Bovington Camp. Mid ‘60’s

A Memory of Bovington Camp.

I come from a military family, am what you would call an ‘Army brat’. My father had served as an officer in the Far East during WW2, where his Navy brother had died. After demobilisation & a failed career in the 50’s for the family firm (luxury cars sales/servicing in London) he rejoined the Army as a Warrant Officer in REME. In the mid 60’s we moved to Bovington Camp - I was 4 or 5 at the time. Before can recall living on Anglesey - think he was attached to Ty Croes (Missile testing station) for a while, and I was born at Bangor. Next up, the Salisbury area. Probably based at Aldershot. Also remember him having a posting in Hong Kong, without the family.
He retained a keen interest in cars, & his latest acquisition would often been found in the AFV sheds, being worked on by the squaddies. I can remember everything from a Morris 1000 with those indicators that flagged out of the side, to Jags & even a Bentley. Family legend has it I managed to damage a car being worked on, by knocking off the handbrake & it rolling into a wall.
He would sometimes take me into the base, which was a fascinating place for a young lad, full of tanks & field guns. I can also recall my parents bedroom, with his uniforms hung up, & wartime souvenirs on the walls.
My parents had met & married early in the war, I do not know if it was his experiences in the East or the death of his brother made him the man he was when he came back. His brother was quite the hero, involved with mini submarines, survived both the Scharnhorst raid & D-Day recon missions. Tragically was lost at sea testing equipment in 1945, just before the end of the war.
Father became a heavy drinker, & abusive, so in the late ‘60’s my mother, brothers & myself left.