THE COVENANTER
while but when I told him what I was about In Q.M stores the corporal who shied two
he says “Ye’ll niver get it aff wi that” takes pairs of boots-ammunition at each recruit
a bottle opener out of his pocket and the in turn, followed by “shirts, flannel, three,
top edge fitted the screws a treat. We spoke T.O.S one” – and so on, was watched from
for a while and he told me he’d been on time to time by Major Al. Cluley whose
the security at the camp for a good number silent presence was almost monk like and
of years and the day staff were used to quite different from CQMS (later Lt. Col.)
having people turn up at the gate wanting George Soper, an excitable and, I later found,
to see the barracks, a great many said they’d a most charming man whose expression of
come from South Africa, America, Canada, pained, sustained disbelief as he listened to
Australia, New Zealand as well as European yet another recruits tale of woe over a lost
countries and just wanted to see the old piece of kit was a delight to behold – unless
place where they had done their training you were that recruit.
during National Service days. He and the
other guards could never understand why a The training officer, Lt. Jim Burrell, kept
lot of these old guys had tears in their eyes everyone very busy, and behind his calm,
when they saw the state of the place. Says it unruffled almost languid air, participated
all....doesn’t it ?. in every aspect of the training, while the
adjutant Capt. Donald Cameron was a
Best Wishes to any old “Depot Dodgers” slightly more remote figure who looked
who might read this..........Happy Days! instantly recognisable and absolutely
Jimmy Quinn. unchanged when, as the “Rev.D.Cameron”,
he officiated at Douglas in May 2008 at
A Cold Start
our closing service. The O.C Major Carter-
Campbell touched the new recruits’ lives but
January 1954 – it was bleak and it was cold
little, apart from a couple of C.O’s parades,
as the icy wind came straight off Lanark
or a cheery salute as he hacked slowly past a
Loch, over the racecourse and chilled to the
midweek morning muster parade.
marrow the sixty-odd miserable young men
who made up the latest conscription intake.
The man who ruled the roost and made
From what they saw around them it was
recruits’ lives what they were, was Sgt.
evident that civilian clothing was simply
Ken Jackman D.C.M one of the all-time-
inadequate for these surroundings and the
great recruits squad sergeants. Like other
military interpretation of “short back &
fine soldiers in this role he began by being
sides” was different from anything they had
almost feared or reviled, until his skill was
known hitherto.
recognised which led to his being respected,
then almost revered as his squad won the best
As always at such times fate had thrown
squad prize, and rewarded by their gratitude
together a disparate bunch of individuals
and the “whip-round” presentation and
from urban and rural backgrounds, from all
ultimately remembered by those recruits
sorts of jobs and families; a few straight from
who appreciated how far he had brought
school and one or two straight from jail.
them in 10-12 short weeks.
Over the next few hours, as the cold took a
The regime was the usual one for the army,
grip and the depression ebbed and flowed
prison, public school and most other forms
through the group there emerged from the
of incarceration – “keep the blighters busy
shadows the memorable characters whose
every single working minute”. From the
role it would be in the coming weeks to take
instant they woke, dressed, ate (picking the
apart these sixty-odd disparate egos;-crush
odd piece of eggshell out of the scrambled
them just enough to make the moulding of
eggs- dropped in there as a double-bluff by
them into a cohesive unit not only possible
the cook sgt to disguise the fact that they
but effective.
were actually made from powdered egg) and
rushed to muster parade the squad was not
At that moment the warm, welcoming,
still for a moment in the day. Evenings were
unifying family feeling which is the spirit of
spent polishing and blancoing everything in
a Scottish infantry regiment was not much
sight and taking turns to apply to the floor
in evidence. People were bemused and
of each barrack room industrial quantities of
bewildered. Basic training had begun.
Mansion polish from a huge tin purchased
by voluntary contribution (?) of all squad-
41
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