Memories of A Veteran Part the 4th

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Kia Ora, from New Zealand Friends and colleagues.

So after the excitement of the happenings of the last 48 hours its back to more normal stuff...

So here it is Part 4 for those who are following a young soldier through his life's adventures (he will of course become an old soldier at some time on this journey LoL)

I digress! So let us continue. Yes I offer you more memories of a veteran.........

Young Officer Signals Training

Young Officer Attachment
You will recall that I was last seen standing in a German field in my bespoke suit, with a

suitcase and a dismantled 12x24 canvas tent in the pouring rain! Well we survived that and the Commanding officer came to visit us and whisked us away to be shown around the Corps HQ in a beech wood nearby.
In those days The British Army had an Army Corps on the North German Plain alongside our NATO allies. A Corps is 3-4 Divisions consisting of at that time about 55,000 Troops out of a total Army strength of 155,000 spread around the world. Somewhat smaller than the 60,000 I believe that it is today!

The 3-week attachment with 7 Signal Regiment was refreshing It was November 1979 and I

had been in the Army since April 1975 and I still had not done a job, I had been training all of that time and I was going back to another 6 months training on completion of the attachment, so the opportunity to spend time with soldiers learning what they really do was just fantastic.

Signals Officer Training

Sadly after 3 weeks of 'doing some soldiering it was back to UK to Balandford Camp in sunny Dorset in the south-west of England to learn the business of being a Signals officer.

This was a mix of technical communications' theory,

leadership, operational tactics, troop management and practical field exercise where we learned to operate and understand the characteristic of the equipment that our soldier would be operating and repairing when we eventually took command in the units we would eventually be posted to the following May (1980)

My Famous Friend

Just by way of an interesting aside and a claim to fame! One of my fellow officer students at Blandford and whom I had known at The Royal Military Academy, as we were in the same intake class, was Second Lieutenant Richard (Dick Strawbridge). Dick is now a well recognised British TV personality who, along with his wife Angel, presents the UKTV show Escape To The Chateaux, a programme about Brits moving to France and revitalisng neglected French Castles.

May 1980 A Job At Last!

Leaving the classroom behind me and with all of my worldly belongings packed into my brand new (duty-free, a perk of overseas service) tangerine orange (what was I thinking!) Fiat 127

Sport, I headed to the ferry terminal at Felixstowe to take passage to Zeebrugge in Belgium, from where I would drive to Herford in West Germany. I had been posted to my attachment unit (about which I was very happy) 7 Signal Regiment, where I was to be given command of a Field Line Troop (more of that later) I was hoping for a better welcome than last time!.........

Let me known if there is still an appetite for more. In the next chapter we look at life as a young officer on the North German Plain waiting for the Warsaw Pact's 3rd Shock Army to come and 'ruin our day' and then on to train recruits at the Royal Signals Depot in Catterick on the North Yorkshire Moors, with some cool highlights and unusual experiences.

Good evening from New Zealand friends and colleagues.

KIA KOA

KIA KAHA

Hamish 🧐

CLICK HERE FOR PART THE 5th

YOU CAN READ FROM THE BEGINNING HERE PART THE 1ST


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Recent Comments

85

Hamish,

I am at a loss for words, except WOW!.

Some memories Hamish; some experience; great story, and even a greater life.

I am still in the WOW STATE OF HAVING READ YOUR MEMOIRS.

WOW!

I think your pages are ready to be package with a cover-back - "And the rest of the story". PAUL HARVEY.

Easy Talk - with Clarence

More! More! More! Goose, I remember the Warsaw pact. I even have Warsaw pact Training posters laminated that have armored vehicle recognition, aircraft, etc.! What a blast from my past!

πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ˜ŽπŸΆπŸΆ

Also in that first B & W pic, are you the lad bringing up the rear of the column?

Having spent 4 years in West Berlin in the days when the wall was up I have fair bit of WP paraphernalia myself 🧐

No they are all a bit young to be me LoL 🧐

Well, it IS B & W, Goose!

I'll bet you do, my friend! AWESOME!

Yeh we were black and white in those days LoL 🧐

Ha ha! Still have packs of old B & W Polaroid film!

Enjoy 🧐

LOVED IT!

Very cool thanks 🧐

πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ€ 

This movie that is what l call it is getting interesting when will we get to action :) l love the colour of your orange Fiat Lol. l am still interested in reading keep them coming. Thank you :)

The amazing thing is that I did not go on my first operation until I had been in the army for 18 years and then I was on Ops almost continuously for 5 years.🧐

So there is still more to be told l will be waiting to read as they come. Thank you!

Enjoy 🧐

Good post!
amazing and always a good read
thank you for sharing

have a good day

Thanks Buddy not as popular as my last two Blogs Lol but it is attracting steady passing trade 🧐

Enjoy 🧐

Thank you!
I just finish to read part 5th
great job!

Very welcome buddy I give everyone who comments on the previous they link to the next 🧐

great!

Practicing good traffic technique LoL 🧐

Good idea!

Thanks Pietro how are you is WA going well for you buddy? 🧐

Yes, all good,
other than that it could be always better :o)
Got lots of things to sort out but I'm grateful that I have the disposition and will to see positive even in negative,
so I'm ok.
thank you for asking
and
have a good Monday!




You too buddy always a pleasure my friend 🧐

Thanks for sharing that Hamish, I served in the RAOC as a in the late '80s and my trade training was at the Army School of Petroleum in Westmoors, not far from Blandford.
I also spent time in Paderborn as part of the 55,000 strong BAOR.
Great days!

I remember West Moors well and I had many parties at Paderborn Garrison at the teachers and officers messes LoL, small world 🧐

Enjoy 🧐

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