THE COVENANTER
beat which ensured that (and get it wrong). The CO was starting to
it was no gentle stroll either. I couldn’t waste unfold his map when the vehicle we could
time looking for him among all the other see slowed down and turned into a gate its
teams who were getting ready to move off headlights sweeping round and revealing a
so we made our way down to the start gate group of army trucks and a small marquee.
and he just sort of appeared from nowhere The finishing point was right there.....just a
and tacked himself on. little further than I had reckoned.
Although we were supposed to pretend he
wasn’t there it certainly had an effect on the The CO got his own back a few weeks later
Jocks. though. The Bn was on exercise and we
had come to a large farmhouse complex
There was none of the usual banter or joking by a small river where there was a little
and we just cruised along at a good speed flat bottomed ferry. The Royal Engineers
in near silence. At the halfway point we had provided some of those daft wood and
stopped to let the Jocks top up on Mars Bars canvas folding “assault “ boats and one of
and Coca Cola. I got a cup of coffee from the companies was going to do a crossing.
the COs’ very own flask. After we set off C\Sgt Robertson and myself were getting a
cross country I began to think maybe we little amusement watching the antics of the
should have stuck to the road as it was very Jocks assembling the boats, getting them to
dark and the going underfoot was rough the water and trying to paddle them when
and broken ground particularly when we it seemed a better idea to take them to the
crossed a place which had been cleared of narrowest part of the river by the ferry, tie
trees. There was a fair bit of falling over and them side by side pointing upstream and
muttered cursing but we managed to keep they could have walked across on them.
together and hit the first waypoint spot on,
then the second and we were on the last The MT Clerk came looking for us and told
stretch. us that we should have been attending a
meeting the Co was holding . We legged it
As we came into a narrow wooded defile with to Bn HQ to find the CO addressing a group
fairly high banks on either side I gathered the of Officers and Ncos. No idea what he had
Jocks round me to give them the good news been talking about or how long it had been
that we were only a few hundred yards from going on so we slipped quietly into the back
the finish. That’s when the CO appeared at of the group and hoped we hadn’t been
my side with map and torch in hand, took noticed. (never bring yourself to the COs
me aside and informed that we were well off attention, remember?)
course and should backtrack a bit and pick But he looked directly at me and said “Ah,
another route. He was showing me this on Sgt Quinn, thank you for joining us, perhaps
his map but was indicating that he thought you would like to tell us which vehicles we
we were a full kilometre east of where we should put across the river first?”. I couldn’t
actually were. Without thinking I pointed think why he was asking this. It wasn’t much
to his map and said ”We are not there Sir, of a river but it was too deep and muddy to
we are here. We only have to go up over ford. The ferry was out of the question as it
this bank and we will see the finish point could take a couple of small cars or a fifteen
in front us”. In the silence that followed hundredweight delivery van at a push and
as he folded his map I realised with horror was operated by a man pulling on a rope.
that I had just told the CO his navigation The only crossing I had seen it make took
was rubbish but he simply said “Very well, almost twenty minutes to go over and bring
we’ll go up here and see if you are correct”. the ferry back, so even if it could have taken
We scrambled up the bank,cleared the trees our trucks it would have taken something
and there in front of us was nothing but a like thirty six hours to get all our vehicles
long dark empty space. In the distance were over. I was not about to tell the CO he had
the headlights of a vehicle travelling along better start looking for a bridge because there
a small road. was no way he was crossing his transport
here and I could not think of a single thing
At this point I was wondering if I should to say so I stood there like the village idiot
be making apologies to the CO and saying nothing. He left me dangling in my
contemplating what RSM Sneddon would own embarrassed silence for a minute or
have to say when he heard one of his two although it felt like ten and then just
sergeants had the cheek to correct the CO dismissed the group.
56
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