Welcome to the thirteenth edition of

The response to my plea for more articles has been gratifying, if not exactly overwhelming. The usual suspects have rallied round and there is now enough material available ,or in the pipeline, to continue with the journal at least up to our 50th in July 2008. My thanks to those who have responded ; a true reflection of "entry spirit". Regarding The Reunion in 2008; how many of us will be wearing the entry badge at the do? There can be few [or none ]of the original badges around but replacement badge are available. I have one and it is pretty good. Contact Tony Birchenough to obtain yours [Tony's contact details in Journal #7, May 2006]The Journal

Mike

Around the World in 80 Delays

Tony Birchenough

H is for Halton (and others).

Brian Spurway

The Continuing Adventures of……………

Alan Lowther

Royal Flight Saudi Arabia 1999

Frank Chammings

The Continuing Adventures of…………

Adrian Gates

Life after Halton. Part 4

Malcolm (Mac) Mason

This piece, by Mike Stanley, appears on the Feedback page. Just in case you don't look at that page, here is the piece again. Click on links for a greater experience.

1950’s Desert Island Discs: Editor's Choice from Mike Stanley

The song that always carries me straight back in time to September 1955; No 3 Wing [can’t remember the block/room I think it was Blk 3/Rm 3?] is “Hey there! You with the Stars in your Eyes”. We laughed at the haircut of the Sgt who was in charge of us before attestation [Sgt Beany?]— after we signed the dotted line it was our turn for Sweeny. [Hey there! you with the short back and sides]

I remember certain other songs/ tunes from my time at Halton, not in any chronological order, and many not number 1’s or even in the top 10.

“ Diana”[opening line as I recall was “ I’m so young and your so old….” not the best of chat up lines I would have thought] which was the theme tune of a mate of mine in the 82nd who professed to have the love of an “older” woman named Diana, just as in the words of the song.

“Flying Home” I think by The Gerry Mulligan Quartet [I could well be wrong but I’m sure some one will put me right] Slim Turner usually played this on the nights before we went on leave. Slim also introduced me to my next remembered song. ”Fast Freight “ by the Kingston Trio, which included the rather racy lyrics, for the time and place, “Well I wouldn’t give a nickel for the bum I used to be”, [the bum in question being an American hobo not a British posterior] but it is a cracking song in it’s own right.

“Maybe Baby” by Buddy Holly. I remember this one as we had a bloke in our billet in 2 Wing named Maybe [not sure if it was spelt the same but it was certainly pronounced the same]. It drove him wild when we all sang along with the record.

The theme /dance scene tune from the film “Picnic”, which I saw in a picture house in Aylesbury [was it the Odeon?] and promptly fell in love with Kim Novak.

The theme tune played over the opening credits of ” The Man with the Golden Arm” [Main Title?] where I continued with my love affair with Kim Novak.

“Doing my Time” The lyrics of this song [doing my time, with an aching heart and a worried mind] echoed the low feelings we sometimes encountered during “ 2nd Year Blues” I’m not sure which category it falls into. Was it skiffle, protest, or work/prison song, and who sang it?

The pipe tunes that we heard hundreds of times during our stay at Halton are burned into my memory banks as firmly as that of my service number or the colour of the annulus of the various types of 0.303” ammo. However, with the exception of “The Bear”, I don’t know their titles. One jaunty tune, impossible not to be whistled as one strides along, had some rather bawdy words sung by us apprentices. The first line of which goes “There’s a girl in One Wing tank.”

I would be grateful if some one could ‘Name That Tune!

Finally “Colonel Bogey” as arranged for the film “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, the Entry’s signature tune bestowed on us by Slim Turner. [Try whistling it as you go past the guardroom on the next Triennial, if you have the puff!]

That’s my 10 {you only get 8 with Kirsty Young!}

If you have any comments on articles in the Journals, or just want to say 'Hi!' to old friends please send an email to the address in the image on the right with '81st' in the subject line. It will be published in due course on our Feedback page.