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I spent about 20 years in the Army.

 It started with 3 years at The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
and the formality of Church Parades, spit and polish and the place of ritual over reality.

Then came about eight years as an infantry officer in the Royal Anglian Regiment.
After a short time with my regiment in Berlin.
I spent 3 years at the Army University. 3 years at the RMCS Shrivenham.

We wore uniform to work, but were otherwise other students.
As young officers, we were better paid than the civilian students
and lived in an Army Mess, from where we travelled to London etc.
It was from here that I travelled up to see Trish
and where, after we got married., we returned to a tiny house in Folly Crescent,
living on an estate with other newly-married students from the college.
I finished the course with a wife, a BSc in General Science
and a posting to Aden (unaccompanied).
Then came a couple of years as a platoon commander. A couple of years as an infantry platoon commander.

Before I left for Aden, I attended a "Support Weapons Course"
and so became proficient in the use of Mortars and Infantry Anti-tank guns.
I completed the course just in time for our son, James, to be born (in Ditchingham).
Then off to Aden!
Which is a separate story.
After nine months of the active soldiering that I was trained for,
it was wonderful to return to the real world of family and a future.
We moved, with the Regiment, to Celle in Germany (by car in the snow).
Here we enjoyed regimental life, wive's clubs etc, and the beauty of the area.
I became the expert on deploying "Support Weapons" from Armoured Personnel Carriers,
boxed for the Regiment, unsuccessfully (being too bound up in family to train properly),
and was promoted to Captain, so due to be posted elsewhere.
About 3 years with the Royal Signals. About 3 years with the Royal Signals.

This was a pleasant time in Catterick, centred on family and teaching recruits.
These were Royal Signals soldiers, so more intelligent than most.
We enjoyed the moors and the sailing and the golf.

This was followed by ten years in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC)
A Few years as a Software Team leader. I spent a few years as a Software Team leader.

Having completed the RAOC induction course, I went on a their long computer course,
programming in machine code to an enormous card-fed computer,
which contained all the supply information for the Army.
We had a reasonable quarter and I was able to walk down the hill the work.
We enjoyed the local Army Sailing club on the River Trent.
Katie was born after a frantic chase to the hospital by ambulance.

Had a Lovely Year in Berlin. I was Stores Officer for the Berlin Brigade.

but I was also boatswain of the "Yacht Club",
a mix of army-owned dinghies based on the Havel.
It took up as much time as my official job
and was much moire fun!
Had 3 years teaching computer programming in Dorset. Had 3 years teaching computer programming.

at the Defence Automatic Data Processing Centre (DADPTC) in Blandford.
It was another lovely job, where we mixed with a sorts of people,
from different nations and forces of the world.

Finally, after a short time leading a software team in Bicester,
I saw little hope of much further promotion and retired as a Major.