2nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery consisted of 4 batteries, HQ Bty, LNery Bty, N Eagles Bty &  O The Rocket Troop Bty.  I was stationed here at Barford Camp until 1971 when the Regiment moved to Hemer, Germany.

I was a young Gunner of 17 sent here after my initial training in  Woolwich.  I served with L Bty for 4 years.  Being stationed for here my first posting was an eye opener; especially during the colder months where we had to dig our way out of the barracks as the snow piled up.  As I was the latest recruit I had the bed next to the door which was the furthest away from the coal stove.  Needless to say I froze only having the standard two blankets to keep warm.  One night while I was in town I came back to find a sheep tied to my bed. 

The Gun Park was straight across the road that was near a dangerous bend in the road.  The Regiment had 105mm self-propelled guns known as “Abbots”.  One day the weather was so cold the older soldiers had a fire going in a large steel bin.  They surrounded this fire seated on their collection of wooden boxes.  They told me to piss off.  A Sergeant, seeing this  said to me "If you cannot have the fire then sod them.  Here put these rounds in some cotton wool and throw them in the fire”.  I was stopped short of the fire with my roll of cotton wool.  One of the seated soldiers said “Where you going, get away from the fire”.  I said “I only wanted to put some wool on the fire".  Within a minute the fire exploded in all directions along with the seated soldiers.  I slipped away unnoticed.

On a weekend break from the camp it was time to get back so I set off from Kendal with a large suitcase and walked across Shap into Barnard Castle and up on the moor to Barford Camp.  It was a long journey in the dark and it was the only time I fell asleep walking.  I was knackered when I got there with an hour to spare before parade.

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