INTRODUCTIONS

Quote :

I don't recall if they remained as J/Sigs or became A/Ts.

They kept the " junior" rank junior signalman,junior corporal.and so on.At the same time there was a potential apprentice programme running,which was to upgrade the qualifications of some of the junior leaders in order for them to become A/Ts

Just returned from 48 hour leave...have put together some history of Denbury Junior Leaders together over the years and can confirm as follows

Sep 55 to Apr 57 - 6 Boys Training Regiment the term was Boy or BoyLCpl etc

Apr 57 to disbandment Aug 67 - Junior Leaders Regiment was J/Sig or J/LCpl etc

The first Junior Leaders left Denbury Jan 67 as potential A/Ts - Tech + TG Ops more arrived Harrogate May 67 and these all became A/Ts

Aug 67 on disbandment of Denbury the Comcen and Radio Ops went to Harrogate to finish training as J/Sig when promoted J/LCpl etc the ED and Lineman trades went to Catterick some under 17.5 years and need parents permission...one of my mates went to BAOR straight from Denbury as a B3 ED and still on boy service pay being under 17.5 years

Regards
Steve
www.denburyjuniorleaders.com

Steve,

Just to bring up the rear, when I was at Harrogate in 1949-52, seem to remember some Signal boys coming over from Beveley. Got an idea they were or had been called 6 Boys Training Regt. Anyway, during their visit (to sit Army Education exams) A boy RSM named I believe Griffiths tried to use his rank to go to the front of the line in our NAAFI. He got spoken to by one of our 'people' who gave him reason to change his mind. !!

Jimsigs1

Jim

Correct but a bit later here is the very short history of Junior Leaders post WW2

A squadron was formed from boys of the Army Apprentices Harrogate and was attached to 1 Independent Selection Squadron in Richmond in Apr 50 both squadrons moved to Beverley the unit grew fast so 1 Independent Selection Squadron moved to Catterick becoming 5 Squadron of 7 Selection Regiment on 25 Aug 50 the 6 (Boys) Training Regiment was formed at Beverley in Sep 55 moved to Rawlinson Barracks Denbury Newton Abbot in Devon Apr 57 the unit was renamed as the Junior Leaders Regiment Royal Signals...source Wire magazine Oct 57

The Boy RSM in question could have been from the Army Apprentices Harrogate but Boy/Junior Sgts and above did have the privilege of front of the cookhouse queue…in my time a "Senior Junior" was punished on his last night before Graduation Parade and his troop broke his bunk door down and gave him a severe beating…so some did carry their Junior Rank too far!

Regards
Steve

Steve,

This guy was definately from Beveley NOT Harrogate, because we never had an A/T RSM until the very last moment before the passing out parade. I remember he had R Sigs collar dogs. As they say 'I was there'

Jimsigs1

You are right Jim .There was never an A/T RSM called Griffiths
As for jumping the queue.When i was at Harrogate the pecking order was A/T NCOs by rank
then intakes by seniority.When the civvy run cookhouse opened the A/T NCO had their own sections and the companies were mixed,so apart from the senior term who were distinguished by their G Flog,queue jumping stopped.

Steve,

Griffiths was NOT from Harrogate. He was with a party of Signal boys that came over from Beveley to sit ACE Exams. They were only visitors for a day or two. So he was NOT A/T RSM he was probably J/Sig/RSM.
I do remember it so clearly although it was some 60 years ago and the name Griffiths seems to be imprinted on the brain.

Jimsigs1

JimSigs, did you know a Fred Coulson ex Beverley Boy was in my regular intake at Somme Lines (32/36 Troop) Catterick, May of 51.

Len (Ciphers)

jimsigs1 wrote:

Steve,

Griffiths was NOT from Harrogate. He was with a party of Signal boys that came over from Beveley to sit ACE Exams. They were only visitors for a day or two. So he was NOT A/T RSM he was probably J/Sig/RSM.
I do remember it so clearly although it was some 60 years ago and the name Griffiths seems to be imprinted on the brain.

Jimsigs1

Accepted Jim I did say "could" and was pointing out the well recorded history of 6BTR/Junior Leaders Regiment have no Beverley records as my interest starts Sep 55 on the unit arrival at Denbury but do know that J/Sig to J/RSM was not at Beverley and did not come into Denbury until Apr 57 prior to this was Boy to Boy RSM and not every term did they have a Boy RSM appointed
Regards
Steve

Len(Ciphers),

Didn't know a Fred Coulson personally but I have been looking up the name in one of my copies of The Harrogate Apprentice Journal Vol 1 No 2 of Jul 1949. I have found in D Company (pre-cursor to I believe Beveley) two Coulsons. One is G/D Boy A Coulson and the other is G/D Boy M Coulson. C Company was quite a large unit at Harrogate and all the boys were wearing Royal Signals cap badges and collar dogs. They were still listed in the Dec 1949 issue although the Company changed to D Company. Finally, A Coulson was listed in the July 1950 issue but by then the boys were called S/B.

Jimsigs1

Jimsigs, Could have been A Coulson (Alfred) .. but just took a gander at the troop photo and he isn't in it .. come to think of it he must have been trained with another troop at the same time, as I don't recall him passing out with us. He was a Geordie by the way.
I met him on our first day at Somme Lines before we were kittted out and assigned to a troop.

Len (Ciphers)