Page 81 - RADC 2017

trade) and commenced our trade courses as RAMC Male Nurses, RAMC Clerks, Medical Storemen and the variety of Clinical Technician trades.
As with all good things they end,
the RAMC Apprentice College was no exception, and in April 1984 it became the Junior Leaders Division RAMC. Twelve months later the Division amalgamated with the REME Apprentices in Arborfield before the Army ultimately closed the junior entry. However, the story did not end there, in 1998 the Army Foundation College opened for business in Harrogate, and whilst we do not see the same numbers as we had in Keogh Barracks, the RAMC Junior Soldier has made a comeback.
As an organisation in its own right, it was recorded that during the RAMC Apprentice College’s 30 years of existence it provided the Army Medical Services with a large proportion of its technicians, SNCOs and Officers. A ‘Pass-Out’ parade programme from 1983 remarked that ‘...the College has produced some 65% of the Administrative Officers [a forerunner of the Medical Support Officer] of the RAMC and many Warrant Officers & Sergeants’.
To mark the demise of the RAMC Apprentice, the last remaining Apprentices, who have served continuously in the Regular Army since leaving the College, formed up outside the ‘College’ – now Regimental Headquarters 4th Armoured Medical Regiment, on 3rd May 2017 under the command of, Senior ‘Old Boy’, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Terry Reeves (App Cpl - Chavasse 1956/57), the roll call included:
Colonel Ross McCulloch (Martin Leake
1979/81) - leaves Service 2017 Lieutenant Colonel Tim O’Callaghan
(Chavasse 1979/81) - leaves Service 2017 Lieutenant Colonel Steve Hall (Harden
1979/81) - leaves Service 2017
Major Tim Woolsey (Harden 1980/82) -
leaves Service 2018
Major Paul Wiles (Harden 1980/82) -
leaves Service 2018
Lieutenant Colonel ‘Fletch’ Fletcher
(Martin Leake 1980/82) - leaves Service 2018
Colonel Mark Earnshaw (Martin Leake 1981/83) - leaves Service 2019
Colonel Andy Yates (Harden 1982/84) - leaves Service 2020
Lieutenant Colonel Scott Marshall (Harden 1979/81) - leaves Service 2017
Lieutenant Colonel Gareth Moore (Martin Leake 1982/84) - leaves Service 2020
Major Joe A’Lee (Chavasse 1982/84) - leaves Service 2021
Lieutenant Colonel Aidy Meredith (Thompson 1983/85) - leaves Service 2021
Maj Daz Woodall (Chavasse 1983/85) - leaves Service 2021
Major Rob O’Brien (Chavasse 1983/85) – as the youngest, Rob will be the last serving RAMC Apprentice when he leaves the Service in 2022
Finally, if we can have a collective claim to fame, between us we have accumulated (so far) 503 years of Service, not a bad return on the initial investment, notwithstanding the scathing comment written into an Annual Report for one of the above - ‘Apprentice X is wasting the Army’s time and money’!
My “Dad’s
Army” RADC Memories 22678478 L/Cpl Atherton M.
Another little story from my days at Connaught Barracks in 1952.
Every time I see an episode of “Dad’s Army” I am reminded of this event.
I seem to recall that prior to ABTU 96, weapon training for National Servicemen did not exist - we were making history.
One day, our Sergeant showed us a Lee Enfield .303 rifle, and explained its working parts and terminology. The following day, he arrived with five of these rifles and a furniture removals van. We all climbed into the van and were taken to a nearby firing range.
In groups of five, we were instructed to lie down and were each handed a rifle and
a clip of five rounds of ammunition, which we then loaded into the gun in the manner which we had been shown the previous day. We were then instructed to fire two shots into the bank below the target (to warm
the gun up) and then three shots onto the target, which was about four hundred yards away. When all twenty seven of us had done this, we had to line up and make a declaration: “I have no live rounds or empty cases in my possession, Sir “. We again piled into the removal van and returned to camp. I volunteered to help the Sergeant clean the rifles, first by pouring boiling water down the barrels and then pulling them through with the regulation pieces of four by two (inches) of cloth.
This noble act of mine caused me to miss supper so the Sergeant told me to go to the cookhouse and ask for a late supper. My request was met by a brusque “Where’s your chitty?”, which I later realised that the Sergeant should have provided me with. I was that taken aback by the fact that my word was not being believed that I just went without supper. How naive I was in those early days.
And I never again came in contact with a firearm for the remainder of my service. (Not a lot has changed for the RADC then...Ed.)
Photograph of my original Training Manual
RADC BULLETIN 2017 79
A Barrack Room Cover-Up
22678478 L/Cpl Atherton M
I joined the RADC, at Depot and TE, Connaught barracks, Aldershot, on
the second of June 1952 as a National Serviceman and became one of twenty seven members of ABTU 96.
I had with me a half pint Primus stove (fuelled by pressurised paraffin vapour) and, during the morning break, I would buy a sliced loaf from the NAAFI shop and make toast which I was able to sell at a penny
a slice. Later on, the toast progressed to chips cooked in beef dripping in my large mess tin. One day, tragedy struck, the stove was accidentally knocked over and the hot liquid fat made a permanent stain on the bare wooden floor boards of the barrack room. However, we all had mats which were placed on the sides of our beds, as shown on the kit layout picture displayed on our wall. Everyone agreed to switch their mats
to the other side of the bed where mine conveniently covered the grease stain. This ploy escaped the notice of authority at all the following barrack room inspections for the rest of our days at the Depot.