By Terence Barnes.
A grandfather who drank alcohol from a bicycle inner tube, my father having episodes on par with Inspector Clouseau, as a teenager running riot around the streets of Ipswich, having teachers bordering on the psychotic that gave out physical punishment at will (including a nun) and football thugs as mentors, all prepared me well for a life in the military. I joined the Royal Marines at the age of sixteen, earning my coveted Green Beret as a naive virgin (in many ways), all before I was legally allowed to vote and drink beer! In 40 Commando Royal Marines I had unique experiences I could have never dreamt of as a child. I was to be in the first landings and the last firefight during the Falklands War, served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Belize to name but a few. After leaving the Royal Marines Commandos’ I had a career in teaching for twenty-three years and have included a small section on this. Some stories are humorous, some sad and others thought provoking; I hope you enjoy!