Gone in Seconds - 1,172,102,400 to be precise!
A Personal Look Back over 37 Years in the British Army - Simon Wilson
I enlisted as a Gentleman Gunner in 1981. In 1984 I was commissioned into the Queen's Regiment, joining the Third Battalion in Fallingbostel. Seven years later, I decided to leave… but ended up transferring to the Royal Military Police. So having been bullied asked by Mark Paveley (branch chairman) I now present a truncated and personal account of my life in the Army.
Each element of that – my – career was uniquely different. The first encapsulated basic soldiering and observing and experiencing how to be led. The experiences of a first tour in the Falklands in the aftermath of the conflict brought into more recent focus with the award of the South Atlantic Medal following Sir John Holmes' review of the honours system.
Waiting for the Guns, North of Fitzroy, Falklands 1982.
Upon commissioning, the honour of leading some of the world's finest soldiers in The Queen's Regiment was a dream realised. The fun and sheer exuberance of being fit, in the great company and embarking on a career I had always wanted was heady stuff. Combine this with Mechanised Infantry's fast-paced life, operational tours in Belize and Northern Ireland, and life was very good.
The best of times – Bessbrook Mill 1987.
Interlaced was a stint with the Junior Infantry Battalion and as the 1990s loomed a time with the Armoured Infantry Training and Advisory Team in Sennelager. No longer a callow youth, other demands began to play. A near miss with marriage (at that time) and appreciating that life and times cannot be replicated, I sought a new challenge.
A proud moment for Helen Mirrem as she meets a Queen's Regiment Officer (Me!) in Belize in 1986.
This led to a fresh career with the Red Caps. It wasn't a defection or an act of disloyalty rather an opportunity to develop. When I transferred, the Army was not as busy as it had been. While still dangerous, Northern Ireland had lost some of its febricity. Nearly a decade earlier, the United Kingdom's persona as a formidable opponent had reasserted its place in the world in the Falklands. Life was settled, and I was married to a wonderful wife; the slower pace was enjoyable and JHQ Rheindahlen an excellent posting for a first time non-academic staff officer. Early command of a Provost Company again in Rheindahlen followed, ensuring stability. Well, as the saying goes, "…just when you think you have it cracked", things change. The second part 1990's was somewhat busier. Tours in South Africa, Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Kosovo followed. Regimental and staff appointments gave a breather at the beginning of the Millennium, but Iraq interceded with the invasion in 2003 and the following year in Baghdad. While commanding 5th Regiment Royal Military Police I was chosen to be Provost Marshal Joint Force Support (Afghanistan). A couple of years later, I was back -this time attached to the USMC as an advisor to a Special Police Brigade.
Great 50th Birthday present in Afghanistan – I am on the right, Lash Kah Gar, 2013.
After a few interesting appointments upon returning from Afghanistan in 2014 – the Badger Cull, a short attachment to the Cabinet Office and ending in the ARRC; 37 years had shot by. And that was it – gone in what seems a blink of the eye with retirement.
So what is this non-academic doing now? After working for a couple of years in Government departments as a consultant, I am now enrolled as a full-time mature student. You never really leave, though, do you? The Royal British Legion, Gloucester City Branch, does such an excellent job keeping us all in the zeitgeist, and fundraising is always engaging.
Fundraising for the RBL in London, 2019
A proud moment for Vicky Michelle and the cast of "‘Allo, ‘Allo “ as they meet up with Will and Simon from Gloucester City Branch.
