Your first day in the army

[Jorrocks]

I think In some things there was an element of torture. Why oh why was it necessary to march and in step when more then one too and back from the cookhouse. I get it when we went as a squad but coming back of an evening ??

I hear you mate. I never had a problem being in step on my own but put me with someone else and buggered if I could do it.

 

[bedended]

I think In some things there was an element of torture. Why oh why was it necessary to march and in step when more then one too and back from the cookhouse. I get it when we went as a squad but coming back of an evening ??

Morning @Goutyfrub,
MARCH, MARCH! Luxury.
Warp 9 rifting was the order of the day along Adair Walk evey mealtime to the cookhouse, there and back(in fact anytime you stepped on it).
With placcy mug and kfs held one handed behind your back. The free arm swinging frantically trying to keep up with the blur that was the opposite leg.
A mental DS halfway along would call you back and send you to the start if he didn't see your clothes billowing with the speed you were going.
We used to go singly or in pairs just so we could keep in step. Getting sent back a couple of times in one rift would see guys sack scoff off.
Happy days...NOT!

 

[A signaller]

Did you have a crack at the beastly Hun or the naughty Nips? What's a shilling?

Todays equivalent of 5p ( We went from imperial to decimal on February 15th 1971)

A 12d piece. 20=£1. A shilling (1/-) was 12d ( 12 pence) 240d=£1.
Sub unit coins were:-
A farthing= 1/4d.
A half penny piece,
1d 3d. 6d 1/-. 2/-. 2/6d.
( A 2 shilling coin was also known as a florin, and a 2/6d coin was known as, 2 and 6, or half a dollar as there were $4 to the imperial £)
A crown was 5 shillings, and A 10 shilling note=50p.
And £1 £5 £10 & £20 notes. £100 notes were withdrawn in 1945.
£1,000,000 notes were only issued between banks, and investment houses for high level transactions.
They were cancelled in 1948.
I have one, framed on my down stairs bog wall.

 

[Erinon]

I think In some things there was an element of torture. Why oh why was it necessary to march and in step when more then one too and back from the cookhouse. I get it when we went as a squad but coming back of an evening ??

Standards Dear Boy..Standards!

 

[Carbon 6]

Todays equivalent of 5p ( We went from imperial to decimal on February 15th 1971)

A 12d piece. 20=£1. A shilling (1/-) was 12d ( 12 pence) 240d=£1.
Sub unit coins were:-
A farthing= 1/4d.
A half penny piece,
1d 3d. 6d 12d 2/-. 2/6d.
A crown was 5 shillings, and A 10 shilling note=50p.
And £1 £5 £10 & £20 notes. £100 notes were withdrawn in 1945.

Don't forget the Guinea. £1 + 1 shilling. Not that I ever used them, they were reserved for the elite.

 

[A signaller]

Don't forget the Guinea. £1 + 1 shilling. Not that I ever used them, they were reserved for the elite.

Still used to price racehorses.

 

[aardvaark the carpeted]

Morning @Goutyfrub,
MARCH, MARCH! Luxury.
Warp 9 rifting was the order of the day along Adair Walk evey mealtime to the cookhouse, there and back(in fact anytime you stepped on it).
With placcy mug and kfs held one handed behind your back. The free arm swinging frantically trying to keep up with the blur that was the opposite leg.
A mental DS halfway along would call you back and send you to the start if he didn't see your clothes billowing with the speed you were going.
We used to go singly or in pairs just so we could keep in step. Getting sent back a couple of times in one rift would see guys sack scoff off.
Happy days...NOT!

One of my best memories is being promoted on posting to the Guards Depot. I left the Kremlin as a L/Sgt and headed for the Sgts Mess. On Adair Walk I sauntered along while an increasingly apoplectic Orderly Sgt ranted in my direction until he saw my rank.

 

[Trackpen]

Don't forget the Guinea. £1 + 1 shilling. Not that I ever used them, they were reserved for the elite.

Not necessarily. The 1/- represented a 5% commission on sales.
True prices for racehorses are still quoted in guineas.

 

[Wightsparker]

Not necessarily. The 1/- represented a 5% commission on sales.
True prices for racehorses are still quoted in guineas.

I recall furniture being priced in guineas. My father explained that it was because 99 guineas looked less than £103 19s 0d

 

[AlienFTM]

One of my best memories is being promoted on posting to the Guards Depot. I left the Kremlin as a L/Sgt and headed for the Sgts Mess. On Adair Walk I sauntered along while an increasingly apoplectic Orderly Sgt ranted in my direction until he saw my rank.

My last course, in my last year, was SA80 Conversion at Pirbright. No, nothing career enhancing when I had the Pay and Records, etc runs to enhance. Especially, it seemed later that same last year Worthy Down 's adjutant told me I was doing Corpsaam.

Anyway, five days commuting between the two, lunch in the Sergeants' Mess (in combats...).
The day before we fired, I removed the firing pin (something that was toughened on the A1 or A2 or whatever). "Is this meant to look broken?"

"Good spot, off down the armoury (whatever) (gives directions), get it replaced."

Bimble down some main drag, past an accommodation block, where the directions get a bit vague. Walk into block where a bunch of recruits are just disappearing to ask directions.

"NCO IN THE ROOM!"
I calm them down, get them to relax a little and treat them like humans. The eager one marches with me. In his seven league boots he gets there in half the time. I thank him, argue with a stuck-up REME Lance Jack who wants to bill me, and get a new firing pin.

Bimble back up the road, WO2 instructor shouts to double.I look around to see who he's shouting at. Me? Oh!

I think by the time I'd bimbled back a tiny weeny little faster, he'd worked out I wasn't a recruit to be shouted at.

 

[Deece]

Late September 1972 after 3 days at Sutton Coalfield and a very short haircut, I was talked into joining REME. My first real day in the Army was at Poperinghe Barracks, Arborfield, Training Platoon No 13 and aged just 17 and was greetd by "My name is Cpl so and so, spelt B-A-S-T-A-R-D so remember it!" (I remember he was Welsh)

15 man Spider, 37 Pattern webbing, blanco, web belt & brasses, clasp knife, button stick, itchy fuc**ng shirt and gaiters FFS, those were the days............

The next best thing was my pay parade queue in Bordon in Mar 73 (think it was usually on Wednesday's), name called moved to the desk, saluted and told "pay £250", money counted out, heart racing, little pile of notes growing, signed, pick up dosh, salute "pay and paybook correct" and thinking what the fcuk was that about.
I later found out that it was my 6 months back pay for man service as I joined at 17 and man pay started at 17½, could not even get a drink in the NAAFI as I was too young. So it all went in the POSB which was opened as a recruit, can still see the post office lady looking at me with some suspicion as the notes and book were presented. F
unny enough that POSB was used for most of my career, paying in Marks in Germany and Candian dollers in BATUS and of course the USA dollers paid as "water money' during Op GRANBY. Never took a penny out of it until I had to close it because the Post Office were closing POSB's down. PS Anyone remember pay credits.........

 

[aardvaark the carpeted]

My last course, in my last year, was SA80 Conversion at Pirbright. No, nothing career enhancing when I had the Pay and Records, etc runs to enhance. Especially, it seemed later that same last year Worthy Down 's adjutant told me I was doing Corpsaam.

Anyway, five days commuting between the two, lunch in the Sergeants' Mess (in combats...).
The day before we fired, I removed the firing pin (something that was toughened on the A1 or A2 or whatever. "Is this meant to look broken?"

"Good spot, off down the armoury (whatever) (gives directions), get it replaced."

Bimble down some main drag, past an accommodation block, where the directions get a bit vague. Walk into block where a bunch of recruits are just disappearing to ask directions.

"NCO IN THE ROOM!"
I calm them down, get them to relax a little and treat them like humans. The eager one marches with me. In his seven league boots he gets there in half the time. I thank him, argue with a stuck-up REME Lance Jack who wants to bill me, and get a new firing pin.

Bimble back up the road, WO2 instructor shouts to double.I look around to see who he's shouting at. Me? Oh!

I think by the time I'd bimbled back a tiny weeny little faster, he'd worked out I wasn't a recruit to be shouted at.

I must admit that it could go to your head - and backfire badly. I was up in D Lines one quiet afternoon when I saw a long haired lout in coveralls ambling about the place like a tourist. So, at a range of 20 metres, I revved him up and shot him off down the road in a demented flurry of arms and legs until he was satisfactorily out of my sight. I then headed for the lines where the Platoon Bloke - looking a little shaken and with the phone still in his hand - told me that the Training Major wanted me in his in tray right now. It was there that he, (Bronco Lane) described to me the very great effort that had been made to lure one of the finest musicians available to join one of the Household Division bands. About how he had been invited to come and spend a couple of days having a look around and see for himself how nice we all were............. I have no idea how I got out of that office alive.

 

[A signaller]

The next best thing was my pay parade queue in Bordon in Mar 73 (think it was usually on Wednesday's), name called moved to the desk, saluted and told "pay £250", money counted out, heart racing, little pile of notes growing, signed, pick up dosh, salute "pay and paybook correct" and thinking what the fcuk was that about.
I later found out that it was my 6 months back pay for man service as I joined at 17 and man pay started at 17½, could not even get a drink in the NAAFI as I was too young. So it all went in the POSB which was opened as a recruit, can still see the post office lady looking at me with some suspicion as the notes and book were presented. F
unny enough that POSB was used for most of my career, paying in Marks in Germany and Candian dollers in BATUS and of course the USA dollers paid as "water money' during Op GRANBY. Never took a penny out of it until I had to close it because the Post Office were closing POSB's down. PS Anyone remember pay credits.........

memory jog:- April 1972, St Georges barracks Sutton coalfield, a wake up call to end all wake up calls, square pegs in round holes, and as I had already done 5 years as a sparks, of to catterick, and 5 troop, 11 sigs, Helles barracks. As for the POSB, every week £5, and when I came out, among the bumf presented to me, was POSB book, with 9 years of contributions, which I had totally forgotten about, £2000+, by then I was married with a family. A nice start to civilian life, along with a nice 2 bed council flat, back on my old manor, in london.

 

[Jorrocks]

I must admit that it could go to your head - and backfire badly. I was up in D Lines one quiet afternoon when I saw a long haired lout in coveralls ambling about the place like a tourist. So, at a range of 20 metres, I revved him up and shot him off down the road in a demented flurry of arms and legs until he was satisfactorily out of my sight. I then headed for the lines where the Platoon Bloke - looking a little shaken and with the phone still in his hand - told me that the Training Major wanted me in his in tray right now. It was there that he, (Bronco Lane) described to me the very great effort that had been made to lure one of the finest musicians available to join one of the Household Division bands. About how he had been invited to come and spend a couple of days having a look around and see for himself how nice we all were............. I have no idea how I got out of that office alive.

Bronco Lane a great soldier, a great man.

 

[beefer]

I think In some things there was an element of torture. Why oh why was it necessary to march and in step when more then one too and back from the cookhouse. I get it when we went as a squad but coming back of an evening ??

 

[Deece]

memory jog:- April 1972, St Georges barracks Sutton coalfield, a wake up call to end all wake up calls, square pegs in round holes, and as I had already done 5 years as a sparks, of to catterick, and 5 troop, 11 sigs, Helles barracks. As for the POSB, every week £5, and when I came out, among the bumf presented to me, was POSB book, with 9 years of contributions, which I had totally forgotten about, £2000+, by then I was married with a family. A nice start to civilian life, along with a nice 2 bed council flat, back on my old manor, in london.

Nice one, used it for something similar, Lambeth boy myself.

 

[76mill]

I must admit that it could go to your head - and backfire badly. I was up in D Lines one quiet afternoon when I saw a long haired lout in coveralls ambling about the place like a tourist. So, at a range of 20 metres, I revved him up and shot him off down the road in a demented flurry of arms and legs until he was satisfactorily out of my sight. I then headed for the lines where the Platoon Bloke - looking a little shaken and with the phone still in his hand - told me that the Training Major wanted me in his in tray right now. It was there that he, (Bronco Lane) described to me the very great effort that had been made to lure one of the finest musicians available to join one of the Household Division bands. About how he had been invited to come and spend a couple of days having a look around and see for himself how nice we all were............. I have no idea how I got out of that office alive.

Ah, shades of Dave W, SSM BSqn 1RTR, on seeing a PSA mong in ill fitting QM reject combats mowing the grass around the spiders at Lulworth:
"Oi, you , gerroff the the grass".
" F*cking cut it yourself then".
In a Biggus Dickus style, we somehow kept straight faces...

 

[A signaller]

Nice one, used it for something similar, Lambeth boy myself.

Hackney Guv, be lucky!

 

[aardvaark the carpeted]

Bronco Lane a great soldier, a great man.

Agreed. Is he still with us?

 

[retread2]

I think In some things there was an element of torture. Why oh why was it necessary to march and in step when more then one too and back from the cookhouse. I get it when we went as a squad but coming back of an evening ??

You never quite managed to shake off your slovenly civilian ways, did you?