June 1980

47

Odds & Ends mechanised warfare, from a French steam carriage (tor
handling guns) in 1770 up to the present time. Examples
I IBOOK REVIEWS are taken from many countries and theatres of war and
the illustrator-Denis Bishop-having served with the
"REGIMENTAL MUSIC OF THE QUEEN'S Royal Tank Regt., has a particular 'feel' for this subject.
REGIMENT''
"Vehicles at War" (published by George Alien and
by Maj. L. M. B. Wilson Unwin Ltd ., Ruskin House, Museum Street,
Maj. Les. Wilson, formerly of the 1st Bn. and now London-price £15.00) is a 'must ' for all students of
with 5 QUEENS, has recently published a limited military h1story.
edition of a most interesting, amusing and informative G.U.W.
book incorporating all the Regimental Marches and
other Scores handed down by our former Regiments and "THE IMPOSSIBLE VICTORY" by Brian
now played by the Bands of the Regiment. Harper, MC is a personal account of the Battle of the
Historical notes and a selection of photographs are River Po, Italy, in Apr. 1945; it was published on 19
also included. May. I have not yet read this book but, since so many
This unique record of Regimental lore is a battalions of our former regiments fought in this theatre,
significant and valuable contribution to the Regiment's it should provide interesting reading for a number of old
history. Maj. Wilson admits that it is not complete but warriors who were "in at the Kill" during the Italian
hopes to publish a more comprehensive record at a later G.U .W.
date. Campaign

G.U.W. Published by William Kimber & Co. Lts .-£7.95

net.

"ALEXANDER'S GENERALS" "STEADY THE DRUMS AND FIFES"
by Gregory Blaxland
In our June '79 number of the Journal, appeared a
Having already published two important histories short history of this famous painting of "The
on Gort (the Dunkirk period) and Montgomery and Die-hards" at Albuhera by Lady Butler.
Anderson (during the Tunis Campaign), Maj . Gregory
Blaxland, our Regimental Historian, completes a trilogy We have now come across a photograph taken some
with his latest book, "Alexander's Generals", which time during 1897 which depicts Lady Butler at her easel
covers the, as yet, unpublished official British history of in the Drawing Room of the Constable's Tower, Dover
the Italian CamP.aign from May 1944 to the final Castle.
liberation of the 'Leg of Europe' , one year later.
Gen. Sir William Butler, her husband, was
Constable of Dover Castle at this time and it was here
that the painting was completed.

As C in C of the polyglot allied force engaged in this
theatre, Alexander-by temperament and through
experience-was, without doubt, the only General
capable of directing the sustained effort necessary for

success, and of maintaining the respect of very
individually-minded as well as ambitious leaders such as
Generals Mark Clark, Freyberg, Anders and Juin.

Collating his material must have faced the author
with a daunting task but, because he himself fought in
the campaign with his Regiment (The Buffs), and also
held a number of staff appointments during the period,
he has been able to record events with ' feeling' as well as
portraying the nuances of character exhibited by the
generals in "Alex's" team. He also gives credit to the
genius of Kesselring and many of his equally
distinguished subordinates who inadvertently played
into Alexander's hands, strategically, by obeying
Hitler's " last-ditch" philosophy.

Published by William Kimber & Co. Ltd.,
Godolphin House, 22a Queen Anne's Gate, London
SWIH 9AE, price £9.95.
G .U.W.

"VEHICLES AT WAR" by Denis Bishop and Lady Butler at her easel.
Christopher Ellis published in Jan. 80, this is a
comprehensive history- beautifully illustrated in colour
and black and white- of all types of vehicles used in

48 OFFICERS' PENSIONS SOCIETY

THE "GARTON CUP" A letter from the President:
Sqn.!Ldr. (Retd.) John Etkins, of 30 Minerva
Avenue, North Balwyn, Victoria 3104, Australia, has The pension world of today is a veritable jungle. For
recently acquired a small bronze medal for the Garton example, did you know there _are now four different
Cup of the 23rd London Regt. (East Surreys), named to types of retired pay and widows pensions which are the
2/Lt. H. S. Wynnes, 193 1. This officer appears to have responsibility of the Ministrl of Defence let alone those
served on the T.A. Reserve with both The Queen's Own for which the Department o Health and Social Security
Royal West Kent Regt. and the Royal West Surreys. are responsible?
Sqd/Ldr. Etkins is interested to discover the activity
for which the Garton Cup was awarded, as well as any Do you know how and why the new method of
detail of Lt. Wynnes' career. Can anyone help him? applying the first pension increase after retirement can
Note: Sqn./Ldr. Etkins is married to a daughter have a very material affect upon your retired pay and
(Ethne) of the late Lt.-Col. W. V. Palmer (RWK)-Ed. your widows pension-and why you must therefore
think very carefully before selecting your date of
For The Ladies retirement?

WRVS WORK FOR H.M. FORCES Do you know how increases are applied to your
If you are adventurous and would like a change from retired pay and the conditions of eligibility? If you have
a dis~bility do you know how to go about applying for a
a routme job, then work for the Services with WRVS disab1hty pens10n? Do you know how your reured pay
can be a worthwhile as well as a fascinating job. may affect a pension from a private occupational pension
scheme? What do you know about commutation and its
You will wonder what you will be asked to do. The implications? In short, can you find your way around
job is difficult to describe as it is so varied and depends this labyrinth?
very largely on how each individual tackles it and the
effect of your own personality as well as the type of place If the answer to this question is 'No', then that
itself to which you are posted. surely is the best possible reason as to why you should
join the Society. For we are here not only to look after
A general picture of the work is organising the interests of all retired officers and the1r dependants,
recreational activities in Clubs for Units of the Army, but also help and advise our members on their pension
which differ in size according to the number of men m problems. If you would like to know more about us,
any particular station. There are posts with the Army in which I hope you will, please write to the General
Northern Ireland, and in the rest of the UK the posts Secretary, Officers' Pensions Society, 15 Buckingham
occur in Junior Soldiers Units, where WRVS undertake Gate, London SW I.
welfare and recreational work for boys training for the
Regular Army. Membership is open to all retired officers and their
wives, the wives of serving officers and widows. The
You will live in an atmosphere of record players, subscription is very modest being only £4 a year and this
table tennis, snooker, darts, cards and bingo, and make includes both husband and wife.
the clubroom a welcome oasis of friendliness. You will
find yourself organising visits and escorting the men or REGULAR FORCES EMPLOYMENT
boys to places of interest, taking trips to the countryside ASSOCIATION
and arranging sporting events, competitions, inter-unit
tournaments and discos. One of your main jobs will be This Association is part of the Forces Resettlemem
to listen sympathetically and to help them over the Service. It exists to help Servicemen to find suitable
rough patches. employment when they leave the Forces. It also takes a
long term interest in ex-Regulars, who may use its
You will bring to the job your own ideas. The services as often as they wish.
men'slboy's interests will become yours, and your
interests and enthusiasms will become theirs. The Association has 41 Branches covering the
United Kingdom, and its Employment Officers-all ex-
For further information and application form apply Servicemen-are in close touch with employers. It
to : provides all services free.

Services Welfare Department During the period 1st January 1979-3lst March
WRVS Headquarters 1980 the Association placed some 7,000 men and women
17 Old Park Lane from the Services in employment; of these jobs 3,050
London W IY 4AJ were for men and women from the Army and 32 were
Tel: 01-499 6040 from The Queen's Regt.

or Addresses and telephone numbers of Branches can
be obtained from The Regimental Association-or from
WRVS Scottish Headquarters Post Offices, Employment Offices or local telephone
19 Grosvenor Crescent directories.
Edinburgh EH 12 SEW
Tel : Edinburgh/Donaldson 2261 BANDMASTER FOR CADET BAND

Wanted for Air Training Corps at Haslemere
Volunteer Bandmaster to help form Cadet Band. Details
from Fit. Lt. Nutley, The Chantrees, Passfield
Common, Liphook, Hants. Phone Passfield 355 .

Depot The Queen's 49
Division
Support Wing. Cpl. Beaney continues as our Coy. Clerk
On 5 Feb., the Depot received a visit by a strong and does not plan to move for some time!
team from RHQ led by the Colonel of the Regr .; this
was part of a visit by all three RHQs of The Queen 's Other Queensmen are Sgt. Daly, Cpls. Albrecht,
Division. After a briefing by the Commanding Officer, Archer and Vann. C & 0 COYS.
visitors were given a conducted tour of the Depot, had
drinks in the WOs' and Sgts' · Mess, lunch in the Lt. Bickerdike, fresh from the 1st Bn. in Werl,
Officers' Mess and tea in the Corporals' Club; they also arrived in Jan. to take over Waterloo PI. from Lt. Hook,
had the opportunity to speak to recruits on training. who has now left the Army; he returns to see us on
occasions. Sgt. Ward formerly with the Drums PI., has
At the end of Feb., Maj . Critchley took over from returned to the 2nd Bn.
Maj. Cheesman as 2IC of The Depot; the latter has gone
to learn even more german prior to taking up an The majority of our permanent. staff and junior
appointment at the German Staff College. Earlier, Capt. soldiers have enjoyed the thrills and sp1lls of sknng (both
MacWilliam left us for Staff College after a tour as downhill and langlauf) at Aviemore. All mastered the
Adjutant; and WO I Hare relinquished the post of RSM basic skills, except Maj. Carter, who found greatest
on commissioning. stability with his backside rubbing on the snow!

HQ COY. W02 Davies took Sevastopol PI. to assist I RRF on
Exercise "Geordies Pride", a Milan test exercise in
W02 King has now handed over as CSM after two BAOR which proved valuable experience for the
and a half years; he is, however, still with us, as Project juniors, giving them an insight into life in a regular Bn.
Officer, Army Exhibition for Schools.
The Junior Soldiers boxing team, trained by Cpl.
An important addition to the staff has been Maj. Wilmott of D Coy., entered the Army Youth Boxmg
Morris as QM Tech, and with Maj. Newman holding Championships in March and. managed to get four
the other QM appointment, we have a secure hold on finalists: congratulations to all, mcludmg Cpl. W~lmott
that department. for his efforts. W02 Bartle was less fortunate m h1s
activities; he sustained a broken leg whilst playing
ACOY football with some of his juniors-definitely a sign of up-
and-coming soldiers in D Coy!
During the last six months 52 Queensmen have
passed out of the Company-13 to the 1st Bn., 33 to the On 2 April, Salamanca PI. passed out with 3 going
2nd and six to the 3rd. The Regiment is well represented to our 1st Bn., 5 to the 2nd and two to the 3rd.
in A Coy. hierarchy, with Maj. Murphy still as OC and
Lts. Rayner, Goulden and Morns commandmg The IJLB
platoons. At present, Sgt. Sturgeon is the only Platoon
Sergeant but Sgt. Weaver will soon be in business after One of the most time-consuming activities in
attending a Drill Course. Salamanca Coy. in the last few months has been trying
to get as many of its members as possible abroad and for
Sgt. Leach has returned to I Queens after 2112 years as long as possible; already this year, I Queens have
as a Platoon Sergeant: Cpl. McCreadie left at Christmas looked after us in Werl, and 3 Queens have taken some
and Cpls. Dale and Owens in April and we wish them all to Cyprus for a 4-week "Bargain Winter Break" . Plans
the best of luck. Cpl. Hannington, who was marned m are now afoot for trips across the Atlantic and, among
March, is now with B Coy. and Cpl. Vessey has left us the staff, the Arms Plot has replaced the Pay Review as
to add quality to Training Support Wing . Cpl. Ash, our the most-read military publication! We do find that
Storeman for the past year, 1s about to relinquish that overseas exercises have the most satisfactory effect on
post, but remains at the Depot. Cpls. Brown, Parker and the morale of both Junior Leaders and their Instructors.
O'Dell have joined us during the period under rev1ew.
Amongst those who have passed out of Salamanca
BCOY. Coy. recently, several young Queensmen deserve special
mention : j /C pl. Wombell (now 3rd Queens)
Since Christmas leave, four platoons have passed distinguished himself not only by his extremely high
out with 50 recruits joining our regular battalions: 15 to standard of small bore shooting in the Battalion team,
the 1st, 27 to the 2nd and 8 to the 3rd. In two of the but also by winning the top academic prize; and Junior
Platoons we have had the Best All Round recruit Leaders Patrick and Barren (now with 1st Queens) both
amongst the prizewinners-Ptes . Brown and performed extremely well in the successful Battalion
Delaney-both of whom went to the 2nd Bn . Boxing Team, Barren going on to become the
Combined Services Under-19 Bantamweight Champion.
Lt . Barr has now gone to 3 Queens after two years as
a PI. Comd.; we will miss his sports car racing around CSM Jamieson has moved up the roaa to
the airfield. Sgt. Hewitt left at the same time for I Canterbury and is much missed by both the Junior
Queens (including his dog) and Mrs . Hewm w1ll be Leaders and staff. Sgts. Ives and Davidson have also
greatly missed for her photographic skill. Cpls. Turner made a short move- they returned to 3 Queens at Dover.
and Frazer have joined 2 Queens. Now in the Battalion are S~t. Hole (from 2 Queens, to
)Om the External Leadership Wmg) and Drum Major
Since Christmas, Lt . Watson, Sgts. Kelling and Air Marshall, who was awarded his LS & GC Medal on the
and Cpl. King have joined us and are gemng to Passing Out Parade, 29 March. L/Cpl. Foster continues
understand the Depot way of life. on the Provost Staff, and Cpl. Blake is still in the
Medical Centre. Sgt. Easton has arrived from I Queens
Maj. Bartlett is still our OC and our 2IC, Capt. and is already well settled into the Company.
Marston, has been whisked away to help Training
It is rumoured that Lts . Edwards and Wright are

50 between that and the plans which Maj . Jones has for
building a mansion in the area.
starting up a second-hand furniture business in
Folkestone but , as yet , there is no definite connection

(From 1 to r) : .J/Ldrs. Arnold and King, L/Cpl. Scott and j/Ldr. Dawson , of 12 PI., firing sand-
filled bombs from the 81 mm mortar, during their visit to the 1st Bn. in Germany .

THE JUNIOR SOLDIERS' Permanent Staff gradually arrived, with the bulk
appearing in early June. " All hands on deck" is not too
BATTALION, TAUNTON trite a phrase to describe their activities over the next
three months. Not only was there the detailed training to
by Maj. P.A. Gwilliam prepare but, in order to get the camp ready in time, they
found themselves pressed into service on such diverse
The decision early last year to increase the size of tasks as helping to rip out old heating systems and
the Junior intake brought problems of accommodation. weeding the flower beds. No one was exempt and the
The Queen's, King's and Prince of Wales's Divisions memory of three company headquarters' staff on thei r
were unable to cope with the extra Juniors in their hands and knees among the weeds outside their
Depots, so Norton Manor Camp was reborn .
respective offices lives on.
Previously the home of the Junior Leaders
Regiment RCT (who had moved to Colerne in early '78) With the last of the accommodation ready (with just
the camp had the air of amid-West ghost town . A camp two days in hand) including the 19th century manor
of wooden spider huts, the banging doors and leaking which 1s the Officers' Mess, the new intake to Queen's
roofs were eloquent testimony to a year of neglect and (Aibuhera) Coy. were the first to arrive. Training got off
when the new CO, Lt .-Col. N. D . Mclntosh, Green to a good start, despite a number of problems which are
Howards, arnved m March, he was not surprisingly perhaps not so great elsewhere : there is, for instance, no
somewhat doubtful that all would be ready for the fir st local training area of any kind, and the nearest range IS
intake in September. an hour away. Nevertheless, local landowners have been

helpful and we can do most of our basic tactical training 51
on the Quantock Hills . Dartmoor is not far away, and we
make extensive use of Tregantle Ranges at Plymouth. Infantry Coys; we shall then have 19 Infantry cap
badges, and 39 overall, not forgetting all the other
Adventure Training (or "External Leadership", as regimentalia of buttons, backings, flashes and hackles.
it is euphemistically called in junior units) is ideally
suited to this part of the country. Climbing, canoeing There are 30 Queen's Juniors under training at the
and sailing are all within easy reach, and Cape! Curig in moment, of whom 17 are due to pass out in August. The
Wales has proved to be a popular area. By the time they Regiment is well represented among the Permanent staff
finish their year's training, a number of the Juniors will wit h myself (as 2IC), Sgt. Berry (ORC) and Cpl.
have achieved recognised qualifications in those Callender (G . Clerk) in Mission Control, supported
pastimes, as well as in ski-ing which we do in Scotland. from the Post Room by L/Cpl. Mullins, one of the
keenest fishermen in the Bn. He and Sgt. Wiles (QM
Visits to regular battalions have proved both popular Dept.) have begun a thriving fishing club for both
and worthwhile. A visit to I Queens at Sennelager freshwater and sea anglers. C/Sgt. Manuel is learning
changed the minds of at least two Juniors who were what life is like under a RCT MTO , and Sgt. Higgins
thinking of leaving, and a further group is planned to keeps the Sgts ' Mess in business. Out on a limb is
join 3 Queens on exercise in Canada. L/Cpl. Savage (storeman to the King's Coy.) where he is
showing them how stores really shou ld be kept.
The Coy. has done well at sport: it won the Bn. Albuhera Coy. has Lt. G raham , Sgt. Milborrow and
Novices Boxing Competition (ably coached by Cpl. Cpls. Friday, Scully and Power, all of whom have
Friday) and the lst Bn. can look torward to receiving one become involved in Bn. life, particularly sport; and
or two keen young sold1ers who Wlll no doubt be trymg C/Sgt. Jones, whose reputation as a gardener has
for a place m their boxing team. The SWDist Army elevated him to Percy Thrower status. Finally, some
Youth Football Challenge Cup went to the Coy, who may remember Capt. M . J. Bona SASC who, before
unfortunately lost to AAC Arborfield in the national transferring, was Queen 's Own and Queen 's Own Buffs,
semi-final. The Bn. won the Army Junior Football; they serving with the latter in Colchester in the early 60s .
were also runners-up in the Rugby, with J/Cpls . Young
and Hall (98) as stalwart members of the team. We always we lcome visits from members of the
Regiment . Although far from the Home Counties, there
In September, the Bn. increases in strength to 756 may be some passing by who may not have heard of us .
Juniors, which includes two RCT Sqns and a number of This would not cause surprise, as even telephone calls to
RPC Juniors who will be split between the three HQ SWDIST and HQUKLF have been greeted by
"Who .. . ? Where . .. ?" .

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52 (Top): A new Standard for 4th Cdt. Bn. (Kent

THE QUEEN'S CADETS ACF) is dedicated . (The Lord Lieutenant, Lord

by Maj. J. H . East, MBE, JP Astor of Hever, and Maj. P . R. A. Dames, JP, the

The comparative brevity of these notes must not be CO, in foreground) . Picture by courtesy of
taken as a measure of the amount of activity which goes
on in the many cadet detachments affiliated to the The Kent Messenger
Regiment in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, NW, NE and SW
London. The linch-pin of the ACF's work, particularly (Lower): Award winners at The Eastbourne
in the winter, is the weekly or twice-weekly detachment
parade; it is here that the bulk of the work is done (Sussex ACF) Platoon's Presentation Evening.
although it does not make news .
need is greatest in the urban areas, such as Greater
The winter season is also the time when many ACF London, Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear,
detachments hold Open Nights or parents evenings. In Merseyside all favoured for Army recruiting and
the Sussex ACF (at Eastbourne), a large number of resettlement by ex-Strvice men. Inevitably therefore
parents and friends attended the annual presentation they are the centres where SSAFA is most needed but
evening, when the guest of honour was Lt.·Col. Mike where potential volunteers are harder to find.
Dudding, Commanding 6th/7th Queens. At the Crawley
detachment's display, the Inspecting Officer was SSAFA representatives must be genuinely caring
Lt.-Col. Albert Marchant, Deputy Commandant Sussex people, full of commonsense and willing to learn.
ACF, and one of the highlights of the evening was a Obviously, experience in the Services, either as an
guard mounting display by the seniors cadets. A officer or senior NCO, or as the wife, widow or husband
considerable amount of help in training the guard had of either, is valuable. Training is provided, both in the
been received from C Coy. 6/7 Queens. fie ld with an experienced worker and also at a SSAFA
Induction Course either at Head Office in London or in
The annual Cumberland Sword competition took the appropriate County. Expenses are paid and all
place on 29/30 March. The Queen's Regt. is probably necessary literature and stationery are provided.
unique in running such a competition for its cadets and
we are most grateful to RHQ and the RIT for the Offers wi ll be welcomed directly at the local County
amount of work which goes into preparing and running Office of SSAFA or may be sent to SSAFA Head Office,
it. Sgt. R. Wyithe of the Surrey ACF (Ash) is to be 27 Queen Anne's Gate, London, SWJH 9BZ.
congratulated on a clear win, as is CSM H . Winning,
al so of Surrey ACF, who was runner-up .

We also congratulate the following who received
shields for having the highest number of points in their
res pecti ve counties:- CSM P. Spi lsbury-Kent
(Tunbridge Wells), Sgt . S. Moore-Surrey (Merrow),
Sgt. M . Cole- Sussex (Crawley), Sgt. P. Flynn-NW
London (21 Group), Cdt. T . Cook- NE London (26
Coy. ) and Cpl. G. Benke-SW London (161
D etachm e nt) .

S.O.S.-VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

During 1978, the last year for which complete
figures are available, SSAFA Branches in the UK helped
a total of 24,203 financial , welfare and advisory cases
concerning Army families at an operating cost of
£82,840.

Of 11 ,448 financia l grants amounting to £456,737
made to Army fami lies, some 9,258 (representing
£415 ,511) were disbursed on behalf of the Regimental
and Corps benevolent funds.

Those figures prove beyond doubt the practical
efficiency of the good working partnership between
SSAFA and Regimental funds.

SSAFA is not primarily a grant-making
organisation. Its role is to provide a service to the
families of Serving and ex-Servtce men and women, to
Commanding Officers and to the Regimental and Corps
benevolent funds, all of whom use the SSAFA
nationwide network of voluntary workers to visit and
report on their family cases and distribute their
gen ero sit y .

To do this SSAFA must continue to recruit new
voluntary workers to replace the many dedicated people
now reming after many years of valuable work. The

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SUPPlEMENT No . 2-PAGE FOUR Printed in Great Britain

REG IMENTAL SECRETARY 'S NOTES

R.C.O's Report by Maj. M. P. Lawson G E N E RAL
I must begin these Notes by saying how
The 1st Bn. has now arrived and the quiet
tranquility of Howe Barracks now echoes the hubbub of invigorating it is for us at RHQ to see Howe Barracks re-
normal Battalion life. The RCO's office continues its occupied by soldiers: it takes us spiritually out of our
work of coordinating the Regimental Recruiting effort, 'Tour d'Ivoire'! The return of our 1st Bn. to
and I, with the most able assistance of Maj . Dick Waite, Canterbury, " The Home of The Regiment", is a
and the support to us both from Cpl. Welch, carry on sigmficant event for The Regiment as a whole and also
for The City of Canterbury.
the day-to-day routine.
SCARLET APPEAL- BANDS AND DRUMS
It is in the field of Officer Recruiting that The
Regiment is having most of its success: the standard of I am happy to be able to report that our "Scarlet
applicant is getting better and our success rate at the Appeal" has been successful. The total sum received to
RCB is very good; we now have more cadets at date is approximately £13,000. When this is considered
Sandhurst than we have had for some time and this is against the background of cuts in Local Government
certa inly most encouraging . spending and the general economic situation, we have
good cause to be pleased .
Soldier recruiting reflects normal seasonal
fluctuat ion; however, our Recruiters in the "field " are We have been able to carry out the foll owing :-
now getting more and more committed recruits to the 1 QUEENS Refurbishing of Corps of Drums
RSC at Sutton Coldfield. This, together with the 2 QUEENS Provision of scarlet tunics for Band
number of soldiers extending their terms of service, 3 QUEENS Provision of scarlet tunics and helmets
bodes well for The Regiment; moreover, Junior for Corps of Drums.
recruiting remains good and nearly all the vacancies for
Additionally, the refurbishing of The Queen's Band
IJLB and JSB are being fill ed. TA and 5 QUEENS Corps of Drums has been
completed as a result of generous donations from the
There have been some changes amongst our Militia Funds of our former Regiments and also help,
Recruiters since my last report and SNCOs are now from South East TA VRA; our own "Scarlet Appeal '
deployed as follows:- C/Sgt. Beckingham (vice C/Sgt. fund was also able to make a substantial donation
Day) at Chatham; Sgt. Gittins (vice Sgt. Drew) at towards 5 QUEENS costs.
Fmchley; Sgt. Costan (vice Sgt. Harbinson) at Brighton;
and Sgt. Cochrane (vice Sgt. Cairns) at Edgware. Sadly, we did encounter problems in the provision
of helmets for our Corps of Drums due to
The Regimental Information Team's stands have manufacturing difficulties: consequently the Bands and
now been completely refurbished, much to the Drums of 2 and 3 QUEENS were not see n at their best
admiration of various other RITs that Capt. George when they performed so well in February at
Simmons has met on his travels. The "Showbiz" season Twickenham for the England v. Wales rugby match and
which started in earnest in May goes on until the end of also at Wembley in March for the Football League Cup
September. On behalf of all those who know and have Final between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton
served with Capt. Simmons, I would like to thank him Wanderers; on both these occasions they gave excellent
for his hard work over the last four years with the RIT; performances and The Regiment received considerable
he retires in October and WO 1 Alyward, on publicity .
commissioning, will take over from him .
Note: We aim to be back at both Twickenham and
On 28/29 March, The Cumberland Sword Wembley in the 1980/8 1 season.
Competition (for Queen's ACF) was held at Napier
Barracks, Shorncliffe; the work to set it up and run it The Future. Now that we have achieved our first
was done by the RIT and for this they should be ai11_1 of . refurbishing and have in consequence got
congratu lated . The prizes were presented by the deputy umformity throughout the Regiment, we aim to
Colonel, Brig. Charles Millman, and the winning cadet establish a fund which, in the yea rs ahead, can provide
was Cdt. Sgt. Wyithe of the Ash Detachment, Surrey ass istance to Battalions when further refurbishment
becomes necessary. Without such a fund in a world of
ACF. constant high inflation, future refurbi; hment might
prove to be too much of a herculean task.
Finally, with our three regular battalions now based
in UK-and two in our own Recruiting Area- the South Donations. Donations were rece ived from a
East and London is now, more than ever, "Queen's number of sources and it would be invidious to list them
all individually. £7,375 was received from our
STOP PRESS-(see !.B. C.) "Freedom " Boroughs and Towns; particular mention
though must be made of the Merseyside County Council
who donated £2,500 in recognition of 3 QUEENS fire-
fighting m the general area of Merseyside during the
latter part of 1977 and the early part of 1978. Our retired
officers who are members of the Office rs' Club donated
the magmficent sum of £2,6 17 and special mention must
be made of Mr. Ken Harnson, ex-Queen's Royal Regt.
and former officer m The ACF living near Deal, who
gave £ 1,000. Addn,unal donations were received

Country".

54 EXTRACTS FROM THE COLONEL OF THE
from:-Queen's Own Buffs Regimental Assn. (£100.00);
Ramsgate Branch of Queen's Own Buffs Assn. REGIMENT'S DIARY
(£123 .00); Sittingbourne Branch of Queen's Own Buffs
Assn. (£5.00), and County of Surrey ACF (£25.00); and During the period under review, Gen. Rowle[ has
miscellaneous donations from the sale of Maj . Les once again continued his tireless effort on behalf o The
Wilson's recently-published book "Regimental Music of Regiment. In addition to what might be termed routine
The Queen's Regiment". duties such as conducting his Interview Boards at
RMAS for potential officers and chairing the Managing
-' I Trustees Meeting, he has found time, as usual, to take on
a number of other commitments, the following being of
Mr. Kenneth Harris talking to the CO, Lt.-Col. particular interest : In January he visited I QUEENS
Gavin Bulloch, during the former's visit to the 3rd KAPE Boxing Team when they were fighting a local
Bn. at Dover. club at Canning Town; and in early February he
accompanied all ROs from RHQ when they paid a one·
day 's visit to the Queen's Division Depot and saw all
aspects of their training and administration.

In March the General visited 2 QUEENS at
Stanford PTA in Norfolk and spent a whole day seeing
the final aspects of their training before their departure,
the following month, for a 4-month tour in North
Armagh. The other main event in March was
undoubtedly the 3-day tour around Surrey visiting
various schools. ACIOs and the Mayors of both
Guildford and Reigate. At the end of the month, Gen.
Rowley was down at Canterbury for the Enthronement
of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in April, although
he turned his attention briefly to the needs of his garden
at Brockenhurst, he also managed to find time to visit
6/7 QUEENS at Annual Camp, and attend the Royal
Sussex Regimental Association dinner at Lewes .

May was, by Gen. Rowley 's standards,
comparatively quiet: two Commissioning Boards; a
Headmasters Convention at Bassingbourn; a -visit to 3
QUEENS at Dover, and a civic Reception at Barnet.

FOOTBALL LEAGUE CUP FINAL
The Band and Corps of Drums of 2 Queens at
Wembley Stadium on Sat. 15 Mar. '80.

RETIREMENT OF MAJ. GEORGE FAULKNER 55

Maj. George Faulkner retires in July after 47 years tell one that he was a "real tiger" of a man! ; that may on
dedicated service-first, to his former Regiment, The occasions, have been true but he will be remembered
Buffs; then as RO in the Queen 's Own Buffs Regimental best for his kindness and consideration to all soldiers,
Office and (since 1978) at RHQ. George enlisted in The whatever their rank. I know that I echo the sentiments of
Buffs in 1933, was promoted WO! in 1949 and spent all who have known George in wishing him and June,
eight years in that rank before being commissioned as a his wife, all happiness in their final retirement.
QM in 1957. T hose who knew him when he was RSM
Maj . Hugh Tennant, formerly of The Buffs and
recently retired from 3 QUEENS, will be taking over
from George.

****

REGIMENTAL REPRESENTATIVE IN DENMARK

Maj. R. T. W.. Mellotte Queen's Regiment and The British Army", a subject
which generally attracts much interest m the Royal
In the year that I have been here and since I last Danish Army whose own regimental system is currently
reported, much has happened in this outpost of under considerable political pressure.
regimental life. Nevertheless, as this is written, all has
been splendidly overshadowed by the news that our Our affiliated ship HMS K ent visited Esbjerg in
Allied Colonel-m-Chief is to f,ay an informal visit to The November full of 2 Queens cheer during which the
Regiment at Canterbury in une. Chairman of the Danish Old Comrades Association
went aboard; shortly after this visit, the ship returned to
From my NATO desk in the Exercise Branch of HQ UK to pay off.
Allied Forces Baltic Approaches-
COMBALTRAP-and where it will be of increasing Finally, it must be reported that a signal honour has
Regimental interest to know that Exercises "Amber recently been given to The Regiment by our Allied
Express 81" and "Bold Guard 82" are also being Colonel-in-Chief: Her Majesty has granted the
planned, I oversee the regimental connections in Regimental Representative here the privilege of wearing
Denmark. Her insignia (illustrated above) in the same way as do
H er own Household troops, The Royal Life Guards; the
Shortly after assuming my appointment, Marybell latter lost no time in presenting a metal and embroidered
and I were privileged to be included in certain activities pair of insignia to me.
surrounding our own Queen's State Visit to Denmark in
May '79. At a reception given by Her Majesty, a It may be of interest to finish by recording the list of
representative group of Danish Buffs Old Comrades past Regimental Representatives in Denmark who have
were presented separately to The Queen and to HRH served at HQ BALTAP which, as far is known, is not
Prince Philip who were both well aware of their recorded elsewhere. (Before 1962 the Regimental
background and showed much inters! in them-a great Representative_held an attache post at the Embassy):
boost to the Association's morale. 1962-1963 MaJ. M. G. M. Archer; 1963- 1965 Maj. I. A.
McMillan; 1965- 1967 Maj. R . G. Winstanley;
I was grateful to 1 Queens for their thoughtful 1967-1970 MaJ. D. H. Woolstencroft; 1970-1971 Maj. J.
invitation to two officers of Den Kongelige Livgarde B. Ray; 197 1-1974 Maj. H. C. Tennent; 1974-1976
(Royal Danish Life Guards) and their wives to attend Maj. W. G. A. Crumley; 1976- 1979 Maj.]. D. W. Reid;
their splendid Glorious First of June celebrations in 1979 myself.
Werl last year where the Trooping of the Colour left
lasting impressions on our Danish friends, not to
mention all the hospitality that followed.

Last July, C Coy. 1 Queens visited our closely-
linked Dronningens Livregiment (Queen's Life
Regiment) in Aalborg for exchange training during
which time Maj. Charles Joint and I were received by
Queen Margrethe at H er summer residence near
Aarhus; the Coy Comd. also managed to utilise his ai r
support to visit our unofficially allied Royal Life Guards
in Copenhagen from where he was we ll-placed to recce
the city under the undoubted guidance of Life Guard
Maj. Karl Albrektsen who had been his house guest in
June. For me it was good to see so many old friends (ifC
Coy. could ever be described as Sp Coy's friends!) up

here.

In September the Dronningens Livregiment invited
me to address an officers' training weekend on "The

56

REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION the generosity of all members of the Regiment and the
NOTES fact that we have almost completed the mammoth task of
transferring all subscriptions to the "Day's Pay"
by Maj. E. A. McCarthy Scheme to 'Covenanted" ones, our income to the

General Benevolent Fund increased during 1979 from £! 3,850

During the past six months since the last issue of the (in 1978) to £20, 109, a very substantial sum for which
Journal, the Regimental Association has agreed to grants we are most grateful to all concerned. Whilst on the
in aid totalling £855; found jObs for two soldiers subject of income and finance, our invested capital has
completing their regular service; and, sadly. been increased from £5,285 (with an income of £390 in 1973)
required to give advice and assistance to the tam1hes of to £44,200, with an increase of £2,370 during 1979. We
two of our soldiers who have been killed as the result of owe much of this to the Regimental Investment Sub-
traffic accidents. The task of Regimental Welfare is Committee-who are all ex-members of our founding
never ending but it is dealt with conscientiously and Regiments and high-powered financial experts in the
with compassion at all times. City-for the skilful handling of our invested capital.

As will be seen from the audited accounts, thanks to GRAND REUNION, 3 AUG. '80

Finally, a reminder that your support for the.Grand
Reunion on the 3rd August 1980 IS eagerly awaited.

THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT
BENEVOLENT FUND

Income and Expenditure Account

Year ended 31st December, 1979

1978 81 Expenditure 74.75
1547 Audit Fee ... ... ... 4 159.25
Income 4360 Assistance .. . 3790.00
6150 Grants R.H.Q.... 7900.00
2732 Subscriptions from Officers 3613 .70 1950 ABF Loans 5315.00
9902 Subscriptions from other Ranks 14364 .33 3055 ABF Grants
Donations ... Donations ... 10.00
11 ABF Loans 127 .00 38 Investment Fee 32 .73
6150 ABF Grants 7900.00 37 Printing/Stationery ... ...
236 3 5320 .00 25 Miscellaneous Expenditure .. . 14.43
Deposit Account Interest
85 Investment Income ... 185 .99 £! 7243 Surplus of Income over £21296 . 16
1428 Tax Refunds ... 2371. 26 Expenditure
12 18 Miscellaneous Income 2132.46 6649 19541.53

3 Bequ est s 4822. 95 £23892 £40837.69

£23892 £40837.69 ----

----

Marriages and Deaths HODDINOTT-MAWER. On 3 Nov. '79, at Dover,
L/Cpl. Hoddinott to Sharon Ivy Mawer.
MARRIAGES
WEST-STEWART. On 3 Nov . '79, at Canterbury,
WEST-DAVIES. On 21 Jul. '79, at Wimbledon, Pte. L/Cpl. K . West to Geraldine Anne Stewart.
J . V. West to Jaqueline Denise Davies.
ETHERTON-JOHNSON. On 3 Nov . '79, at
OLLIVER-HILLMAN . On 28 Jul. ' 79, at Chichester,
Cpl. S. K . Olliver to Andrea Carol Hillman . Horsham, L/Cpl. P. C . Etherton to Susan Johnson .
MOSS-PARKES . On 10 Nov. '79, at Sydenham,
WATTS-SOLIEL. On 29 Jul. '79, at Twickenham,
Cpl. Watts to Cindy Rosemary Soliel. Pte. L. S. Moss to Sallianne Parkes.

HAMILTON-HOOKEY. On 3 Aug . ' 79, at Kings FRANCIS-GREENHAM. On 10 Nov . ' 79, at Ux-
Lynn , Pte. D. Hamilton to Tracy Leigh Hookey . bridge, Pte. S. Francis to Margaret Greenham .

SHAW-VINNICOMBE. On 4 Aug . '79, at Dover, BRITTON-YOUNG . On 17 Nov . '79, at Dover,
Pte. P. K. Shaw to Hilary Ann Vinnicombe. Pte. P. Britton to Allison Young.

CARTER-RUDMAN. On 4 Aug. '79, at Forrest Row, VICARY -HALL. On 24 Nov . '79 at Hastings,
L/Cpl. Carter to Lynn Rudman. Pte. T . K . Vicary to Caroline Hall.

PARKER- TILLBROOK. On 25 Aug . '79, at LAWRENCE- GREAGSBY . On 24 Nov. '79, at
Ramsgate, Pte. K. Parker to Tracr. Jane Tillbrook. Ton bridge, Pte. S. D. Lawrence to Susan Greagsby.

G IBBI NS-MARTI N. On 17 Oct. 79 , at Croydon, CUMMINS-READ. On 24 Nov. '79, at Dover, Pte.
Pte. D. Gibbins to Constantina Martin. J. J. Cummins to T eresa Carol Joan Read .

FERNIE-MILLS. On I Dec. '79, at Tunbridge Wells,

L/Cpl. R. Fernie to Joyce June Mills.

57

Balance Sheet

as at 31st December, 1979

1978 Investments at Cost 44204.09
35405
per Schedule 6000.00
Cash Balance with
Stock Brokers ... -50-20-4.0-9

35405 1346.11 Accumulated
Current Assets 5406.99 Fund

Cash at Bank- 10.00

1074 Current Account
1221 Deposit Account

Cash in Hand ...

2295 6763.10

Sundry Debtors
417 Shop ... ... ...
56.90 General Fund as at

2563 Loans 1220.00 38265 31st December 1978 45594 .24

4996 Stock at Cost (Shop) 7113.65 Less: Loss on Sale

10271 15153.65 518 (Pm fit) oflnvestments 1180.46

Less: 38783 ----

Current Liabilities 44413 .78
60 Audit Fee ...
22 Sundry Creditor Add: Surplus

74.75 Income over
203.16
Expenditure

82 277.91 6649 Benevolent Fund 19541.53
14875.74 162 Regimental Shop 1124.52
10189 6811 __ 20666.05
£45594 ----
£45594 £65079 .83
65079.83

- - --

TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE QUEEN'S REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION

We report that the annexed accounts, and Balance Sheet, dated 31st December 1979 have been prepared from and are in
accordance with, your books and records and the information and explanations given to us.

LARKING AND LARKING

31St. George's Place CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
Canterbury March 1980

PEACOCK-WARREN. Un I Dec. '79, at Westgate MICHAEL-BACARISAS. On 6 Jan. '80, at Gibraltar,
on Sea, Pte. P. Peacock to Gillian Warren . Pte. J. Michael to Elizabeth Bacarisas.

STEPNEY-HEMINGWAY. On I Dec. '79, at Dover, HANNINGTON-HICKS. On 9 Jan. '80 at Cam-
Pte. P. W. Stepney to Ann Lesley Hemingway. bridge, Cpl. Hannington to Carol Patricia Hicks.

CHEATHAM- EVANS. On 8 Dec. '79, at Dover, HALL-CHESTER. On 12 Jan. '80 at Shepway, Pte.
Pte. J. A. Cheatham to Lynn Louise Evans. C. D. Hall to Sandra Ann Chester.

ADAMS-POTTS . On 15 Dec. '79 at Dover, Cpl. KEMSLEY-SNOW . On 19 Jan. '80, at Minster,
Adams to Sheena Rhoda Ports. Sheppey, Pte. D. M . Kemsley to Beverley Snow.

FORD-SEATON. On 21 Dec. '79, at Hounslow, BOOKER-MILBORROW . On 19 Jan. '80, at
Pte. J. A. Ford to Tracy Sharon Seaton. Crawley, Cpl. G. D. Booker to Carol Ann

COLEMAN- MANLEY. On 29 Dec. '79, at Fulham, Milborrow.
Pte. S. D. Coleman to Rae Manley. BROWN- PHIPPS. On 25 Jan . '80, at Sheppey, L!Cpl.

KENNEDY-SULLIVAN. On 5 Jan . '80, at Dublin, D. P. Brown to Jaqueline Phipps.
Cpl. D. J. Kennedy to Miriam Sullivan.
STEVENS-BURGESS. On 26 Jan . ' 80, at
CURLEY-COOPER. On 5 Jan . '80, at Royston, Wandsworth, Pte. A. Stevens to Linda Patricia
Cpl. J. A. Curley to Mercedes Rosemary Cooper. Burgess .

PACKWOOD-LYONS. On 5 Jan . '80 at Hindley, THOMAS-DOODY. On 26 Jan . _'80 at Worthing,
Bdsm. P. Packwood to Maureen Lyons. Pte. A. E. Thomas to Mandy Bndget Doody.
HAZELL-RANDALL. On I Feb. '80, at Croydon
PINDER-MERTAR. On 5 Jan . '80 at Lancaster, Pte. R. F. Hazell to Maxine Alyce Randall . '

Pte. A. W. Pinder to Janet Mertar. FINN-POLLARD. On 2 Feb. '80, at Hendon, Pte.
BU RDEN-BARLOW . On 5 Jan. '80, at Colchester, M. Finn to Kathleen Pollard.

Pte. Burden to Janet Ann Barlow. BOAMPONG-BEATSON. On 2 Feb. '80, at Dover,
BUDDEN CRAYTON . On 5 Jan . '80 at York,
Cpl. S. H . Boampong to Lesley Ann Beatson.
L!Cpl. G. D. Budden to Jane Crayton.
LINSTED- SMITH. On 5 Jan . '80 at Brighton, L!Cpl.

M . J . Linsted to Sandra Dawn Smith.

58

(Marriages continued) Mr. D. V. Watson and Miss M. A. Roper
The engagement is announced between Lt. David
HINTON-METSON. On 2 Feb. '80, at Dover, Watson, The Queen's Regt. , only son of the late Mr. J.
W. Watson and Mrs. J. E. Watson, ofFinchley, London
Sgt. S. G . B. Hinton to Janet Marilyn Metson . and Margaret Anne, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.
A. Raper, of Rushmere-St-Andrew, Ipswich, Suffolk.
YARD-DEMIRCI. On 7 Feb. '80, at Minden, Pte.
Capt. R. G. Hews and Miss D. E. Janes
B. Yard to Gulsum Tulgun Demirci. The engagement is announced between Capt.
Richard Hews, 14th/20th King's Hussars, younger son
DODD-LAVERTY. On 16 Feb. '80, at Aldershot of Mr. and Mrs . G. R. D . Hews, of Canterbury, Kent,
and Diana, elder daughter of Maj.-Gen. and Mrs. M .
L/Cpl. F.] . Dodd to Patricia Laverty. ' Janes, of Woodgreen, Hants.

SEDDON-MEAKIN. On 1 Mar. '80, at River, Dover, Mr. C. E. Tarver and Miss S. Brading
The engagement is announced between Charles
Pte. D. R. Seddon to Dawn Theresa Meakin. Edward, son of Col. and Mrs. C. L. Tarver, of West
Byfle et, Surrey, and Sally, daughter of Lt-Col. and Mrs .
MALCOLM-CORP. On 1 Mar. '80 at Bath, L/Cpl. E. W. Brading, of Andover, Hampshire.

E. R. Malcolm to Jaqueline Claroisa Corp. DEATHS

MILLS-BARNEY. On 2 Mar. '80, Pte. B. Mills to SWANSON-On 2 Dec. '79, at Shrewsbury, Maj.
Paul R1dley Swanson of Whitchurch, Shropshire.
Rosemary Louise Barney.
FRAZER-On 3 Feb. '80, Pte. D. ]. Frazer at Werl,
PETHERBRIDGE-TUNLEY. On 2 Mar. '80, at as a result of a road traffic accident.

Hull, Pte. Petherbridge to Kay Elizabeth Tunley. PEARCE-GOULD. On 8 Dec. '79, the Rev . P. L.
Pearce-Gould, formerly of The Middlesex Regt.
WHITE-BAKER. On 29 Mar. '80 at Barnet, Pte.
COLEMAN-On 11 Jan . '80 at home, Brig. Roy
P. M. White to Geraldine Ann Baker. Coleman, Royal Sussex and Queen's Regts . (See
Obituary).
C HAPMAN-MARSHALL. On 5 Apr. '80, at Rams-
CHAPLIN-On 6 Feb. '80, Lt.-Col. H. D. Chaplin,
gate, Pte. Chapman to Helen Mary Marshall. formerly of The Queen's Own Royal West Kent
Regt .
HIGGS-F!SHER. On 5 Apr. '80, at Dover, L/Cpl.
FYLER-On IS Feb. '80, Maj. Gen. A. R. Fyler,
Higgs to Ann Fisher. CB, OBE, formerly of The Queen's Own Royal
West Kent Regt . (See Obituary).
~<EALY -DENARO . On 7 Apr. '80, Mrs . Maggie
ARGLES-On IS Mar. '80, Lt.-Col. E. V. Argles,
Kealy widow of the late Maj. M.]. A. Kealy, DSO formerly of The Indian Army and The Buffs. (See
Obituary).
to Maj. A. G. Denaro, QRIH.
COURT-On 18 Mar. '80, Mary, wife of Lt.-Col. D.
ANDERSON-REVELL. On 12 Apr. '80, at Chilham, N. Court, formerly of The Buffs and The Queen's
Own Royal West Kent Regt.
L/Cpl. C. L. Anderson to Sandra Ann Revell .
BEE-On 20 Mar. '80, Pte. J. H . Bee, at Colchester.
HORN - HILL. On 12 Apr. '80 at Dover, Pte. M . D. INGRAM-On 17 Apr. '80 at home, Maj . E. Ingram,

Horn to Susan Hill. formerly of The (.,!ueen's Royal Regt.

FORTHCOMING MARRIAGES WICKER-In hospital , on 8 May '80, L/Cpl. D . ].
Wicker, 1st Bn.
(extracts from The Daily Telegraph)
CLOSE-BROOKS-On 17 May '80, Roger
Capt. R. A. B. Ramsden and Miss G. A. Reynolds Close-Brooks, DSO , one-time Queen's Royal
Surrey Regt.
The engagement is announced between Capt.
POLLARD-In hospi-tal, on 30 May '80, Lt.-Col.
Austen Ramsden , The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, ]. S. B. Pollard, MBE.

son of Mr. and Mrs. T . B. Ramsden, of HofawMakjsw.-Goertnh~
West Yorkshire , and Gabriclle, daughter

and Mrs . M . F. Reynolds of Rheindahlen, Germany .

Maj. D. R. Pollard and Miss P. M. Lucas
The engagement is announced between Maj. David
Pollard, The Queen's Regt., only son of Mr. and Mrs.
R. E. Pollard, of Ash Vale, Surrey, and Patricia
Margaret, elder daughter of Mrs. E. Lucas and the late1
Mr. R. H . T . Lucas of Gillingham, Kent .
Note: The marriage has since taken place.

Capt. A. C. Mieville and Mrs. J . C.
Etherington-Chatt

The engagement is announced between Capt.
Amedee Mieville, The Queen's Regt. , son of Mr. and
Mrs. C. H . Mievill e, of Sunningdale, Berkshire, and
Jane, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs . A. C. Startin, of
Lancing, Sussex .

......- - - - - - O B I T U A R I E S

MAJ.-GEN. A. R. FYLER, CB, OBE From a purely profess ional point of view, the rank
he attained speaks for itself but this was only one part of
Lt.-Col. C. H. Keenlyside writes:- the story of his life.
" ! was lucky to have known Roddy Fyler very well
It is nice to remember that he had, in his time,
for over fifty years, from Schooldays onwards. During represented the Army at squash and tennis and played
those years he achieved great success and distinction but cricket at command level; at squash, he also represented
it was the manner of his achievements and its originality Kent , was Kent closed champion and twice Rhine Army
which, among his many delightful characteristics,

impressed me most.

59

champion. In 1975 he was elected President of the representing the K.A.R. and E.A.F. Officers' Dinner
Squash Rackets Association, an office which he filled Club); Maj .-Gen. Dennis Talbot; Maj . Tom Upton;
with conspicuous success. He was also Chairman of the Col. " Blick" Waring; and Maj . Guy Weymouth (also
Society for the Protection of Animals in North Africa representing Lt.-Gen. Sir William Oliver and Maj-Gen.
and as such sat on the councils of two principal world Charles Tarver) and Mrs. Weymouth-Ed.
animal protection bodies.
MAJ. P. R. SWANSON
As a young man he had a deceptively casual manner
but he had a great ability to differentiate between what Col. A. G. ]ones writes:-
was, and what was not Important; to foresee events in "No one who knew Paul Swanson could avoid a
that light and concentrate his energies accordingly. This
did not always coincide with the official 'line ', but, sense of disbelief, shock and very personal loss to learn
having strong views, he was invariably prepared to back of his sudden death on 2 Dec. 1979, whilst recovering
his own judgement . he was not personally ambitious-in from a minor throat operation; he had seemed a
the accepted sense-but disguised an underlying particularly fit and flourishing "young" 61-year-old!
professionalism by his cheerful and light-hearted
approach . Joining the Army in 1940, he received an emergency
commission in Apr. 1941 and, during the war, served on
Roddy was immensely loyal to the Regiment, its the North West Frontier and Burma gaining a Mention
members and any Association with which he was in Despatches. He received his regular commission into
connected, and forthrightly outspoken on their behalf if The Queens Royal Regt . on 30 Nov. 1946. He married
ever the occasion demanded . Betty in Apr. 1940 who accompanied him throughout
his post-war service in Germany, Malaya, with the KAR
I like to remember, among many other anecdotes, in East Africa and finally whilst he served as Regimental
two examples of his independence of spirit: As a very Recruiting Officer at Canterbury.
young schoolboy at Charterhouse, he was selected to
play cricket for the 1st XI-at that time a very sought- He retired from the Army in 1970 and, with typical
after honour. He politely asked to be excused on the courage and the invaluable support and assistance of his
grounds that he wanted to play tennis . This ~roduced wife, started his own canal boat hire business at
the sort of reaction depicted by H M Bateman s famous Whitchurch which flourished and prospered until he
cartoon of the Guardsman who dropped his rifle! sold up, only a few days before he died.
Needless to say, he was never awarded the colours which
could have been his for the taking . Those who knew Paul will have their own particular
memories of him, but all will recall his natural
Later on, soon after arrival in India and when still a leadership, sense of duty, love of games and infectious
very junior officer, he found himself in command of a zest for life-he both worked and played hard. At no
very seasoned company whose members could be time were these qualities more marked than whilst
excused for thinking they were in for an easy time. commanding B Coy. of I QUEENS during the Malayan
However, in his individual way, Roddy soon made his emergency in 1953 and ' 54. Never happier than when
personality felt and the company prospered. accepting the challenge of patrolling personally with
members of his Company, he spent his short periods
One evening he and I were in the Sergeants' Mess back at base working all hours to improve conditions and
(where I suspect we should not rightly have been) when facilities for his officers and soldiers. He lead by very
one of his very senior sergeants was heard to say in tones personal example, common sense, warmth of heart and,
of affection and admiration-Sir, that Mr . Fyler knows above all, a twinkle in his eye. He was admired and
too much for a second lieutenant! respected by all.

Roddy was a wonderful companion and friend Our sympathy and deep affection goes to his 'Army '
whose sense of humour remained unaffected by rank and family-his wife Betty, daughter Angela (whose husband
responsibility. Who else would have his name misspelt is in The Parachute Regt.) and two sons, Peter (serving
by the Daily T elegraph to that by which he was known with I QUEENS) and Robin (in the Royal Engineers).
by his Indian bearer?
MAJ. R. A. C. RAVENHILL
He is sadly and widely missed, but this must not
selfishly outweigh our sympathy for his family from Col. Ray mond Grace writes:
whom he derived such love and support ." "The death of Richard Ravenhill, at his home at

Among the large congregation which attended the Wittersham on 22 November '79 at the early age of 62,
Thanksgiving Service on Friday 29 Feb. at St. Mary and came as a severe shock to his many friends in the
All Saints Church, Beaconsfi eld, were: Lt. -Col. and
Mrs. "Crocus" Andrews; M aj. and Mrs . Bertie Blake Regiment , in the cricket and golf worlds and at the
and their son; Col. and Mrs. " Rajah " Brooke; Lt.-Col. Guards Division Depot at Pirbright where, for nearly
and Mrs. Peter Buckle; Lt .-Col. Robert Butler; Lt.-Col. seventeen years, he had been on the civilian instructional
and Mrs. Pat Elgood; Col. and Mrs. Raymond Grace; staff. His loss is a severe one to all those who knew him,
Brig. D . W. Jackson; Lt . Col. and Mrs. " Kip " as evidenced by the large congregation which filled
Keenlys ide; Col. and Mrs . T ony Martyn; M aj. and M rs . Wittersham Church one week after his death . Richard's
Robert Moss; Maj . Richard Neve (also representing The gentleness of speech and manner, his ability to see the
Colone l of The Regiment) and Mrs. Neve; Col. and other chap's point of view, his sense of the ridiculous
M rs . " Bosun " Pulverman (also representing The and his unflappability were all part of the make-up of the
Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regt. , London Branch): easy-going, civilised, amiable and courteous brother-
Col. and Mrs. T oby Sewell ; Capt. Michael Smith (also officer whom all of us knew, with whom so many of us
served and for whom we all had such affection .
Richard's love of, pride in and loyalty to The Buffs were

60

as undiminished at the end as they were when he was was again Mentioned in Despatches. Reverting to
first commissioned, as a University Entrant, in 1937. In
peace or war, at home or overseas, his motto was, quite Major, he was 21C of 5 RWK in Gibraltar, under
unashamedly "Once a Buff, always a Buff"-and who Lt.-Col. E. S. Kerr, until 1947 when that Bn. was
can ask for anything better than that? disbanded . He was then employed in BAOR (OC
Hamburg Garrison 1949-52) and in Singapore (OC
To Richard's guide and philosopher, Liza, his
constant and loving companion and friend our prayers, Troops, Selerang 1952-53), finally retiring in 1954,
condolences and thoughts go out. Sadness and becoming a Director of Hammond Engineering Co. of
remembering him can never go hand in hand. Rather are Enfield. He lived at Tuck Mill, Eaton Bishop, Hereford,
we happily proud, surely, much privileged and truly
grateful, that we knew him and that our paths met, and where he was able to indulge his passion for fishing and
that thereby were our own lives so immeasurably shooting until two heart attacks in recent years
enriched." prevented these activities and his attendance at

Regimental Reunions etc. The Regiment has lost a
gallant officer and all who knew him will wish to express

their sympathies to his widow."

BRIG. J. G. NICHOLSON, CMG, CBE

LT.-COL. E. S. HEYGATE, MC Lt.-Co/. E. P. C. Bruce writes:-

Maj.-Gen. D. E. B . Talbot writes:- "Gerald Nicholson joined 2nd Bn. The Buffs in
1925. As a young subaltern he was a good sportsman and
"AII those who had the privilege of serving with, or took part in all games, though not excelling in any
otherwise knowing, Bill Heygate will have been
saddened by the news of his death on 14 Aug. '79. A particular one. His ability as a soldier soon made itself
good example of a really fin~ pre-World War 11 Regular known; and he was sent very early on in his career to the
Regtmental Officer, he wtll be remembered for his Small Arms School, Hythe. Having passed the course
with distinction he became Weapon Training Officer.
cheerful and friendly personality, his ability to get on
well wnh all ranks and parncularly, perhaps, for his To this he applied himself very conscientiously; and
infectious grin! He tackled both his work and sport with within a very short time the Battalion was well known
for its skill at arms. In 1928 he gained a place in the
considerable enthusiasm-he was a good Rugger player 'Army Hundred' at Bisley.
and represented the fine 2nd Bn. XV in the late 1920s;

he was also a good Rifle shot, but his chief interests were Shortly after this he was appointed adjutant of the

fly-fishing and 'scatter-gun' shooting (I have very happy Battalion, one of the youngest officers ever to achieve
memones of our final Duck shoot together over this in peace time. Having carried out his duties as
Christmas 1936 before leaving Karachi). Adjutant successfully, he decided to acquaint himself

Bill Heygate was educated at Wellington College with the jungles of Burma and joined the 1st Bn. in
and the RMC Sandhurst and was commissioned into Maymyo. During this period and whilst studying for the
The Queen 's Own (4 Feb. 1926), thus following his Staff College he found time to bring back a pair of
uncle, Major E. L. A. Heygate, a pre-Great War elephant tusks and to catch the nearly fatal disease of
Regular. After a spell with the 2nd Bn. in Woking and enteric. This set him back a great deal but it did not
the Channel Isles, followed by a tour at the Depot in prevent him from passing into the Staff College at
Maidstone, he was posted to India . There he served Camberley at his first attempt; he then rejoined the
partly with the 1st Bn . in Secunderabad and later in battalion at Lucknow. Shortly after this he was given his
Karachi, and partly as an Intelligence Officer at HQ first Staff appointment at Delhi where he met and
Southern Command in Poona. He rejoined the 2nd in married his future wife .
Having completed his three year appointment on
Palestine in 1938, where he met his wife-to-be in Haifa,

but after a year he returned to the UK to become the staff, he returned to England in 1941 in time to take
Adjutant of the 5th Bn. TA, with HQ at Bromley and to over command of the 2nd Bn. and take them to North
get married. He served with that Bn. in the BEF in Africa before the battle of El Alamein. His command

France in 1940 and got back through Dunkirk. was short-lived as he was badly wounded in both legs

Those who served with Bill in the 2nd Bn. during and was unable to take part in an active capacity again

the troubles in Palestine, and in the 5th Bn . during 1940 during the War.
(as well as those who have read Lt.-Col. Chaplin's
Regimental History of 1920-1950) will know that he He did however fill a number of important staff
appointments, in one of which the task of drawing up
greatly distinguished himself in both theatres, being the final terms of surrender by the Italians fell upon him
Menuoned in Despatches in the former and gaining a and his staff. This was followed two years later by
well earned Military Cross in the latter. In 1942 he drawing up the terms of surrender of the Japanese
commanded the 70th (Young soldiers) Bn. at Maidstone Forces in South East Asia; a unique piece of History .

and the following year was switched to North Africa to The war over, Brig. Nicholson was told that, owing

take command of the 6th Bn. ('Swifty' Howlett having to his wounds, he could not be considered fit for Active
been promoted to command 36 Bde., leaving Henry Service again. He therefore retired with a disability
pension and for the next 20 years he was employed in
Lovell temporarily in charge). After the successful action
of Djebel Bou Diss in the Battle of The Peaks in April the Foreign Office where he was awarded the CMG and
194 3, he was unfortunately wounded by a shell on the CBE for his services. During all this period he had not
lost touch with his Regiment and was Deputy Colonel
23rd of that month while the Bn. was involved in
attacking Longstop Hill during the advance to Tunis. when orders were received that The Buffs and The
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment were to
After recovering from his wounds, Bill commanded 61
RTD in Africa and Italy until the end of the War and amalgamate. In this his astute brain and complete

(continued on page 61)

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61

(continued from page 60) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ·

understanding of the problem did much to ensure the Ray's interests outside his Regiment were very
smooth and efficient merger. wide: he was a skilled and resolute offshore sailor and his
mechanical ingenuity was a byeword. But perhaps his
Always willing to listen to anybody's troubles, he greatest and most enduring interest was horticulture; for
would put a different perspective on them so that they as an orchid grower, he achieved a high reputation in the
sometimes ceased to be troubles at all. West Country and the garden he had developed at his
home at Shawford House, near Bath, was noteworthy for
After retirement he spent much of his time its beauty, productivity and variety.
investigating and helping disabled Service-men to get
better pensions. In all, a life well spent in service to his We will long remember Ray's many qualities; his
Country and his Regiment." humour, sagacity, unflappability and downright
common sense. Above all we recall his friendly, helpful
Brig. Nicholson, who was a member of the Queen 's manner and the unfailing courtesy with which he treated
Regt . Officers Club, died on 21 Oct. '79-Ed. Private Soldiers and Generals alike; all ranks responded
to this with equal courtesy and also with respect, for he
BRIG. B. R. COLEMAN was nobody's fool.

Col. Robin McNish writes: Roy loved life and every aspect of it. He was a great
Roy Coleman joined the 1st Bn., The Royal Sussex talker, and he was well worth listening to, for his
comment on affairs was invariably entertaining, as well
Regt . as a regular subaltern at Dover in early 1949, as instructive. His warm but low-key sense of humour,
having held an emergency commission in the and his singular way of putting thmgs, were perhaps
Coldstream Guards since 1945; shortly after, he sometimes lost on those who did not know him well; to
accompanied the battalion to Suez and then to Aqaba. those who did they were sheer joy!
One remembers him as an amusing, mature Senior
Subaltern whose relaxed manner hid a high degree of Roy and Fanny Bovill were married in 1955 and in
competence, particularly where anything of a technical the intervening years we had the pleasure of seeing him
nature was concerned. This was recognised a few as a devoted husband, and father to James, Richard,
months later by his appointment as Weapon Training Buzzy and Oliver. His affection for his own family was
Officer at the Royal Marines Training Centre. echoed in the care for the soldiers under his command
and, together with Fanny, for their families.
Thereafter his career at Regimental Duty and on the
staff followed a varied, if typical post-war infantry In extending our sympathy to Roy's family, we
pattern. His battalion service took him to Minden, reflect on the belief that a hfe like his doesn't end here;
Northern Ireland, Malta and Aden, where he was we can only assume that his many gifts and wise counsel
Second in Command; and his staff appointments are needed elsewhere-hence his accelerated
included GS03 in Guiana, DAA & QMG of 3 Bde. in promotion-and from this thought, we can all take
Cyprus, and Brigade Major of 5 Bde. in BAOR. In encouragement.
September 1967 he assumed command of 3rd Queens,
successors to 1st Royal Sussex, in Lemgo . An Among those present at Brig. Ray's Thanksgiving
infantryman through and through, Roy went on to be
GSO 1 at the School of Infantry, and he concluded his Service at St. Lawrence Church, Rode, on Saturday 26
active soldiering as Brigadier Infantry in BAOR.
Latterly in his career, it was as a " Rhine Army soldier" Jan ., were: MaJs. J . F. Amsworth and R. M . Arnold,
that he was perhaps best known, having mastered the Capt J. Bass, Maj. and Mrs. D. A. Beveridge, Col. and
dictates and fashions of that command; indeed while Mrs. J. Buckeridge, Lt.-Col. and Mrs. R. H . Chappell,
commanding 3rd Queens, he invariably knew what the
staff at brigade Headquarters would be up to next, Maj E. L. Christian. Maj. and Mrs . R. Colyer,
before they themselves had even thought about it! Lt.-Col. and Mrs. P. H . Courtenay, Lt.-Col. and Mrs.
D. P. Cronin, Maj s. A. C . Davidson-Houston and A. C.
On retirement, Roy continued to devote himself to Dawson, Maj. and Mrs. M . J . Drummond-Brady, Maj .
the well-being of his old Royal Sussex associates, as well S. B. Ellwood, Bng. and Mrs . J. B. A. Glennie, Lt. -Co l.
as to the success of the emergent Queen's Regt. After and Mrs . J. A. W. Hyde, Capt. M. A. James. Co l. P. D.
acting as Deputy Colonel (Sussex), he became the sole Johnson, Maj. _and Mrs . J. M . H . Johnson, Maj . and
Deputy to the Colonel of the Regiment, at General Mrs. C. M. Jomt, Col. and Mrs . A. G . Jones, Ma j. and
Rowley Mans' request. His other
appointments-Chairman of The Queen's Regimental Mrs. I. R. Jones, Col. G. J. Langridge, Brig. R. E.
Association, and very active membership of The Loder, Lt. -Col. and Mrs. Magrath, Maj-Gen. R . S. N .
Queen 's Regt. Trustees Committee and of the Royal
Sussex Regimental Comm ittee, illustrate the respect in Mans, Maj. E. A. McCarthy, Col. and Mrs . R . R.
which he was held by all. With his unerring judgement McNish, Mr. Michael McNish and Miss Sarah
and ab ility to put forward an opinion with force and M cNish, M aj. D. K . Mumford, Maj . P. V. Panton,
clarity , albeit with full consideration for the feelings of
others, he made a key contribution to the welding of his Capt. and Mrs. J. K. Ross, Rt. Rev. Abbot Roberts of
old Regiment into the New . He will be remembered Downside (formerly 2 R. Sussex, 1939/40), Lt.-Col. and
particularly for the very close interest he took in the
Cadet Forces of the Regiment, as part of the process of Mrs . D . E. C. Russel, Col. and Mrs. J. N. Shipster, Col.
welcoming future Queensmen into the Regimental
family. and Mrs. D. C. Snowdon, Miss Cathy Snowdon
Lt.-Col. and Mrs . J. R. Stephenson, Majs. S. C. Thorp~

and R. Wane, Lt.-Col. and Mrs. M . J. Williams and
Maj . and Mrs. W. N . Wren.

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Letters 63

From: Maj.-Gen. D. L. Lloyd Owen, On 27 Jan. 1980, nearly seventeen years later, I had
CB, DSO, OBE, MC the privilege of dining again in that Mess, this time with
National Army Museum Maj . A. G. Ross, Scots Guards. On the table was the
Royal Hospital Road Royal Sussex Bell which was used to summon the Duty
London SW3 4HT Piper.

To: The Editor Yours ever
Douggie
THE LATE FIELD-MARSHAL SIR GERALD
TEMPLER, From: R. E. Hurst, MA (Oxon)
Russian Language Wing
KG, GCB, GCMG, KBE, DSO. RAEC Centre
Wilton Park
Sir, Beaconsfield
May I, through the courtesy of your columns, draw Bucks
Tele: Beacs. 6121 Ext 214
attention to the Society of Friends of the National Army 20 . 1.80
Museum?
To. The Editor
h exists as a Registered Charity to buy important
matenal for that wonderful Museum, built in the Dear Sir,
grounds of Chelsea Hospital and which could otherwise Some years ago, readers of several regimental
have been lost to the nation.
magazines helped me with a piece of research on which I
A truly magnificent collection of many of the most am engaged in my spare time . As a direct result of their
priceless relics of the British Army from its inception to kindness and interest, I have assembled a vast amount of
1914 is housed in the National Army Museum. It was information, much of which has not previously been
the inspired vision and quite extraordinary love o[ the recorded.
British Army of the late Field-Marshal that drove him to
work tirelessly for two decades and more to establish the However, the task I have set myself is a daunting
Museum. one and further help would now be much appreciated,
particularly as I have rather ground to a halt.
. His selfless work must not cease. The Society of
Fnends of the Nauonal Army Museum is supported by I am a member of the 'Forces Postal History
more than 2,000 members. May I suggest that the many Society' and am making a study of the mail that passed
who may wish to pay some small tribute to the memory from and to POW'slcivilian internees in the two world
of that great soldier could do no better than join the wars. I am particularly interested in the Japanese camps
Society? of WWII and was recently awarded a top national postal
history award for an illustrated study of POW and
Please write to me at the address above and I will be civilian internee mail.
only too glad to send you a Membership form together
With an outline of the objects and benefits of belonging Briefly, what I am seeking is:
to the Society. (a) general background information on each of the

Yours faithful!y, camps.
David Lloyd Owen (b) information re. postal facilities.
(c) postal items both in and out of the
From: Colonel D. C. Snowdon, TD
Dolphin House camps-preferably not badly creased or
Fovant folded-such as envelopes (not necessarily the
Salisbury actual letters!), Red Cross cards, air letters,
postcards, notification of capture and release,
Wiltshire SP3 SJY. telegrams, aerial leaflets and the like.

If any of your readers can assist in any way, however
small, I should be delighted to hear from them.

Yours faithfully,
R. E. Hurst,
Principal Lecturer

To: The Editor

29 January 1980

My dear Guy, From: Maj. R. A. Jennings,

May I recall for members of 3 QUEENS and 15 Pyke Purse Lane,
sometime members of 1 R Sussex an item which may be Richmond,
N. Yorks.
of interest. In 1963 (see Roussillon Gazette Summer 28 April.
1964 Vol. 36 No . 4 page 191) 1 R Sussex provided the
vanous Guards required for Public Duties in London To: The Editor
for a period of five weeks; 3 QUEENS is in possession of
Dear Guy,
a painting, by Terence Cuneo, which commemorates
that event. At the end of our time in London I presented, . May I use the pages of the Journal to convey my
on behalf of the Battalion, to Maj .-Gen. H . Sir John smce re thanks to all those offic~rs of The Regiment with

Nelson, KCVO, CB, DSO, OBE, MC, BA, a silver table whom I have served for their kmdness and generosity in
bell for use in the St. James's Palace Guard Room making Kay and I such a splendid presentation.

Officers' Mess. The Drum was presented to us in the Officers' Mess

64 For along time now i am haveing the ambitionnto be
in the English army . so much that I ampacing upp and
at Dover on 25 April by Lt.-Col. Bulloch, Commanding down at night so much that my wife is not geting what
The 3rd Bn., on behalf of all officers of The Regt : it will she deserves alright.also my friends and some are in the
serve to keep alive happy memories . government and other hihg post like MrEyles are saying
this army not just for white but for bilize people also . So
Kay and I are sad to leave the Army; but not the they are saying go on and ask for militry post. Therefore
Regiment, as we shall keep in touch, as indeed I hope all I am writing to you to ask for post in your army
our friends will do in the coming years by writing or
calling in to see us. I am lookung foreword to you considering my
favorable application with pleasure As I am slightly
The farewell presentation which included a older man now I am thinkmg to start at G2 or PRI
magnificent welcome by the Band and Drums-was maybe. I look forward to you r favourable reply with
followed by a curry lunch; the curry was suitably hot! pleasure and to buying you drinks in officers mess.

Yours ever Your servant and comrade to be
j Nelson
ROGER
PS My wives brother is haveing excellent second hand
The following is a letter (sic) received by Col John car lot in the city. he has very favorable 1947 buick only
Shipster (Regimental S ecretary) when he was Commander $ 700. You want I fix Hp insurance everything.just the
British Forces Belize: job for mrs . Ship ster for shopping

37 N Front st
Belize City
19 Nov. '71

M y Sir,
JAm haveing imployment of the British garisson for

seven years now and am always working hard. !see
mANY people comeing and goeing and are learning
much about the militry.

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REGIMENTAL GOLFING SOCIETY OFFICERS ' CLUB

Fixtures fo r this year are: M embers should note in their diaries the two
functi ons arranged for this year.
I . 15 May: The Argyll & Sutherland Bowl

Competition (in the Army Golfing VlZ:

Soci et y's Spr ing M ee ting) at Fri 5 Sep: Dinner at Claridges Hotel, London.

Prestw1ck. Our team consisted of (Members only)
Fri. 17 Oct: Cocktail Party at the Haberdashers'
Lt. -Col. John Davison (Captain),
Hall, London (Members and their ladies).
Lt.-Col. H arold Scott, Capt. Ham

Whiny and Lt . Charles Bromfield. Further details for these functions will be sent to

STOP PRESS: H aving beaten Scots Guards members shortly. G .U.W .

(29-0) we were I0-3 down in the second round against

T he Green Jackets. Capt. Ham Whiny won the

Grenadiers Cup. Appreciat ive letters have been received from the
fo llowing Officers' in response to wedding presents fro m
2. 30 May: Match v. Su rrey ABF Appea l their fellow Officers: Majs . R. M. Arnold, D . R. Pollard

Committee at the AGC, Aldershot. and Capt. J. P. Riley .

3. 30 Jun: Match v. RMAS, also at Aldershot.

(PM) ANNUAL M EETING at T he Royal
4. 28 Aug:

Cinque Ports GC, Deal.

5. 8 Sep: M atch v. Queens Own Buffs GS, at

Epso m . ~r!Jtllll' lltill (![ IJristmils <Cil rb
\ 080
6. 10 O ct: (Provisional): M atch v. RRF and R.
Anglian (e it h er at Deal o r T he card will, once again, be selected from the series
sponsored by the Army Benevolent Fund with the
Ca nt er bury). Regimental badge die-stamped inside.

I will be sending full details of the Annual Meeting

(Serial 4 above) to all Members in due course . For

Serials 5 and 6, I will ask our Captain (Col. Toby Sewell)

to select teams and notify all concerned thereafter of the

detai ls. G .U .W.

66

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67

The Queen's Surreys
Association

THE QUEEN'S ROYAL SURREY REGIMENT Wisley
Ga rde ns
MUSEUM

On 12 and 13 Nov.last, the contents of The Que.-n's
Royal Surrey Regt. Museum were moved from the TA
Centre, Portsmouth Road, Kingston-upon-Thame
(where the Museum had been located since 1962) to new
premises at Clandon Park, West Clandon, near
Guildford. (See sketch map).

The move was carried out by Bentalls Ltd., of·
Kingston, whose President Mr. Rowan Bentall, served
in The East Surrey Regt . at the beginning of the 1939/45
War, before being commissioned to The Royal Welsh
Fusiliers.

Although the official opening of The Museum will
not take place until early 1981 , it is now open to
members of the public visiting Clandon Park. The
opening times are from 2 April to 16 Oct. from 2 pm to
5.30 pm daily (except Mondays and Fridays) and on all
Bank Holidays; it IS closed on Tuesdays immediately
following Bank Holidays.

GUILDFORD Dorking

New lands ~...s -----..
Corner

Majs_ John Reed
and Peter Hill
supervise the
loading of Museum
Stores at Kingston.

l'lCture by court esy
of Hentalls Ltd .

68

THE ROYAL NAVY LENDS MUSCLE•POWER
IN BERMUDA

Hamilron, Bermuda-The problem of moving a
ISft. stone monument from the rocky slopes of one
island to a military cemetery on another was settled for
the Bermuda Nauonal Trust by the Royal Navy. The
assistance of crew members of the aircraft carrier
H.M.S. Hermes was enlisted on 19 March, 1980 to
move, piece by riece, a memorial to 34 men of the 2nd
Bn., 2nd Queen s Royal Regt. who died during a yellow
fever epidemic in 1864. Because of the monument 's
inaccessible position, it was originally intended to move
it by helicopter, but this entailed cutting down too many
trees and muscle power was used instead. (See picture).
Some of the stones forming the monument weighed
400lbs. Preservation of historical monuments is part of
the role of the Bermuda National Trust.

Historial Note

The 2nd Bn. of the 2nd of Foot (or Queen 's Royal
Regt.) left Gibralrar on 30 June 1864 and disembarked
in Bermuda on 16 July of the same year. Between then
and September, no fewer than 3 Officers, 7 Sergeants
and I0 I Private Soldiers died in the yellow fever
epidemic which raged in the island for three months
without cessation. Amongst those who died was the
Assistant Surgeon.

Royal Navy ratings moving the memorial
components.
Picture by courtesy of
The Bermuda Department This Inn sign, depicting a soldier of The East
Surrey Regt. of the 1914/18 War, was sent to Maj.
of Tourism Reed by Mr. Ted Whichelo of Chessington. It

hangs outside a public house in East Street,

Epsom.

69

The Queen's Own Buffs
Association

Maidstone Service of Remembrance and Silver on Loan to National Army
Reunion, Maidstone, 6 July '80. Museum-Those items not being displayed to be
withdrawn (this action has already been comp leted and
This will again be run by members of the the silver now safely back in the Museum).
Maidstone Branch of our Association. The Chairman,
Mr. Ken Parker, 25 Brenchley Road, Maidstone will Victoria Crosses-To be displayed together, in
shortly be issuing a circular letter to Branch Secretaries the Museum, in a specially designed security cabinet.
giving administrative details but anyone not directly
connected with a Branch should write direct to Mr. Show Cases-It was reported that our applicat ion
Parker. for a MOD supply of show cases had been rejected.
After discussion it was agreed that the possibility of
Canterbury Cricket Week Tent Club, 2-8 Aug. ' 80. purchasing sliding doors for existi ng show cases be
looked into.
The Club Tent, as usual, will be on the St.
Lawrence Ground. Any officer who has held any type of Since our last meeting the Museum had acquired:
commission in The Buffs, The Queen's Own Royal
West Kent Regt. or The Queen's Own Buffs is eligible A group of three medals (Pte. Robinson) for £75 ;
for membership, the fee for which is £1.50 per year for
the officer, and £2 .00 for himself and his wife. A Simkin Water Colour of three Buffs soldiers;
Administrative details for this year will be forwarded Maj.-Gen. Morgan's Orders and Medals presented by
soon to all members. Should you wish to become a Lt.-Col. J . R. Willows, donated by his family .
member contact Hon. Sec. Canterbury Cricket Week
T ent Club, c/o RHQ The Queen's Regt ., Howe Bks., Opening of the Museum by the late FM Sir
Canterbury . Gerald Templer-It was decided to look into the
possibility of erecting a plaque to mark the occasion of
The Queen's Own Buffs Luncheon Club the opening of the Museum in its new location by the
late Field Marshal!.
The annual Luncheon will be held at The County
Hotel, Canterbury on 5 Aug. All members of the club Ex-officio Trustee-It was unanimously agreed to
will be circulated with administrative details . Officers invite Lt.-Col. S. M. Boucher, CO 5 Queens, to become
who have held any type of commission in The Buffs, an ex-officio trustee of The Buffs Museum; he has
The Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regt. , The Queen's replied accepting the invitation with pleasure.
Own Buffs or been attached to a Battalion or Depot of
those regiments; all serving Officers of 2nd Bn . The Regimental Plaque for War Museum, Malta
Queen 's Regt. and all Officers who have at anY. time
been on the strength of that Battalion are elig1ble to The Trustees of The Queen's Own Royal West
attend, provided they are members of the Club. Kent Regt. Museum made presentation of a Regimental
Application to join the Club, or any other information History, some cap badges, buttons and shoulder
required, should be addressed to Maj . G. T. Faulkner, insignia, to the new National Army Museum in Malta,
RHQ The Queen 's Regt., Howe Bks., Canterbury. together with a badged plaque bearing the following
details:
Canterbury Service of Remembrance and
Reunion, 21 Sep. ' 80. "This plaque was presented to The National War
Museum, Malta GC, by The Queen 's Own Royal West
This will be organised by members of Canterbury Kent Regiment to Commemorate The Service of The
Branch. Administrative details will be circulated by the Battalions of The Regiment on Malta: August
Secretary of that Branch and reproduced in the June '80 1889-January 1892 1st Bn; January 1900-June 1901
Quarterly News Summary. 3rd (Militia Bn.; February 1902-November 1902 1st
Bn.; April 1904-December 1906 1st Bn.; March
THE BUFFS MUSEUM 1939-_Tune 1943 2nd Bn. "

The Eleventh Meeting of the Trustees and Visitor To Canterbury
Committee was held at Leros T AVR Centre on
Thursday 22 Nov. '79. It was good to see practically all A recent visitor to Canterbury was Mr. D . H .
Trustees and Committee members in attendance . Col. (Dennis) Brooker, BEM, who was a Lance Corporal in
R. L. Gardner-Thorpe had travelled down from London the Quartermaster's Stores of 1 Buffs; he now lives in
and it was good to have the benefit of his sound advice. Garlinge, Margate.

The following points emerged: Remembrance Sunday, Canterbury-1979

Sale of Cap Badges- Cap Badges of other The sum of £134.52, the collection at Remembrance
Regiments to be disposed of by auction. Sunday Service on 30 Sep., ' 79 has been donated to the
Army Benevolent Fund Kent Appeal.

70 completing a Defence Fellowship at Kings College
University of London; to Lt. Col. G . B. Bateman,
Civilian Staff, Royal Hospital Queens, formerly Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regt.,
on successfully completing a course at the NDC; to
Frequently there are staff vacancies at The Royal Maj . P. A. Gwilliam, Queens, formerly The Queen 's
Hospital, Chelsea, for employment either tn Own Buffs, on qualifying for entry to the Grade I
admtnistrative posts in the Infirmary and QM Stores,
Patrol Watchman, or Hospital Porter. Staff Pool; to Capt. J: Grugeon, late The Buffs, on his

A Visit to a Museum award of a Knighthood in the New Year's Honour List.
Sir John was educated at Epsom Grammar School and
F. Jezard, Ex. 4th Bn. RWK writes: Sandhurst and was commissioned into The Buffs in
" I am a member of our local branch of The Royal 1948; he served with the Regiment until retiring in
1960. He became an executive with the Save and
British Legion, and recently a party of our members Prosper City unit trust group. He soon became active in
visited the Black Watch Regimental Museum at local politics and won the Ashford South seat on the old
Balhousie Castle in Perth. They saw a Union Jack which County Council in '67. He quickly moved into the
had been made to place on the coffins of four soldiers Council's front benches and in 1968 was elected
who failed to survive an enforced march from West secretary of the Council's Conservative Group; in 1971
Germany to Poland in April 1945. One of the soldiers he became deputy leader of the group and succeeded to
was 6348085 Pte. A. True of the Queen 's Own (prison the leadership and leader of the Council during the re-
number 6787) at the age of 27. This information might organisation. He has been leader of the new Council
be of interest to relatives, or anyone of our readers who since '74. In 1976 he was appointed as chairman of the
may recall the name to know that the occasion is Local Government Finance Group of the Association of
commemorated within this very fine Military County Councils and in 1975 he was elected vice-
Museum." chairman of the Conservative's National Advisory
Committee on Local Government. Sir John is chairman
War Cemetery-Gradara, Italy · of the Association's Political Committee; a member of
the Local Authorities Condition of Service Advisory
Mr. Jezard also writes as follows. Board, and chairman of the Conservative Party South
"A lady member of Tonbridge Branch, The Royal East Area Advisory Committee on Local Government.
He serves privately on the Kent Voluntary Service
British Legion, was recently on holiday in Italy and Council and is a committee member of Kent County
visited the Gradara War Cemetery where she came upon Cricket Club.
the grave of George R. Perrin 14402033, late The
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regt. who died on 15 Benevolence
Sept. 1944 at the age of 20.
During the year 1979, the following grants were
This lady took a colour photograph of the grave and made from the Regimental Benevolent Funds to
has asked me if I could help find any relative, who members of our three former Regiments who had "fallen
perhaps has never had the opportunity to visit Italy, and on hard times" .
to let them know how well the grave is being kept .
Perhaps one of our many readers can help; in which case The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regt.
I will be only to pleased to forward a copy of the Grants .... ... .. ... .... .. .. ..... .. . 1495.00
photograph together with any further information our Supplementary Allowances ... ....... . 607.00
lady member may be able to give. Leckie Bequest ... ........ ......... . 1807.00
ABF rehabilitation grants . .......... . . 410.00
My address is: 2 Milton Gardens, Tonbridge,
Kent". Total

Silver Salver Comes Home Number of cases helped-102

Recently the Museum of The Queen's Own Royal The Buffs 1581.00
West Kent Regt. was presented with a beautiful silver Grants ... ........ . ... .. .... .. .... . 416 .00
salver by Mrs. Lorraine Moore of San Anselmo, 390.00
California, USA; it measures approximately 12 inches, Supplementary Allowances .... . ..... .
has four claw feet, is chased and bears the motto: ABF rehabilitation grants . .. ......... .

" Presented to Lt.-Colonel]. F. C. Boyes, MC, VD, Total £2387 .00
MA by the Officers, Present and Past of the Ist Cadet
Bn. The Queen 's Own (Royal West Kent Regt.), TA on Number of cases helped-53
his relinquishing command of the Battalion raised by
him in 191 3, 23 February 1924." The Queen's Own Buffs
Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283.00
The Salver was found (looted) during the re-
occupation of the Phillipines in WWII, by Marine Number of cases helped-9
Moore of The US Marine Corps and kept by him as a Total overall disbursement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £6989.00
souvemr.
Total number of cases helped-164
Congratulations
Average overall disbursement . . . . . . . £42.60
To Brig. G. H . W. Howlett, OBE, MC, late Para
and formerly The Queen 's Own Royal West Kent Regt . PRESERVED FOR PROSPERITY
on his promotion to Major General and his appointment
as GOC of I Armoured Division; to Lt. -Col. R. Lea, late Early last year, the Trustees of The Buffs Museum
The Buffs, on his promotion to Colonel; to Brigadier M . decided that at least one Stand of Colours from those
A. J. Tugwell, CBE, late Para and formerly The
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regt . on successfully

slowly rotting in the Warriors Chapel in Canterbury 71

Cathedral should be preserved; and accordingly the St. Helens; here they were placed on a special table for
Stand of Colours of the 5th Bn. The Buffs (TA)-which the 3-hour process of having special glazing units butlt
were in better condition than the remainder-were round them.
withdrawn, with the kind permission of the Dean and
Chapter. These Colours were presented at Canterbury The air is drawn off and replaced by a dry nitrogen,
on 18 June 1960 by HM King Frederik IX, of Denmark a gas which prevents the growth of destructive
and laid-up in Canterbury Cathedral on 16 July 1977 in organisms. The glass used contained anti-ultraviolet ray
the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Lord properties, to prevent fading.
Astor, and Queen Margrethe's representative, Col. H .
The third stage was the production of special wall
H. Prince Georg of Denmark. fittings, as the weight of the framed glass-covered
colours was far too heavy to be held by normal flXing.
The first stage of their preservation was carried out These special fittings were provided by the Trustees of
by the Royal School of Needlework; this entailed the Royal Museum in Canterbury.
cleaning, handstitching on to a strong Holland fabric
and mounting on a rigid moisture-free backing. The The fourth stage ? This is to go and have a look at
second stage was undertaken by Pilkington G lass Co. of them in The Buffs Museum at the Ro(al Museum,
Canterbury-YOU WILL BE AMAZED.

The Royal Sussex Association

A NEW BRANCH OF THE ASSOCIATION thanked Col. Mogg and his officers for making their
A new branch of our Association was formed in New delightful Mess available; he also thanked the staff for
their efficient and willing help which contributed so
Zealand this year; it has got off to a very good start and is
recruiting members rapidly. Their first News Letter much to the success of the evening.
gave details of a Reunion (their first) which was held in
the Retired Servicemen's Club at Taupo to which some ST. GEORGE'S DAY
members travelled 500 miles (U .K . members please As usual, this was commemorated with a Service in
note). The dinner was held in the usual branch tradition
with Mr. Sandy Goodwin proposing the loyal toasts and St. George's Chapel, our Memorial Chapel in
Mr. WilfLawrence, the Royal Sussex Regimental Assn.;
these were followed by the singing of "Sussex·by-the· Chichester Cathedral, on 23 April. The Service,
Sea". The secretary of the branch is Mr. WilfLawrence, conducted by the Very Reverend Robert Holtby, Dean
53 Milton Road, Napier, New Zealand, who asks branch of Chichester, was attended by the Mayor and Mayoress
secretaries to give him names of any Ex-Royal Sussex
members living in New Zealand; he would also welcome of Chichester and a number of guests and members of
correspondence from any members of the Association.
the Regiment . Col. Langridge read the lesson and a
REMEMBRANCE DAY silver alms dish given by her family was dedicated to the
The annual ceremony at the Field of Remembrance, memory of Lady Esme Whistler. A reception, following
the Service, was held at the Dolphin and Anchor hotel.
Westminster Abbey, was held on 10 Nov. under
arrangements made by our London branch. Col. OFFICERS DINNER CLUB
Langridge said the prayers and planted the Regimental
badge cross, whilst officers and branch representatives The Club will hold its annual dinner at Arundel
planted respective crosses. Buglers of the 7th Castle on Friday 3 Oct. by kind invitation of Maj.-Gen.
(Chichester) Cadet PI. sounded Last Post and Reveille, the Duke of Norfolk. For the first time, in response to a
and we were most impressed by-their smart turnout and
the excellence of their performance. general request, ladies will be eligible to attend as guests
of members; however, in view of the numbers expected,
Once again there was a very good attendance at this
little ceremony which grows in numbers each year. guests (either male or female) will have to be limited to
Those attending then repaired to St. Stephen 's Tavern
where excellent refreshments were provided by Maj. one per member and applications for their attendance .
"Bruno" Bryant, chairman of the London branch . will be dealt with strictly as received .

OFFICERS REUNION PARTY GOODWOOD RACES
This annual event was held on 7 March in the Royal
Owing to the construction of the new £3lhm.
Green Jackets Officers' Mess, Berkeley Square by kind
permission of Lt.-Col. J. N . B. Mogg and officers of 4 grandstand, racing will not be renewed at Goodwood
RGJ(V); attendance was again up on the previous year,
nearly 90 being present. Col. Langridge, who prestded, until the main July meeting (29 July-2 Aug.) when H.M.

the Queen will open the new stand. The Royal Sussex

Goodwood Lunch Club will be open as usual for lunch

and tea with two bars, one on the lawn and one in the

dining . room. We look forward, once again, to

welcommg officers of the Queens Regt. and applications

for lunch and tea tickets should be sent to the Royal

Sussex Goodwood Lunch Club, Roussillon Barracks '
Chichester.

72 of which had been most generously donated by
Charrington & Company (Newhaven) and Courage
50th ANNUAL REUNION DINNER (Eastern) Ltd ., Eastbourne. Throughout the evenmg a
delightful programme of musiC was provided by the
1980 marked the 50th anniversary of the Annual Band of the Royal British Legion, Little Common
Old Comrades Reunion Dinner which was held on 26 Branch, conducted by Bandmaster Brian . Smith. Col.
April in the Town Hall, Lewes. Being a rather special Langridge proposed the loyal toasts which mcluded
occasion, the Marquess of Abergavenny, Lord H.M. Queen Juliana, Patron of our AssoCiation; he also
Lieutenant of East Sussex, was the Guest of Honour read out telegrams he had sent to The Queen, and to
while other guests included Maj .-Gen. Mans, Colonel of Queen Juliana on the occasion of her birthday, together
the Queen's Regt.; Mr. Sales, Chairman of the Lewes with their replies. Finally he welcomed the guests and
District Council; Dr. Fairllie, Mayor ofLewes, and Mr. thanked them for their kmdness in being present.
Walsh, Town Clerk .
In replying for the guests, Lord Abergavenny said
There was a record attendance of nearly 500 which that the Royal Sussex Regt. had suffered under the
included some 60 officers and a party of 30 servmg various Army reorganisations and it would hardly have
soldiers from the 3rd Bn. The Queen 's Regt .; we were been surprismg if enthusiasm for the Regimental Assn .
very pleased to welcome the latter and hope thi~ marks had waned . Instead, the reverse had been the case and he
an increasing interest in the Royal Sussex Regimental thought that this was mainly thanks to the large number
Assn. by soldiers of the Queen's Regt. Col. Langndge, of branches both in Sussex and elsewhere. He
Pres ident of The Association, presided. Before dmner, congratulated branch officials saying that it was they
guests and senior offi cers formed a procession and, as who, by keeping the branches active, stre~gthened the
they moved to the top table, cadets ol .the 7th Assn . In proposing a Toast to the Association, Lord
(Chichester) PI., Sussex ACF, very smart m their scarlet Abergavenny said that he was a Sussex man and always
uniforms, sounded a fanfare. When all were seated Col. would be and he hoped that the Regimental Association
Langridge called for a period of silence in memory of would continue to thrive for years to come and be able to
fallen comrades and the cadets sounded Last Post and safeguard the affairs of those men who had served their
Reveille . The Rev. Canon Waiter Greenfield, Chaplain
to the Regimental Assn., said grace . County Regiment.

The cadets served the old comrades with beer, much

THE ANNUAL REUNION DINNER

Officers with some of their guests.
Picture by Gardiner G raph ics Ltd.,
Eas tbourn e

ROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT MUSEUM 73

During 1979 all the documents and photographs of of 1815. The medal group consists of a Knights badge of
the museum were transferred, on deposit, to the West the Guelphic Order of Hanover; a Military General
Sussex Record Office, County Hall, Chichester, where a Service Medal with the bar " Maida", and a Waterloo
detailed catalogue will soon be available and to which Medal; the museum already has a gold snuff box
·office all enquiries related to these records should now presented to Col. Macalister by his officers at Antwerp
be addressed; a copy of the catalogue will also be m 1814, and the recently-restored Colours of his
available at the East Sussex Record Office at Lewes. Battalion are also displayed . Another purchase during
the year (with a grant from the Ogilby Trust) was a book
At a meeting of the trustees held in April, Cadt. J. entitled " Military Sketches" by Maj . Edward Drewe of
K. Ross was welcomed as a new member, an the the 35th, and published in 1784.
Curator reported that 54 accessions had been recorded
during the year; these included the purchase of the The Sussex Combined Services Museum in the
medal group of Lt.-Col. Charles Macalister, K .H. , at Redoubt at Eastbourne received 35,000 visitors during
Sotheby's for £1 ,900. The Victoria and Albert Museum the five months it was open in 1979; in future it will be
had made a grant of £950 for this purchase and the open for seven months in the year-from April to the
remainder had been made by a generous private gift. end of October. The Association 's annual Aubers
Col. Macalister had long service in the Regiment and Ridge/Dunkirk Memorial Service will be held on the
commanded the 2/35th during the Waterloo Campaign parade ground at the Redoubt this year; it will take the
form of a Drumhead Service after a march through
Eastbourne led by the Band of the 3rd Bn. The Queen's
Regt.

The Middlesex Association

SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE wives/nearest relative were invited, as were our widows.
Over 80 were present and this was the first time fo r
The annual Albuhera Service of Remembrance, held many years that the Dinner coincided with Albuhera
in the M iddlesex Regimental Baptistry at St. Paul's Day.
Cathedral, on 17 May at 2.30 p.m., was well attended by
members of the Reg1ment and their fa milies. M aj.-Gen. OLD COMRADES CLUBS
Sir John Willoughby, KBE, CB, M aj.-Gen. C. M . M .
Man, CB, OBE, M C, and Lt. -Col. T . W. Chattey, Past and present members of T he Queen's Regt. are
OBE, President of the Regimental Association, were cordially invited to attend the meetings of any of our Old
present. Comrades Clubs.

ANNUAL REUNION Branches are open on the fo llowing days:
This year the Annual reunion was held at the T .A. Mill Hill Branch, T .A. Centre, Deansbrook
Centre, Deansbrook Road, Edgware, also on Saturday, Road, Edgware- last Saturday in the month, from
17 May and was very well attended. 7 p.m.
WOs ' and Sgts' Branch , T.A. Cent re,
OFFICERS' CLUB DINNER Deansbrook Road, Edgware-second Saturday in the
This was held on Friday, 16 May, at the Cavalry month, from 7 p.m .
and Guards Club, 127 Piccadilly, to which Members Hounslow Branch, T.A. Cent re, H anworth Road,
Hounslow-eve ry T hursday, from 7 p.m.

74 . In 1971 he joined HMS Londonderry as First
Lieutenant where he served until 1973, after which,
Allied Regts. until 1976, he served as an Aviation Officer's Appointer
in the Naval Secretary's department in the M.O .D. He
QUEEN'S YORK RANGERS (1st American Regt., was promoted to Commander in 1976 and completed the
RCAC) naval Staff Course at Greenwich.

In his Annual Historical Report (to 31 Dec. '79) Lt. Following promotion, Commander Maltby was
Col. McKay MMM, CD, (Commanding Officer) gives a appointed as Senior Naval Officer at RAF Lossiemouth
synopsis of his Unit's training exercises and ceremonial where he commanded the Naval Unit and was CO of the
occasions . Navy's Airborne Early Warning Headquarters
Squadron. He has flown nearly 3,000 hours.
Training included the Summer Concentration at
Meaford in August; Annual Range Classification at CFB Commander Maltby lives in Plymstock, Plymouth,
Borden in September, and an exercise-"Cavalry with his wife and sons.
Caprice" at Meaford in November .
He took command of HMS Jupiter in June 1979 and
In March '79, all officers attended the Toronto of HMS Brighton in February of this year.
Garrison Ball at the Harbour Castle Hilton, and the
Annual Brandywine Dinner in October held in the
Officers' Mess.

The Reg iment was prese nted wit h the
"Cumberland TroJ?hy" as the best Militia Armoured
Regiment in Ontano.

HMS BRIGHTON Cdr. T. G. Maltby, BA, RN .
Picture by HM S Drake, Plymouth
Commander T . G. (Geofl) Maltby, BA, Royal
Navy, who has recently assumed command, was born in
Staffordshire in Feb. 1935. He was educated at the
Municipal Grammar School and the University of Leeds
where he read French and Russian. He completed a
post-graduate course in Education and was a qualified
teac'ter.

A keen interest in flying led him to join the Fleet Air
Arm as an Aviation Cadet in Oct. '57 . He was given an
early taste of the sea while awaiting a fl ying course when
in 1958 he drove a high speed target towing vessel for six
months out of Devonport.

He specialised as an Observer flying in Skyraider
and Gannet Airborne Early Warning aircraft. He served
with 849 Naval Air Squadron in HMS Ark Royal and
then in HMS Centaur in the Far East and during the
Kuwait crisis of 1961. There followed two periods as an
airborne instructor; firstly at the Royal Naval Air
Station, Culdrose in Cornwall and then at the Naval
Observer School in Malta from 1964- 1965 .

In 1964 he transferred to a permanent career and
married Maureen, who served in the QARNNS.

He next served in HMS Loch Fada based on
Singapore and much of his time was spent on patrols
during con frontation with Indonesia which happily
came to an end in 1966.

On return to the UK in 1967, he was appointed as
Senior Observer and 2IC of 849 Headquarters squadron
at RNAS Brawdy in Wales. He was promoted to
Lieutenant Commander in 1968 and the following year
was appointed to the Royal Naval Presentation Team.
As First Lieutenant and speaker with this first round
Britain " Know Your Navy" tour, he visited over 40
towns and cities in eighty days!

In 1969 he was appointed to re-commission and
command 849 B Flight, a squadron of 5 Gannets, which
joined HMS Ark R oyal and which was destined to
remain with her until paying ofT in 1978.

75

HOWE BARRACKS AND Certainly no one could criticise the lay-out of the new
barracks-except for itinerant motorists, who riled at the sharp bends
THE OLD PARK that were sited with the object of slowing them down . Their neo·
Georgian style gives them lasting distinction, and it is enhanced by t he
by Gregory Blaxland playing fields th at lie in front of the main block and thus provide a
brighte r view for the soldiers than the traditiona l one of the barrack
T he nonh~ast has for long been the military side of Camerbury. square, which lies behind them. They also had the rare luxury of havi ng
The first barracks were built near the end of the eighteenth century, their dining hall in the middle of this one long barrack block. (It was
when the prejudice against maintaining a standing army had at last to disrupted in 1942, by a single, low-fl ying German bomber, and long lay
yield to the necessity of defending the country. They stood adjacent to in ruin .)
the Sturry Road, on the right of the traveller leaving Canterbury, and
they formed an imposing sight, being wort hy specimens of Georgian On the outbreak of war in 1939 the depot was restyled 3 Infantry
architecture. These were the Cavalry Barracks. Training Cen tre , with role widened and it s troops crammed int o the O ld
Infantry Barracks, Chaucer Barracks at the foot oft he hill, and t he sti ll
The Infantry Barracks we re built during the Napoleonic Wars, on incomp lete Old Park Barracks. This brought promotion for George
the Canterbury side of the Cavalry, beneath the Cathedral's Bell Harry. Howe, but it delayed t he move of the main Depot, and not until March
The funds were raised privately, out of sympathy eithe r for the soldiers 1948 did it open its headquarters in the barracks that now had the title of
or for the people on whom they had been billeted. They housed a New Infantry Barracks, to distinguish them from the Old. The event
batta lion, and in 1838 the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot was marked by the appearance of a gilded dragon weathervane above the
marched out of them to lower the standard of rebellion raised on hcadquarter building.
Dunkirk Hill by the self-styled Sir Willian Courtenay. In achieving this
they lost one officer killed, and he appears (so far) to have been the last In this period of constant organisational change, the role of the
soldier to die in a ground action on Engl ish soil. Depot was that of a mere caretaking party and the barracks were for the
most part empty. However, t he Depot was reactivated for recruit
Depot The Buffs took possession of the Infantry Barracks in March training in May 195 1, and during the next nine years more citizens of
1873, under Mr. Ca rdwell 's scheme for giving regiments permanent Canterbury visited the home of the Buffs than during any other
homes and set recruiting areas . The Buffs were proud, above all else, of comparable period1 for there was a quick turnover of National·
their antiquity. They descended from a force raised in 1572 to fight for Servicemen, and their parents and friends were invited to Open days
the Protestant cause in Holland and could thus claim the only pedigree and passing-out parades.
of Tudor origin to be found in the Regular Army . They became the 3rd
of Foot after returning from Holand and being commissioned by Charles For the Buffs as a whole this phase had the quality of an Indian
ll , and they acquired the official alternative tit le of The Buffs at least by summer, and one of the happiest features of it was the renamin g, in
1751, having been nicknamed Old Buffs to distinguish them from January 1956, of the Depot's homestead as Howe Barracks. It was made
younger regiments granted the same facings colour. They acquired the on the imaginative initiative of the Co lone l of the Regiment , Mai·Gen.
further subsidiary title of East Kent under an affiliation scheme Val Boucher, and he may well have achieved somet hing unique in
introduced in 1782. Just ove r a hundred years passed before it was give n persuading the War Offace to approve of such honour for a man who had
retired as a mere lieute nant -colonel. Boucher, in a special message ,
true meaning. described him as 'the finest trainer of you ng soldiers whom I and a host
of my brot her officers have ever had the privilege to serve '.
The Cavalry Barracks were enlarged in 1892. They housed both a
regiment and a depot training the recruits of some ten regiments. They The decision to suspend the National Service Act , made in 1957,
were joined by Headquarters 2nd Cavalry Brigade when Mr. Haldane cast the In fant ry once more into the throes of radical and prolonged
reorganised the Home Anny , and the Royal Engineers also had their reorganisation . One of its early, dire effects was to force the regular
representatives. Ca nterbury was a garrison town of great importance, element of the Buffs into amalgamation with the Queen 's Own Royal
and on Friday nights its streets must have glistened with brass, blanco, West Kent Regiment. Another was to centralise recruit training on a
and uniforms of many hues. Militiamen of the 3rd Buffs, Volunteers (or, brigade basis. Among the six depot barracks wit hin the Home Counties
from 1908, T erritorials), and Royal East Kent Yeomen also made their Brigade, the choice fell on that of the Buffs. Howe Barracks was thus
enlarged and failed with recruits into the four regiments that emerged
flourishes . from the amalgamations.

The odd thing is that the Army did not purchase the land on which It was the aim of the War Office that these organisational bngades
to train this great motley untill910.1t stretched from the barracks to the should be converted into large regiments, but it was decided to achieve
edge of Fordwic h and into St. Martin 's parish up to the Sandwich road. this by persuasion rat her than by coe rcion, by hope rather than order.
It had presumably long been used by the military, for it is not ferti le The Home Counties Brigade became the third (out of an eventua l six) to
land and is of a choppy natu re, with dumps of gorse bushes, blackthorn, be so persuaded, and on the last day of 1966 it s regiments voluntari ly
and pine trees, which may well account for its receivi ng the name (as turn~d t hemse lves . into The Queen's Regiment , with the Dragon
marked on old maps) of Scotland Hills. Howeve r, a farmhouse and a formmg the cent repaece of th e new badge. George Howe did not witness
barn stand within it, and perhaps once part of a large r estate, these had ~his furt her submersion .oft he ide ntity of his beloved Buffs, having died
the name of the Old Park Farm. The soldiers called their train ing area m the autumn of 1961 , JUSt after semng up the Regimental Museum in
Stour Street, Canterbury, as its curator.
the Old Park.
The next change was a furthe r integration of depots, under which
The Cava lry departed in 1926, leaving their barracks to pass that of the Queen's was fused into the Divisional one in Cambridgeshire
through many hands, of whom the most tenacious belonged to the Royal early in 1970. On ly the civi lian-staffed RHQ The Queen's Regiment
Signals.With the requirement reduced, the easte rn end of the Old Park and t he occasional itinerant unit remained in Howe Barracks. The old
was leased in 1927 to the Ca nterbury Golf Club, who remain in barracks had by now been sold to bui ld ing agents and been destroyed,
prosperous possession. With the comi ng of Hore-Belisha it was decreed except for a block off the Sturry Road housmg t he Sth Volunteer
that Depot The Buffs shou ld have new barracks. The site chosen was Queen's. The old Militia store, now a sports centre, stands as a lone
the sout h-west corner of the Old Park, wit h main entrance off the survivo r, together with the Victorian, stone-built garrison church, which
Sandwich road, within 500 yards of St . Martin 's Church. The slope has changed name from St . Alban 's to All Saints' and is a thriving parish
between it and the old barracks is steep. From the top of it a superb view church . It seem ed that Canterbu ry's days as a garrison town were over.
of the Cathedra l is obtainable: a fortuitous bonus offering even the
dullest soldier 's soul chance of uplift . The slope itself formed what was The reviv~l came in April 1980. The 1st Bn. The Queen's Regiment
termed the bullet bank. It was here that the recruits fired their .303 rifles took occu pauon of Howe Barracks, after the building of extra
at targets 30 yards away . The Buffs' treasured badge, the Dragon, accommodation for vehicles, and again the Old Park stirs with the fo rms
adorned the bank, made from excavations. Briars and grass weed have of soldie rs attempting to combine movement with concealment . It is the
long since overwhe lmed this once bristling patch of pride and activit y. intention that th ere shou ld always be a battalion stationed there and
although such inte nt ions are apt to prove fickle , it can at least be cl;imed
The building of the Old Park Barracks (as they were initially called) for certain that the name of Howe is proving its well·merited tenacuy.
began in 1938, under plans adapted to the advice given by the officer
commanding the Depot, Major G . R. Howe. The Regiment was the one Eduors N ote: Th e abow article 1s extracted f rom " Th e Parrsh of St .
love of his life. Dry, caustic, and devoid of bon homie, he cou ld be a Marlin and S t. Pa11l, Canterbu ry: HISlon cal Essay s m Mem ory of J ames
forbiddi ng character, yet he understood his soldiers, knew every detail of Hobbs". edued by Margaret Sparks and pubbshed by The Fri~nds of St.
their equipmem and routine, and devoted his life to their needs . He Martm 's, by kmd permission of the Editor.
inspired both awe and affection.

76 captures the dreamy voluptuousness, the languishing air
and drowsy sweetness of Charles II 's court and records
THE QUEEN, THE QUEEN'S, the ladies as they would have liked to have been painted.
AND THE PAINTER Smauel Pepys, who saw them in I668, said that they
were "good but not like". Lely's portrait of Catherine of
by Clive Wilson Braganza was probably painted between I663 and I665
and shows her as a plain but not unattractive girl of 25.
An interesting web of relationships has linked In reality, it would seem, she was somewhat different :
England's oldest infantry regiment, a queen, a portrait "Short, stout and devout, with prominent teeth, ftne
painter, and a town in West Germany. The story begins eyes and a waddling gait, she was unable to bear the
in Westphalia where, for the past nine years (until April King a child and was constantly outshone by Charles'
this year), a battalion of The Queen's Regt ., has been mistresses" (Oliver Millar). Barbara Villiers, Countess
serving as a pan of Soest Garrison. of Castlemaine, sat to Lely on many occasions and was
the most important of these mtstresses. Beautiful,
Today Soest is a large modern town of about 45,000 rapacious and promiscuous, she has been described as
inhabitants. Very heavily bombed during the Second "one of the most flagrantly sensual women at court ",
World War, when 62% of the town was destroyed, many and her face became the archtype of the Restoration
of its original 17th century streets and houses have been Beauty. She was established as the king's mistress by the
carefully and faithfully reconstructed. But Soest's time of the Restoration and bore him at least six
association with the army as a garrison rown has had a children. It would have been particularly humiliating to
long history, and it was here that, on 14 Sept. 1618, Catherine of Braganza that Charles appointed Barbara
Pieter van der Faes was born; his father. Johan van der Villiers as Lady of the Queen 's Bedchamber in August
Faes, was the captain of an infantry company stationed I662-only 3 months after he married Catherine .
in Soest garrison which belonged to a Dutch regiment in
the service of the Elector of Brandenburg who ruled The old Queen 's Regr. rook its name from Queen
over Soest. Catherine of Braganza; it was raised in I66 I as the
Tangier Regt. to guard the port of Tangier which had
Pieter van der Faes trained as an artist in Holland been paid to Charles I! by the King of Portugal as a
and soon was known by his more famous nickname dowry for his daughter Catherine. It was shortly after
" Peter Lely ". In either I64 I or I643 Lely came to the Tangier Regt. returned to England in 1684 that
London and it seems likely that his journey was Charles named it " our dearest consort The Queen's
associated with the visit of Pnnce William I! of Orange Regiment" .
to England on the occasion of his marriage (in the spring
of I64 I) to Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of Catherine of Braganza's portrait hangs in the
Charles I. And it is interesung to note that The Royal Officers' Mess of the 1st Bn. The Queen 's Regt. and,
Sussex Regr., one of the founder regiments of The although the pose resembles that frequently used by
Queen 's Regr., owes its existence to William 's son, King Lely and her face is similar to Lely's portrait of
William Ill; raised in Belfast in I70 I by the Earl of Catherine in the Royal Collection, the attribution to
Donegall, it was made up of Orangemen, the Protestant Lely pasted on the reverse is sadly most doubtful. Lely
adherents to the cause of the Prince of Orange, King ran a large studio and as demand increased, he employed
William Ill of England. studio assistants who painted all but the head, in some
cases after Lely had laid out the initial design . There was
Peter Lely came to London at a fortuitous time and a heavy demand for portraits of the royal family and, on
was soon able to establish his reputation as a fashionable Lely's death in 1680, there were ftve full lengths of the
portrait painter for the court and the nobility. Van Dyck, King in addition to a further nine half-lengths and three
court painter to Charles I, had died in I641 and when heads . A number of copies of Lely's portrait of
William Dobson, painter to the court during the Civil Catherine exist and the 1st Bn's painting may, in the
War in Oxford, died in 1646, Lely was in an unrivalled best case, have come from his studio. However there
position; he painted Charles I during his captivity at were a number of artists who painted in the manner of
Hampton Court in I647 and also painted the royal Lely in the second half of the I7th century, and one who
children . During the political upheavals of the 1640s is known to have worked for Lely was Gerard Soesr. By
and 50s, Lely was clearly adept at remaining politically a curious coincidence he is believed to have come from
uninvolved; he painted Oliver Cromwell's portrait Lely's birthplace (Soest) and he worked in England from
(probably soon after he was installed as Lord Protector I644 until his death in I68 I
in December I653) and then, in Ocotber I66 I, after the
restoration of the monarchy, he was made Principal Peter Lely was knighted by Charles I! in January
Painter to the King and granted, by him, an annual 1680, but at the end of the same year he died of an
pension of £200. apoplectic ftt while painting the Duchess of Somerset.
Who knows whether, in the future, the court painter to
As court painter Lely lived in a grand manner in Charles Ill may have been born to a captain of an
Covent Garden and Henry More remarked-"he lives infantry company stationed in Soest garrison?
very gentely and treated us very nobly at Dinner" . His
portrait pract ice was lucrative; m 1660 he was charging ***
£15 for a head and £25 for a half-length portrait, and by
1678 he was charging £40 for half-length portraits. Th e author, who was formerly a member of The
When the contents of Lely's studio were sold after his Queen's Regt., is at present srudying History of Art at the
death, his paintings were auctioned for £6,000. University of London-Ed.

His series of portraits called the "Windsor
Beauties", in the Royal Collection at Hampton Court,

End of Tour Thoughts 77

by but unfortunately I only heard of his visit on the day
before his departure . However I arranged to meet him at
W02 J. P. Hamill his hotel and showed him the photographs we had taken
in Thailand, in particular the one of Capt. Buden's
Now that my tour with the Royal Hong Kong grave-the Colonel's response was: " I was there when
Regiment (The Volunteers) is drawing to a close, I Capt. Buden died."
thought I would reflect on my last two years with
another Government's Volunteer Territorial We are now preparing to move to the 3rd Bn. at
organisation. Dover and by the time this is printed I will be in the
depths of Blackdown attending an RQMS course.
I have had a very interesting time doing what I feel
is the most rewarding job-i.e., training the Regiment's We are sad to leave Hong Kong and the Volunteers,
recruits. They begin their training with a 2-week camp who we still feel are "NULLI SECUNDUS IN
at Erskine Camp on the Sai Kung Peninsula followed by ORIENTRE."
a 4-hour evening period every Thursday night for five
months; they also work five weekends on ranges, map I am glad to say that my relief is another Queensman
reading or tactical exercises. With three cadres of 120 (lets keep it that way), W02 John Frost B.E.M. and if he
men during my tour I have found myself very busy. and his family have half as much fun and enjoyment as
we have had, then they will enjoy their tour.
The finale of this training is a "Pass off" parade and
the effort which the recruits put into it is heartening. LOAN SERVICE WITH
THE ROYAL BRUNEI
My other responsibility-Home Guard Squadron
(men aged 39 to 60)-has also kept me busy and I was MALA Y REGIMENT
proud to parade with them on three occasions at
Government House when they mounted Ceremonial by
Guards for a day. (This duty is no longer being carried WOl B. M. Wright
out by the British Army). The three occasions were the The Islamic Sultanate of Brunei is a self-governing
Anniversary of the Foundation Day of the Volunteers sovereign state in association with the Commonwealth
1978/79 and Remembrance Day Day 1979. Foundation through its treaty relationship with the U.K. In 1983 the
Day '79 had special significance as it was the !25th current agreement will be rer,laced by a "Treaty of
Anniversary of the Volunteers. Friendship and Understanding '; Britain will then cease
to have responsibility for conducting Brunei's external
On Remembrance Day '79, I laid a wreath on behalf affairs, but links already forged, will remain and loan
of The Middlesex Regt. (DCO) at the Garden of service is expected to continue.
Remembrance at City Hall, a duty} felt privileged to do. The country lies on the northern coast of Borneo,
I also assisted at little Sai Wan British Military cemetery covers 2,200 square miles, and is sandwiched between
in a ceremony held by the Canadian Consulate, were a the much larger East Malaysian states of Sabah and
lot of the 1st Middlesex are buried. Sarawak. Indeed one Brunei district, Temburong, is
separated from the other three by a salient of Malaysia
Last year Hong Kong was flooded with illegal and is accessible only by air or sea. Communications,
immigrants from China and the Volunteers where called climate and the national economy define the life style.
out-the first time since 1966/67-to assist the Regular The mixed population of some 180,000 is clustered in
Army. The Garrison was reinforced by the Argyll and small towns or kampongs along the relatively fertile
Sutherland Highlanders from UK who, whilst they were coastal strip, or up one of the four main rivers. Good
here, restored the large cap badge of The Middlesex roads are few , and rivers are the natural highway for
Regt . cut into the hillside near Fanling in the New many. The climate is typically tropical, characterised by
Territories. uniform temperature in the order of 82°F (27 °C), high
humidity and heavy rainfall although all these features
One of the benefits of being in Hong Kong is that are modified on the coast. Most of the hinterland is
we are able to make use of a "Leave Scheme" similar to covered with tropical rain-forest . The economy is
the one in Gibraltar (familiar to members of the 2nd and dommated by the htghly profitable export of oil and
3rd Battalions) and my family and I have made full use natural gas and, although the majority of people are still
of it. We have visited three countries in the Far East, the engaged in agriculture and traditional pursuits, signs of
first being Thailand where we visited the infamous national prosperity are everywhere. The limited road
" Bridge over the River Kwai". Part of the tour was to network is crowded with new motor cars; nearly every
the Allied Cemetery and within a few minutes my wife house, even those picturesquely perched on stilts over
had found the grave of a Capt. Buden of The Middlesex the water, boasts television, and the shops are full of
Regt .; we also found a number of graves of men from consumer goods . Everywhere there are signs of public
The Royal Norfolks . and private building and ambitious government
development programmes.
We also visited Bali in Indonesia, a truly beautiful The "Loan" serviceman therefore comes to a
tropical island. (W02 John Frost of the 2nd Bn. take country on the move but essentially traditional and
note). introspective in outlook. What of the military
organtsation he will join?
Our final trip, at the beginning of this year, was to
the Phillipines and in this beautiful country we visited
the American Military Cemetery (in Manila) and signed
the visitors book.

Lt.-Col. Chattey, President of the Middlesex
Regimental Associauon, visited Hong Kong this year

78 equipping with CVR (T). The Regiment's Air Wing is
mainly concentrated at Berakas Camp, from where it
Perhaps the title of the Royal Brunei Malay Regt. is operates twelve medium and light Bell helicopters. The
no longer fully descriptive. The regiment is certainly State is now covered by an extensive pattern of prepared
very Royal, and His Htghness The Sultan of Brunei is a landing sites, and the helicopters of the Regiment
familiar figure at many regimental occasions. It is also provide an invaluable back-up service for other
predominantly, and deliberately, Malay; enlistment government departments . In addtion to its rotary wing
being confined, with very rare exceptions, to the local squadron, the Air Wing operates fixed wing training
Malays or men of related races. However, the word aircraft based at the new International Airport.
"Regiment" implies a grouping of land-based units: in
fact, the RBMR is a superbly equipped tri-service force, The Regiment's Flotilla is at Muara, where first
with fully operational land, sea and air components, its class facilities now exist for the support of the Offshore
own supporting arms and all necessary training and Squadron with its three newly-commissioned 37 metre
logistical units. It is in reality the National Defence fast patrol boats primarily equipped with the Exocet
Force of a small, but intensely independent state; surface to surface missile system, supported by a further
furthermore it is expanding and modernising rapidly. three 22 metre boats with 40mm guns fore and aft. The
Flotilla also mans two landing craft, smaller boats
The RBMR formed in 1961 as an embryo infantry essential for the support of operations along the coast.
force which would take its place in the order of battle of Administered by Flotilla, but operationally entirely
greater Malaysia. In the event, Brunei retained her separate, is the Special Boat Sqn., equipped with fast
independence and the Regiment, whilst maintaining its assault boats and with a river domination role and other
primary infantry role in the early days, began to develop tasks comparable to a Royal Marine Raiding Squadron.
additional capabilities with direct British support. Now,
eighteen years later, the Regiment is some 3,000 men The administrative units necessary to support the
strong with plans to develop to its ultimate ceiling of fighting units are still based mainly at Berakas, some in
approximately 5,000 in the next decade. accommodation which is now unsuitable and which is
shortly to be provisioned elsewhere. The Regiment is
RHQ, eo-located with the 1st Bn. in the original self sufficient for immediate medical services and relies
barracks at Berakas Camp, acts as both a Field Force HQ on the General Hospital for surgery and the treatment of
and a Department of Defence. The Commander, a serious cases. Extensive repair organisations exist for all
British Brigadier, is assisted by a relatively small staff force, but depend heavily on expatriate
organised on Army Lines with G and AQ branches elements of the of which is provided by civilians on
headed by loan service Grade I Staff Officers. However, expertise, some
the ftrst Brunei officer to hold one of these two contract. The procurement of new equipment, and the
appointments assumed the duties of AA & QMG (my maintenance of the force, places a heavy load on the
boss) on 23 June this year. expanding supply organisation. Most of the other
administrative staff branches and services associated
The 2nd Bn ., organised conventionally like the 1st with a force of this size are represented.
and with a similar small APC element for IS operations,
occupies extensive (and new) accommodation at Tutong (cominued on page 80)
Camp which, for the time being, also houses the
recently-formed Armoured Recce Sqn., currently

aV-== ·

t

IT E sIf~§. DO- N
.-.... -- - - -- - -- -

~=--

79

1. RHQ The Royal Brunei Malay Regt. Saifuddin Mosque in the background.
2. View from the verandah of the WOs' and
4. Bathtime in Brunei!
Sgts' Mess. 5. A typical roadside shop.
3. Houses on stilts. The famous Omar Ali 6, .. A paddy field ready for harvesting.

80 meet in British service. He will be involved directly with
intensive development and, during his tour, will see and
The training organisation for the initial training of influence many changes. He will probably work harder
all soldiers, and for providing continuation training in because his sense of responsibility will be brought to the
leadership and in certain specialist fields, is located at fore . He will quickly see how much still needs to be done
Bo1kiah Camp in old British accommodation. Much and how his own time is short if he is to achieve the
advanced training is conducted in units but a large standards his training will demand. At times he may feel
number of men attend courses in the U.K. or Singapore; frustrated and look around for the support he is
training assistance and facilities are also offered by accustomed to expect in his own service. It may not be
Bnush Forces Hong Kong. There is a close liaison with there and he will quickly discover that he must provide
the British battalion stationed at Seria at the western end it himself-perhaps by improvisation or by training local
of the state. servicemen.

Today there are some 130 "Loan" servicemen with He and his family, provided they have an outward-
the RBMR in ranks ranging from Sergeant to Brigadier, looking and moderately adventurous approach, will find
divided more or less evenly between commissioned and much to compliment his professional satisfaction in the
non-commissioned elements. The concentrative of rank Brunei environment. The loan service element is closely
is mainly at the Warrant Officer and Major levels, and integrated and accepted by local servicemen, who
the developing pattern of loan service employment appreciate that they need outside experience and
shows that an increasing majority is involved in training, expertise. Cultural differences exist but are not
and m techmcal and admm1strat1ve support, with fewer underlined. The Brunei people take a pride in their
m purely command appointments-a reflection of the historical heritage and customs and wish to share them.
firm pohcy to hand over the control of their own forces Brunei is a muslim state and religion plays a great pan in
to local officers as soon as possible. On the other hand, the lives of the people; there is, however, a degree of
because of continued development and the introduction tolerance which is not always to be found in the Middle
of new, very often complex, equipment, this programme East and other Islamic countries. British families find
of "Brune1sation" of expatnate posts serves only to much to interest them both in Brunei and in other
reduce what IS m fact an expansiOn of loan service countries in the region, which they will visit and feel free
involvement. It is expected that the current figure of 130 to move about in with little restramt, confident that they
Will nse by another 40 or 50 between now and mid 1982; will receive a friendly welcome everywhere. Knowledge
1t w1ll then start to reduce again as Bruneisation has its of the Malay language is a great help and all loan
expected effect. servicemen complete an intensive but generally
enjoyable course early on in their tour.
The development plans for the RBMR involve
continued recruiting up to full manning of the existing Sporting facilities are excellent with opportunities
establishment and the formation of additional units to for sailing and water skiing, cricket, rugby and other
provide the force with the balanced capability it needs to team games, tennis, squash, swimming and riding .
be fully effective. Both the Flotilla and the Air Wing Ma~ried quarters are still in short supply and many
require additional or replacement equipment and the fam1hes may have to spend up to stx months in local
latter is to move to a new military air base at the hirin~s;_ the standard of these, however, is generally good
International Airport in 1983. An arullery unit is to be and lt IS now very rare for a loan serviceman to be
form ed to provide both air defence (in the form of a unaccompanied even for a short time.
Rapier battery) and close support from a battery of
towed guns . A third infantry battalion will eventually be I, personally, have enjoyed every minute of my tour
raised to replace the British battalion on its withdrawal and see no reason why I shouldn't continue to do so;
after 1983. The administrative support of the force is after all, I have what is unquestionably the best
now being modernised and expanded to meet the appointment I have held since I enlisted. Indeed, I am
increased load, and will eventually be mainly extremely thankful for the opportunity to have
concentrated at Bo1kiah in custom-built installations. experienced loan service with the Askar Melayu Di-Raja
The Training Centre is to be expanded and will finally Brunei.
move to new barracks near the extensive Bintuaran all-
arms range complex which is currently being developed. Other Queensmen currently on loan to the RBMR
are: Maj . N . F . Russell (Coy . Comd. 2nd Battalion);
The professional challenge and reward for the loan
serviceman with the RBMR is therefore obvious. WO! S. J. Macintyre (Band Instructor); and WO! M . ] .
Regardless of rank or appointment he is faced with
responsibilities and opportunities which he is unlikely to Paterson (Asst . Cl Trg. Centre).

* *TUNISIA) 37 YEARS ON * *Thus, at the end of last November, three former

by Maj. R. C. (Toby) Taylor members of the 1st Bn. The East Surrey Regt. set out to
formerly The East Surrey Regt. walk the principal battlefi elds over which we had fought ·
more than thirty seven years ago and to visit the several
For many years, a wish to visit the Tunisian military cemeteries in the area.
battlefie lds of 1942/43 had been little more than a
dream, but last summer, while fi shing with Bill Caffyn, Bearing the brunt of the action throughout that long
I put the idea to him; he welcomed it with his usual winter was the 78th (Battleaxe) Division, in which
ent husiasm and shortly afterwards he put the !/Surreys, 5/Buffs, and 6/Royal West Kents took part.
proposition to Ken Plater. Had the Algerian landings (Operation " Torch" ) been
further to the east; had the weather stayed fine; had we
had even a minimum of air cover; and had our American

81

allies been more experienced, perhaps the campaign SIMPLIFY YOUR GIFT PROBLEM
would have been successfully concluded within a few WITH A GIEVES & HAWKES
weeks: but this was not to be.
Gift Voucher
Appalling mud, lines of communication of many
hundreds of miles, and very determined resistance Available in £5 denominations
proved too much and the advance was halted almost in to any quantity
sight of Tunis. The German reaction was rapid and
effective; they poured into their bridgehead their best Fill in the form below and the Gift Voucher will be sent
troops, tiger tanks, and squadrons of dive-bombing to you by return of post_
Stukas, for it was vital to retain a link with southern
Europe for the support of their retreating Africa Corps. ~!QH:'I 'IJ5i~
But by holding 1st Army for so long, the enemy lost I IMail Order Department
250,000 hardened vperans who would have been 22 The Hard, Portsmouth, Hampshire POI 30Y
invaluable later on in Sicily and Italy. IG ift Vouch e r~ arc :o.upplied in a folder.

Unlike the Western Desert, Italy, or Normandy, the I Plea~c indicate you requm:ments in the appropriate box/e~ .
battles in Tunisia were fought out in a comparatively II
small area, rarely more than 20 or 30 miles from the II
ports of Bizerta and Tunis . For a battlefield tour, this is ICharge £ - - - - - -- I10 my G icvc> &
most convenient; hotels are near at hand and a great deal 1Hawke' A/CNo. ------------- ~
of tedious driving can be avoided. ----------- 1Icnclo::-.c my che4ue for L

The flight from Gatwick takes little more than 21h Nam< - - - - - - - - 1
hours and, by the evening of our first day, we were
established in a good hotel at the seaside resort of IAddre»-- ------------ 1
Gammarth, about 10 miles north ofTunis. Our plan was 1- - - - - - - 1
to hire a self-drive car for three or four days and, by I I
careful map work, not to cover too much of the same ___ ___
ground twice. I took original wartime maps, but L _j
unfortunately we could not obtain a modern road map of
Tunis itself and, as will be seen, considerable time and Gift Vouchers are available in denominations of £5-110,
effort was lost because of this . In the event we had to to any quantity, for purchase of goods at all Gieves &
leave out Beja, and its large cemetery there but in three Hawkes branches and are valid for a period of twelve
days we managed to cover some 350-400 miles. months from date of issue_They are not redeemable for

Our self-drive car was a small and rather battered cash or replaceable if lost_
Fiat with a temperamental nature and it soon became
apparent that the youngest (me) was expected to Registered in England (No . 1026430) .
"volunteer" as driver. Early in the morning of our Reg. Office: I Savile Row , London WIX lA F.
second day the reluctant "volunteer" launched out into
the suburbs of Tunis in a left-hand drive car (which kept Gieves & Hawkes branches:
stalling), on the right-hand side of the road, weaving and Edinburgh , Chester , Leicester , Eastbourne , Harrow ,
wobbling between a mass of hooting cars, buses and Bath, Bexhill , Plymouth , Winchester, Malvern, Deal ,
pedestrians.
Ca mberley , Brockenhurst, Portsmouth.
We planned to visit, on this first day, Tebourba, El
Bathan, Longstop Hill, Medjez-el-Bab, and the British
cemetery at Massicault and, more by luck than
judgement, we found ourselves leaving Tunis on the
correct route. As we pulled into the village of El Bathan,
it was evident that here nothing had changed in the
intervening years; the French cavalr)' barracks (now
occupied by civilians) held by D Coy. (John Brook Fox)
during the battle was exactly the same, and the opposite
side of the road the iron gates leading to the stables and
paddocks were also quite unchanged. Here had been B
Coy H .Q. (Buchanan) with one platoon on the river
bank and the others linking with D Coy. (At this time B
was one platoon light, having lost it a few days earlier in
the Tabourba tank battle). At the far end of the paddock
the _houses which were then on·Iy half-finished (and into
wh1ch we threw so many grenades) have been lived in
for many years, but the hedge through which " Spider"
Webb fired his bren at point-blank range is still there,
though much overgrown . The ground now seems more

cut UJ? and undulating; it is thus quite impossible to

pinpomt where C .S.M. Welch was shot by a sniper, or
to find any signs of our slit trenches .

(continued on page 83)



83

.... Perhaps in those days we were far too busy keeping bowling" was reserved for a few days later but after the
our heads down to have bothered too much about the withdrawal, the hill could not be held; eventually it was
. .I scenery; it now came as a bit of a surprise to see how captured from the Americans who had been driven from
prominent a feature was Hill 186 where A Coy (Roger it several times before. The Germans held "Longstop"
·Andrews) had held the line; and also how sturdy was the overlooking the positions around Medjez until it was
bridge itself. But perhaps it is not so strange when one finally captured by 36 Bde. at the end of the campaign.
recalls how many Stukas there were around at the time!
We then drove on the mile or so into Tebourba which There seems to be more scrub on the slopes of
seems to have grown considerably; now it has all the Longstop, now but perhaps our memories were at fault;
bustle of a typical Arab town. Modern development at its foot, on the road, is a simple memorial erected by
made it impossible to locate Bill Caffyn's H .Q. (C Coy), the French after the war. We stopped for out haversack
so we moved on up the road to A Coy's position on Hill lunch in "no-mans-land" between Longstop and
186 which was quite unaltered . How isolated it now Medjez, and then moved on into the town and over the
seemed, yet how vital to ourselves (and to the Germans) bridge; this is now so well re-constructed that it is
at the time . From it, during the tank (German difficult to believe it was the first operational Bailey
tanks-there were no allied tanks around) battle that bridge (of the many hundreds throughout the war) built.
surged around it, observers could actually watch the
Stukas bombing-up and taking off from Djedeida Medjez-el-Bab is now teeming with cars, lorries,
aerodrome just a few miles away . Between El Bathan donkeys and goats, all jostling in the winding streets-a
and the hill most of the olive groves have now far cry from the eerie silence of those long months when
disappeared; this is the area where the Hampshires were it was a British salient projecting into the German lines.
lost, and through which B Coy (or was it C Coy?) carried Our final halt on this day was the military cemetery at
out their counter-attack in an attempt to retake the hill Massicault, situated about half way between Medjez and
just before the final withdrawal. Tunis; it contains 1,200 graves and is beautifully kept by
devoted Arab gardeners, anxious to please as we
From the A and C Coy. positions we drove back searched for particular gravestones. Among the well cut
through the village and the level crossing, now looking lawns, multi-coloured geraniums and numerous other
so normal but it was near here that Norman Crampton African flowers , are buried many Buffs, Royal West
Kents and Surreys, including Eric Cecil, John Brook
l. Officers of B Coy. 1 Surrep, Sidi N'Sir-Jan. Fox, Ronnie Lindsay, C.S.M. Welch, Sgt. Finnis and
1943 (! to r) : Lt. "Jake' Saunders, Capt. Cpl. Greenhalch of the Surreys.
"Toby" Taylor, Maj. "Buck" Buchanan MC,
Lts. George Everett and "Chips" Louis. Next morning we set off early, driving back through
Massicault to Medjez and, taking the Le Kef road, we
2. Ksar Mejouar Station. pulled up at the cemetery a mile or so outside the town .
3. "Fort McGregor" (above car). Again, this is extremely well kept, and the Arab staff
4. Medjez-el-bab cemetery. were most helpful. Here we found, among others, the
5. Memorial at "Longstop". Ken Plater (left) graves of Lt.-Col. Wilberforce (CO Surreys), Norman
Crampton, Lt. Hicks and C.S.M. Cole; and in a small
and Bill Caffyn. separate chapel are recorded the names of those who
6. Tebourba. have no known grave, including those of about 20
Surreys, among whom we noted Sgt. Girdler, Pte.
had been killed whist crossing some open ground in his Tregonning and W.O. 2 Haynes. There are nearly 3,000
bren gun carrier by fire, from point blank range, from a buried here and words cannot express the feeling of
German tank which had managed to penetrate the peace and tranquility which hangs in the still air over
battalion position. Turning left, we took the Medjez this "corner of some foreign field" .
road down the Medjerda valley, trying to locate the
route of that incredible night withdrawal after the order We had to rush the next leg of our journey. Our
to pull out had been received. The Tebourba battles had wartime map still had on it (in pencil) some of the
been a disaster-particularly to the Surreys and company positions of early 1943 and from it, we were
Hampshires (from "Blade" Force)-when the enemy able to identify "Banana Ridge" a few miles south of
captured a lot of vehicles and stores and claimed over Medjez; and on descending to the Goubellat Plain, we
1,000 prisoners. It put an end to the "dash for Tunis" saw to the left and in front of us the unmistakable outline
and the situation was to remain fairly static until the of the hill known to all of us in 1st Army as "Fort
following spring. Our route too)< us south to the feature McGregor," about a mile in front of what were the main
which was to play such a ddtni nant P.art in the dogged battalion positions. The Surreys took over the Goubellat
fighting that was to follow . This h1ll, now"known as sector from the Americans early in 1943 and presumably
"Longstop" , commands the road so effectively that it it was an American who gave his name to this feature .
changed hands many times until finally lost around (The Americans loved to give their positions ~uaint
Christmas time. After the war this Battle Honour was names, and B Coy's FDLs known as "Snakeshead' , was
awarded to several regiments, and it might be of interest a name we came across again later in the war just to the
to explain how it came to be given its particular name. north of Cassino.) Of course, in no way does the hill
resemble a fort ; it is just a simple scrub-covered hill,
When the Divisional Recce, Regt . was probing with two small quarries on its sides. In those days, when
towards Tebourba (Nov . 42), our C Coy was ordered by D Coy. defended it, it was fortified, being completely
the Divisional Commander, Gen . Eveleigh, to send surrounded by a very strong triple dannert barbed-wire
forward one Platoon (Lt. Heath) to act as a "Longstop" fence, knife rests, and a comprehensive minefield. No
in case of " hostile bowling" up ahead. In point of fact sign of any of this remains but at the little farm where we
the platoon was not needed and it was collected in by paused for lunch, some rusting dannert wire was still in
Bill Caffyn as we later passed by. The very "hostile

84 somewhere up in the hills, was the little village of
Heidous to which C Coy. had been senr on Christmas
use surrounding the small enclosures. We were now in Day in the rain and thick mud to try and find the
no-mans-land halfway between the "fort" and the B Northamptons who were " lost" somewhere towards
Coy. position, but, as time was pressing, it was not Lanserine . Bill Caffyn's description of that
possible to climb the hill itself as we still wanted to visit extraordinarr journey requires a separate story, as does
some of the other Company positions . Since the hill did his "sweep ' across the Goubellat Plain, already
not appear to have changed in any way, it is thought that mentioned . At about the same time, those hills had also
it m1ght have yielded some relics of that desperate seen the disappearance of Lt . Crabtree on his 48-hour
defence put up by D Coy. patrol towards Chouigui; they were also, of course, the
scene of the many anacks leading to the fina l capture of
Von Arnim's offensive (26 Feb. 43) intended to cut Longstop (April '43) during one of which Ken Plater
off Medjez, since it was from here that an allied counter- had received his wounds and Bill Caffyn " put in the
anack was likely to come. Thus it was vital for the bag".
Germans to capture Fort McGregor-regardless of
cost-to protect the right flank of their main anack The weather was still hot and cloudless-how very
against the French positions on Djebel Djaffa. The different from Christmas '42 in the teeming rain and
German troops in the night assault were their toughest mud! A mile up the road stands " Mortar " hill (originally
paratroopers and they took terrific slaughter before known in the Bn. as "Buck's" hill), B Coy's objective in
finall y over-running D Coy. John Brook Fox was killed, the first engagement of the campa1gn, after an American
as was his second in command, Ronnie Lindsay, and Combat Team had failed to take it. Nothing here had
many of his men. The following morning a B Coy. changed and it was easy to identify the white farm where
counrer-anack was called off soon after it started, but not the American half-track had been knocked out and
before Sgt. Collins had been killed, and Lt. "Chips" where, further on up the slopes, Lt. Phi! Whiffen had
Louis wounded. From then on the whole of the Corps (5 been wounded and captured. In that first night auack,
Corps) artillery pounded the "fort" relentlessly for most put on at such short notice, Cpl. Clark had been killed:
of the day, killing most of the paratroopers and possibly our first fatal battle casualty.
any of the surviving D Coy. wounded. Next night Lt.
Woodhouse (B Coy.) led a patrol to the hill, where he Cpl. Clark was buried at Oued Zarga and his grave
was able to round up the handful of dazed Germans who is now among those in the little cemetery behind the
had managed to survive. After the success of this gallant church. Also here lies Lt.-Col. Manley, C.O. of 2L.F.
patrol we were once again able to occupy the " fort" and who was killed in the baule for Medj ez. This cemetery is
bury the hundred or so bodies of both friends and foes . not large, nor is it quite so well tended as the other two
we had visited; also there is no book recording the details
From memory, were able to find the re-entrant but we were told that it was with our Embassy in Tunis.
leading to B Coy's FDLs and from here we could stand Next to the cemetery is the old R.C church, now a small
on the exact spot in which our M .M.G .s had been in factory producing the famous hand-made Tunisian
action against the paratroopers, and from where the carpets where giggling girls, quite overwhelmed at the
abortive counrer-anack had been launched. Olive trees sight of three elderly and balding Englishmen, were
have now been planted on "Snakeshead", but the delighted to explain their craft.
platoon positions were easy to identify and some hollows
may well have been our old slit trenches. " Fort Oued Zarga seems the same; it never was much of a
McGregor" stood out the same as it did all those years place! We now had to press on up the winding road to
ago, though now it looked very calm and peaceful in the the Oued Zarga heights where after the Tebourba baules
warm afternoon sunshine. we had taken over from the French. The farm which had
once been Bn.H .Q. was, as far as we could see, unaltered
We had to move on, so turned south to Goubellat and, driving on, we forked right into the beautiful
village where at night we used to patrol so cautiously countryside leading to Ksar Mezouar, our next stop.
and from where, on one occasion, we had a bit of a Round each corner were well-remembered landmarks, in
"fight " with a patrol from a friendly battalion. We particular the steep djebel to the right of the road; our
moved along the road which for so long had been behind memories had not deserted us and that particular rocky
the German lines, leading to the main Medjez/Tunis spine was just as impressive as ever. We wound on,
road near "Peter's Corner" . En route, we paused to passing some new construction work still under
discuss the famous (or infamous) C Coy. "sweep" : a development, until we reached Ksar Mezouar where we
strange and untried operation wh1ch does not appear in hoped (somewhat forlornly) to find the liule white
any training manual but carried out successfully by Bill station house with its name above the door. We passed
Caffyn and his company in a vague anempt to pin-point through the small village of stone huts leading to the
the German FDLs! Bill was able to show us how he had railway and suddenly-there it was, exactly the same,
penetrated many miles into enemy territory with only nothing changed! The same pale blue door, the same
one casualty-Cpl. Oliver, killed on a mine. .words above it, and in front, the raised platform where B
Coy. H .Q. used to " drum-up " its Compo rations. All
On our next morning, we left Tunis with greater around there had been new development- large corn
confidence; we planned to visit the cemetery at Oued sheds and other buildings-but B Coy's H .Q. remained
Zarga, have a look at " Mortar Hill", "Hums Gap", exactly as pictured over the years. Inside the liule room I
Ksar Mezouar, and Sidi N'Sir. hoped to find some >11ncienr Surreys graffiti on the
flaking walls; there was nothing (I suppose that in those
Once again we had to pass through Medjez, then days our soldiers were far too well tramed for that kind
take the Beja road with its line of steep rocky hills to our of thing!)
right. We stopped after a few miles and, with our
glasses, had a good look at the villages ofToukabeur and (continued on inside of back cover)
Chaouach almost hidden among the djebels just below
the sky line. In the distance we could see to the back of
" Longstop" and, rising above it, Djebel Ang. Also,