Hi, well after leaving school in 1968 I had 3 jobs which were boring and wanted to break away from the hum drum life my mates chose. My first job was as an Apprentice Tailors Cutter, the pay was poor so that didn't last long (6 Months), next was Stock Control Clerk with International Paints (See Rollover photo above), decent place & pay, until it was ruined by new owners (American obviously!!), then lastly as a clerk with Thorne Heating. But I was still very bored and wanted a change, something that involved travel, there had to be more to life than this??.

Well, talk is like fresh air, it's cheap and there's lots of it, so time to make a move!!. Scroll down to see more.

International Paints 5-a-side Footy 1970

I decided I wanted to travel and see a bit of the world. I had a choice, Parachute Regiment or the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, I decided to go with the RAOC which at the time was based at Blackdown Barracks now (Princess Royal Barracks) in Deepcut, Camberly Surrey. I first had to attend a 3 day induction type course at Sutton Coldfield, then off to Blackdown itself.

I arrived there 5th Jan 1972 and left 1st week in April after completing basic training and trade training. Our instructors definitely suffered a "Failure to communicate", the platoon Sergeant (Walker) and Corporal (Romer) gave conflicting training, very confusing, mind you we did look a right motley crew (See Squad Photo Below - outside the Training Wing)). I certainly felt a lot fitter and even played footy for the training battalion & depot, but that was short lived, once we made the RAOC cup final all these officers / senior ranks (permanent staff) mysteriously appeared from nowhere. It had certainly been an experience being introduced to the likes of our instructors "Ginge" Edwards (Bad Lads Army), Cass Costello and Fred Scarborough

Some of the lads in Malta / Borneo Platoons decided to shoot off to London for the weekend, we went to see the West Ham v Liverpool match at Upton park, we stayed in the old Union Jack Club behind Waterloo Station, what a dump, the dormitory was huge (200 beds). After the match we went back to the UJ club, freshened up then out on the pi**, we got well bladdered, even visiting some pokey strip club, 18 georgous girls (The Sign said), I was so piss*d I got a bonus, saw 36 (georgous girls !!!!) don't think so. Next morning I had the mother of hangovers and wanted to die, great weekend though, the new UJ club is much better, just across the road from the old one.

One day we got a shock, there had been an explosion at Rhine Barracks in Aldershot (Lunchtime 22nd Feb 1972), a car bomb detonated outside the Officers Mess of 16 Parachute Brigade HQ, killing six people (Five Civilian Kitchen Staff and Padre Weston) and injuring 19 others., well, there was mayhem all over, extra security at Blackdown Barracks from the Ordnance Para lads of 1 Parachute Logistic Regiment, click here to see photo's of the carnage. Photo's kindly provided by (Harvey of www.paradata.org.uk/).

We were given three options for posting preference, with at least one in the UK, rumour had it that Bicester was the place NOT to go, guess what?, I was posted to 16 Battalion COD Bicester, not the place to go if I wanted to travel!!, I hated every minute of my stay there except for 1 week when I actually got time off for a weeks gliding course at RAF Bicester, although the gliding course was fun, I found having a cable brake at 500 feet enlightening, certainly didn't need laxatives after that.

My first day at Bicester I checked in with battalion HQ where the clerk asked if I'd been there before, it turned out there was another Pte Broughton (Guards retread) who had the same last 3 regimental numbers and same christian name, except he was a driver, blond hair, 4" taller and 3 years older, my Identity card had to be replaced 5 times because of the similarities. Some bloke in tracksuit wandered past and asked who I was, I told him I'd just been posted in from Blackdown, he screeched at me "I'm the RSM" Dawson, how the hell was I supposed to know whilst snapping to attention. I was then taken to HQ company office, booked in there then to the accommodation block (Kowloon), where I saw a captain nicking flowers from the garden around the block, next I saw 3 prisoners being beasted near HQ Company office building by the RP's (Regimental Policemen) whereupon one of the prisoners collapsed with exhaustion. I got my kit and bedspace sorted out, went to the cookhouse and on returning found that my bedside mat had aged by approximately 10 years, some nice scroat decided to swap his for mine. A week later the other Pte Broughton came to see me for a chat, he wasn't best pleased as he suddenly found himself being ordered to go on OC's / CO's interview again!, also his name appeared on the guard roster which as a driver he didn't do, he said "it's nothing personal, but get down to HQ company office and sort it out, oh and er... nice meeting you!".

I was employed in E15 near Craven Hill - Bicester (Traffic Branch), now the fun starts!!

When I went on Commanding Officer's initial interview I got the usual welcome, "You settling in OK" Blah Blah Blah, "play any sports?" I dropped a bomshell, "I do sir, but don't get time off here for sports" boy did I stir things up, the CO was shocked, he looked at the Adjutant who looked at me with daggers. "We'll have to sort this out" he said, until afterwards in the Adjutants office, "You can't say things like that" well I just did, needless to say I was suddenly playing footy the following week. In HQ company most of the lads were on shifts so why bother going on company muster parade (15 only ever turned up), 4 of us avoided parade by volunteering for keys duty at the same time!!, don't know how we got away with that. We were fortunate not to be in A or B company, they (Company HQ's) regularly charged loads of blokes on parade, "A" company held the record 45 charged in one day. Monday nights were fun, barrack in night, all the bull they could muster, even married lads had to attend for Padre's Hour or cleaning outside area's just to mess them about, because that's what they (The Hierarchy) were like at Bicester, still living in National Service days (Dinosaurs!!). One officer (Captain Powell??) used to play the bagpipes every Monday night at 5 pm outside the training wing, crazy loon.

16 Battalion was a place where I felt like just a number, even the guys I knew from basic training became strangers, the married pads lived in Ambrosden, notorious for extra marital affairs, they even had a regimental policeman posted at the bus stop to ensure no single lads got off the bus (in more ways than one!). A few miles away was Bicester town itself where we were treated with contempt by the locals. There were some characters there like Fred Baxter, Jock Knox and my old mate George (Jock) Strange which made it more bearable, otherwise this place was like a prison.

Every Monday night was barrack - in night, cleaning the billett, brasso, polish and all that bullsh*t, even the married lads had to attend Padre's Hour or clean outside area's just for the hell of it. I made sure none of my personal kit (laundry) was left in the drying room on Thursday night, as some tea leaves would have it away by Friday morning, prior to buggering off home for the weekend, most of the ex Bicester lads who chat online today all agree, 16 Battalion was their worst posting, not surprised !!.

So, my first day at Bicester was memorable for all the wrong reasons. I was looking for an escape route, and after watching the Para's jumping from the barrage balloon / hercules at Weston-on-the Green I decided that was my ticket out of this hell hole, this was not for Geordie boy!!. I didn't want to stay in this place for 3 years being one of a number and being treated like a 2nd class citizen by the locals, (sod that for a game of soldiers), some of the guys here were great, but it definitely wasn't my scene. At the time I was in some sort of timewarp, living in the past with people stuck in the national service era (I like Life on Mars too!). I remember Jim Barker "Lord Jim" the guy with the Aston Martin DB6, he went round the naafi obtaining signatures for a petition complaining about the discipline and haircuts, anybody else other than Jim would have been court martialled, my name was also on the list! (reminds me of a Dad's Army episode). However, some people actually liked the place FFS!!!.

I found out that at least 40 blokes had applied to PVR - Premature Voluntary Release (Purchase their discharge) normally the paperwork was placed in file 13 and conveniently forgotten about. 2 Lads were so desperate they called the local plods, informing on themselves as being in possession of controlled drugs, this was to be their excuse to get thrown out of the army, but when the truth came out, they were given 9 months custody "Colly" and soldier on, well piss*d off or what. I was escort for one lad in HQ company whilst he was on disciplinary interview (Orders), he made it clear he wanted out, so the OC Major Wilkie obliged and gave him 2 hours to get off camp!! unbelievable, but it worked.

I enquired about P Company and got many different opinions, but my mind was made up, out every night running to Brill Hill on a round trip approx 10 miles, the orderly room sergeant (HQ coy) said he'd keep a bedspace for me, that just gave me more motivation to pass P company. There had been a few lads who'd already left bicester to go para, Malcolm "Geordie" Bowering and Scouse Christian, whom I would meet up with later. The last time I spoke to RSM Dawson was in Battalion HQ along with Vince Philips we were waiting for our travel documents, quite fitting really meeting Dawson on the day I arrived AND the day I left. I departed Bicester and the "Terracotta Army" 16 Bn in Sept of that year arriving at RAF Hullavington where 16 Parachute Heavy Drop Company were based.

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