STORIES about life as a conscript have been flooding in to the Evening Press following our story on the 40th anniversary of the end of National Service.

Cyril Machin, 72, of Beaverdyke, Clifton, York, did National Service from 1951 to 1953.

He phoned us and said: "I enjoyed it, but some people hated it.

"Looking back, you lost money when you think about it. I went from £5 a week as an apprentice with the electricity board to £1.25.

"But if somebody had said I could stay in, I would have been quite happy."

Peter Roberts, of Haxby, was a member of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps from 1959 to 1982.

He wrote to tell us his thoughts on reality television programme Lads' Army, which recreated National Service training over 12 weeks and involved York man Mark Sullivan, who played out the role of a sergeant bawling out the new soldiers.

"I can assure you that although training was no bed of roses, the NCOs as portrayed by Mark Sullivan and his colleagues, were a joke, acted out purely for the benefit of television.

"I suspect that Mark Sullivan was still in short trousers at this time and did not join the Army until it was a much softer option."

But Mr Sullivan defended the programme, and said: "It was as realistic as it could be. Obviously none of the instructors had served in the 1950s, but we had an historical expert on board.

"We definitely weren't acting up for the cameras.

"What you saw was an hour's programme distilled from two full days of training.

"The television company choose the bits that look best."

Raymond Joy emailed to say he was called up in December 1959 and does not regret the experience.

"I made many friends and we took the good with the bad. After training it wasn't bad. I got to see Kenya, Aden and Cyprus in the two years."

Updated: 08:40 Friday, February 28, 2003