ESSEN-KUPFERDREH


After my detention, I was put on a training course and passed out as a qualified Signaller and posted to 42 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, stationed in Essen-Kupferdreh in what was then West Germany. This was an exciting time for me and I remember I couldn’t wait to be let loose in the town so as to practice my school German on someone, which I can’t remember as being particularly successful, probably due in some part to shyness or lack of confidence. As a matter of fact, during my next tour of duty in Germany years later, I learned more of the language from German television than I had ever learned at school.
In those days the troops in Germany were paid in BAFS, British Armed Forces Special Vouchers, which was a scrip issue at the time due to rampant inflation in Germany after the war. They could only be spent in barracks and came in note form only – no coinage. I think the lowest denomination was the threepenny note (3d). Pay was automatically given in BAFS unless a previous request was made to the Paymaster for Deutschmarks or a mixture of Marks and BAFS.
All the new boys were well warned about the strong German beers and advised to take it easy, which didn’t stop me getting absolutely drunk in the NAAFI canteen on our first night there. I can recall talking to someone and being suddenly aware of a hush in the canteen. A big fellow was standing on a table and had apparently been singing when my loud talk interrupted him. ‘I don’t like you!’ he said, to which I apparently replied, ‘I don’t particularly like you either!’ The rest of the night is a blank, but I was told my companions managed to smooth things over and get me back to my billet in one piece.
Standing in the cookhouse queue at lunchtime next day, I received a tap on the shoulder and looked round to see this huge guy next to me. ‘Still want to fight me?’ he asked – an invitation I hastily declined, apologising for being the worse for drink and making a fool of myself. This guy was really big, and a very hard man. Jim Kelly was his name, and a sequel to this is that he was sent to a Canadian Corrective Centre in Korea for 56 days Detention and came back a chastened, broken man whose hair had literally turned white due to the harsh treatment meted out to him. The place had gained some notoriety for actually killing some guy who collapsed whilst drilling in the hot summer with his packs full of bricks.
42 Regiment promptly put me on an advanced Signals Course, in which I came out with top marks. I was therefore more than a little disgruntled when the top five students were promoted to Lance Bombardier, with the exception of me. I expect looking back that my absence and detention were behind the decision, but I didn’t see it that way, and I lost all interest in getting on, and developed a large chip on my shoulder, which took years to shift. As a result, I became a bad boy and got myself into many unnecessary scrapes and minor breaches of discipline. Most of my short time in Essen-Kupferdreh was spent on ‘Jankers’, or Confined to Barracks to give it its proper name. CB was really tough in those days, the worst part being parading behind the Guard every evening in best dress and full FSMO (Field Service Marching Order) to be inspected by the Orderly Officer of the day. These junior officers were wont to summarily issue you with several more days CB, and I often despaired of ever getting free of it.
My mates used to rally round and help me with my kit, but it didn’t really matter how well I was turned out, it was never good enough. I don’t recall how I got off ‘Jankers’ in the end, but it was a depressing experience, which I had no wish to repeat, but in fact I was given ‘Jankers’ several more times over the course of the following year. Although always unpleasant, they didn’t depress me the way they had in Germany (maybe I just got more used to them).

In case anyon's wondering, the foregoing articles are copied directly from a short book I've written about my life experiences.

It was written primarily for family use, so hopefully you'll make allowance for the occasional digression from Army matters.

I hope you'll have enjoyed them nevertheless!

hi dereck.
I doubt you remembering me as i didn't a distinquished military career. but i remember you were one of 3 brothers from Bolton
Lofty Mtatt and Barry Hands i also remember. I left the army in April 1969.
In 1975 I emigrated to South Africa and then In 1976 I emigrated to Rhodesia. I am now living in Johannesburg where I have been since 1989.
I would welcome any correspondence from anyone who was in 49 battery the same time as me.
warren williams

Warren, I was in 49 Bty but your name doesnt ring a bell. I was in SA in march but in Cape Town and Durban for a holiday. I will email you the link to the 49 Battery web site and you could get access to the forum, in the meantime I will copy and paste your comments mate. 49 is having a big reunion in November in Walsall Birmingham. actually you left the battery in Devizes about 2 months before me. I lived next door to Lofty in devizes, loft has been divorced and remarried.

Hello,

I'm researching for my father's eulogy, and trying to remember all the regiments and batteries he served with.

His name was George Reeves and he was a Battery and then Regimental Sgt Major. My mother can't remember when he was made RSM, and the Army Personnel Centre won't release any information without £30, a copy of a death certificate and about a months notice, so I'm reduced to trawling through the internet to try and find anyone who knew him.

I was born in 1963, and I know he served with 22 and 42 Regiments, he was in Pembroke Dock in 1960 (one of my sisters was born there), and in Dortmund and Bielefeld, (another sister was born in Hamm), I was born in Wallsend in '63 but haven't as yet found anything which tells me who he was with then.

If there IS anyone out there who remembers him I'd be very VERY grateful if you could respond.

Thanks.

Jude Ayres

I seem to rememeber that the 2 i/c or adjutant also batted for the other side and got caught at it and disappeared whie we were in Slim Barracks.