So bullying continued, I remember a trip to Portsmouth, around here somewhere, I forget the exact location but myself and a few others went out for a drink. We went a little bit too far but not far enough that I don’t remember. I remember being in a bunk bed and some lads were flicking things at me. At the time I didn’t know what it was, but I remember one sticking to me and I couldn’t get it off. I remember I went to get up, but I had been tied to my bed with all my clothing end to end. I want to be able to laugh at it, because that in itself is somewhat decent as a prank.. but I’ve never been able to laugh at it. When I woke in the morning, what was stuck to me was a melted curtain piece, similar to what I’ve added in the picture next to this block of text.
The person who did this was T Suckling. He never liked me, and I’m sure enjoyed bullying me too and thus, from this point out, I never liked him either. Fellow people in tow were C Hyland, and someone else, but I forget.
Another person I don’t like is R Burge. This guy used to love pissing up my door in Mons barracks. This was more of a passive-aggressive bullying dirty twat. Usually when I had a lady friend over. At the time I was single and just enjoying life, but it was hard with dickheads like him.
O’ Sullivan. He used to punch me a lot. sometimes for no reason. At the time of his punching me, I was unaware I was Autistic. but, looking back it was self-evident in all the above cases. Unfortunately, a few years ago, O’Sullivan was out with his Mrs in Birmingham (This is after I finished in the military), visiting from London and some lads said something to him, he tried to brush them off and later these lads jumped him and beat him to a vegetable state. I wanted to feel bad, but all I could feel was relief. Relief that he felt what he had done to me and others all these years prior. I left it for about 2 years. I heard he was unable to walk and couldn’t talk and his current Mrs left him… all things I didn’t care about.
I tried to reach out to him last year, and it was clear he didn’t remember me. This is paraphrasing. So I said I was in the guards with him and I was in his platoon and he was a platoon Sgt when I was with him. He asked if we were friends I was honest and said no not really but I wanted to reach out and let try to put our past behind us. But he persisted in asking why we were not friends, and I said well, you used to punch me and didn’t like me. He responded ‘Well I must have done something to deserve it’ I desperately wanted to say well you must have deserved your beating in Birmingham, but I didn’t. I just said something along the lines of, well OK then.
One to add, though he never bullied me. But he bullied nonetheless and got caught doing it in Catterick Training Centre is this guy. Liam Cruise-Taylor.
Bullying is no joke. Bernie Mongan was dead in the barracks for 3 weeks before he was found. Dead because of bullying. I think from a personal view 3 weeks was, when the battalion went on leave, it wasn’t noticed because of this, and when they returned and were on roll call and couldn’t get to his room because it was locked, it would have had the master key to get in and then he would have been found. Incredibly sad. What a waste of a life. Bernie was a good lad. A fun Irish lad to be around.
Project Manager. That is it. I currently work within the telecommunications industry and my dream when I left the Army was to be a project Manager. When I first joined the Telecoms industry I knew that I was going to love my job for a long time. It just seemed to fit so well with me. I enjoyed being outside, I enjoyed finding solutions to sometimes quite complex tasks.
There is a bedding in period or the Apprenticeship 12 months mandatory to complete whereby we had to do a bunch of modules and upload all sorts. For me, who is Autistic it was quite the challenge as I struggled with doing the educational side of telecoms. I understand that it was mandatory and it helped me in the long run, but I know that I learn best by doing rather than reading it. However, I do enjoy listening to things like The Rest is History podcast and some other podcasts too.
I joined the company as a fibre jointer. I was super happy when it came through by email I was going to be a jointer. However, Jointing started off slowly. As an apprentice the 1st 12 weeks or so you are in a classroom learning the trade and network layout. However, once I finished I moved onto the Stafford patch under a manager called Matt. Matt was eccentric but fun. I was eased into life as a jointer and put to work on new sites. New sites are laborious and repetitive but easy to learn, pick up the job role and is a place where you can make mistakes with jointing and break fibres because a lot of Stafford was blown fibre. So essentially if you blow in the fibre from the ‘street’ to the home, at the home if it broke you could blow more fibre through and this was a great way to learn splicing in the real world with wind and the rain, sun cold and all.
Anyhow, I quickly got into my role and soon I was a real good jointer. I moved on to installing the fibre network as a build engineer, so this entailed doing the bit before what I did as a new site install engineer. Soon I was asked to be a Ribbon Jointer, which at the time was a big thing as there were not many ribbon jointers about. Ribbon jointing was different so instead of jointing 1 fibre at a time it was 12.
I want to point out that whilst this is the route I had taken, I had great teachers with Duncan, Phil and Jamie.
The image shows single fibre splicing not yet spliced as depicted by the gap in the middle between the two clamps.The middle centre section looks like the fibre is snapped in a straight line as the colours end, but in fact, they have been stripped back to bare fibres and what you are looking at is 12 fibres laid ready to splice to 12 fibres. colours matched and all.
When working on the spines, and from the images above, the fibres will be tested correctly after the fact individually, generally with someone putting light on each fibre upstairs and you look for the light in each fibre. Looking directly into any fibre with a laser directed to the eye is bad for your health. DO NOT DO THAT!
In the time that I was a jointer/ Engineer. I was sent to Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-Upon-Lyme, amongst other places far and wide. I did 6 months with CST or service delivery, (The people who install the fibre into the home). For 1 particular customer, I remember, I walked in and they stated they already had fibre, I disagreed as there was no Splice point outside and to me a fairly obvious fact. However, When I turned the corner I saw the wall I was meant to install the ONT or Optical Network Termination point on, (The white box the fibre plugs into before the router), and I saw mould on the wall. As I turned around to tell them about said mould and I wouldn’t be able to do the installation, I noticed it around the entire room’s walls. Everywhere I looked. Mould on the wall. I turned to the customer, (Bearing in mind I had my mask on due to the Coronavirus outbreak strapped to my face) and I said you’re right. You do have fibre already. I’ll leave you be. And I got out as soon as I could and called my patch lead whose name was Ryan. He said no worries. Don’t worry about it and am I OK?
Anyhow, after doing a spine or 2, CST work and a New site installer, and having been a jointer now for 16/18 months from the date I joined 12 of those being an apprentice, I heard of a role called FBC. This is called Fibre Based Coordinator. I immediately fell in love with the role and what it entailed. So I applied for a position as some positions came about, I believe it was 24 places across the UK and from what I was told around 2000 applications.
I was enthusiastic from the off. I had the interview over teams in the back of my van in my work clothes, but I was bouncing all over the place as I was answering, and giving my examples for the Interviewer. I think my enthusiasm is what got me the job. I interviewed in April/May. I found out late in August/September that I had the position but it wasn’t until the 1st or 2nd of Jan that I started my job. It started rough. I didn’t know who my manager was until the day I started and I was trying to track down my manager for the month leading up to starting. When I did start the position my boss was a man called Kevin. Who, was due to retire soon though he didn’t know it yet. He had an apparition I think called where he dreamed he should retire. Then later that year retired.
Kevin was grand. He knew it would take a while to settle in and gave me all the time possible. Something I will take into my thoughts going forward, as I progress eventually to Project Manager.
From Kev, I learned the basics. The learning curve was something I could have never imagined. It was incredibly steep, so steep I felt like I was bending over backwards at times. I was taken through how to audit, how to commission, how to talk to contractors, the best ways to find a solution, prices of solutions, and policies to be aware of amongst many other things that I have slowly forgotten due to them being outdated practices now.
I then moved to the Wednesbury team with Darryl as my boss. Things got real then. I was expected to work on my own. Which I can do, but in this new role I was still unsure of myself and always doubting my ability. Eventually, because there were no walk-through guides at the time for the jobs we were doing I started creating my own and passing them to other members of my team to see if they were able to be followed without input from an experienced FBC. I got great feedback and started doing guides for other policies and practices as an FBC. things went from good to better, to great. Eventually, I started rolling out my ‘How To’ guides nationally and the feedback was awesome, I kept getting requests for access to the guides, and this eventually led to my guides getting put on the company’s internal site-wide App, Linx.
As seen on the right, when searching for FBC, you find FBC how-to guides. and in that, we find some guides. Sadly with the amount of guides I did and the amount of updates to policies and procedures over the last 12 months or so, a lot of these how-to guides are slightly out of date. At the time I received so much great feedback and they wouldn’t have gotten on the Company App site had it not been any good.
From this, I take great Pride.
Since this inception, Our time on commissioning alone has dropped about 85-95% it used to take about 10 mins from when I first joined as an FBC to commission. 589 and 590 was our tick checklist. To commission a network it took approx 10-15mins max. Slowly things kept getting added to the commissioning tasks and soon we had Tadds, light readings, toggle tests, HHT adjustments amongst other things. This meant that commissioning times went up to about 1 hour, which is fine if you only had 1. But you don’t. You normally have 2 or 3 at least. Unless Networks get pulled in or pushed out of delivery whether that be for cost or civils failing, civils avoidance failing or something being missed, or light issues on testing. At which point you can have 6 in one week or none. If you have 6 remember you have to go out and walk said network to make sure it’s built to policy, and make notes if it isn’t. Now we use an App to record these notes but that doesn’t matter at this point. delivery is on a Wednesday, so generally, it’s cabled by the Wednesday before. We go out and walk by the Friday and then that gives the contractor a day or 2 to fix any issues before commission. As you see this can be hectic if you have more than 3 or 4. Or indeed have to cover for someone else.
If you have no PONs to walk then you would normally go out and survey for a build. this is the general inception of a PON and you are essentially designing the network and how it is to be built. Genreally there will be an idea of what needs to be done and you go out to check these issues. If they can be dealt with then we claim back how much it would have cost us to give it to contractors. if not, we then decide can civil’s avoidance deal with it. sometimes they can and others not. generally, you can tell if it will need a dig or can be done with digging. but that is your call on the day.
In between these 2 main jobs, we get called out to issues with contractors. Calling it ‘issues’ is a bit strong maybe. They generally know the issue but need permission to be able to go ahead with the solution as we may have something in mind, but if we don’t or what they say is better than our plan then are OK to let them go ahead with it.
About 6 months into my FBC career I had an interview for a Project manager interview and it went well. But I missed the all-important work safe, home safe motto that has become part of our company. I think because of this I didn’t get the job. I probably wouldn’t have got it anyway due to only being on 6 months in post, but it was a REALLY good interview.
Here I am about another 12-16 months later and I feel good. Im in a good place and I think I’d like to try again for project manager.
I have been instructed by my son to write this up as an article for my blog. So without further ado, the remainder of this article will be in the words that he has written for me on an A4 piece of paper.
COMPANY STARTED
2022
It has a thing in the middle and it can camihaaaaaaaaaaa! and it can boost too and it can fly to space to the moon and on the stars and thereis a little one for lets you control it to and it can scan for anything for you.
Firstly, I would like to offer my condolences to the King. King Charles III and the family. Writing that 1st sentence was the day of the death announcement. These last 2 sentences are the day after the lowering of the coffin. The remainder of this piece was written at the time of finding out about the Queen’s death.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II
If my nan were alive she would be beside herself. I know this because I remember when Princess Diana died and I saw my nan then. It wasn’t good to watch. In fact, my nan would have been 18 when King George VI died and Queen Elizabeth II took to the throne. I remember on my nan’s wall growing up there were all the old British bank notes before the decimal in 1971.
Queen Elizabeth II at 25. Dressed here in the Grenadier Guards tunic uniform.
To me, I am happy to have served the Queen’s military however, I feel nothing. I can appreciate and understand how those who feel something though. Someone close to me has taught me that I should look at things from somebody else’s perspective, or put myself in the shoes of the people who may be suffering. So in this case, King Charles III and Prince William. Whilst I did not know the Queen on a personal level, she was first and foremost, a mother, grandmother & great-grandmother. That is something I can understand and show empathy for.
With Queen Elizabeth’s passing, it reminds me. No one is beyond the scope of death. Not the Queen. Not Kobe Bryant. Nor the greatest minds in history. At least not yet.
I do not fear death, I only fear I die too young. – This is the motto that I live to. I never used to live by this. I have lived to this for the last 10 or 15 years, mainly because I have children if I were to guess. This website. These Memoirs, and I’m not a massive figure in society. I will only have my memories and possessions that I can pass down to those that want to remember me. If there was ever a fire or a natural disaster, I can rest easy that at least something of me is around so that my kids can look back and read or look online.
It was inevitable. A lot of people seem to forget this lady was 96yrs young and continued working at such a ripe age. Still, did her duties as the Head of State.
Another point that came to me after the Queen’s passing, is that I am most likely to live through 3 monarchs maybe, even potentially 4 which would be incredible. A feat I imagine unheard of since though this is common through the test of time, it’s been a while since it happened.
The funeral itself was very gracious. The great British queues for lying in state, and of course David Beckham lining up with the great British public too. I’ve collected a few papers which are probably lying around somewhere which now that I come to think of it, are in a Sainsbury’s orange plastic carrier bag.
I think I’ll leave this here and maybe come back to it in due time if I need to.
Grenadier Guards take Queen Elizabeth to her brief resting place upon the lift to the Mausoleum below.
Good evening all. Well, it’s at least evening since I started typing this out.
So I plan to name and list my hobbies maybe, and talk about why I like each one, I think… Maybe? We’ll see.
So to begin with, I will start with History. History can mean all sorts. It’s a very broad term. Extremely broad actually. Let’s break it down then.
Firstly, My family tree. Yeah, I don’t know too much about my actual family tree. But what I find slightly… maybe not depressing but disheartening is that within 3 generations you’re almost forgotten. Well, unless you’re famous or contribute something significant to society or something. I understand in the age of no internet it may have been harder to inform us of what life was like or their thoughts. That said, there are ways to somewhat preserve your name. For example, my grandad has a stone with his name on it outside of The West Bromwich Albion Football ground, which is pretty cool.
This is the West Bromwich Albions – Baggies Brick Road. My grandad has a brick here too.
Sometimes I think harder about this family tree thing, whilst you can find these things out, I love looking at pictures that show my family in a different light. My grandad, for example, I have a picture of him framed in black and white from when he was maybe about 10 years old. His blue eye and brown eye are so vibrant. This carried through life I presume because even in old age his eyes were rich, and looked like they told a fair few tales.
This is my grandad as a child. I’m unsure of his age here, but what is interesting is the border around the photo, which is hand drawn pencil. I often wonder if my grandad did this himself as a child from school maybe.
We know of libraries that store important works in the form of writing and pictures. But there is not much in the face of diaries I guess. Or maybe there is and I’ve not seen or come across these types of work yet. Well, my thought is that I’d love to do these memoirs and have them on the internet for all of eternity… or something like that. To be honest, I started with the intent that should I die early, then my kids with have at least something of me to read about and how my mind worked. I’m almost certain this would scare some people. Ha-ha.
Grammarly over here telling me my engagement is a bit bland. Eesh, I’ve only just started. Chill.
Right. I’m back. Another history that I love is nostalgia type I guess. So for example, if I visit a castle, I think to myself and wonder how many deaths or what happened (outside of what is said on the info board or site guides say) that it makes me tick, and I find myself away in another world of I wonder what it would be like. It’s pretty hard to explain I guess. Sometimes I wonder if I have lived in this universe before. Anyway… Heading back to the topic. Below we have pictures of a castle that we happened to stop off at on our way back from holiday in Cornwall I believe. Launceston Castle.
Here we have Launcester Castle in Launceston
This is The Earl’s Chamber of the castle.
I also love football. I’m an Aston Villa supporter. Sorry, not sorry. I get to whatever games I can. I’m not Villa On Tour. However, I go when I can afford it.
I enjoyed gaming growing up, I loved playing football growing up. Now I love football manager games. I’m too fat to be running around now. Easier from the armchair. The games I played growing up were Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Playstation, ps2, ps3, ps4, ps5, Nintendo 64, Gameboy colour, and GB Advance. Not sure if there were others. I loved Pokemon cards growing up too. I’ll leave it here for this otherwise I’ll be adding in my Batman cars and all sorts so let us not do that.
Some things due to my Autism, I get hyper-fixated on things and then move past them. It’s annoying as hell. You have all the desire and buy all the stuff, and then no longer care. So, next to my computer I went to Hobbycraft and bought a few materials to make a photo frame that had depth, and then just didn’t do it. So it is all sat in my Hobbycraft bag under the computer.
Talking about hitting that nostalgia from earlier. Some nostalgia hits hard as hell. Like smells that haven’t been smelt for years and years. My example for this would be this. In my dad’s flat growing up when I was about 10 maybe? Maybe younger. He had a pool table that was in the spare room. or was it mine and my brother’s room? I’m not sure lol. Anyway. My dad eventually moved out of that flat around the age of 12 or 13. Maybe earlier actually. But anyway. I never really knew it at the time but that room had a smell. That poolroom table did. nearly 20 years later I went into a room in Cannock and the room looked old etc.. around when people could smoke and whatnot. But also looked somewhat past its best date and was no longer fit for use or even used. I pushed the door as I was looking around the place and wow the smell of nostalgia was knocking you off your feet powerful. It is amazing how much a certain smell can do.
There is another example to be fair I smell on a more regular basis due to the nature of my job. Black sand from casting metals. My god that smell is fulfilling. It reminds me of my grandad when he took me to the foundry and I saw him pour molten metal into black sand for castings. If I smell this particular smell when driving I slow down slightly and take deep breaths.
Taken from the website of Newby Foundries. This website actually shows the process in pictures in a simple format.
Something I suppose this may not belong here but I will include it anyhow. I don’t believe in God. I don’t knock those that do. There are things I believe that some will not. Me? I don’t know that I do believe in the afterlife, but I find it hard to believe there is nothingness after life itself. I also accept that the argument for that could be well do you remember anything before you were say 1 year old? Now whilst there may be people out there that can remember as far back as 1 year old. There are none that I’ve searched the internet for that remember coming out of their mother. Now I will say this. I don’t necessarily mean that we die as a human and get to be born as another human, we could be a tree. It’s a living organism it’s not what we would call ‘intelligent’ per se. But it is life. Would I class this as life after death? Yes. Yes, I would. Why would I distinguish myself from different types of life? That would be selfish or presumptuous. Moving on.
Another history I love is space. Outer space is insane. It’s so hard to comprehend in our tiny brains. I look at the night sky and see the stars and moon that haven’t changed and people like Julius Ceaser, Genghis Khan, Isaac Newton, and even the dinosaurs see what I see now. Dinosaurs might be a bit of a stretch but It’s amazing to think that things like the moon’s peppered landscape was created like that over hundreds of millions and millions of years. We see it just as the dinosaurs did. The James Webb space telescope. My self and my family I had it on the tv on the day of its launch. I remember it being delayed due to weather and I believe something else, but eventually it launched on Christmas day of 2021. You can see anything you’d like to know about James Webb Space Telescope with this link HERE. I have pictures of me and my son watching the launch somewhere. It’s startling, to be honest. I get some people will read this and be like, uh huh. yeah. so what? But something like the moon will most likely stay in that state until we colonize it to some degree. Will its surface change to our eye? will we start seeing cities reflecting the sun’s light on the moon? Probably not in my lifetime but I bet that would be something to marvel at.
The fiber in an ODF tray at the telephone exchange. Part of my job at one point was to install these. Some might say therapeutic. Others may say boring and repetitive.
Coming back down to Earth, I work in utilities. I think what I have done so far in providing people with Fibre networks will stand for a long time. Copper is over 100 years old now and whilst we have gathered pace at an incredible rate that is often referred to as Moore’s Law. For me to be involved with upgraded telephone networks to fiber and all that it’s nice. There are still poles and joints in the ground that I come across and have the old lead stamps on them from 80+ years ago. I would love to have someone see the fiber labels I added to a node 80+ years from now in the underground network. In fact. I installed a small joint outside a field in the middle of the country. Nothing noticeable on the outside, it’s a normal node. Until you open her up and on the lid, it says something along the lines of “I hope you find this node well and in order. I hope you have a great day. Dated whatever the date was on the day”. I think that would be nice for someone to see. To be clear. There will be no need for anyone to ever open this node up unless a tree has fallen, new properties get stood and a new cable needs to go through the node.
On the upside, Grammarly over here is telling me my engagement is now engaging. Oh yeah. Bring it on!
We shall start in the middle. No, I’m joking, of course, I’m starting at my birth. I was born Michael on 9th Feb of 1987. We lived in a place called Brandhall in Birmingham. I have my 1st memories of general life around 2 or 3 years old. We lived in a flat called Foley flats. It’s not that video, but there are pictures of the actual building below. Foley House flats have since been demolished. I remember going to watch the demolition which was in the year 2000.
Foley House and the entrance from the front, and the newsagents being the first shop as soon as you exit the building as I remember it.
Our neighbour in that flat was Jayne I think. I remember playing with her kids at times. I don’t remember too much of the flats, but I do remember my dad coming to collect us from time to time. Mainly it was my nan and grandad that came to get me. My nan always shouted at my mom. Not sure why, I was too young. I think it was more my mom was expecting dad to come to get me, but my dad was drunk or with a woman or even off with mates maybe. I’m not sure. I think my nan was just sticking up for dad as you would as a mom I guess. I remember my grandad telling my nan to stop shouting at some point when I was much older. That was when we were in the newer house on maypole road.
I do remember I think, he says. We lived on the 2nd floor. Hold on. After contacting my mom, she said absolutely nothing as she hasn’t answered back to my message haha. So I will guess we lived on the 2nd floor. I do remember the newsagents at the bottom that I used to go to as I grew a tiny bit older. We left Foley House around 1995. I presume it was around this year as my younger sister Joanne was born in 96 and I’m almost certain we were in Maypole road house by that point. Mainly because I remember bouncing her in her bouncer chair whilst my mom did the decorating in the new house. So that would make me 8. In which case, would mean I was going downstairs to the newsagents on my own before then. Madness. Even if I lived in a flat now, I would not be allowing that to happen haha.
In the pictures attached. (see the below image). One of the pictures shows some steps up to the shop level. I remember as a young lad, my brother running and I was running next to him and he ran straight into the railing bars. His head opened up. Blood. Everywhere. We did not go to school that day. Most of the day was in hospital I bet. I don’t remember past the initial head injury, but I remember the scar (think Harry Potter’s head scar) and I remember it happening. Nothing after that. Shame. I recall some of the shops but not most.
Foley House Flats. The bars at the top of the steps in the foreground were where my brother split his head open.
Some of the shops from downstairs as far as I remember were: newsagents, fruit shop, Chinese, chip shop, William hill or bookies right at the end. Laundrette possibly. I do remember having to head to Brandhall road for the laundrette. That was a long walk as a young child. Not far as an adult, but still. I bet my mom really loved her new washing machine when she finally got one. I have tried searching for a picture of the laundrette from the 90s but couldn’t find one.
For all the times I remember dad or nan and grandad coming to get me at the front door, I don’t remember leaving the flat. It’s really strange what sticks in the mind. It clearly shows I was happy to see them when they showed up because I remember them turning up. As to what happened next, clearly, that was irrelevant. This means a lot of what my mom said growing up makes sense I presume. Seeing how happy I was to see my dad, but not knowing what was in store. I’ll talk more about this in later posts.
I remember around the age of about 5 and my brother was about 3 or 4. My mom had just finished wrapping presents for Christmas, (her words), and headed to bed. I and my brother apparently got up around 2 am and headed to the living room. My mom said she heard some ruffling and giggling and a loud SANTA HAS BEEEEEN!!! and then paper ripping. Mom said she jumped out of bed came in to see we had started unwrapping and told us to go get in bed and sleep because Santa had only just been and she was tired or something. So I presume we did and all was well. I vaguely remember heading into the living room early in the morning, but not a whole lot more.
I vaguely remember out the back of the flats was a parking area. I can only assume it was for the residents of the flats that drove. Well, behind the car parking area on the main road level was a wall that was probably only about 5 or 6 feet high. But being young, 6 or 7 years old, it seemed like it were much higher than it was. Maybe. We used to make a den out in the foliage above that wall. When I say ‘we’ I have no idea who I mean. I just remember being with other kids. I also remember the exit for this car park coming onto Tame road from behind the flats opposite the church.
Aldridge road is on the left. Our route from the right, so I had plenty of time to contemplate today’s hill climb fate. Can you spot the differences between this picture and the one below?
Strangely enough, I do remember walking to school a lot from Foley house. Mainly I think we had to walk up this monstrosity. (See pic above). This hill is actually a lot steeper when you’re only 3 – 7 or so years old. Not only that. My nan and grandad lived on a hill corner which was mental. Walking down the hill to my cousin’s house, and up was kind of steep still. Going off course kind of, I remember when I went to my cousin’s house as a young kid circa 8 – 12 years old maybe, my nan would stand on the corner and watch me down to my cousin’s house. Super sweet.
This is the view from the other side of the Queensway which is seen in the picture just above looking back towards this picture. As you can see. Google maps show just how much has really changed. Where these buses are, is where the barricade was set up to watch the Foley House demolition take place.
I will talk about school in a later post. You can actually find out more about my grandad in this post titled: My Grandad.
My grandad. It’s just hit 10 years since his death. I miss him so much every day. I dread the day my parents leave this world, and I can’t imagine how hard it is sometimes for my dad and my aunt. Honestly, it scares me.
A little bit about my grandad before we hit off my memories again. So my Grandad was born Malcolm. He to me was absolutely everything. I didn’t know it then, which just makes it harder now. My grandad worked in the foundries. My dad worked alongside him for a period of time. I only just realised that I then went on to work alongside my dad for a bit. Does that mean my son will work alongside me for a bit? Now that would be special. I am moving off-topic. Grandad was not tea total, but if it was a hot drink, it was only ever tea. Maybe a biccy (biscuit) to dunk, usually a good ol’ McVities digestive. Grandad never really did drink around me, but I remember a couple of tiples, not sure of the exact alcoholic beverages but I’m sure he did. Around Christmas nan would make a tasty punch I remember haha. I’m sure he had some of that. Grandad loved card games, crib, bridge and newmarket to name a few. New market was a particular favourite of mine and the family.
My grandad was an engineer in his own right. Such that he made all his own planters for nan and this would be something I went on to love doing. Some carpentry which he took an avid interest in at my high school.
I know that my grandad missed his sister who immigrated to Australia to be with her husband, Uncle Frank who was just outright hilarious. They did talk on the phone a lot where possible as long-distance calls were an expensive luxury.
Im, sure there are many things I’m missing out here, but it will come to me in future posts I’m sure.
I cannot remember my exact very 1st memory of my grandad, but I do remember early memories.
One of the 1st memories that I do remember is nan and grandad taking us to Blackpool. Now I don’t remember much of the holiday, but I do remember being at the top of the Blackpool tower, in a place I remember being called Jungle Jim’s. It was essentially a massive ball pit where kids ran around on a massive scale. Think wacky warehouse but bigger. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much more about this holiday, but that Jungle Jim’s really stuck with me. No idea why.
This is I think in Blackpool Beach somewhere. But not sure where. My grandad with his white hair all wind struck.
My other oldest memory of my grandad for me potentially would be when we went to his mum and dad’s house. I think it was myself, my brother and my 2 cousins. I remember walking down the hallway and seeing – well this is testing my memory I may even be wrong here so, I expect a message from my dad or aunt and uncle to say my memory has warped or introduced things that were not there. Walking down the hallway I saw I think a grandfather clock initially. From there I guess the best way to explain this is by numbers. Again something my grandad was ace at. So coming through the main door about 10 meters in was a glass cabinet with a wooden back. I suppose something like this is here. I just remembered after writing this article I didn’t say what I remember what was in the cabinet. Well, I don’t remember much haha. But I do remember the steam engine-looking type train thing. This was directly in front of me where the wall becomes offset so that you have to take a 90-degree left turn to go into the living room, or a side step left and continue forward if you wanted to go into the kitchen. I think I vaguely remember a downstairs toilet. But I’m not sure. I don’t believe I ever went upstairs so that may be why I remember a downstairs toilet. I also don’t remember ever staying long at my grandad’s mom and dad’s house.
I’m not sure if I’m remembering it wrong because my nan had a good friend Dorothy. We used to visit on a semi-regular basis. Dorothy became aunty Dorothy and she bought us gifts for birthdays and Christmas. It was only ever Radox shower gel blue or green. But even then I knew that was more than she needed to buy us. I was always thankful for that. I have no idea how many years that went on, but it was at least maybe… 5 or 6 years that I remember getting Radox. My brother got some too. I honestly have no idea if my cousins got some. Weirdly, I don’t remember now that I think about it.
Myself my brother and our 2 cousins at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Pier.
When I finished training I had 2 weeks off, after the 2 weeks, I headed to the battalion in central London only to find that the regiment was also on 2 weeks’ leave. I think it was easter leave maybe? I forget.
The following happens within the week of the battalion returning from leave. So at this point, I was in my 3rd week in the battalion.
When they came back, my friends and I started settling in. 1 of those friends immediately put his notice in to leave the army, which he was well within his rights to do, as he was still only 17. At that age you had (or still have?) 6 months for DAOR which is Discharge As Of Right I believe. Billy as he liked to be known had a special father shall we say. By no means do I mean this in a bad way. Actually far from it. After I heard how respected he was around the place. His father said in order to get his respect he had to do basic military training and that was it. So he did. Billy was to be fair, one of the best blokes I’d met at this point and if I’m honest with myself, probably ever was. Great bloke. His brother was awesome too. Also Known as billy for various reasons. Anyway. So he left the army about 4weeks after getting to the battalion. That left I think… 5 of us joining the Irish Guards. Myself, Culligan, Keith, McLoving from Coventry and a South African lad who was well respected amongst us.
I got put into 2 Company 6 platoon. I just took a moment to think about that. It was either number 6 or 4 platoon to start with. I moved around and the platoon numbers changed so much it’s hard to remember sometimes the exact numbers. But I digress again. I had Culligan and McLoving in my platoon i think. South African lad went to 1 company and Keith joined 4 or 6 platoon. Always in 2 Company, if I was 4 he was 6 and vice versa if I was 6 he was 4. Eventually at the end of my career leaving 2 coy, I was 6 platoon before doing my last year or 2 into MT platoon.
My 1st few nights were sleepless. I struggled. I got picked on and I was bullied. I’ve not told many about the horrors when I first joined. I had a guardsman. Let’s call him Guardsman (Gdsm) Ethel. Gdsm Ethel was an absolute cunt of an ass to me in the mornings. For whatever reason, he would love to be in my room regardless of what time my alarm was set for, and literally, and im not exaggerating when I say he would lift the foot of my bed up and just full-on throw me out of my bed. Absolute plonker. Hated him.
After this encounter, I lost a lot of motivation for wanting to be in the army. I had gone past my DOAR time, and it was about this time that I just saw it as a job that I couldn’t be sacked from. Gdsm Ethel made my life hell for a fair bit. There were others, but he sticks out in my mind most. Or at this present time of my army life, he sticks out. Like a sore thumb in fact. From here, I spiralled into not really giving a care at all. This was picked up, as I started to smell, didn’t really brush my teeth, showered less, didn’t iron my clothes, as well as I, could have, I didn’t care about how my kit was looking and this showed as I started to get 10 O’Clock shows. 10 O’Clock show was where, if you had been inspected by a person of rank or authority, and had been picked up on anything you would have to go to the guardroom to show that what was wrong when inspected was now fixed or corrected. Not only that but obviously the rest of your uniform had to be immaculate too. So much so that those who usually got a 10 O’Clock show would: Re shave so it’s fresh, re-iron fresh new clean combats, boots freshly polished, and depending if it was summer order or winter order would dictate if sleeves were rolled up or down. I’m pretty sure you can guess what part of the year is rolled up sleeves or rolled down sleeves.
So, Platoon (Plt) Sergeant (Sgt) was Sgt Corcoran (RIP gone too soon) was my Plt Sgt. Cool, seemed like a nice enough character, and he was. He introduced us to our platoon. I remember a few from that. Mad dog and Gaz E, haha. Both great. There was a funny lad whose name escapes me that Gaz would hang with. Scouse lad. Ended up going to prison. That’s another story but he was generally an OK guy to be around. Gaz’s catchphrase would be FUCK’EM or BOLLOCKS with a pleasant laugh after saying such catchphrases.
Everyone who joins from new into the army back then used to do an initiation. It’s been in the newspapers a few times that I’ve seen for what goes on in these but my initiation was really enjoyable. I was to drink from Topper’s famous 1974 boot. (Topper was my Plt Sgts nickname). In this boot, the lads had poured anything and everything. All the beers, all the liquors. So many liquors. Rice and chicken someone was currently eating? in it goes. An unused condom ( that i saw get opened in front of me)? in it goes. We then stood on a chair so everyone could see me drinking this concoction of diabolical proportions, and admittedly I didn’t really taste much as I put the heel of the boot up to my mouth to start guzzling it all down. The chicken needed to be chewed as I drank, the rice just slipping down, the condom flung half out hit my forehead, and down the hatch, it went. I drank all of it. It was messy. I climbed down off my chair ran the length of the corridor and spun with my head on a broom pole I pivoted around said broom handle and ran back. This time was Keith’s turn. After we all managed to do this we all went out. I remember going downstairs and I remember going to Soho/Leceister sq, but I do not recall how I got back. We got a taxi to Leicester square as none of me or my friends knew our way around London. So after that, I don’t recall too much. The boot and its contents I believe had got to me at this point. One thing I will always never know is how I got back to camp. I didn’t know the route back on foot, I don’t think I got a taxi. So I can only deduce that I came back with someone, but who? that I do not know!
My reason for joining the military went a little something along the lines of this:
I believe this was around 2002? or 2003? maybe… I’m not fully sure. My memory is hazy on this certain date however, Saving Private Ryan came into the cinema in 1998. it landed on normal tv in 1999. So, by that, It would have spent about a year on Sky cinema? another year on movies.. then I would have seen it sometime after that haha.
My dad and I (approx 13/14 yrs old?) were watching the film anyway as you know it was a big thing back then and Tom Hanks was massive, having not long done Toy story and a couple of other films Including you’ve got mail, another cracker anyway, I digress.
So in that scene (The scene in the office with the stacks of paper that is essentially dead soldiers who were getting letters sent back to loved ones, and this scene hit me quite hard as a young teen), my dad actually slapped me round the head. The, or at least as far as I can remember one of the only times my dad ever slapped me round the head. He declared: “You would never join the army!” I replied quite calmly if I remember “Yes I would”. At the time I didn’t have any intention of joining the army and I assume I only meant it in a way whereby I would join should my country need me. An example would be how Ukraine has called upon its men to volunteer and be counted for their country.
Around 2004 I went to the recruiting office after getting bad grades in school and honestly thought my life was over and if I’m really honest, I felt different from other people. Never really knew why But I do now. I’m Autistic. At the time it would have been categorized as Asperger’s syndrome, but also at the time I was just a naughty kid, don’t do as he told, no attention span fidgets too much, it’s yes or no, on or off, black or white, etc…’ Now life is a little easier knowing what my ‘problems/issues were.
Having done the recruitment office I was sent off to Lichfield to pass a fitness assessment. I had to do 60 sit-ups and 60 push-ups in 2mins for each category. Then the real work began. Now.. in school I was a fit kid. I was running in year 7 against year 9 and year 10 and finishing top 3. in year 9 i was beating year 11’s in running events, specifically 5k circuits. However, when I turned 16 I started smoking, and I loved smoking. My fitness just upped and left my body unfortunately once I began smoking. Getting back to my 3rd event in my Army preparation test was a 1.5mile run. I did it in about 16mins, which by any standard, is absolutely shocking. I’m 35 currently, and I’m sure I could do a mile and half backward even being slightly overweight in the required 13mins and 30 seconds now. But back then I did not. I failed it. They told me to come back in about 3 months to retry. So a newly turned 17-year-old lad thought OK, no worries.
After failing I joined an ‘Army Prep College’ which was Hall Green College. I remember the 2 instructors that had retired or recently left the army. One of them was Sgt or Staff Sgt Carling and I’m not sure of the other guy. Both of whom I believe were from the Royal Green Jackets but have now become The Rifles. The whole amalgamation thing blew my mind when it all happened. I think a friend from school called Kevin joined the Green Jackets, but I’m not sure if it was full-time or reserves. ANYWAY!!
In the army prep college, I met a great friend. Keith. My mom decided it was funny to call him Sanka as in Sanka from cool runnings. I’m not sure how close we became but I definitely felt like I was closer to him than he was to me if that makes sense. Swiftly moving on, we would run down to Sare Hole Mill from the college up the road and start doing circuits on the field. I remember throwing up more than once here and the only reason I didn’t want to give up at this point was that I thought it would mean I let my family down. It would mean I am indeed a loser. Then I would have no hope, a dead-end job, etc… so I just kept going. Obviously, if I gave in, it would mean my dad was right all that time ago (it felt a while back at this point in my life). So I pushed on.
Eventually, I went back to Lichfield after about 4 months and I re-attempted the mile and half. I had 13 mins and 30 seconds to complete it. I got 12 mins and 59seconds. Now yes that is shocking still, BUT it was a lot faster than my last attempt and that was it really. I was ecstatic, to say the least. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last that long.
I can’t remember if it was my mom that saw me off or my nan and grandad at Birmingham New St train station. I arrived at Darlington train station a couple of hours later with coaches to ferry us to the camp. Camp would later be known as Helles Barracks in Catterick Garrison.
Later I would find out that in order to pass training 6 months down the way, I would need to move my run time for a mile and a half from 12/13 embarrassing minutes down to 10mins and 30 seconds at the worst. A foot soldier should be fit.
So, I have never done a blog before. I have, however, done youtube videos. I’m not entirely sure what I am to write here, but I should start with why I wanted to make the website in the first place.
I loved my grandad’s stories growing up and I have obviously stories of my own from my father. The problem is that when we inevitably pass away, if the stories are not told, then they are forgotten. Alas, I do not want this to be the case. I wanted to create this site so that I can use the blog to put down all my memories for my kids to be able to come and see and read any of my random thoughts. (There is plenty of them after all!).
I’ve had about 20 too many mates die for various reasons and it’s scary if I’m honest.
Maybe this will become more than my memories in time. I don’t have any particular plans for the site but.. who knows, right?
So about me, minus what’s in the main section about me. I am Michael & I have 4 kids. I may go into that another day but not right now as it’s pretty toxic. Whilst it’s not gone to court or anything that isn’t the point so, for now, it’ll stay out of the website till further notice.
I’m currently 35 and here is a reduced list of what I currently like:
Gaming (PS5)
History Videos
James Webb telescope videos and what it’s doing currently
My job (I really love my job)
My heritage
So, I think, for now, this will do, as it’s a little about me and why I want to write these.
Have you ever thought about doing something or had the urge to do something similar?