T H E C O V E N A N T E R
On my recent visit to Bahrain in July, to so long will your name be remembered by the
visit my family, we once again went to pay Regiment with gratitude and admiration.
our respects of the young Cameronians, 2 I am very glad to be able to meet you
Lt. Ronald Graham Boyd died of exposure on this occasion and to express to you
25/8/57, and RFMN J. McLain Sunter died personally on behalf of all our officers,
of accidental gunshot wounds. 1/3/1957. non commissioned officers and men, our
The Christian cemetary is at the moment feelings of deep and lasting gratitude for
being upgraded. Many of the graves had the generous and noble efforts you made
been vandalised, stones broken etc. also the to help us at our time of need when
intense heat of the sun, many stones are
now impossible to read.
As this cemetery is not cared for by the
War Graves Commission, all the work done
there is by the Christian Community,
Mr Herman, the caretaker, and his team
of workers have taken great care of this
cemetery, and it is a pleasure to visit, they
are dedicated to their work. I hope that
this article shows that British Servicemen
are buried in small cemeteries, throughout
the world,that have no official War Graves
recognition.
Lieutenant Boyd so tragically lost his life. If
yours etc, ever we find ourselves in a position to help
Mrs A Winkley others who are in distress, then I know that
your great and generous actions on that sad
Editors Note: Readers may be interested occsaion will serve as an example.
in the following response from the MOD It is now my very great pleasure to
and an extract from the November 1957 ask you to accept this rifle as a lasting
Covenanter. and visible token of the deep gratitude
On the 19th September 1957, a ceremony and esteem which is felt towards you by
was held near Hafit, a small village in the officers and men of The Cameronians
Muscat near to Buraimi Oasis, at which (Scottish Rifles)
the Commanding Officer presented a rifle, We pray that God will prosper you and your
suitably inscribed on a silver plate, to the people.’
Sheikh of Hafit, as a token of the thanks of
the battalion for the efforts of himself and Letter from General Sir James Castles GCB
his people on the occasion when one of our KBE DSO to Lieutenant General Sir George
platoons got into difficulties on the hills Collingwood KBE CB DSO
near Hafit and during which 2/lt RG Boyd,
much to everybody’s regret, lost his life. At
I enclose a copy of a letter I have had
this ceremony the Commanding Officer
from John Willoughby which I know you
said:- ‘A few weeks ago some of the men of
will find very good reading.
this Regiment, The Cameronians (Scottish
I saw your Battalion in Aden in January,
Rifles), suffered from misfortune up on the
and everywhere I went there was nothing
hills here and one of our officers tragically
but praise for the way all the men had
lost his life.
behaved and acted. I should therefore
We all know that at that time you
like to add my most grateful thanks and
and many of your people rendered great
congratulations for the splendid work that
assistance to our men. Indeed it might well
they did.
have been that our misfortunes had been
I am sending a copy of Willoughby’s
greater but for this swift and willing help
letter to Leslie Dow and of course will add
which you brought to us. For this we are
my congratulations to him.
deeply grateful.
Sooner or later we shall move to some
With all best wishes.
other part of the world and we may never

again have the opportunity to visit Hafit.
Headquarters
But as long as any of the officers and men at
Middle East Command
present serving with the Regiment are alive,
BFPO 90

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