Bad Lad's Army - Extreme!
The popular series for ITV1, looking at National Service in Britain during the 1950s, once again taking 30 'Bad Lads' to see if the old saying, "Stick 'em in the Army - that'll sort 'em out!" was true.
The twist for 2006 was that the training was Extreme - the Lads were being trained as Airborne Soldiers...
Historical Advice:
Historical Adviser: Taff Gillingham
Taff was, once again, the Historical Adviser for the series and was responsible for ensuring that all the period details were correct and was on hand throughout to give historical advice as and when it was needed (even if it was then often ignored!).
Uniforms and Equipment:
This time, in order to create the whole Airborne experience it was necessary to equip each of the volunteers with every item of clothing and equipment that an Airborne soldier of 1955 would have had. As a great deal does not exist, much had to be made from scratch. Uniforms, Equipment and Stores were sourced in a very short space of time.
As with previous series, Khaki Devil created a complete working Quartermaster's Store which was correct in every detail. This enabled the kit to be issued properly and any damages to be replaced in the proper manner throughout the series.
Specialist Extras:
We also provided a small group of men to act as Quartermasters throughout the project who lived amongst the 'Lad's' and were on hand 24/7 to provide kit and advice when the Lads needed it.