As a child I used to ride rafts on the Timber Float- Neil Sinclair has ,in this talk-brought these 1950,s memories back to me.

😂Porthcawl, I worked at Ford's in the 1990s and digged in the Porthcawl Hotel, hope it's still there. 👍

Very interesting walk, Malcolm. Sorry I missed it!

*promosm* 💖

Umm umm ummm umm.

The confusion over Bevin boys, who were recruited during the war as an alternative to military service, probably arises be because merchant seamen, coal miners and farm workers were exempt from NS call up but ONLY as long as they continued in those jobs until they reached 26. I remember two in the Durham Light Infantry so from the North East who were both so conscripted. A miner who, although still working in the mine, took a surface job which did not qualify and a merchant seaman who took a shore job

It was not made clear, but NS was purely a recruiting tool. ALL recruits, whether in for 2 or 22 years or anything in between,did basic training together, had the same kit and wore the same uniform. Furthermore no trades or duties were denied NS men if they could be trained in their two years. The Russian linguist course and, I believe, aircrew training in the RAF, took 18 months but they were still available to be recalled should the need arise so it was not wasted. The only two Army corps which NS could not join were Small Arms School Corps and Military Provost Staff Corps which were only open to senior NCO’s .

My time arrived July 1956, signed up for 5 years in the RAF. Following basic training at RAF Padgate, and medical training at ? Near Preston, Lancs. Posted to RAF Hospital Wegberg in Germany, arriving there December 24th. At 7pm. This was the start of the best years of my young life away from home (Leeds). As operating theatre staff we were not only the hospital theatre staff but were the theatre staff who formed the RAF Mobile Field Operating Theatre, for which we had extensive training and exercises, nothing like it in civilian life. As a former student at Leeds Medical School in a newly established University Dept of Surgery, I spent long days in the extensive LGI operating theatres under the guidance of the newly appointed Professor of Surgery. This pre service experience held me in good stead at Wegberg, and in many ways my training continued under the direction of excellent medical/surgical/anaesthetic personnel. All in all a fantastic experience that I would repeat in a heartbeat. My time in Germany is being documented by a German historian at Paderborn University, a Dr Bettina Blum. Here book and portable displays are how the local population interacted with the military forces in the regions they occupied. Greetings from Tasmania Australia.

Bevin Boys ended in March 1948.

I did my National Service from 1957 - 1959 with the Royal Signals; I was 21on entry, having been deferred because of apprenticeship. After basic training at Catterick i was sent to Nr10 Wireless Training Unit at a little village called Woodhouse Eaves Nr Leicester - I was not even told what I was to be trained as. It turned out that I was to become a 'special operator' and my job was to intercept and read the Russian military radio traffic which was transmitted in high speed morse code. It was all top secret and we had all to sign the Official Secrets Act - I am still likely to be locked up in the Tower of London for revealing all this, but after the passage of 65 years it is hardly relevant anymore. I absolutely loved my time in the army, I played for the Regimental rugby team, who in my time there were unbeaten in BOAR - I played all over Germany including Berlin. Great times with the best mates you'll ever have; I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"You 'orrible little men..are in the army now...." That sounds so like Spike Milligan!! Also makes methink of a series called "Get Some In".......never did NS....but I did join the ATC...if that counts? Thanks for the video.

In another video on this topic it was stated that becoming an officer as a National Service chap was financially onerous. They were paid less than the regulars but had to pay the same mess fees.

When I was at university I knew a girl named Rhiannon who came from Porthcawl.....When our degree results came out at the end of our third years, I remember scanning the pass list in order to find out how she'd gone on.....And to my great relief, my degree turned out to be a class higher.....I was so pleased I'd beaten her!!!

Managed to miss out 90% of everything worthy of commentary but I don't suppose you wanted a 5 hour walk with a 2 hour video.

This was fantastic to watch,. Thanks, for up loading it I've learned a lot. Cardiff history need to be learned ,. I live here and love it.

Falklands have always been strategic for exploring the Antarctic.

Growing up a visit to porthcawl was magical, the fair tho small was a good evening out. Now i appreciate porthcawl for a different reason, it's a beautiful place, very picturesque

National Service cost me financially greatly. As an architect I would have been earning well. Army pay and the disruption was bad for me . Especially being sent to Cyprus dealing with terrorists in 1958.

Sit down and let some of the guys in the audience who know from personal experience tell you what it was really like.

You could become a 3 year regular at twice the National service pay and choice of regiment. Being a skilled coach trimmer, I opted for the REME. What a great bunch of blokes. Get some in, and stop flapping!

The strange thing about this post is that the chap giving the talk looks younger than his audience, all of whom appear to be elderly and therefore likely to be familiar with national service on, shall we say, a rather more personal level than the lecturer.

Those damned Soviets couldn't touch anything without it turning to shit. Spent 2 years in the US Army (Third Armored Division) serving alongside our wonderful British allies - and the super guys of the German Bundeswehr. Best time of my youth. Wish I could go back and do it all over again. I think every young person should have to do at least one year of service of some kind - not necessarily military - but be a part of something bigger than themselves and their stupid electronic devices.

A slight correction to your talk. The final intakes for National Service served 2 1/2 years not the normal 2. This was done because recruitment to the regular army was not high enough.

Interesting , totally compelling and thoroughly riveting talk Douglas.It brought back so many memories some good, some bad, just as the decade itself was of course. Lovely, too, to see you in action and to hear your voice again Doug. It took some time for me to catch up with you. Hope you are still keeping well. Philip ([email protected])

He does not invite his audience into the lecture. Need more training on how to give a lecture. Loved the history, but I could read the content in a book instead of attending this lecture.

There is a very nice animation of the Porthcawl line at this link.kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYvakGulbZaNl7M

Jason Hughes (Ben Jones) from Midsomer Murders is a Porthcwl lad

The year before Beeching killed off the railyway line to Porthcawl up to 150 trains ran into Porthcawl railyway Station every Saturday during the summer months. They came from Birmingham Leicester Bristol and all the South Wales Valleys I traveled on thje last Saturday the line was open and 230 trains arrived on that day . The branch line was a single track a from Pyle Station

Danke! Habe Link gesetzt. 365 Gemälde: Hans Holbein d. J. www.wgsebald.de/100/365gemaelde/jul.html#holbein

We love porthcawl our hoilday place

Interesting, thank you.

Load of shit

Very intresting this is great for me as my Ancestors came from Pyle & Kenfig. I did get to drink in the Prince of Wales. A great video.

Great video! Very knowledgeable and interesting speaker. Must say I'm surprised to see the US flag flying higher than the Welsh flag at the beginning. Perhaps it was the camera angle.

What an odd way to deliver a lecture; having your back turned to the audience the whole time. I guess that’s one way to overcome fear of of speaking.

Genial Allan!!!

Fantastico!, Magnifico!, Espectacular!

My grandma's in there

Great talk -- very informative & well presented. Enjoyed it very much! The variety of topics on this channel is wonderful -- keep up the good work. :D ;D

Fascinating video for people like me who grew up in Porthcawl. I remember Newton Burrows in the 60s as mostly sand dunes and marram grass - now it seems to be trees and much denser vegetation. More videos please!

My father served on this ship in 1946.such a sad story.still got his discharge book.r.i.p.

If the laws of physics had slightly altered life on EARTH would not be possible, earth probaly wouldnt even exist. HOWEVER that does not mean it becomes incompatible with life for there can be other creatures who evolved in those other cicumstance who are adapted to those laws under the right condidtions

Its called epistimology, if youre a philosophy group you should know this

Yet another thought provoking piece from the polymathic sage of the P&I. But here’s the question Gary - when you had your epiphanical conversion, age 14, from Theism to Atheism and thus became a seemingly entrenched atheist (your frank admission) - did the evidence on which this epiphany was based then become less knowable? In which case is there a reverse epiphany in the pipeline? One could imagine an increasingly fast flight between the two positions - an oscillation as it were (mid-point being Agnosticism) - an energetic vibration between opposing(?) perspectives. So - here’s the thing - what about another exposition - “Can a Theist know anything?”. And then, of course, another exposition from the mid point - Agnosticism... to FINALLY enable and facilitate the Liberation of Knowledge from both a God AND Non-God context?

I know that if you want a true all-natural God that did create, evolve, sustain & rule the universe then you agree with Carl Sagan & go with what scientists call the laws of nature & forces of physics as God. If you want a God that is a sham god-of-gaps that didn't create or rule any universe then you agree with atheism & go with a supernatural fiction as God. Carl Sagan's quote, www.goodreads.com/quotes/734535-now-it-would-be-wholly-foolish-to-deny-the-existence

Starts at 2:35

Compelling talk, thanks very much!

An absolutely fascinating talk! Many wonderful insights into modern life as well as history and current trends.

wow you guys hit gold there!

Get this chap on the BBC! Wonderful video.