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Post by afcmoore on Feb 14, 2009 2:12:09 GMT
Hi All. Wexford men and their food the Curragh people will think we just came up for the crust. I for one never was unhappy been detailed to work in the cookhouse mind you i was under 10st in those days. While working in the cookhouse one morning the cook Sergent told me to get the prunes for the desert. I came back and told him you cant use the prunes in the dixie.he asked why not and i told him there's about 3ins growth of white mould on top in fact you cant see the prunes. He told me to pour boiling water and simmer them and when the custard goes on top the boys will love them. How right he was but i didnt have any. Cheers Anthony
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 14, 2009 2:27:31 GMT
Hi Deepsix. I see you came under sniper fire when you used the other name for Richard . Ha Matts a marksman and uses dum dums. Cheers A.
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 17, 2009 10:27:29 GMT
Hi All. I can remember quite well in June 1963 when we had a collection in Plunkett BKS to purchase a small black and white TV. The main reason for the purchase was to watch the fight between the then named Cassius Clay and Henry Cooper. Cooper put him on his butt Clay went on to win. The next unforgettable viewing was JFK's visit to Ireland to Dublin and Weford. Some of our Troopers were on the guard of honour for him on that memorial event. Then we watched in horror as JFK was assassinated in Dallas Texas .. I can remember i was outside the Air Lingus shop in O Connell Street in Dublin when i was told of the assassination.I remembered us all watching our little Tv as Lee Harvey Oswald was led out and shot by Jack Ruby.The scene was live on Tv and i can remember everyone in the room shout shoot him. It felt at the time as if we had all pulled trigger. Cheers Anthony
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Post by rose5mcdonaghtce on Feb 17, 2009 23:17:08 GMT
Was waiting to cross the street in Newbridge to-day and an armoured car passed, the soldiers on board had every piece of safety equiptment available on their person. It brought back memories of the soldiers in the back of the lorries sitting on a bit of a bench, no seat belts, just canvas overhead, a drop board for a door, no heating, health and safety was not a priority in those days, how uncmfortable it must have been.
Every girl on the Camp cringed outwardly and was probably quite pleased inwardly when a lorry full of soldiers passed them, the whistling and shouting that would go on until you were out of their line of vision. Come to think of it the boys further in on the bench probably could not see what they were whistling at.
Rose.
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 18, 2009 1:55:04 GMT
Hi Rose. Those timber seats where great the height of luxury or so we thought at the time. Health and safety and seat belts we didn't know about it so you didn't worry. When we went on firing ranges no ear muffs. I remember firing the vickers machine gun from the armour car and the Sergent laughing as the red hot shells went down my sleeves and burned my arms. He could have told me to put a rubber band on the end of my sleeves but you had to learn the hard way. Mind the world is a much more dangerous place today and they have to be better equipped.
Do you really think we sat on the seats when young ladies passed we never missed a chance to get a good view. Yeah i remember ladies pretended not to like it and keep a straight face but sometime we got a smile which made our day. Cheers Anthony.
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 20, 2009 13:03:23 GMT
Hi Deepsix. What happened ??> I seen the pictures in gallery 9 could you please put some names to them. Hi i get over to Wexford ever year with my my Family . I have a lot of Cousins around Kilmore and Kilrane. Do you know Leo Carthy ?? I will never mention the crust again its just a bit of banter. Cheers Anthony
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 22, 2009 11:15:25 GMT
Hi Everyone. I did guard duty in Plunkett with a Soldier from Wexford named Murt Roche. He was well into his sixties and had served with the great Michael Collins and was there for the handover.The day i was with Murt on Guard was in 1962 and it was Grand National day.He asked me if i was having a bet in the big race . i had never had a bet before so i had a look at the paper and picked Kilmore . We both ended up backing Kilmore because of a place called Kilmore in Wexford. beginners luck. Cheerio Anthony
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 23, 2009 14:06:20 GMT
out ther Hi Folks. While serving in the Congo with the 37th Batt in Elizabethville one of my memories is of the house boys. The local Congolese at the time would come to the villas where we were staying looking for jobs as houseboys and equipped with a char coaled Irons. They would do all our washing and iron the clothes and keep everything tidy.We would give them maybe 20 frs per month from each man and always bring them food in a mess tin from the dining hall. It was a way of keeping a young person alive at the time.They liked the Irish Troops out there and we treated them with respect . I can remember our houseboy was called Victor. Cheers Anthony
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 24, 2009 11:18:19 GMT
Hiya Folks. The list of Soldiers i can remember from my time at Plunkett BKS in the are as follows. Tommy Behan Nass Tony McGlynn Nass Tommy Watson Kilkenny Michael Chapman Roscommon Dixie Brown Boxer Willy Fitzpatrick Nickname Snitch Pat Cullen Wexford Derick Rochford Wexford Joe Fortune Talbut Barry Wexford Nickname Kevin William Cullintan Wexford Joe O Neill Murt Roche Wexford Paddy Whelan Thomastown Tom Kelly Joe McGuire The Cook Johnny O Connor Cook SGT SGT 60 Byrne Orderly Room Sgt Johnny Hamil RIP SGT Hugh Coogan Cab Service to Dublin Sgt Des Nolan Sgt Da Gleeson Tony McGuire Turf Shed Ginger Maher Speedy Ellis Joe Milan Carlow Cpl Bob Divine The Barber Sgt Matt Kelly Sgt Pendergast Sgt Murt Tracey Cpl Lynch Cpl Chalky White Sgt Sweeney Tommy Beard Jim Donnolly Matts Godfather Wexford Adian Dunn Jim Dover John Sullivan Runner Tintown Charlie Lamb Tintown Norman Mason Tintown Larry Foley Tintown Wexford John Buckley Tintown Pierce Mcgoldrick Tintown Sgt McDonagh Sgt Hal Stacey Dining Hall McEvoy Freddy Gilroy Eddie Edwin Jack Kearney Aidan Thomas Noel Broe Chubby Geary Joe Steward The Warbler QM ?? am i right Manko Quinn Qm Joe Coughlan Officers Mess Cpl Willy Hetherington Order Room RIp Cpl Sous Connors Spud Murphy Carlow The Drummer &Singer Doc Callaghan Paddy Donahue not sure if he was in Plun Larry Finn The boxer Also his Dad Philips Cant remember christian name?? Himself AM I know i have missed quite a few but gave it my best shot Cheers Anthony I will get back with the Officers later
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 24, 2009 16:43:07 GMT
Hi All . Just to continue my list. Jimmy Ellard Stacker Furlong Eddie Slements The Boxer Eccles I think it was Jimmy got transferred to Dublin??? The Officers Captain Tommy Roche with the 37th Batt Comnt Roger O Shea Adj Used to take all my money and give me CB. LT Young. Captain Kipper Casey I hope he enjoyrd his curry Captain Chalky White Lt Malubie Comdt Daley Cheers Anthony I have other faces but cant put names to them.
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Post by afcmoore on Feb 25, 2009 9:15:37 GMT
Hiya All. In the Congo just outside King Leopold Farm we had our wet canteen. If you were off duty and had some FRs in your pocket thats were most of us headed for. The local beer at the time which we used to drink with great haste was Simba,& Tempo,& Primus.The other beers or lagers came in tins without the key pulls and packed in cartons with an opener supplied. The main entertainment was provided by Spud Murphy from Plunkett .He would sing and play the drums accompanied by the Screw Keanan playing Spuds accordian. The Screw in his near white gym shoes would sing Steam Boat Bill and could he raise the roof. Im sure anyone serving with the 37th will remember the Screw?. When the Canteen would close at night and we had to make our way back to the Villas our main concern was the Dogs. The dogs which the Belgians had used as guards DoGs and when they abandoned their homes left the dogs behind. The dogs had went wild and formed into packs and you could become their next meal.I can remember a couple of us sobering up quite quickly when when we hear them coming through the tall grass. We must have broke the 4min mile that night and they were right on our heels as we got to the villa door. Cheers Anthony.
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Post by afcmoore on Mar 6, 2009 0:15:50 GMT
Hi All. In Elizabethville in 1962 the Belgians abandoning their Villas to go to Belgium most of them had already left.The ones who hadn't were driving around in their cars looking to buy English pounds or America Dollars. The Congolese Francs with Mosie Tshomie head on the paper Currency was worthless to them in Belgium or else where. Cheers A. They had cases of Francs in their car boots and were paying seven times the value for the Pound or Dollar. The Francs were okay to spend local.
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Post by afcmoore on Mar 8, 2009 19:17:00 GMT
Hiya All. The things us Recruits did to improve our appearance for the parade ground while at McDonagh Bks in the 60s. Sprinkled water on your bulls wool trouser carefully folding them between a blanket and sleeping on them to maintain the razor sharp crease. Have a wire ring inserted in your Army cap and also slash the peak to bring it down on the forehead. Make string lead weights to fit the bottoms of your trousers so they hung down nicely over your leggings . Wore down your cap badge by rubbing it with Brasso on a flat timber board. Spend hours at night spit and polishing your boots with Military red polish so they shone like a mirror.Applying blanco to your webbing and shining all your buttons ect with Brasso. Cheers Anthony.
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Post by tommyhetherington on Mar 9, 2009 19:02:57 GMT
Poor Anthony Times were hard then all the brass is gone we have staybrites now and boots that gleam after a quick rub wish they were like that when I was a recruit many hours would have been saved. Any more old tricks of the trade to share we used soap on the inside crease of the slacks to hold the crease. Tommy
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Post by drylander on Mar 9, 2009 19:41:12 GMT
Hi Everybody, Another trick we tried was to "stitch" the crease into the trousers when we were in the FCA. I remember one year we got disqualified from a platoon competition for doing it.
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