12. Education
The Army sought to ensure its soldiers met a minimum educational standard. At Stanley Barracks in Hong Kong, I recall a Royal Army Education Corps Sergeant who taught classes to some of the Regulars and perhaps national servicemen on basic literacy. And if a soldier was not already in possession of it, or its equivalent, an Army Certificate of Education was required for advancement.
Nevertheless I found some junior NCOs with perhaps an inferiority complex and a lower standard of education, resented some national servicemen with their higher educational standards, their civilian attitudes, and the ways that they retained. These NCOs enjoyed putting them down these national servicemen whenever they had the opportunity. One soon learned not to answer back and to keep out of their way. If one did attract their ire, one’s name could too readily come to their mind for a disagreeable task and you finished up detailed for it.
The RAEC sergeant also gave talks on current affairs which we sometime attended, but as I recall they were not well prepared or presented. At least we were sitting down in the shade, and not out on fatigues so that was a benefit. He also ran a library which we used.
In a broader sense being in the Army was an education in itself. It did not necessarily fit you to a return to civilian life, but it could provide a useful skill to those unskilled on entry such as driving or maintaining a motor vehicle. For others, as in my case, the surveying training and practical experience I gained I was able to turn to advantage. I did this immediately in a job I got on leaving. Then later in management of a busy professional office, I applied the long learned lessons, under Army taskmasters of the practical usefulness of a drill and a proforma for every routine task.
It was, theoretically possible to continue studies though a correspondence course. The barrack room and our duties ruled that out.
13. Boredom
This is part and parcel of military life. But it depends on what you mean by being bored. I never was at a loss to employ my own time. What I felt was the futility of much army employment, and the waste of time involved. The menial fatigues are an example of this, which I resented. To that extent I was ‘bored’ by them, and the like repetitive chores.
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