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Oh to be a Squad Instructor � Supt Sgt at The Guards Depot � Caterham on the Hill. |
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| Caterham Barracks |
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| 1877----1960 |
| For more than a century, the Guards Depot at Caterham in Surrey played a major part in military history, the War Department purchased the land in 1875, the Guards Depot was built in 1877, at a cost of �46.273. Thousands upon thousands of recruits, Grenadiers, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh Guardsmen, passed through the depot on their way to the various Regiments. Caterham Barracks ceased being a training Depot in 1960, after which one of the five Regiments of the Brigade of Guards, were stationed here until 1995. On Thursday March 23 1995, the flag of the Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards was lowered for the last time, and the Guardsmen marched out. |
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| There I was, just over 20 years of age, newly promoted to L/Sgt, enjoying life in the 2nd Bn serving at Krefeld, and not really a care in the world � well not many. Then in early 1951, I received orders from on high to get myself to Caterham as a Squad Instructor. It must have been in the January as I clearly remember the Arctic conditions which existed in that Godforsaken place, where the table tops, on which the recruits had worked so hard to get into the best condition possible � with burnished metal banding round the corners � with the wood fit to eat a meal off � ready for Barrack room inspection � were taken into use as �snow ploughs� to clear the Barrack Square ready for parade at 8.0 am. Life for any of us � Recruits, Trained Soldiers and Instructors � was never to be the same again. How quickly I found that out, having never experienced life as a Recruit there myself, I had no yard stick to work by. All my training on enlistment was undertaken at Pirbright, along with all the 200 other Brigade Boys and, in hindsight, was a far more genteel initiation into life in the Regiment. It was hard but not sadistically so. Therefore, on my being given my first 30 innocent �victims for the slaughter�, I promised myself that I was not going to use �bully tactics� or swearing to achieve the goal of getting a Squad through its basic training. But first of all I had, along with all the other �new� Instructors and Supt Sgts, to undergo a shattering �Drill Course� for several weeks to refresh us in the Instruction techniques that we were required to use. This course was taken by D/Sgt Hillier, Welsh Guards, who certainly knew his stuff and really put us through the mill. During the 1st four weeks of their training the Squad was getting along reasonably well, but unfortunately for me, I shot myself in the foot, by making it known to the likes of the late Pete Lewis, who was one of the Supt Sgts at the time, who in turn passed it on the rest of the 14th Company senior NCOs, that the �Boy� was going to try to beat the system! To cut a long story short, my squad failed its 4th week inspection (there was, in my opinion, nothing wrong with them, they just had the wrong bloke instructing them). They passed a week later and we went on to the 8th week and they failed that, so I was soon heading back to the battalion at Krefeld, and the Supt Sgt ended up taking over the squad until somebody else could be found. I think the �knock on� effect of this was John Sheppard being posted to Caterham in mid 1951 to fill the gap my premature departure had left. The powers that be at the seat of �Guards Training� were not going to have some young whippersnapper come in and �buck� the system. They obviously went out of their way to prove that the only way to be a �good Instructor� was to be an absolute �bastard�. It just wasn�t ever in my nature � so I suppose you could say I failed � but I think this was proved not to be the case when, immediately after the Coronation, I was posted yet again to Caterham, only this time as a Supt Sgt. It was normal at the time, for anyone joining in this capacity, to attend a Supt Sgt�s Course of 4 weeks and only then, providing you passed, would you be let loose on the Square. In my case this was waived as I had been there previously as an Instructor! What a laugh! Mind you in the 2 yrs in between, the general approach had softened to a degree, and I suppose my approach to teaching was more acceptable. I could, I think, achieve the same results with my methods as anyone else, and I must have been doing something right as I remained there for 3yrs. The 3 years to which I refer were mid 1953 till mid 1956 when I carried out my job as a Supt Sgt. These were good productive years and, during this time, hundreds of new recruits to the regiment passed in and out of the gates. They were also good years for me personally, as it was at a Valentines dance in February 1954 in the gymnasium that I met my future wife. We got married the following year and here we are still together. One notable incident that I recall during our courtship period involved me being placed in �open arrest� for the weekend. The usual Commandant�s Parade had taken place on the Saturday morning, the CSM was away so, as senior Supt Sgt, I had to carry out his duties on this parade. All went well until it came to the march past. The prime concern was to ensure that the squads were the correct distance apart as they passed the Commandant. In order to achieve this, it was necessary to hold squads back at the top end of the square, only letting them proceed when this distance was correct. Having dutifully ensured this was done to the letter, imagine my surprise when I was summoned in the usual polite way only an RSM knows! and told of the cock-up I had made of the whole parade, as everything that had happened was being filmed to send to the Canadian Guards for training purposes! The only way of contacting my girlfriend was to send a telegram and she came up and joined me to watch cricket � how very exciting � Oh, for a mobile phone in those heady days. Over the years, several amusing incidents occurred, and the first of these that springs to mind goes back to my Squad in 1951. One of the first things I did was to make a �Nominal Roll� listing all the usual things; this of course included what they did in Civvy Street prior to joining. All Squad Instructors were called in one day by the CSM and asked if they had anybody in their squad who could sew? I recalled that one of mine had been a Flag Maker prior to joining up and I was instructed to send him to the Master Tailor to help clear a back log. This I duly did. A short time later I heard the CSM bawling my name, so I went to his office and was confronted by a very irate CSM and Master Tailor and a poor recruit quaking in his boots. �Who�s the comedian around here?� I was asked. �I asked for people who could sew, not mix concrete!� It turned out that the kind of flags this chap had made were concrete Paving Flag Stones. You definitely learn something new every day of your life. Brian (Boy) Brenchley Copyright � 2006 Brian Brenchley There are a couple of other things, of which have I have been reminded, since going �On Line� and being contacted by ex recruits, these are extracts from e-mails received and sent. From George White � L/Sgt Westwell�s Squad November 1953 Happy New Year Jim White of Grenadiers Reunited. Could you please convey this email to the above named! Brian are�you still wearing my greatcoat which we swapped whilst I was in Tom Westwell�s Squad Nov 1953. L/sgt Tom Westwell, Sgt D.Davis, CSM. Pentney, T/s P.Trapnall and your good self on this Squad Photo dated November 1953. I have been in contact with a few more people who know you from the Depot 1953-1956 eras. I did most of my time with the 2nd Bn in Egypt, and was batman to Lt. Anderson at Pickering and Scarborough when we returned from Egypt. One thing Brian,�I never heard you swear, but you could make us move in the drill sheds. Never made those dizzy ranks like your good self. If you are interested give me a buzz via the internet. Read your details on Servicepals. Mine are up there too! Best wishes George White 22545993. Extract from a reply to George White, ex Recruit I note the comment you made in your first E.Mail to me.� "You remembered that I did not swear"�that�s why I only had one Squad and I seem to recall that was taken off me early as it failed several of it's inspections at the first attempt.� Nothing wrong with the Squad it was me - I made the point early on that I was going to prove that you could get a squad through there without 'bullying' or swearing.� The seniors in the company and in the Depot hierarchy got wind of this and no way were they going to let me get away with breaking the �NORM', so back to the Battalion I went,�only to be promoted a few months later to Gold Sgt, and back to the Depot as Superintending Sgt straight after the Coronation in �53.� Couldn't have been much wrong with me then!� I didn't even have to do a Supt Sgts course when I returned! From Jim Murphy - Cpl Cooper�s Squad May 1955 Bloody Hell. I must say thanks for the speedy reply BRIAN, the last time we were in contact Cpl Cooper told we the unseen, that you were above God in the pecking order, and should we upset you he would personally escort us to HELL. I gave Jim White the wrong impression, what I wanted was your e-mail address to send you my copy of squad photo. Please find it attached. I am up to my ears at the moment my eldest son gets married to-morrow for the third time, he's ex REME, no staying power or he could be addicted to wedding cake. I really have to go now but will certainly contact you when things get easier at my end. A Good New Year to you and yours Brian. I cannot believe I just called SGT Brenchley Brian!!!!!!!.� Jim Murphy Extract from Brian�s reply to Jim Murphy. 30 Dec 2004 Thanks for sending a copy of the 'Squad Photo'. My, that brought back some memories! Although it is not very clear, I have managed to get a reasonable reproduction and identify the 'Problem Child' of the squad.� I seem to remember that it was KING (front row left as you look at it). I remember one day quite early on in your training, we were in the Drill Shed marching round in ever decreasing circles and King was causing me some heartache! To cut a long story short, he suddenly peeled off and came over to me and said "Sgt, I think you are a B......d", before I had chance to draw a breath Cpl Cooper had him halfway across the square on his way to the Guardroom.� After parade I went up there to see him, he was most upset and was falling over himself apologising.� I told him a few things and that he must accept what is coming his way in the form of punishment (Can't remember what he did get - probably 7 Days CB). He told me he had been down the mines prior to coming in the Army and was not akin to letting anybody F...k him about, and that is why he did it. That is not the end of the story.� In 1958 on joining the 3rd Bn in Cyprus as CSM, who should be on the camp gate as a Regimental Policeman but Gdsn King. We passed the time of day so to speak.� The next day the RSM sent for me and wanted to know why one of his Regt Police had asked to be returned to duty. Again cutting the story down, it appears that it was King and he felt he wanted the opportunity of becoming my batman!!� I had to console not only King but the RSM as well!! He did stay with the Regt Police. Back to your Squad photo, I certainly recognise you as I do several of the others. Incidentally, you will find on the attachment I am sending, my Squad Photo from Feb 1952 on which you will find your Cpl Cooper as one of the recruits in my one and only squad at the Depot as an Instructor.� |
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Oh to be a Squad Instructor � Supt Sgt at The Guards Depot � Caterham on the Hill. |
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| Brian Brenchley |
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