Most degen army story you dare tell us?
Don't know if you consider it degen and it's a story I've never told outside those that were involved.
1988 I was based in Girdwood Park in Belfast. We had been visited earlier that day by the 2 Signals Corporals who were to later drive into the funeral cortege and be brutally butchered.
I was known as a "mugger" in these days. I was very good at identifying known/suspected terrorists on the street. This had came by studying the reams of mug shots and photographs that had been built up over the years.
Later that evening I and 2 others were flown up to Castlereagh to view multitudes of photographs and most shockingly, the full footage of the whole incident taken by Heli Tele - the helicopter camera to identify any known names throughout the footage. What you see on youtube and the likes, whilst shocking, is only a portion of what we witnessed.
Suffice to say it had a huge impact on us all and I for one didn't cope well in the next few days.
I was given a day off and a night pass to visit the UDR club on site to go have a few beers. I joined a couple of others and some of the UDR guys we had been working with and overdone the drinking.
At last orders a couple of them invited us to join them carrying on the drinking at a house nearby. I stupidly accepted and was sneaked out of the camp hidden on the floor of the car his wife had came into base to pick him up in.
I can't even remember much about being in the house and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the Guardroom with the Guard commander, afriend of mine, wrapped in an old G10 blanket and bleeding profusely from a number of injuries. He was asking me, "who done this to you?" he was certain that I had been given a severe beating, however all I kept saying was "a car, I was in a car."
Word soon came that there had been a huge crash as a car had hit some concrete bollards and the driver was seriously injured.
It soon transpired that after a few drinks one of the guys had offered to drive me back to base and would sneak me back in through the UDR gate. We never made it. I found out later that his story was that a car had approached him on the wrong side of the road and he had swerved to avoid but had hit the concrete bollards.
Judging by the injuries I had I can only assume I had been thrown from the car, my head, arms, chest all had lacerations and next day severe bruising, no exaggeration that I had bruising to probably 80% of my body.
I found that night that I had some great mates. The guard commander told me that I had been wandering aimlessly along the road and had stopped at the sanger at Crumlin Road court and asked the sentry for directions to Girdwood park base. He had alerted the guard who had came out and collected me.
They cleaned me up, got me to bed and spoke to the RUC when they arrived to say they had been informed that one of us had been in the car and needed to interview me. The guys arranged that they would come back next day as I was in no fit state. They also got them not to say anything to anyone and just arrive as a normal stop off next day for a brew.
They then spoke to the Sergeant who had gave me the time off and between them, somehow it was all kept in house. The RUC interviewed me next day and I couldn't tell them much other than I had definately been in the car. The driver did survive but with serious injuries.
The four main parts where I was very fortunate:
1. How I never died from the impact seeing the injuries I had, although no breaks (I was kept laid low for over a week after having seen the medic who confirmed no breaks)
2. It was kept quiet from the Sgt Major and OC - if not it would have ended any Army career.
3. From the site of the crash I had wandered about a mile, mostly through a very staunch Republican area and how I wasn't picked up by someone who potentially would have done me permanent harm I will never know
4. I was lucky to have such great mates around me when I needed them most.
Geo
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