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David Hughes:
‘My first recollection of the Major would have been at sometime in 1958 when I was a 15 year old REME Junior Leader at Blackdown, I suspect that all the other ex RAOC/REME JL’s that contact you will recall the same event but thought I would add my bit.
There was a boxing match either between A & B Companies or RAOC against REME, which was held in the gym. As we were all seated to view the contest, Major Macey, who we had never seen before climbed into the ring in PT gear which caused a huge outbreak of laughter, whistles and clapping etc, as due to his age and stature a more unlikely athlete was hard to imagine.
As he stood in the ring looking round I, and I expect most present, wondered what on earth was going on. I looked over to the officers and adult staff that were in the front row; they seemed to be unmoved by the spectacle. WO2 "Spud" Taylor climbed into the ring to restore order, and introduced the Major along the lines of something like:- “I would like to introduce you to the new OC of "A" Company, Major Macey M.B.E.” After a few words from the Major by way of an introduction, he then began his demonstration which started with him bending a coin, which may have been a penny, after-which he gave a superb demonstration of martial arts with three "volunteers" who were our PT Instructors. From memory I think that they were all Lance Corporals named Black, Curvis and Crow, L/Cpl Black had a brother on the staff who was a Sgt.
In view of the way the PTI’s made us suffer you can not imagine the pure joy that we ALL felt as, one at a time, and as the grand finish after telling all three to attack him at once, Major Macey dispatched all three to different sides of the ring. The noise generated as he stepped from the ring was somewhat in stark contrast from when he had entered it; on reflection it was, I suspect, the only time that I can remember that we disobeyed an order, as when we were called to order, the clapping carried on.’
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