THE COVENANTER
profound. The Londoners were very proper, was to take the battalion to Nairobi. That
and there was a class gulf between officers was a memorable train journey which took
and men that simply did not exist in the 24 hours. There is a photograph in the Low
Cameronians. In later years, I used to say Parks Museum at Hamilton of several happy
that the Cameronian Jocks had to be led. soldiers looking out of a railway carriage
They could not be ordered, unless they window. It was 17th May 1958. Even though
believed in their officers. Led properly, the I subsequently lived in Kenya and Uganda
Scots make the finest troops in the world. In from 1963 to 1969, that rail journey was the
any event, I was made the deputy baggage first and last time I ever travelled by train in
officer, which basically meant doing what I East Africa, on the metre gauge rail system
was told. The SS Dunera was the troopship. of East African Railways and Harbours. On
I spent my 2oth birthday, 28’ April 1958, that train I lost my guitar! At Eaton Hall
on a lighter taking the regimental baggage Officer Cadet School, I had acquired a cheap
from the shore to the ship, anchored off in classical guitar, which I had learnt to strum.
those shallow waters. We sailed on 3rd May, It had been very useful subsequently. I recall
a week later. A day or so later, we stopped well singing (diddle-dum etc) the tune for
off Sharjah to embark the companies based an eightsome reel while strumming the
there. Then we sailed to Bombay. Bombay? guitar in a rhythmic accompaniment while
The ship belonged to the B&I shipping line, my fellow officers danced an eightsome reel
and had an all Indian crew (sometimes, in on the SS Dunera. The loss was serious, but
those days called a ‘Lascar’ crew). They went a few months later, at University, I bought
to Bombay to change the crew. So we went a beautiful flamenco guitar from a fellow
there too. This caused some excitement as student (a Miguel Rodriguez of Cordoba
we were the first British military unit to visit instrument) and took lessons to become a
India since Indian independence 11 years highly proficient classical guitarist.
before. We were not allowed to disembark,
and had to look at India from the quayside. At Nairobi, we embussed to our new
Colonel Mackinnon, the Commanding home, at Muthaiga, on the Thika Road. It
Officer, went ashore: an Indian limousine was a field with a tented camp, which we
collected him and took him for lunch with shared with myriads of fleas bugs and other
the British Consul and the local Indian entomological specimens. A few years later,
army senior officer (I believe). Then we when I was branch manager of Barclays
sailed again, making for Mombasa across Bank DCO, Thika, I used to drive past that
the Indian Ocean. The voyage had the field, and wonder if the little gold shirt
usual elements. We crossed the equator, and stud that I lost was still there in the mud!
so Father Neptune made his appearance. It probably is yet! I also remember being
Nowadays, flying around in aeroplanes, interested in the local politics, and hearing
the tradition of the crossing-ofthe-line Tom Mboya speak at a political rally. He
ceremony has virtually vanished. But then it was an amazingly charismatic man and a
was very much alive. Every day we exercised powerful speaker. When I returned to Kenya
around the decks. We shot at targets over some years later, I met him as indeed I
the stern. The only young lady aboard met Mwai Kibaki, the current President of
was the daughter of Lt (QM) Spiers whose Kenya. Life in barracks was humdrum. But
family was with him, so needless to say she the social life was anything but. I had a
received a lot of attention from the junior friend, who was a Regular soldier, and who
subalterns. Nowadays people pay a fortune was a Lieutenant (so probably a couple of
for such an experience. It is called a ‘cruise’. years older then I). He had been in Sharjah,
We arrived at Mombasa on 1 6th May. My and so I had not met him before we went to
brother had been to Mombasa when he Kenya. He was a good dancer. The two of us
had done his army service, taking African developed a social life where we used to be
troops home. They had been serving in the invited to parties in Nairobi, and would go
Seychelles Guard in the Suez Canal Zone. kilted and carrying swords, and with a piper
When he came home he had taught me half in tow. We became very popular in Nairobi
a dozen words of Swahili. I was very pleased social circles for dancing the Gillie Chalum
to discover that my few words of Swahili or the Argyll Broadswords. Time has not
actually worked! I was still the Assistant helped my memory, but I am sure that his
Baggage Officer, and so was now involved name was Ron Gibson. I believe that the
in the transshipment of the regimental Captain R.E.B.C. Gibson who transferred
baggage from the SS Dunera to the train that to the Gordon Highlanders in 1968 was
91
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