The New 'Deal'

[Sea Soldier]

This certainly is "memory lane" time,I joined the Corps @ Deal in 1966,travelling down from Leeds with Steve "Yorky" Perry to join JE29 (sadly Steve is no longer with us,but I am in touch with several of the Squad via the net).
I also remember "Tex" & the RSM .. "Pink Jim" Pollitt (think he became Mayor of Exmouth on retiring from the Corps,having been Commissioned),
also remember our PTI Cpl,George "Capt Hurricane" Watts (muscles in his piss) & our PW Cpl ... the one & only Jack French.
Like many others,no doubt,I suffered @ the hands of a bored Cpl,on a Saturday afternoon,paraded for "Libertymen",in Blazer,Corps tie,Grey Trousers,Pussers shoes,with ID Card,clean hankie,spare shoe laces & four pennies (for an emergency phone call) .... only to be asked "What's the name of "Dusty Fogg's" Horse" ? ..... Who was "Dusty Fogg" ?,I hadn't a clue & by the time I found out,it was too late anyway (never did like reading "shit kickers" ! .
At that time the old blocks by MT Parade ,the Globe Theatre & Guard Room were occupied by HQ Coy,with the overspill living in "K" Block,by the side of the Drill Shed & side entrance to "J" Wing.
I still have some phots of MGRM's Inspection,one year,of us in Denims,which made the ones on Lad's Army look "tailor made".
The only BD I can remember was worn by a C/Sgt (LC1) named Wilkinson,who ran the Clothing Stores in East Barracks & his boss,an elderly Capt (name u/known) .. the Clothing Officer.

Who could forget Mrs "E" & her hubby,in their Bedford "Tilley",selling cheese & onion rolls @ Kingsdown Ranges ... & the PW's kicking arses of those hiding,cos they couldn't pay their bills ?

Oh well, ... nothing stays the same,but I have fond ? memories of The Depot RM.

Cheers for now,

[bootneck]

mike, I knew a PW who had the fox and hounds on his back, grey cells not what they used to be, took me through my JCC early eighties, didn`t see the fox, only the tail, and I`ll leave it to your imagination where the tail was!! great tattoo.

[Mike]

Having spent a rather enjoyable evening yesterday, I have been surfing through all things DEAL and have come up with a couple of sites that may be of intrest to some of the more stayed members of this site, They are as follows:
www.p033383d.fslife.co.uk/mne/rmb_deal_closure.htm
There are some great pics of the old J wing. My Pit was middle floor in the corner under the round window!
http://www.exroyalmarinesbandsmen.org/RMBNTCE.HTM
This one you will need to scroll down half way for the pics.
There are other sites as well but these are probably the best.......
Yes Bootneck sounds like the same bloke, cant be too many missing foxes in the mob!!

Yorkie, Jack French was the instructer of squad infornt of us at Lympstone, the days of either a charge or a hiding behind the block for a
misdemenour were over for him and us. One day he lost his rag with some Nod on the tarzan course, threw a stick at him, which poped the guy's eye out, shit hit the fan, somehow he did'nt get busted... life was never quite the same after that, we still shit ourselves at the sight of him though.......
Aye

[bootneck]

I, and a couple of oppo`s, who shall remain nameless, were at one time thinking of liberating the copper tanks in the roof of the old buildings, just inside the main gate, but after seeing the size of them, (approx 20ft long x 10ft in diameter) we`d have had to demolish the buildings to get them out, needless to say, we were the worse for drink on the initial recce, and never made an attempt at getting them out. surely, some civvie contractor, must have thought his six numbers had come up when he eyeballed them.

[Pilgrim Norway]

This brings back memories lads...
I have a photograph somewhere here of our grand Queen Mum opening the "new" block in the spring of 1956 and of course the parade...
The bedspreads were new then too!

I had toothache at the Depot once and remember an attendant (probably Navy) at the Dentists who commanded me to open up my mouth for him to have a look see - being green I did so whereupon he remarked -
bye yeh bugger you're long in the tooth son...

Mansel's horse and Vivian Dunns music - those were the days...

[Mike]

Hi I've just dug this topic from the depths of MF, Its so old that the lads joining the site now weren’t even a twinkle in their Dad's eye!

From somewhere in the depths of my memory I have trawled the vision of us Nods doing fatigues on a Saturday morning over in the admin block in south? Barracks, tins of toxic smelling yellow/orange polish, the huge lump of metal on the bottom of a long pole which was swung from side to side......bloody dangerous in the hands of a lad only 5ft 4 1/2 and full if energy!

Does anyone remember the huge train set and layout in the loft of the block, from what I remember it was huge, but I can't think who it could have belonged to....

I also remember the grey slacks, blue blazer, white shirt and corps tie that we all had to buy from the naval tailors (Name?) who set up shop in the bottom of J wing... shit we were the bees knees, strolling down Deal prom.... Sad little buggers really.

[Mike]

Sticks... Thanks for the pics..... Unfortunately, apart from the clock tower on East Bks, the rest may as well be in Siongers! I dint recognise any of it...Ah well time passes...
Aye

[Mike]

Having sought this pic for some time I have at long last found it. For some of the Old and Bold it should bring back memories, Bad or Good, I remember it as if it were yesterday.
The occasion was the visit of HM the Queen Mother in 1955? A Tad before my time, but the place hadn't changed.... The pic was taken from above the main galley and offers a good view of 'J wing' and my grot in particular. (2nd round window of 3, on the left hand side of the building)


Aye
Mike

[El Prez]

I look at that drill shed and can feel the sweat running down my back doing step ups as a squad into the sun beaming through the glass. No sense of humour some DLs.
It was like walking into Wormwood Scrubs as a new lad, scary.

[Mike]

In the February of 1963 we had to chip off the inch thick ice form the far portion of the parade while the PTIs and whoever else had skates, skated on th rest of it......Rumor had it that underneath the square was a nuclear shelter.....Though I guess it was just another story. Happy days...... Extra Drills Kit Musters... Etc. Etc.
Aye

[Andy O'Pray]

Just as a reminder lads, it was on this date, 31 March 1996 that RM Barracks Deal formally closed.

I remember back in 1959, after finishing the first part of training at Deal. Our squad was fallen in, dressed in No 2 blues and black webbing. The squad instructor ordered, "712 squad left turn, to ITCRM quick march". I am thinking, that's a f@#$ing long walk. Quite relieved when we stopped at the railway station.

Aye - Andy.

[fire_freeq]

Wow is all I can say!
My Dad was Cpl David Young, from Thurso, Inverness. He was one of the only Scottish marines there. I remember he talked about Graeme Deer, one of the RSM's. A few years back he done the ritual thing you do on a haggis for Hogmanay. He was GD all his 22 years in the marines, and said he was one of the lucky ones. This is due to getting on the good side of RSM's with dinner parties and that type of thing. He said when another one came along, they would hand down that 'Cpl Young does a mean silver service...' Along with my mother, that they both met when she was a WRN. - Janice Young (at Deal)

When it closed down loads of things went to auction. So my dad being who he was, with his finger in a bit of everything, managed to win the sauna. Yes the sauna ha ha, which to this day I can remember as a little boy) I used a carpenters wood pencil with a bright light. Numbered all the pine panels 1,2,3 etc. Individually took them apart and built it all back up in our garage. I think he only paid £230 for it, including the heating element and stones etc. Still use it to this day after a good run to Kingsdown and back or now and again to the war memorial along the cliff edge of St. Margarets. My dad spent his last 6 years at Portsmouth/Poole which was hard on family life but he was stuck in the pension trap. So we got by.

I remember he used to take me and my sisters, Laura and Fiona in the Gym with him, and I saw him pump the weights. Then we'd all play mental football with about 20 basketballs and see if we could kick them to the ceiling. Or try throwing tennis balls to the tower bit in the ceiling. All good times where had, sneaking in, making seserts for the Officers Mess and helping cleaning the silver for big occasions. As a little boy, it was cool. Looking back still, I remember the huge climbing frames they had in the fields. Which has now been converted to Deal Parochial Primary School and the new grounds for which Deal Rugby club train. Not to forget the hundres of overpriced rent-charging properties built there!

Being brought up by a bootie still happily married to this day with my mum, has shown me a glimpse of the Royal Marine lifestyle. Although times have changed and theres new things etc. it will never take away my childhood. The free holidays in a Hercules to Cyprus and Nairobi were huge! I remember my oldest sister saying when she was at school they had to write what they did at the weekend. With most people saying, went shopping, swimming etc. Mine saying, went to Nairobi, went on Camels, flew in a big plane... Was pretty awesome.

For this, it is why I plan to join up, making the best friends in the world, travelling, experiencing things most civvies have to pay for, e.g. free gym membership lol... Most importantly the ability to say, the Grandad kind of speak, when I was a boy, I done this that and the other. What a time I had etc. Can't wait! -Not so much for the 32 weeks of blood sweat and tears, but being in a few years and living the life.

Anyone that recognises my Dad's name please feel free to reply, if not for mine but for his sake because he's got the IQ of a lettuce when it comes to computers lol. My Dad is now a Custody Detention Officer for Dover Harbour Board and my Mum - Janice Young, a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMHN), just for the people on here if they want to know what they're doing nowadays. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have reminising it all.

My PRMC is 30th January 2007, fingers crossed!

David Young (Jnr)