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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
This thread statred on the careers forum, we where talking about the wonderful place called the brecon beacons, 'when hell was invented they created brecon.'
Picture this if you can it mid feb the sun has not come out to play since november, its not cold its freezing cold, you are a little bit sleepy because you have not had any sleep since the start of feb, when you where in a nice warm classroom. The person by the side of you is looking a bit blue, no hes not a chelsea fan, and for the millionth time that day you are on the move.
Snow and wind are beating you back and this person who comes from Nepal said to you in broken english, cold COLD it must be COLD. Then you ask yourself why, why am I here, somebody said you will go to brecon. So I went.
The fresh air, this was back in the late 70's, the days before SSOW RA, funny really who would have thought of becoming a safety advisor.
John Murphy tried to get the ex forces safety advisors talking to each other, I thought most of them are working of a large contruction company 'C' is that group still going?
Would be nice to hear from you.
Regards
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Posted By Frank Hallett
Jonathon - "Yew were LUCKY"
I spent some of my early formative years [early 1960's] on Dartmoor [before the Brecons were available] courtesy of the RN.
My lasting menmories are probably similar to yours - wet, cold, wet, even wetter, colder, skinless sausages from tins, condensed milk from squeezy tubes and food heaters that wouldn't even be considered as firelighters for a modern barbie and discussing the competence of whoever was holding the compass and map at the time. As I remeber, the compass & map were not allowed to be held by the same person - was this a form of RA remedial measure or just a trigger for confrontation?
Parents of Public school pupils used to [and still do] pay a fortune for all that - I actually got paid and clothed!
I later did the jungle survival course in Malasia - the only difference was the temperature and no sheep or ponies [I missed them]!
Did these experiences create the people that we are now? What is the modern value of those experiences to an individual?
Incidentally, I may not be in the first flush of youth, but I'm no dinosaur either [except when woken for no good reason!].
Frank Hallett
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Pre beast of bodmin, Army attached to RNAS Caldrouse, Dolphin, Neptune rings a bell as well, went up to Clydeside, who said you dont travel to far off and woderful place's.
Food freeze dried and no finger nails.
Good old days!!!!
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Posted By Dave Wilson
I have actually been to 'Hell' a few times (8 winters in Norway with Commando Forces) its a small town in Northern Norway.
However, Brecon pah!!, Try Snowdonia, or Ben Nevis or up Glen Coe or even the Falklands now thats cold. Hoiwever the worst place is Jhergin (spelling) Live Firing Artilley Ranges just north of Trondheim no trees, flat and the wind really picks up, living in tents for a month, Seriously not funny.
Not as cold as Northern Norway in Feb -40C with the wind chill have to have special gloves to throw grenades as the metal sticks to your hands, which is not a good idea after you have pulled out the pin!
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Special gloves, you will be wanting thermals to wear next, I thought you boot necks where tougher than that, slugs and snails etc.. as advertised on tv, Falklands 82, nice place to have a birthday party 6 6 82! on the way to stanley, that was a party.
If we knew then what we know now, hey thats why we became safety persons.
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Posted By Frank Hallett
The Falklands before most people outside Argentina knew they existed - 1965 - when an Argentine businessman overflew the Governors Mansion [incidentally the only proper biulding on the Islands then] and bombed it with flour sacks! It was allegedly summer and the sheep were hiding from the wind! Lost 3 crew in the harbour whilst returning aboard [frozen]
On reflection - I've spent a lot of time with sheep.
Frank Hallett
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Posted By Mev
Do you think that's tough I once went on holiday to Spain on a coach now that is tough
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Frank, ex navy now sheep please that is a bad enough thought.
Falklands 76 first put on stand by for that one, took six years to stand down.
No overtime either. Good old days, blah
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Posted By skooter1
God I can relate to this completely. I have spent many a time in Senny Bridge freezing my arse off, and having to run up bloody Tabletop Mountain, and a bloody lifetime on Salisbury plane.
I was only given one bit of advise by my seniors when I joined and that’s when on exercise take a couple of pairs of thick women’s tights. They keep your feet warm and your undercarriage.
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Posted By Frank Hallett
It's very pleasant "swinging the lamp" & District 6 was always my short-cut from Kloofs Neck to Capetown rlwy station when returning to Simonstown.
Any more "black cat" stories? Haven't thought about that stuff for years - strange how it all re-surfaces with such a small prompt.
What influence did those experiences have upon creating the persons that we are today?
Frank Hallett
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Posted By Dave Wilson
Thermals!!! why do you think we are called commandos! Used to wear womans tights 20 denier they were warm and comfortable, pussers thermals too warm!
Sitting in a COP on the chinese border in Honky Fid getting eaten alive at the end of the vietnam war catching II's with 42 CDO on the other side was the Chinese 42 Army!!
Used to play football (5 aside) against them in the new Territoiries in a village called Shat o Cock (true!) used to play home and away as well.
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
It all started with some person looking for a H&S person in wales, brecon. That did it for me, PTSD kicked in,now a proud green card holder of the War Pensions type. Just the mention of that place brings back wavey lines, like sentry duty in Berlin!!!!!!!! hesses hotel, the reaper baun, they where the good days, wonder why we never saw boot necks and matlows there? then there was cyprus, borneo, canada, NI, what wonerful places the army sent us.
I wonder how many safety advisors are now ex forces, must be high numbers.
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Posted By Ady wykes
What, it's a great place to live. Any jobs going up there. The cold is great, energising.
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Posted By DW
Try 48 hours in a supposedly disused (although, apparently a very well known conservationists') toilet (ramshackle shed on the end of a jetty), on Bird Island, South Georgia! Watching the tide so the oceans can be assessed for cruise ships to pass safely!!
Why are there so many ex forces in H and S??
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
YES there is a job there in the gower pen, go to careers forum
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Posted By renown
For Hell, read Faslane in the middle of a freezing winter's night doing a 4 hour trot 'up top'on a bomber, with wooden baseball bat for protection against the improbable attack of Russia's elite forces! Careers officer didn't tell me this when I joined up.
But Heaven was lying on the sun soaked Cocoa Beach Fla, when the rest of the crew had to go to sea.
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
DW, why so many ex forces in H&S goes with the job RHIP got the strips or chevrons in my case have to do the course, goes with the change of crown immunity.
used to be 200 per month passing NEBOSH Gen Cert from MOD background.
Dont know how many now
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Posted By Dave Wilson
So many as the Nebosh cert and NEBS cert was an EVT and it was better than pub management or plumbing, that said could make a mint as a plumber
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Posted By DW
Good point Dave, although I wanted to do the Nebosh cert before I saw any of the other options, pub management sounds good some days!! I have also used ELCs to fund the Dip 4.
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Posted By Ady wykes
What are ELC's, I am being thick?
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Posted By Dave Wilson
A lot of people in the Forces did EVT and then got jobs on the back of Military Experience with the Cert and then went on from there, for me I trained as an EHO and then did Nebosh Dip as part of my military requirements.
I used to advise people coming up to endex that the NEBOSH & NEBS Cert was a good starting point if you wanted to get into Elf an Safety, advanced food hygine cert was also a good one for people in the Catering Branches as well.
Remember at the time around the 1990's this was New Food Safety Act, EP Act and the good old '6' pack which wanted and required competent persons to do these jobs, as well as Sect 10 Armed Forces Crown Proceedings etc.
A lot of SR's, SNCO's coming to the end of their careers were quite often put in 'barracks' for last 18 months and given FM type jobs and H&S / Env was usually lumped in with this. These people usually had no training or experience so this was a good starting point for them
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
In my time with HM Armed Foces I served as a Fireman, 76, Dustman, 80, Prison Office, 88, UEL Outwardbound + Cadets untill 92. Army what army? oh yes bullet catcher 77-81 NI Falklands 82. active service whats that.
Wonder why I like the Goons, Madness, Specials,
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Posted By Linda Crossland-Clarke
Hi lads
I quite liked the falklands... though that was after the bullets stopped flying, and there were just the landmines to contend with.
Taking bimbles through camp, rolling the odd landrover, hailstones that go upwards, 3 seasons in one day, measles rock on Mt Alice... ring any bells?
Linda
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Posted By Dave Wilson
Nope but do remember the 'farting' ship the Rangatira and transiting to asceention on SS Uganda, the Royal Irish Rangers were really and I mean Really sick, left Port Stanley into a Force 10 @ 1600 and by 1800 was to busy injecting anti seasick into pongos was nearly sick laughing myself, went for scran in the galley with me gobbling rods and about 10 civvy chefs waiting to feed 600 and only 7 of us there, laughed for 3 days.
last laugh with the pongos though as they were flown back to UK 3 days before us, so had to stay omboard achored off ascension trying to find ingenious ways to catch the fish.
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Posted By Arran Linton - Smith
Jonathan,
I don't want to spoil your thread, but Hell is not in the Brecon Beacons, it is a real place in Norway and I have been there.
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Dear all,
We are talking UK hell, there are a lot of places where we have all served, that are hell, Bosnia need I say more, for the Army bodys that did serve there, that was hell for them. IS the word Benny or Still aloud to be used in the Falklands?
I can remember going into Stanley Airport and smelling the napalm leaking, they dont make smells like that.
Linda, I never took you for one of us.
Regards
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Posted By Alison Melrose
Lerwick...In January...
horizontal rain / sleet and snow (just managed to get off the island during a "window" or would have been on the ferry that was stuck off Aberdeen harbour for 17 hours a couple of years back...guess that would have been worse as everyone was leaning over the side feeding the fishes!!
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Posted By Simon Heesom
Hell!!!!
All those years in the pusser were a breeze, until I told em to poke 2OE5, it was then that hell started,
Because 'Civvies are HELL'!
Deeps.
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Posted By John Webster
Are we sure we have the right website, or has IOSH joined up with forcesreunited.org.uk?
Maybe there's so many ex-services in H&S after spending many years learning, and sometimes using, every trick in (and not in) the book to kill and maim people that this is one way of trying to redress the balance before attempting to gain admission to heaven :-)
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Posted By John Webster
Alison
I was ON that ferry!!
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Posted By Alison Melrose
Oh John...
I heard it was really bad! had seen Up Helly Aa (cold but clear) that week while up there at Sullom Voe on business but the Friday woke to howling gale and sleet / snow.
Arrived at the site and they said they'd probably cancel the flight but were told to wait as there was to be a lull...thankfully managed to take off on time (though were nearly diverted to Inverness due to dense fog at Aberdeen!). Remember watching the news report about the ferry and thinking "thank crunchie I didn't get that!!".
Going for a repeat performance as heading to Lerwick on the 26th...checked the long term weather forecast but nothing concrete as such - maybe I should take a flask and shovel with me!
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Posted By Andrew Veale
Simon
Not all "civvies" are hell, some of us who have worked with all you
military persons for a while now, are Ok people. It could be said in
reverse regarding certain military ranks.
Although not in the military as such I can recall places like Dartmoor
after having to conduct RA and accident investigations like land rovers
swimming down rivers.
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Land rovers swimming down river, never, stalwats do that, to many matlo's on this thread, dont want to go to exforces web thing nicer people here, how many ex forces safety advisors are members of IOSH?
Its Monday and it not raining.
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Posted By Daniel Stonehouse
I remember Mount Alice - went there for a two day swap with some RAF lads: my ship got called away to an SOS in storm force eight, or ten, i'm not sure - i ended up staying nearly a week. That was hell - I nearly died of alcohol poisoning! In six months i only spent six days alongside, and two of them were in S. Georgia! ( Looks good on your passport though!) Joining the T.A. when is was 31 was a doddle compared to life in a blue suit. i could tell you all about it but i would have to shoot you afterwards.
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Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Shooting someone is a waste of a good bullet, well only if you are a guuners fan.
As I stated eairler, to many matlo's on this thread, but my best time in the forces was stationed at RNAS Culdrose. Market days in Redruth, are yes good training for the Falklands, Bennys, both here and there.
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Posted By Linda Crossland-Clarke
Hi
Continuing on the FI theme.
You can't call the locals Benny's now, but they do call you WhenI's. "When I was in Belize... When I was in Canada..." ha ha.
Who had a chuff chart?
There was one guy up Mt Alice that used to drink his alcohol with Iron Bru, I heard he pee'd the same colour. I failed to join the breakfast club, passed out about 3am.
They never did find Marine Addis (not sure on the spelling) but if you get a few of the locals drunk out in camp - at the honesty bar - drink now, pay later) there's a few interesting stories to be told.
Me, I was the radio DJ, did BFBS and FIBS, not really one of you, but managed to infiltrate both sides! The lads up Mt Alice always did well on the quiz's, not a lot else to do..
Regards.
Linda.
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Posted By CB
Hi,
If you are talking about hell you want to try east lancs, the place were your mum is your dad and your dad is your mum!
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Posted By PaulA
Blimey.. so many Ex servicemen.
Well I'm still in and off to Bardufoss Friday for 7 weeks! Living in the snow and trying to babysit a Seaking helicopter.. great! I'm in the classic pension trap with 23 months to go before I start calling all you fellow 'ex-shipmates' for employment. Life hasn't changed much in the 22 years I've been in... Bardufoss is still freezing! Jherkin ranges is still ####kin freezing and Iraq is still +54 in the summer.
Cant say i'm looking forward to 2006! Norway.. then Iraq for six months... Threaders!!!!
Mind you..
"there's always some body else that has it worse and Jacks not happy unless he's drippin!"
"If you don't like it..put your notice in!"
"Crack on lofty!"
"Your not paid to think!"
God I love people that say that!!!!!!!!!!!! not!
Kind regards
Paul A
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Posted By DW
ELC - Enhanced Learning Credits, Dependent on time served depends on how much you can claim. It only came in a couple of years ago so many may not be eligible.
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Posted By John Lewis
Gents
I have never served Her Majesty in the forces but this thread put me in mind of a conversation I had with an acquaintance who was an ex Royal Green Jackets officer. Paul A's comment about "not paid to think" struck a chord.
While out horse riding one day we got on to the subject of Army training. He reckoned that "squaddies" are trained to take orders, NCO's are trained to convey orders and most Officers spend a year at Sandhurst being educated to think they are making decisions and passing them on.
John
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