THE COVENANTER
lead to disqualification so I concentrated accelerated. We nearly lost Gary who had
completely on the maps and left the rest to been hanging out the back ogling the girls
Wee Davie and his clock. It was a beautiful on the pavement and as we shot up the road
day and was becoming a rather pleasant overtaking cars on the outside and trams on
tour of the countryside. When we arrived the inside while scattering the jaywalkers
at the time check exactly on time, to the that Glasgow is well known for I just prayed
surprise of the timing official and me and that we wouldn’t run up against any of
the delight of Captain Craig I began to think Glasgows finest in a police car. We clocked
we could be in with a chance of winning the in only a minute or two over time and once
competition. the all the scores were totalled,( which took
a few days ) we were declared winners by
It got even better when we stopped for a large margin. Apparently we could have
lunch after three checks exactly on time and finished ten minutes late and still won since
took our place in the lineup for the special we were so far ahead and it was all down
test, we had to drive round the side of a to Capt Craig and his home made magic
large building where the test was carried on clock.
out of sight of other competitors, when we
got there it was a lot of parking, reversing I had another lucky break at the Depot when
into marked spots and stopping exactly HMS Blackwood (I think that was its name)
on lines,manoeuvering around cones and our affiliated Royal Navy ship down on the
suchlike, absolutely no problem to Capt Clyde somewhere informed the depot that
Craig but in one of the more rapid turns the it was taking part in a “show the flag” cruise
magic clock shot out its hiding place and to Sweden and they would be happy to take
rattled around the floor at my feet. When along some soldiers. I think six men and a
I finally got hold of it it was still ticking piper under the command of Iain Collinson
away like a tuppeny watch and was quickly were picked to go the cruise.
tucked out of sight again. That didn’t take There would an official reception in Sweden
very long and we went on to the last test, for the group as the King of Sweden was of
driving up to an official with a stopwatch course our Colonel in Chief but I dont recall
in his hand who said “ Right Sir, When I any officers being involved. A very nice little
say Go! you are to drive onto that marked jolly for some lucky beggars but a few days
square over there and change the right later there was another offer. A submarine
front wheel”. “There is an allowed time of going on the same trip had an empty berth
five minutes and you will be penalised for and the Captain was willing to take along
every minute over that but will get bonus one of us. It had to be a volunteer thing
points for minutes under that “ Dearie me, of course and those willing to go put their
we could have changed at least two wheels names forward to be put into a draw from
in that time and we proceeded to do a very which the winner would be chosen. When I
slick job of it, even faster than when we had was told that I had won I could only believe
practiced.The guy with the stopwatch said there had been a bit of a fix since I usually
no one had bettered our time up till that could back the loser in a two horse race but
point. I was going to Sweden in a submarine. Not
a lot of soldiers do that kind of thing. It was
The afternoon session was mainly in a wonderful experience but has to be told in
Lanarkshire, an area I knew so well that another “Tale from the Barrack Room”.
once I had identified the Grid References I
hardly had to look at the map, but as we Finally the time came round when I was
made our way through Glasgow town centre to return to the 1st Bn, something I had
to the finish it was rush hour and although set out to do in Aden all that time ago and
the traffic volume was nothing like that although I was looking forward to it I realised
today there were trams which were only to I’d better get my act together a bit better;
be passed on the inside and not if they were between the time spent in Khormaksar and
at or approaching a passenger stop which at the Depot it had been slightly more than
certainly was slowing us down. At the start three years since I had done a guard, parade
of the run up Sauchiehall Street and only a or regimental duty of any kind or even fired
mile or so from finishing Capt Craig suddenly a weapon. At the time I was preparing
declared that the clock was telling him that to leave with the next draft the Highland
we were going to be about five minutes late Light Infantry and The Royal Scots Fusiliers
unless we got some speed on and suddenly had been somewhat unwillingly forced
38
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