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National Service

As a BATMAN to the Sports Officer I was an expert with the iron. Spit polishing an art? Had to keep him looking his best. Of course it paid its way for me to go ride my BOIK when I wanted and race when I wanted. Easy street? John Crump
 
When my brother came home on leave it was my job to press his pants....he was in the RNAS and those bell bottems had to be just right l think it was seven creases in each leg representing the seven seas...that navy blue serge was the hardest to get a good sharp crease ....but the brown paper and water and a lot of hard work l was able to do ok ....Brenda
 
img598.jpgdated 1947 from left to right tommy york...eric toon..my dad george harrington and jimmy cusack...
 
Great photo Lyn. Was this just before they did their National Service? Or during? Often wondered how they kept their caps on at such an acute angle, especially if they were on an exercise. Viv.
 
aston2.jpgaston3.jpgthanks both...here is an even bigger bunch of them with names written in their own hand on the back..dad is back row third from the left...not sure what regiment though...would it be the warkwickshires
 
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Blimey Lyn, they do look a motley crew!!, I would say that your dad is the best looking one there , and those "Berets", ???, it looks like a training squad/platoon, from different regiments and units, going by the different lanyards and badges. I knew Hillsea barracks Pompey, I believe it was a Marine commando school during the war. Thanks for posting Lyn. Paul
 
lol paul dont they just....mind you they looked happy enough...i may have one or two more photos will just go and look
 
Vivienne14 said:
Great photo Lyn. Was this just before they did their National Service? Or during? Often wondered how they kept their caps on at such an acute angle, especially if they were on an exercise. Viv.
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thanks viv...cant be sure about that one...wouldnt take much to knock the caps off though lol
 
Lyn, it looks as though Hilsea was at the time a base for the RAOC - Royal Army Ordnance Corps - and basic (and possibly further?) training was done there.

Chris
 
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Astoness said:
View attachment 94639View attachment 94640thanks both...here is an even bigger bunch of them with names written in their own hand on the back..dad is back row third from the left...not sure what regiment though...would it be the warkwickshires
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Interesting photo, anybody figured out the cap badge yet ? (I don't think they're Warwicks, Lyn). The majority seem to have the wartime Bakelite pattern.
What caught my eye was the man seated who has his trouser bottoms tucked in, could be an early form of "elastics". VERY naughty in my day !
 
img532.jpgimg551.jpgthanks both...here are another couple ive found..look how high up dads trousers were in pic one on the right lol....pic 2 dad is second from left
 
I can just hear the dialogue in the clothing stores, Lyn....
Your dad, "er, these trousers are a bit big !"
Storeman, "That's allright, you'll grow into 'em !"

Another snippet. While looking through my cap badge books, I found that the hat those lads are wearing was called the General Service Cap.
(Not a lot of people know that !).
 
img591.jpghi baz and i can just imagine our dads reply to that...he was never a mincer of words lol...thanks for the info on the badges....thinking about it im suprised dad even wore those trousers..he was always a smart dresser...ironed his own shirts and trousers all his life and polished his shoes like you could see yourself in them i know he was always proud of his national service...this one is my favourite one of mom and dad taken when they were just 18...they had been together since the age of 14 and married at 21 as soon as dad finished national service..must stop rabbiting now im going a tad off the subject lol


lyn
 
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Lyn

The cap badge looks suspiciously like a Royal Artillery cap badge to me, especially as in your latest photo your dad is wearing a white lanyard on his right shoulder.
 
thanks phil...i know for certain that they wore the lanyard on the left shoulder for the royal field artillary but not sure which side for the royal artillary..im so annoyed with myself really as its another of those why didnt i ask these questions when i could....only lost dad last year..my brother will be here soon so i will ask him if he knows for certain...

thanks phil

lyn
 
img596.jpg just found another one...i think the badge on dads cap (right) could be a little clearer
 
In the Royal Signals we wore a blue lanyard on the right shoulder.

Perhaps some of you older ex. service men will also remember how many studs should be in each boot. I have forgotten, Was it 11, 12 or 13? I do remember being on parade, and the Officer on Parade would walk along behind the standing ranks, and tap your leg with his stick. You then had to raise your foot behind your back, so that the officer could count the studs. Not having the correct number of studs was liable to a charge. How crazy was that? Eddie
 
Lyn

It looks like the Royal Army Ordinance Core to me, they were concerned with artillery weren't they and they also wore a white lanyard, and the cap badge looks pretty similar to me.
 

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Apart from breakfast (loved those army sausages) the rest of army food was pretty bland. One day at lunchtime the duty officer asked if i had any complaints & i said "yes sir, the peas are as hard as ball bearings" He picked a pea from my plate & said " that pea doesn`t taste like a ball bearing" To which i replied "That one was probably all right because i`ve been chewing it for the last five minutes" I practically lived on bread & jam in our canteen & spit roast chicken in paprika in the german canteen, with some jolly nice beer to wash it down.
 
thanks for your thoughts everone..we do have dads army number so i am thinking of obtaining his records if that is possible

lyn
 
Lynn, re post 1477. If you look at" what does REME" mean thread, just below this thread, I have given website details to obtain Army records. It is a cap badge George V1 pattern of Royal Army Ordnance Corps. The only connection with Royal Artillery is we supply the ammunition and our patron saint of St Barbara.
 
hello jwp many thanks so dad was in the royal ordanance then...i will go and find the REME thread now..thanks again for your help

lyn
 
jwp said:
Lynn, re post 1477. If you look at" what does REME" mean thread, just below this thread, I have given website details to obtain Army records. It is a cap badge George V1 pattern of Royal Army Ordnance Corps. The only connection with Royal Artillery is we supply the ammunition and our patron saint of St Barbara.
Click to expand...

jwp

I was wondering who you were in Colly with, you've saved me having to ask. I remember an OFP there but can't recall which one.
 
Nick,

Remember the Royal Signals March "Be Gone All Care" The Regimental motto: Certa Cito (Swift & Sure). You probably remember that we had our own translation for Certo Cito. Unprintable here. Eddie.
 
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