Quote from DavidFullard on January 22, 2024, 5:18 pm

Chester Price [R.I.P.] Bob Price was known to everyone by the sobriquet Chester or Chesty, the former after his birthplace the latter after his prodigious chest. I only ever knew him on the Provost. He must have had a 60” chest and I once watched him playing for 3DG in goal, in Muenster, taking cannon ball shots at goal on his chest. Bob Price was almost a regimental institution. A formidable drinker he was not adverse to inviting the biggest guy in the bar to a fight when enough beers had been sunk. Despite that trait Chester had a huge heart, he was a hugely loyal regimental character and very funny man. I had occasion to hit him with a bumper on the head one afternoon in Herford when he appeared at the guardroom on his day off ‘hammered’ as they say. John Holden, Provost Sgt, told me to take him round the back of the guardroom to the provost rooms to sleep it off. Chester accompanied me willingly….until we were alone in the back when he demanded I fight him. I was reluctant to do that but he insisted and it took only a medium blow with a bumper on a half shaft that was fortuitously to hand to subdue him. He awoke ( from the alcohol rather than the bumper strike)  several hours later and gave me a big hug ( which lifted me off  my feet ) before proceeding home to the one person he feared…his wife Pam.

Jack Hughes.: Big Jack was as Welsh as a leek, the red dragon or Cardiff Arms. Standing 6’3” and weighing circa 17 stone Jack presented a formidable presence. I have it somewhere in my mind he once served in the Welsh Guards. Jack was Provost Cpl, along with Chester Price, for most of his career. He always drove really big German cars such as the Opel Admiral he drove 2 miles half on the pavement from the pub back to York Barracks in Muenster. First of several ‘lost driving licences.’ He was a prodigious German Lotto player and was once halfway to the ferry in Holland when he heard the Lotto results on his car radio and realised he had won 10,000 German Marks. That was a lot of money in the late 60s! He never made that ferry! Jack once told me he couldn’t speak English until he was in his teens and ‘claimed’ he could barely do so when he joined the army! As he couldn’t speak Welsh fluently I often wondered how he managed as a young man…but he did! Jack was an occasional regimental boxer, I watched him in Muenster box in the Inter Squadron bouts against Billy Walker, a strong fit guy but nowhere near Jack’s size. For most of the 3 rounds Billy was way ahead until Jack unleashed a huge haymaker/sleep maker….bout over. In the early 80s whilst OO ( I was a S/Sgt) we were called by the RMP to collect Jack who was ‘being held’ by 5 RMP outside a German pub near the MQs. I decided I would go alone. When I arrived  ‘on scene’ Jack was stood back to the wall surrounded by 5 RMPs being coaxed by a RMP Sgt to ‘come quietly’. Jack had other ideas. I asked the RMP Sgt if I could persuade Jack to come back to camp with me ‘under Mess arrest” would that resolve the matter temporarily, he readily agreed. Jack and I were old friends from our Provost days but I was extremely wary of him in his ‘fighting’ mode. Long story short he gave me a hug walked happily with me to my car and with a final profusion of profanities to the relieved RMPs accompanied me back to camp as meek as a lamb, Jack left the army quite soon after that and in true ‘Jack’ style had to get someone to drive his car to the Dutch border as he had lost his licence again. Word has it Jack became a taxi driver in Catterick after leaving the army…others may know better. I heard Jack had died, if I am wrong I’m sure he will let me know! Jack was a great man to have as a friend …….not so as an enemy!

Footnote: During the 60s/70s, maybe a bit beyond, recreational  life in BAOR for most soldiers was mainly  ‘beer based’ I recall. A heavy drinking culture prevailed amongst many single soldiers often out of boredom. Chester and Jack were old school ‘squaddie’, play hard, live hard. I’m sure other have interesting stories about these 2 Regimental Characters.