pre Officer Cadet Training Unit [pre-OCTU]

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by magpie1944, Apr 15, 2013.

  1. magpie1944

    magpie1944 Junior Member

    For some years I have been researching the history of the 148 Training Brigade [aka Wrotham Camp] which was on the site of what is now Vigo Village and the surrounding area. We moved to Vigo some thirty years ago and stories abounded as to what was there during the war but I could find very little official information. Some records were found at the Record Office at Kew and at the Imperial War Museum but after asking for information on Ceefax and various British Legion and military veterans sites the bulk came from men who were there at the time.
    This camp operated from 1942 to 1946 and was built on the area formerly part of the old Waterlow Estate bought in the 1930’s by a Mr Shamoon.
    The camp was a pre-Officer Cadet Training Camp [pre-OCTU] and was the largest of its type in the world with up to 10,000 men at its peak.
    My research also concerns the post-war use of the site by squatters from 1946 to the mid to late 1950’s and its eventual demolition and then the planning and development of Vigo itself.
    Should anyone have any information or details of anything related to my research I would be extremely interested to hear from you whether it be written, photographic or verbal, even the smallest details add to the story.
    A precis of the history can be found on Vigo Parish website on http://www.vigo-kent.org/History.htm
    Paul.
     
    CL1 likes this.
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Paul thank you for posting
    Regards
    Clive
     
  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Paul, are you aware of this extract from WO 27/36 Training in the Army?

    148 1.JPG 148 2.JPG 148 3.JPG 148 4.JPG 148 5.JPG

    No local detail but a good summary of its purpose.
     
  4. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Magpie.

    Did six weeks at Wrotham Park Camp on pre-OCTU training in late 1942. Can't remember much about the site, we didn't have much time to look around! It had a notorious 'death valley' assault course . . .

    They had the mad practice of one (or was it two) days a week when from first thing in the morning to 1800 hrs you had to double up (break into a run!) the moment you left your hut no matter where you were going, breakfast, latrines, or training.

    I was glad when the saw weeks were up!

    Joe Brown.
     
  5. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Joe
    Nearly ended up there in '43 as six of us "volunteered " two were RTu's - simply because I couldn't spell the word reconnasi /// recce soon enough for the little fat major and the brigadier agreed just as well as three of the one who were

    accepted and one RTu'd were KIA - Rex became a major after one week at Cassino - nine of his battalion's survivors went home with the colours and never left the UK again becoming a training Officer - some things happen for the best

    Cheers
     
  6. Test profile

    Test profile Junior Member

    Test
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  7. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Tom.

    We might have met up! It was not a very happy place and cannot remember making close friends but kept together through the misery of it all. There were quite a number of 'RTUs'.

    I will not forget one of the Staff Sergeants, I won't name his Regiment, but I had to fill out a form in which I was required to provide the name of my Unit and wrote down '8th Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)'. He sent for me and in angry tones told me not to be so bloody stupid as I couldn't be in two Units, and to bloody well amend the form by deleting one or the other! I knew he was too dumb to try and explain, so deleted the distinction 'The Royal Regiment' granted by King George V on the 300th Anniversary of when The Royal Scots were founded in 1633.

    Glad, if surprised, to get to the 64 OCTU at Morecambe and enjoyed my time there. Was Commissioned back into the Regiment, but served with a different Battalion.

    Regards.
     
  8. magpie1944

    magpie1944 Junior Member

    Idler,
    Thanks for the info although I have recorded this on one of my visits to Kew some [many] years ago.
    If anyone wants a copy of my research please contact me on paulbaylis[at]yahoo.co.uk and I'll be happy to email a copy.
    Paul [magpie1944].
     
  9. Tom Canning

    Tom Canning WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Joe -
    Know the feeling as I once had an RSM with whom I had a long semantic time when my kit was lost - on returning from leave - I made the mistake of telling him that I FOUND my kit to be LOST....that did it.....and it took a while for him to

    grasp the true meaning...

    Cheers
     

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