Page 165 - RAPTC Mind, Body & Spirit

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IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY IN THE LAST YEAR
Lt Col (Retd) Alan Duxbury 25 Jul 17 Anthony John Sanderson Aug 17 Robert Brian Moon Aug 17
John Baker 14 Aug 17
Duncan Russell 18 Aug 17 Ronald Perry 21 Sep 17 Fred Sankey 30 Sep 17 Mike Sheedy 15 Oct 17 Ronald Arthurs 20 Oct 17 Jack Taylor 14 Nov 17
Jim Pollock 22 Nov 17 Bernard Thomas 12 Jan 18 Clive Mark Eldridge 9 Mar 18
The following people have passed away since the cut off date for the MBS submissions, but we felt it was only right to mention their passing rather than wait till next year. Tom (Taff) Hutton Apr 18
Herbert Leah 17 Apr 18
Iwas very kindly asked to write a piece to celebrate the life of my Grandad, John Baker. As a child growing up, holding his hand or riding on his shoulders, I felt invincible. I wanted to grow up and
be just like him, a soldier. He served for 24 years in the Army after being called up for National Service with the Pays Corps (a rather odd fit!), before transferring to the South Staffordshire Regiment, The Parachute Regiment and latterly, his beloved ‘PT Corps’.
My Grandad grew up in a small village called Tan-y-fron in North Wales, in the shadow of the Minera mountain. His father had been severely wounded in World War One and died when he was 5, finally succumbing to his injuries. One of the few memories my Grandad could recall was of his Dad and a friend sat in the kitchen, teasing the kids as he removed his glass eye and his friend revealed his false leg.
In an area pockmarked with mines, he spent his early years playing and battling with mates on the many spoil heaps. One of these epic battles resulted in a broken arm. This episode and his tendency to day dream earned him the label ‘cloth head’ from his Mother. One of a number of nicknames he would acquire over the years.
A major garrison town and railway intersection, the neighbouring town of Wrexham soon became a hive of activity at the commencement of the Second World War, with carriage trucks full of weapon parts passing through and the local Home Guard training nearby. Later, thousands of American troops were stationed and billeted in the surrounding area. The GIs would shout to my Grandad and his mates through the camp wire and send them on errands, picking up cakes and sweets from the local villages.
As three of my Grandad’s elder brothers went off to war, he would look forward to their letters and visits, swept up in the excitement – Raymond an RAF pilot, Harry in the Army and Howard joining a new, fledgling unit called The Parachute Regiment after a spell with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
As the war progressed, Raymond was sent to train new pilots in Canada. Aged 12, the scenery in Raymond’s postcards inspired my Grandad to cycle the 28 miles to Birkenhead in a bid to join the Merchant Navy and brave the Atlantic crossing. Sat opposite the docks, he thought long and hard and opted against entering the
John Baker – RAPTC
JOHN BAKER
13th January 1932 – 14th August 2017
D Harris (ex-1st Battalion Welsh Guards)
recruitment office. His head wasn’t all cloth it seems, but the seed of adventure had been firmly sown.
He left school in 1946 at the age of 14 and headed to work on a local farm. He would often speak fondly of Flashlight, the prize cow on the farm, who like him, always stood tall and looked immaculate. A huge animal lover, in many ways I thought their loyalty, innocence and the simplicity of the relationship resonated with him. There was a wonderful innocence to my Grandad – he was a quiet, earnest and very straight man who was considerate and generous almost to a fault.
In 1950, he received his call up papers and enlisted on the 6th July. He was soon ‘claimed’ by his brother, Howard, by then a senior Non-Commissioned Officer in The Parachute Regiment. In the intervening period, my Grandad had met a young Irish girl