ex REME VM… did 6 1/2 years of nut strangling and then got medicaled out with a back injury recived in a car crash. i had just passed my 'tiff selection boards. left a cpl instead… did Bosnia,Liverpool,Canada,Germany,US of A and Belize (Wanted Hong Kong 
) ‘88’ to '94
Me… the bloke who made the supposedly uninformed insult
Ex REME. Discharged in 1992. Served in NI and the Gulf. Ended up being discharged due to a spinal injury I sustained in the Gulf. Signed up for 22…ended up doing 3.
Glad I was out of it by then. By the time I left, the politically correct and H&S brigade had well and truly sunk their teeth in. Anything remotely dangerous was out. Shouting at recruits…out. Running in boots…out - quite what they expected us to run in in a battle I have no idea. They’d also shut the assessment centre at Sutton Coldfield so the ACIOs were allegedly doing the physical assessments. People were coming to do basic not even able to do a single sit up.
Living where I do as well as knowing the people I do, I still get to see whats going on and it hasn’t got any better. Fitness levels lowered and the training REME mechanics get now is horrendously lacking.
I was in the ACF for two years 
…does that count? ( did a two week tour of duty at Bovington and Chesil Beach )
After that I joined the Space Cadets for a year then into the RAF, does that count too?
ron9516:
I think the clue lies in the first seven words of this sentence
Shame you didn’t actually stop to think why. Couldn’t be because:
a) I’m not fit enough to pass a medical or,
b) maybe too old??
Wheel Nut:
Maybe Conors comment comes from experience of living next to Leconfield and having to put up with the town centre of Driffield on a saturday night.The local papers tell the story
There haven’t been soldiers in Driffield FOR A DECADE since they shut Alamein barracks. The only thing left at Driffield now is the HQ for Humberside ACF. Rest of it was mothballed ages ago.
Strange you should mention Leconfield…
Its where I got my Class 2 and spent 6 months doing 2nd line servicing. Nothing like a posting on your own doorstep. 
DeSaint:
ex REME VM… did 6 1/2 years of nut strangling and then got medicaled out with a back injury recived in a car crash. i had just passed my 'tiff selection boards. left a cpl instead… did Bosnia,Liverpool,Canada,Germany,US of A and Belize (Wanted Hong Kong
Liverpool!!! I bet Bosnia was a piece of cake after that!!
I was civvy MOD… 
I did a 4yr apprenticeship in Electronics…
It was an ACE time… I got to learn and see some amazing stuff, but they went private whilst I was there (started out-sourcing work, as opossed to doing EVERYTHING on site) and they didn’t take any of us apprentices on at the end of our 4yrs, otherwise i’d probably still be there…
Not ‘proper’ MOD by your standards, but there you go…
Luv
Chrisie… 
Chrisie,
You are still counted on this list; I titled it ‘MoD’ and not just Army, on purpose. Therefore it includes people who wear blue and go up, blue and go down ( 
), green and go everywhere and people who wear civi’s.
There’s plenty who will say my credentials are a bit shakey - not everyone would call the Royal Army Veterinary Corps proper army!!
I’m still waiting for someone to admit to being ‘Homeguard’ though!! I thought ‘Dads Army’ was brilliant!!
I read this thread with immense sorrow 
I tried to join the Army… then the Navy… neither would take me on medical grounds
One of the biggest regrets of my life, coming from a very strong militairy background, was never serving the Queen.
Ex RAF
Anyone see “Geronimo!” tonight, with the REME dragging the “amphibious vehicle” (radio-controlled car with some extra bits built by schoolchildren) out of the sea? I PMSL…
David5l:
Liverpool!!! I bet Bosnia was a piece of cake after that!!
it was…Different!! 
but it sort of helps if you’re a ‘micky mouser’ to start with 
TheBear:
I read this thread with immense sorrowI tried to join the Army… then the Navy… neither would take me on medical grounds
One of the biggest regrets of my life, coming from a very strong militairy background, was never serving the Queen.
Sorry to hear that Bear… 
Luv
Chrisie…
i’m ex thames water does that count? it was like being in the services!!!
My little boys dad was in the the penguins… and the FL
Ex R A F medic, trained marksman (sort that out)
missed all wars including Korea
I also met, and treat as patient in Halton Hospital a Pathfinder VC, forget his name, my MO was Sdn Ldr, De Kretzer, a relation of the Surgeon who pioneered the burns unit during the Battle of Britain
(spelling of name may be incorrect)
Keelman, the only pathfinder VC I can think of was Leonard Cheshire VC.
The modern father of plastic surgery was Sir Archibald McIndoe, who also christened the “Guinea Pigs”, mostly RAF fighter Pilots.
I worked with a great Burns and Plastic surgeon at QEMH Woolwich, Lt Col Jack Thompson, aka “The Screaming Demon”, when he left the mob, his place was taken by his protegee, Maj Mike Payne. This was in about 81.
Dratsabasti,
it was a long time ago '53, I was just a LAC, a ward orderly, and not allowed to have a conversation with such patients.
He was in a room on his own and treat as a VIP with a great deal of respect as you would expect.
even though he was quite ill at that time he had a lot of thought for the staff.
another patient I remember an RAF Rugby Teams plane had crashed (Feb. if my memory serves me) and months later one of the surviviors was still in Hospital fully encased in plaster and had to be turned every day, one day facing up the next facing down.
me, ex raf mtd. even got to serve in nam , downham and fakenham
Same as The bear unfotunately, Great Grandad was at the somme, so Grandad decided to join the Navy instead, short straw ended up on Atlantic convoy’s loads of medals between them and Grandad has an oakleaf on one,
now then i used to watch Soldier soldier does that count