John Kelly Education Corps.

This is another letter sent to me a few years ago by John Kelly

Congratulations Alan for writing such an interesting story of your national service days
I too started national service at Fulwood (September 12 1957) doing basic training for ten weeks with The East Lancashire Regiment – so your account rang quite a few bells. I was then transferred to the Educational Corps doing another few weeks training at Wilton Park Camp, Beaconsfield.
I flew out to Libya as an education sergeant in February 1957 and after some time at HQ in Tripoli I was with The 6th Royal Tanks at Homs (70 miles down the coast from Tripoli). I finally returned with the regiment by troopship in August/September 1959, after two fascinating years.
After retiring from teaching I decided to write up my story and it was published this year and is in quite a few libraries now: “National Service 1950s: Lancs. Bucks, Libya” published ‘The Oleander Press’ Cambridge (which likes doing books on the Middle East and has a series on Libya)
I really enjoyed reading about your experiences Alan and hope that many more people will do something similar. Nothing like enough has been written about those fascinating years of conscription. Perhaps you will inspire them!
I see the BBC had an interesting website on World War II and has invited people to write in about their experiences and memories. I wish they would do something similar on national service: it is a fascinating slice of social history, but rather neglected and forgotten
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John Kelly (234182