2013
 |
PLEASE QUOTE REF: re13p_088 |
| Cutting from Surrey Times - April 10th. 2013 |
|
| Reunion brings back fond DofE memories |
| By Nick Edmondson |
| A 65-year-old former soldier and Surrey Policeman joined a group of his fellow Duke of Edinburgh veterans for a reunion mountain hike. |
| Brian Marjoram, formerly of Onslow Village, Guildford, was one of a group of ‘ex-boy soldiers’ who earned their DofE awards in the 1960s during their time at the Tonfanau Army camp in Wales. |
| The group, members of the All Arms Junior Leaders Regiment, all of whom are now over 60 years old. Planned to climb the 2,927-foot Cadair Idris, in Snowdonia, to mark their 10th reunion, joined by 15 young DofE participants and their headteacher from the Ysgol Dyffryn School in Carmarthenshire. However, extreme weather conditions meant the group was unable to safely reach the summit. Despite this, Mr Marjoram said the expedition was still a success. |
 |
| The climbers, including Brian Marjoram front right, prepare to set out on their reunion hike. |
| He said: “It’s always good to meet up with the guys again. It’s always great to pull our group back together and all the same old war stories come up. |
| “It’s good to see the Duke of Edinburgh still being so popular with the youngsters. |
| “A big part of my training was just getting out there and walking the mountains, and I still enjoy it today. I learned a lot with the DofE and it’s great to see the young generation carrying on. |
 |
| Brian Marjoram (back row, second from right) with the All Arms Junior Leaders Regiment in 1963. |
| “I went up the mountain alone because I was worried we might have to call the group climb off. It was pretty bad when I went up with drifting snow and wind at around 50mph. There was nobody else there at all. |
| “We may be older but we can still manage a mountain walk. In fact it’s actually a bit easier than it used to be . Back when we used to climb the mountains we would often be carrying fence posts or building materials to keep the landowners happy. |
| “We just had our Army uniforms, hobnailed boots and a plastic poncho for waterproofing. Now we have all the fancy gear, so it’s not much harder really. |
| “These kids have a lot more health and safety rules to abide by so I suppose in some ways things might be harder for them. A lot has changed over the years. |
| “The DofE provided me with the foundations to gain particular qualifications in the adventure training area and the ability to impart these skills to younger generations much later. |
| “We hope that this reunion will help to inspire young people to connect with the experiences we gained and follow their own journey.” |
If you have any reunion photos I would love to show them.
Email the Webmaster
