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National Service

  • Thread starter Thread starter RayD
  • Start date Start date
Yes' I was accepted for aircrew training way back in 1948 but I had not the educational qualification for pilot or navigator training, was offered flight engineer or wireless op, chose wireless operator (with modern telecom that became obsolete many years ago, and flight engineer). Still I was flying and that's what I wanted. In them days civil flying was in its infancy, long before the jet age. I spent my time on the likes of Lancasters (my favourite), Sunderlands, Hastings, Dakotas etc... all long since gone. Happy carefree days. Eric
 
Continuing my thoughts of events at Syerston pilot training station. I don't know if it happened at other stations, but there, a few days before Christmas, all the officers, including the station Wing Commander, and NCOs served a full Christmas dinner to other ranks. Prior to the dinner we were all issued with a printed menu card on which the officers had signed their names. That day we were all looking forward to this most unusual event. However, for yours truly and two others it was not to be. About 3pm news came through that sadly one of the trainee pilots had crashed about three miles from the station. Three of us were then detailed for guard duty over the crash site. Being December it was dark by the time we arrived there. They were just taking the pilot away. We were then on guard duty until about 11pm until others were assigned the guard duty. We arrived back at the station cold and wet and hungry but not in any mood to eat a reheated Christmas dinner. According to the other guys though they had a tremendous dinner so much better for being served by those we had served all year.
 
aggie2347 said:
Spider Huts PirbrightView attachment 147319
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Where those identical suitcases and if so were they army issue? Oh those hospital corners and blanket boxes, but as Coy Orderly Sergeant (even though I was only a corporal), there is not much to pick up from this view, apart from the second bed from the left, a crease in the blanket two thirds of the way up. To clarify why I was a corporal playing at Company Orderly Sergeant, this was a Brigade HQ and as Chief Clerk I was the senior living in NCO, the Brigade staff were not included for duties and all the senior NCOs, (the CSM, the QSM and the Provo Sergeant lived off camp in Married Quarters) so I had the pleasure, and when the Provo sergeant was sent back to the UK for demob, he was a regular, I became Provo Sergeant as well. Ah the power, my RASC beret and shoes disappeared and I would strut around with my South Staffs drill stick, tankie beret, black webbing, my battledress was Canadian green, my shirts had cutaway collars and my ties were all bleached white. The only person to complain was Commander Royal Army Service Corps, who questioned the trousers with motor bike chain weights keeping them low over the gaiters. As a Brigade HQ we saw a huge number of different regiments and corps in our midst and when Princess Alice (Colonel in Chief of the Green Howards, who were at that time part of the brigade, I had to put on a squad which comprised 28 different badges and one beret without a badge (the Lancers or Dragoons regiment who historically had lost their badge) and march behind he Princess, and five senior officers as she carried out an inspection and picked up the smallest uniform fault. A very unpleasant day.

Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
Where those identical suitcases and if so were they army issue? Oh those hospital corners and blanket boxes, but as Coy Orderly Sergeant (even though I was only a corporal), there is not much to pick up from this view, apart from the second bed from the left, a crease in the blanket two thirds of the way up. To clarify why I was a corporal playing at Company Orderly Sergeant, this was a Brigade HQ and as Chief Clerk I was the senior living in NCO, the Brigade staff were not included for duties and all the senior NCOs, (the CSM, the QSM and the Provo Sergeant lived off camp in Married Quarters) so I had the pleasure, and when the Provo sergeant was sent back to the UK for demob, he was a regular, I became Provo Sergeant as well. Ah the power, my RASC beret and shoes disappeared and I would strut around with my South Staffs drill stick, tankie beret, black webbing, my battledress was Canadian green, my shirts had cutaway collars and my ties were all bleached white. The only person to complain was Commander Royal Army Service Corps, who questioned the trousers with motor bike chain weights keeping them low over the gaiters. As a Brigade HQ we saw a huge number of different regiments and corps in our midst and when Princess Alice (Colonel in Chief of the Green Howards, who were at that time part of the brigade, I had to put on a squad which comprised 28 different badges and one beret without a badge (the Lancers or Dragoons regiment who historically had lost their badge) and march behind he Princess, and five senior officers as she carried out an inspection and picked up the smallest uniform fault. A very unpleasant day.

Bob
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Those cases were issued in the early sixties, we got them about the same time as we got No 2 Dress and a raincoat (Macs, Flashing).
 
maypolebaz said:
Those cases were issued in the early sixties, we got them about the same time as we got No 2 Dress and a raincoat (Macs, Flashing).
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I've read about you Guards and your No 2 Dress, nuff said nudge,nudge. In the HQ(later Brigade) Squadron the Brigade Major was a Scots Guardsman and his batman was Scots Guards as well, talk about constant smartness, they showed the rest of us up. I forgot to mention the other reason that none of the senior NCOs (and there were six of them) did not do duties was they were all excused boots and parades, the actual Sqn/Bde staff were also all excused duties, so the onus of discipline fell on the part that I was posted to which in the main comprised RASC drivers. Funnily enough they were quite happy days and return to civilian life was not what had been promised.

Bob
 
The RASC drivers were our most usual 'customers' in Egypt, we did the vehicle tests, (army mot), we found a lot of fiddled with carburettor governors :), we also dealt with a lot of shunted front ends when out on desert exercises.
I had a small operation in BMH El Ballah and while recovering they took us to a show, Terry Thomas Lorrae Desmond and others.
We were taken by the CABS Canal Army Bus Service, ten minutes into the trip the bus stopped , someone shouted "There's a mechanic somewhere on the bus, that was me, it was pitch dark and I thought this is going to be tough, but when I got up to the front I found the driver had left the choke full on and flooded it, I pushed it off and told him to hold the accelerator down, it fired up, there was a big cheer from the guys and I settled back down in my seat. :cool:
 
Bob Davis said:
I've read about you Guards and your No 2 Dress, nuff said nudge,nudge. In the HQ(later Brigade) Squadron the Brigade Major was a Scots Guardsman and his batman was Scots Guards as well, talk about constant smartness, they showed the rest of us up. I forgot to mention the other reason that none of the senior NCOs (and there were six of them) did not do duties was they were all excused boots and parades, the actual Sqn/Bde staff were also all excused duties, so the onus of discipline fell on the part that I was posted to which in the main comprised RASC drivers. Funnily enough they were quite happy days and return to civilian life was not what had been promised.

Bob
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Cheers Bob. I must point out, though, that I was in the Gunners and The Queen's Own Hussars, never the Guards !
 
This is our Squad who had just finished basic training at RAF Cardington Sep 1948, 72 years ago, they will all be 90 + now, so no doubt some no longer with us. I am 1st left front row and had just been Cardington Sep 1948.jpg informed I had been accepted for aircrew training. Cardington is where the airship R101 hanger is. Eric
 
smashing photo eric...you have not changed a bit...would have known that was you without you saying

lyn
 
Hi

I think my dad did National Service sometime around 1948 as I have found out he returned from Jamaica to Birmingham via Bristol. I have a rough idea of what National Service was but didn't know that you could be posted abroad. Is there anyway of finding more about his time doing National Service or any other records. He was born in 1928 and I think was evacuated during the war as a child.

Alison :)
 
Alison,

As your father is deceased, you can apply for a copy of his service record and when I obtained mine the cost was £30. All the details about 'how to' are on this site:-
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records

And yes, many National Servicemen served abroad. I was in the RAF, expressed a preference for overseas service, but all of our flight stayed in the UK. The previous flight all went abroad. Your preference meant nothing! I hope that helps.

Maurice :cool:
 
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Hi all,
As this is my first post I may as well start off by saying how surprised I am by being one of the err younger N/S men on this forum.
I did my two years from 1956 - 58 in the Royal Artillery.
 
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