Cpl. James Benjamin Johnson
Royal Tank Regiment.
from:Quadring, Lincolnshire
My Grandad, James Benjamin Johnson, always known as Jim, he joined the Army on 7th February 1920, at the age of nineteen, enlisting at Lincoln Inn to the Queens Own 7th Hussars Cavalry Division "The Hussars Of The Line". He had always had a love of horses and had worked as a Groom, Gardener and Chauffeur before joining up. Here are some comments in his service book, keen reliable NCO, in charge of Troop, very fair horseman, good at anything he does, reliable and trustworthy, his Military conduct was "exemplary". Grandad spent around three or four years in India, which must have been a huge culture shock, having spent all of his previous life in rural Lincolnshire!
After passing his exams for promotion in Mhow, India 1925, Grandad was transferred to the Reserves at the rank of Corporal, on 6th February 1936 he was discharged at Canterbury.
At the start of the Second World war he enlisted in the Territorial Army, under the provisions of the National Service Armed Service Act 1939. Grandad was then sent to Bovingdon Camp in Dorset, where he became a Tank Driving Instructor, a natural progression from the horses I suppose!
