Boy Soldiers

Quote :

First I have heard of an Army Technical Foundation College in Winchester

me also Jim..Two of my grandchildren (brother and sister ) trained at Army Technical Foundation College Arborfield..Grandson R.Signals Grand Daughter RAMC.

Whitehorse660,

What rank (if he was still serving) was Graham Bardsley when you knew him. I think I have seen something on the web somewhere that my Ginger Bardsley (Sgt then in 1955/6) finshed as a Major. Wonder if he is one and the same.
Another 'Red Cap' I came across was a 'Pasha' Sigley who was on the Empire Fowey going out to Korea in 1954. He was a big man and mesmerised all the 'Schoolies' (RAEC Sgts) aboard that he had met GFM Rommel during WWII. He was serving at the time in the Bde of Guards.

One last useless piece of info was that my late Dad was in the Corps of Military Police (not RMP then) working out of Knightsbridge in 1932.

Jimsigs1

Jim/Gordon

Study of the relevent MOD (Army) websites shows there must have been a reorganisation of the Junior Entry last Autumn

Those destined for the Armoured Corps, Gunners, Infantry and RLC go to the Army Foundation College Harrogate, the remainder to ATFC Winchester.

Thanks for that JPW.
I shall be going up to AFC Harrogate as usual in October as its the annual reunion venue of the late AAS. They usually take us round the establishment to see the latest training etc.

Jimsigs1

I, like both of my brothers before me,am an ex boy soldier.
I joined Boys Coy RASC at Borden in Oct 1956 at age 16 1/2 and went on to become the first WOI Staff Master Driver HQ London and the first Staff Master HQ BAOR.
My oldest brother joined the Boys RA in 1938 at age 14. My father was posted to Mauritius and couldnt afford to take him with them.
My other brother joined Boys Coy RASC at Buller Bks Aldershott in 1951 at age 15.

qmauri,

What was the Staff Master Driver's responsibilities in the RASC ? When I was in Cyprus 1955-7, we had a WO1(SSM) RASC Chief Clerk of Bde HQ. Suppose it was an equivalent rank ?

Jimsigs1

The rank and job of Master Driver was not created until the late 70's,Staff Master Driver 1976.
Responsible for licensing,testing,road safety,accident prevention etc

Thanks for that qmauri,

Thought I hadn't heard of that rank whilst I was serving.

Jimsigs1

This Army Foundation College, what trades would they teach, a mixture of the ones Army Apprentice Schools used to teach maybe?

Are Junior Leaders Regiments still in existence over there?

There were two foundation colleges.One at Harrogate and the Technical one at Arborfield.Two of my grandchildren went through Arborfield.granddaughter to RAMC and grandson to Royal Signals.

I would say Harrogate was the replacement for junior leaders and Arborfield the replacement for apprentices.Probably not completely accurate.

Joined Boys Squadron RE, Aldershot, in January 1956 moved to Adult Training - 9TRRE, summer 1958. I often came across ex RE boys in Units I served in. The Boys Sqn became Junior Leaders Regiment RE in, I think, 1958 and by 1959 had relocated to Dover. Junior Bleeders also became known as "FREDS" (Future Royal Engineer Disasters)

Joined the JLRRE at Dover in 1983 aged 16, went to Gib Bks in 1984 for 7 weeks then off to 35 Engr Regt Hameln.

Pain in the butt NAAFI manager kept refusing to let me buy a drink in the NAAFI bar as I was under age. Thankfully we had the Sqn Bars still.

I got done at Harrogate for under age drinking,two weeks before my 18th birthday.

The Canadian Army Soldier Apprentice program described by recce83 ran from 1953 to 1966.
RCEME, all by itself, had one more intake from 1966 to 1968. I was a member of this group
and during this time my rank was Craftsman Apprentice.

From 1942 to 1945 there was a program called "Canadian Technical Training Corps"
This was a 16 month program and entrants were given the official rank of "Boy" .

RCEMEGUY you weren't a heavy track mech. by any chance were you?

1960 I was quartered in the App. RCEME block while on Jnr NCO course. App. up stairs and we were down stairs. Very big difference between them and the RC Sigs App. Seems you gents had less chicken sxxt and more soldier/schooling/trades training.

Hello Hardrations. No, I was a gun plumber. I have spent a fair bit of time working on Centurions
though. I could not compare the life of a Sigs Apprentice to my own experiance as in my 29 years
of service I have never actually met one.
We started out with an intake of about 85 souls. Two years later 36 graduated.
The biggest shock of my military career was when I left Apprentices, a life of shiny floors, shiny boots and starched uniforms. I was posted to 3 Svc. Bn. Gagetown where homemade wine
was being brewed in the barrack block and in one room a motorcycle was being overhauled.
We wore combat uniforms that did not have to be ironed, combat boots that were not to be polished and cloth hat badges that needed no polishing. I was young and adapted quickly.

Alas, just a few months later I was posted to the Black Watch where they had a more traditional
views on discipline and deportment.

I was reading earlier that just ten 16 year olds volunteered for the RAF and RN this year. When I joined Boys Service in 62 we had 4 intakes per annum of around 150 boys, multiply that by however many Boys units there were and it is a pretty impressive figure. What's the matter with todays teens, have they no sense of adventure any more?

Shelldrake wrote:

I was reading earlier that just ten 16 year olds volunteered for the RAF and RN this year. When I joined Boys Service in 62 we had 4 intakes per annum of around 150 boys, multiply that by however many Boys units there were and it is a pretty impressive figure. What's the matter with todays teens, have they no sense of adventure any more?

Can't sit around in the military playing game boys all day. Gotta get up in the morning and prove your worth. To much like work, even if you do get paid for it.

rcemeguy wrote:

No, I was a gun plumber. I have spent a fair bit of time working on Centurions though.

Alas, just a few months later I was posted to the Black Watch where they had a more traditional views on discipline and deportment.

RG,

Slightly off topic but, what would the Black Watch want with a tank gun tech? Did you re-badge?

Cheers,
Dan.

Quote :

I was reading earlier that just ten 16 year olds volunteered for the RAF and RN this year. When I joined Boys Service in 62 we had 4 intakes per annum of around 150 boys, multiply that by however many Boys units there were and it is a pretty impressive figure. What's the matter with todays teens, have they no sense of adventure any more?

Reminds me of Harrogate in 1960 therre was over 1000 boys on a couple of passout parades
Instead of being formed in the usual three ranks the companies were formed in sixes..The PS RSM did a brilliant job organising it.OK He was Coldstream Guards.

Hi there,
Joined Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Armoured Corps in Bovington,Dorset. I was 16 yrs and 3 months old in June 1979.
Passed out (as a junior trooper) in Sep 1980, 15 months of 'mostly' fun !!
Got on a plane and arrived in Hanover, Germany - got on a bus and arrived in Hohne, aged 17 yrs and 6 months......14/20H were pleased to see 8 of from JLRRAC arrive that day and 22 odd yrs later 3 of us left the army, one a cpl, one a WO2 who in 1985 transfered to the QOH (QRH) and me a sgt.
Oh happy days.......'mostly'.
atb
pinky
HUSSAR

They don't want to see what lies behind that hill. Why should they when they can Google it?

Dan M, By the time I joined up the Armourer and Gun Mech trades were combined into the Weapons Tech Land trade. Centurions were taught as part of regular trades training but when the Leopards came along it became a specialty course.

I was with the Black Watch when they dibanded and became RCR's. Also in London 82-87.

All for now, don't want our British comrades to think their site has been hijacked by Canucks.

Not at all rcemeguy, all contributions gratefully received!

rcemeguy wrote:

All for now, don't want our British comrades to think their site has been hijacked by Canucks.

No way rcemeguy, us Canucks bring a touch of class to what would other wise be a vulgar brawl.