Blandford, who came in a month after me, the other was at my work unit, 22 Coy. RASC, Taunton, who had been recalled as a reservist due to the Suez crisis.
When he was demobbed the second time after Suez became settled, he gave me his old well polished and smooth cap badge.
Many times while wearing that badge on morning parade I was told to take it to the stores and swap it for a new one.
No way, I would just disappear for a while, put a spare new badge I had in my beret, report back to the sergeant, show him my new badge and get on with the day. Just put the smooth one back in when off parade.
I still have that badge.
 
Another little event that happened whilst I was driving ambulances down in the West Country.
I had to pick a sergeant up suffering with some awful gut problem.
This particular sergeant was one of the hateful kind that no one liked.
I had to take him to Portland Bill where there was a medical centre at the time.
Driving round the Bill in the dark late at night, difficult to find where we should have been. Sergeant in the back yelling and screaming blue murder.
The medic I was with told me not to hurry, he was just getting what was owed to him for all the bullying he had done over the years.
The sergeant was the medic's own sergeant was really enjoying getting his own back.
 
Here`s a photo i took today at a nearby seaside town (Seaham) It depicts the weariness of a WW1 soldier 006.jpg
 
I agree completely with my old buddy John (#1266). My National Service took me away from Birmingham for the first time in my life. Spent two years in Germany at HQ BAOR & a couple of courier trips to SHAPE Paris. I quickly learned to identify regional accents, met guys from all sorts of life, University graduates, to coal minors, from car mechanics to language experts, actors, sportsmen and everything in between. I made great friends with all of my comrades. The best learning curve of my life. When I made full corporal my father (who had been at both Dunkirk & D-Day) was very proud of me. The reason that I can touch type this message is because the Royal Signals taught me all about Tele-printers, and Cypher machines. In those jobs I had to be deadly accurate on a keyboard. Again, I agree with John, we are all getting older, and memories are fading. If you are under seventy now, you missed National Service.
 
Could not see your attachment Smudge #1270, as for #1264, we all know you did't mean to offend, unfortunately we were both brought up in another world, I personally find the world I inhabit now, is a complete mystery to me. Still moving on the steel statue of a WW1 infantryman is a splendid thing, we don't seem to have enough of this type of thing down in the," posher" south east.
 
I was in BAOR, posted there in 1952, was in the Royal Signals, wireless operator, attached to 6Th Infantry Brigade.
We had about 5 Brummies in the troop,kept in touch with one when he came out a month after me, and still meet up twice a week.
 
Must have been confusing Nick if they were all called "Brummie", on an exercise in Germany, "Folingbostal", we had a Brummie, Royal Signals link/coms and they used me to (interpret), in Aden 64/5 I remember 210Sigs and 222sigs.
 
Nice to hear from a another Royal Sigs. Brummie. I was intake 52.02. Number 1 Training Regt. Bitterly cold January. Met a few other Catterick bound "Brummies" at New Street station, all with our brown paper and string parcels to send our civvies back home. Six weeks on the Yorkshire moors in January, and I thought that life had passed me by. King George VI died in the February. The billet radio was silent, and we thought that it had broken until some one told us. In addition to all of the regular "bulling up" we had extra parades for the funeral. Then onto 4 Training Regt. for signals training.
Was on duty at HQ BAOR on the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Missed all the ceremonies. Served my two years under a His Maj & a Her Maj. One of my closed buddy's in training was killed on his second day in Malaya. For what? Around £2 per week. Some of the guys were also sent to the war in Korea. We did not volunteer, but 99% of us did a great job. Keep the memories/stories coming.
 
RAF Sports Afternoons.
I was serving an apprenticeship and my call up was deferred until I was aged 21 and believe or not I had not learnt to swim at that age. During training at RAF Melksham, Wednesday afternoons were 'sports afternoons' and we went to an open air Lido in nearby Trowbridge. On a sunny afternoon in the pic I suddenly found I could swim, one minute I couldn't, next minute I could. I have two photos in another thread on the forum and can make them appear here. They remind me of the good old 1950's.

Our flight including me is in the centre of the first pic.
TrowbridgeLido1957.jpg


Our flight relaxing in the sun - I've never met any of them since we were all posted far and wide, but I can remember all their names . The two young ones on the left front row never did national service !
RAFswimTrowbridge1957.JPG

Happy memories - I tried to find the lido on GE but I think it has been replaced by a supermarket ....
 
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51-15 was my intake number, By coincidence I was also working in the Signals Office the day of the Coronation, I had mates that went to Korea, luckily they returned OK
 
norfolk brummie said:
Nice to hear from a another Royal Sigs. Brummie. I was intake 52.02. Number 1 Training Regt. Bitterly cold January. Met a few other Catterick bound "Brummies" at New Street station, all with our brown paper and string parcels to send our civvies back home. Six weeks on the Yorkshire moors in January, and I thought that life had passed me by. King George VI died in the February. The billet radio was silent, and we thought that it had broken until some one told us. In addition to all of the regular "bulling up" we had extra parades for the funeral. Then onto 4 Training Regt. for signals training.
Was on duty at HQ BAOR on the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. Missed all the ceremonies. Served my two years under a His Maj & a Her Maj. One of my closed buddy's in training was killed on his second day in Malaya. For what? Around £2 per week. Some of the guys were also sent to the war in Korea. We did not volunteer, but 99% of us did a great job. Keep the memories/stories coming.
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I know £2 a week isn`t much, but you got bed & board for free, & we all know how tasty army grub was!! I left my job as a wages clerk in `59 earning £2.4.2p a week & had to buy my own grub out of that (A lot of beans on toast) Army lunches were ok, but teatime was a load of rubbish. I usually ate bread & jam for tea. The duty officer was in the mess one day & asked me about the food. I replied "the peas are very hard sir" He picked a pea from my plate & said "Seems all right to me soldier" I said, "that one might not be so tough, i`ve been chewing it for 10 minutes". A cushy little job i had in Germany was delivering diplomatic mail to the British embassy in Bonn, & got to eat real food.
 
paul stacey said:
Could not see your attachment Smudge #1270, as for #1264, we all know you did't mean to offend, unfortunately we were both brought up in another world, I personally find the world I inhabit now, is a complete mystery to me. Still moving on the steel statue of a WW1 infantryman is a splendid thing, we don't seem to have enough of this type of thing down in the," posher" south east.
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It is a great statue Paul, & if you`d like to have it in the "posher south" then i believe it`s for sale, but probably too rich for the likes of you & me. Still, it would like nice as a centre piece in my front garden. It`s just on loan at the place in the photo & i hope they`ve got some sort of security, otherwise it might get nicked even if it does weigh a few ton.
 
I wa posted to Korea in 1952 and was in a LAD reme unit attached to Div.Sig Reg just south of the river Imjin
my service no was 22693662.all for about £2 a week.They even failed to pay me the Korea Bonus I was due
I have tried to claim it using my MP Tom Watson,but they claim they can not find records
Such is life
Jh
 
Hello Apprentice Brummie. If you did your National Service in Korea, you earned every penny. Have you tried contacting The British Korean Veterans Association, c/o Colonel
G.M. Gadd (retired)? I am sure that they will help in tracing your records, and payments due. Good luck.
 
Austin K2 said:
Isn't strange how with the numbers of Brummies that were called up for N/S at more or less the same time, I only ever knowingly came across two other Brummies during my two years.

I agree ,to meet a Brummie in the army was quite an occasion. I allways thought it was because men from "The City with a Thousand Trades" were all apprenticed and their NS was deferred.
I recall one night in the early 70s when my generator had died on my veh. and I was sent to TAC HQ of the 15/19 Hussars to get it fixed. On arrival I was directed to the QM (Technical).
The 15/19 Hussars recruited in Geordieland, so imagine my surprise when the QM(T) emerged from his office trailer and said, "Are yow blokes from the QOH ?" in an accent that would shame Karl Chinn.
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.An ex squaddie told me when he served in Malaya after a five day patrol they had a few days "down time" and to pass the time they used to write to various makers complimenting their products, and, very often got "goodie parcels" in return. One bloke wrote to Wilkinson Sword saying how good those blades were and that he'd managed to get three months wear out of one. They replied thanking him for his kind comments and added "please find enclosed 3 months supply of blades" Nuff said!
 
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