Compliments of the Season

As a longstanding contributor to this splendid site may I pass on an appropriate greeting. 2020 is a year best forgotten, let us hope for better times in 2021.

To other longstanding browsers please continue to drop by from time to time, you never know when your experiences might contribute to a discussion. To newcomers, welcome, please do not hesitate to post a query, there is a wealth of hidden knowledge who might be able to help or atleast point you in right direction.

Hello JPW and all those BAOR fans. Yes let us hope with all the restrictions on us, that we still get to enjoy a good Christmas.

Just thinking of Christmas 1964 my first year in Germany in Deilinghofen (Hemer). My goodness we're talking 56 years ago. In that time frame. some soldier was born, had his career and is now retired. A glass of beer 50 pf and pack of tax free ciggies 1 DM. Cars were being discovered by the Germans, the Auto Bahn was be wildly expanded, guest workers were a new phenonium to Germany. It was definitely a different style of life from Canada. And yes next Easter I discovered the U.K. What a good way to miss spend ones youth. First pub was The Wellington by the Union Jack Club. I believe is still there. And it really happened there was a Scots, an Irish and a Taff at the bar who clued me in. My intro to that wonderful world of the Pub. My ride from West London Air Terminal was a cab driver who was a Korean vet, he found out i was Cdn. Army and freaked out a bit. as the last Canadian soldiers he'd talked to was in a Cdn. Medical Unit when he was wounded. Stopped the cab and the meter had a confab with me. Got me to the U.J.C and would not accept a tip. Also gave me a quick lesson on pounds and shillings. All in all being with the BAOR was out standing. Beat my next tour down south with the Yanks.

Hello comrades.

Interesting to see our old friend Hardrations reminiscing about his first visit to London back in the 1960s. Yes, the years went by very quick.

My first visit to the UJC was in February 1958, and I also remember The Wellington that was almost next door. I think the most memorable beer I drank during that time was a couple of pints of Flower's Best Bitter at a pub in North London somewhere, but The Wellington was my first exposure to a British pub.

Does anyone remember the Chez Moi Club on Denman Street just off Piccadilly Circus? As I recall, it was a favourite RCAF water-hole back during the war, and a chap named Archie had kept it going for a few years throughout the fifties. I'm sure it's long gone now.

Then there was the Nuffield Centre on Adelaide Street just up, I believe, from Charing Cross. Syd the tailor would press your uniform while you had a beer or three. Tickets to some shows were available, but I never bothered with them at all. It was a great place. As Hardrations says, it was a great way to mis-spend one's youth. Syd introduced me to a Canadian submariner who was serving on HM Submarines (we had none in the RCN in those days, and RCN sailors could volunteer for attachment to the RN submarine service). After a few pints, Sam suggested we go to Edinburgh as he had to return to his boat in Rosyth in a few days. A bottle of Johnny Walker mysteriously evaporated on the train overnight as we shared our compartment with some poor clergyman who we kept awake all night. HAPPY TIMES!

Needless to say, at age 81 I've slowed down a lot, and maybe even regret missing out on the various museums and cultural attractions I forewent in favour of more down-to-earth activities. However I haven't lost my love of the festive season, and, although it's going to be a tough one for everyone, I want pass on our best wishes to the many members of our BAOR family who have contributed to this sight over the past years.

To you and yours, a very merry Christmas, and a much happier 2021. In our house we're not ringing in the new year; we're kicking out the old year! Hope you do the same.

Roderick MacIntosh (Recce83)

Forgot about the Nueffield Centre. On a later trip an RAF chap I met took us there and we got tickets for the White Hall (I think) Theater. It was a fantastic French Farce comedy about a male Russian ballet dancer. Laughed my guts out. And when the Queen was played prior to the show, there was that one lone, quavering female voice singing loud and proud in the audience. Lordie I'd even fly over for long week ends, as price was cheap and our dollar was strong. Still fortunate to still have friends from those days in the U.K. Only one regret . I never went to Scotland until 10 years ago for a wedding. Kicked my butt in not doing it sooner. The farther north you go, the better it gets. (So it appears to me). The picture is of that nice day at Eilean Donan and yes I carry the name for that tartan . First time since 74 that I had been back in a kilt. We all ended up in kilt for the wedding and became a bit of a tourist attraction at the castle for a group from Austria. Didn't have the heart to tell them that the name was Scot's but born in Canada. Recce 83 you might notice my wife's shawl is Black Watch.