"In Remembrance
of
Fusilier Brian James Hood"

Brian Hood	Brian is on Far Right	Brother Tony, Mother,Father,sister Marjorie,sister Beryl,brother Fred,sister Brenda,brother John. Girl at bottom of pic is Brian's Neice,Bubbles.
	Brian is on Right	Brian with younger brother Tony

Recently we found out that Brian's family had to pay for Brian's body to be brought back to England and they could not afford to buy a headstone for his grave on Minden Day 2010 the Association had a raffle to buy a headstone for Brian's grave, then Charles Chadwick (Monuental Masons) Heywood Proprietor Alister Pearson contacted us and told us he was a Fusilier and offered to make and site a headstone for Brian This they did and on Saturday 13th November 2010 we went along to Southern Cemetery Manchester to deadicate the new headstone Click here to see the headstone and the deadication service

Click here to see

Ken Brierley Photos

Click here to see over 117 photos sent in by
Anthony Bramham
of
his time in Osnabruck
Click here for more of Anthony's Photo

Click here to go to
Albert Shepherds photos

More Photos from James Taylor

Jack Lines Dave Hamilton Bill Cross Ali Brown Peter Tigh

 

Mike Haly James Taylor Sleep Wilson

 

picture from field firirng ex at Sennelager 1961
front row Vince moran,Bobby Draper
middle l/to r smith91 Graham Ratcliffe Smith 57 kevin McDowell, Ronnie Wilkinson
back row Johnny (plonk) Wilkinson, Bill Bostock,Wally Wilkinson ,Kevin McPartland

Click on above to enlarge

Hi Joe, I've been reading the posts on the 'Hunger strike in Germany'. I remember it so well, mainly because to understand you have to look at the bigger picture at the time. There were some wonderful 'snapshots in the posts that really got the brain cells working.
Let me start by saying first off that I learned of the hunger strike while still in bed in Blighty, rudely awakened by my father with the morning edition that declared as you posted, soldiers on hunger strike in Germany.
It came as no surprise as I had already intimated to my parents that food wise things were not well in our regiment, while we were never the best fed soldiers in Germany things began to spiral downward in the months leading to the unrest.
Things I saw and things I heard in those months defy belief at times, just how bad it became can be highlighted in not just a few words.
Whilst on guard duty one night I was a late stag, 12 'til 2 am and patrolling the cookhouse. I saw two shadowy figures running round the opposite side to where I was so I entered the cookhouse and saw the same two climb in through a window. I was in the canteen side and a locked door was between us, doing my John Wayne impression I kicked open the door and confronted the pair of them, I was as surprised as them really as it turned out they were corporal and lance corporal. They begged me to turn a blind eye as they were very hungry, but as it was my stag they were on I wasn't going to let them get away with it. Since nothing had yet been taken, I offered them, at the point of a bayonet, to bugger off or be marched to the guardhouse. Being confronted with a rifle and bayonet held by a six foot one fusilier they readily agreed to leave.
The cookhouse starred again in a somewhat comic fashion as another lance corporal decided to engage in a bit of midnight feasting, the corporal in question was the one I corresponded with you about sometime ago, a certain Mr Wilgoss. He was caught on his way down to the lines with half a side of beef on his back (and the said the fusiliers don't do things by halves), he was of course, on being caught red handed, run straight into the guardhouse. Later he was charged and lost his stripe and did a good number of days in the clink. I might mention here that as far as I recollect the Provost Sergeant was Jack Nash.
In another first hand incident whilst out on exercise as a signaller to A company, I was called back to HQ at three in the morning, how that driver found his way around in the pitch black forest I'll never know, but coming off duty in HQ at five am I hit the sack and slept in late. On making my way to the camp cookhouse I saw the cook sergeant and two German civvies stowing armfuls of rations into the boot of a VW car, surprised as I was I made sure I wasn't seen, I believe coffee was a big earner at the time. I just made a mental note and let it go.
I was fortunate enough to be on a very good swimming team prior to the food strike affair and as we were winning our way through to BAOR finals we got to see how the other half live, namely feeding in other regiments canteens. What an eye opener, we didn't just get what was slapped on our plate as in our canteen, no, we helped ourselves to the equivalent of a buffet, we were in wonderland, cereals of choice, fresh chips, sausage and bacon, eggs, fresh veg, boy did we enjoy it. Why oh why can others be so well fed while we, the fusiliers were so poorly fed.

These photos have been sent in by David Platt

Quebeck Barracks Osnabruck Germany, Jimmy Gore, Cliff (Ken) Platt, Mick Phelan, and Jim Farrar Sadly , Mike, Jimmy Farrar, have all past away, we were 4 room mates

1st Battalion XXth The Lancashire Fusiliers

British Army of The Rhine

Quebec Barracks, Osnabruck

1960 to 1964

Before we all forget about life as an infantry soldier in B.A.O.R. during the Cold War I thought I would just jot down a few memories of those far off days.

When the Battalion last serve in Germany we were stationed in Iserlohn from 1953 to 1956 and the Second World War was fresh in our minds. Then we were not even allowed to speak to, or fraternize with, the local inhabitants. Houses were still requisitioned for use as married quarters and each town had a Town Major to run civil affairs. Osnabruck some four years later was not quite like that but we still kept the Germans at a distance and this was not helped by the reputation the locals had throughout the country. The saying was that you had to eat a hundredweight of salt with someone from that town before you were accepted.

Lt Col Jimmy Grover was our Commanding Officer and “Big Jim” Martlew our Second in Command. We had the usual 4 Rifle Companies plus Support and Headquarter Companies. One of the first things to strike home was the run down of National Servicemen as my Company, C Company rapidly decrease in strength from 105 to 87 All Ranks. This caused many problems for duties and leave as we had to maintain a definate level of strength and high degree of readiness at all times.

The Cold War was at it’s peak. Berlin was still a running sore and we fully expected the Russians to do something drastic and start another conflict. It was the neuclear deterent which kept them at bay in Europe. Life seemed to be one long exercise or should we say rehearsal for the real thing. Ours was a defensive role and as we had few ideas about the route the Russian Army might take should they invade. We had to be prepared to contain them and if necessary use tactical neuclear weapons to destroy them when they concentrated to attack

C Company was a Container Company which meant exercises always started with digging in upto four defensive positions and a Hide from which we could deploy once the Screen Company gave us intelligence about the route the hostile forces were taking on their approach. Digging went on day and night non stop for days. The North German Plain is littered with slit trenches dug by Fusiliers in pouring rain, snow, sunshine and pitch black nights. Who would be in the PBI? It was only the thought that Colour Sergeant ” Ben” would soon be up with the “All In Stew” that kept us going.

When we weren’t exercising, Field Firing and Range Work were the order of the day. The 200 square mile area of Senelager was our home for weeks at a time and Haltern was another favourite spot. It really made one appreciate how expensive it was to have a highly trained battalion and how difficult it was to be so committed particularly for families. I certainly used to pack my wife and daughter back home to UK for four weeks at a time when we were busy.

Notwithstanding the commitments we had a great time; sports , C Company ran the Army Ski Center at Winterburg one winter for three months, socialising with all the other Nations involved in N.A.T.O.; American, French, Belgian, Canadian, Dutch, Danish etc. We would travel far and wide even upto Odense in Denmark to form links and alliances. We weren’t big on Belgian rations whenever we had to join up with their troops I remember. On the parade ground we were as smart as ever when we received our new Colours from Field Marshal Franky Festing on Gallipoli Day 1961. Each year on this special day I used to receive a letter from a previous OC C Coy, Major Richard Willis V.C sending his best wishes to his old Gallipoli command.

As always it was the Fusiliers that added joy to life. Many friends were made in those years and I hope some still continue. Sergeant Joe Brooks who had been awarded the American Silver Star was a pillar of strength in the Company and Company Sergeant Major Harry Houghton kept us all together with his great sense of humour. Colour Sergeant Bennet’s recipies still feature in my family’life.

Busy and active days when we became a solid fighting unit in Rhine Army but fortunately our presence helped keep the peace and the Russians never came to test us.