victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
All this happen a very long time ago, so it is my wording and that is base on what I thought it went.The enquiry went a head and I was told to wait outside and would be called in when it was necessary. after about hour some officers came out,but I had to wait sometime before I was called in.When the time came for me to go in I was marched in by the R,S,M. and told to sit down at a table.The CO then went on to say,"Matcham you was told you could have a officer talk on your behalf, but you turned that down and you also said you was guilty of the charges that were brought.and was very sorry with what happen.Having look at it all again with the committee on the enquiry it was found out that it did not happen as we had first thought.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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In that you did aske if you could leave the camp you also told the N,C,O,where you was going and why and how long you would be.You also asked the n.c.o. if he could cover for you because he had a first aid certificate ,so in some ways you was not responsible entirely for what happen.Also we looked at your records going back to the time you joined up at the age of 16.And found out that you had been made redundant from the band because of the army cut backs but you was to go back in a band when a vacancy turned up ,and that you was only temporary in the work you was doing at this time.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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All of this got over looked because as you know NS has just finished and the army and the regiments found them short of some skills that was needed, and as you was without a job we sent you on some training courses which took you away at times you was trained as a medically orderly and some weapon training and you passed them all ,but what you was not trained at was all the job as a documents Clark, but you done the job anyway. We also found out that you had been downgraded because of the problems with your legs and back which are still on going.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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And we have been given a report by the Mo and the full cpl that was in charge of the med centre, that you carred out the work you done and that it was all in order.Also the officer that got hurt with the lamp has send a message to us asking that you be treated with some leniency in this case."So Mat ham all the charges against you have been dropped. And we will look into getting you back in a band A.S.P. I was then marched back out and told to return to my duty .That is the end of story with some parts left out.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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You will find the last part of my tour in Canada.was funny but not for me at the time.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Well we was coming to the end of the main part of our stay in Canada but still some training days left for us to do ,and one was ,we was put down for Helicopter training and I was to do it first so that I could stay to very end and be the med\ orderly on duty in case some one got hurt and needed some help. Any way the day came for the group I was in .So off we went to the place where the helicopter was to land .I did not know what or how the training was about,We had to stand in a line longside the chopper and the Canadian pilot who was telling us what the chopper would be used for in a emergency ,let me tell you this helicopter was so small I think is was called a Wasp,only room for a pilot and one other to sit in it.and it was on skis to land on ,and on the side of one of the skis was a stretcher straped to it remembering that it was on the outside of the chopper and it had a plastic cover with a very small port window it .
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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back this weekend.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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Sorry about the hold up but things have not gone the way they should have.Any way we was standing beside the chopper and the pilot said I am looking for a volunteer and I was picked out to be him.Right what I going to do is strap you on the stretcher and take you for a ride so you know how it would fill if you was a patient,I said "I would rather some one else done this one sir."No you are the volunteer so it is going to be you"In fact I did not volunteer it was done for me but I dare not say that.Then I said "Ok sir but please take it easy"Well I should have kept my big mouth shut.I had lie down on the stretcher outside the chopper which was fixed to the landing blade of the chopper,they then put the plastic cover over me and zip it up even over my head and the only way to see the outside was through this very small port hole.Then we took off and I have never had a ride like that, he went up and down round trees up a high way behind a greyhound coach going very fast and then he hoped over the coach and went very low across a field,well I can tell you now I was filling very sick and dizzy when we got down and I got off the stretcher, and eveyone was shouting and laughing at me and then I was sick.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Just one more story to come ,I do not have the time to tell all what happen in Canada but this last true story is a must and I tell you in the next posting.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
I have to go out and buy the Daily Mail today not brought a news paper for years, but I have been told there is write up by one of my family in it today so not knowing thing of what it is about I will buy one and read it.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Well my time in Canada was coming to the end ,anyway one day I was told that I was going to have to do a night guard with others which meant staying in the big guard tent and taking my turn to walk round the camp to hours on and four hours off,so there six of us +a guard N.C.O in charge.well the guard duty was from six till 7 in the morning you had to have a weapon,why I will never know you had no ammunition and even if you had you could not fire the weapon because of the fire risk it was so hot out there you found it hard to breathe at times. and the weapon had to have a coving of sack cloth again because of the fire risk.Well it all was going fine it took over one hour to walk round the camp very dark and lots of very tall trees. Any way we did have a radio in the tent so we did have some comfort it have that on when not on patrol, I t was about 2200hrs and there was going to be some boxing on the radio it was to be Sonny Liston against Floyd Patterson for the world heavyweight title of the world this was boxing as it should be and I was looking forward to listening to it.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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Well it was just about to start but it came round to my turn to go round the camp,I was not happy about this and asked the N.C.O. can I just listen to the fight"NO MATCHAM OUT YOU GO.So anyway I was walking around the camp as I said it was very dark,but I could just make out a shadow of a person in the trees, so being on guard duty I crept up behind him and shouted "Stop what are you doing out here at this time of night, and I stuck my weapon in his back"I should not have done that because as he turn round I could see it was a very big brown bear,I turned a run for it with him coming up behind me ,I run pass the guard tent shouting there is a bear behind me,That is only Matcham messing about I heard one shout out but the next thing was all the guard was also running ,because this very big bear had taken the tent with him after he run into it. True story.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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They said later that it had come down for food ,he had been down before so they build a log cabin to keep food in.But must say it was very big and could run if it had not been for all the shouting going on and all the trees that slowed him down he would have got me that is how close he got to me. ha ha ha ..Well we came back from Canada, there is one more story to tell about helicopter but it was not funny and will tell it when I come back. thank you for reading it all and I hope you continue to read still over 50years of my life story to come again some very funny and one which was and still is very very sad as a family.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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More over the next two days and that will take me up to the end of my time in the army.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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Cannot remembered when but at some point in my army service I found myself on active service in Famagusta and Nicosia in Cyprus ,the main fighting had just stopped but the british was still looking for bandits and looking for hidden weapons and we were living again in tents and again it was very hot.At some point we had to do four hours training on getting out of a helicopter in the air and get to the ground by making a foot ladder and how that was done you put your foot under the rope and then put your other foot on top of the rope and moving down wards by removing one foot at a time till you reach the ground and I found this not that easy with full kit on and a loaded weapon but I with others got the hang of it in the end,why did we have to do that?that will be told in my next posting.[/I]
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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It was not long before I found out why we had done the helicopter training one morning the company I was with as a med,was told some of you are going by air to some patrols in the Troodos mountains and you have to be put down by the helicopter but it will not land on the ground so that is why you done that training ,you will all carry loaded weapons Matcham as a med you will have the sterling with one magazine of live rounds, .So off we went when we got to where we was to be dropped down two ropes one each side was lowered and we had to lower ourselfs down using the rope as a ladder.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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We had gloves on ,anyway we all got down but for the last one and I was at the bottom of the rope when he got out and some thing went wrong and started to slide down the rope ,I shouted at him "Let go of the rope "We will grab you but he would not let go and I could smell his hands burning ,in the end he just dropped off ,I then had the job of opening his hands I could see the smoke coming from his cloves .I had to remove the cloves before I could treat his hands,he was in alot of pain.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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After I had done what I had to do and bandage both hands, we was told he will have to come with us,we have to get to the Karina pass before a vehicle can reach us ,so we walked to the pass and waited forhim to be taken to the hospital, we then went back to patrol the area we was to sleep when we could ,as we were up there about 3days.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
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It was so hot out there and with full gear on it was very hard to march ,I had to make shore that all the lads had one and only one salt tablet each day ,more then one and the person taking it could be very unwell, anyway we was patrolling and searching for hidden weapons or undesirable characters which there was many of, the British Tommy was not liked by both sides in this conflict ,it would not be the first time out to break up a fight and then have both sides turn on you.We was taking a rest in the mountains and some of us were lieing down and my mate next to me fell a sleep and so did I,I woke up with my mate pulling at my shirt and whispering "Vic do some thing"and when I turn to face him I could see that a big snake had rolled himself up on my mates chest and gone to sleep I rolled away from him till I could get up without disturbing it ,and went to get help ,the NCO came over with his weapon and talking very quiet to my mate"rollaway when I flick him off, and thats what he done.He was frightened and so was I.We did not know if it was poisonous one or not,and did not want to find out.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
A real fun one coming later on
