Memory lane

Bet you really miss the frost and icy roads, must be really awful for you, still keep that stiff upper lip and just try and tolerate it.

Picking up on the Cold War stuff, Kennedy, nuclear threat etc of the early 60s....our first tour was 1959-1962. At that time I was 6 years old, being bussed into school in Hemer from where we lived just outside the town of Balve, along the Honnetal. The Berlin Wall had just gone up and everyone was on high alert. I don't really recall this, but apparently us kids all wore our Dads' information on cards pinned to our jackets in the event of an evacuation. there was also something about wives and children and where we were on the priorities list....a ways down, as I recall, but not as far down as the local civilian population.

Not sure I actually remember this or am actually remembering family stories, but of course some bright bulb somewhere higher up in the chain of command thought it a good idea to do a 'test run' in the event of an actual evacuation. On paper I am sure it made sense. The problem being is the local civilian authorities were not notified of this and, hence, the locals were totally ignorant of it.

So, bright and early one day, several deuce-and-a-halfs show up outside the block of flats rented to Canadian in Helle-Balve and the Canadian families, who had known about this (well, the parents did!) duly exited our abodes, suitcases in hand, and were loaded onto the trucks.

Now this was 1960, not that long after the war really, and many of the German families living in the other two blocks of flats next to our 2 blocks had escaped Russian-occupied Germany (East Germany) with basically just the clothes on their backs and whatever possessions they could get into a couple of suitcases and started over in the West. It really hadn't been that long ago for them. In fact, the young girl who used to babysit for the Canadian families, Pia, who was perhaps 17 or so at the time often told us the story of how she directed her mother and "uncle" (actually her mother's common-law husband) out of Erfurt in East Germany, across some bridge she had been across once on a vacation, and into the Western Sector and freedom at the age of 8 or 9.

As the trucks pulled away, there were German families running after the trucks, trying to scramble on because they thought the Russians had invaded and were terrified. Pure chaos, I'm sure. This scenario played out all over the region where Canadian families were living 'on the economy'...in small villages, on farms, in towns all over the area.

Not sure what the repercussions were, but there would have been a helluva lot of explaining to do by someone!!! A pretty big PR screw up, to say the least!! Wouldn't be surprised if a few senior officers suddenly found themselves to be junior officers again! Or transferred so fast their heads spun......

By the time Kennedy was assassinated, we were safely back in Canada, living in Vancouver B.C. I was 8 years old and clearly remember coming home for lunch from school, which was only a couple of blocks away, and it was all over the news.

Mom never had the tv on during the day, apart from 'her programs' in the afternoon (soap operas), so that was noteworthy to me right there. I remember watching Walter Cronkite, one of the pre-eminent American broadcasters, announcing the death of Kennedy live and breaking down on air. Even at 8 years of age I was struck by all this. I certainly knew who John F. Kennedy was and, like everyone below a certain age, thought him to be the incarnation of a new Camelot! Of course, now we know better, he was as human and fallible, and bit of a horndog, as anyone else, but at the time he was an icon!

thank you les and Ian. In fact while Fiji is lovely, i am afraid that the city of suva is not so great. there are no beaches and swaying palm trees here. It been raining for the last 3 weeks, most of the west is flooded and now we are facing tropical cyclones.

[quote="Stephen Lock"]

"...school in Hemer from where we lived just outside the town of Balve, along the Honnetal".

Stephen, there are a lot of people reading this who won't have the faintest idea where these places are but Hemer/Sauerland was the nicest place I ever lived.

Both my kids went to Hemer Middle School, (as we called it).
My eldest hated Cornwall school, Dortmund with a passion.

Must go back there one day for a looksee.

Whilst i was stationed in Dortmund I did a Crew Commanders Course, part of the Course involved a 5/6 day Escape and Evasion exercise around the Sorpe See we also did some Abseiling in the Balve area on the Honnetal. The local population were extremely friendly!

Steve Jones,

Talking about Fiji etc, we had a few Fijians in 7 Signal Regiment, Herford when I was there in the 1960's. They were all Radio Technicians with good education. Some and went on to become Foremen of Signals and eventually commissioned as Telecommunication Officers. Great bunch of guys and mad up the Regimental Rugby team. One of them i remember - Cpl Zoing was the only one then married.

Obvious Jim, now come on they can't all be Gay, law of averages

Point taken Les, but I did say only one of then was married at that time THEN. Also, they were in the rugby team not glee team

Jimsigs, are you then saying that nobody who plays Rugby is Gay

Not really Les. It takes all sorts and not really evident 45 years ago. Doesn't bother me matey.

Very true Jimsigs, and I am guided by your superior experience

Jimsigs, still a lot of Fijians in the army. They are no longer activly recruiting here, though that may change once the current "government" changes. there is still a "british army liason officer" here on strength at the British High Commission. Unfortunatly his main duty now is the repatriation of those killed in action.

Steve, I was on a reunion for the Harrogate Apprentices last October and came across one of thos Fijian chaps. He retired as a major and is a Granddad, so he did very well.

Les, I have no more excperience than you old chap its just that I am 10 years older and dribble a lot. Funny really that you dribble at both ends of your life Ha! Ha!

Of course Jimsigs, I am not trying to wind anyone up and I do have a lot of time for those older than myself, there is nothing to count for experience, as for dribbling, some of us with the old expanded prostate tend to dribble both ends probably worse than when we were younger, thing is we don't remember much about it when that small, some things can be worse as we know, just had a local neighbour die from cancer, same age as my eldest son, glad to have enjoyed life so far

I'm with you Les on the theme of enjoying life thus far. A lot of family and friends didn't make it to a reasonably older age. Dad died at 60, my favourite Uncle died at 70, both the husbands of my two Sisters have gone. Also a few friends and army mates have gone to that place in the sky. So, I feel quite vunerable and strange to have survived thus far. My wife says it because she has looked after me so well over these 50 years.

I'm certainly with you on that one Jimsigs, I too have two sisters who are widows and two brothers who have already passed, as I moved right away from my home town when I joined up, I was even more surprised, when visiting family graves, to find how many of my school friends were also in the graveyard, don't know what we have done to make us so lucky but long may it continue

Mind you Les I've nothing really wrong with me except diabetes 2, just pills for that & mild gloucoma - take drops for that. Weigh in at 13st 3lbs so that's not so bad plus I have all my own hair (grey). and finally a dodgy knee. How about you ?

Very very lucky, I am 10stone 4lbs, exactly the same weight as I was about a year after I joined up, no problems, unless you count raised blood pressure (tablets) and slightly enlarged prostate, I feel very lucky, hair receeding but can handle that, and I am a blood donor with over 60 donations (I count that as that little bit I can do for others at no cost). only thing I get annoyed about is Tax on my Pension, how can it be right that the government puts a limit on social at 26,000, when I was working most I earned was 25,000 and that was after 20yrs in same job, no time off sick and some days working 15hrs without extra pay (I was salaried) in all my time bringing up my family, did not claim anything, just makes me feel I should have done

Know what you mean Les. I was made redundant three times and on each occasion, I got no help with the then poll tax, mortgage, except for a few quid each fortnight for signing on. Now, there are people who have paid nothing into the system (I won't expand on this) who are receiving thousands and living in 4-7 bedroom houses etc. makes my blood boil.

I know it doesn't help to keep on, it's just when you think even now that other soldiers putting life on the line, and for what, I had to give up my job in TV, broke vertibrae in my back, for the time I was off, unable to work, I still had to pay my mortgage and feed the kids, all the time I was working paying into a pension that the government take a share of

Anyway Les, keep your chin up - keep going and don't let the b*st*rds grind you down.

They won't do that Jimsigs, Cheers Buddy, Take care

Going to the sack Les - guden nach

Now just to make the mood a little lighter, I can remember as a youngster and hungry, Mother being the necessity of invention and all that, there were 3 ways I used to get money for chips, one was to block the change chute on ciggy machines, go for a walk round town, then unblock it on way back, often enough for chips, another was similar on the old telephone kiosks, the third was if sent to get cigs for relative once removing cigarettes and change to very quickly shove drawer in and out, could sometimes get away with twice, giving two more lots of change, very bad, not advised, but sure did make me less hungry

No doubt a lot of you guys remember bread and dripping with OXO soup.....well oxo in a cup of boiling water

ok combine this post with school days..