16 year old son starting his army training help!

cazboxx

Hi,

My son has just completed his phase one training at AFC Harrogate and it was the best thing he could of done.

Daz-MoneySE

If you're really skint, there's no reason why your son can't help you out with getting down for his passing out parade. He should be clearing approx £770 p/m in basic training without much chance to spend a lot of it.

Good luck to him hope all is going well

big-jay

loulou88 wrote: »

He asked to go to Harrogate. He didnt get in there ,he got Winchester.
This is a great shame as it would make it easy for me visiting as my parents live an hour from there. I could have possibly taken him too. Or even granny could have taken him. We live on the Isle of Lewis in the outer Hebridies.
There is no way I can afford to take him down to Winchester or visit after 6 weeks. It is going to take me all my time to pay to go to his passing out parade after 23 weeks. I' m still not sure I will have enough it is £26 ferry £15 bus then £356 train and then taxi to camp then a b & b. I think I may have to check out the megabus.
This is the worse thing the heartbreaking thing realy.
He is 16 and will have no one to visit after 6 weeks when he will need it.
I am a single parent and only work part time as I have a younger daughter to look after.

I so wish that he had gone to Harrogate.

He even has a ferry 3 hours and an hours travel (they are picking him up from ferry) to take his oath then travel home again in 1 day. This is ok but the other travel is bad
He has to leave here on fiday to get too Winchester camp on Sunday but as this is not possible he will be there on Saturday evening a day before all the others and no parent with him. This makes me very sad. I dont think there is anything I can do though.
At least at Harrogate if I couldn't get there granny or aunty could visit him.

hi just a quick one, have you thought about flying to his pass off as sometimes it is a damn site cheeper and you wont be as tired when you get there. there is an airport near winchester. when i was in basic training we had a guy from lewis that used to fly from the main land down towards london then get the train to Aldershot. Wish your son all the best of British and good luck. he will be fine! all the posts and replies on here will seam insignificant to the cameradery that our troups have and the first time your little boy comes home he will have started to become a man

duchy

He won't be the only one without visitors-some of his fellow trainees will be in the same situation either due to family distance, other commitments. money or for some coming out of care -no family.
I live near a training facility and it's facinating to see these young boys arrive and then see them growing in confidence as training progresses.

little-lou-pink

just thought i'd log in let you all know how things have gone so far.
I have changed my name (my laptop broke couldnt figure iut how to login so started with a new name I was loulou88. sorry for the confusion
My son passed out the last weekend in January:j:j:j:j:j
I made it to see him. I got flights for my self and my daughter fron Stornoway to Edinburgh then to Southampton Then got a tain to Winchster wasan easy but long journey.
I stayed in the travel lodge for £19 a night good but too far out of townwith no car taxi to town £25 ouch.
( I took on extra hours at work to save for the trip and flights)

I gotsome great photos even bought a dvd of the passing out parade.
It was very cold bless them i don't know how they all stood still so long.
The onlybad part of the day was as soon as he was off the passing out square we had to run for his bagsand get a taxi to the airport as the army had booked him on the plane home 12 hours later (he only just made it). I had notbooked that early stayed another few days becauseitwas alot cheaper when i booked the flightsand didn't want to miss any part of the celebration. In the end we both missed the dinner after the parade shame as I was looking forward to meeting all the army folk.
All in all it was a fantasticday.
The latest so far is my son is at his first place of training in Blanford been there a month now and loving it. We miss him terribly still ,but he has bought himself an iphone and goes on bebo most days to talk to my daughter and rings me often.

A few points i'd like to point out
The army did not book my sons luggage on after his passing out and his two large army issued bags cost £90 unfair i say.
The flights booked were atidiotic time my son had to pay £25 for taxi to airport not ableto claim back from the army he was told.
My son loved and still is loving the army and I am so proud.

The very best news is he has just ben given his first placement he got where he wanted CYPRUS:j:j Hes notsure when he will be there but by the end of 2009 he thinks.
Thanks to all who keep up with this blog.
Thanks for all the support
For any parents of new trainees BE PROUD.
:easter:

kaya

My advice to anyone joining the armed forces would be to make sure you like the country your fighting for first, which at 16 is a tad impossible

BettiePage

kaya wrote: »

My advice to anyone joining the armed forces would be to make sure you like the country your fighting for first, which at 16 is a tad impossible

He won't be fighting for any country until he is 18, so I'm sure he'll have made his mind up by then.

hpsaucey

hi. my grandson is do his training in sept and my daughter is buying books of stamps and envelopes/postcards for him now so she thinks he will write if he has them. Whilst being very very proud of him[he is my oldest grandson to my oldest daughter] I am very wary too with all that is going on in the army at the moment and to going abroad. so I hope he does write now and again but will make sure I tell him everytime I see him how much we all love him.

pollyanna78

hi Lou glad he has passed out of phase 1 well my daughter has 6 weeks of phase 2 left she is still loving it and we cant wait to see her finally pass out after 9 months but it has flew in, She hasnt had her posting order yet but hoping to find out after easter leave so we will c lol.

adouglasmhor

kaya wrote: »

My advice to anyone joining the armed forces would be to make sure you like the country your fighting for first, which at 16 is a tad impossible

My advice to you is this is not the thread for that debate.