Home | Tales from IJLB | Roll of Honour | What's New | Contact Us

I remember one certain exercise where we had to cross country and dodge the various P.Staff etc.

Prior to this we were all strip searched and checked for concealed money foodstuffs etc. We thought we were smart by putting things inside the stocks of the s.l.r. or in the cleaning kit hole in the rifle but. All had been tried before and we were quickly rumbled. I remember that it was very tiring and I think over a three day period. All I could think about was hot pies in the NAAFI and tall glasses of pop. ( yes pop ).

On one occasion we were met by PS by a small lake and one young lad had carried out some minor misdeed and was told to raise his rifle above his head and walk across the lake. All went fine until about half way, and he disappeared from view only to reappear again several paces later and he made it to the other side........He was also a non swimmer.

At the conclusion of the exercise we arrived at an area which included a couple of stone buildings. Out in the open we could see two hay boxes being opened and told to line up....you could see the steam rising and we were waiting in anticipation. When the first lad was called forward both boxes were upended and contents into the dirt.... what a sickener (we were then given a cold pigs trotter each) UGH!

Then we were told to file into the barn where we were given a handful of vegetables and a live chicken each. Well many just started looking at each other wondering how to go about dispatching said birds. Without going into details of how all were killed, we set about boiling them and the veg in our mess tins. Then came the second sickener.... before they had had time to cook properly we were all told to pack up and get moving.I don't know what it taught me.....but it must have been something.

Dave Bradwell