28 June, 2006




Hi,

My name is Bob Howard, and I joined 47 GW Regt. at Crookham from the depot at Arborfield in September 1958 as a driver,
 and took one of the American trucks over to Napier barracks on the advance party. 



Photo: Bob Howard



I was there until September 1960 when I was posted back to Arborfield prior to demob.

I recognised a couple of the names on your site e.g. Reg Elsie, as I was employed on recovery with him and Ron Harmon. 
I also vaguely remember S/Sgt Ramsbottom.

I have now retired to Almeria in southern Spain where I live with Doris, my wife of 44 years.

They were good days, and I enjoyed every one of them, particularly our trips to the Mohne dam, which we used to put 
down as an exercise, and I used to drive the 3 tonner there with the tents and supplies.

I have never come across anyone else from the regiment, but I often wonder about them. There was one chap 
called Kalmeir who was a fitter and he was killed on his motorbike in Fulham the week after his demob. 
I had arranged to meet him when I got out, so it was a bit of a shock. 

I have some photos of those days but at the moment they are in store as we are moving house, but I would be glad to scan 
them and send them to you once we are settled.

Great to check your website out,

Bob Howard.



I remember Kalmeir - in 1960 his bed was opposite mine across the billet. 
He used to carry some exotic photos of his wife 'Chines'. Likeable guy. - JWW



Sat, 30 Dec 2006 17:20:34 +0000 (GMT)


Hi John,

A very happy new year to you and as promised I am attaching a couple of pictures of 47, but I can only do a couple at a 
time as my modem is so slow until I can get a landline.

A bit about me. 

Well when I left, I did 3 years all told, I returned to my home in London and worked as a telephone engineer until I got married. 

I transferred to the post office as the pay was better and worked out of Wandsworth. 

As we could not get housing when the kids came along, I have a son and daughter, we moved to Banbury in Oxfordshire and I worked for Alcan industries 
as a truck driver until 1972 when I bought a boarding kennels and I took up training dogs. I spent the next 
15 years doing this working as a sub-contractor for military, police and other comercial organisations which took me all
over the world. 

I specialised in sniffer dogs mainly, ie. arms and explosives, drugs and gas detection, search and rescue as well as other various duties. 
I did my last 3 years in the U.A.E. in charge of the police dog units in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

I finished in 1987 and came home, sold up and went to work as a driver for Christian Salvesen at Droitwich and we did the 
Sainsbury's contract. I stayed there until January 2005 when I retired and we moved over here to Spain and we live in a 
beautiful village just outside of Almeria called Enix.

My son still lives in the U.K. and my daughter lives and works in Philadelphia where she has been for the last 10 years. 
We have been married for 45 years in March. 

Thats a very brief history, but it has been great.

I must also say that I enjoyed my time with 47 GW. and I would do it all again tomorrow. 



	

Reg and me with the Leyland.
	





Photo: Bob Howard


	

In the picture with a group of us are from the left, Brian Wileman, the o.c.'s driver Ian Heathfield who was a storeman, a
German lad who lived opposite whose name I can't remember, Reg Elsie abusing Barry Davenport and me.


	




Photo: Bob Howard

	
	



I'll send you some more later.

All the very best ,

Bob. 




7 Feb, 2007

Hi all, 

Well at long last the mayor got off his arse and has named our street, so our address is now:

Calle el Cortijillo 10,
Cortijillos del Rey,
Enix,
Almeria,
04729,
Spain.

So you can all send me Xmas cards next year.

All the best,

Bob.