LAURIE AVISON ARMY CATERING CORPS 1954-56

Hello everybody I am sure you will find Laurie Avison’s letter very interesting. It goes to show national servicemen, like Laurie were the back bone of the British Army

Hi Alan,
I hope you are Keeping well. I know probably many more have said this, but I just happened to find your Web site and a very good one at that. It stirred my old grey matter.
When I went for my medical they asked me what I wanted to join, the Navy I said. Obviously a complete waste of time, because I got my call up for the Army Catering Corps and report to Aldershot for basic training.
After training I was posted to Catterick for my cook’s course. On completion of the course I was sent to Kure in Japan.
I embarked on Empire Orwell, a troop ship; where I spent eleven weeks cooking in the ships galley. I was dropped off at Kure and spent six months cooking for the Royal Military Police. The Korean War was at an end and that is where I got posted.
Korea was so cold, that I had to boil frozen eggs first before I could fry them. I was in Korea six months and then it was back to Japan for me to catch the troop ship Asturias home, or so I thought.
It came as a surprise when I was told that I would be dropped off at Singapore.
I spent two weeks in a transit camp before being posted to RASC camp in Malaya.
The camp was in a jungle area and it took four days by train, sat on a wood slat seat. The train must have been built in the eighteen hundreds and still going strong. I finished my service at this camp and I was told that I would be flown home for demob, no such luck.
The Suez crisis came up and I was stuck there and had to wait for it to finish. So I did a little bit more National Service than most.
My pay at the time was one pound per week, ten bob of that was taken from my pay and sent home to my mum, to save for me for when I got out. The trouble was my mum had spent it each week as it was sent. So when eventually I got my demob, I had two days off, then back to work down the coal mine.

Laurie Avison 23100328 A.C.C Leeds W/Yorkshire

Letters to Alan – National Service – Army Catering Corps

National Service in the A.C.C.

Like many more have said I just happend to see your Web site,and it stirred my old grey matter.
When I went for my medical they asked me what I wanted to join. the Navy I said, but I got my call up for the Army Catering Corps.
I reported to Aldershot for basic taining then got posted too Catterick for my cooks course, that done. I got posted to Kure Japan. I embarked on the Empire Orwell,a troop ship,where I spent eleven weeks cooking in the ships galley.I was dropped off at Kure and spent six months cooking for RMP then Iwas posted to Korea. It was so cold that I had to boil frozen eggs first before I could fry them.I spent six months in Korea, then I was sent back to Japan for me to catch the troop ship Asturias home so I thought. Only to be dropped of at Singapore and spent two weeks in a transit camp before being posted up to Malaya with the RASC in the jungle. The journey took four days sat on a wood slat seat on a train that must have been built in the eighteen hundreds.I did my time there and was told I would be flown home for demob, but no such luck .
The Suez crisis came up and I was stuck and had to wait for it to finish.So I did a little bit more N/S than most. My pay of one pound per week of which,ten bob of that was taken from my pay to be sent home to my mum to save for me for when I got outof the army. The trouble was my Mum had spent it each week as it was sent,So when I got my demob and being skint. I had two days off then it was back to work down the mine.
Yours truly
Laurie Avison 23100328 A.C.C Leeds W/Yokshire