After returning from another excellent Battalion Camp in Ramsgate it was time once again to arrange our next adventure.
1992 would be even more exciting than the year before as we where taking a longer expedition to the Isle of Guernsey. So the trip,it had to be planned to precision.
Meetings after camp meetings met throughout the following year, Times, number of lads, Officers, Helpers, transport and of course how much will it all cost.
It was arranged that the advanced party would leave Thursday 23rd of July 1992 with a contingent of a mini bus and car, to leave 5th Grimsby Company Scartho at 11.30pm.
The main party would leave 25th July on a coach starting with 10th Hull at Barnetby Top at 4.15am on route to Grimsby via, 6th Grimsby Haven Methodist Church at 4.45am then,
5th Cleethorpes Beaconthorpe Methodist Church at 5.00am, picking up 1st Humberston and 7th Grimsby and 2nd Grimsby at 5.15am Park Congregational Church.
Moving on to Scartho Methodist 5th Grimsby Company at 5.45am. Then finishing up at Lincoln to pick up two Officers. Then the coach onto Weymouth Quay side to join the Condor 9 vessel Catamaran
After the coach was on it’s journey another party of lads and Officers were meeting for there exciting journey to Guernsey by train, first group 5th Cleethorpes Company met at Cleethorpes Station on the 25th July 1992 at 5.50am for the 6.20am train.
First stop Grimsby Town Station to pick up 3rd Grimsby Company and 10th Grimsby who met at 6.05am. Then the long journey to Weymouth Harbour. Time of departure unknown as yet ??. The journey by coach, mini bus and car I have no details of the exciting journey but ours, well.
We started the train journey from Cleethorpes, the train went through, Grimsby Docks, Grimsby Town, onto Brocklesby, Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford, Retford and to Newark Northgate. Leaving Newark onto Grantham, Peterborough were we stopped for a short while. Carrying onto St Neots, Sandy, Biggleswade, Hitchin and a newish town of Stevenage. North-Knebworth, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Brookmans Park, Potters Bar, Hadley Wood, New Barnett, Oakleigh Park, New South Gate, Alexandra P,Hornsey, Finsbury Park and finally finishing at Kings Cross Station.
Now comes the exciting part, getting 4 Officers and 16 lads across London with luggage on the underground to Waterloo Station for the connection.
We made the connection in precision timing, the journey across London to waterloo was brilliant, the lads just took it in their stride while us Officers, well you can image. The public did mention how well behaved the lads were.
We arrived at Waterloo Station to board and leave 11.00 and arrived in Weymouth at 15.22. Because the train stopped travelling direct to Weymouth harbour we all made the trek there on foot. We had plenty of time to kill so we all stopped for a drink. The Ferry (Which was The Condor 8 ) this sailed at 17.00. When we arrived at the harbour the coach party that left before us from in and around Grimsby had not arrived. Not having a mobile phone in them days it was difficult to reach them and find out where they were. It got to around 16.45 and still no sign, but eventually they all arrived safely 10 minutes to spare. They had been held up in a traffic jam near London. We left Weymouth on time and arrived 2 hrs and 18 min later docking at St Peters Port to meet our coach to take us to camp and food .