We had a Captain, Captain Birchall. He used to come along the ranks and have a look at you and he had some very strong eye glasses. He used to look you all over and up and down and he used to look all over your face to see if you'd had a clean shave.
I remember, this is just a little tale, one morning old Sid and I we were a bit late getting up, scrambling about to have a shave to get away and ooh he cut hisself all over the face. Well, he stood next to me on parade and Captain Birchall come along. He looked all up and down and he had a look at old Sid's face and there was cuts all over it. He said to old Sid, he said, "Well", he said, "You're not clear", he said,"but you certainly made an effort", he said, " you made an effort".
Well I were bubbling a laughing, I held tight I couldn't - don't know how I stood without bursting out laughing . He looked me up and down, “Mm”, he said, "All right"

And then next to me stood another Bradwell chap, old Dick Twigg. Now old Dick was a rather long thin faced with a great big long nose. Now I could see out of the corner of me eye there was a fly running up and down old Dick’s nose. I shall never forget it. And old Captain Birchall, the Sergeant was with him, he stood back and he said, "There Sergeant, there’s a soldier for you", he said, "doesn’t even flinch with a fly on his nose". It were too much for me, I couldn’t stand no more of that. I burst - I couldn't stop laughing. Ooh hell. Old Birchall said to the Sergeant, " Take that man’s name, take his name". He did and I had 7 or 8 days CB* for that.

* Confined to barracks