THE COVENANTER
alone in being relatively new to exposure My first experience of the sight of violent
to the traditions and ways of Scottish death came days after, when once again,
Regiments and in particularl to the foibles immediately behind the front, the Battalion
of The Cameronians S.R.). was brought forward in reserve. Stanley
Storm our Company Commander allocated
1 joined the 6th just before its move to take another semi-ruined barn as our Platoon
part in Operations ‘Veritable7 and billet for the night. We had marched several
‘Blockbuster’ between the rivers Maas and miles with freezing rain lashing our faces,
Rhine. At this stage in the hostilities, and were thankful to grab what little space
Platoon Commanders were in short supply- remained on the barn floor, most of which
in most cases only two of the three rifle was occupied by another unknown unit, that
platoons per company were commanded appeared already to have bedded down for
by Lieutenants, the third by a Sergeant. My the night, each man covered by his blanket.
Company Commander was Major Storm - a In the middle of the night we were ordered
former R.S.M., and a strict disciplinarian. to take over a section of the line, some one
He must have worried over the comparative mile away. I moved to assist the PIatoon
lack of training his Sergeant Bernard Kilpatrick) in rousing
reinforcement had received; in retrospect, I the Jocks, by pulling off their blankets to
can but admire the way in which, as far as ensure they were thoroughly awake. It was
possible, he ‘shepherded’ by initially giving only after I removed one blanket, which I
me the simpler tasks. As the battalion was assumed covered one of the Platoon, that
on short notice to move into the line, each I discovered we had joined the dead in a
platoon Commander slept with his Platoon- temporary mortuary. I had uncovered a
in my case this was in an almost roofless legless torso, and subsequently stumbled on
cottage at Gennep on the Dutch side of others as in my haste, I was forced to ensure
the German border. The conditions were that I had missed none of my platoon!
miserably damp and cold. I settled down on
some sparse straw, and pulled my blanket At that point we were still under sporadic
over my head to shut out the light from shellfire. Some hours later when the front
the only source, a storm lamp. I then heard had not advanced more than a few hundred
at the far end of the room one of the Jocks yards, I recall a mobile canteen arrived
unaware of my presence, giving a passable that was run by the Church of Scotland
imitation of my first parade encounter with Throughout the whole of my relatively short
the platoon, to the apparent embarrassment time in action up to YE Day, it is difficult
of the rest, who were frantically whispering to express ones gratitude to those who
that I was under my blanket. I realised that operated that canteen - it always seemed to
I had much to learn, kept my head down be there, as close to the front as permissible,
to save embarrassing the performer, and with a char and a wad when the Jocks most
altered my approach the next day! needed it.
Within days, I contrived to lose my revolver. My introduction to the ways of Scottish
On an overnight stay in a commandeered religious differences came in an unusual
German farm cottage, I left it in my room manner. On 9th March 1945, 6th Battalion
on a visit to an outside The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) suffered
toilet, only to find it missing on my return. the loss of one hundred and seventy three
The German occupant, despite threats, of its number in the final battle to clear
denied all knowledge of the matter, and I the Wermacht out of the Rhineland strip
was forced to report its loss - an inauspicious between the Rivers Maas and Rhine.
beginning. This could well have been a court
martial offence, and at the very least the The Cameronian Regiment, of course,
subject of a disciplinary enquiry. However was founded on staunch Protestantism (a
events were moving at a fast pace, with fact of which I had been made aware at B
fortunately no time for a formal enquiry. Al Echelon). All received dire warnings from
Cluley as Regimental Quartermaster came the Regimental Quartermaster Al Cluley –
to the rescue by supplying a replacement, a South Country Englishman and regular
and luckily far me no more was heard of the soldier who continued a distinguished
incident. He never told me how he dealt career with the Regiment after the war about
with the loss in his indent! the procedure for the Loyal Toast. Over the
years of its existence religious attitudes had
83
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