T H E C O V E N A N T E R
Cameronians who came to our rescue. We didn’t it was a few days’ difference in the raising of
know where to go, and headed back the way we the two regiments in 1689 which ensured
had come. We saw a soldier alone in the dark. that the 25th of Foot would survive the 26th
We challenged him his reply ‘R.S.F.’. He told us by nearly forty years. Now his regiment has
there were a few Cameronians in Alpon railway gone too. Sad!
station. I reported to Major Storm who in one of Back in 1977 I was asked to put together a
the houses near the station and told him what team of five competent Russian interpreters
had happened. He was ordering a citation for to act as conducting officers for the first high
decorations Sgts. Robertson and Kilpatrick. We level Soviet military delegation to the UK.
were told that food was coming but I couldn’t’ It was in fact a visit of the Frunze Military
wait. The survivors went down to the cellar Academy, the senior Soviet staff college, to
and ate cherries that were in a jar. There was our own Staff College at Camberley. I wrote
only about a third still standing from the two a full account of the visit for the Covenanter
Platoons that had attacked the factory. (Name at the time. Many features of a memorable
withheld) was wounded later at the Fokke Wolf few days still linger with me. I have never
factory in the attack on the city of Bremen. I was experienced so much VIP treatment, visited
very annoyed about the state of my battledress so many august establishments or met so
was Canadian and of much better quality than many important people in such a short span
British issue and was the envy of the rest of the of time.
Platoon... ...‘ One particular memory haunted me during
At the conclusion of hostilities Willie Miller the long debate which led to the recent
remained with the 6th until, in 1946, the merger of the surviving Scottish regiments.
Battalion was being reduced to Cadre status It made me appreciate afresh how wise
pending its return to the UK peacetime was the Cameronians’ painful decision
territorial status. Despite his eligibility for to ‘march out into history’ rather than
early release, he stayed on for some months, to merge with the King’s Own Scottish
ending his Army service at the end of that Borderers. Invariably one side dominates in
year. Now aged eighty-six, Willie Miller such mergers, however honest and open the
stays at 30, Keppenburn Avenue, Fairlie. He initial intentions may appear to have been.
still enjoys his garden, and an occasional We saw something of it at Lanark when
shoot. Married for sixty years, his wife; a the newly merged RSF and HLI joined our
former member of the ATS. died in 2005. He Depot, and I was organist for the Royal
has four children, and five grandsons and Scots Dragoon Guards (Scots Greys merged
two great grandchildren. He is fortunate to with Carabiniers) in the early seventies
have members of his family living nearby. and instructed many of their NCO’s at our
Willie would be pleased to hear from any education centre.
fellow former Cameronians, particularly Among other places to which we took the
three London ex-Cameronians: Coughlin, Soviet delegation were the forecourt of
Tanner and Mumford. Willie Miller is a Buckingham Palace, to see the changing of
veteran of the highly successful crossing of the guard, and the Royal Mews, to see the
the Sloe Estuary. at Walcheren. Holland; in facilities of the Household Cavalry. The
November 1944. As one of the few survivors choice was hardly surprising, in view of
still able to do so, he attended the wreath- the fact that our sponsoring officers were
laying ceremony at Hamilton Museum in Major Generals John Stanier, later Chief
November 2006 held to commemorate the of the Defence Staff, a cavalryman, and
anniversary of the action. Michael Gow, Director of Army Training,
C.S.P. a Guardsman! Every evening of the visit
the Frunze commandant gave a private
Traditions And Memories
briefing to his generals and colonels, whilst
In Galashiels the other day my heart leapt
we five ‘tour guides’, got together to decide
as I beheld coming towards me a young
who was to be the lead interpreter for each
soldier wearing a Tarn O’Shanter with a
of the following day’s events and to share
black hackle. As he drew nearer I realised
interesting facts which we had gleaned. Our
that the wearer was a major and not all that
colonel observed that the visits to the Palace
young. Nowadays brigadiers look youthful
and the Royal Mews were likely to elicit
to me; I must be getting old! I asked him
from the Russians a fair degree of sarcasm
about the black hackle; he explained that
and criticism because of their traditionalism
it was in recognition of the KOSB’s close
and ceremonial.
connection with the Cameronians. After all,
Instead, however, as we emerged from

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