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National Service

  • Thread starter Thread starter RayD
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cookie273uk said:
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 View attachment 147412 informed I had been accepted for aircrew training. Cardington is where the airship R101 hanger is. Eric
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Why do some of your squad appear to have a white spot near the badge on their berets?

Nodd the nosey
 
cookie273uk said:
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 View attachment 147412 informed I had been accepted for aircrew training. Cardington is where the airship R101 hanger is. Eric
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I missed this first time round. Basic Training, yet two of the trainees are sporting medal ribbons !
 
A fellow Gunn
scrump said:
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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A fellow gunner eh ? I joined as a boy in '57.
 
I wasted two years in the RAF, as a Batman to an RAF officer from 1951 to 1953. Got real good with the iron and vacuum cleaner and with shoe polish. Due I guess mainly to my being an artist, sculptor, and musician, they had nowhere to place me but there. Could not even ride my bike. the officer hated cycling, I had to work in the Officers mess and his house. Completely turned my life around lost interest in Cycling and contact with my pals. BUT in retrospect, things did turn out OK in the end, so maybe it was not so bad after all. 46053361_1568910919875605_5388295403525373952_o.jpg
 
Noddkd, Sorry, no idea what those white badges are, did not notice them till you mentioned it, I notice I am not wearing one otherwise I would know why. Eric
 
Maypolebaz, I should imagine they were in WW2 they look old enough, this was 1948 and the war had only finished 3 years ago, must have rejoined as regulars like the rest of us. Eric
 
I was also stationed in Singapore 1954/55 at RAF Seletar on 205/209 Squadron, Coastal Command (Sunderland flying boats), my Wife was with me in married quarters. Eric
 
What is it Eric my father-in-law said exactly the same he would love to, he passed through as well going to see friends in Australia. He use to take the photo’s, the photo with the airplane was taking off to Selectar, writing on the back part of Lord Jedder’s escort. The other is the money.
08DCF2A2-8EA7-4295-827E-0DEF6FA5C02E.jpeg99890CBE-13BA-4F74-AC46-92462C3074D1.jpegBDB5A70E-454C-4411-B8AB-8EEA7604C008.jpeg
 
The only thing we disliked was the climate, 89/90 EVERY day of the year plus the high humidity, night time was the worst especially sleeping under mosquito nets which was mandatory (we were 15 miles outside the city), this was was before air conditioning just ceiling fans. We were only there for 15 months, the previous 15 months we were in Hong Kong with a much better and healthier climate. Have attach a pic of our married quarters Eric
 

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June 1953 saw me as a N/Serviceman at 6 TR Royal Engineers at Worcester for a few weeks before transferring to the Royal Military Police at Inkerman Barracks Woking.
After a very long time training I was posted to Trieste (where's that?) and then to Brecon before going back to Woking for a signals course.
 

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My father Bomb Harry Kitchener Stacey RA,, was in Singapore from, 33 to 36, putting in the huge 15" guns on the islands in Singapore Harbor, as defense. They were never used of course, as the sneaky Japanese, came down the Jahore peninsular, said the worst thing was the mosquito's.
 
My older brother was one of the last to do N/S. He hated every minute of it and they made the last ones do an extra 6 months. He was in the Royal Warwickshire so local regiment. He did twelve months in Hong Kong and the rest in Germany. That was the very early Sixties.
in 1965 I decided to join up and he begged me not to because he hated it so much. As it happened I loved it and if I was 18 now I would do it all over again.
 
Ken1947 said:
My older brother was one of the last to do N/S. He hated every minute of it and they made the last ones do an extra 6 months. He was in the Royal Warwickshire so local regiment. He did twelve months in Hong Kong and the rest in Germany. That was the very early Sixties.
in 1965 I decided to join up and he begged me not to because he hated it so much. As it happened I loved it and if I was 18 now I would do it all over again.
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Most N/S blokes said they hated it at the time, but i reckon most of them enjoyed the experience. I was a Regular & at the beginning i hated it & consequently paid many a visit to the guardroom, but after a while i began to enjoy it. I was in Germany the same time as your brother early 60`s & it was brilliant.
 
Smudger said:
Most N/S blokes said they hated it at the time, but i reckon most of them enjoyed the experience. I was a Regular & at the beginning i hated it & consequently paid many a visit to the guardroom, but after a while i began to enjoy it. I was in Germany the same time as your brother early 60`s & it was brilliant.
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When I joined late 65 there was still a few ex N/S who became regulars after there initial service ended.
A great way to travel back then but all these places have gone now. Hong Kong, Singapore, Gibralter.
Still great memories for me.
 
I was a boy in 62, men's service, 64, met a few NS, who signed on as regulars, and a few still marking time, I remember the last Guardsman NS, Irish Guards I think , discharged from Pirbright, ( they said he was back squaded so many times he did 3 years), but that, I think was just to us kids. Paul
 
Somewhat confused about this being February 1939 as the National Service Act didn't come out until September 1939. Also I didn't think women were included for N.S at that time, or am I confused as usual?
 
I am sure I read somewhere that rallies were held all over the country prior to WW2 to encourage people to enlist. People knew war was inevitable. When war was declared parliament passed the National Services Act.
The platform party was probably made up of serving members of the armed forces - that would certainly have included women. Especially nurses.
 
Just reread this thread, we had great banter a few years ago, sad we that so many have passed on, I really enjoyed their stories, still time marches on, been hospital myself a couple of times over the past 2 years, and it is an eye opener, best and kindest regards to all on this site, we were lucky in many ways, managed to see a bit of the world, and have great mates as well.
 
paul stacey said:
Just reread this thread, we had great banter a few years ago, sad we that so many have passed on, I really enjoyed their stories, still time marches on, been hospital myself a couple of times over the past 2 years, and it is an eye opener, best and kindest regards to all on this site, we were lucky in many ways, managed to see a bit of the world, and have great mates as well.
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Well said Paul, we should be thankful for what we have little or much! Sometimes when the chips are down it's too easy dwell on what we don't have!
 
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