conscription 50 years ago

[alan.p.]

Hello to all on the Military Forum. I seem to have been in the wilderness on another part of the site. I just want to introduce myself
My name is Alan E Parkinson I was born in 1938 and happily brought up in a working class environment of the North West Town of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.
Similar to most Families of that era the toilet was in the back yard next to the coal house. We had no bathroom but we had a bath that was made of tin and that also was kept in the back yard and brought into the house when needed.
British families had a very hard time during the war with all the shortages and sacrifices that went with it. During the post war year’s things steadily got better but it took a long time. The mothers and fathers of Great Britain who had endured all the turmoil with two world wars and the hardships that followed, were no doubt a strong breed who put the Great in Great Britain
While growing up all able bodied lads knew when they reached a certain age they would be called up to do their national Service in one of the armed forces
It is now over fifty years ago since the last British male subject was called up to do their two years service in the armed forces. I and many men from Great Britain were called up in that last year of 1960.
We were the last of the millions men who previously went before us all those years ago who fought in World War 2, Korea, Malaya. Not forgetting all the peacekeeping the British Army did throughout the world
I have written my memoirs of the time building up to call up and the two years served.
It is on my web site www.getingetoutandgetaway.co.uk. The book itself is available from Amazon on a kindle e-book. I pad / I Phone or PC apps
Get in Get Out and Get Away may sound strange, but not for your uncles, fathers and grandfathers who lived in Britain during that era. They knew from an early age that one day they would be called up to do their two years national service in the armed forces.
I served my two years with the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment which was made up mostly of men from the North West of England
Get in get out and get away is my true memoirs from being a rag tag bunch of lads to becoming smart soldiers that went to the Cameroons in West Africa to keep the peace and oversee a vote on the country’s future.
The memoirs include showing the flag in many areas with encounters with people intent on disrupting the peace process. Leading, to an eventful raid on a terrorist camp on the French side of the Cameroon border
It is mixed with amusing anecdotes of growing up in post war England, through to the swinging sixties.
I and my fellow national servicemen wherever one served were certainly given an eye opener in life that certainly will never be forgotten.
It is all history now, but it has been a privilege to put it all down on paper on behalf of my fellow countrymen who served their national service many years ago
One thing we all had in common and that was to Get In Get Out And Get Away

Thanks for reading

alan.p.

[Tab]

A forgotten breed, and many lay in foreign fields totally over looked. I have often been told that they were not proper soldiers even though they served in the best regiments and were in fore front of many of those battles many years ago

[owdun]

I know nothing of the Army and RAF training of their intakes of National Servicemen,but in the Royal Marines they were trained to the same basic standard of us continuous service men, and were sent to Ships Company or Commando units as needed.Because of the long training period,most only served for a short while overseas,but they were good soldiers.

[Tab]

My training took ten weeks before we shipped over seas, well to Germany any way and not liking my posting I put in for the Para's. This was the time when you had to be a trained soldier before you could apply to be a Para. The P Course took two weeks and your jumps about the same. After that we were shipped overseas for active service, so the whole thing took about 14 weeks from start to finish from being called up to be stuck in the firing line as a Para. Now it takes nearly twice as long.

[alan.p.]

A forgotten breed, and many lay in foreign fields totally over looked. I have often been told that they were not proper soldiers even though they served in the best regiments and were in fore front of many of those battles many years ago

I agree they are a forgotten breed in this day and age. As written above I was called up in the last year of national service 1960. I can only speak the of time I spent in the King's Own Royal Border Regiment. The national servicemen were to the fore of everything associated to the regiment, be it drilling, smartness, soldiering and sport etc. Barring sport everything taught, was by regular N.C.Os and obviously old sweats
All recruits to the regiment did ten weeks basic training, before being sent to the regiment. It was at the regiment as you all know proper soldiering begins.
Thanks for your interesting comments

alan.p.