I picked up my suitcase and walked the length of the platform to confront this person that was shouting at me (how rude), I asked him if he was talking to me, he said yes if your name is ******g Gadsden, I told him that it was my name, he then told me to get on the back of this great big (well I was only 15) lorry, I had never climed that high in my life. I was the only passenger, evidentialy I was pushing my luck with timing, my letter said I had to be there by midnight, in my eyes I was an hour early, but according to the little man in the skirt I should have made an effort to get there by 6pm. (There is no keeping some people happy is there). We trundled our way to TROON, I wanted to go home, I was cold, that person shouting at me, I didnt care for the reasons I had joined up, I wanted to go home. Then with all these thoughts running through my mind, it got worse, we arrived at J.T.R. Troon. Oh my good God this place was going to become my home, there was no way back now!!! Or was there? Okay I thought I signed the papers, relax it cant get any worse than that ride from the station!!!!! My backside was hurting after sitting on that hard wooden bench, the tailboard dropped, and he was there again, off you get, well I think thats waht he said, as I had never heard that language before!!! I clambered to the ground, then another person was there and in a civilised voice he told me to enter a door into a Block (Spider blocks!! Any one remember them?)Find the TV room Son, they will look after you, How nice I thought some one that cares!!!! (Not). I followed the corridor and eventually found the door that had a label on it saying TV ROOM. I entered, there was about 10 six foot tables in a semi circle, behind each was a soldier in unform, I started at the first table on my right, "is your name Gadsden" the person asked, yes I said, sign here, and so it went untill I had gone to each table, I had noticed that they all growled when they spoke, I thought it must be the food. (foolishly). The last person explained the route I should take to find my bed space.

On entering the leg of the spider that my bed space was in I had to turn on the lights, there were 18 beds in that room, the only empty one was half way up on the right hand side, I had only just switched the lights on when in unison the occupants of the other 17 beds sat up and in one voice said "Are you Gadsden" I said yes, and with that they all laid back down and I didnt hear another sound from them until the morning. We all washed and shaved (well the ones that had facial hair shaved). Then it was time for breakfast. It was nice walking down to the cookhouse, cold but nice, glad Mum had packed a thick sweater for me.....(might keep me warm in Scotland, as it get cold up there) I remember her saying, God Bless her.

Breakfast was soon over, and it was now time for the medical!!!! So off to the medical centre, it was an old Victorian building, large over powering oak doors,there we were all 54 of us stripped to our Y fronts, yes they were the fashion once. Now I am no different than any other male in that situation, the Oak doors burst open, in walks all this brass and it was aimed at me, (what had I done wrong), there I was in shreddie order and there they were in their best bib and tucker, the shortest one spoke to me, he said "whats your name son", it was at this stage that I noticed he had rather a deep voice, I said "Christopher" he said "Christopher what"? I said " Christopher Gadsden" his face started to go a tad red, he then told me that in the Army they used the termoligy Sir, he then asked me again what my name was,,,,,, I replied (foolishly) "Sir Christopher Gadsden". I could now see the veins in his neck sticking out and his face was going bright red, He then in a rather deeper and louder voice said " Forget the Christopher and put the Sir on the other end, Now whats your f*&%&*g name" there was ony one way left, "Gadsden Sir" was my reply, "so is mine Son and I am the RSM, my heart nearly stopped, and I thought us Gadsden's were of a gentle nature, the next 18 months of my life were to say the least very enjoyable, he (the RSM SIR) had dreams of me becoming Junior RSM, how dissapointed he must have been. It was in August 64 that I was posted to 12 Company RASC.