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Another Short Resume!
Went to 11 Sig Regt, Catterick OR1 Tp from May - August 1966 -- saw the error (the light?!) & 'returned to the ranks' -- posted to 22 Sig Regt Lippstadt as a 'Lance Jack'; in M Tp from 5th August 66 till approx. Feb 67. (Met up there again with various AAS characters such as Josh Leech, Sgt Jim 'Spud' Taylor, SSgt 'Paddy' Mullin, et al.) 1 Sqn then took me to 7 Sig Regt where the Sqn renamed to 4 Sqn of 7SR. The CO at 7 Sigs was Lt Col 'Archie' Birtwhistle who, much later, became the Master of Signals. I stayed at Maresfield Bks until June 1972, variously employed in the Trg Sch, 'Z' Tp, the 'sensitive' T.E.S.T. team, "behind the grill" in RHQ with such as Maj John Gryspeerdt & in CP7!! Then along came Maj Dawson Pratt, the new 2i/c of the Regt, ... he ultimately 'arranged' for my next & last posting back to 11 Sig Regt on his promotion to its CO -- and we both eventually landed in Helles. (Incidentally, I was back in Catterick a couple of years ago ... to find that Helles now holds a Parachute Regiment training unit! I know that the Corps had moved but it still seemed strange!) By late 1974 I had 'given notice' & this 'Full Screw' T2 Tech/B1 Clerk tried to quietly leave HM Forces ... on the due day inadvertently causing a Bomb Scare that had the whole North Yorks. garrison on Alert for the whole day! Belated apologies to anyone concerned ... but the 'kicker' was that a Royal Military Police Landover actually visited my house -- in WEST Yorkshire, before the day was out!!
Overall then, I hardly had a distinguished military career but I thoroughly enjoyed approx. 98% of it. I DID have the unique honour of wearing Crossed Trumpets above the 'T' (for Technician) Flash on my No 2 Dress sleeve during my final serving months ... bestowed by the then Director of Music of the Corps Band ... making me the official Corps Trumpeter outside Blandford (having 'blown' regularly at umpteen Quarter Guards at 22, 7 & 11 Signal Regiments during my adult service).
This part of this resume written on 12Feb99.
( You may recognise the Fanfare heard here as that entitled 'White Helmets' ... which incorporates a phrase from 'Begone Dull Care'!)
(whereas the Musicians amongst you may recognise the Call 'notated' above as the 'Regimental Call' for the Royal Signals .... to be sounded before whichever call is required on the occasion concerned. )