THE COVENANTER
new regiment he was warned that he would fancy dress football match as a sandbag
never make RSM there. That really was most wall. I still have a photograph to prove it.
unfortunate; such are the results of Army When eighteen years later I was posted to
downsizing. He and his wife eventually Beaconsfield as OC Russian Wing, I was
emigrated; Scotland’s loss was Australia’s greeted by one of the smartest salutes and
gain. broadest smiles of my career by a very
extended service RSM Jimmy Murray, then
In October 1956 ‘A’ Company provided a of the Royal Scots. He left the Army weeks
guard of honour for the Queen at Biggar, later and I was vexed never to hear of him
following her opening of the Daer Water again, though I have a feeling he retired to
Reservoir. Major Dick Parkes and I travelled Swindon and the Civil Service. How are the
to Biggar in his Humber Hawk; I with my mighty fallen!
35mm Voigtlander was to take photographs.
I was in No 1 dress, and I distinctly recall Her Paddy Mulvenna took over as provost
Majesty looking at me as I snapped merrily sergeant from future RSM Jake Sneddon at
away, as if to say: “One wonders why that Barnard Castle in 1954. Jake had in turn
corporal is not lined up with the others”. taken over from Sgt Connelly, who used to
I was in a position to hear various remarks distinguish himself from run-of-the-mill
from the bystanders, such as: “Who is that Connellys by stressing the middle syllable
wee man in front, Maw?” of his name. All were formidable
disciplinarians. It was all part of Colonel
The ‘wee man in front’ as the guard marched Alexander’s master plan to transform a
away was Sergeant Major Jimmy Murray, battalion of highly effective semi-
one of the most memorable Cameronians of autonomous warlord company commanders
his era. Jimmy was regularly one of the main and jungle-hardened veterans from Malaya
behind-the-scenes drill experts rehearsing for into a suitably cohesive and smart outfit fit
a number of Edinburgh Tattoos in the days for the ultra-luxurious Spey Barracks in a
when the Cameronians had so much input. picturesque old Lower Saxony Market town,
The compass of his voice compensated for and for the highly mechanised Seventh
his stature. I recall, as right marker of HQ Armoured Division.
Company on RSM’s drill parades, hearing
the urgent admonition, “Shtep short, Soldiers under Sentence who offended whilst
Corporal Cameron! (the sibilants were due undergoing detention were automatically
to oral re-armament or denture problems). sent directly to Commanding Officer’s
When the medley relay result became orders to receive their just desserts. We in
critical to the inter-company points table the Orderly Room were inured to the foot
in the 1956 Regimental Athletics meeting, stamping and shouting in our corridor which
it was Jimmy’s voices transcending all other this entailed. On one such noisy occasion
sounds which inspired me to make up a the door burst open and RSM Boreland
forty metre deficit. shot into the room and almost collapsed
with mirth on ORQMS Dickie’s desk. Some
Jimmy was good to me, even if, when I was rebellious prisoner had had the effrontery to
PRI corporal, he expected me to deliver one play “The Wild Killarney Boy” or some such
of the Sunday papers to his front door. His popular protest song on his mouth organ
wife, a Berliner like John F Kennedy, would in his cell after lights out! Section 39 of the
boil me an egg and ply me with coffee. Their Army Act was immediately invoked, and the
small son acquired a German suffix to his offender duly appeared before the CO. “Your
name as a form of endearment; she used to evidence, Sgt Mulvenna” demanded the CO.
call him “Andrew-lein”! I never discovered Paddy had intended to use the technical
whether she ever addressed her husband as term, harmonica; but at the critical moment
“Jimmy-lein”. When in Bahrain he oversaw his memory failed him, and all he could
the building of a fuel store (POL point), manage was, “He was doing his Larry Adler,
such was the regimental precision which Sir”. Unfortunately Colonel Alexander was
he employed, that pace sticks, plumb lines not cognisant with that virtuoso, and so the
and a variety of T-squares were employed to gravity of the charge escaped him. It was left
ensure that the sand bags were pleasingly to the RSM to maintain a straight face with
symmetrical. Such was the impression difficulty and interpret with, “He means he
made at Jufair, that Captain (later Lt Col) was playing his mouth organ, Sir”. I forget
Alan Campbell appeared at the Christmas what the consequent sentence was.
47
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