I was now a trained soldier! In the Royal  Corps of Transport (RCT). I was a Driver B3 and a Clerk B3, however both of these trades were a means to an end. The trade I wanted to be was a

 

 

Part of the process of becoming a Movement Controller was to be posted to a Working Unit for a period of 6 months to gain some experience of how other parts of the RCT/Army work.

 

63 Sqn RCT was part of the Depot & Training Regiment, RCT at Buller Barracks in Aldershot.  The Depot was the “Home of the RCT” Where adult soldiers did their 10 Weeks Basic Training.

 

63 Depot Sqn RCT was an admin squadron which looked after soldiers who where serving overseas but were in the UK for different reasons (compassionate, Medical etc)

 

I was employed as the squadron clerk (dogs body) typing Squadron Orders doing the mail/filing etc.

 

One of the functions of the squadron was to act as a holding unit for soldiers who had been Absent Without Leave (AWOL) from their units overseas, who had given themselves up or been caught and were waiting to return.

 

They had to be formally charged and that was done by the Officer Commanding (OC) of the Sqn.  This meant that one of my tasks was to act as the escort when they were marched in on OC’s Orderly Room.  I used to have to do this most days up to 10 times a day.  I heard some good stories that were related to the OC of why they had gone AWOL etc.

 

After a couple of months I was moved to the Discharge & Resettlement Section of the Sqn.  As the name suggests it was where soldiers came to be discharged from the Army  and to arrange Resettlement Courses.

 

I lost count of the soldiers who were being kicked out of the Army , telling me to get out because it was Sh*t  and me replying “I’ve only just come in!!”

 

Particular Memories

 

The guy who had been AWOL for 20 years and had given himself up to the police. He arrived at the Depot in a White Rolls Royce, it was my job to escort him for the day round the various departments so he could be officially discharged.  He picked up his days pay and travelling expenses from the Pay Office  and then just gave them to me!

 

Sgt Bill Cahill and Cpl Jimmy Cairns 2 old and bolds in the Discharge & Resettlement Section who taught me how the real army works, although they did try every day to persuade me to become a Clerk instead of a Mover

 

The guy who went AWOL from an RCT unit then got a job as a grounds man working in Buller Bks, not knowing that the RSM of the Depot was from his old unit!  Imagine his surprise when the RSM recognised him strimming the grass out side his office window.