THE COVENANTER
had joined us as a band boy in Buxtehude on an absolute certainty running at York or
but hadn’t quite made the grade with the wherever. Of course his certainties always
instruments and so ended up in a Rifle fell at the first or were pulled up or baulked
Company. After the Oman business he had or something. But one day he told me of a
trouble with one of his feet which needed an horse called Top Hat which he claimed was
operation. This couldn’t be done in Bahrain going to make his fortune in the two o’clock
or Aden so he was sent home to Cowglen at Newmarket or wherever. Bill Brown knew
Military Hospital in Glasgow (We still had a bit about betting, looked the horse up in
military hospitals in those days) The op the paper and noted it was at 100 to 1. We
was a success but he had to be medically had a good laugh but it was the day before
downgraded during the recovery period and payday and between us we could raise five
they kept him at the hospital doing odd shillings so after a bit of “Will We, Wont
jobs, mostly shovelling coal in the boiler We” it was decided we’d throw our money
room. He soon got fed with this and away and have a bet
contrived to have himself posted to Lanark By this time it was 0ne-forty five so we
where he soon got upgraded and became an jumped in the Landrover and shot down
assistant PTI and a very good gymnast. to Lanark. Unfortunately it was Market
day and traffic was heavier than usual, by
Many of the training corporals and other the time we got to the Bookie the race was
depot staff were chosen from the best of under starters orders and he wouldn’t take
the recruits and we had a great cpls mess the bet. I was quite pleased thinking I had
including among others Iain Collinson, saved my half crown for better things but
Eddie Wallace and Abie Little who were believe it or not the damn thing won. We
regulars and went on to join the WOs ansd could have got twenty five pounds; nearly
Sgts Mess in the Bn. Of National Servicemen six weeks wages.
we had Bill Moyes and Guy Brown on the Wee Davie claimed he had not backed it
PT staff and Big Archie Millar ( from the either and we always wondered if he had
Glasgow Shipyards ) as Provost Cpl and been winding us up.
later Alex Dobie who became Post Cpl. Two
others whose names I cant remember were On a Thursday Davie would collect the
talented table tennis players, playing at a football coupons from those who played the
high level in the Scottish Championships, Littlewoods Pools along with whatever cash
so there was a constant competition going was required for the stake; take them to the
on in the mess and some of us became quite GPO; buy the necessary postal orders and
good enough to give the big boys a decent send off the coupons.One Thursday while
game. waiting for him it occured to me that I needed
This did not go down well with “Fag Ash a birthday card so I went into the post office
Lil “ the NAAFI manageress because all the and there was Davie with a pile of coupons
furniture had to pushed to the side to give in one of those little privacy cubicles they
the best players enough distance from the had in those days.He was looking through
table and we usually forget to put the place all the coupons, deciding most of them had
back in order. no chance of winning, tearing them up and
pocketing the cash. I dont know how long
The Post Cpl was an old timer known to he had been doing this but he only had a
everyone as Wee Davie because he was few weeks to do and I hadn’t the heart to
about as wide as he was tall. One of those report him, he would have lost his pension
old timers with a full set of war ribbons and all that. I just made sure that I went
and probably not less than twenty odd into the post office with him and saw the
years service in the regiment who was coupons properly posted for the next couple
a heavy drinker and gambler. After the of weeks.
evening post was delivered to Lanark GPO There was another old timer finishing up
he always asked to be dropped at The Horse his twenty something years of service in
and Hounds pub. He reckoned he was an the staff barrack room. His name was Dusty
expert on racehorses, racing dogs and the and he was the cpl in the QM stores. He
best permutations to win the football pools regarded the contents of the stores as the
and claimed to be best friends with racing untouchable property of the MOD and
trainers and jockeys, sometimes when trying to get a new pair of socks or an
he was well oiled in the mess he would exchange of a worn out KF shirt out of him
favour us with a little inside information was impossible without a note signed by the
32
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