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Junior Leaders Unit
Peoples Stories
Calling All Ex REME Junior Leaders Unit
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Scribe: Capt (Retd) Daniel Scollard-Kerr REME
Every year the old boys of the REME Junior Leaders Unit (JLU) have a reunion, of course COVID prevented a reunion in 2020, however, a small group of now ageing ex boys, some not pursuing a long career in REME and some having a full and colourful career in the Corps, met in the Hilton Hotel in Swindon on Friday the 22nd of October for the 2021 reunion.
On the Saturday some of us took the opportunity to visit the new home of REME at Lyneham and of course we visited the REME Museum, and I have to say what a wonderful experience it was, it brought back many happy memories.
However, it struck me that it is sad that there is no mention of the REME Junior Leaders Unit ever existing, which after all produced some fine Clerks and Storemen, Chief Clerks, Superintendent Storemen, RSM’s and of course Quartermasters, Training Officers and Admin Officers, all of which played a vital role in the Corps.
During our reunion old times were discussed and many old photographs and documents were produced showing how life used to be, so there is a plethora of material out there, if only it could be harnessed and displayed for future Corps members to see, and old members to reminisce about. I have attached a couple of my own, one of me as the Drum Major in 1963 and the other of a Quartermasters reunion where all in the photo were ex JLU QM’s, not forgetting CSM Pete Lillington our Senior Staff CSM at JLU who also became a QM.
So, with that in mind I contacted the Curator of the REME Museum and explained my concern that it would be a shame if we could not recall that there was a part to be played by the Non-Technical members of the Corps, and something from the Corps past that closed its gates in 1965.
I had a very prompt and positive reply, and he suspects that the JLU was not included in the new Museum design because there were no objects in the permanent collection which tell the story. He also suggested that if old colleagues would be prepared to donate some material to the Museum, it would certainly have the potential for a temporary exhibition at the very least.
So, if there are any old JLU boys out there who have anything to contribute, I would be willing to receive and liaise with the Museum and hopefully a display can be arranged. I did notice that there were the old gates to Chepstow Apprentice College on display in the Museum, so maybe someone has ripped out the old doors to Joslin House!!
Contact for Reunion –stuart.mclean@homecall.co.uk
When I was the JLU Drum Major in 1963 JLU Quartermasters reunion in 1986. From left to right, Captains Andy Gills, Andy Anderson,
Derrick Beams, Bob Lamb, Pete Lillington (retired, JLU Senior Staff), Daniel Scollard-Kerr, Fred Obrastoff-Rutinsky, Trevor Gogin and John Payne
