I have just found your Website,and was very interested in your report on R.M.P. National Service in the 1950s, as I also went through the Inkerman experience, and your report brought back many memories, that had long being forgotten. The Assault Course. The Spider Huts. The Cinema in Woking. Warburg Barracks. and all the Bull.

My name is Bert Large and our squad was 296, which went through Inkerman in May to September 1952. Our S.I. was Sgt.Todd, and our claim to fame at that time was the fact we obtained the highest passing out points ever, and 296 squad was put on a Roll of Honour board underneath the main arch( I wonder what happened to that)?

Back to your report where you sailed from Harwich to The Hook Of Holland, where we did exactly the same, even on the same ship, the SS Vienna, it was one of the worst nights of my life, we hit a very bad storm in the middle of the North Sea, even the sailors on board very happy, and we were all very pleased to see Holland in the morning. There our experiences change tack, as we had a superb posting to Austria, first to the main dispersing barracks in Klagenfurt, later on to Vienna.

At this time Austria was similar to Germany where 4 nations were in control of the countries, and each country Russia. France. America. and U.K. had their own sectors, and then Vienna itself, was again divided into the same sectors. We were stationed in absolute luxurious barracks Schonbrunn, and our main duties were all security, as at that time the Austrian Peace Treaty was in the process of being discussed, and eventually the country would be handed back to the Austrian People.

In the meantime, the most interesting part of our duties was The International Patrol, where a member an M.P. of each of the 4 forces patrolled Vienna in big white American cars, and typical of the Americans, the cars were all rigged out with flags, and regalia, and many an interesting hour or two was spent patrolling the streets of Vienna, with a Russian, Frenchman, and American as company.

I have still got our passing out squad photo, and would be pleased to send you a copy if interested, as I cannot find anything on the website relating to 296 squad.

Regards.

Bert.