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Teenagers queue up to serve Queen and country
MATTHEW Prestwood is 17 and, until recently, his only claim to fame was an appearance on Traffic Cops as a passenger in a stolen car.
He is, or at least was, the kind of disaffected teen with a troubled family life whose future seemed destined to end behind bars
"I was a bit of bad lad," he says, shifting uncomfortably as he talks about his chequered past. "It was a mate of mine who took the car. I told him I wanted to get out, but he just kept driving. We were both arrested and the footage ended up on the television.
"We went to court. I got a one-year driving ban and my mate ended up in prison."
Matthew admits that he had a total disdain for authority, but having spent much of his teenage years doing exactly what he pleased he is now spending his days standing to attention on a pre-selection training course for the Army.
"I left school with enough GCSEs to have got a job of some sort, but I've always wanted to be a soldier," he says. "I want to do something with my life and I want to be where the fighting is."
Known as Pee Wee to the other students on Hull's Quality Personal Development scheme, he already has a suitable Army nickname, but it remains to be seen whether his criminal record will be held against him. The course organisers have successfully appealed on behalf of other teenagers like Matthew, who despite the horror stories of life on the front line, still appear to be queuing up to serve Queen and country.
"When you're in a war, there's bound to be casualties," he adds. "But I try not to think about that side of things too much. I just want to be a part of it."
When the QPD course was first launched, it boasted 17 students. Fourteen months on and there are now 60 on the rolling 26-week programme, and Warrant Officer George Henderson, who works in the city's Army Recruitment Office, remains bullish about the benefits of a career in the armed forces.
"People aren't being put off by any operational commitment," he says. "My son went to Iraq last year and when he came back I asked him how he had found it. He couldn't have been more positive.
"Being in the Army is being a member of a really close-knit group, people support each other like in no other job."
Every year, some 2,500 more personnel leave the armed forces than are recruited.
"I think we'd all admit that retention isn't as good as it should be, but that's less to do with being posted out to Iraq and Afghanistan and much more about the wages. The head of the Army has been very open about the issue of pay and it is something that needs to be addressed, but for many, it still is a career with immense job satisfaction.
"A lot of the youngsters who come into our offices haven't had the greatest starts in life and may have left school with very few qualifications. By putting them on this course we can get a better idea whether they have what it takes to go forward to the selection process and it's also a chance for them to see which role they would be best suited to. It's not just about getting people to sign up for the frontline."
It's easy for cynics to claim that the Army is now attractive only to those with little other option. Certainly, many of those hoping to train as privates struggle to imagine what they will do if they don't make it through the selection process, but there are others, armed with degrees, who have rejected a world of other options for a life in uniform.
"I was in the Army Cadet Corps, loved it and rose through the ranks," says 18-year-old Will Hearnshaw, who is helping out on the QPD course before starting an engineering degree at the University of Sheffield.
"I could have gone straight to Sandhurst for officer training, but I've decided to go to university so I've got something to fall back on.
"My grandad was an RAF pilot and my dad wanted to go into the forces, but was told his arms weren't long enough, so I suppose the Army kind of runs in the family. It's certainly all I've ever wanted to do. After basic training I'll have anything between 100 and 130 men to look after. It's a big responsibility, but that's what the training is for.
"Of course there are going to be some difficult times when you're out on operation, but you don't go into the Army if you want to put your feet up, do you?"
Ian Fraser, who runs the QPD course, says that about 60 per cent of those who have come through the doors have secured a place in the armed forces, with a further 20 per cent leaving to take up a college place.
"The one thing everyone learns is respect and that's something which seems to be missing in society," he says. "They have to address the staff correctly, they're not allowed to slouch around with their hands in their pockets and they have to learn to take orders. "If they step out of line, they're given press-ups. Occasionally you get one who refuses, but the number of press-ups goes gradually up and up, and if they still don't do it, we start picking out others to do the punishment for them. That soon sorts them out. Peer pressure can be a wonderful thing.
"We've had some lads from some of the hardest estates in Hull and it doesn't take long to see them change and they start to enjoy being in a disciplined environment."
Alongside such things as drill practices, fitness tests – and maths and English lessons for those who need to improve their GCSE results – the students also have regular contact with serving soldiers.
"They can tell them what life in the armed forces is really like," says Ian.
"They're not afraid to answer difficult questions, but they also tell them the good stories which don't necessarily make the headlines.
"Our role is to get them through the selection process and help them iron out any potential issues. We look at how fit they are and have helped some of them lose a few pounds, and we can also support them through appeals.
"Some of them have been in trouble with the police or have medical issues which would normally be a black mark against them. We can't win every appeal, but having our backing does help.
"In the worst-case scenario, we are also there to help pick
up the pieces and look at what other options might be available."
Who's who in the army now
Private Ashley Hunter, 17
"I've wanted to be in the Army ever since I was little, but it was my grandad who told me about this course.
"The first few weeks of basic training were hard, but it was worth it. I'm about to be posted to Germany with the Yorkshire Regiment, and while I know I'll miss home, there was nothing to keep me here.
"Everyone is aware of the dangers, but I joined the Army because I want to help bad stuff from happening."
Lauren Odling, 16
"I've got a date for my selection test and I am worried that I'm not going to be ready. The staff here are really good at building up your confidence and I just don't want to disappoint them.
"I went to college for a year to study public services, but it wasn't for me. I've now decided that I want to be a combat
medical technician, which basically means doing first aid and working alongside the surgeons."
Vicky Freer, 17
"I didn't get on very well at school and couldn't wait to leave, but when I did I didn't know where I would end up. I've just been accepted into the Army Catering Corp and for the first time ever I feel I've got a real sense of responsibility here."
Lucy Templeman, 18
"My dad was a bit unsure about me going into the Army as I'm his eldest daughter, but he's been really supportive
"I watch the news and see what's goes on, but you only hear about the bad stuff, you don't get to see them building schools or working with people who are in really desperate situations."
Graham Storey, 17
"I had an apprenticeship as an engineer, but I don't think I would have stuck it out. I'd probably have sat at home playing computer games.
"I've really grown up since I started this course and am just about to start basic training. I've spoken to a lot of soldiers about what it's like and a lot of them say that when they come back on leave they can't wait to get back out there."
Grant Steele, 17
"I've still got a few weeks of Royal Navy basic training left, but now, when I come home, everyone looks really shoddy compared to how they do in the armed forces.
"It's true what they say, they do break you down, but they also build you up again, and out of all my friends I'm the only one who's got decent career prospects."
Private Stuart Hance, 16
"I'm going to be going out to Iraq in either October or November. We haven't been told full details of the operation as yet, except that we will be in Basra city. It's not frightening, it's exciting.
"If I hadn't have got into the Army I would have probably been a bricklayer like my old man. There's nothing wrong with that, but this is better."
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