THE COVENANTER
particular incident comes to mind where when he was GSO 1 Trg and riding racehorses
the CO had some top grade information at Happy Valley. I was given a platoon of
concerning an informer who had a brother regular soldiers to train from scratch as anti
within a group of terrorists. This informer tank crews, I needed a miniature range for
was (for a reward) willing to give details of sub calibre firing and to this end HTA spoke
a forthcoming meeting in order that we to higher HQ and had a brand new half
could lay on an ambush and kill amongst Nissen hut range with miniature moving
others his own brother! Detailed plans targets etc., built near the barracks. The
were made and after many days and nights 17pdr weighs in at two and a half tonnes
spent in ambush on radio silence, the and it was necessary to ease the gun down
enemy appeared. Not where the informer a steep incline into the firing position by
had indicated, but over three hundred holding on to drag ropes attached to the
yards distant and moving away, rather than wheels. With six Jocks, hanging on to the
towards the ambush position. To move ropes the very heavy long trail legs began to
would have given the game away and, with sway dangerously out of control. The men
a five-foot fence in front of us, a decision let go the ropes and two and a half tonnes
was made to take aim with the Bren gun, of gun raced down the hill smashing the
fire and leap over the fence after the fast new range and Nissen hut to rubble! On
disappearing enemy. A burst of three aimed returning to the mess for lunch, I found
rounds was fired and we all ran to where HTA warming his backside at the fire after a
the meeting had taken place between the morning horse ride. “Well lad how did you
informer and the terrorists (which group like the new range I had made for you?” he
included his brother). Alas we had shot the asked. My reply got me another posting!
informer, who gave us a very questioning Jockey HTA and I crossed paths again during
look as he expired...The jock who had fired my career but not in Cameronian days.
the Bren remarked “It serves the bugger right Happy days- much fun and laughter but best
for shopping his brother “Radio silence was of all, great friends and comrades.
broken and Bill Henning was on the blower “A HAS BEEN”- who was proud to have
asking “Well lad what have you got?” When been, in his time, A CAMERONIAN.
I said we had shot his informer he informed
me that I was earmarked for a dog handlers
Memories And Books
course! The best laid schemes..etc...
It was not to be a dog handlers but an Anti
Challenged by the Editor to write some
-Tank course. The Bn was due to return to
copy for the final edition of the Covenanter,
UK at the end of a very successful tour of
I was almost stumped because most of my
active service and not having anti tank guns
own experiences are so admirably covered
in Malaya I was off to Netheravon for a
in John Baynes’s excellent volume of the
course on the 17pdr gun.
regimental history. But then it is often books
Twenty students made up the course, all
which stir the memory, and so here is a rag-
from UK/Nato units (except the Cameronian
bag of reminiscences, and books, which I
from Malaya) and all previously trained and
hope may stir similar memories in others.
coached for the Passing In Exam on the gun
for which a 75 percent pass was obligatory
My father, Colonel Robert Buchanan-
to remain on the course. I had never seen
Dunlop, was a Cameronian, so some of
or read about the gun before and I came
my earliest memories are bound up with
last with a score of one point out of fifty!
the regiment. His war service was in Persia,
Doomed for RTU as a failure I was ordered for
Sicily and Italy. By one of those wartime
interview by the Commandant...One Lt Col
quirks he commanded a Seaforth but not a
John Frost DSO MC who had commanded
Cameronian battalion, whilst his younger
the Parachute Battalion at Arnhem Bridge...
brother, a Royal Scots Fusilier, commanded
and he was a Cameronian! After a talk about
the 6th Battalion during the operations in
keeping the good name of the Regiment etc
Walcheren. Later, in 1946, my father briefly
he said he would make an exception to the
commanded the 6th Battalion himself
RTU rule and allow me to stay .....Moreover,
before it was disbanded. At the end of that
I had better do well!
year he took over command of the Depot.
Lt Col Henry Alexander took over from Bill
The second–in-command was Major John
Henning and the Bn was now stationed at
Bunten, a veteran of the Burma Campaign
Barnard Castle We had not seen HTA since
with the 1st Battalion. Much later I came to
our few months stay in Hong Kong in 1949
know Piper Donald Porteous who had been
74
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