Originally Posted by
ex82watcher
Most definitely Sterling SMGs.I remember as I was walking down the steps on the Mil supervisors side, to go to the crew-room for a coffee,there was a corporal coming in the opposite direction with a Sterling slung over his shoulder! In the six years I was there,the only other time I saw someone 'armed',was with a pick handle,when going in for a night shift.Never,ever,saw an SLR in that time.
Lets both defer to our fading memory then. Mine says the standard weapon of people then was the SLR with the SMG issued to MT drivers and the like who needed to carry in confined cabs etc. I was definitely issued with an SLR when we were armed guarding at Eastern when tensions were heightened but I don't remember being armed when Eldorado Canyon went off. Can't remember the occasion we were issued "guns" when I was there but must have been late 1990 to when the lights went out because I remember being supervisor of the guard so I must have been an NCO by then and I was on Det from Lyneham because of shortage of ERD trained bods. I remember the sadness caused when we had to trade our lovely SLRs in for those abominable little SA80s that replaced them.
There is of course the possibility that we are both correct just because I didn't see Sterlings doesn't mean there weren't any, I do remember the RAF coppers having them somtimes when they visited. I was at ERD from 1980-88 and again from 1990 til it closed.