1956

Never Trust
An Old Soldier

By Ray Alcorn

This incident involves the Battery Sergeant Major of the School of Artillery, Warrant Officer Class Two, Bull Story, Gunner Allen Singh and myself.   The incident took place at the School of Artillery, North Head, Manly NSW somewhere between January and March 1956.

I was attending a Corps training course at North Head after just completing my recruit training at Kapooka in late 1955.

During Corps training the recruits were put together for the day with some "old soldiers" who were re-enlisting and doing a gunnery refresher course.   We were moving "25 pounders" around the gun park when one of the "old soldiers" asked Gunner Singh and myself to help move the gun by the two of us jumping onto the barrel and balancing the gun so it would move easily.   Gunner Singh and I obligingly did this.   Within seconds, this great booming voice echoed across the parade ground and into the gun park "you two men on that barrel report to the BSM on the double."

As Gunner Singh and I doubled down to the BSM's office we could hear the laughter of the "old soldiers" behind us.   I knocked on the BSM's door and this great booming voice said "come in".   As we entered we noticed that the BSM was busy with another person in the room.   Bull Story with a very loud and gruff voice said to Gunner Singh "who are you?", Gunner Singh replied that he was "Gunner Singh".   Without a moments hesitation Bull Story yelled at him, "I don't care if your gonna dance, get out".

We immediately left and returned to the gun park and never heard another word about the incident except for the "old soldiers" wanting to know what happened.