22534035 Sgt K.Carroll Manch R

[george.theshed197]

Hi again Mike,
Regret that I must take slight exception to part of your comments largely based on the section " ...it would be difficult to recall everyone even at the rank of Sgt."  
Like many of the members of the Battalion my service began in 1944 with a different Regiment to the Manchester's and saw service in Holland, Norway, BLA, Trieste, Palestiine and East Africa prior to returning to UK for PYTHON and thence to BAOR to join The Manchesters. Much to my surprise I suddenly found that about ten or fifteen of former friends from the previous Regiment had similarly arrived at Wuppertal thence to Berlin also and again just prior to our move to Malaya in 1951 a couple of drafts from other units of 'The Lancastian Brigade' joined us at firstly, Saighton Camp Chester and secondly soon after the Bn landed in Selerang Barracks, Singapore.
By the time we had completed our 'Re-training' in Penang it was almost like 'Old Home Week 'meeting up for a Tiger or similar down in Georgetown after a days work. Then on down to Tapah where was it three or so of the Companies  came together in the one camp and the Sgts Mess pretty well new one another.
On leaving the Army and settling in to civilian life I ignored Military contacts until about the mid -1980's when I took an interest in the OCA and met up with many former friends which resulted in coming into contact with many funerals at one of which across in Blackpool area, in fact if I remember rightly it was the funeral of 'Lou' Kirkham. when Derek Reilly, after greeting and shaking  hands with with me commented that " This looks like the Sgts Mess days of the old crowd ".
Again when I moved over to the Preston Branch it was a similar situation in many instants.
Let's face it - in our day an Infantry Bn W.O's and Sgts Mess on average had about fifty or so members; when you have served together for something like ten years or so you become almost like Blood Brothers - may I say might even hate some of them also .
Maybe I am different in that war-service/time friendships really meant genuine friendship to me, hence my memories and recall being so strong. that could also be the reason why such a large section of the back of my old diary has such a list of dates of deaths and funerals of former mates.
Maybe it's a facet that Lancastrians have also.
George.