651 Signal Troop
By Brian Lowans

I have never thought of myself as a veteran before.  I joined in May 1961 and was fortunate to spend most of my nine years abroad.
My first posting was to Germany, 225 Signal Squadron near the Dutch border mostly on exercises.  Then off to Borneo for 13 months, then back to 13 Signals for two years, followed by three years in Cyprus.  My last year was as sergeant at the training depot Lougbrough.

I always considered myself fortunate, joining as a rather naive teenager, having missed been called up for National Service. The last group of National Service men were in the group ahead of us.  The mix of people in my first couple of years was a good education especially when all those who were expecting to finish at the end of two years were made to stay on in Germany for an extra 6 months because recruiting in the regular army had not been as successful as the government of the day had hoped for.

I went to Borneo as part of 651 Signal Troop posted to the 99 Brigade of Ghurkas. We were there from May 1963 to June 8 1964, flying in and out in old Hastings aircraft from Changi to Labuau. We were initially housed in  a rented wooden bungalow in town where our aerials must of caused a the bit of stir.  We then moved to a concrete bungalow near the sea at the end of Brooke Road.
 
 

Getting ready for independence

Collapsed his undercarriage  to stop at the end of the runway

We were told it was a new design hut they wanted us to test as suitable  for use in high temperature area

Radio given SASFA. from left to right thigh  myself Pete Ashord standing and Andy Peyton  and a behind us is the bungalow

Overflying Brunei .  These pictures were taken when Corporal Taf Jenkins and myself went up for a trip in a Beverly where we were dropping fuel to small airfields that used to have small spotter  planes. The reason for the odd angles of the pictures is because Taf had to hold my legs and suspended me out of the entrance of the tail  which was just inside of the back belly of the aircraft with the big back door missing. 

Local interest

Cockfighting in a local village was illegal, but a lot of money was gambled by the locals.

War Memorial