Chapter 3, 'My Life During WW2 – My Call up and Training' from Fred Kingdom's memoir 'Looking Back Over Time'. Fred Kingdom was conscripted into the British Army at 18 years old, reporting to Beverley Barracks in East Yorkshire on 17 December 1942. Leaving home just before Christmas was emotional, especially for his mother, who was haunted by the loss of her brother in WWI. Fred's initial six-week training was gruelling, with harsh conditions, strict discipline, and physical hardship, but it transformed him into a capable soldier. Although he hoped to join the Royal Corps of Signals, he was assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps and trained at Catterick Camp as a tank gunner/operator. Life at Catterick emphasized discipline, spit-and-polish standards, and technical tank training on Matilda and Churchill tanks. Fred also briefly participated in a boxing tournament, which he found daunting but memorable. Overall, his military initiation was tough but formative, preparing him for the challenges ahead in World War II.