A National Service Remembered - Michael's story

www.samebutdifferentcic.org.uk
In this film Miachael Wilkinson talks about his experiences from his time completing National Service. During that time he visited the Canal Zone in Egypt and Iraq.
This film was created with support from the National Heritage Fund.
With thanks to the British Council and British Pathe for additional footage clips.
Same but Different uses the arts for positive social change by working in partnership with organisations, communities and individuals to highlight inequalities and bring communities closer together.

[@howardsix9708]

Well done Michael, to you and those who served........Never forget..........H6.....UK VET

[@neilfoster814]

My late father was in the British Army based in Egypt, Jordan and Iraq from 1949 to 1952. He arrived at Alexandria, then travelled by jeep and truck, spending time at Amman, Bagdad and also RAF Habbaniyah. As an army cartographer, he was making maps for the British and also for the Jordanians. He was presented with a Medal of Gratitude from the King of Jordan, which I still have to this day. He told me that he really enjoyed his National Service. Dad would have been 91 this year. RIP Dad.

[@nicholascosta2679]

National Service 1953 to 56 because I accepted the extra year. It was time well spent and presented a great opportunity for improvement. I was in the AirTraining Corp before entering the RAF and Basic Training was no big deal. I had a motorbike License and received no training and established as Dispatch Rider and assigned to the MT Section directly from Basic Training. After a few months at an MU Unit I was posted overseas initially to The Suez Cannel Zone and then Kenya for 29 months. What a fantastic country, enjoyed every monument and decided to stay in Kenya after demobilization. I had 4 years Engineering Experience before National Service and restarted my civilian life in Kenya as Manager Engineering at the local Pepsi Cola Bottlers. I decided to leave Kenya seven and half years later due the announcement of Independence and received many job offers from different countries and moved directly to Trinidad & Tobago. Initially for two years but ended up being there 44 years. I saw business opportunity in Cold Storage Construction and did exceeding well throughout the Caribbean, Central America and some construction in Miami. My company employed up to 300 personnel

[@MikeS-ear2ear]

Thanks for that little slice of history, very interesting. National Service still going strong in other countries.

[@paulbennie5690]

Wonderful story. Thanks.

[@leehotspur9679]

Very interesting Mike I joined the RN 64 15 yrs old Signed on for 12 yrs Never looked back Around the world by17

[@roydavidlivermore4664]

It should be remembered that two thirds of those who served in the Korean War,were National service men and almost 400 were killed in action.

[@gazza2933]

I could listen to guys like Michael for hours. What an incredible generation! 👏🏻

[@geoffwheadon2897]

I was in a T.A. Batt , 7 LI, Durham volunteers, a good many of our senior staff, sargeants and up where ex NS, all Durham lads, who then joined the Durhams, and when disbanded joined the newly formed LI and their subsequent territorial battalions. Also the men were financially thinking, most if not all were of mining stock and the Durhams coalfield was in decline, the mining jobs weren't there anymore, but as many said, they learned a trade, which obviously helped, so it was wise to stay in the regiments just to put food on the table. Twas not all bad though, many a boozy night down the drillhall were regaled with stories of derring do, raucous songs, and many a tall tale, brothers all, best regards from County Durham ,

[@chrispierce8349]

Thank you for your unselfish service Sir!

[@redcap774]

Enjoyed listening to your NS experience. my time was 1955 but prior to medical etc I decided to enlist initially for three years. Out of our intake the majority were National Service, have to say most accepted their two years and were looking forward to overseas posting, though not too keen with Germany.

[@ijg4427]

higher pay when one signed for the extra year. I stayed without the compulsory 2 years 1951- 1953

[@SNOWDONTRYFAN]

My dad was a recruit instructor at Padgate with the Rockapes RAF Regiment 1954

[@skylongskylong1982]

@Stanly Stud Nick name for RAF Regiment, dates back to either when they were stationed in Gibraltar, or Aden according to what story you believe. A plus side about being a Rock Ape, you are never short of Bannas when attending courses with the army, or Royal Marines.

[@terryford2195]

i was on the halladale to port said 1954 great ship food fantastic good experience

[@zen4men]

Men like Michael ====================== are The Backbone of Britain. Should you read this, Michael, I am glad the experience set you up for life. May you enjoy life and cycling for as long as you wish. .

[@grahamprice3230]

Bloody hell the 2 mortar man was lucky not to loose his hand loading like that ,follow hand down to clear tube muzzle ALWAYS

[@oldman1734]

When “square bashing” the standard rebuke was “ when you were born they threw away the baby and keep the after-birth”. I think life was tougher in those days. When a soldier was crushed to death on the troopship Oxfordshire the people who saw it happen and tried desperately to stop it were shown no sympathy whatsoever. They were my mates (I was lucky because I had offered to get into the NAFFI queue so I didn’t see it) and obviously deeply distressed. But not a word. The unfortunate soldier was thrown overboard the next day. We were all told to keep away from the port side. And that was it.

[@haydenbretton2990]

I missed being called up to do my National Service as it had stopped, I had seen all my mates older brothers going off to serve, then home on leave in uniform. So at the age of 18 I enlisted, did my basic training in Aldershot with ex National Service lads who had re enlisted, these lads helped us in our training with spit & polish becoming second nature. Might be a good idea to bring it back, alas, we doubt that it would be as enjoyable as it was for us who missed it but still enlisted.

[@steveroberts512]

Compulsory national services its just wrongful on every level, because it flys in the face of everthing that my father and grandfather fought and suffered for. I value my own individual everyone else's individual freedom of choice over their own destiny your choice is your business mine and others choises should belong to them, but freedom rightly means anyone can go and volunteer to join the armed service's if they like to live a life like some kind of obedient slave giving up their own freedom to follow the will of others, even if need be until death. Its good you survived and made a career and a good living for yourself, but a life of possible sucess or failures is in front of everyone regardless of compulsery service or not, i dont beleive your sucess was due to your compusery service, i think its was down to the choices you made, after all so many after serving land up with nothing on the streets, broken and forgotten by the country they served.

[@colinbullock6001]

I had a similar time in nat service after basic training went to compton baassett for trade training then to abyad in the canal zone flew out in a hastings and ended by coming home on a ship empire fowey then demob!!

[@john07973]

Good stuff 👍

[@johndavies4644]

I wish my grandad was alive to do this, he was one of the last ever conscripted national serviceman, and was a Military Police officer in Cyprus..

[@bobrail733]

RED CAP 👍👍👍

[@boundsgreenboy8354]

As someone who has always had a very high regard for any person who has served or is currently serving in our forces, for Queen and Country, may I convey my greatest and heartfelt thanks for every Man and Woman. We shouldl never forget these people.

[@JohnJones-cp4wh]

I was not called upon at the end of my apprenticeship, was deferred for a further two years, wprking on Vampires, Venoms and later Sea Vixen. At the end of that deferment the the national service requirement had ended.

[@c.morees9698]

The real stuff....!

[@MrOlgrumpy]

A mate was an apprentice Diesel mechanic and the army decided he would become a cook 🙃

[@cockneyrebel3248]

Sounds just like the services. Train you as a radar engineer then send you to somewhere with no radar.

[@michaelshore2300]

mechanic is not Engineer

[@angloaust1575]

One intake complained to his mp about lack of privacy in toilet block!

[@jimlepeu577]

I was in the same years as you - thoroughly enjoyed it (‘cept the bullshit of course and the food a bit in training)

[@romeo9017]

Respect…

[@ijg4427]

I did it 1951- 53. I did not sign for an extra year and higher pay in the RAF

[@UKsnapper-106]

Miachael Wilkinson or Michael Wilkinson ?

[@mikeohagan2206]

nothing wrong with the ns. think of it as free education. every man and woman should be able to help defend your country or village or home. why people commit suicide rather than be yelled at confounds me. be prepared for what life throws at you.

[@martincook318]

I'm 64 and. My attitude to National Service is thanks but no thank and even if I was Young inoff to be called up they wouldn't have Me in the Armed forces because I'm disabled since Birth and I don't see why any Man or Woman should be made to serve in the Armed forces only to killed or injured,if the Men or Women want to join the Armed forces that's up to them but not forced to and if any Conscripts got killed or injured through Criminal-Negligence would the Government Pay Compensation either to the Victim or there family's

[@andyb.1026]

So 'Thanks' as in you are happy for someone else to protect & defend You & yours ~ But 'No Thanks' I don't want to do the dirty work myself.. Basically, in time of War if your family was wiped out ~ you would do Nothing to prevent it !!!

[@jonathanellwood]

Freedom isn't free my friend.

[@nicholascosta2679]

@@jonathanellwood I think every country has to be prepared Military wise and not get caught napping like in 1939. Hitler’s Germany wanted war and only by a slim margin were The Army, The RAF and our superior Navy able to stop the Invasion and overrun of the United Kingdom by the Bosh. Britain, at the time, was entirely ill prepared in terms of it’s Army to stop this happening after the Dunkirk Debacle. Fortunately, the RAF were technically advanced and equal to the Germans in Aircraft Design although not in numbers but were just able to prevail over The German Air Force and the threat of the Royal Navy, forcing Hiller not to invade Great Britain. The Germans met their Waterloo when they attacked Russia, this, and their failure to Occupy Great Britain, cost them the war. It falls on the younger people to form a standing Military Force and Reserve and if there are insufficient volunteers it’s necessary to have Conscription. That’s my attitude

[@anthonyeaton5153]

I volunteered in 1955 to serve for 4 years in the RAF to escape being called up into the army.

[@mauricelevy9027]

@@anthonyeaton5153 Never mind eh? Good thing was that most stood it well.

[@bobp3194]

Both my uncles did national service both went to Korea. I went into the merchant navy at 16 ,left and joined territorial's done 1 1 years enjoyed every minute good comrades .N S finished when i was in the MN .

[@bobrail733]

Done mine January 1960 to 62 men with flat feet were rejected last intake I believe was August 1960 6 weeks in Aldershot basic training 3 months at Tamworth cookery school attached to Royal Scots Troon in AYRSHIRE ,SAILED to Libya October stationed in Benghazi then TRIPOLI great experience would not work today the youth would be wrong to PC BRIGADE Solicitors over being shouted at and reminded every day by NCOs they didn't know their fathers flew home January 62 back to Aldershot for demob ,It would certainly straighten today's wimps out if allowed to but will never return sadly 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@bobrail733]

Right to PC BRIGADE Solicitors👍👍👍

[@bobrail733]

Sailed Southampton to LIBYA in troop ship DUNERA !🚢🚢🚢🚢