the last association of the Vindicatrix

[Fouro]

Looks like all of you endured that place rather than waiting to open the brown envelope containing your call up papers from the British government.

Fouro.

[j.sabourn]

#20 That’s Santa Claus and he lives at the North Pole. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Fouro,
I was much to young for the forces still three months off my 16 birthday, and there was no chance of me doing National service, I'd have sooner swum the Channel to France. I loved every minute of my time at the Vindi, mind you it was summer, and a good one,good mates plenty of swimming.
Des

[j.sabourn]

I’ve still got mine it wasn’t in a brown envelope it was a green postcard sized piece of cardboard. As I was already at sea , it was to post back to them if I was to leave that employment. National Service didn’t bother me in fact would have looked forward to it, as tried to join the RN at 15 but my old man wouldn’t sign the papers. I met one ex school boy acquaintance in later life who was a teddy boy at the time of enlistment. He told me he was stationed in Hong Kong , what a posting, but was never out of trouble and spent a lot of time in the cells. However the British Army had one added attraction to cell time and that was 6 inches of water on the floor and no seating or sleeping facilities and a couple of weeks sentence didn’t go down very well. When I met him he was strictly short back and sides or as was usually described as short backsides .Cheers JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

Was he ever with UCL, being a short backsider that is.

[j.sabourn]

That was just his head, the rest of him was a backslider. JS

[John F Collier]

Well the sad news had to come, Age has caught up with the many of the 70,000 lads who went to the biggest sea school in the UK. It is thirty years since the Vindicatrix Association was formed by Roy Derham, today on the Vindi News is the announcement that this is the last year, I have been a member for the thirty years, and the Vindi news letter has kept me informed of all the news about the members and the MN in general. Provision of funds has been made for the local Parish Council to look after the Vindi monument.
A sad day for many old Vindi boys.
Des

Hi Des, I was AWOL-when you posted this thread and only just seen it, thanks for the information, it was inevitable but still sad news. I bought Roy's signed copy of
Vindicatrix from him many years ago at the Ship Show held at Westminster. The Vindi was not as bad as some say, but was still bloody glad to walk out of those gates
for the last time, looking forward to a proper dinner and home cooking. cheers John Collier.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I have a signed copy of his book, also every copy of the Vindi News, plus every copy of the N.S.W Vindi news letter, good to refer to if I want to know something about a ship .
Cheers Des

[John Bache]

Sad news indeed,im a member here in New Zealand and there is still a fewnof us around.

Hi Michael, went to the Vindi September 63, sailed mostly with NZSC and Federal Line, can't say it was great but we survived , remember being selected to represent the MN at the Albert Hall remembrance service 11/11/63. now live in Rotorua.

R796112

[John F Collier]

Looks like all of you endured that place rather than waiting to open the brown envelope containing your call up papers from the British government.

Fouro.

Hi Fouro, as a 13-14 year old kid I listened to the yarns of my two brother in-law's both RN & MN, I decided then on the MN, at that age I
had never thought about national service, left school in 54 was at sea in 55. Cheers, John Collier.