Young lofty.

[atlatlman]

I have just been looking through some bushcraft vids on youtube and came across this. A young Lofty Wiseman I bought Lofty's SAS survival handbook back in the late eighties when I was hospitalized after being stung by a scorpion. I laid in that hospital bed for two weeks reading that book and thought to myself when I get out of here I'm going straight off to the woods with just a survival tin. It didn't quite work out like that.

Once I was better I was off doing other things but that survival handbook and learning outdoor skills, was always in the back of my mind. In 2004 I was given a free British army basher which got the ball rolling and the rest as they say is history. I would like to hear other peoples stories of how and when they got involved with bushcraft and who inspired them.

[video=youtube;4Rz53FZJraY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rz53FZJraY[/video]

 

[weekender]

Great video.
For me it was watching Les Hiddens Bush Tucker Man then seeing Ray Mears wild tracks. I had always enjoyed walking and being outdoors when I starte being bought ray's books for birthdays etc that's when it all started in earnest.


Sent from somewhere?

 

[John Fenna]

Many years ago when I was in my teens (told you it was a long time ago!) I picked up a copy of "Survival for young people " by Anthony Greenbank. I was just getting into backpacking and exploring the wild places and had enjoyed only one or two major trips into the outdoors with pretty rubbish kit...
I seem to recall this was 1975 and I was 17 or 18 - the rest is history...
Later on I found books by newcomers like Lofty and RM but I was fully committed by then!

 

[Nomad]

Many years ago when I was in my tens (told you it was a long time ago!) I picked up a copy of "Survival for young people " by Anthony Greenbank.

I had that, but before it, I got "Survival Out Of Doors", also by Anthony Greenbank. It was published by Woolworths as part of a series of "Project Books" covering all sorts of stuff (I had ones on navigation and woodlands as well), and they cost 5 new pence each. I was also in the Scouts by then and loving the camping and campcraft aspects. Lofty's book, as you say, came later and was a sort of grown up version of what I had read with the Greenbank ones. I don't watch TV, and was completely unaware of Ray Mears until a couple of years ago. Greenbank was certainly encouraging survival kits before Lofty, but he did say in the project book that rubbing two sticks together was a waste of time. One thing I did like about Greenbank was that he encouraged you to get out with basic, minimal gear and give it a go.

 

[presterjohn]

My earliest memories of being interested in the "Survival" style of things (the word Bushcraft did not really exist in this country back then) was when Blue Peter showed you how to make a survival kit out of a cat food can and other bits and pieces. That must have been in the late 70's. I then bought Lofty's book when it came out but only ever really did back garden based activities. I then got bogged down with work and mortgages and never really bothered again until Ray Mears started turning up on our screens. To be honest I still do most of my stuff in the back garden usually demonstrating and basically playing with stuff with my kids. I am on a Beaver camp with my boys this month and the eldest has just joined the Wild Life trust so I am determined that they do more of the actual outdoor stuff than I got a chance to do as a kid and are better prepared for it than the average kid to for that matter.

 

[atlatlman]

I have never heard of Anthony Greenbank. I'm going to treat myself to a new book.

 

[Blundstoned Love]

I have never heard of Anthony Greenbank

Wasn't he the baddie in Danger Mouse?

 

[Nomad]

Meant to say, probably around the same time as the Greenbank project book, I read Scouting For Boys, which was rather good. Always liked the clever things you could do with string and bits of stick to make things for use in camp, as well as the tracking and observation stuff.

 

[atlatlman]

Wasn't he the baddie in Danger Mouse?

I donna know, Barone.

 

[Gweedo]

For me it was Eddie McGee and I think the hunt for the murderer known as the 'Black Panther'. I'd always played in the woods as a nipper and this was an extension to that. A 'survival knife' bought out of my pocket money from the fishing tackle shop with its hollow plastic handle hold a piece of crimped wire masquerading as a 'saw', some fishing line and hooks and a few matches. Days out spent in the woods making shelters. Then came along 'combat and survival' partworks (all 100 of them), 'Survival, weaponry and Techniques' magazine, Lofty Wiseman etc....

 

[John Fenna]

For me it was Eddie McGee and I think the hunt for the murderer known as the 'Black Panther'. I'd always played in the woods as a nipper and this was an extension to that. A 'survival knife' bought out of my pocket money from the fishing tackle shop with its hollow plastic handle hold a piece of crimped wire masquerading as a 'saw', some fishing line and hooks and a few matches. Days out spent in the woods making shelters. Then came along 'combat and survival' partworks (all 100 of them), 'Survival, weaponry and Techniques' magazine, Lofty Wiseman etc....

Ah - good old SWAT
That was the first magazine I wrote for. My first article - on Timberland boots - appearing in Volume 4 issue 2, Dec 1988 then I was in pretty much every issue until it changed its name to Survival and Outdoor techniques in Jan 1992 I stayed with that title until it became Combat and Militaria and was with them until they folded and I was asked to write for Gun Mart (a sister mag) and I still write for them!
I have written for lost of other mags along the way, contributed to several books, written my own books etc ... but I still remember SWAT with great affection!

 

[GordonM]

Nice find!

Although I was allowed to tag along with my grandfather when he hunted small game, I got most of my outdoors instruction with the Scouts. My Scoutmaster, John Brison, and the youth leadership of my troop were the most influential in teaching me many outdoor skills. I credit them for nurturing a hunger I had for most things outdoors that is still going strong today!

The book for me was my old, well worn, Scout Handbook.

Here is my certification for meeting the initial requirements to become a Scout. The top patch / badge is from my first district camporee, where our patrol, the Cobra patrol, earned a top patrol proficiency rating in a few basic outdoor skills. We were tested for basic proficiency in campfire building, map & compass, tent pitching, meal preparation and first aid. My Patrol Leader was the "real McCoy", a great mentor to us younger scouts. The lower patch / badge and commemorative medal are of my first backpacking adventure trail completion that first year. We had prepared for the Mischa Mokwa trail by doing a couple of "shakedown" backpacking trips of shorter duration.

Here is a link to a brief description of the trail.
http://kyhistory.pastperfect-online...411CF5C7-35A7-4DCF-9ABF-589252170767&type=101

 

[atlatlman]

For me it was Eddie McGee and I think the hunt for the murderer known as the 'Black Panther'. I'd always played in the woods as a nipper and this was an extension to that. A 'survival knife' bought out of my pocket money from the fishing tackle shop with its hollow plastic handle hold a piece of crimped wire masquerading as a 'saw', some fishing line and hooks and a few matches. Days out spent in the woods making shelters. Then came along 'combat and survival' partworks (all 100 of them), 'Survival, weaponry and Techniques' magazine, Lofty Wiseman etc....

I had one of those crappy knives.

[video=youtube;7RVlz9ZyC5w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RVlz9ZyC5w[/video]

 

[Gweedo]

That's the badger! I'd forgotten about the compass. That brings back many memories of happy days roaming the woods during half term and summer holidays.

Ha ha, the saw back blade and the once only use of the saw before it snapped so happened to me.

 

[Dave]

I certainly remember watching Lofty on duncan dares, and even a couple of episodes of bushtuckerman in the early eighties [?] I remember pining to see more of both, especially Les, but didnt see any more for many years afterwards.

What they don't tell you when you're a kid, is you'll like the same stuff you do when you're an adult.

 

[atlatlman]

That's the badger! I'd forgotten about the compass. That brings back many memories of happy days roaming the woods during half term and summer holidays.

Ha ha, the saw back blade and the once only use of the saw before it snapped so happened to me.

Same here. The compass on mine floated on water which leaked out.

 

[atlatlman]

I certainly remember watching Lofty on duncan dares, and even a couple of episodes of bushtuckerman in the early eighties [?] I remember pining to see more of both, especially Les, but didnt see any more for many years afterwards.

What they don't tell you when you're a kid, is you'll like the same stuff you do when you're an adult.

I also liked watching bush tucker man. Didn't like his daft hat though, it made him look like an ozzie smurf.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxDSes5xy4 part one
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kJk-OxkQstE. part two.

I started with with a friend, we had permission to shoot rabbit on some land. We loaded our rucksacks and used to stay the night in a corner of the field then come first light be out shooting. At this time we were also reading SWAT magazine and later the Combat Survival series. Looking back I realize how badly equipped we were. Damn that old German sleeping bag with sleeves was shocking.

 

[grumit]

Good old bush tucker man sparked it all off when I was young and a grandfather who loved the out doors who gave me my first penknife

 

[janso]

I remember Lofty on Blue Peter! Had my sas survival ripped in two by my old man for misbehaving on private land!! Still have it taped up as a keepsake, bless him. I'd just started cadets as well so combat and survival was in plus sw & t; the older boys were hunched over them once a month! Good old days for me with cadets having more knives and blades than believeable !!


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