Clarification of story on Wentworth barracks page

Browsing through this site looking at places I had been, I came across this story at the end of the Wentworth Barracks page baor-locations.org/wentworthbks.aspx.html It's strange how stories get retold and change location and authorship. Although the story is somewhat true, it did not happen at Wentworth but at Ubique in Dortmund 1973/4.

This is how the story is told on the Wentworth page:

"The story goes that finding the mess shut, they heard someone playing snooker in the snooker room. On looking in, the balls were moving, but the room was empty. They were adamant and refused to go back to hammersmith till daylight."

This is what actually happened.
I was with 551 Signals troop attached to 24 Missile Regiment. We had a battery bar in the attic. One half of the attic was the bar and the other half was turned into a hobby club with the blessing of HQ BSM Black Taff Williams.

About every three months or so, barmanship would change hands and I was resident barman for a while. I had taken the night off to go down town with Diddy Watkins and Jock Wilson was running the bar for me. I came back to camp around midnight-ish and as Diddy's room was directly under the bar had heard someone playing snooker. We went to check and
the place was locked up. Jock swore that no-one was up there as he had the keys under his pillow. We, all three, checked and the place was quiet.

Snooker playing was heard on a couple more occasions so we decided to rack the balls each night before locking up. Lo and behold the balls would be scattered or pocketed the next morning.

Then things got worse, I was cleaning up one morning and a tray full of glasses I had placed on the bar went crashing across the floor. I was making large strides to the door when the screwed in bulb over the dartboard crashed to the floor. I was  out of there like a shot and refused to go back in.

I forget who took over the bar but whoever it was, was cleaning up when he heard someone playing snooker. Apparently balls were flying everywhere.

The snooker table got moved to a room on a lower floor and nothing has been heard since.

A later posting took me to Hammersmith and working in the secure area in Wentworth so someone must have picked up the story, I told it a few times.

If anyone from HQ Bty 24 Missile regt, either 551 Sig troop or the RA sigs during that time remembers, I'd appreciate their speaking up.

cheers JimP

I did not pick up your story, occurred B block Wentworth Barracks around 1971.

Hi DavWood,
From what I gathered on the original post at Wentworth, "The story goes" implies a story passed on. There may well have been a similar incident at Wentworth, I don't know.

What I do know is that an identical incident did happen at Ubique because it happened to me. All I need is someone from HQ bty 24 Missile Regt who was there at the time to clarify my story.

I don't know if it's appropriate I put up names that would have been there although I have named Diddy Watkins and Jock Wilson because they were part of the story.

I was also at Wentworth in the secure block, not sure of the block letter. 1979.

JimP