What's Your Claim To Fame?

[Shytalkz]

Lol good reply .

Just noticed my post missed out "two"...duh!

Was thinking along the lines of something and bird sh*t, as I'm sure you are well aware eh...?!

When were you in? Weren't at XMG in 80 (2Para) were you, or Belize 78 (3Para?) perchance?

 

[ColJack]

... and kissed by Boy George

that reminds me..

I was once on my knees under Boy Georges DJ desk half an hour before he went on...

I was wiring in the sockets, left to the last minute on opening night of the nightclub where he was to be the guest DJ...

 

[toptec]

Yes, Shy. I was at XMG in 80. Ballykinler from 78-80. Belfast in 76 and tail end of 73 I think it was. Left the Reg in late 1980. Pre Falklands thank goodness. Lost a few mates down there.

Still have my patrol maps of the border area.

Norcon's post made me smile. Spent a lot of time patrolling the border - caught a few smugglers and let a few off too.

 

[toptec]

Cock up!

 

[toptec]

Yes, Shy. I was at XMG in 80. Ballykinler from 78-80. Belfast in 76 and tail end of 73 I think it was. Left the Reg in late 1980. Pre Falklands thank goodness. Lost a few mates down there.

Still have my patrol maps of the border area.

Norcon's post made me smile. Spent a lot of time patrolling the border - caught a few smugglers and let a few off too.

Oh and another claim to fame. Me and a mate arrested Mary Peters at a Demo in Belfast. What a cow![/quote]

 

[Shytalkz]

Ahah, our paths must have nearly crossed then, you bunch of kin animals .

Only did one 4/12 tour there. I was based at Dillon, came down to XMG on the replens and REST and also one time to do a measure up of the camp perimeter, for reasons unknown to this day (and very, very fast I was too...!). On one of the replens, we had to take squirrel's horse box back to the Maze under cover of darkness, only it didn't quite work out that way...

One of your guys unf got topped messing about with a gimpy in XMG if memory serves; and one of the Pie-in-ears attached to us got shot (but lived) on the roof of the plod shop during one of the replens - would guess that was May or June 80, the day of the horse box move. You must have been there when that informer got shot and dumped on the road, with the IRA taking pot shots from across the border, including at a priest; eventually, after a few days decomposing in the warm weather, he was dragged out with a wheelbarrow. Nice.

We went through the Undertones stuff in a truck on one search. Woohoo! Did the waste skip and concrete routine several times on the border roads too; but no hedge-living for me!

I got out in '80 too, was put on the first lot of the Reg Reserve later that year. Nigh on 30 years later, still miss (most of) it and catch up with mates from then too.

Did you ever take the trip down to join "them"?

 

[toptec]

Some of your incidents do actually ring bells - especially the one involving a body. As I recall we were on standby to come in along the line of the border to take out the snipers but the Irish Govt put Garda on the access points which prevented ingress. I bet I did see you one day but whodathort our paths would cross 30 years later!

I copped a whack in a derelict explosion in Forkill in Mid 1980, so was injured until I left later that year. Was in charge of the QRF team that arrived at Warrenpoint after the first big bang. What a mess that was. Lots of bits of bodies and dog tags.

Did used to pop down to the 'Shot for Airbourne Forces Day but the wife stopped me going as I always went missing for a couple of days. Still in touch with one good mate who served his full time, was decorated in the Falklands and came out a Major. He got a job with the Sultan of Brunei and is now living in luxury in Aussie.

One thing I always used to say to myself was that one only ever remembers the good times. You forget the cold, hunger, fear, boredom and exhaustion. So although I did miss it for a couple of years I don't anymore.

 

[Norcon]

I remember the Para's moving into the area where we lived with their maroon coloured berets. People seemed more wary about these guys and you knew why when you met them.
There's a river beside my home about 6 feet wide and the patrol was crossing with everyone taking a run and jumping over, then one guy just steps in. Up to his waist in water and its mid winter. Gets out the other side, shakes himself and continues on. (was that you Toptec?)
Of course I already knew the river was about 4 feet deep at that time of year. lol
Also witnesses a cross border gun battle, got myself kidnapped by terrorists and watched in amazement at explosives detonating at the crossing point close to our home.
The concrete skips were easy dealt with. Locals just dug a large hole at one side and tipped them over or made a new road around them.
Happy Days.

 

[Shytalkz]

Warrenpoint: the 30th anniversary of that (and Louis Mountbatten too, of course) is up and coming soon ofc. Remember seeing the pics of that in the ops room at Dillon a few months on. Horrendous. With your active involvement in that, this might be of interest to you.

Yes, agree with the rose coloured specs tendencies. Weren't we all so young and fit then though?!

My best mate from boys' service became the 400th squaddie to get killed there, just after Derek Woods and the other one got ripped apart by the baying mob at the funeral. He was Felix in Belfast, had only been back out there a week. 29....mind you, compared to the age of most of the guys at Warrenpoint, he was positively ancient.

Hats off for doing para training. Mad fool!

 

[Shytalkz]

I remember the Para's moving into the area where we lived with their maroon coloured berets. People seemed more wary about these guys and you knew why when you met them.
There's a river beside my home about 6 feet wide and the patrol was crossing with everyone taking a run and jumping over, then one guy just steps in. Up to his waist in water and its mid winter. Gets out the other side, shakes himself and continues on. (was that you Toptec?)
Of course I already knew the river was about 4 feet deep at that time of year. lol
Also witnesses a cross border gun battle, got myself kidnapped by terrorists and watched in amazement at explosives detonating at the crossing point close to our home.
Happy Days.

It was the way they came into the area: very very aggressively. If it's any consolation, they upset non-Para units in the bases just as much! Peace and harmony was destroyed when they came to town!!

And, let's be honest here, there has to be something seriously wrong with someone who is willing to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft and go to war...

Toptec: para then plod. I rest my case

 

[toptec]

Aah Haa. I got 28p a day extra for falling out of a plane. Used to spend it on extra rations.

The tactic was to go in hard on our first few patrols, no messing about. If kids threw stones at us we used to chase them and clunked em round the ear with an SLR barrel. All the street lights were shot out and shot out again when they were repaired.

One woman in Ballymurphy set her large and nasty hound on one patrol. The following night she found it poisoned dead and hung up on her front door. Never had that problem again.

All the local villains and drug dealers were rounded up in the first few weeks and warned that their family jewels would be severed if they messed around whilst we were there. Contrary to popular belief our tours were generally quiet ones with obvious exceptions.

You are right Shyz. When you are young who cares. I am currently hobbling around with a back brace on. the result of two many hard landings!

 

[Shytalkz]

All those runs, BFTs etc in DMS and kit on roads have knackered my knees, that's for sure .

28p? I got more than that for doing a T trade! Like I said: mad...!

 

[gassafeman]

Just unbloked Chris Akabusi's cold feed pipe. Oh, and Im meeting with an ex-boxer on Sunday who wants a new system. He has the reggie FRB1.

Sad, but I thought Id post

Paul