THE COVENANTER
CO, the QM and probably the Minister for charge.
Defence, and a receipt from the Pay Office
to say the money had been taken from your Along the way he said he knew a good short
wages to pay for it. However Dusty had cut over the hills so if I just turned in this
a strange habit. Although by no means a gate and up the track he would keep me
heavy drinker (he was rarely seen in the right and we could halve the journey time.
mess to have more than the usual beer) It was a serious bit of cross country driving
about once every six weeks or so he would going high up into the mountain,crossing
ask me to bring him a half bottle of whisky burns and on little wooden bridges over
from the pub off licence. It had to be Queen deep ditches. I said to him half joking ,half
Anne whisky, nothing else would do. The serious “If I lose it on one of these ditches
bottle would be placed in his locker beside a you will have to take responsibility for us
beautiful crystal glass he kept there; possibly being up here”. “Just make sure that doesn’t
liberated from the Officers Mess sometime in happen” says he “This is the Braemar Royal
a chequered past. Then about nine o’clock Estate we are on” After we were over
at night he would open both doors of his the top and heading downhill he asked
locker, pour himself a glass and standing me to stop so he could have a pee, jumped
almost in the locker with the doors pulled in out and started rummaging in the back of
behind; him proceed to demolish the bottle the Landrover. About seventy five yards
in less than an hour, then he would crash away was a sloped bank with a number
out; sometimes making it to his bed or other of pheasants wandering about on it and
times just crashing on the floor. Then we’d they started heading over to us, probably
put him face down on his cot (although he expecting to be fed. Next thing I hear is a
was never sick) extract the keys to the stores gun firing, the pheasants scatter and there
and get whatever was needed. he is with a.22 rifle shooting at them ! Good
God, Not only are we trespassing on the
I never had much to do with the Band Boys Queens Estate, Now this nutcase is poaching
unit apart from taking them and their kit to her birds. I couldn’t think what to do, he
the Clyde for canoeing trips and and so on was a C/Sgt to my Cpl for a start but apart
but a good number of them had completed from that I hadn’t a clue where we were
most of the tasks required to gain the Duke or how to get out of there. I couldnt just
of Edinburgh Award and were to do the final drive away and leave him and he said he
thing which was a cross country unsupported was determined to have at least two birds.
march over two days and a night.The chosen Problem was he had fired about eight shots
route was the difficult Lairig Ghru pass from and still hadn’t hit one. We were going to be
Braemar to Aviemore. The boys would travel there all day, so I convinced him to giveme
up by bus I would take their kit, rations etc. a try , shot the two nearest, threw them into
set up a starting camp near the Linn of Dee the truck and was off down that hill like a
and see them on their way in the morning getaway driver from a bank.
picking the kit up again in Aviemore two He certainly knew his way round all those
days later. It seemed like a nice few days tracks though and shortly we emerged onto
in the Highlands away from camp routine the road not far from Ballater where all the
although it was late Autumn and a bit chilly stuff was unloaded and taken into his house.
with fine sunny days, just what the boys I declined the offer of lunch and was away
needed. from the scene of the crime asp.
The Colour Sgt at the Boys Unit in charge I never met him again but shortly after our
of their kit and accomodation etc was from little trip he was suddenly removed back to
Highland Bde and actually lived in Ballater Highland Bde amid rumours of financial
not to far from Braemar so he was taking irregularities, missing stores and scams
advantage of the exercise to get a free trip to relieve the boys of their pocket money,
home and a weeks leave. Before we left I There was talk of court martial proceedings
was surprised at the large amount of sheets but I dont know if any of that happened.
,blankets,rations etc we were putting on the
truck also several large boxes he said was his When the indoor sports season started in the
personal stuff. After we’d seen the boys off winter S/Sgt Spiers our PT Corps instructor
on their trip I was to take him to Ballater; decided to form a team to take part in the
which was in exactly the opposite direction Scottish Command championships. We
from Aviemore, but never mind, he was in couldn’t raise a full team of all the boxing
33
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