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By 5 pm the resident apprentices had finished their days work, had their tea and already lit the fires in the central heating system - two coal fired stoves, one by the outside entrance door where I was esconced and the other, half way up the 'ut so a modicum of warmth could be felt on returning.
The BOIARTS had gone off to school for their evening classes, and we now had time to collect our thoughts, make up our beds and introduce ourselves to one another and my fellow class mates in Froby T7 were a very good bunch. We seemed to be from a wide background ranging from Helston in Cornwall myself from Surrey and a couple from Cheshire plus two more that for the life of me I can now no longer remember,
(but then writing this 60 years on it is not surprising)
It was going to take three days for us to shed ourselves of our outer civilian clothes.
DAY TWO started at what was to become the regulation Hour, 0630 or 6-30am in Civilian languge. Reveille, followed by a Duty Divisional Petty Officer charging through the 'uts to the cry of:-
"Wakey Wakey, rise and shine, the mornings fine,come on get out, don't lay about, Hands orf c***s, On socks",
and tipping a bed or two over on a random basis just to reinforce the point to anyone not quick enough to be Upright.
A wash, dress and visit to the "Dining Room" now to be known as the mess hall for breakfast. I use a little artistic licence here for the Menu but it could have been "Devilled Kidneys" on fried bread (which is the polite term for the dish, But something on a raft comes to mind) and yet more bread and butter and large mugs of tea, before being "Fell In" on the parade ground and detailed off to go for talks by the Divisional Officer and Divisionl Petty Officer
The first obstacle was to ensure that one was "Signed On". We were taken in batches before the Officer in Charge of the event, presented with a document and told to "Sign 'Ere" whilst the small print was neatly covered with the blotting paper.
Well I suppose this was an advance from the Press gangs of earlier times
Now as we were drawn from All Walks of life and All parts of Britain, There had to be one who had learned the old addage "Never Volunteer" unless one is fully aware of " All the Facts". So one insisted on reading the small print. This he was denied - result - He recieved a retun rail warrant and was packed off post haste back from whence he came. The Entry was now one less.