Photo from Dortmund.

Sorry but the first attempt failed as my computer crashed!

Again taken in 1960 (can't remember name on the right) at 45Field Regiment RA at West Riding Barracks Dortmund.

Alan

A great photo a Austin Champ and in the back ground A Bedford RL
magic .Thats what i like

Great photo Alan and you can see the revised 2 Inf Bde formation badge from 1958 when they joined 4 Div and the BDs look smart!
Cheers
Steve

Looking at the photo of the lads in BD made me smile, you can see the large map pocket on the trousers. While I was at Catterick prior to going to BAOR I had the map pocket removed from my best BD as it looked smarter when walking out. My RSM Jimmy Derwent at 6 Armoured Div Sigs pulled me up one day and said 'there's something different about you corporal, but I don't know what' .. it took him almost two years to find me out.

Len (Ciphers)

The Canadian BD differed in only some detail. Aside from flaps on all pockets that hid the buttons, the map pocket was on the outside-front quarter of the trouser leg rather than on the side. As a result the front trouser crease ran about half way through the map pocket which made it impossible to have as sharp a crease as on the rest of the pant leg.

It never bothered me all that much, but a few guys would cut the pocket off, leaving only the flap in place. Never saw that it did much overall, but there it was.

It's the small stuff that makes life interesting!

The thing I remember about the Canadian BD was that it was smarter than ours, wasn't the colour a little greener too ? Extra large blokes, who couldn't get a BD to fit them from the stores used to get a Canadian uniform I seem to recall.
On the subject of smartness, how come the Canadians had such great looking berets ? I always seemed to get one that had been a muzzle cover for an 8 inch howitzer!

Alan,
I've been looking at your photo too.
BD seems to be your working dress, were you a clerk in those days ? Most of us peasants had to wear denims where we worked ! "Z3", I'm a bit rusty on veh tac signs now but wasn't that one of the CO's party ?
I notice the old 19 set was still in use, (looking at the aerial mounting.) Looks like somebody was getting ready to go on exercise, doesn't it ?

Can someone tell me what happened to the "quote" icon? I'm replying to Brum's question here. I don't recall the BD being greener, but it was a bit lighter khaki than yours. The material, although serge, was a bit finer also I think.

As for the berets...we have the Belgians to thnk for those. We used to buy them ourselves back in the 50s Somehow the German tailors got them. I think we paid about DM 5 which translated in those days into about ten glasses of bier. The regular issue berets were like parachutes. Even boiling and shrinking did little to make them look decent.

BELGIAN berets !! I never expected that.
A question Sir, (way off matters BAOR), were you, as a member of The Black Watch, in Cyprus in '69 ?

Unfortunately no, I missed Cyprus. I didn't like the way the unification talk was going and got out after coming home from Germany. That was before Cyprus and other things came along that might have led me to reconsider. Rear view mirrors should sometimes be avoided!

We of course didn't wear berets, only blue bonnets and balmorals which were better made. Just as well as the Belgies didn't have highland regiments.

By the way I rediscovered the "quote" icon. It was hidden to the right on my screen and I hadn't arrowed over.

Thanks for your reply.
I didn't want to stray too far from BAOR but wanted to confirm something that the Black Watch were supposed to have done in Cyprus.

Hello Brum.
Yes you are right i was a "clerk" in the RHQ MT Office doing all the paper work for Petrol and Oils for the Regiments Vehicles. And yes i wore the uniform all the time.(Before i got called up for National Service i was working in Engineering, never worked in a office before,i think they put you in just the opposite to what you did in civy street.) Can't remember much about the Photo's only that they were taken at the back entrance to the Barrack rooms of RHQ
Many Thanks Alan.

At the risk of pulling this off topic, the mention of Cyprus reminded me that in 1970/71 when my family and I were living in Iserlohn, we went to Cyprus for our Xmas holidays (sounds tewwibly posh I know!! Thing is we flew out of Lahr in the back of a loud, drafty, Hercules transport surrounded by boxes of Canadian Club and other crucial supplies!). We stayed in Kyrenia on the north shore (Greek area) but managed to pretty much cover the entire island during our stay (and a few adventures with Turkish militia down around Limmasol...but that's another story).

At that time a few of Irish Rangers guys were down in...hmmm...I think Limmasol or maybe Pathos (spelling is off...birthplace of Aphrodite), one of whom was the dad of my best friend back in Hemer, so we dropped by for a visit. I forget his name, unfortunately, but he was a gruff Sgt/Corporal (demoted a couple of times, as I recall, busted from Sgt down to Corporal, get back up to Sgt and get busted down again!) and while pleased to see us didn't indicate at all just how great our visit was for him, but did write to his wife back in Hemer how 'chuffed' he was we took the time to visit him...perked him up considerably.

Cyprus was quite the place....as a 17 year old I was an old hand at viewing European history, but Cyprus was a whole other experience! Far more ancient, of course, and very "Mediterranean". Hospitable too....excellent. Both sides, actually (even the Turkish militia mentioned earlier....!)

"Z3", The Giddy Heights for us Gun Bunnies, but was that not RHQ Troop Alan ?

(Look at that antenna, 8ft rod, 19 set personified !).