National service

[Texas]

Did anyone get to Korea? Floridablade mentions it fleetingly, but no one else. The nearest I got to it was having the draft number stencilled on my kit bag, DGJJY.

And it was official, all PL18 were going to get killed. We all went to the transit camp at Pocklington near York full of bravado and bull****. Myself and another chancer decided that if we weren't to get anymore leave before leaving the mortal coil forever, we'd fly the coop, that is grab ourselves a little weekend at home.

So on the Friday night (we were due to leave Pocklington Monday morning), Barry Gowers and myself nipped out of the camp the back way, across a series of muddy fields, to Pocklington and caught a bus to York.

The bus set off, and after about 5 minutes stopped on the opposite side of the road to the Guardroom. Me and Barry ducking and diving under the seats on the upper deck. Fortunately, no one got on.

We caught our trains, me to Sheffield, Barry to Gillingham Kent.

I never saw Baz again, dont know even if he got back to camp on Monday, I certainly did. I got back about 3 o'clock in the morning, the barrack room was totally empty.

I was in a bit of a panic on finding this situation. But help was at hand. There was a Corporal on permanent staff, who would creep about, engage you in a seemingly innocuous conversation, only for the reciever of the attention to find themselves on some fatigue or other.

Anyhow he followed me, more or less into the Barrack room, I really thought I'd blown it,when he asked me why I wasn't down at the Squadron Office. I was stuttering and stammering. Then he grinned and said, 'Get down there quick, the lads have got all your kit, and you're going to Egypt. They've changed the draft.'

And sure enough, there'd been a change in the draft and the number was DGJJZ.

[Floridablade]

yes I went to Korea but after the war 1954 my two brothers went during the war, my younger brother was the 1st commonwealth div sigs CO's driver and my older brother was a sergeant radio tech. I was only there for 4 months because the the artillery regiment 42nd field went to sek-kong in the new territories and I was in Fox troop sigs. attached.

[Texas]

Did you get to wear the purple flash? All the Korean vets that came thro' MELF wore the purple flash, I was quite impressed.

That Korean incident was something else. I've met many American vets who were really ****** off that it was, in official parlance, a police action, when really it was a full scale war. It was a war, and it has been brushed aside, by the politicos, as they do.

[prioryx]

yes I went to Korea but after the war 1954 my two brothers went during the war, my younger brother was the 1st commonwealth div sigs CO's driver and my older brother was a sergeant radio tech. I was only there for 4 months because the the artillery regiment 42nd field went to sek-kong in the new territories and I was in Fox troop sigs. attached.

 

Floridablade

were you with the artillery regt. who are alleged to have have upset the yanks who had sign saying whatever their unit name followed by "Second to None". The RA lads are supposed to have changed their sign to ???? field artillery " NONE". That was what upset the yanks.

How true I don't know but a good tale.

[sweetdexter]

Floridablade

were you with the artillery regt. who are alleged to have have upset the yanks who had sign saying whatever their unit name followed by "Second to None". The RA lads are supposed to have changed their sign to ???? field artillery " NONE". That was what upset the yanks.

How true I don't know but a good tale.

 

For all those who are not acquainted with the Korean war there was a Movie 'A Hill in Korea' Made 1956 that depicts a little of what it was like fighting the Chinese

[prioryx]

For all those who are not acquainted with the Korean war there was a Movie 'A Hill in Korea' Made 1956 that depicts a little of what it was like fighting the Chinese

 

 

A good book to read is Captive in Korea. I must admit that it is over 50 years since i bought it and can no longer find or remember the author.

[Magneteer]

Captive in Korea. The author was Phillip Deane.

[Texas]

If Gerry's reading this, Jeff Scholey went to Korea. He had a story about the Chinese blowing their own heads off with a type of grenade, I forget the exact details but perhaps that's detail enough.

[Gerry]

If Gerry's reading this, Jeff Scholey went to Korea. He had a story about the Chinese blowing their own heads off with a type of grenade, I forget the exact details but perhaps that's detail enough.

 

Jeff and I met up in Egypt, it must have been 1954/1955, I was stationed in the Canal Zone and he was in a transit camp in Fayed on his way back to blighty from Korea. Those were the days.

[Floridablade]

My opinion of the Yanks as military is very low in fact most of them are USeless. A new radio set arrived in Korea called an ANGRE 9 ( Army Navy General Radio Equipment ) 9 and not one of the stupid bxxxxxxs could operate it so muggins was sent to teach them. I was there 3 weeks and one had a good grasp of the procedure but most just sat there with glazed eyes. Why we go to war with them is a mystery. I was troop sergeant of the Radio Relay troop in 4 div. Sigs, Romeo Troop and we were ordered to set up a link to N.E. part of W. Germany. Two Ghurka and two yank trucks were part of the set up. The hardest part of the link is the two ends so I put a Yank at the farthest end the Ghurkas in the middle. I gave all of them strict instructions not to erect aerials in farm yards because of the live elecricity wires and they could get electricuted, one American was electricuted in a farm yard. luckily I had the order in writing and each NCO had signed it, unusual but the CO. knew his Yanks, he knew if anything went wrong they would try to blame us.

 

I was with 42 field in Korea, 25 pounders.