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The Life Of A Teenager Locked Into 5 Years Of Military Hell

Just how well do we know our work colleagues? Do we really know much about their personal lives?

“Questions that immediately came into my mind when reading about the personal life of someone with whom I have worked on health and safety at national level for many years.”, commented website editor Chris Ingram.

Pic: Steve MannSteve Mann is the day to day CWU face of health & safety within the Telecoms section of the union, and a man many Union Safety Reps have worked with as long as they can remember.

“Steve has always come across to me as a very kind and gentle man, and someone who hides from the limelight and is often not given the credit for the work he does on behalf of the union; by the union’s Branches and officials.

But I never thought about what it was in his life that helped form him, make him the man he is today; but now I know. Even just the title of his new autobiographical book, ‘Sadism, Songs, And Stolen Liberty’ brought a tear to my eye.”, Chris told Unionsafety.

Hidden away on page 10 of the April/May edition of the CWU national publication, The Voice; is the following review of Steve’s book:

‘Where in the World could a 14-year old child apply for a job which they start at the age of 15 with no Way of leaving until they are 27?

Shocking though it new seems, that country was Britain as recently as the ‘swinging 60s‘.

Despite the explosion of individual freedoms and youth expression for which the decade has become synonymous, a cruel relic from a bygone era lingered on in the recruitment practices of the UK armed forces und a which working class boys were
encouraged to apply at 14 - often blissfully unaware that there was no way out once they had reported for duty at the tender age of 15.

One such individual was CWU telecoms health and safety policy adviser Steve Mann.

In his autobiographical first novel, Sadism, Songs And Stolen Liberty: Steve writes about his experience as a boy entrant to the Royal Navy and how despair gave way to anger and then rebellion as the realisation sunk in that he could not escape from a world of arbitrary rules and personal violence.

Pic: Cover of Steve Mann's booklThe book charts Steve’s growing political awareness – sharpened by his personal predicament as a 'reluctant serviceman' and his opposition within the military to the war in Vietnam - and also his involvement in the National Council for Civil Liberties' epic battle to end the virtually press ganging of children.

Steve explains:

"I was in the Royal Navy for 5 years and 93 days which is 5 years and 92 days longer than I wanted to be.

This  was the 1960s. The music was fantastic the fashion fabulous and revolution, freedom and equality were at the top of the political agenda.

However,  it was a also time when working class boys were encouraged to join the armed forces at the age of fifteen - and what many of these boys didn’t fully realise was that once they’d signed on the dotted line there was no way out.

For them the 1960s were not so great and a brutal and sadistic regime
awaited them in their first year of training.

Whilst some boys accepted their fate, others tried to escape.

The people I served with did so in a variety of ways – by pretending to
be daft, punching officials, deliberately disabling themselves or
they just deserted.

As the political and anti-war movements of the 1960s began to influence me, my way out of the Royal Navy wou1d take a different and surprising course."

Sadism, Songs And Stolen Liberty the story of these 'reluctant servicemen’, their hardships and escapades - evocatively set against the unforgettable musical soundtrack of an era.

Steve concludes:
 
"It was these wonderful songs of the 1960s that lifted my spirits. kept me sane and allowed me to mentally escape the worse times. I will be indebted to them forever."

Sadism, Songs, And Stolen Liberty can be ordered either as a paperback (ISBN-10: 1497404436), or a Kindle book from amzn.to/1iZX12g

It is also available for other e-readers, from goo.gl/w2Eocx

The book will also be available shortly from selected independent book stores at the price of £9.99

Readers of The Voice can win a free copy of his book by simply sending in your name and email address to Sadism,Songs And Stolen Liberty book competition, C/O Marcia Murray, CWU 15O The Broadway Wimbledon, London SW19 1RX or via email to: Mmurray@cwu.org by 30th May 2014.

Source: The Voice / CWU

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