Arborfield Old Boys Association

 

AOBA

Arborfield Life

Copyright: Unless specifically stated Intellectual property rights and web design Arborfield Old Boys Association 1999 - 2008

 

Old Boys Association Newsletter

 

OBAN, the Old Boys Association Newsletter, is published three or four times a year. With a circulation of over 1,000 it carries news of the Arborfield Old Boys Association to every corner of the globe.

The early copies of OBAN were first produced in the 1960s but then they lapsed for several years until the Spring of 1992 when Peter Gibson and John Northam 47A introduced the 'new' OBAN.

 

 

 

Later Brian Hornsey 54A took complete responsibility for the production of OBAN Issue No 5 and brought it into an A4 format using some desktop publishing skills. Brian then continued as Editor of OBAN and publisher until 2003 producing some further 23 issues.

 

Peter Gripton 56B took on the role of Editor starting with OBAN 28, the 2003 Reunion Issue. Although Peter had started his career as an apprentice radar mechanic has quickly gained a reputation for being now better known as a historian and author - his most famous work being 'The Arborfield Apprentice' - that is an excellent illustrated history of the Arborfield Army Apprentices' School and Colleges.

 

Contributions ...

Articles, letters and photographs are always most warmly welcomed for publication in OBAN and should be sent to:

     The Editor, OBAN
     Chapel House
     Greatham
     GU33 6AG.
 

OBAN magazine is only available to subscribing members of the Arborfield Old Boys Association. However here are a few extracts from it. If you want to read more then please email us

 

A tale of the pale blue beret by Tony Domoney 56B ...

Leaving the Apprentices’ School at Arborfield in 1959, having made ‘Band Sergeant’, and now arriving at the REME Training Battalion, Bordon Camp, as a Craftsman ‘Fitter’ – well it was quite a cultural shock for me! Gone were the closeted family, directional purpose and comradely comforts of boy’s school, including Fred Silver et al, instead came the ‘mans’ army’ and the billeting with strangers of many tribes. My carefully nurtured ego was initially busted but, after a few shaky weeks, I gradually settled down as Cfn Domoney, Fitter Class 1, in what to me was an almost alien world.
 

Where was I going for the next nine years? The first letdown was the news that I was to be retrained as a ‘Fitter Armourer’. (Another Army consolidation!) Having spent the past three years learning and practicing the art of plain and ordinary ‘Fitter General’, I was now basically to be retrained in the art of small arms, rifles and pistols etc. No, Sir! That I did not want and I let it be known so. The CO Major, having a sense of humour, immediately took me off the course, advised me that I could instead be an Army Driver (bloody hell!) and found me a variety of ‘fatigues’ in the Officers’ Mess, (my first ever taste of salmon). There was also coke-shovelling in the ‘hot rooms’ (okay in winter, mind you) and regular Guardroom duties, to give me time to decide - Driver or Armourer? I felt that I had just wasted three prime years of my life, and I was really fed up, I can tell you. At that stage I was at a pretty low ebb – and musing that perhaps I should have taken up a previous offer to study at the Military Academy of Music, Kneller Hall, after all!

Fortunately though, I did enjoy the opportunity to practice with the REME Band at the time and, once again, it was music that kept me ‘sane’ during a difficult period. Of course the wonderful meals at the local café, situated within walking distance of the camp, helped immensely. My weekend treat was the glorious breakfast of eggs, bacon, mussels, mushrooms, beans and toast, washed down with a mug of strong hot coffee. I put up with Guard duties, more routine and ‘bull’ than anything else, but nowhere near as strict as Uncle Fred’s! It also gave me the odd hours of freedom to practice my trumpet skills and to ‘suss out’ what I really wanted out of life. I remember that I would work away, trying to be the best ‘bulled’ Craftsman on guard duty parade, in order to win the coveted position of ‘stand down’, there being an extra body in the case of defaulters. But I was pipped to the post every time, by this lad who came from either Malta or Mauritius - I hated him!........

The life of an Imperialist Warmonger by Peter Simpson 56B ...

With the last hurdle of final approval being passed, I could now put together my itinerary for the trip. There were a great number of ports that we could leave from to go to the continent, but we finally decided on the Southampton-to-Le Havre route. This particular ferry service gave the armed services a healthy discount and we booked for the evening of Monday 13th October 1975; the first step in the long journey had commenced. Our intended route was France through to Germany, crossing near Strasbourg; then down to Austria, crossing near Salzburg; and crossing at Klangenfurt into Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). We then intended crossing Greece through to Turkey. Up to this point I expected plain sailing, as the roads were all metalled and in good condition. Also there was a variety of towns with good accommodation en route so that, if we were making good time, it would be easy to progress to the next town; similarly, in the case of a vehicle breakdown, we could find services close at hand to assist.
 

Turkey would be a different kettle of fish! Istanbul to Ankara was 440km (around 275 miles), with no decent towns in between, and the next leg to Sivas was another 445km. Added to this equation was the fact that the roads may only allow a speed of 40-50kph if they were not in good condition. There were so many unknowns that, all in all, this would mean starting at the crack of dawn and pressing on, making sure that we left more than ample time to cover any unwanted contingencies. We intended driving right along the length of Turkey, I allowed five to six days and, as it happened, we needed all of them. But that is another story!................................

 

 

Articles, letters and photographs are always most warmly welcomed for publication in OBAN and should be sent to:

     The Editor, OBAN
     Chapel House
     Greatham
     GU33 6AG.