Royal Military Police Old Comrades Link up Newsletter #169 July 2021
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ROYAL MILITARY POLICE OLD COMRADES LINK UP NEWSLETTER #169 JULY 2021 NEW CONTACTS RENNIE Former 24088967 Sergeant Stuart Rennie, Squad R90. Stuart joined the Corps in 1969 and following training went on to serve with 247 Provost Company, 16 Parachute Brigade Provost Unit, SHAPE, 174 Provost Company, 114 Provost Company and 227 Provost Company. He completed his service in 1982. YOUR CORRESPONDENCE It looks as if Tom Waples, mentioned in the last edition did take up his pen again so here is his story. “In 1950 it was a waiting game, National Service for 18 months serving the King and Country, A large black cloud hung over you, would you get deferred to enable you finish your course.. Unfortunately the education/apprenticeship had a longer period, therefore when you finally joined you could be in your early twenties with a good education mixing with in some cases rather backward not so well educated youths. At your medical you would have been asked what branch of the services you would like to serve. According to the information one got from gossip it was usually the RAF for a so called easy life, (the Brylcream boys). The vast majority of conscripts went straight into the Army, but the biggest threat was, will the dice drop onto the Bevin Boys? Although they said it was OK, time spent underground digging for coal in very small places was not the first pick by any means, so still under the black cloud one just waited until you received the letter telling you to report. My letter arrived telling me to go to a named barracks in Aldershot, I was about to join the Army. Transport was free by using the enclosed travel warrant travel card and no deviation was allowed. One sigh of relief, you have missed the coal mines (the Bevin Boys). The instructions were very clear straight to Aldershot. When you arrived you were met by a lot of loud mouth NCOs shouting and pushing us into lines, then onto lorries. Arrived at the Barracks still being shouted at. Our sleeping huts formed a row of Nissan huts left from World War 2, told to grub a bed space, dump your gear, get outside, form a line, marched to the store, given our sleeping gear (well not really given more like thrown at us) cannot remember whether we got sheets etc, but we did get 2 blankets each. Then it was back to our hut, shown how to make a bed, then off to the cookhouse for our so called dinner which was not very appealing. The unit was a holding company for the RAOC (Royal Army Ordnance Corps). During the two weeks there, you went through various tests and interviews to find out where they could place you in the Army. One test was to assemble a bicycle pump. During my interview with an officer, when asked where in the Army I believed I might fit. I replied, “Military Police”, lots of laughter and shouts etc. At the end of two weeks I was at Inkerman Barracks, still getting shouted at. I started a 16 week Police training program which was immediately increased to 18 weeks. There were a couple of RTUs but I settled down got stuck in and became a Military Policeman when the course ended. Big passing out parade. Remember, No mobile telephones, no computer, just pen and paper and post cards. Ed: Thanks Tom and I hope you enjoyed your two years. When I went to sign on if I had listened to the Recruiting Sergeant I would have ended up in the Household Cavalry! -ooOoo- Bryan Melvin contacted me and said, ‘Many thanks for your continued and eagerly awaited newsletters. May I say a few words on the subject of slashed peaks? A work colleague completed his National Service in the Irish Guards. He was always smart and I was impressed by his headgear. A high fronted cap with the peak set flat against the forehead and resting at eye level. I hoped that one day, whilst serving Queen and Country, I would wear such a stylish item. My turn arrived and being over six foot tall, thought I had a chance to join the Coldstream Guards. I was told that NS men were not allowed to serve in the guards and the only way was to sign on as a regular. I mentioned that three generations of my family had served in the artillery. Because of the connection, I was guaranteed service as a gunner. My call up papers arrived, ordering me to report to Dorchester Barracks and join the Dorset Regiment. After a few weeks as an infantryman, I found myself en-route to Inkerman to join 377 Squad, Royal Military Police. From beret to cap and a step nearer my goal. After a spell at SHAPE in Paris came a posting to London District in the heartland of the Guards Brigade. The CO was in the Irish Guards and the CSM ex-Coldstreams. Surely, now was the time to wear the object of my ambition. However, although set ups and weights were allowed the sought after slashed peak was strictly forbidden. As such, I had to continue the rest of my service wearing the “as issued” cap. Ironically, a friend began his National Service a few months later. He asked to join the RMP but ended up in the Coldstream Guards.’ -ooOoo- My Chief Correspondent in York, Jim McIntosh contacted me and said, ‘Thanks for my mention and that of Maurice Nicholls. Shortly after his stint as OC 20 Armd Bde Pro Coy, he became OC Celle Detachment SIB RMP BAOR, where I had the considerable privilege to serve under his command. There were some ‘old sweats ‘of SIB Sgts there with the late Bill Jonas and myself as the ‘young’ Sgts. It was a great learning curve and as Maurice was also young as our OC, we had a lot of empathy with him. Also, re the ‘Escort Vehicles’; you may recall that at 1(Br) Corps Pro Coy in Bielefeld we had the ‘souped up’ Ford Zephyr Soxmis cars. I was the driver of one, with the late Les Greenwood as my observer. We chased the Russians, who were tracking British Army exercises, all over Northern Germany and carried out long distance autobahn patrols. The SIB was quite tame after that! I do remember that our MTO was Lt Peter Hewlett-Smith (later AOSI when I was OC SIB Training) and the MT Sgt was George Horne.’ -ooOoo- From his home in the Far East Barry Gough contacted me. ‘You may already be aware but I saw this on Face Book posted by another RMP member Mike Carr. As I also live in Thailand and every year make the journey to Kanchanaburi for the Remembrance Parade I also know Mick Newbatt well and know this honour is so well deserved. Mick not only takes care of the two cemeteries with his team of Thai workers but is a key liaison person between the Thai military and police in that area speaking the Thai language fluently. He has assisted visiting British soldiers on training exercises including the Scots Guards and others. Anyone here who knows Mick including all the top Embassy personnel know how highly valued Mick is by the Thai Military, local Police and many other locals in the area including a few bars of course. One thing that was not mention and is a little strange is that it is the USA that has given this award to Mick. However during WW2 just over 130 US POW soldiers died on the Burma railway and were initially buried in the cemeteries at Kanchanaburi. Then a little after the end of the war those bodies were exhumed and repatriated back to the USA so today there are no US service men interred there. Still every year senior US officials from the US Embassy still attend the Remembrance service on the actual day, 11th November along with many other Commonwealth, Dutch, Australian, New Zealand Embassy personnel and ex-military service people now living here in Thailand. Through Mick Newbatt’s work the Thai army provide their buglers for the Last Post and top brass for the Thai Army and Police attend as well. It seems a very slight pity the Yanks got there first with a splendid award richly deserved by an ex Corporal of the RMP before our own government recognised his efforts.’ Mike Carr posted the following on Face Book: As many will know, Thailand has military cemeteries run by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission connected with the infamous "Bridge on the River Kwai" at Kanchanaburi. I don't think anyone of a military mind-set will be unaware of the horrors that occurred there during WW2 and what the prisoners had to endure. It's only fitting that we hold their memory to the highest standards - and CWGC Kanchanaburi demonstrates this admirably. What some may not know is that the man responsible for keeping the cemeteries in such excellent order (along with his hardworking local workforce) is a Redcap - and someone I'm proud to call a friend from our days in Northern Ireland back in the mid-'80s. In recognition of his hard work and commitment, Mick Newbatt has recently been honoured by the US Secretary of Defense (US spelling ) and awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal. I'm sure members will join me in wishing Mick the heartiest of congratulations. Well done, mate, and keep up the excellent work -ooOoo- William Hughes sent in the photograph on the left and said, ‘the person on the left is Jimmy James one of the interpreters of Munster Detachment 112 Pro Coy RMP.