British Army urban legends - like Stalwart to see footy

[beaty1961]

I guess this is *sort* of history - I am looking into British Army funny stories or 'urban legends'...

In particular I am trying to find our who knows the real story about a tale I was told by my brother who served in a Royal Signals Recce unit during the Cold War...

He told me a hilarious story about a squaddie serving in Germany who was a fanatical footy fan. His team (I think it was Liverpool) was to play in the FA Cup final, and he asked for leave to return home to see the match - which was refused.

Not to be daunted, the innovative soldier STOLE a Stalwart amphibious cargo lorry and DROVE all the way from Germany to the English Channel, and then started to sail across the channel in his 'Stolly'!

Unfortunately, the Stolly ran out of fuel half way across and the poor footy fan and his vehicle had to be towed the rest of the way by a passing passenger ferry!

MPs were waiting for him in Dover!

However, the punch line is - when the poor guy was arrested, his escort rubbed salt in the wound when they told him that he actually had enough gas in his RESERVE TANK and all he needed to do was to flick over to that tank and he would have made it!


If anyone could verify this story - and maybe add any additional funny military urban legends I would be most grateful.

Thanks all.

Steve

 

[Maninthestreet]

Check out the sticky in Lamp and Sandbag linky

 

[beaty1961]

Thanks for that - apologies for might be an unnecessary post - but its sometimes hard to get a good search result if you aren't quite sure how to word your search. Thanks for not flaming me!

Regards,

Steve

 

[Poacher]

This little gem surfaced quite a few times most units in BAOR had a similar story, an urban myth I think.

Unlike 1 ADTR who did have a TTF floating down the Weser because some numpty (no names, no pack drill) did not put the hand-brake on properly.

 

[Tawahi-50]

This little gem surfaced quite a few times most units in BAOR had a similar story, an urban myth I think.

Yes, I believe it's grown into an urban myth but had it it's origin in an actual event which was widely reported in the press at the time (my guess was that it was circa 1973/1974)

A RCT driver in BAOR driver took a Stalwart and went AWOL to the Belgian coast and entered the water, my recollection is that he didn't get far and was brought back.

As far as I can recall, there was no mention of going to a footy match or indeed a full spare tank, both of which were very likely added later as the story got embellished.

Actually, when you think about it, the Stalwart driver would have been very much aware of the spare tank on the vehicle he was qualified to drive.

 

[Dygbi]

This is a true story i did in fact know the aforesaid driver whose nickname surprisingly enough was "Stollie" - he was a bit of a legend in Bunde for obvious reasons. He was from 2 ADTR and the signals guy who told you the story must have been from 2 ADSR - both units were co-located in Birdwood Bks in Bunde.

 

[Rarden_reaper]

Further to this, I believe it was a type of amphibious vehicle holding a BOWSER
containing the same type of fuel as said vehicle ran on

 

[Fat_Cav]

I refuse to believe that a Stollie made it from BAOR to Belgium without breaking down several times. Our's always did (breakdown that is)!

 

[Geordie_Blerk]

Is this the same guy who completed his 22 years as a Pte but was awarded an RSM's pension?

Or maybe the same bloke who was awakened at 0235 hrs by the Regimental Orderley Officer to be questioned over an alleged assault, only to strike the ROO in the face but didn't get charged as he had just woken up?

He may also be related to the soldier who, during the Gulf War / Iraq / Afghanistan / Bosnia / Kosovo / Macedonia / Sierra Leonne / Rwanda, received a video of his wife shagging another bloke.

 

[The_Snail]

Is this the same guy who completed his 22 years as a Pte but was awarded an RSM's pension?

Or maybe the same bloke who was awakened at 0235 hrs by the Regimental Orderley Officer to be questioned over an alleged assault, only to strike the ROO in the face but didn't get charged as he had just woken up?

He may also be related to the soldier who, during the Gulf War / Iraq / Afghanistan / Bosnia / Kosovo / Macedonia / Sierra Leonne / Rwanda, received a video of his wife shagging another bloke.

Stop fibbing, it was between 2359hrs and 0001hrs. You can get away with murder then. Allegedly.

 

[Northern Monkey]

Striking someone when woken from deep sleep is a defence in law,,,

 

[Pull-up-a-sandbag]

This is probably the same bloke who sent the GPMG pamphlet to the russians who returned it complete with amendments.

 

[jonwilly]

In 69 I served in 8 Flt AAC.
One of the troopers on the flight was a Cavalry guy name of Bob P. I could provide his last name if required.
Not too many secrets on a small unit and Bob had come from either the Shiny Tenth or the Cherrypickers. After all these years I cannot remember which but 10 Hussars, The regt that invented Bull sh1t, is my best guess.
It was no secret that Bob was just out of Colly and soon it was known that Bob was the guy who had driven the Stolly 'Halfway' across the channel.
During our Spearhead deployment to Bellykelly in late 69, Bob and I ended up in a small bar in Limavady and naturally as the Guinness flowed I asked Bob for the true story on his time in Colly.
He had taken a Stolly drove across BAOR, from Honhe, I think and got part way across the Channel. The water was too rough and he turned round and landed back in France where the Gendarmes where waiting.
Before CO's he was told that if he had got all the way across the desertion and theft of transport/fuel would have been put down to a publicity stunt.
Bob was in no way Bitter and spoke well of his time inside.
john

 

[Tawahi-50]

....He had taken a Stolly drove across BAOR, from Honhe, I think and got part way across the Channel. The water was too rough and he turned round and landed back in France where the Gendarmes where waiting.....

Jonwilly,

I suspect this is the same event that I recall- I probably just made the assumption that he was RCT and that it was Belgium instead of France but essentially it's the same account as I remember reading in the press at the time it happened.

I would think that he didn't say anything about going to a football match, though!

 

[jonwilly]

Memory says he took the Stolly because he was just p-eed off.
Withe work ticket he could stop at any NATO garrison and get fuel.
Quite determined sort of guy, not Flash or mouthy, worked in Signals and was sort who just got on with the job.
john

 

[beaty1961]

Many thanks to all who answered this post...

I am doing a series on my blog about 'The Best of British' - and wanted to include a few of the Army's more unusual, but still ground breaking, pieces of equipment...

I think the Stollie comes under the heading 'innovative', and I wanted to include an unusual story about it.

I understand that the Stolly was unreliable - or at least prone to breakdowns, which might prevent it being thought of as the 'Best of British' - what do you Stollie veterans think?

Was the Stolly a success story or a bit of a duck (no pun intended)?

 

[tankie88]

Stolly's do not have reserve tanks...when it's empty..it's empty.As a ex stolly driver of 6 years it was the best bit of kit ever invented.Would go any where a tank would go,no probs.If well looked after would go on and on.The only bad thing was high maint and fuel costs.

 

[pandaplodder]

He may also be related to the soldier who, during the Gulf War / Iraq / Afghanistan / Bosnia / Kosovo / Macedonia / Sierra Leonne / Rwanda, received a video of his wife shagging another bloke.

That was the Gulf War and it was a Sailor, I remember seeing it in the national press.

 

[strewth]

Many thanks to all who answered this post...

I am doing a series on my blog about 'The Best of British' - and wanted to include a few of the Army's more unusual, but still ground breaking, pieces of equipment...

I think the Stollie comes under the heading 'innovative', and I wanted to include an unusual story about it.

I understand that the Stolly was unreliable - or at least prone to breakdowns, which might prevent it being thought of as the 'Best of British' - what do you Stollie veterans think?

Was the Stolly a success story or a bit of a duck (no pun intended)?

Heres one which I witnessed BAOR 70's. Although the reasons were well known at the time, it's perhaps irrelevant now. Anyhow one of the blokes jumped in a 432 after a night on the pee, taking a chunk out of the MT sheds supports and was determined to drive through the guard room. Squished a few civvie cars on the way and miraculously manouvered across some serious drainage ditches narrowly missing my barrack block, as the tracks indicated the following morning.

Long story short, was within striking distance of his objective 10/12ft. when the bloody thing ran out of fuel. It was later found he had been running on fuel in the system and hadn't turned the fuel cock on prior to his little adventure. Knew him well, good bloke.

 

[Markintime]

There is one major snag with the Stollie story (which I heard many times from people who would swear blind the guy was from their unit, they read it in the press etc).
In the seventies there was strict border control, particularly on the German borders, even for military vehicles. No chance of driving an unauthorised military vehicle anywhere near the coast.

(If you are a fan of the urban legend then ignore this bit of common sense)