Tom - 85 DEC 95

Maj Tom H Styles wrote from Bucks. In brief, he served with 1st Bn The Royal Norfolk Regiment in Germany 1947, Depot 1948, was IO in Korea, Boxing Officer in Hong Kong in 1953 and appears in a 1954 Hong Kong photograph in the 'History of the Royal Norfolk Regiment 1951-1969', Volume IV by Maj Bob Godfrey MC BA..
Succeeding Maj Ben Chapman as OC Training Wing at the Depot in 1955 he then went as Adjutant to the first regular battalion of the Singapore Army before rejoining the 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment, in Berlin, thence to Dovercourt and Guyana. As an East Anglian he went to the Depot in Bury St Edmunds, 4th/6th Lincolns TA then back to Singapore before resigning after the Wilson cuts.

Trevor Hart and Tom
'in some dive' in 1952

Barrie Davis and Tom in Malay Regt Songko's leaving UK to return to Malaya 1951

Hong Kong 1952-4 1st Bn Water Polo Team

Singapore 1958 with Harold MacMillan

He recalls, 'John Berney, Frank Fleming, Rick Oddie, Whiskers Wormald (KIA), Ben Chapman, Tony Towell, Peter Raven, Winkie Fitt (d 1997) and the D Coy rum (Mr Fitt - you have 3 references to your illustrious past in these pages. We need to hear from you! Ed.)
And Nulty Murdock - just who did burn his dugout?
The K Force men from Ireland, Derek 'Wooffer' Bloomfield (d 1993 )and his ever increasing transport platoon, Gerry Hollerman and the US 8055 MASH and my Int Section will always be part of a never to be forgotten past.
They were the 9th and remembered together with a host of Holy Boys whose names never seem to appear in our newsletter.'

He says, 'I am proud and privileged to have been a member of the 9th of Foot. Sorry, not the East Anglians - or as Arthur Campbell deemed them to be, `The Vikings’ - nor the Royal Anglians. Not my scene I regret to say. Britannia was my cap badge and my first loyalty was always going to be to the 9th.'
In the June B&C were accounts of the DV Club, Kohima weekend and War veterans tour and Maj Styles asks: 'Did the Regiment cease to exist after WW2? What of the Berlin blockade, Korea, Cyprus etc. Have we no clubs/groups for them? If not, why not? Don't let us allow the Royal Norfolk part of the Regimental Association just slip into the inevitable oblivion because of lack of effort on the part of, dare I say it, the younger elderly element.
So let us make the most of what time we have left
If my idea has merit then I am more than prepared to have a go at the 'Butcher's Apron Brigade' in trying to bring as many as possible of those old warriors together.
What say you?'

Tom Hong Kong 1950s