12 OFP famous 94 Club.
For those who did not know the unit club named 94 club was open in Feb 1964 and was open only for two nights a week
The 94 Club, it was always in the Attic. The confusion as to it's location is at the time I was there ( see this in earlier note from me ) it was decided to move the club to a central position on a lower floor. One of the Store men a L/ Cpl was a chippy in civvy street and actually built a new bar and padded it out in red with gold studs.
For some reason it was decided not to move it, and it stayed in the attic. The new bar project was just dropped, these things happened in those days.
By 1976, the 94 club had been extended taking up two of top floor barrack rooms. The club it self must have carried on the very high standard of opulence set in your time Kim by 12 OFP who founded the original 94 club, as for just a all ranks boozer, its decor and furnishings was as good if not better than some Messes I've seen. Also for the high standard of Pisshead's, the 94 Club, must be ranked up there with the best! Only one major down side though, all those bloody stares not only doing the beer bar replenishment up then, all 4 floors, but descending pissed was somewhat of an achievement in its self!! Great times spent in the 94 Club, if ever a film was made or a book written about the club, no one would believe it! As some of the things that went on behind the closed doors of the 94 Club are no doubt best left unsaid!
The famous quinquennial Bucket! I was duty Clerk one weekend, and I do remember a session late one Sunday afternoon up in the 94 Club, were young Pte Manning (ex PC&A, but re-traded to Storeman). He was something of a larrilkin, he was Irish and was forever pulling some stunt or other. On this particular afternoon, Mad Max (Cpl MT) beer had been the subject of one of young Manning's pranks, and Max never missing a chance for a bit of fun and to place a bet, he and some of the other lunatic inmates of the 94 Club, grabbed young Manning and taped him to one on the poles with the 4" black masking tape, pulling down his trousers and underpants, placing the bucked in front of Manning and taking bets how long it would be before had to releaved himself! remembering that they had all been on the booze since late morning. I cant now remember who won the bet, but I do remember young Manning getting his own back on Mad Max with the part full bucket, and running like the clappers, as he was a fit wee sod and no way could Max catch him.
Today that type of conduct would be more than just frowned upon. It was a mad mad place, the 94 Club, but it did bond the unit into a great team.
I also have great times in the 94 club was also the bar man for a stint. The PRI stock take in the morning and then the stocking of new bear in the afternoon and arranging for help to carry the stock all the way up to the club. I remember we used to do "come as Ur are court nights" where the committee would go round the pads house's during the week before to try and catch people in all sorts of dress. Major I.D.Moss sat in his house with a sports jacket with patches on it to look all rough like. Never ever caught him out. We had good do's there and lost of fun when they opened the back room to the bar.
My very first unit club in BAOR, 1969. It was after the evening meal so the cook L/cpl met me at the front gate , fed me and then took me straight to the 94 club, where I got totally pissed , I had never had Amstell before but it did't take me long to get used to it. Untill Killer informed me that real men drank Osnabrucker ! enough said.First impressions , killer put some music on the juke box in the back room no money involved as the glass had been removed from the juke box you just leaned in and pressed the levers to get your free music !! At the same time there was a guy sitting at the end of the bar playing the bandit, he had an ashtray full of coins in front of him, I watched him put all his money in the machine and when the ashtray was empty he just opened the front of the machine , filled his ashtray with money and carried on playing the machine, I knew then that I was in a very special place !The only downside was the beer lift, The beer was delivered at the door on the square and it had to be handballed up all those stairs,I'm sure there was less got to the top than started at the bottom !! I can confirm that before I left in 1972 that the 94 club moved to the accomadation floor below it was in one of the barrack rooms at the bottom of the corridor, that is where I had my farewell do.I did hear a rumour that the 94 club went back to its rightfull home in the attic under that onion roof. I do hope so because that is definately where the ghosts of a generation still get ratarsed