National Service

[albert smith 803]

We all know April 23rd. is St Georges Day (or should do!) but I have another reason to remember this date. Going back to the autumn of 1945 I had been virtually made redundant for the best of reasons, servicemen returning after the war wanted their jobs back!  I was one of the victims and with no trade training another job was hardly an option with 2 years compulsory National Service coming up. So being a keen Army Cadet I decided to try the Army for a career so on my 17^th. birthday, a Monday, I called at the recruiting office at London Rd. School @ 5.05.pm. to find it closed 25 minutes Early! & again on the TuesdayWednesdayThursday & Friday. Those two little letters IF come to mind because the Officer i/c the Navy/Royal Marines office was standing in his doorway having seen me on the previous 5 nights. “He doesn’t seem to want you, my boy, why don’t you try the Marines instead?”  he called in the dulcet tones of a super salesman. I fell for it but when he kept pushing this form across his desk with “22 years” at the top I thought ‘that’s a life-time’ No Thanks! But I did sign on “for the period of the present emergency” (I could still be in!) which turned out to be the same as Nat. Service, 2 years.A medical exam 2 weeks later and then April 23rd. 1946 saw me walk through the ‘Victorian’ gates of the Marine barracks at Deal in Kent, not to come out again until we had learned to salute any officer we might meet! !st. stop was the quartermaster stores where we had 2 of every item of clothing from the skin out chucked at us & last of all a kitbag to put them in!, then on to the next store to have a strange assortment  of webbing straps & haversacks added to the pile and for which we were now responsible! 2^nd. stop was the “barbers” nuff said!  3 volunteers, like myself, & 37 NS conscripts made up the 40 strong squad and for the next 18 weeks we ‘bashed’ up & down the parade ground, sometimes for 8 hours a day, we had just about learned to do these movement together  when, in the 4^th.week, they complicated matters by giving us rifles  to add to more movements! Around the 10^th week and feeling quite good with ourselves, particularly when marching past new recruits, we were introduced to the ‘Ceremonial’ duties, for which the Marines are noted, by mounting the “Guard” with the Band in full gear playing the ‘regimental march’ leading us round to a mini parade ground at the barrack entrance for the ‘old guard’ change over just like at “Buck. House”. That was the ‘posh’ bit, the 2hours on 4hours off standing ‘guard’ at different points around the barracks was a right pain in the U no where but it was all in the training manual which allowed 20 weeks to absorb a ’helluva’ lot in a seemingly very short time sooo. soon it’s.........                                                                                                       September, Hurray, we’re off to ‘Glorious Devon’, now the Commando Training Unit @ Lympstone, right on the banks of the River Exe but to us after the Victorian regime at Deal it was like arriving at ‘Butlins’. NO fatigue duties, NO standing guard, No church parade, NO Mess duties, here the food 100% better then Deal & more of it, was served ‘cafeteria’ style & NO washing up after! As if this wasn’t enough ‘goodies’ on the Saturday morning we had to parade with our No.2 uniforms under our arms, mystified we fell in and were marched off to the Quarter-Masters store  where we exchanged the tatty,cheapo British uniform for a brand new uniform left behind by the Canadians when they had returned to Canada. See the difference? ‘Dads Army’ fans will, Capt. Mainwaring must have been to the same store! 

      

[DJ360 6,721]

Excellent stuff Albert!

Col

[Brew 5,409]

I went to join the navy once. They said "can you swim"? I said "why?, you got no boats left"?

So I tried the army. "Do you want to learn a trade? no.. Do you want to see the world... no.. Oh, why do you want to join the army then... I wanna shoot people...

 

Joking aside I was actually accepted for the officers training malarkey. On the day I had the letter offering a place at uni  that evening a major and a colour sergeant in full dress uniform came to the door to sign me up, I'd done the personnel selection tests some weeks previously and passed apparently.  Ah a dilemma, Uni or Army.  As one does in such situations one turns to ones elders and betters for advice. Dad what do you think I should do?       "Gerraht the way of the telly is what yer'll do". When you arrive at one of life's crossroads it's good to know such sterling advice and guidance is there to help you on your way.

[plantfit 7,580]

Brilliant post Albert,without youngsters with your attitude in wanting to join up this country of ours would be in a bigger mess,for that attitude alone I thankyou

 

Rog

[PeverilPeril 3,279]

Excellent post Albert.   I was quite distressed when turned down for national service due to poor eyesight.

[loppylugs 8,427]

I just missed national service.  They ended it while I was still an apprentice.  I would have had a deferral 'til I turned 21 anyway.

[catfan 14,793]

Good post Albert. Could you imagine today's great unwashed being conscripted in to the armed services ? Exercise, Discipline & doing as you are told ! I can imagine some of the complaints, when someone of rank shouts at them to get a move on. Not right bruv innit, know wot I mean, sort of thing !

[plantfit 7,580]

You can't shout at me like that,I av yuman rights,I could sue you for bullying

 

Rog

[catfan 14,793]

I'm sure 90% of today's youth wouldn't last five minutes in the services.

[loppylugs 8,427]

9   They'd have to.   (Stay more than five minutes, I mean.)  Mind you the military might be relieved to kick 'em out.  They're probably more dangerous than the enemy anyway.

[albert smith 803]

Part 2(of 3)

Field training was entirely different, if we weren’t taking Bren Guns, grenades mortars etc. to pieces we were marched up on to Woodbury common crawling about in the heather & gorse learning to live (& fight?) in the open. Also on the range firing every type of infantry weapon used during the war from Browning pistols to a PIAT anti tank weapon that really needed a firm hold when fired! I achieved ‘Marksman’ with the rifle and followed it up several years later being in the County small bore rifle team nearly 200 times. Exercise got rid of the extra calories we were being fed with 2 ‘assault’ courses, one in the bottom field (as seen on TV) & another on the common are well remembered. One day’s training was in a truck onto Dartmoor then ½ the squad, in 2-3’s map read your way across 20 odd miles of the moor, cook your meal & return in the dark. The other ½ to do the same in the opposite direction. Ha Ha !  Dartmoor in the dark! the last order we were given was “Don’t get caught on the roads”! so ‘our’1/2. squad regrouped 2 miles down the road , ‘didn’t get caught on the road’ (we may have been in the pub in Widdicombe when his jeep drove by!) and got back to the start point. The other ½ missed the pick-up & spent the night on the moor, quite an experience!  Live ammunition was also used on restricted areas of the ‘Moor’ staying for several days “in the field” with an open air toilet, a trench dug in the ground with a tree branch fixed over it, wash/shave was in a stream as it tumbled down the hillside. We did at least get some ‘sleep’ in the old bell tents, 10 to a tent laying like ‘sardines’ for warmth at the start of what was one of the coldest winters on record.(1946-7) Not recommended!                                                                                                                                                    Back to camp just in time to get home for 14 days Christmas leave, my brother was also home from the Royal Navy so a very enjoyable tale telling time was had. New Year at home then back to a parting of the ways for the squad as we were now ‘trained soldiers’, some went shore based, some to serve on ships but 16 of us elected to carry on and do the Commando course at a recently set up camp in Mid Wales. The original Commando training camp near Fort William in Scotland had closed when the Army Commando’s had been controversially disbanded at the end of the war, the Marines decided to keep, & still do, the tradition alive. The course had been cut down to 4 weeks but the content was about the same with the emphasis on knowing & reaching your physical limits. The extra poundage we had put on over Christmas was removed in the first week with quite short marches of 6-10 miles & ‘speed marches’ (running/walking) of 5-8 miles @ under 10 mins. per mile together with parts of the ‘assault’ course. Increasing on a daily basis so that by the 4^th.week we were up to a 30 mile march & a 15 mile ‘speed march’ done as a squad, the ‘full’ 1 mile assault course in 21 mins, now with a 50yd.mud bath to wade through, carry/being carried by your oppo for 100yds. and finishing with a 100yd. climb up a hillside to a disused quarry & fire 5 rounds at a ’man sized’ target 50 yds away (2 hits needed, repeat the hill climb until you do!) Also as ‘individuals’ was the final “must pass” test the 40 miler in 10 hours! By truck to what is now the car park in Dolgelly, looming over the town is the second highest mountain in Wales, Cader Idris and on this day wearing a very deep cap of snow so we had 2 instructors leading in front & 2 behind to make sure we all got off the mountain. No way were we going over the top as planned so around the side we went, at least 2 extra miles but no extra time? It was rough going and we were well separated by the time we got back onto the road to be met with a very welcome mug of hot tea & a corned beef sandwich. A lady came out of a farmhouse to wave up past & called "you must be mad to be on the mountain in this weather, even the sheep have more sense", it was said with a lovely Welsh lilt. 4 of us had stayed together and once warmed up set off running & walking as we were used to, soon  picking up 4 more to get some sort of a rhythm going to make it back within the 10 hours when we found that anyone who made it back without assistance was OK !  Quite a euphoric atmosphere when we had hobbled into the NAAFI to celebrate that evening, ”We were now Commando’s!!!” but still not finished as a ‘specialty’ course had to be done. The choice was cliff climbing & small boat handling. field engineering(?), but parachuting @ half a crown per day extra was the winner for 15 of us. But there was a snag, due to the bad weather the course’s had backed up so the camp closed down at an hour’s notice! Travel warrants were hastily handed out & some 200 of us descended onto Towyn station and packed into the 2pm, 3 coach train. Such were the travel conditions that it was nearly 8am when I got my parents out of bed to let me in to a very warm welcome, after that very basic camp in Mid Wales Nottingham itself was a whole lot warmer!                       

[MargieH 7,599]

What a wonderful memory you've got, Albert.... really interesting 

[LizzieM 9,507]

You're a fantastic story-teller Albert but having read your book I already knew that.  A great read.

[albert smith 803]

part 3

10 days at home then recall, we were on the move again firstly to Aldershot, coincideny to the same barracks where I had been to get my ‘ Xed swords badge’ as a army cadet PTI 3 years before, for 2 weeks with the Army Physical training unit to get us fit for the parachuting! (the commando course didn’t count?) Then on into another ‘Nissan’ hut camp at  Middleton Stoney Manor House, 3 miles down the road from the RAF parachute school at Upper Heyford, a nice walk to get you warmed up for the very thorough RAF instructors who soon had us rolling about the floor, jumping out of simulated aircraft doors etc. until, after a week or so we came to the “fan”, We had heard this ZZzzz noise now it was our turn to create it, climb the 60ft. ladder into the hanger roof, make your way into these cubicles & be fastened into the harness which is connected to a very small fan by a very thin wire, on the command “GO” you step out onto a mat on the hanger floor 60ft. below! NO hesitation is permitted either now or in the proper aircraft later on. RTU (return to unit is immediate!) Oh yes, the fan does support you, just like the real parachute which has no ‘rip cord’ to pull as you are hooked up to the aircraft by a static line which extends pulling the parachute out of its bag as soon as you are clear of the ‘plane. It’s difficult to describe your feelings as you wait your turn in the ’plane, approaching the dropping zone the pilot eases the throttle to raise the tailplane as a safety measure & switches on a red light over the door, the dispatcher gives the command “Red on stand in the door”, the first man has only a few seconds to enjoy the view (Oxford in the distance!) then “Green on Go”,  No.1 already has his left hand on the door frame & his left foot on the sill and goes, whatever the sequence the rest follow are as near as possible out of the door. The sequence is much faster than reading even, as the lines unfold & the canopy is pulled from its bag & mushrooms above you to give you a comforting ‘thump’ as it takes your weight. The euphoria as you float down is fantastic and all to soon the ground is coming up, no worry, feet & knees tightly together, feet turned to one side, hit the ground  rolling over the hips & shoulders back onto your feet, easy! Unbuckle & walk away on ‘cloud 9’!  The 8 jumps for the course came shortly after but spread out due to the weather, any wind over 15mph.stopping all jumps and like the commando course you started with the easy one, singly from a cabin suspended beneath a captive barrage balloon,

                     

 This was raised to 900ft by a winch, it’s not natural to step out of a door at that height but the training down in the hanger was so thorough you just did it & it was fantastic despite this metallic voice shouting instructions at you from the ground. Into the WW2 workhorse Dakota aircraft now 20 at a time each jump getting more difficult starting 2+2 exiting the craft, then 4, then 10 as fast & close together as possible, now 10 carrying a bren gun in a padded holdall lowered on a 10ft. strap when airborne, 10 with a 60lb. kitbag strapped to your leg to be lowered beneath you as was the bren gun. I didn’t ‘kick’ the bag out far enough on the exit and slid down the side of the ‘plane & remember the tail wheel passing over my head! No. 7 was a night jump made more frightening when the pilot eased the throttle over the dropping zone the engine backfired a jet of flame past the door, not seen in daylight and we’re stood in the door awaitng the “GO” command with a nylon parachute on your back! The 8^th. & last was a ‘fast stick of 20’, all 20 out of the ‘plane in under 10 seconds, close enough together to talk, laugh & shout at each other on the descent, absolutely brilliant !  And then ‘it’s over!  We’re now fully trained commando paratroopers & our first disappointment, the 2/6 extra per day was for the course only but it was a fantastic experience, a further upset was NO green beret whilst we were in the UK? (1945 rules!) So back to Wales to kick our heels for a week or two then embarkation leave & off to Malta to join up with 3 Cdo. Brigade, on ‘stand by’ to assist with a problem in Palestine, now Israel! The time we had to enjoy the sunshine & beach at Mellieha Bay was spoilt by the ‘crowd control’ training which changed to ‘riot control’ when plastic shields were handed out so no-one was looking forward to assisting with that problem! As things turned out my 2 years came to an end and whilst 3  Cdo.brigade went east into Palestine I came back to the UK was given a new suit, a travel warrant back to Nottingham & 3 weeks leave to find a job! The End !

.The 2 years National Service has been praised & criticized but having volunteered in the first place I have no complaints, to me it will always be a well remembered part of my life!                                                              

                                                                        I was PLY/x 116075 Marine A.E.Smith 

                                     

[catfan 14,793]

All good stuff Albert.