History of the 28th intake

 Pictures

 Database

Home

Links

A Short History of the 28th Intake at  Army Apprentice School Balcombe

First Year

The intake marched in on the 17th January 1973. Most arrived by bus from the various States. Divided into 4 Companies with A and D Company at the top of the hill and B and C Company at the lower end of the camp. The intake joined the 26th Radio Mechanics, the 27th intake and the 27thA musicians as the School of Music was co-located within the School.

The average age was 16 to 17 with one or two only 15! For most of us it was the start of two years learning to not only be soldiers but tradesman (it was still a time of male only apprentices in the Army) as well before being dispersed into the Corps where we would serve our remaining 7 years of initial employment.

Second Year

Now the Senior Intake and Apprentice rank was issued and the intake took on the role of running many of the day to day activities from hut Corporals to Battalion Sergeant Major, the BSM, Our BSM was Apprentice Joyce and seen by all as the perfect choice. Also in the second year was for many of us the acquisition of a car, the ultimate freedom machine for the limited leave allowed. Alas the Army in its wisdom, made sure regular safety checks were conducted on the cars which for some of us helped keep us poor as we tried to keep the old junkers we had safe for us to travel, particularly home on leave.

The outcome of this was also the instigation of night autos, put in your order and overnight the part you needed would appear at a heavily discounted price, one never asked too many questions of this enterprise but needless to say it was a popular and preferred way of keeping cars on the road and looking good.

100 days before graduation was Crab night. It was a night to blow off steam and celebrate the coming parade and move further into the Army system. While in past Crab day was a night to beast on the junior intakes, for the vast majority of our intake we were happy to simply party and have a good time, one memorable moment of the 28th crab night was the parking of a caravan on the School HQs verandah. A feat succeeded drunk and extremely difficult to extract when sober. Somewhat questions the argument against drink driving!

have a story to tell for these two years?  Send it to me and I will add it to this short history.  Pass the memory on before you loose it!