PC gone barmy

Bit left field this one as the Septics say and not strictly BAOR but thought I would post and solicit opinions (or the truth?).

Met my cousin today. He is ex RSDG and he had been talking to a mate who is currently an officer in the TA.

According to this officer, whereas in the past a gang of us would pile into the back of a four tonner and get thrown all over the place, these days it has to be a mini bus, with seat belts and (I can't believe this is true) if they are carrying anyone younger than eighteen, they have to have a sign saying "child on board".

Someone please tell me this is nonsense? If true it must be a total embarassment to any 17 year old TA bods. PC gone even madder and if true, who the hell comes up with these things?

Can't open your link, but I live in a Garrison town and they have individual seating with safety frames in the back of the trucks here. The frames are to prevent them being shook back and forward (and to keep them in the truck), when travelling. I don't know about you but if you remember back to when we were Toms, every Bedford I ever got nto the back of was driven by some diving boots wearing dickhead from the MT/SQMS Stores who didn't understand that driving as fast as you can up to junctions and slapping the brakes on had the potential to injure the blokes in the back.

I used to be Scots DG. I might know your cousin.

[driven by some diving boots wearing dickhead from the MT/SQMS Stores who didn't understand that driving as fast as you can up to junctions and slapping the brakes on had the potential to injure the blokes in the back.
Rocky,
That driver sounds like Nick Oliver to me

I remember the screams of "Grind me a pound too", from the back of a 3/4 ton going across the fields in Petawawa as the driver ground his gears. The one I got caught on being a young recruit, was in the back of a 2 1/2 ton going down a dirty dusty road, coming to a junction seeing an M.P. there directing traffic and every one shouting , " MEAT HEAD" at the M.P. thinking this was hilarious and turning around to find every one but me lying on the bed of the truck grinning up at me. Or the young French Cdn who drove his truck into Border Lake in CFB Wainwright to wash it off after exercise to only get stuck. He came back to the MT Sgt for recovery. The following conversation went like this, " Sgt Todd my 3/4 ton is stuck in de water. How far out in the water lad? To the da wheel Sgt. Ah good not to bad. Ah oui Sgt. the steering wheel". Appears he wanted to try out the air intake on the dash for water crossings. And found a drop off point.

Teabag wrote:

According to this officer, whereas in the past a gang of us would pile into the back of a four tonner and get thrown all over the place, ...

I have a flashback!

I sit with 10 other dog handlers and their dogs on the back of a Bedford 4 ton truck, everybody have their feet in the side plank and our backs into the seat "wedged" so that we do not fly through all over and the truck driver tries to set a new land speed record!

In addition, it was darker than dark. At the 2nd Round everyone knew, when the worst potholes were, but the shock was still pervasive, when the driver turn a blind eye to them.

I wish all a wonderfull 3rd Advent Sunday.

How us Bedford drivers on Soltau played. The mud, the dust, the bumps, the abuse. Oh, but how things changed when it rained and everybody wanted to be sat in cab. Hohne gunnery camp was pretty eventfull after Soltau, charging down the Wies(corridor). Well plodding down the corridor in our happy convoys. Happy days.

When it rained everybody wanted to get into the cab? Didn't you have a tarpaulin over the back like every other Bedford in the British Army?

Gas training in Senelager. After finishing with the walk through, we all piled into the back of a covered 2 1/2 ton to return to the encampment. Forgot that the tear gas would be in our coveralls. MISTAKE.... we all pile out, remove coveralls, flap them about, roll into a tight roll, get back into truck, not so bad.

reading some of the replies to this topic brought a big smile to my face,as a driver i often had the pleasure of driving a 3 tonner loaded with a bunch of squaddies in the back.

often you would get comments like hurry up driver we want to get back to camp quick its nearly lunch or other unrepeatable comments on your driving or sometimes even threatened.

not a good idea when your at my mercy in the back of a truck as i never took it lightly, it meant on your ride back to camp you were flung all over the place and when we got there and somebody threatened to punch my lights out i would remind them that next time would be worse.

most times we all had a good laugh and if i was treated ok then we got to stop off at some local gasthaus for a few beers with everybody backing me up that we had broken down on the way back. lol sometimes they were a bit worse for wear.

Ah yes,I was one of those 3 ton drivers of Austins and Bedfords when I first joined the Regt at Wolfenbüttel.And we did have seats in the back,but they were rarely fitted(when I say "seats"I mean benches)And yes,we had tarpaulions to cover the passengers/load,but as the detail we had just finished was carrying POL,we did not have time to fit the cover on our next trip to Braunsweig on the "passion wagen run".And yes,I heard some horrible screams when cornering on those cobbled,cambered ,often icy roads,and boy,did those wagens jump on the bumps when empty,or just carrying passengers in the back.We used to tie lengths of rope to the superstructure for the lads to hold onto.But I still managed my weekends in Bad Harzburg for accident free mileages(can't recall what those mileages were,and anyway,we were practically the only movers on the roads in those days)
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Don

Rocky wrote:

When it rained everybody wanted to get into the cab? Didn't you have a tarpaulin over the back like every other Bedford in the British Army?

I'm kind of thinking if the tarp was just across the top, with an open end out the back of the truck, unless the rain was coming straight down, a rare meteorological occurrence in itself, anyone at the outer edge is still going to get soaked.

If there was a flap down over the open end, rain runs down the edges and leaks in. Plus, that biting wind and damp still gets in even if the flap is tied down well.

At least in the cab it was warm and dry (drier).

Stephen

And I seem to remember many arguments amoung NCOs as to who was senoir and should therefore be in Command and sit in the front.But I do recall if the canopy was PROPERLY fitted the back was pretty waterproof.We used to take the Regtl laundry to Gottingen in those days,and woe betide if that got wet,every soldiers laundry bundle was in the back,neatly tied up and labelled!
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Don

...but...but...but wouldn't the laundry bundles, or the contents thereof, get wet anyway at the laundry??? (Big Grin)

Bedford 3 Tonner.

I still recon the best vehicle we ever had. One could keep warm in the cab but no de-icers in hose days. A lovely drive

yes you are right it was a great vehicle and on a long journey it also made a great oven you could pierce your compo can of irish stew and put it on the engine and after a few miles you grub was ready.