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Brancepeth 1954 

As I write this it is 60 years to the day that I joined the DLI as a recruit in those days all candidates for Regular Commission had to undergo basic recruit training before going to Sandhurst. 

I got on the train at Darlington, together with several other apprehensive recruits to travel the short distance on the branch line to Brancepeth Station. There we were herded onto 3 ton lorries and driven to Brancepeth Camp.  

I remember a long wait in the NAAFI while we were processed and documented. Looking out of the window we would see other squads speeding across the square undergoing what seemed like immaculate drill. A visit to the Q M’s stores followed where we were overloaded with a mountain of kit, and thence to hut 45. 

Hut 45 was a standard army wartime hut with rows of beds down either side, a length of red lino highly polished with cardinal polish and a coke store and fuel bin. I found myself with a Bishop’s son on one side of me and a lad who had been recently released from Durham Jail on the other.  

All except me were National Servicemen and when it became known I was a potential officer I became the butt of many practical jokes and hilarity such as my wearing pyjamas in bed. I learnt more about soldiers and soldiering in those first few weeks than ever did there after. 

It is perhaps unfortunate that potential officers no longer this baptism of fire. I remember our first meal to this day. Because of the lengthy arrival process we got to the cookhouse very late for tea. Slammed down on our plates were two cold, burnt sardines on toast accompanied by bread, and a soldiers pint pot of cold sweet tea. 

Whether it contained the apocryphal bromide we never discovered and were too busy to find out. I spent the first weekend sewing on regimental buttons on to a greatcoat. In good Q M’s fashion we had been issued with great coats without buttons but with the requisite number in the pockets. I had been taught to sew as a small boy, as part of the wartime make-do and mend regime, whereas most of the geordies did not have a clue how to thread a needle let alone sew on a button straight. 

It was a rather a painful weekend, as both arms were sore from the dreaded TABT injections and my fingers were red raw from the very tough great coat material.  

Beside each bed was a small mat underneath this was a knothole featured in a later episode of my Regimental life. After Christmas an New Year leave I was sent to Strensall to the Light Infantry Depot “Leader platoon”. Thus my first experience of Brancepeth Camp came to an end. 

 Brancepeth 1956    

 I passed through Brancepeth in August 1956 having been Commissioned into the DLI in July that year. We were indoctrinated into the ways of the Regiment by Topper Brown, and Harry Lowe, enshrined in his lair above the photograph shop on Elvet Bridge. He enrolled me into the DLI Association with a badge which I still have, and the Friends of Durham Cathedral which I still am. 

We were sent down the Pit at Willington and made to crawl through one of the lowest coal faces, a very salutary experience! While waiting to join the 1st Bn, which was deployed at running ACF Corps at Catterick, I was attached to the training endless intakes of National Servicemen. 

Most of the routine work was done by the NCO’s, one of the training subalterns was a certain ‘Mr Smith’ who was preparing to undergo SAS selection and training. On the days when we were shooting at Whitburn Ranges. Some 23 miles from Brancepeth, he would set off at 6am in full marching order and carrying a bren gun and ammunition. 

His route took him through the middle of Sunderland. One wonders what a stir that would cause today! I also recall being invited by him to use chunks of P4 explosive in lieu of thunderflashes when training at Battlehill. I seem to remember he marched there as well. 

As Orderly Officer one mounted the night guard and selected the smartest member to be the guard at the gatehouse entrance to the castle. This was thought to be a cushy number as his main duty was to open and close the gate for visitors or residents of the castle. 

There was a cupboard in the castle guard room with a notice ‘please do not open’ of course the unsuspecting recruit soldier could not resist the temptation to open the door where he was faced with a large stuffed bear. The Orderly Officer only had to wait for a minute or so after leaving the guard room for there to be a scream and an ashen faced recruit erupting from the guardroom. 

 The Training Company Commander while I was there was Major Jim Collingwood. He handed over to Major Norman Benson who had a highly polished entrenching shovel on the wall above his desk. This had a sharped edge with which he was reputed to have cut off the head of an opponent. Needless to say no one argued with him. 

Later that year I was posted to the 1st Battalion at Humbleton Camp, Barnard Castle. I much enjoyed the smart salute on arrival from the duty Provo Corporal, who had seen me off from the Guard Room at Brancepeth when I left there as a recruit with words to the effect that ‘if you ever think I am going to salute you as an officer you can think again’ Well he just had!  

Brancepeth 1961 

I returned to the Depot for the last time in 1961 to be Adjutant under Leslie Fleming who had been my Company Commander in B Company 1 DLI. It was a sad time in many ways as the Depot was under notice to close in April 1962. 

The recruits gradually moved to Pontefract as the new Light Infantry Depot at Shrewsbury was not yet ready. It was also quite relaxed as I managed to continue being Adjutant with playing Polo at Catterick in the summer and hunting with the Tees Valley Beagles in the winter. 

Much of our time was spent disposing of the contents of the castle after over 20 years of occupation, with numerous cellars and many office’s nothing had ever been thrown away. For instance these were over 200 soldiers boxes containing the effects of soldiers killed in the Second World War stored in the cellars. These had never been claimed by the next of kin. 

None of them had been returned to the NOK. Most contained spare items of clothing and military uniform. Each had to be opened and the contents listed before being disposed of mostly by burning.  

We had a bonfire burning continuously for weeks, as duplicate files and unwanted bumph were unearthed from cupboards and attic. Yes we did check everything very carefully to ensure that worthy of any value or interest was destroyed! 

All this time our new RHQ at Elvet Waterside was being built, as a joint project between the War Office and TAVRA. One morning Leslie Fleming and I went down to the building site and a time capsule was buried in the foundations of the new building stone under the course nearest the river and the swimming baths. 

The War Office allowance for a new Regimental Museum was the large room upstairs in RHQ now used by Chris Lawton. This was clearly totally inadequate so detailed negotiation took place with Durham County Council to allow them to rehouse the museum.  

At the meeting which the proposal was to be formally agreed a number of proposals were put forward as to the amount of money to be spent on the project. The chairman effectively ended the discussion by proposing that the Museum should be built and they would worry about the amount afterwards. This was carried unanimously. 

We held a large party to say goodbye to old Regimental friends and civic dignitaries. One number of the “chain gang” obviously enjoyed the party and was very loth to leave. She finished up, propped up against the sideboard, surrounded by a circle of Regimental lots wondering what to do.    

Suddenly, at the far end of the long room her chauffer and mace bearer appeared, heralded in step down the room halted and bowed to her. Turning about they looked up under each elbow and marched her ceremoniously out to her car. This was obviously a well rehearsed procedure. 

I left the Depot before it actually closed to go out to Singapore to be ADC to Sir Nigel Peott. It was an interesting accident of listing that my grandmother, Mrs Roberts of Bedburn Hall as a serving ATS Officer arrived at Brancepeth Castle a day to help get it ready for occupation, and I was there almost on the last day of our occupation, and the happy arrangement which lasts to this day was set up. 

There were some happier discoveries in the cellars, including 2 very smart Tientsin rugs, which must have been sent over by the 2nd Bn at the start of the Second World War, and forgotten about. These are now to be seen in the Rifles Office. Also a case of 1 doz half bottles of champagne were found hidden under a pile of old boxes in the cellars. These had obviously been hidden by some miscreant at a past Regimental function but were never disposed of. 

The Adjutant decided that it was far too complicated to hold a detailed inquiry into the matter and drink the evidence himself. The Castle contained a very fine collection of big game hunting trophies. These had been presented in 1939 to furnish what was an enormous empty building. Some were given to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle, who were given first refusal, others were sold including an enormous Rhinoceros head and horn, which was sold for I think £25.00 it would be worth very much more today, although not able to be sold legally.  

Transcript by John Rolfe.