Milsurp After Hours

It was a bit chilly this morn so I put a quilted Chinese cotton shirt over the top of my normal attire before venturing out to wipe the frost off the windscreen before driving the wife (Bless her) off to work.

In one of those tricks of the mind the brain flashed back to the winter in Korea in late November of 1954.

We were in Pusan (known in those days as Phew-san) but, credit where it's due, now a thriving modern city.

Back to the story; we were in the big transit camp (two sittings for all meals or maybe just a small cookhouse). There were British reos just arrived and on their way up to the 'sharp end' as well as other troops on their way home.

Now to keep our woolen jumpers clean we sigs had oversize shirts to go over our normal clothes. Half a dozen of us got dressed in 'string' (thermal) singlet, T shirt, woolen long sleeved under garment, woolen jumper and woolen o/s outer shirt as well as 'Long Johns' and wind-proof trousers and sallied forth into the weak sunshine and joined the long queue for breakfast; as we stood there we heard one of the British lads (wearing their full winter kit), remark to his mates,

"Cor! Look at them Aussies, they're tough"

Later on, sitting down to breakfast, we let them in on the apparent toughness.

Great story Eoin.

Incidentally, in late November 1954 i was about 3 weeks old.

Just a whippersnapper me!

Joe

Interesting story Eoin. My first car was made in 1954...although it was 10 years old when I was old enough to be given it and licensed to drive it.

I did a google of 1954.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1954.html

joseyclosey wrote:Great story Eoin.

Incidentally, in late November 1954 i was about 3 weeks old.

Just a whippersnapper me!

Joe

Yes you were, Joe. I was almost 7 years old.

And like Robert, my first car was 10 years old when I bought it. A 1956 Chevy 2-door sedan.
Worked all summer driving spikes on a logging railroad to get the money.


Vern.

My 1954 Buick Special was a hand me down from my mother when she got a new car. I did have to work 20 hours a week part time in a grocery store, at a buck an hour, to keep it in replacement parts and in gasoline. I was 16 when I got it.

The paint job was my own notion. Buick never painted them two tone in the way I painted mine.

I traded it in on a new car after four years and got all of $100 in trade value.....which was all it was actually worth. But... wish I still had it now in as good a condition as when I traded it.

November 1954 - I was 5 years old

November 1954 - I was over 5 years away from making an appearance. Wow you lot are old

I guess it's you thats the whippersnapper then Graeham.

Joe

Woftam wrote:November 1954 - I was over 5 years away from making an appearance. Wow you lot are old

Yes, but us old guys had cool cars.

Yes, but us old guys had cool cars.

I'm not saying you've got a point or that I agree with you Vern but .........................