Chronicles of Alan: Army Day's - Final

After 3 Months Basic Training was transferred to 2nd Armoured Car Regiment ( still in Bloemfontein) late1965.
One of the reasons that I could get away with a lot of things was that I was certified as a Drver, Radio-Operator and Gunner, whereas most of the Guy's just had one of these.

Army Logic:-

Every Morning Take armoured Cars out of Hangar's Clean and polish them , park again. Next Day Repeat. When we finally went on Maneuver's with them ( War Emulation) Take all polish off them as enemy could spot them easily as they shine!

Still got very few weekend passes

One Sunday night on the way back , met another Soldier and we somehow got on a road that had Dam's on both sides , middle of winter , absolutely freezing. Only warm thing was the road ,we sat down back to back, next thing I know a Guy is kicking us awake ,cursing, saying he nearly drove over us as we were asleep in the road!

Still Lucky!

One night coming off a Guard stint, sat in the Guardhouse , next thing a huge Jag Spinnekop is on my knee about the size of a breadplate . ( a huge ,hairy ,red spider). I immediately slammed my rifle butt into it, don't really like spiders much!

Besides the Saracen's I also drove the Ferret Scout Cars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret_armoured_car

Also Rolls Royce Engined, pre-selector Gearbox.

While on Maneuvers in De Brug ,(huge open land 100 square miles for military use) was driving a Scout Car with an officer on top, radio message comes in , "If you Guy's are not back in camp within 30 minutes ,no supper!" Officer tells me to speed up ( we are riding on dirt roads over hills) I go haring round a blind bend, find the bend tightens, I am doing 70 MPH , 5 tons , 4 wheel drive, are not going to make it! I immediately turn off the road and start down the hill braking and knocking over some small trees, Much cursing from upstairs , came to a safe halt. Officer white in the face , apologise's, and say's "If you hadn't done what you did , I would be dead" If I had carried on trying to take that bend ,we would have rolled, and he was on top. Interesting, it took more than half an hour to get back to camp and we still got supper , I was invited to eat with the Officer's.

Was also chosen to go to Pretoria for a Republic Day Celebration. There was going to be a Drive/ March past the Voortrekker Monument to a Salute from Generals and top Politicians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voortrekker_Monument

Drove one of the the Lead Saracens, as we pulled away to start the parade my Saracen started misfiring the Generator had packed in ( before Alternators) I had to keep putting it in higher gears to reduce electrical drain , and then lower gears to keep pulling, I just made it past the Saluting area , put it in neutral , broke formation and coasted it into the veld. In no time MP's were there to arrest me, but the Officer on board stood up for me saying he did not know how I had managed to keep it running as long as I did!

Forgot to mention when I first got to the this Camp My Fame had gone before me.

Everyone was lined up on the Parade Ground. " We are going to give half the Camp a Christmas Pass and the other half a New Years Pass , except for you Dr. No, you will be on Guard Duty for Both periods"

I was later given one of my few passes and had been told by a Friend, if I got into Bloem by a certain time I could catch a lift with someone.

So there I am leaving, an Officer grabs me and say's the Guy who is supposed to be on Guard Duty at the Main Gate is out in a Saracen.

He hands me a rifle , and sends me to the gate. I am getting desperate because of the time and see a Saracen coming down the Road , instead of waving it through as I should ,I step in the road and indicate that they should halt . What I did not see ,was that there were 2 more 10 ton Saracens full of troops behind him . As I heard the first CRASH, I dropped the R1 rifle and took off running, I swear I was out of sight before the rifle hit the ground! We are talking 30 tons of Armour Plating total ,suddenly coming together, 2 smashed fronts and 2 sets of doors , buckled in, not to mention a whole lot of very confused Troopers!

Monday morning everyone who had been given a pass ,lined up on the parade ground to find the perpetrator!
Remember , random soldier , not my rifle, no way was I going to admit responsibility. This is the first time I have ever mentioned this again!

Bloemfontein Show came around and we put a display on there. Dug an underground Bunker , Tank and other vehicles on display.In the Bunker we have Machine Guns Mortars etc.

I rapidly get bored, so , when a new bunch of Civilians come through I startup with:-

"This may look like a Mortar to you, but the Army, always thinking of the welfare of its troops, designed this Portable Field Coffee bean grinder for us to use in the Veld" I had them in the palm of my hand, hanging on to every word, then I notice the Brigadier General at the Back of this group indicating for me to come to him!
"You're good" say's he, "almost believed you myself , now if you want to avoid DB ( Military Prison) "Don't let me hear about you doing this again" Very polite for a Military Officer, and once again I had got away with it!

This concludes my Army Tales.

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