TONFANAU ARMY CAMP - TYWYN (Gwynedd)

[ap1]

Just for interest, I've just had a weekend in the camper van a couple of miles north of Tywyn. Walking to the beach we came across the remnants of an old army camp. Clearly visible was the butts and firing point of the 30m range. The camp is right on the coast, the wind must have cut you in half!!! I was explaining to the missus that the guys in the 1950's/60's would have been living in nissan huts heated by a single coal stove, no double glazing, ill fitting doors and windows, blankets itchy etc. Great place in July....Not such a happy place in the depths of Jan/Feb.

Anyway when we got back, a quick search on the net revealed in the late 1950's until about 1967 it had been the home of the All Arms Jnr Leader Regiment. Any of our guys based there as 15yr olds? If so you maybe interested in this site:

http://www.aajlr.org/tonfanau/tonfanau_main.html

3010

The picture shows how it was. The railway crossing marked in the red circle is still there. As are a couple of the large black hangar type buildings. Seemingly there was a mass awol one night in the 1960's. 48 young lads from the same platoon did a runner as a protest against one brutal young subbie!http://www.zoominto.com/zoomapi/ZoomButt.gif

[chow]

Al.
I used to live in Llwyngwril just up the coast.
used to ass about on that camp a bit...
we had ugandans there for a while.
now the foot bridge is back you can walk from Tywyn right through again..
my father painted the bridges in the early 60s..
now its a bike racing track (the camp)
I went to Tywyn school with a guy who lived on that crossing house now gone.

[keithwill38]

I remember spending a couple of weeks there in about 1965 when the Jnr Soldiers from Crickhowell held the annual summer camp there,it was to say the least a very bleak place then

[jim williams]

Yes New it well My late Father was a Sgt instructor in Machynlleth TA Centre. spent many days there Old Man doing his thing Me fishing.
Good days that was had there. and still go there with my brothers from My old Home Town Machynlleth.

[Glyn Hughes 17]

From memory, the late Oscar Slater served as the RSM of AAJLR Tonfanau and Tom Silverside as Sgt Instructor, Tom at that time was a member of the Queens Regiment.
Glyn

[Rog Ball 01]

This something else, and it brings back memories. I went to Tonfanau as a young lad of 15, left Hong Kong in May 62 and joined AAJLR on 6 Jun.

I went to Recruit Company and then to A Coy. I confirm what Glyn has said, the late Oscar Slater was RSM, who handed over to Chippy Chandler (SWB) and Oscar returned to the Bn as RSM, and Tom Silverside was a Weapon Instructor, and yes he was in the Queens, later to transfer to RWF.

I enjoyed my time at AAJLR as a Signalman in R Signals, but got moved to JTR Rhyl and met Glyn, and then I transferred to the only infantry battalion.

At AAJLR, whilst I was there, was Jeff Morton and Dave Curtiss. There have been others

[ap1]

Brilliant. I knew there would be guys who I knew who'd served there. If any former "Inmates" fancy a stroll down memory lane, very close by is a farm that rents out cottages. For Caravan Club members they also have a small CL in attractive grounds. The trains from Barmouth and Aberdovey still stop at the station. The concrete bases for all the blocks are still in situ, so you would probably be able to locate buildings of particular interest.

[Rog Ball 01]

Al

Are the block bases still in place between the railway track and the sea front?

[ap1]

I could certainly see concrete footings, it looks like they just demolished the nissan huts. Some of the red brick buildings are still there, but in a ruined state, quite a large one, between the station and the coast. Have a look at the google earth image here:

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[Clive Hughes]

I seem to recall being there for a weekend in the mid-1970s with 3rd battalion, as part of an exercise where we were defending against Artists SAS. Can't remember the camp at all, just the night-time sitting by the Pye Westminster radio and listening to the occasional crackle of blank ammo in the outer darkness...

Clive

[CVW]

Al,

It was certainly still 'operational' in 1988 when I spent a month there on the Army Outward Bound Course, which by general consensus was a pretty miserable time!

Charlie

[ap1]

Al,

It was certainly still 'operational' in 1988 when I spent a month there on the Army Outward Bound Course, which by general consensus was a pretty miserable time!

Charlie

Welcome back Charlie,

I don't think this camp at Tonfanau is the same place. The location you visited is shown in this short video below, which is certainly a different camp. Incidentally, did you do the death slide into the quarry! Such fun :-(

http://www.ijlb.com/forum/newsletters/1a_news_items/AOB.html

[chow]

Great video.Thanks Al.
at the end of the video the car goes down to Tywyn beach.
the shop and caravan park are still there,my mother has a static there.
some of the buildings are still there..the camp on sandylands road is still there and used.
there used to be yanks in the married pads there in the 60s.

[BennytheBall]

Yer, me and Tim Allen QDG's used to stay in the cadet hut when I was a recruiter in Wrexham in the late 80's I think it's the same camp?

[jim williams]

Hi All,

Have a look at this site, it seems to say it all.???

www.aajlr.org/tonfanau/tonfanau-main.html Hope this is of help to those like that are like minded.

jim.

[ivor43]

hi all.

the camp linked in the video is actually the MORFA Camp. this was a ww2 airfield used by the RAF for air gunnery training. the buildings shown were the technical site. between this area and the drainage ditches were 4 grass runways. There are a lot of concrete Bases around this part and i believe that a lot of the structures were actually tented.


ivor

[ap1]

The Outward Bound School was located at Morfa Camp Tywyn. Some 2kms south of Tonfanau Camp

[Rog Ball 01]

I have been looking through the photographs on the AAJL Website and have found this one

http://www.aajlr.org/jpegs/comrapic/cphoto195l.jpg>>" height="437" width="780">

As hou can see, there are two guys wearing white hackles. I am not sure if they are RWF or Royal Fusiliers. Anyone know.

I know one thing, Major Tom Silverside is in the picture, he is the fifth from the right in the rear row.

[CVW]

Al,

Thanks - you're absolutely right. My time there was such a physically and mentally numbing experience that I did even recognise that there was a second camp!! It was a remarkable course - great fun but of its age too. I met a very successful soldier recently, who has had a very unique and specialist career, who still describes the Army Outward Bound Course as the hardest thing he ever did during his service!!

Charlie

[ap1]

Further info on this thread. A profile of RSM Cliff Slater in the AAJLR Magazine published in the winter of 1962:

http://www.aajlr.org/leadermag/leader6203/08rsm.html


<tbody>
It is a matter of regret to all members of the Regiment that the end of this term sees the departure of the RSM, WO I C. D. Slater, Royal Welch Fusiliers, after a stay of only four terms. Mr. Slater has been popular with Permanent Staff and Junior Leaders alike, since his arrival here in September 1961. He is to be posted to Germany, where he will have the honour of becoming RSM of the 1st Battalion of his Regiment.


Mr. Slater first joined his Battalion at Christmas 1940, when it was back in England after Dunkirk. He has been with the Battalion, with slight interruptions (including a spell as instructor at the R.M.A., Sandhurst) ever since. This has taken him to India and Burma during the war, to Berlin at the time of the Berlin Blockade, to the West Indies at the time of Dr. Jagan's arrest, and to Cyprus during the Emergency. From all these he has emerged fairly well intact, although his nose still bears marks of an unfriendly mortar bomb.


Mr. Slater and his family have greatly enjoyed their stay at Tonfanau, and on their departure the connection will be maintained, for the eldest of their three sons is staying as a boarder at Towyn Grammar School. The Regiment wish Mr. and Mrs. Slater every happiness and success in the future, and remind them that Tonfanau will always be pleased to see them.

</tbody>

[LightOrder]

I would say regarding the Hackles, that the guy front centre is RWF as he has the [What was then] the Welsh brigade cap badge that we wore in the 60s and the [what looks like] the dark [navy/red ish] stable belt. The other chap has the Fusilier Brigade cap badge and a different, but Definitely not a RWF stable belt.