Letters to Alan – Wacker Morris – Royal Artillery

Hello Alan
My name Ed wacker Morris served in the Royal Artillery as a gunner
With 20 Field Regt. 1960 training at Park Hall Camp Oswestry
When complete I was sent to Kirkee Mcmun Barracks Colchester and from there we were shipped out to Tampin in Malaya
We went out to Malaya on the Oxfordshire troopship. There were quite a few of us sea sick on the voyage and believe me that is one hell of a way to lose a few pounds in weight!
Thankfully when my service came to an end we flew back to Blighty and demob

Good luck and best wishes to everyone and keep the memories going.

Ed

Other National Service Story by Brian Owen – Royal Signals

Hello Alan
Your Story was very good and engrossing for an ex N/S man. I will spend many an hour reading it through and the other stories.
Do you know I could write a book on the many experiences I had in my 2 years in the royal signals.
If only only I had expertise and know how.
I was defered from military service until I was 21&6months. Now because I had just served my apprenticeship at a steel heavy fabrication works has a plater ( boilermaker ) I thought I had been forgotten, but I was looking foreward to doing it. Many a time I would listen to the older lads talking about their experiences abroad in the different mobs and be disappointed I coudn’t join.

So I got my brown envelope at last .I reported to I think it was Zion St. in Liverpool along with
hundreds of others and had a full M.O.T. that we all passed.
There must have been at least 5 or 6 Doctors including a lady doctor,she of course was the drop your trousers cough expert.
Then it was the selection board for us, I think that was in the same vicinty. The Royal Navy was on the
top floor,The RAF was on the middle floor,and the Army was on the bottom floor.
So I headed for the top floor and the Royal Navy. There was no chance of becoming a jolly jack tar.
unless you had been a member of the sea cadets or the sea scouts or your dad was an ex rear
admiral, or you signed on for at least 3 years. So I headed for the middle floor and the RAF. I thought
people were joking when they said the officers had handlebar moustaches like Jimmy Edwards, but the
one I saw did.
He said in a very posh accent. “Why do you want to join the RAF ” and I said .”because I can’t get in the Navy.” His face went crimson .”GET DOWN STAIRS TO THE ARMY”.
So I went down stairs to the Army. They asked what mob I wanted to be in. I said The Royal Amoured Corps.Or The Royal Tank Corps.
On June 4th 1959 I was summoned to Catterick in North Yorkshire to do my squarebashing in the Royal Corps of Signals.

All the best Brian Owen. Northwich Cheshire.