‘Mother sell the pig and buy me out’: Former armed servicemen from Dudley speak of their war experiences
Former servicemen with Dudley Council connections met up to mark Remembrance Sunday and talk about time on the front line.
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Councillor Jason Griffin, who represents Wollaston and Stourbridge Town, served in the RAF police for 23 years and was deployed in Kosovo, the Falklands, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.
Councillor Griffin joined former soldier Alderman Ken Finch who was stationed in Korea for 15 months with the North Staffordshire Regiment in 1953 after being called up for national service aged 18.
Alderman Finch, who spent 40 years as a Dudley councillor and recently celebrated his 90th birthday, was first based in Italy before being sent to Asia.
He said: “I was initially stationed in Busan, Korea which was quite sad due to the poverty the people were forced to live in as following the ongoing conflicts, it was left a shanty town.
“It was depressing to see, in fact many of the soldiers coined the phrase ‘Mother sell the pig and buy me out’ to express just how hard the conditions were.”
Alderman Finch and his regiment were sent to the notorious 38th parallel which separated north and south Korea to relieve the Gloucester Regiment which had lost over 600 men during fighting in the region.
Alderman Finch said: “Conditions there were so harsh, temperatures were so low you often woke up with icicles hanging from your eyebrows, but I thoroughly enjoyed the comradeship.’’
Councillor Griffin said: “It was an honour to do active service and now it is an honour to have met Ken.
“His kind of soldier have been the trailblazers and role models for people like me.”
Alderman Finch added: “In my 90th year, I am so heartened that younger veterans like Jason still care for those who have served in the armed forces, no matter where or when, and I look forward to hearing how he gets on.”
