When the streets were deserted
Back to a time when empty roads were normal
MY friend Tony Roper and his friend Derek Oakley reckon that they are the last survivors of the Territorial Army contingent that was based in the old Tipton TA Drill Hall in Sedgley Road West.
I met them last week and photographed them in front of the building.
Both men are Tipton born and bred. Tony still lives in Tipton but Derek moved ‘over the border’ into Greets Green, West Bromwich.
Service
They were both from families with a history of military service and as young men were also keen to serve.
National Service was being wound down in the late 1950s when they were approaching the eligible age to be called up. Because of this uncertainty, Derek, born in 1939, decided to join the TA in 1957 on reaching the age of 18, only to be called up in 1960 amongst the very last intake of National Servicemen.
The Tipton TA was part of REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) and Derek gained skills in vehicle maintenance at Tipton, which was allocated a number of army lorries, including an AEC Matador, plus an Austin Champ quarter ton 4x4.
The lorries were kitted out with machine tools and workshop equipment to facilitate the practical training.
On being called up for National Service Derek was posted to the British Army of the Rhine in Germany where, based in
Hamelin, he served with REME as a vehicle recovery mechanic.
Tony, born in 1940, was just too young for the callup, so he joined the Tipton TA in 1958 on reaching his 18th birthday. He too trained in army vehicle maintenance.
Shooting range
As members of the TA they would attend the Drill Hall on two nights a week, plus most weekends. As well as the Drill Hall itself, the building housed a small shooting range. It also served as a social club for members, with its own bar and snooker room.
The Tipton Territorial Army unit was wound up around 1960 or 61, although it continued in use for cadet training for about another ten years.
Tony and Derek would like to know if there are any other Tipton TA servicemen still around, or are they the last survivors?
The TA building survived in industrial use after being vacated by the military but today it stands empy and forlorn, seemingly abandoned.
But it represents a significant part of Tipton history and deserves to be brought back to life with a constructive new use. Do any Bugle readers know anything about its current circumstances?
Readers may remember Tony from 2003. He saved the lions from the Sawyers restaurant at Burnt Tree on its conversion to the Toby Inn, and had them reerected on the new island at Great Bridge. I think the Bugle covered it at the time.