1974

[Pat Harley]

Re: 1974

Pity the advice not to holiday there didn't reach Mountbatten's ears 3 yrs later!We once spent 17 hours on the wrong side of the border,following the mistake of allowing the platoon commander to lead his first patrol,complete with map and compass in his hand!(Giles Ackerly Orpen-Smellie,son of the Col of the same name some of you may have known,need I say more?)Hid in a barn,observing the correct crossing point,from the wrong side till it was dark enough to retrace our steps,sworn to silence for the debrief!

[bob9739]

Re: 1974

Pat, bet you blackmailed him for months after that eh ?

[jackw102]

Re: 1974

Who liked crossing the border? These daft feckers apparently. My old mate in charge; no surprises there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ic-uproar.html

Is that the same guy Taff S who was patrol commander

[Don the Mod]

Re: 1974

Who liked crossing the border? These daft feckers apparently. My old mate in charge; no surprises there.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ic-uproar.html

Easy to do over there Chris.

We were blowing the unofficial crossings and were digging a hole for the ANFO charge, two Gardi appeared and told us we were 200yds inside their bog. OOPS. The border was a small tributary going under the road, one of many. We didn't get lifted though, just moved back and put a hole in the road.

Don't know why the article goes on about secret papers, i'm sure it was in the press at the time and was certainly common knowledge at 23. The patrol leader was reported to have said "i was hoping to make Sgt".

[treeman]

Re: 1974

'i was hoping to make Sgt".'

That's him. It's been published before so I can mention Ron Nicholson. I let him have the map in the ulu once and followed his arse for miles until we suddenly broke out of the trees , right into paddy fields. It was a fecking long walk back. Great lad. Google sas and Egg Buckton. RIP old mate.

[Fredboss]

Re: 1974


Aldershot Garrison Church August 1974 August 1974.jpg

10th August there were 5 weddings that day, I wonder how many are still together.

[Don the Mod]

Re: 1974

'i was hoping to make Sgt".'

That's him. It's been published before so I can mention Ron Nicholson. I let him have the map in the ulu once and followed his arse for miles until we suddenly broke out of the trees , right into paddy fields. It was a fecking long walk back. Great lad. Google sas and Egg Buckton. RIP old mate.

So map reading wasn't his strong point Chris?

[trubrit2411]

Re: 1974

Aldershot Garrison Church August 1974 [ATTACH=CONFIG]8107[/ATTACH]

10th August there were 5 weddings that day, I wonder how many are still together.

Looking very smart there mate.

[Dave Burgess]

Re: 1974

BRILL PIC!

[HappyJack]

Re: 1974

Aldershot Garrison Church August 1974 [ATTACH=CONFIG]8107[/ATTACH]

10th August there were 5 weddings that day, I wonder how many are still together.

Nice photo Fred, and Just after mine, although I was looking for a tax rebate because of the 30th March.
But ended up owing the tax man £30, but he let me off that.
I was wearing turn up bell bottoms, and long hair in 74, a year later I joined 10 para the first time around for a few years

[HappyJack]

Re: 1974

Who liked crossing the border? These daft feckers apparently. My old mate in charge; no surprises there.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ic-uproar.html

Did similar Chris.
Was my 21st birthday and 2 of us had a mission at around 0200hrs.
We had to run across the boarder with parangs, and take down the propaganda stickers off some water tank.
Of course I was still pissed up from a couple of hours previous, the lads giving their 2 can share of larger each, because of my 21st.
But still carried out the mission, even with the militia shitting themselves as the 2 of us screaming like Taras bulba with the machetes
They didnt know whether to load their machine guns or use their rifles and open up or let these two idiots carry on.
We had 4 gimpy's strategically placed to cover us from them machine guns on their side of the boarder.

A few days later a complaint came back from London, which caused an international incident about 2 solders running across their boarder.
When we were there for a few week's we couldnt show what regiment was there on duty.
A year prior 7 coppers on this side of the boarder had been attacked at the police station and killed.
Photo taken on the boarder which ran through the village street and along a large stream.
Only had a parang to use if needed to retrieve a kidnapped diplomat etc. Which did not happen on our watch, unlike the Gurkha's prior to us .

My old friend and at the time my section commander has never forgotten that time.
He reminds me of waking me up, and asking if I was able to continue with the pre arranged mission, and myself answering him
trying to be sober? But of course I am A Ok

Note on duty with no beret and no wings up.

The photo was actually taken by HM promotions, and put in the Leeds newspaper a few months later;
I still have the cutting.

[billy meikle]

Re: 1974

Aldershot Garrison Church August 1974 [ATTACH=CONFIG]8107[/ATTACH]

10th August there were 5 weddings that day, I wonder how many are still together.

nice photo fred hope you and yer lass are still together..... never had the pleasure to wear dress # 1 in fact when i look back in my 4 and 1/2 years in i think i wore the #2 uniform a handfull of times most times smock an denims i preferred it that way... patrolling the back streets and alley ways in ulster and lying in OP or running snatch squads in the murh or andie town.. or endless hours sitting in the back of a pig and ye know what i would do it all again

[KevinMoran]

Re: 1974

..... never had the pleasure to wear dress # 1 in fact when i look back in my 4 and 1/2 years in i think i wore the #2 uniform a handfull of times .......

Only time I ever wore Blues was at a wedding, one of my own or my muckers! It gave good reason to stay friendly with bandsmen of similar stature - all the better if they happened to have their wings as the ones that didn't screamed like little girls when you handed them back with the stitching outline on the arm!

[Fredboss]

Re: 1974

Yes still together 42 years and that was the only time I wore Blues, I lent the dress cords to another lad in the Bn and he lost them. After a bollicking and several threats from the QM I had to pay the for the loss about 1 pound 50p. Had my reception in the Army & Navy I guess its gone now though.

[billy meikle]

Re: 1974

Yes still together 42 years and that was the only time I wore Blues, I lent the dress cords to another lad in the Bn and he lost them. After a bollicking and several threats from the QM I had to pay the for the loss about 1 pound 50p. Had my reception in the Army & Navy I guess its gone now though.

good news fred ye cannie beat the love of a good women....... i had one and screwed up after 38 years as the song goes "IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME"