R.E.M.E. Light aid detachment to 1st Royal Tank Reg. Sek Kong 1957

Fri, 11/09/2018 - 23:56
Date picture taken
20 Nov 1957
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This photo is of all 70 men of R.E.M.E. In 1st Royal Tank Regiment. Photo taken on Cambrai Day 20 Nov. 1957, prior to joining their separate tank squadrons at the Remembrance service. Names remembered are:

  • S/Sergeant Richard Forder
  • S/Sergeant Charles Street
  • Stan Richie
  • Jim Keen
  • Joe Boyes
  • Stan Balchin
  • Charlie Scales
  • Alan  Peter Gardiner
  • “Ginger” Bolton
  • Michael Taylor
  • Robert Hambridge
  • George Thomas
  • John Grant
  • Roy (sparky) Sparkes
  • Douglas Burgess,
  • and my best mate Eric Blakeley 
  • Ian Reed
  • Geoffrey Cheeseman.

Most of the senior men on front row were with Tank Regiments during 2nd world war.

Hi Tunster.

Sorry for the delay in answering your question, have been offline all week, sad to say i do not recall the name Brian Tunnicliff, its only because I wrote the names and places on the reverse side of my photos all those years ago that i have been able to add to them to each picture. Have been looking at all your dads uploaded photos and do not recognise anyone, but do recognise a number of the views/locations and will comment on them after viewing my old Hong Kong albums. I also came to Hong Kong as a national serviceman arriving on 9th March 1957 on HMT Nevasa via South Africa, a 5 week journey, the Nevasa"s second  voyage to the far east.   Do you know your fathers regimental number[eight numbers]  as the first four numbers would indicate when   he was conscripted,  I was born in 1935 but was not sent for until 1956 as I was an engineering apprentice until then. Regards  Bryan Panter.

Hello Bryan,  and any other REME LAD members,

I am researching my fathers service history , he was REME 1953 through 1975, ended up as WOII Artificer Vehicle,

I have got his Record of Service form the MOD, and notice entries for REME LAD , 1 RTR Malta & Hong Kong, and from what I can see he was with the LAD from November 1956 through October 1957, looks like he might have been 'medically' bought back to the UK, from Hong Kong.

Edwin (Ted) Ruff 22846120, at the time he was a CPL , AII Electrician I think,   trying to get more detail on where he was and his experience.   If you can fill in any blanks (good, bad ) would appreciate it

What was the REME LAD in Malta & H.K. doing in that period?

To his mutterings, I served in the  Royal Signals, but he did enjoy visiting us in Hong Kong Mid 80's, I was serving in 247 Gurkha Sig Sqn at the time.

 

Dad passed some time ago now, however our mum is still very much alive and kicking, 

 

best regards,

 

OldScaley

The LAD (Light Aid Detachment) maintain the equipment   of the regiment they are with  so they would have been in HK and Malta because 1 Royal Tank Regiment was there. I served in 50 Command Workshops REME in Shamshuipo  in 1968-1970.

Thanks Jonah,  apologies I should have phrased my question better, 

I'm familiar with REME, and overall job role,  wanted to get more into the nuts and bots (no pun intended) of that, I know from Dads service record ,

1 RTR was in the UK, he travelled to Malta 1.11.56 - 11.11.56,  were they destined for Suez?

then back to the UK  5.1.57 - 22.1.57

then from UK to Hong 14.5.57 - 17.6.57

 

I found an old photo i think from that era, and i think of a Comet (not 100% sure)  it is not great quality ,  not sure where/when it was taken,   but has vehicle reg on it,  

 

I served in Hong Kong much later 1985 - 1987 with 247 GSS,    lived in Osborne barracks, worked in HMS Tamar

That's a coincidence , when I first arrived in Hong Kong I lived in Jubilee Buildings for a short while then moved to 6B Osborne Barracks , the block nearest Waterloo Road, my twin sons were born while I was there. 1RTR were the last regiment to have Comets.

There's some information about this at https://gwulo.com/comment/49878#comment-49878:

In the summer of 1955 the unit returned to England for a well earned spell of duty at home. This was not to last long, and in November 1956 it sailed once more for Suez. Hostilities ceased while the Regiment was still at sea and it disembarked at Malta, where it remained for two months before returning to England. Four months later the Regiment was again posted overseas and arrived in Hong Kong in June of last year. (1957)