Cub trip
Cub trip to Aldershot army days.

Lots of fun running about with tanks and guns and assault courses and things.

One display had a big collection of weapons to play with - pistol, rifles and machine guns. No ammo, obviously, but the squaddie in charge was enthusiasticly showing us eight-year old psychopaths how to cock a light machine gun and pull the trigger. Clackety clackety clack.
That was great.

Later on that day, me and five or so mates were clambering over an armoured car thing, which had a machine gun mounted on the top of the turret. Ah cool, thinks me, I know how to work these now. So I pulled back the charging handle and pulled the trigger.

Clackety clackety clackety. No ammo in it, of course, but by some complete conicidence of timing an old 1940s barrage balloon on the other side of the field chose that moment to catch fire.

I was CONVINCED I'd just shot it down.

The squaddie looking after us, the bastard, must have seen the look on my face and said something along the lines of 'ooooohh, you lot are in big trouble...if anyone finds out..'

Even though I had been the one pulling the trigger, all five of us were fulling shitting ourselves now.

'mister, please don't tell on us'.

The squaddie goes very serious and says
'ok lads. But you must never tell a soul about this.'

We solemnly nodded, and none of us EVER mentioned it. Not even to each other. On the trip home the other kids were talking about how cool it was when that balloon caught fire.

We never said a word.

I was about 14 before I realised that the bastard was teasing us and there was no way on earth I could have shot that bloody thing down.

I don't like guns now.
(inflateable, Tue 12 Dec 2006, 17:23, Reply)