Memories of Warsash Billy Bligh
Not much traffic on this thread which Jim started so how about it? There must be lots of anecdotes and funny stories swilling around in your grey cells so let’s hear from you! Here’s a treasured memory from my days at Warsash in 1959.
Mr. Bligh’s title (known as Billy) was I think Drill Instructor. He had served in the Durham Light Infantry presumably through the hostilities of WWII. He retired in 1959 after many years at Warsash. By then he was not in the best of health, suffering short breath and walking with the aid of a walking stick. If you can imagine a very old, bent grizzly hobbling about looking after naughty, troublesome bear cubs you’ll get the picture. Nevertheless, although often cursed by “wet behind the ears” cadets, most of us, I’m sure, liked the old bloke whose heart was very much in the right place. Having unwillingly joined the “old-age” club and now suffering ill-health, which must have frustrated the hell out of him, by this time he didn’t always issue drill commands as clearly as he once did. Nor were his marching pace commands always spot on. I’m sure I heard him say, more than once, left, (pause) left (pause) left left left!!
Billy’s farewell ceremony on retirement, at which he was presented with a bound copy of the history of The DLI, came during my second term at Warsash. A cadet Guard of Honour was selected for the march past and salute, with cadets bearing rifles and the cadet Officer of The Guard saluting with drawn sword. The Blue-Jacket (RN) band from Portsmouth was invited to play at the ceremony and I was selected to play Sunset on the bugle with the band playing Abide With Me. The whole ceremony was planned and dress rehearsals were conducted by Billy himself.
It so happened I was also picked for a school cricket match which clashed with one of the dress-rehearsals. Cricket captain (Derek?) Randall who was one term ahead of me, asked Billy to excuse me from the practice and allow me to play cricket. He called both of us in to his little cabin behind the Guard Room. Billy looked at me in that way of his and said “I hear you want to play cricket on Saturday? Well laddie, you can either play cricket and drop out of the ceremony or you can attend my dress rehearsal. Which is it?”. Although I loved cricket and was mad keen to play there was no way I was going to miss the ceremony so I chose his dress rehearsal. Billy replied “Right laddie, off you go you to play your silly game of cricket and you can still be my bugler at the ceremony”! He may not have got his left, right, left timings right every times but he was a kindly wise old man.
His replacement (Mr Nelson) was an ex-RN CPO who also became well respected, certainly in my time.
Has anyone got any photos of Billy or of his retirement ceremony?
