parade ground put downs
Not quite sure how I missed this thread.
May 1963 Cirencester railway stop(not really a station).. peeing with rain, several young chaps in automill , bus pulls up at far end of staion yard, man on step shouts "come along gentlemen I'm getting f***ing wet 'ere". Bloke beside me whimpered quietly, picked up his bags and got back on the train. Having established that there was one missing aforementioned Sgt Ned Sparkes goes off to train to havea word but comes back alone. For the next 4 months that guy disappeared into the blur of IOT. but many times since I've wondered; what did he say when he went home? and where is he now?
At that time there were Iraqi cadets there who had been to IOT a few years before but, subsequent to a coup were withdrawn and were sent to Russia to continue their training; and now , subsequent to another coup(Saddam???) came back to UK. They were fairly hard men and after decking their flt.cdr. D Melaniphy(sp) one morning, were all put on restrictions. Me and my mate were also on restrictions and at the 1700 drill session under the eagle eye of WO Wadman we were rapidly sidelined as at double speed we were all over the hangar but the Iraqis were as one man. " I'm going to break them" he said "if it f***ing kills me"
After 45 mins WO purple with rage and they are still as one man. Apparenly that had been the normal drill speed in Russia and as they understood as much Russian as they understood English they just did their own thing BUT together. And now happily from retirement I look back and wonder What became of them?? Did any of them look back from 1991 to 1963 and reflect wistfully about their time in Gloucestershire and who they might be facing??
Ancient Mariner