E
emmachisit
Guest
I wonder if any of our subscribers ever joined the Army Cadet Force 1939 - 1945?
I was a mere lad of 14yrs when I applied to join the ACF in 1942. The TA Unit was situated at the rear of the Kop at Aston Villa Grounds (if my memory serves me right). There were about two dozen of us lads who joined and were kitted out, eventually, with battledress, boots and gaiters and belts. Much green blanco was in evidence.
We had mock attacks up the banks of the Kop and we had a camp on fields near to Alvechurch. There were other cadets from districts around. We were allocated 12 to a Bell Tent (last one in laced the entrance). Food was served in mess tins and we all had an issue of kfs - knife, fork & spoon, which we guarded, as there were no re-issues.
We learnt how to site and dig latrines and eventually managed to achieve a good balance on the single pole whilst doing the neccessary. The army issue bog rolls though were very stiff and quite a change to the newspaper squares we were used to.
Our weaponry consisted of Lee Enfield .303 rifles - about 20lbs in weight an old type Bren Gun and a 2" mortar. Lessons in these, followed by many hours of foot drill, brought us up to a reasonable standard - ready to join the army at seventeen and half. All of these activities of course were in our spare time in the evenings and week-ends. I was working at Hoskins & Sewells, Digbeth machining parts for Bailey Bridges and learning tool setting. They were long days, 8am to 6pm and travelling time added on made it a near enough 12hr day. But the 'bugle' called and I couldn't wait to join up and so advanced my age by a year and joined up in 1945 - BUT, that's another story. :lol: :lol: :lol:
I was a mere lad of 14yrs when I applied to join the ACF in 1942. The TA Unit was situated at the rear of the Kop at Aston Villa Grounds (if my memory serves me right). There were about two dozen of us lads who joined and were kitted out, eventually, with battledress, boots and gaiters and belts. Much green blanco was in evidence.
We had mock attacks up the banks of the Kop and we had a camp on fields near to Alvechurch. There were other cadets from districts around. We were allocated 12 to a Bell Tent (last one in laced the entrance). Food was served in mess tins and we all had an issue of kfs - knife, fork & spoon, which we guarded, as there were no re-issues.
We learnt how to site and dig latrines and eventually managed to achieve a good balance on the single pole whilst doing the neccessary. The army issue bog rolls though were very stiff and quite a change to the newspaper squares we were used to.
Our weaponry consisted of Lee Enfield .303 rifles - about 20lbs in weight an old type Bren Gun and a 2" mortar. Lessons in these, followed by many hours of foot drill, brought us up to a reasonable standard - ready to join the army at seventeen and half. All of these activities of course were in our spare time in the evenings and week-ends. I was working at Hoskins & Sewells, Digbeth machining parts for Bailey Bridges and learning tool setting. They were long days, 8am to 6pm and travelling time added on made it a near enough 12hr day. But the 'bugle' called and I couldn't wait to join up and so advanced my age by a year and joined up in 1945 - BUT, that's another story. :lol: :lol: :lol:
