This image shows the 5th Battalion D.L.I. Norton at Whitburn camp in 1957.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
This image shows the 5th Battalion D.L.I. Norton at Whitburn camp in 1957.
Picture Stockton Archive 
These Officers were with the Cadets for many years though when you went to Stanhope Camp Bill Crossen would be Major. As a wartime Army Cadet February 1942 to 1947 I knew most of them.
The Major was Mr Downs who retired and we got Captain Fiddes, he was the foreman of ICI foundry, Captain Collet had his own transport business, Captain Rigg a school master. Bill and Bob Percy ICI workers and Bill Crossen a boilermaker. RSM Barney Brooks was the regular RSM in charge of Norton Drill Hall. Many of the older Cadets were called up during the war and there was always a waiting list especially to join the Peacocks in the band where Gus Howells started. We did many camps at Whitburn Ranges, I learned to fire the Bren gun there, saying that, the range faced out to sea and any tardy fishing boats soon scattered when I got on the Bren. The older Officers with the help of Cadres of Regular troops from Catterick or Brancepeth gave us very good training, on the day I joined up at Brancepeth with my friend Dennis Goldsbrough also a long time Cadet we were made Squad leaders, we had Cert “A” parts one and two knew all the bugle calls and how to handle weapons safely, all thanks to our Cadet Officers. They did a wonderful job instilling discipline in a gang of unruly lads, also gave us a sense of purpose sadly lacking in some these days.
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Ivan (Jack) Pearce, back row 4th from the right, was my father. He also ran the Army Cadet group at the Victory Hall, Haverton Hill for a number of years, late 50s/early 60s. In the early 60s the Cadet group moved to a new purpose built building in High Clarence.
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S.M.I. Ronnie (Gus) Howells, Lt Garner, 2nd Lt Todd, LtR Percy, 2nd Lt Pearce, 2nd Lt W Crossen, Lt Simpson, R.S.M. B Brooks, Capt Collett, Major J Fiddes, Capt H Rigg, S.M.I. K Lloyd, S.M.I. V Brooks, S.M.I. G Watson, R.S.M. Pearson, S.M.I. M Corner.
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My dad was William Crossen, I am Bernard Crossen and remember going to Norton Drill hall on a Sunday morning,I will have been 12 years old, also going to weekend camp at Stanhope in 1964/5.
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