Page 14 - Flaming Cauldron – Issue 64

ACC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

7th Intake – 50th Anniversary

On September, just over 200 young
16-year old boys travelled to Aldershot
from all points of Great Britain, the
Channel Islands, and even Germany
to join the Army Apprentice College
of the Army Catering Corps to find
out we were members of the 7th intake
– the largest intake that the ACC had
ever seen.
When we arrived at Aldershot
railway station, we boarded a selection
of 4 Tonnes and Army coaches to be
transported to a place that was to be our
home for the next two years – St Omer
Barracks. On arrival, we were corralled
into the gym, and given a cup of tea, a
The Original 7th Intake
cake and a slip of paper with an 8-digit
number on that we had to learn forwards I doubt I was the only one thinking, belts and gaiters and Brasso our buckles.
and backwards by heart by the following I don’t want to stay here, I want to go We leant how to make bed blocks and
day. We were then sorted into our back home to mummy. The rest of that what a locker inspection was, only to
Companies and Platoon (A Company week is pretty much a blur, I seem to see both wrecked on that morning’s
– Scarisbrook, Venning, Owens, Byford remember being marched everywhere inspection as it wasn’t good enough.
– B Company, Arnhem, Burma, Cassino and joining a queue to Documentation, In that first six weeks we learnt that
and Dunkirk). When we arrived at our Bedding, Medical, Green Clothing 10 O’Clock was NAAFI break and an
block, those in Cassino Platoon got our (boots, beret, cooks’ whites, urn of tea and a tray of cakes would
introduction to Cpl Sands (Gobber), PT Kit) followed by hair cuts at Brian’s appear on the small square. However,
although you would not call him that to the barber. We learnt to march, how the biggest lesson we learnt, was how to
his face. Indeed, you wouldn’t even look to dress ourselves in ‘smart’ military work as a team! Also later, much, much
at him. uniform, how to take orders and keep later we found Cpl Sands, (Sgt) took it
We sat in the passageway, and he our mouths shut. We learnt how to clean easier on us as we had weeded out those
went into his introductory speech: the block and no matted how clean it that could ‘hack it’ and those that left
‘I am Cpl Sands, I am the nearest was it wasn’t good enough for Cpl Sands, within the first six weeks.
thing to God that you will see for the so that night we would clean the block Fast forward to 2014. Steve Carroll
next two years, when I say jump you will again. We leant how to bull our boots arranged a reunion for the small
ask how high! Is that clear? ‘ and cry the next day when Cpl Sands number of us in touch via Facebook
‘Yes Cpl’ would launch them out of the window at the Masonic School for Girls in
‘IS THAT CLEAR? ‘ across the small square, we learnt how Rickmansworth, although small in
‘YES CPL’ (all together) to press our uniforms and Blanco our numbers it was a great night and we were
soon pulling up sandbags and swinging
the lanterns, and our wives, 5 minutes
of meeting each other for the first time,
were getting on like a house on fire, and
have been ever since. It was decided that
this would be repeated every two years
and so the reunions began.
In 2020 due to the epidemic, we
couldn’t hold our reunion, so it was
decided not to hold it the following year
as this would then mess up the calendar
for our 50th, so it was decided to wait
three years so we could have a reunion
near Aldershot to meet for our 50th
reunion in 2024 and to give us more
time to find our brothers and swell the
numbers even more – a date was decided
(24th September 2024) in the Hogs
7th Intake 50th anniversary attendees Back Hotel and Spa.

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