I attended school when I was not ill, I suffered the Scarlet Fever whilst at primary school, and lost a lot of learning. I failed to get any exams, as my schools did not have them, a simple philosophy of the school was that miners only needed only to know the 3 R, s.

I left school at 15 yrs and went to a foundry that made machinery for the mines, I was an apprentice bench fitter, and I was given one day to go to Day College, one day per week and two nights.

I was completely and utterly lost with the mathematics at college and disillusioned with being in a foundry day after day, at the age of 18 yrs I decided to leave and join the:

Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

My grandfather Wilfred Parkin had served in the regiment in the
1st World War -1914-1918

To the absolute Horror of my parents I informed them that I had

"signed on ---- " 9yrs with the Colours"

Pay £6- 6- 0 per week (6 Guineas)

It was April 1959 when I first saw the depot of the KOYLI at Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Strensall, York.

My New Life had begun??

Should I be worried, frightened, unsure, upset at leaving home?
I do not think that any of those thoughts entered my head, as I walked from the double decker bus, which had carried me from York Railway Station, into the portals of the Light Infantry Depot.

It was a short time after asking at the guardroom as to where I should now report, that I met RSM Grist, the Depot RSM.

"You there, you horrible little man", I heard on the periphery of my senses as I walked quietly across this large tarmaced square of empty void ness ----
"Hey you, are F------g deaf? You long piece of elongated piece of shit, I am talking to you!"

It then occurred to me that someone was in fact angry about something, I looked around and saw this short person with a bristling moustache dressed in khaki uniform with a flat Army cap pointing his stick in my direction, he seemed to be bristling with anger, as his short body wavered from side to side, his feet kept stamping the ground, I turned around and thought that the description I heard did not fit me at all, I am quite tall at 6 ft 1 ", but I did not believe that I was a piece of shit, so I approached this short man, silently on my Bopper shoes, with my Fake leather jacket swinging with the pace of my movement.
My 50 years old suitcase that my mother loaned me until I went back home, swinging as I approached this little jumped up dwarf of a man.

I had a one sided conversation with RSM Grist (His side) and a soldier with one tape ran towards us and stopped stamped his feet and stood ramrod straight "Sir" he said to the RSM, I later found out he was a Lance Corporal.

"Get this thing to the quarter Masters Stores for his equipment, double march him there, Do you understand me ?"
"Yes Sir" --- the little Tubby soldier replied ---

The little tubby soldier shouted "Whats your name ?" - Les I replied, "No your last name" --- I told him he then explained in a theatrical snort and shouts that double march meant that I had to run to the stores, BUT I said the case is very heavy, why cant I walk, or would he carry my case ?? ---

The RSM threw his stick on the floor, "What the Fuck has the recruiting officer brought me ??.

Sometime later the lance corporal laughed and said that I had met the Depot RSM and he felt sorry for me, my life would be an Hell for the training period.

I Started my Ten Week Training.