大象传媒

Serving with B. Squadron, 16/5 Lancers in North Africa from Algiers to Tunis and then in Italy from Minturno to the banks of the river Po, the hostilities over, we at last moved to a village where we had some reasonable billets. The local people had left their houses and fled the village and our billets were now in these houses around the main square. Respecting the local people鈥檚 possessions we moved all their furniture etc. into one room and moved our kit into the other rooms for our quarters, although our beds were on the floor they at least were warm and dry, such luxuries we had not enjoyed for a very long time.
What next would we like, to make this a place more like home from home?
What about our own local bar? Where we could purchase a bottle of beer or a glass of wine and if possible some good Italian fortified wine. Arrangements were made with the 鈥渕anagement鈥� (officers) for one of the rooms in one house to be made available, a local resident who used to run such a place was recruited on to the payroll and acquired a generous supply of wines to supplement the NAFFI beer allowance.
The weather was warm and pleasant so thoughts of a refreshing drink after church parade, maybe a bottle of beer or a nice glass of wine before lunch, made the parade go even quicker. Having been dismissed from parade it was back to the billet to change into something cool, that is remove webbing, gaiters and battledress and ensure that every item is put neatly away, kit inspection could be detailed at any time, then it was off to the bar for that cool drink.
At the bar the barman asks, 鈥淲hat can I get for you?鈥� 鈥淕lass of wine, Please,鈥� Barman asks, 鈥淒o you have a glass?鈥� 鈥淣o,鈥� is the reply. The barman with a smile says there are plenty of empty bottles outside, 鈥淲hy not make your own?鈥�
This is where the fun starts.
One now waits for the next man who requires a glass and the mechanics of the situation takes over, both men get to work producing a glass each, all that is required is two of the empty beer bottles a long piece of string and a bucket of cold water.
Each taking hold of the first bottle in one hand and with the string looped around the bottle between their hands, keeping the string tight and pulling backwards and forwards in a sawing action, a hot ring is produced in the glass, 鈥淔ive minutes of this should do before we plunge hands and bottle into the cold water鈥� just a little longer and then we both agree, 鈥渘ow鈥� into the water, 鈥渃rack,鈥� and with a bit of luck the bottle is now in two bits. The holder of the bottom part now holds the 鈥済lass鈥� and the top part is discarded into the bin. A clean up of the glass with a stone to produce a smooth edge, the glass is now ready for service. As it needs two to make a glass so the first carefully placed out of sight (one never knows who is round the corner to play a joke, just borrow it for a moment) we repeat the process on bottle number two. With a glass each we can now go in to the bar and present the glass when asking for our drink.
Everyone joins in the process of producing the glasses so it is not long before there are a sufficient number for a stock to be kept in the bar. Of course there were breakages so failing to make one good glass after three or four breakages one would say 鈥淚 could do with a drink鈥� and mean it.
We enjoyed these billets with their own local but after a couple of months we were on the move to new areas in Austria so it was goodbye to the local with its stock of 鈥減erfectly manufactured glasses鈥�.

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