Hi Guys, Eddie Bellamy, posted a greeting in the visitors book a week or so ago, and as is my wont, I emailed him to try to lure him into our net. He sent me a fairly long reply, and has since agreed that I can post it here for you all to read. As it refers to a time long after I had left, it may be of interest to our younger viewers. All the best. Dave T.
“Dave,
I went to 225 at Langeleben on Friday 13th September of 1967, I remember the date because the day before somebody had blown up a comet 4 over the med believing that Gen. Grivas was on board and I had never flown before.
I didn't have a very auspicious start I think we only had one morse group to cover and I was told to re-write all my logs 'cos nobody could read them.
I'm frantically trying to remember some of the names and personalities who were there and there were a lot of them.
Bill Fry - who I still have a lot of contact with, most memorable night was in Helmstedt in some sleazy little club and he broke the strippers zip which upset the natives and they chased us all the way to the American club. Anglo German relations took another step backwards.
Bob Vincent i-corps - the most well spoken corporal I came across in my career. A smashing guy especially after a few drinks,
I don't ever remember him swearing.
Dewi Blythin - i-corps. The only Welshman I ever met with a scouse accent.
Bill Irvine - I-corps On the way out one evening I rang the ops block, Bill answered and I said can you call me a taxi, reply, "You're a taxi", and put the phone down. I remembered to re-phrase on subsequent calls.
Rob Seaward - I remember him mostly from Loughborough when we were attempting to form a drill squad for the open weekend. He tried to cut his thumb off 'unfixing bayonets'.
I remember the incident in the fog with Dennis Weir but he forgot to tell you about the farmer who decide to lay the most foul smelling liquid upwind of us because we were in his winter wheat field.
Mick Henry - I first met him in boys service at Denbury - a most frightening character - you had to guage what sort of mood he was in each time you met him.
Steve Keal - A big man with a big character always good for a laugh especially after a few beers which was quite often, He always used to call me Ned. One night in Kleine Schummans he was standing next to Jock Richards who was on a barstool start to fall over backwards, Steve reached out, took the beer out of Jock's hand and let him fall where he promptly fell asleep. Steve forever unflappable then mumbled, "He doesn't need that", and promptly finished Jock's beer. One note on Kleine Schumman's, small beers came in German glasses, large beers came in NAAFI glasses.
Mick Green - Came after me from 9 sigs but I think he had been to 225 before. The spec op world was so small that everybody seemed to know everybody else and a lot of people just slotted back in as it were. I have heard subsequently that he stayed in Germany when he finished off.
Geordie Fisher - I went on an MSD course with him, what an education.
Scouse Holmes - He was a storeman but another one I had lots of contact with especially one Sunday afternoon in the NAAFI
which I won't go into but let's just say I was pretty naive then.
Vern Merrick - i-corps I used to play Hockey with Vern who used his hands rather a lot when speaking. I remember once after a hockey match in Hameln we were in a bar and Vern after a lengthy speech was told that he had put a bet on with that bloke over there. (tic-tac).
Mick Constable i-corps The most laid back bloke I ever met, even for the i-corps.
Nick Saye - Squadron clerk. I remember being with him and a few others in Berlin (another hockey match). We were in a bar in Charlottenberg (grotty Charlotty) and Nick was just about to take a drink when he saw dirty movies being displayed on the wall.
His eyes got huge and the beer was poured down his shirt front. I think we were asked to leave.
I remember a lot of people from 225 and 13 sigs at the time but in the mists of time I have forgotten their names. I can only apologise to them and say thank you (to some of them) for my education and enlightenment.
The work at Langeleben was always interesting. I ended up doing the i-corps job. They said they didn't have enough people so I was taught how to do it. I was supposed to learn to drive at 225 but got posted to 223. I was also supposed to learn to drive there as well but they sent me to Ireland instead.
I'll go back through the history and try and remember some more people and write to you again
Eddie
shorep
Blimey,that 225 langley place sounds a bit of a dump full of dodgy characters,some wore wellies I've heard.
paul croxson
DAVE, CAN YOU NOT CONVINCE HIM WRITE SOMETHING FOR THE HISTORY?
His brain seems remarkably unscathed bearing in mind how alcohol seems to appear in nearly every one of his little tales. I hope tom is reading this so that he extracts all the I Corps names for the list. He is doing a grand job!
marleneandgypo
The tip of Eddie's head can be seen (you guessed it) here in the Naafi bar to the right, I know because I took the photo.
His name is Eddie Bellerby and we exchanged e-mails just a couple of weeks ago when he corrected me over the song I had said in my memoirs in the history 'Behind the Naafi counter' was 'Trains and Boats and Planes' when Eddie quite rightly said it was 'Leaving on a Jet Plane.'
Eddie, despite his rants of drunken nights, was in fact a true blue gentleman. he should indeed come on over here as me and old Gypo know him, as does Bill Fry and Robbie McCallum and others who served a little later in the late 60s and early 70s. I'll have a word. He owes me for nicking my cufflinks before I left
Blimey,that 225 langley place sounds a bit of a dump full of dodgy characters,some wore wellies I've heard.
