Don Chapman

Musician

Somerset LI, SCLI, 1st LI, Sgt on retirement.

My Service Life

June 1949 enlisted to the Somerset LI at Bordon, Hants. as a band boy under Bandmaster 'Dinty' Moore. 1952-53 Pupils course at RMSM Kneller Hall. Then to Malaya to rejoin Battalion. Involved with Battalion Swimming and Water Polo which continued throughout my service with the SCLI and 1LI. I seem to remember Nelson Bassett as part of the team. I received the LS&GC medal from Field Marshall Lord Harding on the formation of The Light Infantry. Retirement came later that year on reduction of establishment.

On retirement I worked for 10 years as Sales Manager in Radio and TV trade, in 1978 my wife and I took up a position as Senior Resident Caretakers at Sutton High School forGirls, where we stayed until I had to take early retirement following a serious shoulder injury, returning to my family home in Clevedon. Somerset. We downsized in 2006 to a small bungalow nearby where we are to this day.

WO's and Sgts Mess Gibraltar

WO's and Sgts Mess Berlin

Band &Bugles Main Street Gib

Band & Bugles Gib

Mounting Guard at Convent Square Gibraltar

Beeg Smith & Opus Tune

Bugle Major Ray Smith

Bill Bailey, David Wastie & Tom Bradley

BM. Peter Parkes, Puddle , Opus & Taffy

Don Chapman

- - Pete Smyth

Don Chapman, Bill Bailey & David Wastie

Don Chapman & Room Mates, includes Mike Dyer, Ebling, and Graham (Milly) Miles

Eddie, Keith, Tom & a bevvy of Beauties

Donald at Singapore 1953

Gerry Hill

Who are these officers ?????

George Gillard, Gordon Flowers & Donald Chapman, Trafalgar Square 1950's

Clobber Cleaves

HMT Empire Test

Early army days

Jean & Charlie Feather - RSM Ken Bartlett

LCpl Alan Collins Mercer Barracks Osnabruck

Gordon Besford

Don at Gravesend

Mess Dinner - Mitzi, Gerry, Shirley , Don & Dog Steane

Military Tattoo at Arnhem

SCLI Band at Voss

Who is this Officer ?

Paddy Padfield & ?

Paddy Padfield & Don Chapman

Paul Clements

Pete Spurrs Funeral KL Malaya 1954

Pete Spurrs Grave Kuala Lumpur Malaya 1954

Puddle Poole

RSM Jan Passmore and Gwen

SCLI Band

Yanto Kemp and SCLI Band

SCLI BAND at WSM

SCLI Band & Bugles at Weston Super Mare

SCLI Band & Bugles in Paris 1961

SCLI Band & Bugles Osnabruck 1961

SCLI Band & Bugles Paris 1961

SCLI Band under BM Parkes

SCLI Band in Concert Berlin

SCLI Band in Concert Berlin

SCLI Band Playing out

SCLI Band, Wells Cathedral Lawn

B.M. Peter Parkes & SCLI Band

SCLI Band at Arnhem Cemetery

SCLI Bugler - what is his name ?

SCLI in Mufti

Band Ready for the 'Off'

SCLI Small Dance Band

Som L.I. Band @ Plymouth

Somerset L I Dance Band

Somerset LI Band and Bugles return from Malaya

Somerset LI Dance Band Malaya 1954

Taffy & Opus

Terry & Virginia Jury's wedding

Band & Bugles SCLI at Osnabruck

Trevor Hosking & Tom Bradley

Tom Bradley Eddie Brown & Keith Savage

Tom, Eddie & Don

Trudi Bourne, Shirley Chapman, Mavis Poole, Pat Tune & Jan Passmore - in the rear Paddy Padfield and Stan Templeman

Bandmaster Moore - Somerset LI

Band at Play

Army Days - Malaya - Don & Frank

SCLI Band at Voss

War Graves at Arnhem

War Graves at Arnhem