Are those real bullets?
By
Neil Fincham
RAOC

1974. 39 Brigade armoury, Lisburn, Northern Ireland. I was serving as a photographer with HQNI, and we covered all sorts of stuff across the province. We wore civvies, and were allowed to grow our hair so we would 'blend in' more. We were issued 9mm Brownings, kept in 39Bde armoury, which we were free to draw if we felt our assignment warranted it. We had those bloody awful black plastic shoulder holsters issued, which were so uncomfortable we replaced them with beautifully made chamois leather ones we bought from a little cobblers shop on Donegall Pass in Belfast(!)
 
Anyway, this particular morning, I was in the armoury drawing my weapon, to go on a job in Belfast. I'm standing at the counter, talking to the REME armourer, and shelling the rounds into the pistol mag, and I've got my big furry hooded parka (all the rage at the time) off and shoulder holster on.
 
Just as I'm about to holster the weapon and get out, the door opens and in walks an obviously brand new rupert, a 2Lt., closely followed by a couple of old sweats, Lance-jacks or Corporals, I think. They were from one of the fancy infantry mobs whose cap badge I could never remember. Anyway, this guy was obviously just out of sandhurst. Everything was shiny. he looked at me and the armourer, and then he said "Excuse me, who are you?"
 
"Corporal Fincham, Sir." I answered. "HQNI Photo section." He looked relieved, as though he had been expecting not to understand my answer, but did.
 
He nodded towards my weapon, which I had by then holstered, and was putting my parka back on. "And are those....er......real bullets?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir" I answered, stifling my smiles. He turned to the sweats behind him. "That's it, men! We're here!"

Thats the first time I ever saw the human equivalent of the wavy line mouth expression you see on a Peanuts cartoon - on the faces of the guys being led by this fine example of commissioned Officer!
24145674 Neil Fincham, RAOC