大象传媒

I was born in Aldershot in January 1948 the eldest boy of seven children. The eldest child, my sister Roberta, was born in November 1946 in Armagh, N Ireland. My father went to Korea in 1950 and we were left in Berlin where I contracted poliomyelitis and was flown back to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where I spent the next two years learning to walk again as I had been paraylsed all down my right side. I remember there being lots of American wounded there - and they made me a pilots jacket with the US badge on it.

My father stayed in the army until 1961 and on the toss of a coin at his last posting in Brancepeth Camp near Brandon, Co Durham he decided to go back to Armagh to settle. He was 43 years of age and his heart was not the best, the wars he had fought in had taken their toll on his health.

Anyhow, in April 1963, I joined the REME as a Junior Leader to be trained as a clerk, and made my own way by boat and train to Aborfield near Reading, Berks. It was my home for the next 3 years. It had to be one of the most fascinating learning experiences in my whole life and really is a whole other story.

My first posting was to Fallingbostel in Germany arriving on Thursday 6th January 1966 to take up a post as the receipt and issues clerk at 20 Heavy Regiment's LAD REME. Within a year I was posted to the Black Watch LAD in Minden, as I arrived in 1967 they all left for a UN tour in Cyprus and I ended up on the rear party for six months.

In March 1968 the Black Watch moved back to Edinburgh and although I went back on the 2 day boat journey to Leith with them I, and others in the LAD were posted to 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers in Catterick. I knew I wasn't going to stay long as I had already been accepted for a Corporals post on secondment with the Trucial Oman Scouts in Sharjah.

In April 1970 I was posted to 71 Aircraft Workshop REME in Detmold and did a couple of years with them and then across the road to 655 Aviation Squadron LAD REME and was there when they first got posted to N Ireland.

In 1973 I got my final posting to the Army Apprentice College in Aborfield as A Coy Clerk and stayed until August 1975 - but the troubles had started and were getting bad. I was married by now and had three children and the fourth was due in September of that year. My wife Gwen was from Armagh so we decided to leave and I joined the NI Prison Service during internment and just when they were spraying the cement up the walls of the prison. I served four and a half years there - they were simply quite horrible times.

I resigned from the Prison Service on the 11th December 1979 and enlisted as a Private soldier in 2 (Armagh) Ulster Defence Regiment quite simply to get involved in the war which was killing all my friends. I rose through the ranks to WO2 - following in my own fathers footsteps and when my 22 years were up in August 1992 I stayed on part time, starting as an acting Sergeant, and finishing when I was 55 years old on 28 January 2003 as a WO2.

My father died of a massive heart attack on 20th April 1985 (Hitlers Birthday!)and my eldest sister Roberta died of Breast Cancer on 26th May 2004 at the age of 57 years. I am still here though and the above is but a tiny version of what has been a very exciting life.

During my service I learned to take a great interest in WW1 and WW2 and on Sunday 25th November 2000 after a remembrance service I paraded a composite Company of men and women from 8th Royal Irish Regiment outside St George's Chapel in Ypres and we marched to the 2000hrs ceremony under the Menin Gate. The whole of the Fire Brigade seemed to have turned out to play the Last Post and there were hundreds of people there taking photos and videoing us. It was of course, my 15 minutes of fame, and I, of course, relished every moment.

The following year I took my wife with me on another visit to the War Graves in France and Belgium on a coach trip with like minded people who all had their own reasons for being there. It is always sad but we must never forget.