Poems about the Army Apprentices School, Harrogate
(Attributed to Terry Corbett, intake 54B, with some subsequent editing)

The Kit

Sunday morning breakfast, first parade at nine,
Roll call, ’shun and right turn, quick march and left incline.
Halt outside the RQs, line up in files of ten.
“When your name’s called out, inside and say your name again!”

A long dark polished counter, with Storeman stood behind,
With kit piled up like mountains, and even more to find.
Khaki shirts and woollen socks, holdall, housewife, brushes,
Three of these and twelve of those, the Storeman shoves and rushes.

Webbing straps and SD cap filled with denim rings,
And buttons, badges, collar dogs, a chinstrap and other things,
‘Drawers Dracular’, two denim suits, a kitbag green and tall,
You ask what size the denims are. “One bloody size fits all”.

The mountain’s growing taller as you shove it up the counter,
Two pairs of ‘ammo’ boots crash down, brown plimsolls follow after.
The pile of kit is three feet high, you think you’ve got the lot
But a greatcoat comes from nowhere with a poncho on the top.

So this is all the A/T’s kit to last you three long years,
Eleven-fifty-seven is duly signed, steel helmet on your ears,
You slide your arms beneath the pile and heave up with a grunt,
Then stagger to your ‘spider’, following blind the bloke in front.

The short lad just in front of you can’t see beyond his load,
He trips, his feet are tangled up, his kit strewn on the road,
He brings you down, your mountain too, your kit flies everywhere,
Takes thirty minutes sorting out to get your proper share.

Six months have passed and now, at last, no problem with our kit,
It only takes an hour a day to clean and polish it.
We’re learning all the secrets, are Masters of our trade
And don’t get picked on quite so much, except when on parade.

Then suddenly we’re moving out and up to Company lines.
We’re all split up twixt A, B, C and hope for cushier times.
Blue shoulder tabs we now exchange for yellow, green and red.
Blankets, kit and all effects are moved to our new ‘shed’.

With thanks to  Trevor "Bill" Powell for this contribution.