WHY??

[richie264]

Just following on from the "Training" thread, WHY DID YOU JOIN???
Myself, All I ever wanted to do as long as I could remember was to join The Forces, I have no idea were it came from as I was brought up in the sticks with no military influence what so ever (except for John Wayne), my family can confirm they would hear me playing "Army" in the woods every day including sniping at my brothers & sisters with my air rifle.
I spent a few days on a school trip to Portsmouth to spend time with the Navy we lived on a submarine, The Marines carried out a school visit I was well impressed & thought thats it!, but I dissmised the idea as I couldn't swim (never passed my swimming test the whole of my career, I can now struggle a short length).
I left school in June 74 & joined a local builder as an apprentice brickie, in the Sept I was waiting at the end of my lane for a car to take me to Newtown Tech college, I had to attend one day a week.
The car didn't turn up & was about to thumb it to work when I spotted my mate Max walking across the field he said he'd finnished on the farm for the day, I suggested we thumb it to Shrewsbury (approx 32 miles) we did.
As we walked down Mardol St I spotted the Army Careers Office & popped my head in & asked "can I join the Army" they asked how old I was I stated 16 they said yes but you'll have get your parents to sign the paperwork, all my Mum had to say was "well it had to happen sometime".
I bunked off most of my college days then to do the paperwork etc, & went to Harogate for selection I was asked there,what I what I wanted to do, I was offered a couple of the Corps but I stated all I wanted to do was be a soldier with the useual reply of "your alway's a soldier first"
I said no it's the infantry for me. Regt ? I had no Idea, they asked me were I was from & they said "Royal Welch Fusiliers". (I was proud from day one when it was issued to wear The Hackle)
On the 3rd of Jan 75 I cut off my shoulder length hair (my mum cried & still goes onto til this day on how much nicer my hair was than my sisters).
At 9am on the 7th Jan 75 I caught the train from Welshpool to Abergaveny & the rest is history as they say. (23yrs 202days) (hope I didn't bore you)

25yrs to the day I was on the way to a meeting in Newtown & as I was driving past the platform (the road now runs were the rails were) I looked & I kid you not it was 9am spooky or what??

I believe that if the powers that be had not all but got rid of Junior Service there would not be the manpower shortage there is now, because if you don't catch them young lose them.

[John Turner]

I was the runt of the litter!

My older sister gained 9 'O' levels and four 'A's and then a 1st class honours degree in pharmacy - in the days when you needed a brain to do all that!

My brother did similar, but in forestry.

I failed my 11 plus!

But much later, when comparing school reports, It turned out I knocked spots off them both up until about 10 years old, not sure what happened after that - got in with 'a bad crowd' probably!

My Dad kept telling me 'The Army would do you good lad - not that they'd take you!"

So, of course, as usual, I had to do my best to prove him wrong! The drum major of the RWF TA lived in my street and I joined the cadets (RWF cadets of course) with his son, as soon as we were old enough. Loved it, but once they found out I could play a mouth organ, I got press-ganged in to the corps of drums and learned to play the B flat flute.

Of course a lot of the instructors were ex regulars and our annual camp always included visting regular units, but the most impressive visit was to Park Hall Camp Oswestry where we were given all the section attack etc demos, but what stuck in my mind most was the passing out parade (dress rehearsal)

You don't see drill like that anymore - anywhere - and it was rare then too! It was clinical.

The visiting band was that of the RGJ, which gave a bugle/band demo afterwards which blew me away.

That was the summer of 69; I was 15 the following January; signed on that April and was sat in the barbers chair in Park Hall on May 5th.

Two and a half years later I spotted a bunch of cadets watching my passing out parade dress rehearsal and every time I struck the (slightly loosened) stock of my rifle I thought "Watch THIS, you little *******s"

My Dad never came to my passing out parade.

[John Turner]

BUMP!

C'mon - why did you join? Enquiring minds want to know!

[led9750]

From as a long as i can remember i always wanted to join the army , coming from wrexham i thought the RWF was the whole of the army .
At the grand age of 15 i went with 5 of my long Haired Mates to join up in wrexham office .
And after a couple of tests even a complete and utter waster like me was taken on as a Junior soldier ,
And as i got on the train my mates had bottled out and never turned up .
But as the whole of wrexham thought i would not last 5 minutes i thought stuff em .
getting off the train at aber we jumped on the bus , on the radio was an ELO song called Hold on Tight to your dreams { How true was that }
Having been expelled from 5 schools and had the cane more times than most perverts pay for it , i fitted in fine .
only half an hour to get my name out on the 1st day , but hay you cant have it all

cheres all

led

[Keith Jones 989]

And NOBODY was given the option by a magistrate, join up or do time?

[sox3044]

Well i probably would have gone down if i hadnt have joined as most of the crowd i was kicking about with did.

Army or Copper for me, i only chose the army cos you could join at 16 but dont regret a minute of it.

1 memory does stick out for me though that i knew i was going to enjoy the army, and that was the spirit of all the south wales boys i traveled up to Litchfield with for selection centre. We had a blast and got totaly hammerd on the train on the way back singing like crazy, thinking back that was the start of many a good session and sing song. It was just comaradery i think with guys i had never met before and the achievement of getting in.

[chow]

And NOBODY was given the option by a magistrate, join up or do time?

ditto that kieth,hardly any work at the time on the west coast. well not for 16 year olds .also didnt get on with my stepfather at the time and getting into trouble with the law didnt help.. so joined up and dont regret a single moment best few years of my life,met some great people over the time had some great times with them ,from the depot and through my time with the regiment....brill....

[Barry69]

Well back in 74 things on the work front was getting prity bad but as a bunch of us from Rhyl joined the TA as we heard the money was Ok and they had a Bar, So The Weathersons Ray & Brian Scouce Whitlow Sean Walsh my brother Dave & I all joined the Colwyn Bay branch it was the nearest to Rhyl at the time, not long after Brian & Scouse joined the 1st Batallion and after a chat with Erve and Richie 13 on thier leave 6 months later in 76 Ray and I joined signed up in Rhyl my parents were not too keen as Ireland was quite busy, but I joined anyway and as we had done 18 months TA the training was not so Bad, No one attended my Passing Out but actully I was not botherd with that as I had gained Satified Soildier(Two weeks Extra Leave) and just wanted to get the parade out of the way as I had loads of leave to look forward too:

I joined the Battalion in 76 and as I scored well on my sigs test in Crick I got put in the Siganal Platoon and as Scouce was in SP Coy he said yer go for it and I did.

Problem I arrived in the Battalion as they where still in Ireland so was attached to the rear party Guards & DROs sorted dampend the joy but that was short lived.

But Tom Sal looked after us North Walians, Great guy Honest!

In them early days in Tidworth having mates in most the Coys I use to visit all the Coy Clubs and must say the best had to be Deltas Bar Perky & Jinks 38. & Delta Coy Cap Comforters "Darts Team"

22yrs later left in Chepstow and like many would not of changed a thing, I did not join to go to war, for me it was the comradeship being with the Lads creating special moments of memories I would never of gained outside the Army/Regiment, So 22rs later I guess you could say I was still a satisfied Soildier.