Bill Hartland's Achievements

Dear Richard,

You may or may not know that I was invalided out of the Band Service, suffering with Bells Palsy. This was a terrible blow to all concerned at the time, and so I was tossed onto the civilian work place without a job, house or home to accommodate my wife and family.

Chancing upon an advert which came with the opportunity of accommodation, I seized upon it and without too many hopes at being successful, applied to join the Prison Service. I was successful in my application, and started work at HMP Exeter, then went for Training as an Officer to Wakefield. Thanks to my Service Experience and a helping of Nous, I managed to pass the examinations and was posted to Pentonville, and then to Wormwood Scrubs, before eventually being reunited with my family back in Exeter. I had some happy experiences at that posting, and passed the Civil Service Exam for Senior Officer, and was subsequently posted to Shrewsbury Prison, where I undertook various In-Post Appointments as Control Room Officer, Observation and Classification Officer for Long Term Prisoners, and additionally was also the Legal Aid Officer.

Much later, following my various experiences in fixed posts, I found myself as the Regional Training Officer for Legal Aid and Appeals, tutoring Officers new to the position, in how to deal with prisoners and their legal aid applications, and how to apply for a Solicitor. Later again, I found myself in the position of Clerk to the Governor responsible for many things, but prominently, responsible for the adjudications on offending prisoners. It was when the Service became salaried that things began to crumble for me, and my thoughts turned to thinking of taking early retirement. I took retirement at the end of my contract, and had some time to myself and my wife, until boredom set in, ( I was much too young to retire really) and so I turned to voluntary work.

I became secretary to the Trustees of the Mobility Information Service as I had some keyboard skills and a lot of integrity and the acumen needed to do the job. I was at this time a Director of a National Car Club, and the National and Regional Events Co-ordinator. It was through my connections in the Car Trade that I was approached to work for my last employer as a Quality Auditor. That was in the days on BS5750, and later as the Standards Co-ordinator under the auspices of ISO 2000. I attach a picture of my friend and colleague of when we were judges in a Concours Competition for the Volvo Owners Club. (This article was published in the Professional, a Volvo Company Magazine for Volvo Staff.)

Now, I have again retired to the West Country to settle down, and have become active in Village Life, being on the working group of the Parish Plan, Vice Chairman of the RBL, dog walker for my grand-daughters dog, and editor of the HMS Gambia Association Web Site. I have managed to visit old friends and distant relatives in Australia and New Zealand a couple of times, but now due to ill health, it appears that my gallivanting days are over, but it has been a great run over the last seventy years! I dare say that I would never have achieved any of the above had I not benefited from my association and membership of the RM Band Service.

Yours aye,
Sincerely,

Bill Hartland