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My first and enduring memory at joining the Corps was having been met at Deal station, one cold Saturday evening in January, by a 3 tonner and being transported to J,wing with about 10 other petrified 16 year olds. Then hearing my first command as the vehicle slowed down "OUT", no other word was uttered, my feet hit the ground once, and for the next 18 weeks did'nt touch it again.

Walking into our room at Deal, and wondering how many others realised that we were expected to retain the gleaming brilliance of those wooden floors. It came as a shock to most to realise that a buffer was operated by muscle power.

"picked up by 3 tonner" You were lucky! We walked to the barracks. First but not the last time we experienced the delights of "non-appearing transport"
They put all the Jocks in one room and us sasanaks used to sit in there and play "spot the word"

Mostly per foot

Never ever been to Deal in my life. Was part of the first CS squad to start their training at Lympstone. Spent six months there and then moved to Bickleigh for Commando Training in November; the joys of Dartmoor in November, December and January. Does anyone remember rock traversing at Wembury and abseiling at Jenny Cliff?

We arrived at Deal in August just as the Depot went on annual leave! Our introduction to Royal Marines life was therefore comparitively 'gentle'. Main memory was of the guy in charge of us during the leave period who said he was Corporal Sergeant!! We thought that was his rank, like 'Lance Corporal', and kept wondering what his name was! Also, the bugle calls for reveille and Last Post.
Then THEY came back from leave.............ouch!

The shock of my first Pay Parade, ... Drill Shed, ... Deal 1966 ... 30 bob in hand,then being marched to the Naafi shop,to see neat piles of "stuff" all along the counter, (Bluebell,Dusters,Kiwi,Meltonian shoe Whitener,Coat Hangers & Dhoby Dust) ... being "invited" to grab a pile & then being "relieved" of ... exactly 30 bob !

For the younger reader,this was pre Decimal & Thirty bob = £1 & 10 Shillings... today £1.50 ... but we did get that EVERY Thursday !

Being marched to the "Snobs" (cobblers) Shop in East Barracks & having to pay for Parade Boots to be studded & Mess Tins,Boot & Button Brushes & ID Discs stamped !

Owdun, they must have put your lot in the shower rooms. Is that right, you got a mattress? Never had time to sleep, too busy. Had to leopard crawl from the station to Deal Barracks, climb up the outside of the block to find our room, and then sit down to tea and scones with the training team.
We had a scouse in our troop who was a rejoin, he'd left his initial training previously. We all raised an eyebrow on day two when the troop stripey enquired; "Dobbs, are you still available for baby sitting?", and there was this oily scouser with a big grin "Oh yes Colours, anytime" Got his number.
Nothing against scousers mind.

JE62 - May 71 - Deal

Waiting in line with arm on hip, adopting the usual 'about to have your jabs' pose. Navy medics throwing multiple javelins into your arm, as you shuffle along.

Me: "Corporal, can I have a drink of water please?"

Danny Blatchford: "Are we feeling a little faint, dear?"

Me: "No, I want to check if I'm leaking"

Needless to say - bollocking followed, but.........the devil made - and still makes me say these things.

Genuine chat up like to wife: "For a big woman, you don't sweat much!"........see what I mean! I need help.

August '62

Large Colour Sergeant greeted a few bewildered young souls at Deal station, me still not 17, joining a recruit squad, had been on the train sitting opposite a sweet old dear who had looked at me kindly and asked "Going back to school my dear?", going back to school, 'kin hell here's me going to join the Royal Marines and be a roughie toughie Commando, eventually a para trained 180 pound s of fighting fury from the sky and she askes if I'm going back to school! ego deflated. Good job 'cos it stayed that way all the way through Deal thanks to my face not exactly fitting with a right b-----d of a corporal DI "You are RM recruits the lowest form of life, I am a corporal and your squad instructor, I am God". Delusions of adequacy he had. Fifteen weeks and many many extra drills later Pompey and Poole (a very snowy January '63) seemed like a holiday and Lympstone, and a new squad DI I actually enjoyed, we e 'll almost.

Character building they tell me, but I suppose it is these shared experiences, or very similar, that still bind a load of old booties together as a family?

Shared Experiences IS the phrase, Barry, Day 2 or 3, Hair cut day, duty butcher drafted in from the galley, I thought I had a good short haircut but our DI thought different, However we had this hard Guy, a Glasweigan, who had hair down to his shoulders, and of course he had placed himself at the end of the line. DI invited him to the front of the line and gave the butcher the nod, butcher aimed clipper at hair and starting at the centre line cleared half the scalp like a sheerer in the out back, whipping the sheet from the front of his victim shouts 'NEXT'. Jock was then invited by DI to return to his place at the back of the line to wait for the other half to be clipped!
Happy days........... Remember the first time you entered the galley?..... the noise of KFS banging on the tables?
Aye

Yes Mike , and the chorus of "You'll be sorry" and us feeling so ruggsy in WWII denims, two or three sizes too big and still in civvy shoes, no headgear and, yes, those trendy haircuts. Taken back 40 years I could still face Lympstone again but Deal?, no thanks!

I still have some B&W photos,( Basil Kidd specials),taken on the Main Parade at Deal,during MGRM's Inspection,featuring those very Denims ! & "starring" Andy "Trunk" Holloway (Ex First Drill) & Steve "Yorky" Perry,former WO 1, (now sadly deceased) both "squaddies" of mine !

Remember Basil & his Sunday afternoon tours & the bloke who used to sell Corps Crests,under glass,made from the foil wrappers off "Quality Street" ?

Or the J/NCOs,going round the blocks at CTC,on a Sunday morning,selling Coffee & Banana sarnies,out of a pussers grip to "Nods" ... too knackered to get to Breakfast ? .... We loved that ! (you didn't have to stand to Attention,to speak to them).

Seems like only yesterday, ... when I had the body of a Greek God, .... now 36 years later,I have the body of a Greek .... restaurant !

I can't eat bananas without thinking of Lympstone Sunday mornings, happy days.