General Chat

Palestine, Cyprus, Kenya and Borneo are four more. On second thoughts not sure about Borneo think that was circa 1962.

Karen,
Pretty much everyone was sent away from their home town. Depending on what you were posted to (south lancs in my case) we went to their training camp, which was at Chester.
When you had done your 6 weeks training, you joined your battalion wherever in the world they were. Trieste in my case.

When the Korean war was on, they posted about 20 of our intake to the Welch regiment and we then went on a six week - hard work - boat trip to the far east. A fatal trip for 2 of the twenty, including a wonderful young man from Manchester, John O'hara.
The British army were nearly everwhere in those days and I would guess about 60% ended up overseas. Korea; Malaya; Singapore; Germany and Trieste immediately spring to mind).

Happy days

Hi Karen
My husband had just celebrated his 21st birthday and had finished a 5 year apprenticeship,(earning full pay at last,) when he was called up for 2 yrs. National service. His army pay in 1959 was 27s.

He was sent to Fenham barracks N/Castle(our 'home town') for training and then sent to Hong Kong for 19 months,when he was paid extra for going overseas.....£3.50
At the time he had wanted a home posting,but afterwards he was pleased to have seen some of the world,..having travelled 27 days by ship via. Gibraltar,to Aden,Suez canal then Singapore to Hong Kong.

Thanks Chris, is there any way I can find out who went where please

There were National Servicemen who lost their lives Karen. Bear in mind this country has been in conflict constantly somewhere in the world since September 1939. They actually got it right for my OH who served his apprenticeship as an aircraft engineer and put him RAF as ground crew!

My father in law got sent to Singapore, as a First Aider even though he was a mechanical (heavy engineering) fitter!

You'd have thought they'd assign him to a job where his training could be put to good use.

That was my next question,
were you sent away from your home town, but I never expected anyone to be sent abroad, not just for national service, not in peace time!

Yes, flat feet was the favorite. So many people acted stupid to hopefully get out of national service, but it rarely worked. some trainees tried to be perpetually back squadded so in the end the army might get fed up with their "stupidness". In 1951 we got 28 shillings a week. 7shillings had to be saved; another seven had to go on blanco and metal polish type of thing. Regular soldiers got £3.66.

I served in Korea so we did the 2 years plus 3 years in the territorial army when we finished(obligatory). There was an annual weeks( or was it a fortnight) camp with the terriers and employers had to let you attend.

The army looking back was a great experience but not good at the time. I always tell the tale that most of us had never even kissed a girl by the time we were called up. Arriving in Hongkong we were met by rickshaws "you want dirty woman".

You'll be man my son.

Happy days

oops I thought I was joking, perhaps not uh!

I know of men who were rejected because of weak eyesight.

Before going into National Service (RAF) we did not know which job we were going to do and in some jobs and trades good eyesight was very important.

It could be that a heavy smoker could have dodgy lungs.

My OH was in RAF - when called up after he finished his appprenticeship he decided to enlist for 4 years and see the world - he got as far as Gernmany. One story he relates is being on guard duty in Gernmany on the airfield with millions of pounds in aircraft - he was issued with a rifle but not a bullet. The first night in barracks could not sleep for all the crying going on. Son reckons the authorities were afraid RAF especially ground crew would shoot themselves!

Thanks Robert, what constitutes medical grounds,
he had a cough (40 woodbines a day) and wore glasses.

Medical grounds. Even though it was Peace time, the medical could be quite strict.

Thankyou Joan,
does anyone know of reasons other than reserved occupation, why a man could be turned down for national service?

Hey Harry please could you tell me what years concription was enforced, what age they "took you " at thankyou Karen

22446809 Pte Hayes H reporting. What do you want to know.?

My most trivial memory is being put off fried eggs for the last 59 years. They were served from black metal trays and were always cold and scooped up with bits of the black metal attached to their undersides.

Many more orthodox memories, some terribly sad.

Happy days

Hi, thanks for that, I shall try now

Hi, I was wondereing if there is anyone out there of a certain age who could give any help re- national service.
thanks Karen