AAS Harrogate

On 16th February 1949 three young lads boarded a train at Paragon railway station, Hull to go into a life unknown at the Army Apprentices School Harrogate. As I remember we were picked up at the station by an Army truck, with our tattered suitcases in tow and spoken civily by a Sergeant.

All this soon changed as we entered the Gates of "Stalag Uniake Barracks". The shouting and screaming soon followed (we all know that of course), and eventually we were shown to our billet where depression set in - one big lad was sitting on his bed crying his eyes out. So started life.

After a period of drill and finding out which was our left foot and which was our right, we were battered into submission. A sense of comradeship was slowly beginning to emerge as we helped each other out when in trouble - which was pretty regularly.

AAS Arborfield

We then went on to the Aptitude Courses to see which trade we were suited to take up, and eventually we were allocated a trade. At that time AAS Taunton closed down, so trades were swapped about and we were sent to other schools. I and a few others were sent to AAS Arborfield, I as a budding Fitter. I believe I went first into 'D' Company, but later went into 'C' Company. After being a naughty boy - putting oil in the inkpots used by the Senior Divisions for their written exams - I was relegated.

One day they were asking for volunteers to learn to be a Turner; I jumped at the chance and so ended up on the Turner's Course. Our civvy Instructor was a fatherly type and I remember he was always eating peppermint sweets. He liked putting his arm around your shoulder to explain a point.

Well, the years went by with drill competitions, sport, 'Champion Company', etc; yours truly played rugger for the Company and did some tug-of-war too, and of course we had to try our athletic prowess on sports days etc.

I remember the times of travesty too, like the time I went to Reading for a night at the cinema. As I came out it was raining, and as there were no cafes open at that time in those days I dropped into a pub just to get out of the rain - against School Rules of course - and I sat in a corner alone with my half-pint of Mild, waiting for the time to catch the bus. In walked Sergeant LAWRENCE, Lancashire Fusiliers, with his wife or girl friend; he saw me but didn't say anything. Next day he was Orderly Sergeant on cookhouse duty. Word came to me: "Orderly Room, 10 o'clock". That was it, the OC sent me on to Commandant's Orders - result, seven days jankers and seven days gate. So I enjoyed cleaning RSM McNALLY's kit, sitting in his yard and his daughter bringing me a cup of tea made things a bit easier.

So, life went on - trade tests etc, our Passing Out parade, families coming to the big occasion, speeches, presentations etc. Someone climbed the water tower and in white paint or whitewash painted "49B" for all to see. I wonder how long it stayed on there.

Regular Army

Postings came and eventually I, with many other ex-Boys going into the REs, was posted to Osnabrück, BAOR to start Basic Training as Field Engineer B3, learning how to build Bailey Bridges, blowing things up, humping those panels about, transom parties, knocking in panel-pins, etc all helped to keep one fit. Of course we had the feet squashed or fingers hit with a hammer whilst knocking in a park-picket, and so on. We did four months there, plus a big 10-days Exercise "Holdfast" when we first arrived. Eventually we were all posted to different Units and my lot was to stay in Osnabrück for four years with 41 Field Park Squadron RE, working firstly in the RE Stores Section dishing out paint and so on. I eventually got my first stripe. We had a couple of German civvys working there with us; they did the books. One, an ex-para and the other an ex-colonel, both formerly in the German Army, were pretty nice chaps.

The Unit had to help out during the time of the big floods in Holland, but SSM JORDAN, for some reason I can't remember, kept me back to work in the office. The Unit went to Holland in 1954 to help build a Bailey Bridge for NATO over the River MAAS between Venlo and Nijmegen. A Dutch Engineer Unit was with us and we stayed down there for 4 months. The Bailey Bridge has long gone but a modern one is in its place - with a plaque to remind us of the original one.

In November 1956 I was posted to IWT Squadron RE in Tobruk. Being an individual posting I flew out on the first flight taking 14 hours with three stops for refuelling at Nice, Malta and Sardinia. I stayed for a week in Benghazi, and then took another flight on to Tobruk where I joined my Unit. I was made up to Corporal, and there I stayed for the rest of my time. I worked as a Fitter-Turner on a converted Z-Craft; it was a floating workshop "Sea Mech".

I had a couple of experiences in Tobruk where some of the lads gatecrashed a wog wedding (hell-on). Next morning the ASM had the culprits lined up on the quay and went down the row asking them one by one if they were responsible. When he got to a big Corporal - a National Serviceman named PROCTOR, who also played Rugby League for Warrington - his answer was: "Me Sir? Don't speak to wogs Sir". Well, you can imagine the rest.

In 1958 the Unit moved to Famagusta, Cyprus where we had many nice days going on barbecues on the Z-Craft down the coast to some fine beaches. Of course EOKA terrorists (Grivas and Co) were on the go. We lived in Karalous Camp, which must be known to a lot of the lads from those days. We had a time when an RA Sergeant's wife was murdered, it was said, by EOKA terrorists. The lads went on the rampage into town and 'things' happened. My wife joined me in Famagusta and the troubles were over and Cyprus got its independance.

In October 1959 I was posted to RE Training Regiment Cove, then National Service finished. I then moved on to 44 Field Park Squadron RE at Paderborn, BAOR where I worked in the Workshops and spent a lot of time on manouvres. My wife, son and daughter joined me in Paderborn, but in 1964 another posting came along - to 53 Port Squadron RE at Marchwood where I decided that I had had enough and bought myself out.

Divorce came and I moved back to Hull to live with my Mother. After a chain of jobs I decided to try my luck for steady work in Germany where I got a job with the REME Workshops in Osnabrück. I married a German lass and have been here for the last thirty years. I'm now retired and coping with our ups and downs on the health side. My children from my first marriage now have children of their own.

It would be very nice to hear from anyone who knew me in those days.