Boy Soldiers

pinky wrote:

Hi Aghart,
Of course I don't remember you !! However you might remember this story........
' I was on guard duty but got there late, so I missed the briefing about a security exercise......I'm now on the gate and a car drives in quickly with Ak's out of the windows etc, I reacted by pulling out my Govt .45 replica pistol which I had tucked in my waist band - all hell was let loose as you can imagine'. Minutes later I was in front of RSM Long (RIP) 16/5th L. my replica was confiscated and the RSM screamed and yelled but commented something like this " naughty but nice PINKERTON". 2 extra's later.............
Never did get it back either !!!
atb
pinky
HUSSAR

When in Hohne with the Hussars, do you remember a cricket player by the name of Paris? also a REME recy mech by the name of Brian Reed? Ian.

All Army Apprentice Schools have closed Cliffo..

I think we all had the queue jumping problem at one time..As you advanced you became the jumper..

Cliffo wrote:

Does the Army Apprentice School at Chepstow no longer exist.
My brother went there in 1952 after bashing a corporal while in boys service at Rhyll - couldn't understand why he should jump the dinner queue!
Finest thing that happened to him - finished up WO1 RAMC

It is now home to 1st Battalion The Rifles

My younger brother was at JTR Troon and subsequently joined 94 Locating Regt in Celle.He hated the place and asked me to claim him into the Jocks when we were stationed in Berlin 1969.He regretted leaving the RA as infantry work was too much like hard work running around the cuds in the cold and wet carrying the Carl Gustav Anti Tank gun.

There was a lad in my brother's intake at Chepstow who eventually became a Brigadier - but I'm not sure how much of that was to do with his training there or to the fact that he married the daughter of a colonel at the war office!!

Gordon. wrote:

All Army Apprentice Schools have closed Cliffo..

I think we all had the queue jumping problem at one time..As you advanced you became the jumper..

It was known as "gypping" (jipping).

Ted, AAS Arborfield intake 60C.

'57-'58, Hereford, queue jumping was not possible.
You would march to the cookhouse in a Troop and halt on the road outside in three ranks.
Standing at the top of the steps would be a Junior Lance Jack who, in his own time, would bark "six" and the fortunate ones would scamper inside.
Everyone else stood and waited.
Discipline ! (Punishment ? A fat lip !).

32/36 Troop, June 1951 ... one of lads complained that by the time Troop Sergeant H***n got us to the cookhouse (we also were marched there) every other troop were there before us and often by the time were served it was almost time to resume training.
The outcome was Sgt H***n got a mild rebuke and was ordered to have us there earlier.
The other out come was that Sgt H***n had us there 5 minutes prior to 'grub's up' where he had us mark time until every other bugger had gone in.
It worked ... no more bitching from the ranks.

Len (Ciphers)

Discipline !

Quote :

There was a lad in my brother's intake at Chepstow who eventually became a Brigadier

Maj/Gen. was the highest rank obtained by a Harrogate brat...

I guess I had had a relatively genteel upbringing before I became a Jun Ldr.

I was with one of my new tough mates and we became aware of a persistent queue jumper at the cookhouse one day. I was mildly and perhaps fearfully inclined to let him queue jump away, but my mate put the nut on him so suddenly and with such ferocity that the offender went silently to the floor bleeding profusely from the nose. The queue simply edged forward.

Another cookhouse, this time in BAOR, a well known huge REME Corporal Veh Mech seized the small weasle like queue jumper and hung him by his epaulettes from some coathooks on the wall. Again, the queue edged quietly forward.

uk1971 wrote:

Tony Miller wrote:

I Joined the Army as a boy soldier,15 years old and was at JTR Rhyl. When we arrived at the camp they issued us with our uniforms and packed our civvies into boxes and left them at the QMs stores. After 12 weeks they gave us them back, less those they considered to trendy! The ones we were allowed to keep were listed on a card that had to be shown at the Guardroom prior to leaving camp, we were allowed out only on Sunday afternoons. When we needed new clothes we had to get permission from our OC to draw money from our Credits. We could only buy from one shop in Rhyl which specialized in School clothes. The first time I went to buy some clothes I bought some "trendy" gear from another shop. These were confiscated on return to camp. I was charged and fined £1 = to a weeks pay the rest went in our cedits. From that day on the Army as far as I was concerned was BOLLOCKS. I wanted out. However, I stayed in for 22 years. That another story.

I was at JTR Rhyl from 1971-1973
Anzio platoon A Company.

The things I can remember are

Sealand Ranges


OC Cambrian Coy. Major CB Richards RRF
Training staff
Lt Nalepa
Sgt Colin Easby RMP
Cpl Norman Sheldon RCT


The only member of A Company I can remember was the Drill Sgt......'Jock' Guthrie. Scots Guards.
There was also a Weapons training Sgt from the RGJs, But I don't recall his name.

It was always an uphill walk to the cookhouse and Medical centre
Then there was the club (disco) where all the local bikes congregated on a Friday night. lol
Anyone who recalls 'Little Willie' by the Sweet will know what I mean.



I remember that I drank my FIRST pint at JTR.
A Pint of the dreaded 'Double Diamond!!!! (Does that stuff STILL exist?)

https://bfg-locations.editboard.com/t1171-memory-lane check this out if you wan t to know about D/D

[quote="uk1971"][[b]I was at JTR Rhyl from 1971-1973
Anzio platoon A Company.

I was at Kinmel WAAAAAAY back when there were two RA training regiments there.

I was wondering, uk1971, were you still living in those wooden "spiders" during your stay ?

[quote="brum"]

uk1971 wrote:

[[b]I was at JTR Rhyl from 1971-1973
Anzio platoon A Company.

I was at Kinmel WAAAAAAY back when there were two RA training regiments there.

I was wondering, uk1971, were you still living in those wooden "spiders" during your stay ?

Yep. Those horrible rooms with the JNCOs bunk at the top. I remember sneaking out of the 'Fire door' at the other end of the room.

DISCIPLINE;


Do as you're told or get a fat lip.

Anyone who didn't wash was regarded as a 'GROT'
and subjected to the obligatory 'Regimental Bath'

NOT an enjoyable experience for those who were made to endure one.
If one person did something wrong, then the entire room/platoon/squad was punished.
Retribution was dealt out on the individual by other members of the individuals squad.

You either learned the hard way back then or you bottled out and quit.



You weren't molycoddled as they are these days

Being in a room with 15 or more other guys built the character and taught comradeship and 'Teamwork'.

Single or two man rooms? WTF? How is THAT supposed to build comradeship

alan8376 wrote:

I am also an ex Carlisle Boy from 1963. We had much the same dress code as in Steve's time, except it was SDs in those earlier days!

Judging from the number of comments around the the various forums. It would appear there are many ex boys, many of whom are REME.

Arte-Et-Marte (twist to open!)

I joined Carlisle, Hadrians camp,Sept 62, I was 15 in July. We had SD uniform when I joined, and we had mufti to wear to town, wrong socks at main gate and sent back to change them. Got baptised to take communion and went early Sunday mornings and then did a runner out the back gate for the day.
Dusty Miller ex 62c/63A