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National Service

  • Thread starter Thread starter RayD
  • Start date Start date
Our squadron did a UN tour in Cyprus, starting in June through to December. We'd been there about a month when I remember we were getting on parade one morning when one of the blokes, in a rich Brummie accent said, "don' it ever bleedin' rain 'ere ?"
Once we were acclimatised the heat didn't bother.us much.
 
Great stuff, Dave, and thanks for posting. It even opened with my late father-in-law's favourite hymn, The Day Thou Gavest Lord Has Ended.

Maurice
 
norfolk brummie said:
Very proud of all my old pals in the Royal Signals, Jan'52-Jan'54. There was the Korean war & Malaysian campaign. Lost a friend in Malaya. National Servicemen did a great job. Long may they be remembered.
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I was in the REM attached to the Royal Signals just south of the IMJIN river from Aug 1952 t0 1953
I even played in their Football Team
Happy Days
John Hughes
 
paul stacey said:
Were you in the same brigade as "Bill Speakman's", mob John, and were you involved in the same action. Paul
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No the Glouchesters epic battle took place in April 1951,I dd not arrive until Aug 1952.
I had the honour of walking up the site of their stand at hill 235.the ground was covered with the spent ammo
Being in the REME I was lucky not to fire my rifle in anger.
The only action I saw was a trip to the front line and having a granstand view of a strike on the North Koreans
line by our planes using the deadly Napalm.Glad I was on our side of the valley
Regards
J Hughes
 
Hughes said:
No the Glouchesters epic battle took place in April 1951,I dd not arrive until Aug 1952.
I had the honour of walking up the site of their stand at hill 235.the ground was covered with the spent ammo
Being in the REME I was lucky not to fire my rifle in anger.
The only action I saw was a trip to the front line and having a granstand view of a strike on the North Koreans
line by our planes using the deadly Napalm.Glad I was on our side of the valley
Regards
J Hughes
Click to expand...

A Jock in our Battery wore an American Citation ribbon on the sleeve of his BD jacket. It was awarded to a Mortar Battery he used to be in that gave the Gloucesters close support during the battle.
 
Hi, I admit I have not gone through every posting on this thread, so apologise for possible repeat. I was wondering if it would be possible to try and obtain my late uncles National Service record. I have no idea when he did this or where he may have served, or indeed, who he served with, but I have been informed he "Drove Tanks" and thats all I know. Are these records available to the public/relations or not and where would I apply if they are. Thank You for any advice at all. cresser.
 
I believe this is where my husband emailed for an address to apply for his records. They are free to direct next-of-kin but there is a charge otherwise.
National Service
There is also quite a wait usually, and you don't receive everything but it's worth asking.
Hope this helps.
rosie.
 
As an RAF National Serviceman, I believe I got my service record from the RAF Records Office at RAF Innsworth in Gloucestershire, but that was quite a few years ago.

This is probably more appropriate now:-

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/overview

Maurice

PS I should add that I received two full colour A3 sized photocopies of my service record, but that was probably because I complained of late arrival and our emails crossed in the post!
 
Hi Rosie and Maurice,
Thank You both for your replies and advice. I have now downloaded the appropriate forms and can now apply for any information allowed. Many thanks, cresser:)
 
Hiya nico,
You asked what a "chuffchart" is. Well National Service men used to produce a chart with a grid drawn on it. The amount of squares in that grid usually corresponded to the number of days a man had to serve before demob.
The actual name "chuffchart" I think, came in after NS finished but the chart was still used by us "Thick Regulars", to count the days to one's next leave.
 
I called mine a 'demob chart' and stuck it on the inside of my locker door but took it down on inspection days because some officers did not like to see them !
I don't know why we had them they did not make the weeks go by any quicker .... :)
 
Mine was inside my suitcase lid. Of course you are right, why the hell did we do that, it never made life go any quicker, sometimes just the opposite?
Eddie
 
norfolk brummie said:
Mine was inside my suitcase lid. Of course you are right, why the hell did we do that, it never made life go any quicker, sometimes just the opposite?
Eddie
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One thing Eddie, you could compare it with someone else's chart and show them how few weeks you had to do until demob compared to theirs. Of course they might have fewer weeks to do !
I suppose it was something to talk about ...

In my first few months in the RAF I noticed that some bloke call Kilroy had previously used my locker because he had written 'Kilroy was Here' on the back of the door, then we noticed that he had written it everywhere even on the back of a toilet doors and inside panels .... he had been everywhere ... eventually we 'cottoned on' ... :D
 
Three of us worked on the third line servicing of Marconi radio compasses so the operation, as with much of the Unit's work, took place in Faraday cages. This was basically a framework of 2 x 2 timber covered both sides in chicken wire, each side insulated from the other and sometimes with a high voltage, low current DC supply connected between the two sides. This was to reduce noise and interference. The inside of the cage was covered in circuit diagrams, pin-ups, and, of course, the demob charts. The Flight Lieutenant in overall charge of us had come up through the ranks, so was used to our decorations and never objected.

Maurice
 
Old Mohawk, Did you not get a get a thrill when you crossed off each day on your demob chart? I had a twisted pleasure of feeling that I was venting my distaste against the R.A.F. for being taken away from my girl and being paid a pittance as a result! Ooh I was a bitter and twisted airman! Regards. willey
 
Hi Willey,
I remember as I got near to demob wondering about going back to the job I had before National Service. In those days employers had to take back anyone who had been conscripted for at least 6 months. I've just looked through the thread and notice I had mentioned it before in post#809 !!
Of course the young ones of today wonder what we are rambling on about but I suppose we can say 'we done our bit' ...
oldmohawk ...:)
 
When we joined up we were most definitely the 'Sprogs', with those that had been in longer, even a couple of weeks, would feel superior. So I guess we all loved to show off how much longer we had to do, and the less we had to do, the more superior we felt.
We used to do silly things like shave our uniform, and jump on our beret, which was also left to soak in water in order to re-shape it, all in order to make ourselves look more like an old soldier.

Not really made it until the uniform was re-tailored to look less baggy, and the weights were fitted when wearing gaiters. I knew that I had made it when I got the two stripes on my arm, and £4 a week. Aaahh, (sigh), memories of National Service.
 
I didn't really have a girl friend when I went in, so I wasn't deprived of that. And I came out with more experience of music than I went in with, and more experience of electronics too. So, all in all, I guess I benefited substantially from my National Service and was certainly much more confident when I came out. Because I had no great plans for what I was going to do when I came out, there was no great urgency to mark off the demob chart.

Once out, I returned to my job at BCT and it was only then that I started to plan my life - and I use the word plan very loosely.

Once basic training was out of the way, I think I quite enjoyed my National Service, but had the feeling that that was not how it was meant to be!

Maurice
 
Like Maurice, I did not have girlfriend problems, music was much more important to me. We had those that pined every day for the girl they left behind, and also saw a few broken relationships, caused by National Service. I enjoyed my army life, and once established in Germany, I played the drums in the Royal Signals camp band until my demob. Because we were all National Service guys, the band was really good, with a few professional musicians included. With no female problems, a responsible job decoding/encoding messages, which I really enjoyed, being an N.C.O, and playing in the band, I had a great army life.

Eddie
 
I think Eddie has hit the nail on the head. Anyone who has had a long distance relationship - and I have - will encounter problems that the separation involves. Navy & Merchant Navy personnel know all about this. I volunteered for service overseas but didn't get it, and 18 months in rural Shropshire was too close to Brum. So most weekends I went home to relieve the weekend boredom, but to the detriment of my bank balance!

Maurice
 
At the time of my National Service the RAF were mostly posting only 'regulars' abroad so I was only a train or coach journey away from Brum and came home at weekends when most camps virtually closed down. At the time I thought weekends were a good time for the Russians to attack but I suppose our 'V' bombers and missiles were always ready to go. It was a time when the doctrine of 'Mutually Assured Destruction' was in place and 4 years after my demob it was tested during the Cuban missile crisis.
Thankfully both sides backed down.
 
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oldMohawk, Re the girl I left behind - we have been married for 58 years so the R.A.F. didn't do too much damage to our relationship since like yourself, I was only a hitch-hike away and so I also got home at weekends. I don't know about yourself or the others following this thread but I find that whenever I happen to refer to National Service, a glassy look of disinterest comes over the listener. I think the present day young folk don't have any meaningful relevance to that period and it is left to us "wrinklies" to keep those days fresh in the memory. Regards to all those mature "sprogs" - long may you carry those memories! Regards willey
 
Willey,

You have to at least be in your 70s to have served. The youngsters have only seen that TV mock-up that was done a few years ago, and what I saw of it was not very representative of our time in the services. Bringing back National Service would never work in today's PC environment and it would be impossible to maintain any discipline, apart from the enormous cost. But we have the memories, whether they be good, bad or indifferent.

Maurice
 
Hi Willey - Great to hear that you and your wife have been married for 58 years. I was talking this morning to my brother-in-law who did his National Service in the Navy and was in the Suez Crisis on a ship off the Egyptian coast. Like Maurice says we have our memories and can always refresh them with a read through this thread.
Phil
 
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