Readers' letters: Memories of Preston's Army Recruiting Office

Seeing the picture of the old Army Recruiting Office on Fishergate in the LP brought back fond memories (LP Looking Back, January 26).
The Army Careers Offices, Fishergate, Preston, in 1981.Photograph by Beth Hayes and comes courtesy of the Preston Historical Society and Preston Digital Archive.The Army Careers Offices, Fishergate, Preston, in 1981.Photograph by Beth Hayes and comes courtesy of the Preston Historical Society and Preston Digital Archive.
The Army Careers Offices, Fishergate, Preston, in 1981.Photograph by Beth Hayes and comes courtesy of the Preston Historical Society and Preston Digital Archive.

I left school in Blackpool at the age of 15 in 1961.

Without telling my parents, I caught a train to Preston and walked up Fishergate to the Army Recruiting Office and joined the Scots Guards.

Of course I had to get permission from my parents but on September 10, I was at Pirbright Barracks doing my basic training.

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Roll on to 1967 and I found myself back at Fishergate on recruiting duties.

On February 14, I attended a Scots Guards dinner dance in the function room above the Vic and Station Hotel, just across the road.

There was a young lady working there and by the end of the evening, I found out she was called Sandra and had plucked up enough courage to ask for a date.

Seven months later, on October 7, we were married at St Mary’s in Penwortham, and had our reception back at the Vic and Station, joined by friends from the recruiting office.

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We will celebrate our 54th wedding anniversary this year and all thanks to the Army Recruiting Office.

Terry Casey

via email

Naive Basic Income idea wouldn’t work

I carefully read the Notice of Motion and listened to the debate by Preston councillors last Thursday on Universal Basic Income.

The claimed benefits are all open to challenge but neither Labour nor Liberal Democrat speakers addressed the elephant in the room. This is that the ‘state’ (i.e. taxpaying individuals or companies) will need to find £500 per month for around 50 million adults.

According to the Notice of Motion, this will be on top of existing welfare payments – which would prevent any savings of bureaucratic costs.

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This could only be found by either savage spending cuts or massive tax rises – probably both. There would also, of course, be the real risk of inflation taking off.

That the policy is both naive and unworkable is recognised by Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Annelise Dodds.

Corbynism is still alive and well amongst Preston’s Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors.

Neil Cartwright

via email