Tech Stores and Allocated Tasks

Every REME career is different. Something that former WO1 Bill Freeman experienced first-hand as a Storeman. From over five years with 16 PARA Bde, despite never volunteering, through to running the clothing stores as a TQMS, Bill was able to turn his hand to anything that came his way.

Scribe: Former WO1 Bill Freeman

Thank you for publishing my previous article in the April 2020 edition of The Craftsman Magazine. On the previous page was a submission by the late Major (Retd) Frank Reynolds. The person he refers to having all the injections I believe to be myself. I remember being at the Depot at that time. We had to parade every morning in Draft Order and were then allocated fatigues for the day. I was at the back of them all - I stood on my own as my draft was Individual/Central Africa. No one needed a one-man fatigue party so I was just left to wander around all day. In the 1950s anyone in the South of England being posted overseas had to be processed in Googe Street. I was allocated a civilian flight from Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire to Nairobi. The distance between Arborfield and Blackbushe is 7.8 miles. I flew on a civilian plane to Nyasaland. I was met at the airport by two Sergeants. I asked who the Senior Storeman was. The reply was you are and you have a local civilian to assist you. Can you imagine my reaction with nine months service and Third-Class trade qualification? More was to come - a leaving and Farewell Party in the Mess that night was taking place. I asked which Mess, to be told it was being held in the Sergeants’ Mess. There were only two Messes available for British Soldiers; an Officers’ Mess and a Sergeants’ Mess. I became a member of the Sergeants Mess at 18 years and three months old - did that make me at that time the youngest REME Soldier to be a member of the Sergeants’ Mess? However, I was promoted to Corporal/Local Sergeant. The next morning my own batman reported to me and explained his role in looking after me. The Sergeants’ Mess had its own vegetable garden, looked after by a local man. I was put in charge of supervising his work schedule. The Rhodesian Army did not have a stores backup like that used in RAOC. A lot of my time was spent providing vehicle parts via local purchase. After three years I returned to England in the rank of Corporal.

My next posting was to the Gunnery School in Lulworth Cove. A civilian worked for me who was very good. During my time at Lulworth Cove I gained my First-Class trade qualification and my First-Class Education Certificate. While at the Gunnery school I drove a small Jumbo Crane to assist Vehicle Mechanics to carry out engine and gearbox changes. This I found tricky at first due to the rear wheel steering.

My next posting was to 16 Para Bde in Aldershot, as stated in my previous article. On my arrival interview I was asked when I would like to take the Para Course. I said I didn’t want to take the course as I had been posted to the Brigade and was not a volunteer. I was asked why I had volunteered - my answer was that it was a posting as I didn’t want to be a Parachutist. A posting out would have to be arranged and could take up to three months. A Red Beret was issued to me so that I wouldn’t look out of place - I wore it for five years and three months. My employment was in the LAD Stores attached to a Gunnery Regiment later to become 7 PARA RHA. The LAD would go skiing to Aviemore for one week each winter. Skiing was not to my liking so I asked if I could give it a miss. It didn’t quite happen as I was given a task of being in charge of the Advance Party to set up a tented camp beside the Loch. I then became Cook and Camp Commandant while the unit went skiing. The Main Party travelled to Aviemore by train. In the sixties strange things happened. The ranking in the LAD stores was upgraded to Sergeant. Was a posting on the cards for me - yes in a way? I was moved to the PARA Workshop and replaced by a Corporal/Acting Sergeant as he was Para trained. A few months later my Sub Sergeant came through. A posting at last? No, I was moved back to 7 PARA RHA and the Acting Sergeant was demoted to Corporal and moved back to PARA Workshop. In 1965 I received a posting to 69 Station Workshop in Brunei. The flight to Singapore was an RAF flight and on it were wives and children going out to join husbands. Some of us were asked if we would help the families during the flight - I was responsible for two children and looked after their meals and entertainment during the flight. A childminder no less. At 69 Station Workshop, I had for the first time a Junior Tech Storeman working for me. The prices the NAAFI charged for snacks were very expensive - after a lot of moaning from staff the Unit Welfare Officer opened an account with the NAAFI which meant we could purchase goods from them at

cost price. The task of ordering and stocking and selling these goods became the responsibility of my department. All monies taken were handed over to the Unit Welfare Officer who managed the account. My department organised a monthly horse racing evening in the Workshop. The wooden horses we used were made by the Carpenters. The Tels Staff also helped out by using a piece of their equipment to decide which horse to move and how the spacing of it should be. The profits from these evening events went into the Unit Welfare account. It was always a good evening`s entertainment and enjoyed by all who supported it.

The rank of the Senior Tech Storeman was upgraded to Staff/Sergeant - again a promotion for me. I received a posting to 1 (BR) Corps Troops Workshop as a Staff Sergeant. That soon changed to Sergeant. One of the Sergeants at the Workshop claimed he was senior to me. He didn’t get the promotion; it was given to another Sergeant who was next in line for promotion.

On arrival I was informed that I was to form a Stocktaking Team, which consisted of myself and a German civilian called Bruno who was excellent to work with. The unit was going out on a training exercise. I didn’t think I would be involved - not so. I was given the task of looking after and issuing the fuel. The driver of the 10-ton vehicle was an attached RAF Sergeant who had never heard of camouflage or the reason for it. That made it difficult.

Eventually the G1098 position of Stores Sergeant was given to me, working for the TQMS. It was the first time that I had someone senior to me in the Stores. 1 (BR) Corps Troops Workshop sponsored the REME BAOR Small Arms competition. This required the setting up of a tented camp on the Ranges, which I had the responsibility for. The living quarters for personnel was not a problem; the main problem was the erection of the marquees. I was lucky that I had two Corporals in the party who had previously erected marquees.

I received my promotion to Staff Sergeant and thought a posting was imminent. Not so. I was put in charge of the clothing stores - a Tech Storeman running clothing! What next? My promotion to WO2 came through in 1971 and classed as the RQMS. On the Annual Inspection Day Parade, the RQMS had the position of left-hand marker. I received a posting to 3 Field Workshop in Tidworth as TQMS. In May we were assured that the Workshop would never be sent to Northern Ireland. In August we received an attachment to Northern Ireland for six months. The Workshop was set up in Sydenham outside of Belfast. On disembarking in Belfast I met a man I had known in Germany who worked in Movement Control. He informed me that the RAF had flights to Lyneham every weekend. Our unit were offered seats on the flights for R and R. As part of my TQMS duties, I now became a travel agent working out the rota for personnel to travel to Tidworth each weekend. Another task which was allocated to me was the selection collection and return of films. My promotion to WO1 came through in July 1973 and I was then posted to SEME Bordon. There was Military and Civilian Staff who worked in the various stores in SEME. As I was looking to settle in 1997, I purchased my first house in my home town. This was to enable my family to start their education in a settled environment. I was able to travel home most weekends. Most Warrant Officers were allocated Platoon Commander duties in the training companies. One of the duties was a weekly pay parade. Also they could be nominated as a Range Safety Officer if qualified. These duties entailed weekend firing. Somehow, I failed the test my fellow Warrant Officers wanted to know HOW as the answers were on the test paper. My reply was it was harder to fail than to pass. Bordon was my last posting in the Regular Army. My last few months were at a Civilian Workshop in Liverpool. These last few months of service enabled me to seek employment on leaving the Service. I was placed on Special Reserve during the Falklands conflict; fortunately, I was not required.

After leaving the Army I worked in retail management for the Littlewoods Organisation for 15 years. After retiring from the organisation, I registered with an employment agency. This gave me a variety of employment opportunities in many aspects until I finally retired. My service in REME was most enjoyable and I would recommend it to any young person.