T H E C O V E N A N T E R
His first post-War service in the UK was Mr John Gallagher on 24th October
not to come until early 1948 when he took 2002
up a staff appointment at HQ Lowland
District. By September the following year Mrs (Mary) Spiers in 2001 - see letter
he was back to airborne service when from John Spiers and Anne Winkley son
he started three years as Adjutant of
and daughter of Captian John (Jock) Speirs.
15 (Scottish) Battalion, The Parachute
Regiment TA.
Mr John hannah (1928-1944) in March
Two years followed when he filled
at Rosepark Nursing Home
Ground Liaison appointments first at HQ
East Africa (attached to the Kenyan Police
Mrs (Armida) burns on 9 July 2002 at
Air Wing) and later, at the height of the
home in New Elgin
Emergency, with HQ Malaya in Kuala
Lumpur. During this time he regained his
Mr Terence brennan At Erskine Hospital
Wartime rank of Major.
on 30 October 2002. Served with the
Service with 1 Cameronians did not
Regiment from 1939 to 1946
come until late 1956 when he joined the
Battalion in Bahrain later moving with it
Mr (RSM) Ronnie Andrews on 30 May
back (for him) to Kenya. ADIN writes:
2002 in France.
“I was privileged to serve as one of his
Platoon Commanders in Support Company
Lt. Col Moir Stormonth Darling on
in Kenya in 1959. A formidable team we
6 April 2002. For a successful military
were! Life was never dull: we all worked
commander whose exploits occasionally
hard and played hard. “TV” was a character
verged on the impossible etc to end of
par excellence. Sadly there are few left in
article plus Acknowledgements to The Herald
the army today. There are many, many
Newspaper - Gordon Casely
stories (most of the unprintable) of the
various exploits of Support Company in
For a successful military commander
1959. Wherever we went “TV” always knew
whose exploits occasionally verged on
somebody and that meant an entrée into a
the impossible, Moir Stormonth Darling
Mess, Club or a private home for all of us.”
appropriately shared his birthday with
After Kenya there followed three more
General William Sherman, victorious
years in Africa, this time on loan service
Union commander in the American Civil
with the Nigerian army. During that time
War, and the scientific romanticist Jules
he was Second-in-Command of the 5th
Vernes. Stormonth Darling, the Angus
Nigeria Regiment which he later briefly
laird who has died aged 89, commanded
commanded in the rank of Lieutenant
one of the Long Range Desert Group’s two
Colonel. He also served with the UN in the
squadrons in the Aegean campaign of the
Congo. From 1963 to the end of 1967 he
Second World War.
served at HQ Rheindahlen Garrison, This
Major-General David Lloyd Owen,
was followed by two years at RAF Cyprus
commander of the LRDG (forerunner of
during which time, when The Cameronians
the SAS), said of Stormonth Darling that
disbanded, he transferred to the King’s Own
he had selected a winner in appointing a
Scottish Borderers. His last posting was to
soldier whose leadership, planning skills,
HQ1 Division at Verden in Germany.
and stalwart support contributed greatly to
Leaving the army in 1976 “TV” first
the success of the unit.
took up a Retired Officer’s job in York.
In 1943 after the Italian surrender,
Ten years later he and Eleanor (whom he
Stormonth Darling’s squadron of 80
had married on his return from India in
men and eight officers was sent to the
1948) retired finally to Perthshire, to Killin,
Dodecanese, the Aegean islands lying
where he could indulge his passion for
directly on the German supply route. It
salmon fishing. His crowning exploit there
was a role for which his men were neither
was the landing of a 24lb salmon. But life
equipped nor trained, and he was over-
even then was not unadventurous. On one
whelmed. He successfully made his way
expedition he even managed to break both
to a neighbouring island, where in the
arms falling off a rock while fishing on the
laconic words of Lloyd Owen, he ‘had an
River Dochart!
uncomfortable time’. Eventually he was
To his wife and family we offer our most
taken off by RAF launch.
sincere condolences.
Determined to show that enemy lines
PRG
could be infiltrated, Llyod Owen moved
68
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