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Like father, like son. Not really. My father was a real army man. Before WW2 he served in the Territorial Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Was at Dunkirk, came back home, went back to France at D Day. Came home in 1946. Me? I was conscripted as a National Serviceman. Did my time to the best...

On military exercises in West Germany 1953. As a cypher operator I was never at the front, but we were always behind the lines, working in a specially designed lorry, with all the relevant equipment, usually easy, reliable code methods, to be used without danger to more important methods. In...

Two even better photographs of Brian Bennett's kit. I really love the colour in the bass drum head that I had designed for him. Beautiful artwork. Eddie

Have just come across this nice coloured photograph of Brian Bennett, playing the drum kit that he used on the Eurovision Song Contest, with The Shadows. It is of the cover of a Shadows LP "Live at Olympia, Paris" I think I have already told this story, but Brian asked me to come up with a...

Sixty five years ago today, January 17th 1952, I seem to recall it was a Thursday, together with other young men, each of us clutching the obligatory brown paper and string, I stood on a platform at New Street Station, waiting to be transported, by steam train, for our involuntary National...

Never got used to British beer, Smudger, but always loved German beer. Still enjoy the occasional glass of it. Eddie

Whilst looking through my old photographs from N.S. days, I came across this one, which has an interesting story. It is known as the Minden Gap, and is a few kilometres from Bad Oeynhausen. During WW2 it was a very strategic point in the Allied advance through Germany. The Allies, mainly...

My final set of photographs from my Then and Now National Service days in West Germany. They are from Bad Oeynhausen. The town had been completely taken over by the British, all the civilians removed, all the houses used for billeting troops, and all the town amenities, for the British troops...

My final set of photographs from my Then and Now National Service days in West Germany. They are from Bad Oeynhausen. The town had been completely taken over by the British, all the civilians removed, all the houses used for billeting troops, and all the town amenities, for the British troops...

Sorry, and apologies....that is what I meant, just got it the wrong way round !! Now edited. Eddie

My driver, would drive me on courier work. Good driver. Note the left hand drive jeep , ideal for German autobahns. Never knew his first name, just "Brummie" Wright. Herford & Bad Oeynhausen, Royal Signals, Germany, 1953. If he is still alive, he would also be around 83. Would be nice to find...

A photograph of Bad Oeynhausen railway station, now & then. For quite some time I had my own private room overlooking the railway station, complete with radio and large wardrobe. Very civilian like!

My initial arrival in then, West Germany, was to Royal Signals, Herford. Although this would always be my base, I spent very little time there. It was a German army barracks before the end of WW2, and interesting I have come across some photographs of when it was occupied by German troops, and...

Interestingly, I can now compare some of my own photographs, taken 1952/53, with some of the official photographs that were taken during B.A.O.R days. I know that many 'Brummies' were stationed in both Herford and Bad Oeynhausen, and so maybe of interest to some 'old soldiers'. The first...

Wonderful. Thank you, Maurice, A wonderful website, that brings back many memories. Not only for troopships, but also British Army of the Rhine (B.A.O.R) history, and photographs of barracks and locations, including the two barracked where I was stationed...Herford, and more interestingly, Bad...

In the loft, just found these two photographs. How many of you ex. National Service men, remember these troop ships, and travelled on them, between Harwich & the Hook of Holland, bound for West Germany? The Empire Wansbeck: on the back it says September 11th 1952, so it would have been when I...

Thanks Maurice. Everything going well, and never practice for less than one hour each day. Thoroughly enjoying it. Going back to Ray Anthony, he featured, alongside Billy May, in the trumpet section of the pre war Glenn Miller Band. I seem to recall that they appeared, with Glenn's band , in...

That is great Maurice. Wonderful names from the world of entertainment. Ray Anthony still around, What a great trumpet player he was, and Joe Porcaro, the drummer father of drummer Jeff Porcaro, (TOTO), who died so suddenly. Vic Damone, a great singer. Such a talented list.. Makes me feel a...

Keep breathing John. We ain't finished yet !!

There is still Tony Bennett, but after that, they are about the only two left Dave, from an era of great songs, and wonderful talent. Eddie