Your author, circa December 1984 . . .
. . . looking so young! With everything that's happened in the last 24 months, it's almost as if it's not so much 'a lifetime ago', but several other people's lifetimes!
And, this is the only picture of me in uniform with badging to the Royal Hampshire's, as a few days after this was taken I was cross-posted to the Gloucestershire Regiment and completed my service with them. I was - a year later - offered a return to the R. Hamp's /asked to 're-badge' to the 'Glooms' but declined both options, which pissed my OC off, as while I was happy to serve-on as a Gloucester, and proud too, equally, I was born in Hampshire, lived my first 18-odd years in Hampshire and was recruited from the Channel Islands which was the 'Tigers' area, so my Private's logic rather collided with the Major's view of how things should be done to keep the paperwork clean!
I don't think the Russians lost much sleep over the prospect of meeting me on the North European Plain, do you? But, there's a determination in those eyes . . . or is it more of a "Shit, I actually passed basic'!"?
