One-two-three-one! (a Nutter's Account Of National Service)

It was a time before TVs and bathrooms, before supermarkets and central heating, before 'you never had it so good ' In Korea, there was a war on, while back in Britain there were men in uniform everywhere. Many of these were conscripts - National Servicemen enduring two years of bone-shaking drill, square-bashing and weapons training. It was a time when everything was done in numbers. Or so it seemed to the motley intake of voteless, semi-skilled, sexually inexperienced teenagers on the same draft as Gunner Hall in 1952. Tall, fit and sports-oriented, Hall seemed likely to succeed in spite of being a 'nutter', otherwise known as a vegetarian and non-drinker. He survived the food, the mud, the rats and everything else to stay on as a regular soldier when his two years ended, becoming one of the youngest sergeants in the British Army. His record of service in the Isle of Wight, Norfolk and at Larkhill in Wiltshire will chime with the experiences of many who enjoy his story.