Op Banner photos - some memories for the old and bold

[AULD_SWEAT]

Just before SA80 entered service. Can't remember which unit was first to deploy to Banner armed with it.

I do recall the look on the face of one of my Cpls, when he knelt at a street corner in Downpatrick, and with nary a sound, the crotch seams all parted, from his nuts to his knees, leaving him lookin like an Armed Chipperfields circus clown.


And as for rural work, among the blackthorns of S Armagh . . .

Put the wind up the natives though. Patrolling tackle out....

 

[A signaller]

Ref Bethnal green. An Ariel mine hit a block of pre war flats in the east end. Coronation buildings in Stoke newington, The occupants were sheltering in the basement, mostly women and kids. The building collapsed, and when the rescue squads finally got through the rubble, all were dead, most drowned from the burst mains, which was immediately above them, and the firemen,s hoses., others were gassed by the fractured mains. over 300 people died. In south London people sheltering on the platforms of an underground station in south London, drowned, when a stick of bombs breached a local reservoir, flooding the station. Hundreds drowned. Churchill suppressed the news from the general public.

As told to me by my mother, who as a young girl, lived through the worst of the blitz, and was bombed out .......twice.

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Put the wind up the natives though. Patrolling tackle out....

Raiiiiiise....

Wait for it. Wait for it.

KILTS!

 

[Stonker]

Firefoxed

Browser wars?!?!

 

[ste14w]

Browser wars?!?!

Or Clint Eastwood in a Soviet jet??

 

[AULD_SWEAT]

Raiiiiiise....

Wait for it. Wait for it.

KILTS!

 

[Rodney2q]

Zero concern for the dogs persec I see?
How selfish!

The dog wouldn't let them in - they had to walk behind the wagon...

 

[AlienFTM]

First in Paderborn, spring of 1975,

Queen's? Alanbrooke? Handed over to 15/19H October 77?

 

[HE117]

Queen's? Alanbrooke? Handed over to 15/19H October 77?

I was with the Pompadours in 73 in Alanbrook,.. did they not go off to Cyprus in 75? They were certainly there in 76 as I was there at the Parachute Centre...

 

[AlienFTM]

I was with the Pompadours in 73 in Alanbrook,.. did they not go off to Cyprus in 75? They were certainly there in 76 as I was there at the Parachute Centre...

I could have sworn we replaced a battalion of Queen's, having had Angle Irons next door in both Catterick and Tidworth. But they were gone when I got to Paderborn, so I could easily have been wrong.

 

[Kinch]

I think in 1990 it was more of a sandy colour

There you go

 

[Helm]

I never liked that bloody dog, it kept pissing on my boots.

It wasn't the dog

 

[ste14w]

It wasn't the dog

I feel guilty now for kicking it in the balls on a regular basis.

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

That's the one, brilliant, thank you.

I know so many folks in that video - it was the C Coy Rover Gp that had to shuttle the film crew around, hence the CSM getting a bit of (undeserved) air time. The CO, Alan Behagg, ended up a 1* and most of the Coy Comds etc ended up as OF5s, my OC ended up as CO 7/10 UDR, he was awesome. My right hand is at least featured in the O Group, scribbling furiously.

I couldn't get enough of Belfast back in the day - after that tour I was back the year after and ended up doing 5 years out of 7 from '84 - '91.

Harmony? What's that?.

 

[Bubbles_Barker]

Ref Bethnal green. An Ariel mine hit a block of pre war flats in the east end. Coronation buildings in Stoke newington, The occupants were sheltering in the basement, mostly women and kids. The building collapsed, and when the rescue squads finally got through the rubble, all were dead, most drowned from the burst mains, which was immediately above them, and the firemen,s hoses., others were gassed by the fractured mains. over 300 people died. In south London people sheltering on the platforms of an underground station in south London, drowned, when a stick of bombs breached a local reservoir, flooding the station. Hundreds drowned. Churchill suppressed the news from the general public.

As told to me by my mother, who as a young girl, lived through the worst of the blitz, and was bombed out .......twice.

My bold - did it clean the place up?

Bethnal Green is accepted as the worst death toll of its kind in UK in WW2 -are the Stoke Newington and 'South London' incidents verified or were they just (understandable) hearsay?

 

[pimpernel]

I was with the Pompadours in 73 in Alanbrook,.. did they not go off to Cyprus in 75? They were certainly there in 76 as I was there at the Parachute Centre...

There were in Episkopi in 75 as I did a driving cadre with them.

 

[irlsgt]

Just about to hard target out, then the area was Firefoxed.
A very anxious couple of hours followed.View attachment 524447

firefoxed?
If not OPSEC

 

[Dan Gleebles]

firefoxed?
If not OPSEC

It's a play on words -

For Fcuks Sake.

Said quickly - Firefoxed.

 

[ste14w]

firefoxed?
If not OPSEC

All ops/patrols suspended, incoming imminent or int on sniper/IED in area.

 

[Stonker]

That's the one, brilliant, thank you.

I just watched that.

Oddly, I found myself smiling and had to do a WTF sense-check.

I'm happy to say it was hearing the banter in the portakabin (about 5minutes in, with posters in the background - The largest of them being the angel herself, the lovely Linda Lusardi )

Then the lad starts to get ready for patrol. INIBA on, he points out that every other outer garment is falling apart