Ladysmith Barracks, Ashton Under Lyne.

[Roy Dawson-Savage]

I recently joined the Manchesters forum with questions about my Dad's army service since he was in the Manchester Regiment, but completely forgot how close I came to being in the Manchester Regiment myself.

Fifty three years ago I was nineteen and wondering why I had not been called up for National Service, I needn't have worried, a couple of days after my nineteenth birthday I got the letter I had been expecting for a year and was told to get myself to Ashton Market early one September morning, I arrived with a load of other youths of a similar age and they carted us off in army trucks a couple of miles up the road to the famous Ashton Barracks (Ladysmith Barracks, to give it its proper name).

I little knew how famous that building was, or that it had been there for a hundred years before I arrived to stamp my feet all over its venerable parade ground, I also never even considered the fact that my father had probably crossed that hallowed portal some 19 or 20 years earlier when he was called up for WWll, as yours may also have done.

Nobody had the nous to tell us that hundreds of exhausted British and French soldiers rescued from Dunkirk had flopped down for some well earned rest wherever they could in Ladysmith Barracks, and that included that holy of holies 'The Parade Ground'. I guess they thought we were too thick to be proud of our dads!

I was always puzzled by the fact that after nine weeks of a ten week training course, during which we all believed ourselves to be 'In The Manchesters', we were told to hand in all our badges and flashes, 'You are not in the Manchesters any more' said Sergeant Baxter, (a really nice guy, honest) 'you are in the 1st Battalion Loyal Regiment', 'Where are they sarge'? we chorused and went strangely quiet when he told us they were in Malaya! what a shock that was, dreams of being home every weekend sailed through the air and disappeared somewhere over 'Hartshead Pike'.

And the reason why we were not in the Manchesters any more? I found out last week!.... took a while didn't it?..... but The Manchester Regiment was amalgamated with another regiment shortly after we left for Malaya and the Barracks was closed down a matter of months after we left in 1958.

I am an amateur photographer (aren't we all) but, after trying to get some half way decent pictures of what remains of the barracks I decided to take some myself. if you are interested, you can download them from my photography site, it seems that many photographers are loath to part with their work, but I'm too old to care, so if you would like to download a picture or two, or as many as you like, you are welcome.
There's not a lot left of the old barracks, just the main gate and the spot where I stood on sentry duty all night with live ammunition to protect the regiment from god know what threat, they never told us.
you can choose the file size that you download so that it is not too big for your computer. here's the link.  http://ukuleleman.zenfolio.com

Anyway, that was that and we finished the training and went to Malaya to learn about CTs (Communist Terrorists) Egg Banjos! (a fried egg on a muffin) and a lot of other stuff that occupies young men of nineteen and twenty that is not for this forum!! but that we all did frequently! and that was as close as I came to actually being in the Manchesters

[harribobs]

nice story Roy!

[mack]

hiya roy
great pictures,i always say that if you study pictures closely,they can tell you something about the person,you look like you enjoy a pint of sam smiths,the pictures of the fishing lads are interesting,eddie looks like a postman,probably got a few bob,scott also looks like a postman,eugene and kevin could be in the roofing game,tommys fingernails have got oil under them so he must be a mechanic,dave fitz has hands that look like they have done a bit of butchering in their time,bernie ime not sure about,could be an office worker,looks like a city fan,so does dave fitz,eugene,kevin,eddie and scott look like they know their football,so they must be reds,the west indian gentleman[charlie] probably has an unusual knickname like "backside"

mack

[Roy Dawson-Savage]

Come on Mac, don't leave me hangin' like this, either you are clairvoyant or a lover of 'Bluebells'  if you know what I mean, which I bet you do???

[mack]

you've got it roy,all those lads are good friends of mine,ive known bernie+charlie for over 30yrs,eugene+spaghetti kev since we were kids,eddie and his lad scott have been pals for about 17yrs and ive known tommy for about 15yrs,dont see him very much anymore,eddie lives at the back of me,dave fitz and his brothers,cousins etc have been friends with my family for a lifetime.
i once asked bernie if i could join the fishing club,he said no problem,and then asked me what sort of equiptment i used,he nearly had a bleedin apoplexy when i pulled out a lee enfield from my fishing bag

mack

[Roy Dawson-Savage]

Laughed out loud!

I'm Bernies step dad, been married to his mum for about 30 years. small world eh? those guys are the salt of the earth, I always say that if I was in a trench about to go over the top and needed somebody to cover me, I would want one of those guys to do it.

We don't use Lee Enfields any more, prefer a sub machine gun for Carp!
Roy

[harribobs]

 

[mack]

its absolutely true chris.
i had gone to an arms fair with my mate,who wanted a lee enfield for his collection,and asked me to go along for advice,i told him that if he got one,he wouldnt be allowed to carry it outside unless it was covered up,so he took his fishing bag,after finding one,we stopped off at the bluebell and it just so happened that the fishing lads were all in there discussing the following days fishing trip,they knew that i dont have a clue about fishing,and bernie asked why i was carrying a fishing bag[couldnt leave the gun in the van in our town]so i told him i wanted to join the club and that i could catch more fish than him with my equipment,he just laughed at me,he nearly s**t himself when i pulled the gun out

mack