Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

Not true RAF, SAC, what's the problem with that?

By the way, my husband was a Chief Technician.

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

In blood!

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

I had to sign it too, I think all service personnel do. I was also questioned by military police when there was a bomb blast in Aldershot. I slept through it, never heard a thing as I was working nights at the time.

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

I tried that, I promise, and it kept shoving in lower case letters.

Perhaps it's the dreaded Windows 10!

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

He had to sign because he worked on the radar on loaded nuclear bombers (Vulcans).

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

I did N S and was in the Grenadier Guards 1959-61.I did my basic training at Caterham, a name that goes down in Guards history a bit like colditz. I lost a stone in weight in first 4 weeks. We did 17 weeks training, After that I went to the Queens Company 1st Battalion. we didnt see much of Europe, just 1 month in North Africa on exercise. For this we had to all go to Lyneham in Wiltshire just to practise getting on and off the planes, only there were not any planes , we just had to pretend there were, middle of January.
We actually went out in March, which was great as landing there the Temp was a pleasant 25c. we plodded around the desert, or in my case drove for a month, even to this day I dont quite know what we we doing .
Back home to U k a 7 hour flight in those days but were able to look down on the Bay of Naples at night , it looked fantstic.
Back in Tidworth for a while and then off to London for public Duties , on Guard at Buck house, and in those days it was outside the gates, so some very interesting moments with the public. There is a story that whilst you were stood there many got little notes put down the barrel of their rifle, sadly I never got one and think it was just a tale.
A spell there doing various public duties then back to Caterham and the ravages of Sailsbury plain with its mud etc .
Near the end of my service the Battalion had to go out to some trouble in the Cameroons, and at that point I only had about 3 months left of my service to complete so I was not able to go with them.
I got I think one of the most wonderful jobs in the Army, I got posted to Brigade Headquarters , this was where there were people from every regiment in the Army as this is where a lot of the planning went on. I had the Job along with one other guy as “Barman” in the Officers Mess. What a life that was, no regimented army life, our own room ,no getting up early, same breakfasts as the officers, well we just went and made our own in the kitchen.
We ran the little bar 12-2pm and 7- whenever, some times 2am next morning .
It was all waiter service, and we got to know some of the nicer type of officers, but it was still run by a Grenadier officer, and the name still makes me cringe.
Major Rochfort-Rae. Anyway we had a wonderful time and made loads of free Whiskey etc . They never knew about it and I doubt that any of those are now alive.
We took it in turns to go home at week -ends.
I wouldnt have missed my NS after having done it , the worst by miles was the basic training but I made some wonderful friends and came out a stronger person both physically and mentally.It would do the Teens of today good, but it is so long now since it finished and the world has changed. They wouldnt cope with the disipline.which is what it is all about, you do not question an order, because to do so in battle may lose you your life or the life of one of your comrades .
I know many do not agree with it , but they have not seen it or been involved in it,
Anyways that was my life in the Army , nothing special .

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

A very good point. I'm sure you are correct that most of our young people today wouldn't be able to cope with it, especially the discipline, but society has changed enormously over the past few decades.

I'm afraid that some people in authority are doing nothing to encourage recruitment either, what with ambulance chasing lawyers and prosecutions from many years ago.

Then, of course, the government is cutting the services to the bone.

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

My National Service occurred in 1953 to 1955. I did my 10 weeks infantry basic training with the Buffs in Canterbury. I was then transferred to the Royal Army Educational Corps. There the minimum rank was sergeant in order to give us the authority to teach other soldiers.

I was sent out to Singapore on a troopship. Very few people indeed went out by air – it was still extremely expensive. I now regard my time in Singapore as highly educational – on a par with my degree course. For the first time in my life I was leaning things that didn’t come out of a book. I enjoyed a very varied social life while there and came back much more mature than when I went out.

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

26 years served, 22 years Regular Army, 4years TAVR rank WO2 SSM
Served UK, France, Middle East, W Germany, NI, South Atlantic
Interspersed with jollies in Norway, Canada, Cyprus and the Isle of Man
Picked up a lot of memories and T shirts.

My posting to Paris at 19 was the most educational
From there to the Yemen was a bit of a culture shock
All in all, a good time, although under the present government I would not recommend it has a career for the young of today.

Re: Ex-services personnel, veterans etc?

Great thread, thanks for participating guys

Norway's post in particular was very thought-provoking. Good man for sharing that one, bud