@grandadjoe1933: I was just 18 years old when I received my call up papers for National Service. Two months after my birthday, I was off to join the British Army! 🇬🇧 Along with my call up letter came a 4 shilling postal order. It was to pay for essentials like boot polish, Brasso and something called Blanco. For those too young to remember, Blanco was used to clean and colour our webbing belts and equipment. Everything had to be absolutely spotless for inspection! We soldiers had a name for all that endless polishing, scrubbing and cleaning. We called it “bull”… and I’ll leave you to work out what that was short for! 🤭 After training at Aldershot, I made my way to Southampton, where I boarded a ship bound for Egypt. Three whole weeks at sea! And I can tell you, I spent most of those three weeks wishing I was back on dry land. I suffered terribly with seasickness! 🤦‍♂️ Eventually, I arrived in Egypt and was stationed at El Kersh, serving with the Military Police. I was just a young lad of 18, a long way from home, with no idea what adventures lay ahead. That young soldier in the photograph is me, 75 years ago. And here I am today, aged 93, still here to tell the tale! ❤️ How many of you remember National Service, or had a father or grandfather who served? I’d love to hear your stories. 🇬🇧 #HistoryTime #grandparents #britisharmy #grandadjoe

Grandadjoe

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Monday 02 November 2026 18:28:14 GMT