THE COVENANTER
(the resident personnel selection officer) the officers and their guests were at Sunday
checking my rugby football credentials Church Service and the arrangements were
shuffled me into Signals Corps training in normal on a Sunday for “their thirst after
Catterick Camp earmarked me for a trial righteousness”! Minutes later, there came a
with the formidable corps rugby team. rush of officers and guests into the anteroom
The winter of 1947 is on record as one of the and the party started.
worst ever and Catterick was Siberia come The new arrivals were still in uniform
to Yorkshire! My rugby trial was a disaster as and therefore easy to recognise; we were
I was marked and destroyed by the famous introduced all round, made most welcome
Welsh International Bleddyn Williams. and plied with plentiful gins by such
Corps training completed I was a qualified stalwarts as JMH (John) Scott and PK (Peter)
operator keyboard and cipher (OKC) and Bryson. They had us party on until well
overseas postings were eagerly awaited. after lunch (5pm) when it was suggested
Only twenty out of twenty five recruits we change into civilian clothes as we would
got postings overseas and with a surname shortly continue the party across the border
towards the end of the alphabet I was an in Spain!
“also ran” destined to remain in Catterick I duly appeared for the journey across the
camp as a “surplus to requirements” to be border dressed in a “hairy” suit (ex RW
temporarily employed as a kitchen hand/ Forsyth Ltd of Glasgow) to which PK Bryson
dining room orderly! After a week of lighting (by this time in very jovial mood) objected.
fires before dawn for the cooks and washing He said that a Cameronian officer could
out greasy “dixies” I exploded. At a CO’s not wear such a thing and, aided by Lionel
interview, I complained that since I had Smith proceeded to strip me of the garment,
been press ganged into the Royal Signals by pour lighter fuel over same and set it alight!
the rotund PSO major for disastrous sporting I went to Spain dressed in slacks and a shirt
rather than military reasons, I now wished and hasten to add that Smith, Bryson and
to apply for a national service commission Scott took me to town the following day
in the infantry and no longer wished to be and bought me a new lightweight suit! I will
employed as a “skivvy” in the kitchens in not bore you with the happenings in Spain
Catterick ...we just made it to Four Corners Guard (at
Some six months later I emerged from OCS the frontier) before the gates were shut at
Eaton Hall aged eighteen years to be posted midnight.
to 2nd Bn The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Commanding Officer’s orders next morning
in Gibraltar. We sailed from Southampton saw us posted to rifle companies, in my case
on a very old troopship, Empire Test (?), to A Coy at Little Bay (OC J Bunton, 2IC
with the troops in hammocks. Other young John Scott, CSM Kirk, C/Sgt Anderson, Sgts
national service subalterns on board were Burns, Mulvenna, Cpl Minns). The 2nd Bn
Sandy Struthers, Colin Porteous and two had returned from the war in Burma and my
regulars Hugh Worthington Wilmer and platoon had many men with very brown
John Baynes who were direct from RMA knees and rows of campaign medals. How
Sandhurst (Intake No1). was a pink faced eighteen year old going to
Reveille early on Sunday morning 27th address them and say that if they had any
July 1948 saw us at anchor off Gibraltar problems “to let me be their father?”
with its massive rock looming grey in the I soon discovered that the majority of them
morning mist. A very efficient movement’s could not wait a day longer to be shipped
organisation had us ashore by barge and at home for discharge after war service (I
the mess at Buena Vista Barracks by about think it was called “Going on Python”).
midday. Reorganisation took place in August 1948
The five new arrivals having been allocated with many men shipping home for demob
rooms ventured down the steep steps into and new recruits as replacements. We were
the mess where all was very quiet. Everything renamed 1st Bn (COs changing, Lt Col
seemed extremely well prepared in the Buchanan Dunlop for Lt Col Brinkman).
anteroom where a large table was laid out Training and sports continued Aug/
with many gin and tonics already poured, Nov1948 with the Bn fielding excellent
two very smart orderlies in tartan and white teams at football, hockey, athletics and
mess jackets stood by ready to dispense boxing. Hockey was particularly strong
drinks. Surely, this was not a reception party with the military band providing many of
for the new arrivals? the players under Leslie Dow who organised
The Mess Sgt put us right, explaining that the team, other names of players such
72
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109