| SUMMER 1963. |
| THE DRIVING AND MAINTENANCE WING. |
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| PLEASE QUOTE REF: lead036 |
| "...with no risk to themselves or to other road users." |
| This wing, which instructs Junior Leaders in Driving and Maintenance, is the only military training wing in the Regiment which is staffed by both military and civilian instructors. The military instructors, all of the Royal Army Service Corps are Capt Goddard, Lt Gillies and Sgt James. The twelve civilian instructors are qualified and the Driving Instructor Supervisor, Mr. Tucker, has been teaching Army personnel to drive for over fifteen years. |
| LUCKY THIRTEEN? |
| Junior Leader of the RA, RASC and RMP are taught to drive up to the standard of the civilian driving test. They also learn the basic mechanical and practical theory of the motor vehicle. All the driving insruction is give on thirteen one-ton vehicles which means that takes a Junior leader longer to learn to drive than it would in a civilian car. It also means, however, that he is able, once he has been taught, to drive almost any type of vehicle without further prolonged instruction. Because in this country a person must be seventeen years old before be can drive on the highway, Junior Leaders are only able to come to the wing on one day a week in their last term in the Regiment and so have to work quite hard to obtain a coveted licence in the very limited training time available. Each Junior Leader has to complete a minimum of thirty hours of driving under instruction before being considered for a test. |
| BACK TO THE NURSERY |
| We are fortunate in having at Tonfanau a nursery circuit. On the other side of the railway, the roads connecting the old gun emplacements provide an ideal place for Junior Leaders to learn and practise the elements of steering and gear-changing with no risk to themselves or to other road users. When the instructor feels that the learner is safe to go out on the public roads, the first drive undertaken is to Aberdovey. The drives are gradually extended up to an all-day drive of up to 230 miles. Two long night-drives are also included in the course. |
| The Mechanical Theory, Servicing and Highway Code are taught in the Wing lecture rooms which are slowly being built up and it is now possible to give comprehensive instruction in all aspects of a driver's trade. Trade Testing within the Regiment is not allowed but the majority of Junior Leaders should have little difficulty in passing the basic trade test in man's service. |
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