T H E C O V E N A N T E R
effective than telling them to mind their enjoyed at first suddenly disappeared.
language. Rail travel at ridiculous concessionary
Despite the weather we did have our prices suddenly ended. Clubs and other
lighter moments. leisure facilities in Hamburg disappeared,
At the end of annual camp it is necessary as their premises were returned to their
to take stock to give an honest assessment German owners. The number of German
of whether you had actually achieved what civilian workers in the Barracks was greatly
you had set out to do. If it was thought
reduced when the German government’s
that camp had been successful there would
massive contribution to their costs was
always be room for improvement next
cut by a huge percentage. There were still
time round but if honest enough to give it
many privileges, however, including a
just pass marks - or worse - then it would
generous local overseas allowance and a
be back to the drawing board. I hoped
variety of Volkswagen and Opel cars for our
that, on the whole, things had gone quite
convenience.
well and that our troops would go home
The MSO, a labour organisation of East
with a spring in their step. Historically a
European refugees, did most of the camp
bad or even mediocre camp had resulted
administrative tasks, thus giving soldiers
in attendances plummeting during the
more time to indulge in pleasurable
winter. One abiding memory for me is
soldierly activities such as route marches
John Craig’s fire which was not only
and exercises. Those of us who lived or
practical but a stroke of genius. News of
worked in the headquarters block regularly
this conflagration spread to the rest of the
heard the strains of “The Black Bear”, as
battalion and would doubtless be told with
one company or other returned to camp.
suitable embellishment in the pubs around
I seem to remember Captain Nick Carter’s
Hamilton and Eglinton Street.
“D” Company to have been among the
Quite the best recruiting propaganda.
more enthusiastic route marchers.
So, farewell to Bellerby and its mist and
One other notable perk, for those who
to a very eventful fortnight.
had tried digging trenches in the Catterick
C.E.M.
area during the Barnard Castle era, was the
extraordinary ease with which one could
Back to Buxtehude dig down through layers of compacted
Major Donald C.B. Cameron
sand to six feet or deeper. I remember once
It is said that when policemen seem young
in the harbour area at the start of Ex “Battle
to you, you know that you are growing old.
Royal” digging interconnecting tunnels for
I find nowadays that even brigadiers are
the sheer fun of it. However when I was a
beginning to look remarkably young - not
section commander even that pleasure was
that I meet many of them in Berwickshire.
denied me. My L/Cpl was Tam Norton, a
Once a year I meet the odd one or two at
former British Mineworkers’ Middleweight
RAEC veterans’ gatherings - not exactly
Boxing Champion and a fighter of some
“The Boys of the Old Brigade”, but
note. Give Tam a pick and shovel, and
companionable. My 95 year old mother has
before you had time to spread a tin of
much clearer memories of her childhood
compo cheese on a couple of hard tack
than of the events of the day before;
biscuits, lo and behold, you had a trench
it’s a common phenomenon. I found
which any sapper would have been proud of!
recently that I could sit down and draw
I could go on for hours, but our revered
a very reasonable plan of Spey Barracks,
Editor informs me that he has already
Buxtehude, which I left forty six years ago,
collected a mass of material, so I will not
with only two photographs to boost my
add to his burden. In closing, I must add
memory. I should be getting worried.
what a pleasure it was to meet up again
I dare say that this map would bring
recently with Jim Harkness. Jim was one
back memories to Cameronians who served
of those National Service Corporals who
there between July 1954 and September
survived comfortably by keeping his head
1956. Hopefully some will be happy ones.
down. He was in Bahrain and Nairobi and
In 1982 I was able to arrange an official
was my best man in 1959. He had a good
visit to the German commander. I wrote an
degree in Classics, but found that there was
article for the Covenanter at that time, so
remarkably little call for Latin and Greek at
need add little now.
his tough Dennistoun school, so retrained
During the Battalion’s stay the
as a Maths teacher. His wife, Sallie, in
Occupation of West Germany ended. This
retirement has become a globe-trotting
meant that a lot of the perks which we
lecturer on education.
28
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