January 1967

TAe tlouraal ol

QUEEN

Kensington Palace,

W .8.

3 I st December, 1966.

Lieut.-General Sir Richard Craddock,
K.B.E. , C .B., D.S.O .,

Colonel,
The Queen's Regiment.

I was very touched to rece1ve the kind message you sent on
behalf of All Ranks of The Queen's Regiment on this, the first day of
its existence. Please give my sincere thanks to the Regiment for their
good wishes which I greatly appreciated .

I would like you all to know how proud I am to have been
appointed your Colonel in Chief and feel sure that the splendid
traditions of the old Regiments will be maintained in the future by The
Queen's Regiment.

I look forward with the greatest pleasure to my association with
the new Regiment and hope that before very long I shall have a chance
to see you all.

Colonel in Chief.

1

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS MARINA,
DUCHESS OF KENT, C.I., G.C.V.O., G.B.E.,
COLONEL-IN-CHIEF OF THE REGIMENT

r

2

The Journal of
THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT

A D n tgon u.pon a mo'ltnt ·within th e Gcrrt m·. (tnd

su.p erin 1.posed on the GaTt eT th e plu·m e of Th e
Prince of '\-Val es~· theTeund e1· a Scro ll ':n scrtb c.d
" QUEEN'S." The G«Tt e,. cmd ScTo ll .;,. Go l<l :

r e mnind e1· in S1.l·Pe1·.

Vol. 1, No. January, 1967

Battle Honours to be borne on The Queen's and Regimental Colours

"Tang'ler, 1662-80," "Namur, 1695," "Gibraltar, 1704-5," "Ble nhe irn," "Ramillies," "Malplaquet," "D et..
tlngen," "Loulsburg," "Guadaloupe, 1759/' "Qu e bec, 1759," "Martinique , 1762," "St. Luc ia, 1778,"
..Serlngapatam," "Maida," "Vimiera," "Corunna," "Douro," "Talavera," ''Albuhe ra," "AJmaratz.,"
"Badajoz," "Salamanca," "Vittoria," "Pyrenees," "P e nin s ula," "Afghanistan, 1839," "Pun n i a r,"
"Moodkee," 4'Sobra.on," "Inkerman," ''Sevastopol," ''Lucknow," "Talcu Forts," "Ne'v Zeala.nd," "South
Africa, 1879," 44 Nile, 1884-.85," "Bunna, 188.'5-87," "Chitral," "Tira.h," ''Relief of Ladysmith," 11Relief of

Kimberley," "South Africa, 1899-1902."
"Mons," "Marne, 1914-18,'' "Ais n e, 1914/' ''Ypres, 1914.-15-17-18,'' "Hill 60," "Festubert, 1915," "Somme,
1916, 18," "Albert, 1916, 18," "Vi.Jny, 1917," Cambrai, 1917, 18," "Italy, 1917-18," "Macedonia, 1915-18,''
"Ga.lllpoli, 1915," "Gaza," "Jerusalem ," "Palestine, 1917-18," "D ef ence of Kut at Amara ," "Mesopotamia,
1915· 18," ''N.W. Frontie r India, 1915, 1916·17," "Afghanistan, 1919," "Dunklrh:, 1940," ''Norma ndy L a nd.
ing," ''North W est Europe, 1940, 44-45," A11 byssinia, 1941," uomars ," "Alam et H a lfa," "El Alame in,"
"Longstop HtlJ, 1943," "North Africa, 1940-43," "Sicily, 1943," "Sangro," "Salerno,'' "Anzio," "Cassino,"
"Malay~ 1941-42," "Malta, 1940-42," "Hong Kong," "Defence of Kohlma," "Burma, 194.3·45."

(Note: - These Battle Honours are provis ional and have a s ye t to be confirmed.)

COLONEL-IN-CHIEF
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS MARINA, DUCHESS OF KENT, C. I ., G.C.V.O., G.B.E.

ALLIED COLONELS-IN-CHIEF
His Majesty King Frederil< IX, K .G., King of D e nmark-2nd Battalion.
H e r Majesty Queen Juliana, Queen of The Nethe rla nds-Jrd B a ttalion.

COLONEL OF THE REGIMENT
Lieutenalnt-Ge n e ral Sir R1c hard C r a ddo c k , K .B.E., C.B., D .S.O.

DEPUTY C OLONELS

Major-General F . J . C. Piggott, C. B ., C.B.E ., D .S.O . Brigadier J. B A s hworth, C.B.E., D.S.O.
Major-General C . H . Tarve r , C. B ., C.B .E., D .S.O. Major-General C. M . M. M a n , O.B.E., M.C.

REGULAR BATTALIONS

1st Bn. (Queen's Surreys) -Mun s t e r , B .F.P .O. 17
2nd Bn. (Queen's Own Buffs) -Hong Hong, B.F.P.O.
3rd Bn. (Royal S u ssex)
- Lemgo, B .F .P.O. 41
4th Bn. (Middlesex) -Palace Barrack s, Holyw ood , N . Ire land.

3

TERRITORIAL BATTALIONS

3rd Bn. The Queen 's Royal S urrey R eg ime nt (T .A.), Sandfield T e rrace, G uildford, S urrey.

4th Bn . The Queen 's ltoyal S urrey R egime nt (T.A.) , T .A . Centre, Portsmouth Road, Klngston-upon -Tham es,

4th Bn. The Buffs (T.A.), L e ros T .A. Cen t re, Stuny Road , Cante rbury, K e nt. Surrey.

5th Bn. The Buffs (T.A.), T.A . Cen t r e , W estwood Road, Broadstalrs, K e nt.

4/ 5th Bn . The Queen's Own Royal W est K e nt R egime n t (T.A.), T .A . Centre, Avebury Ave., Tonbridge,

K e nt.
4 / 5th (Cinque Ports) Bn. The Royal S u ssex R egime nt (T.A.), T .A. Cen t r e, Bulverh yth e, St. Leonards-on-

Sea, S ussex.
5th Bn. The Middlesex R egim e nt (T .A.) , T .A . Centr e, D ean sbrook Roa d , E d gwo.r e, Middlesex.

UNITS OF THE ARMY CADET FORCE - AFFILIATED

1s t Cad e t Bn., The Queen's Roya l S urrey R egime nt-Croydon .
5th Cadet Bn., The Queen 's Royal S urrey R egime nt-Kingston -upon -Th ames.
1s t A .C.F. Bn., The Buffs--Cante rbury.
2nd A.C.F. Bn., The Buffs--Foil<eston e.
1st A.C.F . Bn ., Th e Queen's Own Roya l W est K e nt R egime nt-S idc up.
2nd A .C.F . Bn., The Queen 's Own Royal W est K e nt R egiment-Tunbridge WeUs.
Nos. 3 (H astings), 4 (Le w es), 7 (Chic h est e r ), 11 ( H o r s h am), a n d B exhill G r am m ar, Independent Cadet
Companies; Nos. 8 (Uckfie ld ), 13 (Sh o r eham ) , 14 ( B exhlll ), l6 (Arundei ), l8 (Little hampton ), Inde p enden t
Cadet PJiatoons, The Royal S u ssex R egime nt.
16 (Hornsey), 32 (Edgwar e), 72 (Houn slow), 75 (Sta ines), 77 (F eitha m ), Cad et C ompanies, The Middlesex
Regiment.

ALLIED REGIMENTS

CANADA

The Queen 's York Rangers (1st Ame rican R egiment) (R.C.A.C.).
The South Alberta Light H or se (29th Armoure d R e giment).
50th Field Regiment R.C.A. (The Prince of Wales R a nger s).
The Queen's Own Rifles of Cana da.
The H astings a nd Prince Edward R egime nt.
lst Royal New Brunswick R egiment (Carleton a nd York ).
The Esse x a nd K e nt Scottis h.

AUSTRALIA
The Royal New South Wales R egime nt.
University of New South Wales R egiment.
The Royal W estern Australian R egiment.

NEW ZEALAND

2nd B attalion (Can terbury and Neison -Mariboro ug h a nd W est Coast) The Royal New Zealand Infant r y
R egiment.
5th Batta lion (Wellington W est Coast T a r a n a ki ) The Royal New Zealand Infa ntry R egim e nt.

PAKISTAN
12th, 14th, 15th and 17th Battalion s The Punjab R egime nt,

ZAMBIA
The Zambia R egiment.

HONG KONG
The Hong Kong R egiment (Th e Volunteer s).

RE Gill'lE NTAL H EADQ UARTERS AND DEPOT

Howe B a rrack s , Cante rbur y, K e nt. T e lephon e: Canterbur y 65281.

Regimental Colonel : Colonel J . R . Anderson, O.B.E.
Commanding Officer , Th e D e pot: L t.-Col. J . Buc keridge.

Regim e nta l Adjuta.nt: Major P . D . Johnson.
Staff Capta in (R.O.IH ): Lt.-Col. G. A . E. K ee n e, M .B.E .

R egime ntal Secreta ry: Major G . U. W eymouth , M .B.E.
R egime ntal A ssociation Secretary: Lt.-Col. F . W . H a nn , O .B.E.

COUNTY OFFICE REGIII'IENTAL SECRETARIES

Queen 's S urreys Office : Major F . J . Read
Queen 's Own Buffs Office:
Royal S u ssex Office: Col. H . R. Grace, O.B .E., D .L ., J .P .
Lt.-Col. E . G . H ol !ist
Middlesex Office: Col. F . Walden, D .L .

4

OUTLINE ORGANISATION

OF THE REGIMENT

- COLONEL· IN· CHIEF,

Alli e d Col o ne l· in·Chi e f..... H .R .H . Princess M arin a ; Alli ed Colonel- in -Chi ef
Du ch ess of K ent 3rd B att alion
2nd Ba tt alion '......._, I
H .M. The Quee n of
H.M . The King of . . . ._ 'I" The Neth erland s
' ' COLONEL ' ' _ I
Denm a rk General Craddoc k
-I
I

I
I

I - - - - --. 1
I - - - -- -

I De p . Col. Dep . Col. I Hon. Col. *Hon . Cols.

Dep. Col. Oep . Col. *Sir Rob e rt to be confirmed
Gen. Piggott
Gen . T a r ver Bri g. As hworth Gen . Ma n . M en zies

R.H .Q.
R egim ental Colonel

Queen 's Surreys Queen 's Ow n Roya l Sussex Middlesex
O ffice Offi ce
Office Buff s Offi ce --,
4th Bn.
I Bn. 3rd Bn. D epot *5 th Volunt ee r I
I Bn .
1s t Bn . 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th
Middlesex
Comp any *& 10th T erritor i al
Bns.

I Kent Cinque Ports I
Company Company
Surrey I- _I
Company
I
Council of
C o l o n e ls R eg im ental A ss oc i a t ion
(Pres id ent)
(Chairm an)
-1 R eg im enta l A ss ocia t i on
I E xec ut i v e Committ ee
I
I I
Finan ce
R egi m ent a l Committ ee Sub - Committ ee Char it ab le
Sub-Comm i tt ee
KEY
Executive Control of *With e ff ec l from 1s t Ap r 1l . 1967 .

R egiment

Direct access on County

affairs

5

Lt.-Gcn. Sir Richard Craddock,
K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O.,

Colonel of the Regiment

REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS,
THE QU EEN'S REGIMENT ,
HOWE BARRACKS,
CANTERBU RY, KEN T.
31 st December, 1966.

ORDER OF THE DAY
T oday we become members of The Queen's Reg iment and we have every
reason to be grateful for and proud of such a splendid name. We have been honoured
with messages from Her Majesty The Queen and from Her Royal Highness, Princess
M arina, Duchess of Kent, our Colonel-in-Chief. Both these messages remind us of the
traditi ons of the Regiments from which we have sprung and of which we should rightly
be proud. It is now our duty to ensure that the traditions whi ch The Queen's
Regiment will make for itself are at least as fine as those we have been fortunate
enough to inherit.
The profession of arms is the most honourable profession, no matter in what

'" capacity each one of us may be serving, and honour is a word, both powerful and

splendid, to which all of us should thrill and which should serve as our guiding light.
It is our honour to continue the traditi on of service to Sovereign and Country set us
by our distingui shed predecesso rs, and in this we must not fail.

T o all of you, wherever you may be serving, go my very best wi shes and
•n my confi dence that The Queen's Regiment will be equal to all the demands which

may be made upon it .

R. W. CRADDOCK,
Colonel, T he Queen's Reg iment.

6

the finest cross Today the Stalwart is accepted as the obvious
country military choice for the modern army. It is three vehicles
in one - a conventional road ve hicle, a cross-
load carrier in country vehicle capable of reaching tanks under
the western world all terrain conditions and an amphibian capable
of water speeds exceeding 5 kr.ots in open sea
conditions. Stalwart can also be adapted to many
other roles, such as, troop carrier, missile carrier
and launcher, recovery vehicle, limber for self-
propelled guns, artillery tractor and ship to
shore replenishment. Beyond doubt Stalwart is
the most advanced military load carrier in the
western world.

ALVIS OF COVENTRY

7

Maj.-Gen. F . J. C. Piggott, C.B ., C.B.E., D .S.O., Maj.-Gen . C. H . T arver , C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O.,
D eputy Colo nel of th e 1st B a tta lion D eputy Co lon el of th e 2nd B a tta lion

Brig. J. B. Ashworth, C.B.E ., D .S.O., lllaj.-Gen. C. M . M . 1\Ia n , O.B.E., M.C.,
D e puty Colonel of t he 3rd B a tta lion D e puty Col on el of t h e 4t h B a tta lio n

8 contents

THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT
was formed on

31st D ecember , 1!J66
from the followin g

Reg im e nt s-

The Queen's Roy al Surre y Outline Orga nisation of the Reg iment Page
Reg iment Order of the D ay ..
T he Queen's Reg iment 4
The Queen's Own Buffs, E d i t ori a l 5
1' h e Roy a l K ent R eg im ent M essages of Greeting 9
The Reg iment 11
The Royal Sussex Vesting D ay at the Reg imental Depot 12
Regim ent 1st Bn. News 15
2nd Bn. News 18
The Middlesex 3rd Bn. News 19
R eg im ent 4th Bn. News 27
The R egimental D epot ... 32
News from the T.A . Bns. 40
Reorgani sati on of the Reserve Army 45
Editor's Announce ments . .. 47
Births, M arriages and D ea th s
News from the County Offi ces 53
F orecast of Events-1967
The Queen's Regimental Association 54
The J ournal -Subscription F orm
55
56

64
65
67

Ed itor: !11 fut ure issues of the 'Journal , a reproduction of
Major G. U. Weymo uth, the cm.'er photogmph cmd its caption will appear
in this space .
M.B.E. (Ret'd.)

Printe rs:
Kentish Gazette,
Canterbury, K ent.

9

THE QUEEN~s REGIMENT

The following article, sponsored by th e Council
of Colonels, has already a)lpeared in a number of
our former R egimental Jo1trnals. I t has been
C'ditcd and 1·c produced in our firs t iss u e becaus e
of its 1·elativc impo-rtanr e a11d /01' the ben efit o[
OU1' '11 CW T Ca.clf'T,<j, Ed.

Introduction

ON 31st December, 1966, The Home Counties
Brigade became " The Queen's Regiment."
It is important that all members, both serving
and retired, of the new Regiment fully under-
stand the reasons which led the Council of
Colonels to recommend to the Army Board that
Her Majesty approve the proposal to form a
Large Regiment.

The basic and current military factors be-
hind this decision were enumerated in the
broadsheet announcing the formation of the new
regiment, and will be further amplified in this
article. The article will also trace briefly the
evolution of the infantry of the line from their
conception as regiments with territorial links up
to their present status. By so doing one can view
the change to a Large Regiment in its true hi s-
torical perspective and not only in the light of
co ntemporary military affairs.

Histor ical Background ised. The system , n ever entirely sati s factor y, h ad
During their earl y his tor y regim e nts h ad no by 1951 evolved into t h e basic organisation of The
Home Counties Brigade with its own h ead-
form a l territori a l link s a nd obtained their rec ruits quarters at Cante r b ur y.
from a n y county t h ey chose. It was not until 1782
tha t regiments were linked with various counttes Brigade System
of the ir choice. Th ese alliances were initi a ll y
shallow in nature but grew stronger and were In 1957 National Service was abolished and
g iven their true m eaning by th e Cardwell R e- the then Arm y Coun c il , with a view to r edu c ing
forms. Under these reforms several important the numbe r of infa ntry b attali ons, ord e r ed certain
n ew con cepts evolved . Regiments form ed depots, r egim ents to amalgamate. By the end of 1962 the
som e amalg am ated, num eri cal t itles were r egim enta l s tru cture of The Home Counties
m ade s ubsi diary and cou nty or regimental t itles Briga d e h ad been found ed . Four r egim ents
were adopted. Althoug h this r eorga nisation, r e- had been a malgam ated and the Royal Fus ili e r s
s ulting in the s urrend e r of num eri cal titles ~d transferred to th e Fus ili er Brigade. In conjun c -
changed insignia, caused indignation and dis- tion with these histo ric regim e nta l events funda-
agreement at th e time, the a dvan tages soon m ental changes occurred in the functions and
becam e appare nt. In part icu lar the new organisa- or gan isation of t h e Brigad e.
tion a llowed regim e nts to m a inta in a battalion
abroad a nd on e at h ome, thereby producing of Fin a nci a l cons id e rations for ced the c los ing
greater choi ce a nd fl ex ibili ty in postings. T erri- individua l r egimental depots as training estab-
torial bonds were cemented by further reform s lis hm e nts , a nd m a npower s hortages, co upl ed with
when county militia battalions became part of defence commitments, required g reater fl exibilit y
their county r egim e nts; and at the start of this in regulatin g battalion strengths than could b e
century a ffiliated Volu nteer battalions we r e a lso effectively achieved under the Group s ystem. In
integrated a nd organised as the T e rri toria l Force. order to m eet these requirem en ts the Brigade
The Cardw e ll system of linked home a nd over seas system evolved e mbod y in g man y of the fun ction s
battalion s natura ll y w ent into abeyance durin g of a Large Regiment. Each regiment was
the First World W a r, but ther eafter fun ctioned allowed to r etain a R egimental H eadqua rters
satis f acto ril y until the 1939-45 W a r. when the which continued to pr ovide the county link and
raising of new battalions a nd the cross-posting of to execute their trad itiona l regi m ental fun ctions.
reinforcem ents agai n m a de it unworkabl e. Recruits were enlisted into The Hom e Counties
Brigade, trained centrally at The Brigade D epot
After the 1939-45 War th e r eduction of regi- an d posted to regim e n ts accord ing to operational
m ents to one batta lion. r ecruiting difficulties a nd and manpower demand . Senior officers and
the necessity of reinforcing battalions according N.C.O.s w ere on a common seniority roll and
to theatre r equire m e nts led to the introduction th eir promotions, postings a nd appoi ntments
of the group syst em . Under this system the seven co ns idered on a Brigade basis. Recruiting into
r egim e nts, including the Royal Fus ili e r s , in The four regiments was directed and organised by the
Hom e Co unt ies were ad ministratively grouped the
togeth er . Interpostin g between regiments was Brigade H eadq uarte rs. Dress was on a common
introduced, and certa in recruit training centra l- basis and t he cap badge was standa rd.

10 common promotion rolls and cross-postings, regi-
ments were only loosely bound by Brigade ties.
The Queen's Secondly, that by voluntari ly acting upon the
wishes of the Army Board the reorganisation
Regiment could be accomplished in our own time and to a
certain extent on our own terms. Thirdly, that
Continued- the reduction and reorganisation of the Territorial
army with the single Army Volunteer Reserve
The Large Regiment Concept Battalion for the Home Counties, and one com-
pany based in each of the four counties, logically
In 1962 the Army Coun cil examin ed the exis t - fitted the Large Regiment concept. Fourthly, that
ing organisation of the Briga d es of Infa ntry with in view of the current uncertainties in defence
a view to c r eating furth e r fl ex ibility to meet the policy, it was considered that a Large Regiment
ohanging n eed s of future s tra t egy. They d ecid ed would be a more flexible organisation and there-
that the Infa ntry of the Line should be encour- fore better positioned to meet any reductions or
aged to move voluntarily toward the Large expansions that might become necessary. Fifthly,
R egime nt by a process of evolutio n. It w as m a d e it would supply a Regimental Home in the form
clear that the a doption of the Large Regiment of a truly Regimental Depot at Canterbury-a
c once pt would in no w ay make the regim e nts long felt want. In this way the old Regiments
concerned more liabl e to be selected if s ubsequent would continue to exist and carry forward their
reductions in the number of infantry Batalions best traditions, whilst combining to form a
had to b e e ffected. modern and viable organisation.

Wh en consid e ring this s uggestion the Co unc il Finally, the Council of Colonels was assured
of Colonels had to bear in mind the courses that by the Chief of the General Staff that it re-
now f ace the infantry as a whol e. Th er e a ppear mained the policy of the Army Board to
to be three: that the Brigade system should re- encourage all Regiments to adopt the Large
main as currently constituted ; that large Regi- Regiment organisation.
m e nts be form ed ; or the formation, in the futur e,
of a "Corps of Infantry." This last course had GIBBS&SONS
som e thing to recomm e nd it, prov iding ex is ting
Regiments could r etain th e Colon els -in -Chief a nd LIMITED
Colonels, their alliances with other Regiments
and the ir insignia. However, it was doubtful, if 16 ORANGE STREET
a ll these traditional links could be retained, and CANTERBURY
moreover the County connections, which have
com e to m ean much, would be lost. The reorga- Printers of Repute
nisation of the T erritorial Army was an added for over 140 years
complication, the problem of the viability of a
one R egular Battalion R egiment r emained, a nd Let us quote you for your
perhaps more important still, the D epot system
would req uire complet e reorganisation . The refor e, Bookwork
in the absence of any authoritative views and any Magazines
apparent offic ial move towards a Corps of In- Stationery
fantry, the Council of Colon els con s id er ed t hat
this course eliminated itself. Establis h ed 1818 Phon e: Cante rbury 62107

The first course, to rema in as w e are, had
both advantages and disadvantages. E ach R egi-
m ent could retain its existing conn ection s,
insignia, alliances, etc. Although much has been
done to make the Brigade system work as out-
lined above, the fact r emained that the Brigade
con s isted of four diffe r e nt R egim e nts. The D e pot
was no t a t rue " R egim e ntal Hom e," d espite t h e
efforts of D epot Commanders, and the organisa-
tion of R egimental fun ctions in England was
difficult when t h e R egular Battalions w ere over-
seas. In vi ew of th ese consideration s, the Council
of Colonels felt that the creation of a Large
R egiment best fitted the needs of today and also
provided, particularly if the risk of Global war
is re mote , the bes t insurance policy against the
future. The decision was made easier by th e fact
that all four exis ting R egiments r ecruit much the
same type of man from within the "Home
Counties."

In conclusion, therefore, the following are
the main reasons for their decisions. First, the
fact that although the Brigade system carried
out many of the direct functions of a Large
Regiment is such matters as recruit training,

11

THE JOURNAL OF THE QUEEN 'S REGIMENT

MESSAGE FROM HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

I was very pleased to receive the message of good wishes and
loyal assurances which you have sent me on behalf of All Ranks of
The Queen's Regiment on its birthday.

Please convey to them my warm thanks for their past services,
and my confidence that The Queen's Regiment will be worthy of

the traditions of all the Regiments from which it has been formed .

31st December, 1966. Signed ELIZABETH R.

EDITORIAL

VESTING Day has come and gone, The Briga di e r As hworth's introdu ctory lette r about
Queen's Regiment has been born, christened The Queen 's R egimental Association and the r e-
and confirmed and its foster-child- this Journal lationship between this new Association and
- is taking its first breath! ex is ting R egim ental Ass ociations.

Literary g enius will have to be confined to B y now a1l officers s hould have rec e ive d a
these opening remarks because, for one thing, c ircu lar le tte r about The Quee n's R egim e nt
the said foster-child's editor has yet to show signs Officer s ' Club. If any officer does NOT g et one,
of any, and for another th e re is much to in c lud e would h e please write to the Secretary a t R egi-
in this column, of a factual n a tur e. m ental H eadquarters.

Our aim in this Journa l is to bring to our Our front cove r in this issu e shows the n ew
readers each month, up-to-da t e n ews of the R egime ntal cap badge. In s ubsequ ent e ditions the
R egiment. This m eans stories, articles and new s front cover design will be based on a photograph
about p eopl e and p laces of inte r est, not only to sent in by regular battalions in rotation. d epicting
serving m embers, rese rvis ts, territorials a nd local scenes, or activities in which they have
cadets, but also to those thousands of our doug hty r ece ntly b een engaged . W e b el ieve that s uch a
Old Comra d es from Surrey, K ent, Sussex and cover d esign will appeal to those of you who
Middlesex who like to k eep in touch with the would lik e to see a s lightly "n ew look" in the ir
R eg iment and its for ebears. Journal a nd at the same time give a degree of
prominence to one of the regular battalions in
Naturall y the Journal will tak e a little tim e turn .
to settle down, but this writer would like to
thank all correspondents, h ere a nd now, for the This column would not b e complet e without
splendid way they have r a lli ed and for sendin g m ention of Colonel Ian B a ttye, who has been th e
in their contributions for thi s issu e bang on tim e. Brigade Colonel a t Canterbury for two-and-a-half
Such a s pirit of co-operation a ugurs w e l1 for the years and has now left us to take up an appoint-
future. m ent with Allied Forces Central Europe.

In this , our firs t, numbe r, som e important The R egiment has a very great d eal to thank
ite ms- such a s a location s tate m e nt of officers , hin1 for. Th e tre mendous s uccess achi ev ed by the
rolls of W .O.s and Se rgeants- have had to be old Brigade in the r ecruiting sphere during
omitted to make room for other material. These Colon el Battye's t e rm of offi ce has, in effect, b een
particular items wi ll , howev e r, appear in our a personal triumph for his own energy, imagina-
April issu e and th e reafter a t p e riodic al inte rva ls. tion and drive. There is als o littl e doubt that
the s mooth transformation to a Large R egim ent
Also in our n ext issue will a ppear an his- which h as occupied much of his time during the
torical background to the forma tion of the pas t yea r, is due in la rge m ea s ure to his e xpert
R egiment, writte n b y Gregory Bl ax land- author h elmsmanship.
of the old Brigad e Short His tor y. In anoth e r
number, the histori c links with our A ll ied R egi- In s aying far ew e ll to C olone l Ian, a nd in
m e nts wi ll be s ummarised. wishing him a nd his family every happiness In
the future, w e also accord a ve ry warm w elcome
Until our T erritorial batta lions lose their to Colonel Roy Anderson, our very firs t R egi-
respective identities in April, their new s will m e ntal Colone l.
appear under their present a nd better known
R egimental names. N evertheless, the trans form a- Finally, the Editor would like to thank all
tion which is taking place now and will officially those who have sent him kind m essages of good
com e about in th e s pring is refl ect ed in the firs t will (and commiseration !) for the future of the
issue unde r th e h eading " R eorga nis ation of Th e Journal. To th em a nd, ind eed, to all reade rs , h e
R eserve Army." can only say that his s ince rest wish is that you
may d e rive som e pl eas ure a nd not too muc h
All m e mb e rs, present a nd pas t , s hou ld read displeasure from his humble efforts.

12

Messages of Greetings

The following telegram was sent to Her Majesty T he fo llowing telegram 1vas sent to Her R oyal
Th e Queen by the Colonel of the Regim ent :- Highness Princess M mina, Duchess of K ent, by
the Colonel of the R egiment:-
On this, the birthday of T he Queen's Regi-
ment, All Ranks of the Regiment, and all those All Ranks of The Queen's Regiment proudly
who have served in the Regiments from which welcome your Royal Highness as thei r Colonel-
it originates, hope that Your Majesty will accept, in-Chief and hope that you will accept their
with their humble duty, their very best wishes warmest good wishes and the assurance of their
and the assurance of their continuing loyalty. loyalty and devotion.

Signed CRADDO CK, Signed CRADDO CK,
Colonel, The Queen's Regiment.
Colonel, The Queen's Regiment.
And H er M ajesty graciously 1·eplied as foirows:-
And H er Royal Highness graciously replied as
BUCKINGHAM PALACE. fo ll ow s: -

T o Lieutenant- General Sir Richard Craddock, T o Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Craddock,
K .B.E., C. B., D .S.O. K.B .E., C.B., D .S.O.

I was very pleased to receive the message of I was very touched to receive the kind
good wishes and loyal assurances which you have message you sent on behalf of All Ranks of The
sent me on behalf of All Ranks of The Queen's Queen's Regiment on this, the first day of its
Regiment on its birthday. Please convey to them existence. Please give my sincere thanks to the
my warm thanks for their past services, and my Regiment fo r thei r good wishes which I greatly
confidence that The Queen's Regiment will be
wonhy of the traditions of all the Regiments appreciated .
from which it has been formed.
I would like you all to know how proud I
Signed ELIZABETH R. am to have been appointed your Colonel-in-
Chief and feel sure that the splendid traditions
31 st December, 1966. of the old Regiments will be maintained in the
future by The Queen's Regiment.

I look forward with great pleasure to my
association with the new Regiment and hope that
before very long I shall have a chance to see you

all.

Signed MARINA,

Co lonel-in - C hi ef .

31st December, 1966.

To The Colonel of the Regiment

From Colonel Michael J ennings (a former From R .H .Q. Th e Queen's R eg ime n t (Queen's
Brigade Colonel): Own Buffs' Office):

"B est w is h es to you a n d All Ran k s ." " D eputy Co lon el 2 QUEENS and a ll Staff of
th is offi ce send you loya l G r eet ings a n d m any
From 2 QUEENS: Congr atulations on your assumption today of
" All Ran k s 2n d B n . The Qu een 's Regim en t your impor tant appointment. W a r m est good
(Queen 's Own B uffs) send th eir Greetings a nd w is h es to A ll Ranks Th e Q ueen 's R egim e n t
best w ish es to you on t he birthday of The fo r man y yea r s of dis ti ng u is h ed, happy and
Que e n's Regime nt." s uccessfu l s oldi ering in th e futu re. "Veteri
Frondesc it H ono r e et Quo F a s et Glor ia
From Colonel Fra n c is Morgan (ex-Buffs, s ome-
time O.C. 1 Mx.) : Duc unt."

" H a ppy bi rth day and b est w is h es for t h e
f uture."

13

From Major A. E . Grant (ex-Buffs) : To Depot-From 1 QUEENS:
·· On b eh a lf of the 6th Buffs Dinn e r C lub, I " From C.O. and All R a nks . G r eetings a nd all
a m writing to wis h Good Lu c l< to The Queen 's g ood wi s h es t o the Col on el of Th e R egim e n t
R egim ent and to a ll who m ay serve the re 1n . a nd a ll m e mbe r s of Th e Quee n's R egime n t on
W e look forwa rd to w elcoming our 2nd Bn . our Formation D ay."
hom e in th e not too dis tant future ."

From Lieut.-General Sir Norman Tailyour, K.C.B., To R.H.Q.-From O.T.C. Inf. Records :
D.S.O., Commandant Gene ral, Royal Marin es : '' Best wishes for your future and success
und e r your large titl e, from O .I. C. D e puty a nd
" On beha lf of all ra nks, I send b est wish es all Tnf. R ecord Offi ce Offi cer s, E xete r ."
for the future a nd w e look forwa rd to re-
taining our c lose link with Th e Qu een 's To 1, 2, 3 QUEENS-From 4 QUEENS :
R egiment and in particular with the 1s t Bn. " B es t wis h es and gr eetings from a ll ranks
Th e Queen 's R egim ent (Qu een 's Surreys ) ." of 4 QUEENS on the occasion of the form a-
tion of t h e N ew R egim e nt."
From General Sir Ian H. Riches, K.C.B., D .S.O.,
Represen tative Colon el ComUJandant, Royal To 1, 3 and 4 QUEENS, Depot and R.H.Q., 4
Marines: Bu ffs, 5 B u ffs, 4/ 5 R.W.K.-From 2 QUEENS:

"On this the a m a lg amation day of s u c h " Our greetings on this the birthday o f Th e
g a llant Regim e nts, all re tired and ex-Se rvice Queen's R egiment."
R egular Marines wish every success to The
Queen's R egiment."

From l\lajor-Gene ral Sir John E. F. Willoughby, To Sir Ph ll ip Hay- From O.C. 2 QUEENS:
K.B.E., C.B., G.O.C. Middle East L!IJld Forces:
" Plea se convey the following to H .R.H. All
n To you and all m emb ers of Th e Queen 's Ranks of 2nd Bn. The Queen's R egiment
R egiment and their families, best wishes for (Queen's Own Buffs) offe r to Your Royal
Saturday and for the futur e, from a ll m em- Highness th eir humble duty on this the birth-
bers of your R egiment serving in Mid-Eas t day of The Queen 's R egiment. At this time
Command. Wish you w ere with us here in w e offer our loyalty and devotion to our
Ade n ." C olonel-in-C hief."

From Major-General P . G. F. You ng, C.B., C.B.E., To which H.R .H . graciously replied as follows:
H.Q. Director of Infantry, Warmlnster:
" I send you and all ranks my grateful thanks
"Best wish es to you and All Ranks of The for your kind m essage which I warmly
Queen's R e gim ent." apprec iate. "

From Major-Gener a l D. L . L loyd Owen, D.S.O., MARINA, Colonel-in-Chief.
O.B.E., 1\I.C., G.O.C. Cyprus D istrict:

" Greetings from u s a ll in Cyprus a nd b est
wis h es on the birth of your large baby."

From l\fajor-General J . Y . Wbitfield, C.B., D.S.O ., (MAIDSTONE)
O.B.E. :
LTD.
!' May God bless our great n ew enterprise."
APPOINTED and APPROVED TAILORS
From Lieut. - Colonel D. E. C. RusseU, O.C. and OUTFITTERS
3 QUEENS:
to the
"All ranks send you h earti est greetings on
this splendid day and look forward to your QUEEN 'S OWN BUFFS
firs t vis it to 3rd Bn. with great e nthusias m ." THE ROYAL KENT REGIMENT

From Col. A. J . M. Flint, 1\I.B.E. : and Approv ed Tai lors t o th e
HOME CO UNTIES BRIGADE
" Much regret absence today, wish eve ry
success and good fortun e to Stockists of the approved pa.ttern Sh irts,
Qu een's R egim ent." All Ranks Regimental and Goil Ties, Bla.zer Badges,

From Capt.ain R. A. Begg, R .N. : etc.
"All in H.M.S . Kent send b est wis h es to th e Civil and Military R equirem ents
2nd Bn . The Queen's R egiment (Queen 's Own
Buffs) on its formation. forward ed upon r equest

To 1, 2 and <l QUEENS, Depot and R.H.Q.- From 12 MIDDLE ROW
3 QUEENS: MAIDSTONE

"Best wishes from all ranks 3 QUEENS on Phone - 58675
this auspicious day."

To R.H.Q. - From Qu een's Surreys Office:
"He.arti est greetings on birthday Th e Qu een 's
R eg1m ent from Maj .-Gen . Piggott and s taff
The Qu ee n 's Surreys Office."

1ToQU2,EE3NSan: d 4 QUEENS a n d R.H.Q. - From
" All good wish es on form a tion of Queen 's
R egim ent and happy N ew Y ear ."

14

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Hunting , Sports and Lounge Kits

ALL CLOTHS CUT BY EXPERT WEST END CUTTERS AND MADE EXCLUSIVELY
BY HAND IN OUR MAYFAIR WORKSHOPS BY THE BEST ENGLISH TAILORS

REGIMENTAL TAILORS TO THE QUEEN 'S REGIMENT

Telephones : Telegrams:
MAYFAIR 0945-CAMBERLEY 4098 ''MILITAILA WESDO, LONDON"

15

The Regiment

REGIMENTAL MOTTO- " UNCONQUERED I SERVE"

INSIGNIA REGIMENTAL l\tARCHES
Cap badge: See cover. Available in mid- A comp e tition is b e ing organised, open to
F ebruary, 1967.
Collar badges: White H orse of K ent s uper- a ll Directors of Music and Bandmasters with a
imposed on the Star of the Orde r of the prize of £50 for t h e w inn e r , to compose new Quick
Gart e r a nd s urmo un ted by th e Rous illo n and Slow Marches for t he Regiment. In the
Plum e. Available in a pprox im ate l y one m eanwhil e "Soldi e r s of t h e Queen " wi ll be t h e
yea r. unofficial Quick March.
Buttons : Paschal L amb on an eig ht-po in ted
East Surrey Star. Available in approxi- Battalions w ill r e tain their ex isting Regi-
m ate ly on e year . m ental Ma rch es for t h e time being, but these
Shoulder titles: "QUEE N'S." a re to be preced ed, w he re appropriate, by
Rank badges: Th e EVERSLEIG H Star pat- "Soldie rs of t h e Qu een ."
tern is b e ing adop ted.
REGIMENTAL COLLECT
DRESS Th e Reg im e nta l Co ll ect of Th e Qu ee n 's
Instru c tions h ave a lready b ee n issued to Regim e nt is to b e:
"Lord God of Hos ts, str etch forth , we
Battalions and p e rsonn e l at ERE. Th e r e is to be pray Thee, Thine a lmig hty arm to
no m ajor ch a n ge in uniform, oth er t h a n Insig n ia str e n gth e n and protect a ll m ember s of
m entioned. The Queen's Regimen t; be with them in
th e day of battle, and in t ime of peace
R egimen tal tie: R egimental cap badge motif keep them saf e from a ll ev il ; e ndue t h em
on a dark blue background. a lways w ith courage and loyalty, and
g ra nt t hat by ser v ing Thee faithfully in
T a ilors: M ess r s. H erb e rt Ch a pp e ll L td. a ll t hin gs th ey may b e s tr e n gth e n ed in
Mess rs. Conway Willia m s. the s pirit of ser v ice to th e ir Sove r e ign,
Messrs. John Jones and Co. the ir Cou ntry a nd th e ir R egim e nt,
t hrough J es us C hrist ou r Lord."
Hatte r s: M essr s. H e rbe rt Johns on .
ALLIANCES, AFFILIATIONS AND
COLOURS FREEDOl\tS
No new Co lo urs wi11 b e iss u ed for th e tim e Alliances: All t h ose R egim e nts whic h we r e
allied to our form e r County R egiments
being. Each Battalion will con t inue to ca rry their before 31s t D ecember , 1966, becom e Alli ed
former Regim e nt's Colours. Regim ents of The Queen 's Regiment.
Affiliations and Freedoms: All s uch links and
JOURNAL hon ou r s which ex isted with form e r
This Journal r eplaces a ll f o rm e r Regimental County Regiments a re to be r etained by
t h e appropriate Battalions of t h e Regi-
Journals. It will be publish ed monthly at an ment.
initial cost of 2/ - p er cop y, or £1 p e r a nnum . A
subscription form a nd Banke r's Order a ppear COUNTY OFFICES
e lsewh er e in this issue. Annual s ubscriptions fr om Former Regimental H eadquarters remain at
Members of the Queen's R egiment Officers' C lub
include a n el em ent for the Journal. their present locatio n s and wi !J be r e f e rred to as
follows:
CLUBS AND FUNCTIONS
An Officers' Club h as been formed D etails R.H.Q . The Qu ee n's Regiment (Queen 's
Surreys O ffi ce).
h ave b ee n sent to a ll con cern ed during J anuar y.
Officers' Club functions will include an Annual R.H.Q. The Queen 's Regiment (Queen 's
Dinner a nd/ or Cocktail P a rty; Canter bur y Own Buffs Office) .
Crick et W eek T ent; Regimental Golf.
R.H .Q . The Quee n 's Regiment (Royal Sussex
REGIMENTAL ASSOCIATION Office).
The Queen 's Regimental Assoc iation h as been
R .H .Q . The Qu ee n 's Regiment (Middlesex
form ed . An introductory le tter from t h e Chairman Office).
ap p ear s e lsewh er e in this iss u e.
The County Offices w ill act as "Out Stations"
Associations of the form er R egiments remain of t h e Main Regimental H eadquarters and in
as at present a nd m emb ers will be affiliated to addition, t h ey will continue to handle all matters
The Queen 's Regimental Association. r e lating to the ir form e r R egim e nts.

REGIMENTAL DAYS
All Regimental "D ays" of the form er R egi-

m ents w ill be celeb r ated as Qu ee n's Regim e ntal
Days.

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purchase tax remission , delivered in England or at virtually any
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Tailors
appointed to
The Queen's Regiment

·HEHBERT

CHAPPELL

50 Gresham Street - EC2 22 Suffolk Street - SWl

Monarch 7451 Whitehall 2543

17

L t.-Col. J . Buc k eridge,
O fficer Commandi n g th e

R egimen tal Depot

Col. J . R . Ande rs on, O .B .E.,
R egimenta l Colon el

Lt.-Col. J . W. Sew ell, Lt.-Col. E . W . M acDona ld, O.B.E .,
Offi cer Com ma n di ng 1 QUEENS Offi ce r Comm a nd ing 2 QUEE NS

Lt.-Col. D . E . C. Russell, Lt.-Col. J . N. S hlpster , D .S.O .,
Officer Commanding 3 QUEENS O ffi ce r Cc mm a n din g 4 QUEENS

18

VESTING DAY
at the Regimental Depot

Lt.-Gen. Sir Ri cMCmhaaojarlonodrdn-eeCr~l,rloaLLfdtdt.M-hoCoeaoknlR.. aeJdgS.ditmBraenuesdcnskiitnneaggrirdebtgehMehe, iantijsrodoro-toGhpnesemnto.hnTeisaplrCaevrofealt.rd,fIeo.MraHeatgj.otrBrho-euaGnteDtdyne.e.p.PoitTg. hgSeottDat,nedBpiornitggCaidonimear-
row behind the
Ashworth and

Ac knowled gem e nt : ""Ke ntis h G a ze tte."

AT the Depot on 31st December, '66, the for- MsrQCBnOheeof.u.DafosBliedlsrc.ee.Pt,EicnParbaa.tt,raydinaiynodndntegftrhcdrheeaseseTCsftsshthh.weCBeaeMreoprrClilaQmoegaornaiuielnneodets,lhnaese,aneetogln'hCDs-feieonusslR-cotaCRfhhenirhdegeeeois,vilme,sm.fRi.CnoeCeHnHcfog.llteuiKe.WmrrdbeIien.yM.RnntgDoH,attjyhohe.taemnsahlBtadeayDlHaddbteeiTnstegpoyeehhonewnae-,t,
mation of The Queen's Regiment was
marked by a simple ceremony at mid-day.
The parade consisting of permanent staff
and recruits from the Depot, with a detachment Fina lly, the troops on parade m arched off to
and the Band of the futu re 5 QUEENS , was the tune of "Soldiers of The Queen."

commanded by Lt.-Col. J. Buckeridge, Depot

Commander.

PCTOKbQyi..au.BgBBreg.vh..eTEEEoeinm.ht..r,,'t,,se.DMCCaRi.Cn.n..SCBBed.s.gB.Op...i.eDm.C,.cD.eetBa.CpinSnn..u.tEBdgO,t.y..,LE,oMfDtC.f,.aa-io.ncGSjlDoedoe.rOrnn.-S..Gtew..hlOSesaBe,n.is,rreMisrtgRaMha.alileujacJojthC.Creoa-s.roBGr-lMdG.owe nn.eACe.nersMrl.eFhao.wd.CtfdMoaJ.o.TkractHehhCnkne,,.., coaacmhacfreoostlgundewbrAayedeiilisfeanlnydpgtthrttthohiedjanuigeektspsroiaetganwpsyrgtsspaehmepodaedpeitnechangatrethssyatrmoaimtuod~mmnnrwtstbah,a.saeesaweinuHsnhmsbhoipmhcaiw.esehdicftelgeodtvhialrenttittohrcion,tteahirhaslataa,lhvplstayeeacwtrtths,aabhhqepdeoeiuyepenaneswwcratweeetree.rhaerarededees-
wmtahsauesstAihfcroefautaiersfnreldadogtlhtsdbheyeoRifnnJesugetpwhni meeicofetrliHnaogtoBnsm,aownaef ldelTsrCmhetoheuaolonnQswteuiJeeep.srerenTedBs'eserrtinroRgytae.fdsgaaeinml ufaaetnenrddet CitnhoveliotAonetdefhtleserirnovtfotishitethtohereps aRiSrneaegdrrighemeeaetOnnhfttefsi'caeCnMrodsel'ostMnsheeelbsi rseaffwonordirev leuDjsoneicwpnhiue.nrtgye

19

News from the lst Battalion

Editorial per iod. O n the t r a inin g side w.e h av~ been c3:rr yi~g
o ut tri a ls on I h e "Trilux" ni g ht Sigh t which m -
TH E production of monthly J ournal notes is volved our Tria ls Officer, Maj. P eter Clayton, a nd
a new venture for 1 QUEENS, who up to a PI. of C Coy. in a usales demon stration" to the
German Arm y in a n att e mpt to c lose t h e D e utsch -
now have subscribed to a half-yearly Regimental mark Gap. Al so in D ec., both A a nd B Coys. went
to Senne lage r to combin e the Trilux Trial s w ith
Journal. I t is, therefore, necessary in this first Trials on t h e n ew e lectri cal ra nges which have
jus t bee n co mpl eted. The period ha.s also ~e.e n two
contribution to our new monthl y J ournal , not only potential N.C.O.s Cadr es a nd Field Fmng at
H a lte rn for our n ew so ldiers and the 52 soldi e r s
to introduce ourselves to our new readers, but of the old 1 Middlesex w h om we have been looking
a fter until they could join 4 QUEENS in Northern
also to record the happenings in 1 Queen's Ire land.

Surreys previous to J an., '67. The Gymnasium too, has been the centre of
acti vity a nd a vis it t h e r e any afte rnoon wou ld
As 1 Queen 's Surreys, the Bn. came to Oxford revea l s om e of t h e fo ll owing: Over 35 P .T ., dr y sk i
B a rrac l{S, Mun s t e r , from Hong Kong in J a n ., '64. t raining, box in g traini n g and r e h earsa ls for the
On a rri v ing in B .A .O .R ., w e ass um ed t h e rol e of Christmas p a ntomime or indeed all of them run-
an A.P.C. Bn . equipped fir s tl y with one-ton ning concurre ntl y. S .I. Arthurs has don e well in
a rmoured ''Pigs" and t h en in March last year with co-ordinating the many d emands.
the A .F .V. 432. Whi ls t in G e rm any t h e Bn. h as
a ls o b een equipp ed with th e Vi g ilant anti-ta n k The approach of winter h as a lso seen great
guided weapon. With a str e ngth of 30 officers activity in the prepara tion of our winter s porting
and 560 other ranks, the Bn. is organised into team s. In ter-Coy. comp e tition s have taken place
t hree rifl e coys., H .Q. Coy. and Training/ Support in Boxing, Eoc l{ey, C ross Countr y, Socce r and
Coy, The roll of senior appointments held in the S hooting, the v icto r s of whi c h no doubt will b e
Bn . is g iven at th e end of ou r notes . r ecorded in our Coy. notes. After these competi-
tion s w e were able to se lec t our Bn. t eam s a n d
Our main efforts s in ce our last no tes have have a lready fought our way through the opening
been d evoted to the Divis ional Autumn Man ce uvres rounds of the Army Boxing and H ockey Com-
and the Annual Insp ection . Prepa ration for the petitions. Our latest fortun es in these competitions
autumn mance uvres started earl y in S epte m ber a r e g iven in our s porting notes.
w ith Bd e. Study Days and with Coys. polis hin g
up th eir watermanship with conven tion a l ri ver Skiing a nd Winter Warfa re have a lso featured
c ross in g exer c ises ove r t h e Ri ve r W ese r . L ater prom in e ntly, and with th e e ~ding of t~ e exe ~ c i se
in the sam e month t he Bn. went to the Soltau a nd inspection season , parties of skiers disap-
Tra inin g Area for two weeks inte ns ive tra ining, peared to all corners of t h e Continent. Apart from
during w h ich our n ew A.P .C.s were put to a r eal t hose attending the Winter Warfare Centres in
test for t h e firs t tim e in two Bd e. se t exer c ises- Norway and t h e Harz Mountains, three pis. will
"Sale rno Sal" and "Opening Gamb it." In indif- a lso v is it the H a rz for Winte r Warfare Tra inin g
ferent w eather and trying conditions both m achines a nd som e 50 m e n go to the Bd e. Ski Hut in Bavaria
and me n stood up to the g ruelling tests- t h a nks to during th e winter months. W e are a lso r.unning
str e nuous work b y our L .A .D .- and at las t we our own ski hut this year w h er e our skt t eam ,
could cons ider ourselves proper ly converted. und e r Lt. M . J . Goode, a r e training for th e Di v.
a nd B.A.O.R. Championships which take place
On ly on e w ee k e lapsed b etw een r e turning from in Jan. a nd F eb . Ove r 150 so ldi e r s from th e Bn .
Soltau and tal<ing the fie ld agai n for t h e bi-annual s hould b e a b le to s ld dur in g the coming winte r
Div. E xer cise- " Ch ec k Mate." Togeth e r w ith 1 months.
Devon and Dorsets a nd 1 Forest ers of our own
Bd e. and 12 Inf. Bd e., w e fought the 4th Canadian Our last notes r eco rd ed th e visit of th e last Co l.
I nf. Bde. Gp. w ho were s upporte d by e lem ents of of th e Regiment, Maj . F . J . C. Piggott, C .B ., C.B .E .,
Dutch a nd Danish fo rces. For a week the battle D .S.O., w h en h e v is ited u s for our Sale rno ct;: le-
raged to a nd fro between Paderborn and Hilde- brat ions. Since th e n h e h as s p ent a month working
s hiem. a nd at the end of it a ll w e r e turn ed to our in Germany and w e we re very pleased that he had
barr ac k s not only f ee ling triumph a nt but a ls o ve r y the opportunity to visit u s inform a lly on two
confide n t of b e ing a n exp e ri e nced A .P .C. Bn. \veekends in Nov. W e were a lso pleased to w el-
com e the Bde. Col., Col. I. H . Battye, M .B.E., when
Once back in barracks out attention turn ed to h e v is ite d th e Bn . for rhr ee days in Oct., and Maj .
preparations for the Ann ual Ins pection, \vh ich J agdish Singh of the India n Army who stayed
took place on 1st D ec. Although it n eeded great with u s for a week during Nov. Finally, we w er e
effort to get ever ything clean a nd s hiny again in a lso very honoure d that Brig. G . R. P. Roup e ll ,
t h e s hort t ime after the exer c ises, it was a great V.C., C.B ., last C ol. of th e Eas t Surrey R eg i-
r e lie f to ha ve it b ehind u s b e for e th e s t a rt of our m ent, \vas able to pay the Bn. an informal visit
Christmas activ it ies. Y e t another form of p a r ade in Nov.
was d ream ed up to suit our new vehicles, a nd
after his ins pection our Brigade Commander, Brig. With C hris tmas to r ecall , many soc ia l
J . K. I. Doug las-With e rs, M .C., tool< t h e salute at a ctivities come to mind, but firstly m ention must
a ceremonial drive past which som ewhat. resembled be m ade of t h e excelle nt "Guy Fawkes" display
th e Moscow May Day Parad e-less of course, produced by M a j. Don Donaldson. A large gather-
ro c k et s . Th e "start up" from 62 A.P.C.s was an ing of famili es, well wa rm ed a nd nouri s h ed by
imp r ess ive noi se as was also th e s igh t of th e di ese l W .O. II Eyre, A .C.C. a nd the M ess ing Staff, saw an
fum es which e nveloped the ve hi c les. Fortunate ly, amusing e nactm e nt of th e Gu npowde r Plot p e r-
everything did ustart up" a nd drove pas t in good form ed b y m e mbe r s of the B a nd a nd Drums. Thi s
order . The day finished with a good report f rom was follow ed b y a good £75 worth of fir eworks
the Brigadier a nd a llowed us at long las t to focu s which were p rofessionally set off by Sgt. Butler
our attentions on more attractive prepara tions for a nd the Assault Pion eer PI.
Christmas.

These two major events h ave by no m eans
been to th e exclus ion ot other activities during the

20 A Company
D espi te t he tempors.:-y lu ll in t h e exe rcise
And so to C hristmas, with the many Mess
parties, dances a nd celebrations galore, intensified seaso n t h e Coy. h as been as bus ily occ upi e d a s
no doubt by duty free drink and cigarettes. The ever with the prepara tions for the Administrative
added attraction this year however, was the ex- Inspection , wh ic h was h e ld on 1st D ec., '66. Th e
ce ll ent pantomime ''Cind e re ll a" writte n and pro- Coy. is to b e con gratu lated on the amoun t of work
duced by Maj. Donaldson and assisted by t h e it put into the preparations which though a rduous
R.S .M. with an enthu siast ic cast of well known were n ot w ithout the ir lig h ter mom e nts; Pte. New-
Bn. p erson a lities. Capt. J ack English, probably the man distinguished himself during one rehearsal
only Fairy Queen in English pantomime to origin- of the mounted parade by fa iling to turn on his
ate west of Calgary, kept good control over his A.P .C.s fuel s upply, caus in g it to co m e to h a lt
bizarre group of fairi es, d elicately portrayed by about one hundred yards from the start, much to
Capts. Giles Smith and Tom Willi a m s, C/ Sgt. the confus ion of the vehi c les behind. To the e m -
Steeles a nd Dmr. Willson . C/ Sgt. Speal<man gave barrassment of his vehicle com mander and to the
a tender, if not unusual interpretation to the role wry amusem ent of t h e rest of the Bn., the whole
of Cinde rella, a nd was well contrasted to his sis- parade ha d to be r epeated. On th e day, however,
ters so naturally p erform ed by C/Sgt. Matlock and a ll went sm ooth ly m a inl y because t h e com m a nde rs
C.S.M. Riley. W e would like to thank all those of 1, 2 a nd Sp. Pis. h ad a ll had at least two h a ir-
who had a hand in the production for giving us cuts each in as many days immediately before-
a good laugh and particula rly to t h e Bandmaster hand.
who sp ent many hours trying to fit well known
tunes to a lmost impossib le lyrics. In the fi eld o f s p o r t t h e Coy. continu es to
flouri s h: L / Cpl. Woo lgrove a nd Pte. Scott w e r e
The last event of a very busy year was our m embers of the Bn. Boxing T eam against the
parade on 31s t D ecembe r to m a rk the r e d esigna- D evon and D orset R egt. a nd both won their fights
tion of the Bn. This was attended by our A cting by s pectac ul a r fir st-round K.O.s. Th ey r epeated
Div. Comdr. and Brig. Comdr. a nd other loca l their p e rfo rma nce in the Div. S emi-Fina ls agai nst
Commanding Officer s and g uests. W e had a 1 R.F. W e look forw a rd to the ir hat-tric k s.
si mple parade following mu ch th e same pattern as
that which took place at Cante rbur y. The w eather In ad dition , Lts. Good e a nd Howa rd , 2/Lt.
was eventually kind, as after thinking w e might Graham, Cpl. B eckingham, Ptes. Foley a nd Matt-
have to be driven indoors by driving rain and hews are training for the Bn. Ski Team at
sleet the clouds lifted sufficiently a nd a lthough it Thalkirchdorf-Im-Aiga u in Bavaria. Maj. Strong,
was still cold and damp the n ew flag was a ble the Coy. Comd., will again b e C ross Countr y run -
to be brok e n prop e rl y on the Square flagpole in ning for the Bn. T eam, a nd Lt. Howard a nd 2/ Lt.
front of the four Guards of the Bn. The Guard Graham seem threatened with a s imilar fate;
Commanders for the Parade were : Maj . G. G. L / Cpl. Coop er has escap ed suc h punishment by
Strong, Maj . N. G. P eppe rall, Maj. J. H . S . Burgess, transferring to the warm and easy climes of the
M .B.E. , Maj . P . H. C layto n, M.B.E. During the D epot. It has, in fact, been noticed that s ince Sgt.
course of th e s hort parade, Cpl. Pratt a nd his W aters finis hed his Special Recruite rs Course, t h e
pioneers did som e very rapid scene cha nging so Coy. strength has diminished.
that as we cam e off para de all the m a in notice
boards were resplendent in the ir new Royal Blue To cater for the less athl etic frate rni ty a v is it
with our badge and new designation. was organised to a local brewery. For the sake of
their h ealth however, th ey were diverted to a
And so the New Year saw us formed as 1 Coca Col a f acto r y at the last minute. D es pite
QUEENS, with the knowledge that we move to taking no B aca rdi w ith them the v is it was still
Hobbs Barracks, LingfleJd, Surrey, in Aug., '67, most enjoyable.
and then to Bahrein in Feb., '68, on a nine-
month unaccompanied tour. At the time of writing the majority of the
Coy. is at Sennelager for a fortnigh t. Thi s s hould
Finally, we would lik e to se nd to a ll other put them in s uffi c ie nt ill-humour for Christmas to
Ens. and all m embers of The Queen's R egiment justify their consumption of liquor over the holi-
our very good wishes. day p eriod. D espite this, however , the norma l good
humour will doubtless triumph to carry us through
Senior Appointme nts our last festiv e season in Ge rmany for s om e tim e.

Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. J. W . Sewell; B Company
2/ I .C., Maj. G. Mason; Adjuta n t, Maj. J . G. W .
Davids on; Q.M., Capt. D . H . P . Fraser ; O.C. A The Annual Administration Ins pection is ove r
Coy., Maj. G. G. Strong; O.C. B Coy., Ma j . N. G. for another year. Th e s ig h s of r eli ef a r e h eavy.
P e ppe rall ; O.C. C Coy., Maj . J. H . S. Burgess, Undoubtedly the most a nx ious mom e nt arrive d on
M.B.E.; O.C. H .Q. Coy., Maj. P . H . Clayton , M.B.E.; the C.O.'s Pr e-Ins pection , when a la rge and inno-
O.C. Sp. Coy., Maj . D . Abbott ; PR!., Maj. A . Don- cent looking a mplifier in o ne of 7 PI. room s was
a ld so n; U .F .O., Maj. R. B . John so n; U .P.M. , Maj . investigated and produced an emharassing amount
R. Ewart. R.A.P .C.; O.C. L .A .D ., Capt. B. T . E . of ·• Bucksh ees. "
Liv esey, R .E.M.E.
Nov. h a d been a month of hard work prepar-
Warrant Officers ing for the insp ection coupl ed w ith quite a lot of
varied training. This included a day's Stage I
R.S.M., W .O.I L. Wilson ; C.S.M. A Coy., W .O.II H elicopte r training- at Gute r s loh unde r the eagle
Quic k e nden; C. S .M. B Coy., W .O.II B. Morris; eye of Lt. H a rris. B Coy. no w con s ide r s itse lf w e ll
C.S.M. C Coy., W .O.II R. Ril ey; C.S.M . H .Q. Coy., trained in the a rt of us in g H e licopte rs.
W .O. II B. Dunke ld ; C.S.M. Sp. Coy., W .O. II W .
Warren ; R.Q.M.S., W .O.II L . Jessup ; T .Q.M.S., W e are having s om e "teething" troubl es w ith
W .O.II W . Rippon ; A.S.M., A .S.M. D . Barke r , our A.F.V.s 432. Pte. D avey- poor c hap- sm il e d
R.E.M.E.; W .O. I. C. P ay T eam , S .Q .M .S . T . at a girl whil e driving hi s 432 a nd the wind r e-
Mille r, R.A.P.C. moved his false t eeth! Three days later Pte.
Marsha!l, while exa mining the vehicle, let out
some exclam a tion a nd in so doing his teeth fell to
the bottom of the power pack; they h ave, we are
glad to say, b een r ecover ed.
Promotions

The following have been promoted d uring the
cause of the month. To them go our cong ratula-
tion s: Cpl.- Sg-t., Sgt. Hollands; L / Cpl.- Cpl., Cpl.
Budgen; Pte.-L/ Cpl., L / Cp ls. Cooper a nd Thomp-

so n .

Arrivals 21
B Coy. would like to extend a warm w e lcome
for th e Pass-Word when h e co m es to visit us in
to Maj. N. G. P epperall, our n ew Coy. Comdr. W e defence. On the B n. T est exercise, Lt. Brown
wish him a long a nd s uccessfu l tour of comma nd . estab lis hed himself as a maste r o n the art of
W e a lso welcome Cpl. Wha rmby into th e Coy. who bogging in. When it com es to drama in this field,
came to us from being an instructor at the Depot. howeve r the Major is the undisputed expert, 1t
taking n'othin g less than a Cen tu ria n Tank to drag
Dep.~~u~~~ good-bye to Maj. Johnson. It is good hi s vehi c le out! It w as cyni call y noted by some
that a pa mphl et issued on the exe rcise in
to know that h e a nd "Topsy" will still be seen pa ra. 3a, stated that "Horses may be hired from
from time to time as he has only gone over to farmers for r ecove ry ." (Of A.P.C.s?! ).
tak e up the appoint m ent of Unit F a milies' Officer.
C/Sgt. Speakman mo ves one floor up f ro m u s into 11 Platoon
S p . Coy. No doubt we will see hi s c h ee r ~ face The Pi. has just been disbanded (we hope to
in B Coy. M.T. Office aski n g for adv 1ce m th e
fu tu r e. L / Cpl. Wrig ht has a lso left us to b ecome be re f orm ed soon, how ever ). Hin t to Bumbly I !
Coy. Clerk of Sp. Coy. H e seems, however, to have W e lost 2/ Lt. H eath to Civvy Street, though not
join ed forces with the buii<:I e r.s a nd . pa inte rs. t~at before h e h ad directed his vehi c le in pitc h dark -
a re swarming over the butlding, s ince h e IS In- n ess into a bog at Soltau . No t to be dete rred, 11
variably seen half-way up a la dde r bra ndi s hing a PI. th e n did a n a mphibious crossing (in D .M .S .
pai nt brush, c la d only in mucky ov era lls a nd base- Boots) of a river. Th e enemy have lead u s to be-
ball cap. lieve that our teeth co uld be h eard c hattering
Marriages from 600 yard s. Th e Middlesex draft have now
left u s for Irela nd to join their Bn. The PI. now
Cpl. Steadman has forsaken a ll to j oi n the awaits its n ew PI. Co mdr. a nd PI. Sgt. Only the
se rried ranks of m arried pad s. W e wish both h e best will do!
a nd his wife a ll the b est for the future. Pte. Wills 12 Platoon (Sp.)
has a lso com e back from leave as a m a rrie d man.
W e wish him a nd his wife the best of luck for Sgt. Campion has now left us for Civvy Street
th e futur e. - prior to which he won with his Mortar S ec. the
Births B .A .O.R. Mortar Compe titio n a t Putlos, Sgt. Atkins
and hi s det. com ing seco nd in the Anti-Tank Com-
To Cpl. and Mrs. Gay a baby g irl on 5th Nov., petition. Sgt. Donnelly has given up mundane
well done both of you! w eapon s to go to the Guided Miss il es d epartm e nt
Problems? Let me be your Daddy! (Vigilant), whi c h has h as don e very w e ll. At th e
time of writing th e PI. is on leave in E -ngland, and
The m a n who re mains roc k-lik e, working on returning will be leaving the Coy. for Sp. Coy.
quietly behind the scen es and lending his shoulder Should the Coy. n eed our h elp, however, we are
where n ecessary is, of course, C.S .M. Morris. H e, always willing to oblige! As was shown by P en-
howeve r, has a grave probl em to solve. It is a fold , Selma n a nd Price when they manpacked
question of where to put his desk in his room. th eir Mortars for the H elicopte r A ssault Crossing
H e keeps cha ng ing it, s o he says, to find the best of the River W eser during the Div. exe rcise.
access to his fil es a nd noti ce board.
In closing bhese notes the Coy. congratulates
C Company Maj. Burgess on b e ing a w a rd ed the M .B .E . for
After the ha rd work of the training season, the gallantry in Aden.

Coy. go t r ead y for Christmas. The Coy. p a rty was Support Company
a g r eat s u ccess after a lot of hard work h ad been Once again the wheel has gon e the full cycle
put into it at t he eleventh hour.
Coy. H.Q. a nd w e have form ed a Support/ Training Coy. The
vario us arguments as to how s upport weapons
C.S.M. Riley's m a r c h at Voge lsan g springs to s hould b e organised have been aired "ad nausea m ."
mind with his famous, "Enn ever, get fi ve yards However , it is fe lt that we have s truc k the happy
behind m e you•••• !" . However, it is now L / Cpl. m edium by forming a Support/ Training Coy. and
Enn ever, so in future maybe th e C.S .M. will b e r etaining individual PI. affiliations to the parent
more diplomatic ! Sgt. Stredwic k is soon to be rifle coys.
on his way on a w e ll deserved leave having aged,
alongside Q. Newnham and Cpl. Buckmaster, at At the time of writing Sp. Coy. consists solely
least 10 years. Capt. Williams (alias "B atman") of a .Coy. H .Q ., the m e mbe r s of which are vi ew ed
is now to be seen around th e Goy. once again- his with grave suspicion by the r est of the Bn ., as
mind a whirl of fi g ures as a result of the Audit they prowl round barracks annexing and acquiring
Board. vehicles, stores, buildings and garages. The Coy
itse lf forms up on 2nd Jan., '67, wh e n all the m e n
9 Platoon join from th e ir Coys. less those, of course, who
New drafts have been coming w ith alarming are on leave, courses, cadres, ski-ing, etc. The
parad e state looks s ple ndid on pape r, but any
frequency to the PI. However , the H a rd Core r elation to the pa rade state compared with the
remains. On the Bn. E x. "S a le rno Sal," a n ews- number of m en actually arriving, would seem to
paper reporter from Surrey was foolish enough be entirely coincidental. Our smooth progress to
to accompany Calls ign 31. The vehicle the n caught formation h as been cons iderably h elped by the co-
fire after 10 minutes of his co mpany, and as h e operation o f our downsta irs ne ighbours in B Coy.
beat a hasty r etr eat Sg t. Foster was h eard to from whom w e have borrowed m en, paint, eq uip-
mutter that he never did like reporters anyway! m ent and time. It has been wr>tten into our Stand-
L / Cpls. Britchford and Ba rtle a nd Pte. Ash dis- in g Orders that a n y call for s upporting fir e from
tinguish ed them selves in the Bn. Cross Country B Coy. will be given priority!
Run, coming amongst the leader s. Cpl. Kia mil,
who has just joined the PI., h as now taken the H .Q. Company
plunge a nd got marri ed; co ngratul a tion s. Mean- And the word w ent forth , "make all things
while should any one want advice on how to
"Bull Up" a n A .P .C. for a Coc ktail P a rty pl ease c lean , thyselves, thy vehicles, thy kit, thy s tores,
contact L / Cpl. Britchford and Pte. Nash. thy loc k e r s, thy rooms, for th e day com eth when
10 Platoon all s hall b e in sp ect ed ." And it came to pass that
the Brigadie r did ins p ect H .Q. Coy. from the
W e say fa rewell to Lt. Brown a nd welcom e Signals to the Church throughout the length and
2/ Lt. Hyatt to th e PI. Sgt. Edwards has now breadth of the bloc k and all was c lean. One w eek
joined u s, Sgt. Bodkin hav in g now opted for the later the pneumatic drills of the German Con-
quieter life at Canterbury with the Boys' Wing. tractor ripped up the tediously scrubbed floors
Havmg now mas t e r ed A.P.C.s, be n t exh a ust pipes
are now our specia lity-as is aski ng the Brigadier

22 Pte. G oug h 95 h as proved t o be a B oxer w ith
plenty of promise. H e did w ell in both the qua rter
and w e are now g etting used to sand a nd g ra vel and semi-fin a ls o f th e 2 Div. Box ing Champion-
underfoot which maybe useful training! ships, winning bot h bouts on points; w e wish him
all t h e b est in t h e fin a ls. The M .T . has given him
With the formation of Sp. Coy. the W eapon full s upport on both previous occas ions a nd will
Training Staff, W .O .II Warre n , L / C pl. H a ll, Ptes. do so on the big night.
Brill, Steele and McCarthy, ha ve b ee n ta k en a way
from us. L / Cpl. R e dding has left th e Arm y a nd is Pte. John M a r t in is now a m a rri e d m a n a nd
now with I.B.M., L / C pl. K e nt from the Ord e r ly is bringing his n ew wife to li ve in Muns t e r . Con ~
Room taking his place. Pte. Winte r join ed Coy. g ra tula tions to them both; w e hope his wife likes
H .Q . from th e P.R.I./M .Q .A .S . Staff as c le rk to this part of Ge rm a n y.
the Education and R esettl e m e nt Offi ce r . Pte.
Hardy left on a r esettlem ent course before the Ma ny of our 3-ton driver s have b een em 4
end of the year. played on a R es uppl y R un to Tha lkirchdorf- 6
Bd e. Sl<i Hut. Th e run t a k es li ve days normally,
Th e Coy's. pub li s hable s porting r ecord inc ludes but having m ech a nical diffi c ulti es o n th e w ay bac k
winning th e Inte r-Coy. Novices' Box ing. Howev e r, Ptes. Amphle tt and Billingham took s ix.
the Coy. Comd. wish es to make clear to all those
con ce rn ed that h e is not th e Officer in Charge of E x. "Quic k Tra in" took ev eryone by s urprise;
the Cycling T eam and the n ext person who shouts inst ead of the us ua l 3 a.m . touch, w e w er e all
" G e t off and milk it! " will b e given that precise
task . dragged from our pints a t the unearthly hour ot

Assault Pioneer Platoon 9.45 p .m . Funnily e nou g h ev e r yon e turn ed up.
During th e month of No v. th e Assault Pion eer s Owing to the fog which covered Munster like a
thic k bla nket, "Quick Train" became Slow Train
lifted th e ir hands to a variety of t as ks. The firs t once the v e hic les w e r e on th e road. L / Cpl. (T op-
w eek found them preparing bac kdrops for the p e r ) Brow n , our d e t a ils N .C. O., w e nt on lea ve
P .R .I .-produced-a nd-direct e d "G u y F a wkes" panto- about three hours ea rlie r; somehow w e think h e
mime. From a ll a c counts th e Houses of P a rlia - must have h ad ins ide information.
m ent mocl{-Up rivalled any miniatures yet con-
s tructed . Pte. Norma n (Spanis h ) s howed the M.T. PI.
how to run in t h e Bn. C ross Country Race. Th e
The r emainder of the period w as taken up only m emb er of the M .T . PI. to com e in the fir s t
with individual leave, courses and gen eral pre- 30 or 50 w e b eli ev e .
paration for the unit Adminis tra tive Inspection.
L / Cp ls . David Owen and " Flas h" Hiles attend ed Signals Platoon
a n Educ ation II .Cours e from 14th Nov. until the W e have t a k e n training with F .V . 432s in our
end of the month. Ptes. Jim Hurn and Patrick
Doyle attended an R.C.T. Driv ing Cadre at Bunde s tride, i. e., w e'v e ignored 'em and walk ed!! This
during the same period. is n 't quite tru e, but th e air a round th e PI. lin es is
at tim es e lectrifi e d b y th e Gae li c screams of Cpl.
On 26th Nov., L / Cpl Jim Murph y , form e r Iris h Stew art. ''G i awa' from m a ... vehicle y e ... !!
representative in the "K aserne Koppers," joined or "Buxey, wh e r e's y our 432? " "My 432 s arn 't ?"
the Pl.; a most w elcome addition to the ranks of (Buxey is the r eason wh y r e p etition procedure is
the e lite, esp e cialy in vi ew of his excell e nt p e r- taught! ). " Your 432 ?" "In the garage, I b eli ev e,
forman ce on th e unit N .C.O .'s Cadre. why ?" (Strangled c ri es-rus h of feet , scuffles, PI.
Sgt. in h ysterics ).
G en erally sp eaking, the month of Nov. could Scene
be conside red a most s uccessfu l pe riod for the
Assault Pioneers, especially in the light of the 4S2 highly c amouflag ed : ou t sid e, !l it c h blac k:
Bde. Comdr's. r emarks on the da y of the Adminis- inside, blazing light . In t h e P enthouse O.C. H .Q.
trative Inspection. By sending his r egrets instea d p eering intently at oper a tor) w ho is p eering in-
of touring the lin es, h e place the Pl. in the unique t ently a t O.C . H .Q.'s w hisky bottle. Voices-"Ye s,
pos ition of b eing the only d epartm e nt in H .Q. Coy. this bus h is 95A.'' "Jolly good." Operator pulls ey es
not inspected on that day. Disappointed as they [ 1·om w his ky la bel , sp eaks to O .C. H .Q. "Who is
w e r e, the Pion eers rightly inte rpre t ed th e g esture that, Sir?" "2I.C ., I believe." A pause. "Stone th e
as a reflection on their great compet en ce and - - - - crows !" Op e1·ato1· becomes agita,t ed. O. C.
ove rall effici e ncy. H.Q. sp eaks calmly, "Calm down, he's not going to
eat you!" "Eat m e, eat me! That's not what I am
Recce Platoon worried about. It's my chocolate he will eat. H e
Everybody seems to have gone up in rank. has had my ration for the last four days .''

Firstly the PI. Sgt. has been promoted to C/ Sgt.; Conversation Pieces:
fortunately h e has not yet been posted to some Signaller (Anon) : "Me sets not working.''
s tore, though if asked for anything h e already C/ Sgt. Bromige (after investigation ): "Bas ic-
says, "Have n't got it." Playne, Brown and Davi es
have all been promoted to L/ Cpl. Greenwood is ally the answ er 's quite simple."
off to the I Corps; poor f ellow, h e will have to Signaller: "Wot's simple? "
think! Pte. I s aacs had a good grape picking in C/ Sgt. : "You are."
the Mosel in Oct. The pub had a v ery attractive Sgt. Jon es : "Why a r en 't you us ing a 100ft.
daughte r . Las tly, congratu lation s to Mrs. Playne
- it's a boy! mast?"
Signaller : "Look sarn't, if I can ruddywell
1\'l.T. Platoon
Th e tail end of 1966 h as brought several pick up B .B .C. on my trans is tor 2ft. !! "
Sgt. Jon es: Sob! Sob!
changes to the M .T . Pi. One of the M .T . V eterans,
Sgt. (Slim) L each, has left us to s pend his last six In Conclusion
months ' se rvi ce in the U .K . W e wi s h him the b est W e have los t Capt. Smith (ch ee rs ), gained Lt.
of luck in Civvy Street and w e would like to thank
him for a ll h e has done for u s over the y ears . His L e Maitre (expectant hush ), a dded a "Sir Jim"
job as Pi. Sgt. has been taken over by Cpl. (Digger) (for th e layman- an office r of the Royal Corps of
Ambridge. Pte. Day has complet ed nin e years and Sigs ), Lt. Knox-Johnson . Seri ously though, w e
is on a Pre-re lease course in th e U .K . Pte. Rus t thank Capt. Smith for a happy two years ('ope
and family are now established m embers of Civvy his ulcers a r e g etting b etter), and extend a h earty
Street. welcome to Mr. L e Maitre and Mr. Knox-Johnson.
Congratulations are extended to Cpl. and Mrs.
Ptes . Mann ing (H.Q ., D .R.O .) , Gough 54 and Owen on the birth of their daughter .
Morgan (A Coy. ), Jon es 31 and C harlton (B C oy.) ,
and Eve rall (C Coy.) have a ll b een r ecruite d as Finally, to a ll s ignall e r s pas t and pres e nt, r e -
driver s in the M .T . Pl. m ember the motto, "It w as all right when it left
this end.''

23

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24 Soldiering tn
Rhine Army
Officers' Mess
This has been a busy period for both Mess

Members a nd Staff.
The Bn . Box ing Offi cer must h ave b ee n

born luck y, a s h e always wins the toss. The r esult
is that w e h a v e b een host unit in a ll round s of
th e Div. Box ing Competition . In D ecember we
enterta in ed th e officer s of both the R oya l
Fus ilier s a nd the D evon a nd Dorsets to " post
punc h-up" drinks.

The Divis ional .Commande r, M a j. -Gen . J. A. T .
Sharp, M .C., was the princ ipl e g u est on th e
Dinner Night on 24th November . H e proved him-
self to b e a n expert at Carpet Bowls, a lthoug h h e
met with stiff competition from the comd. of on e
of the local G e rman Bns. This is, w e fee l, a fit-
ting game for our senior officers.

W e congra tulate Sgt. Waring on his pro m o-
tion. Sgt. W a ring has given Rolls-Royce service
to the Mess o ver th e past f ew yea rs, and we wi s h
him all 1uc k in his n ew appointm e nt as Mess
Sgt. 6 Bde. Officer s' M ess.

Sport
In t h e last month t wo s po rts h ave b een in

the lim elig ht- Boxing and Hoc k ey. The boxer s
managed t o b eat 1 DEVON and DORSET 6-5,
and then w ent on to box 1 ROYAL FUSILIERS,
who had b eate n the ir prev ious appon e nts 9-2 a n d
w ere consequ ently cons idered to be favourites.
Pte. Miles and L / Cpl. Woolgrove got the Bn. off
to a 2-0 s tart in a total box ing tim e of und er three
minutes and th e t eam ev e ntually won 8-3. Th e
team now box against 15th/ 19th THE KING'S
ROYAL HUSSARS in the 2 Div. Final.

There has been increa sed interest in Hockey
this sea s on , p erhaps b ecause th e C.O., 2/ I.C. a nd
the Adjt. are all a ccomplish ed playe r s. It is now
possibl e to fi e ld two comple t e unit s id es. The first
round of the Army Cup aga ins t H .Q. 1 (B .R. )
Corps was a v ery exciting match, being extend ed
into extra time. Lt. R eev es w as the hero of the
hour, s coring the winning goa l. Unde r the direc-
tion of Capt. Smith, the t eam t rained h a rd a nd
often in appalling w eather, for the second round.
Our oppon ents were H .Q . 2 Div. a nd after a n
e x c iting m a t c h the y turn ed out vi c tors by 1-0.
Unfortunate ly, Maj. Davids on brok e his fin ger
in the first half. Other r egular pla yers not
m ention ed above w er e 2/ Lt. Shelm erdin e, S / Sg t.
Matlock, Drum Maj. Lockwood, Sgts. Coote a nd
Arnold, L / Cpl. Willis, Bds m . Cl eev e a nd C la rk e
a nd Pte. Arnold.

W .O .I Bark e r , R.E.M.E ., has roused cons id e r-
abl e inte res t in Badminton by instituting a la dd e r
competition for both sexes. Five nam es hav e
eve n b ee n e nte r ed for th e B.A.O.R . Champion-
s hips.

Photos (from top to bottom) :
In November, severa.l members of th e Battalion

went to the Moselle to help bring in the grape
harvest under the heading of Exercise "Grape

Pick."
Here Pte. Ollife (Q,M_ Dept.) is s e en cruising
down the River Moselle near Bernkaste l with

a sample of the local produce.
Cpl. Woodha.U and Pte. Davies, of the R ecce
PI., looking confidently lost on Exercise

''Check:Jna,te.''
"Where have all the soldiers gone ?" O.C. C
Company looks back during a hlgh speed move

during Exercise "Checkmate."
Photo-credit : Capt. R . T . P . Willia m s.
C Company embarking for a helicopter raid
across the River Weser against the Canadians
and Danes (during Exercise "Checkmate" ).

The second wave watch.
Photo-cr edit: Capt. R. T . P. Williams.

Band Notes 25
H av ing s p e nt the majority of Aug. on leave,
Sgts. 1\tess
th e Band returned to Muns ter in Sept., undoubtedly
Since last go ing to press we h ave h ad rath e r
itching to get back to work! a busy period. Soltau training a nd Ex. "Ch eck-
O ur praye r s w e r e a~swered two d.ays la t e r . in mate" took place without mishap a nd was gen er-
the form of a little t np to Nery (Jus t outside a ll y e njoyed by all.

P a ris). Five days w er e s pent in a delightful G uy Fawk es, 1966, was celeb r ated in fine
style. After much "borrowing," cajoling, thr eats
s uburban fi e ld giv in g th e Band and Drum s a and bluff, the Hou ses of Par lia m e nt was pro-
cha nce to live like "real soldiers" under canvas, duced, put up by the much ha mmer ed fingers of
Sgt. Butl e r, assisted by T .Q .M.i:>. Rippon. lit was
with a ll th e amenities of outdoor life at th e ir hiS Cases Wood P ac km g , a nd s ig n ed for! )

dis posal. Rec e ptions, Concerts a nd C hur c h S e r - The s how w ent off without a hitch, ignoring
the fact that it was r aining and C/ Sgt. Bromige
vices were on the agenda, climaxed by a B eating faced the prosp ect of moutn-to-mouth r espi ration
of Retreat on the last day ove r a fi e ld that mus t owing to the numbe rs of bare wires on th e lig ht-
ing system. The fireworks display, w hich followed
once have bee n w ell thought of by a partic ularly t h e playl e t, was exce lle nt. ln f act so good, that
Handel might have been prompted to re-compose
happy h erd of cows! .. his " F e urwe rke mus ik." The gen e r al opinion was
During the r emainder of Sept. and b eg1nnmg that th e s how was excell e nt.

of Oct. the Band took part in two Massed Band \Ve have entertained two complete Messes
e ngage m e nts. The former with B3;nds from Hol- from the Div. On both occasions directly a f ter
land, B elgium, Germany and Amen ca. The latter our s uccess in the rounds of the Div. boxing.
Firs t we were visited by 1 DEVON and DOR-
in Muns ter with the Band and Drums of the Sher- SETS a nd secondly by 1 ROYAL FUSILIERS.
Both nig hts were thoroughly enjoyed . R . SUSSEX
wood Forester s, D evonshire and Dorset Regiment (now 3 QUEENS) who are at L emgo, invited us
for a Mess Social a nd w e le ft e n masse in a
a nd the 15/ 19th Hussars. convoy of cars and a coach . On arrival we were
g reeted mos t warmly and given a glass of hot
The Bn. h ad their Adminis trative Ins p ection punch. It was potent!

on 1st D ec. The actual parad e, although s lig htl y On 17th D ecemb e r we h e ld our Christm as
chilly w ent well. It was the Dress R eh earsal that Draw. The Gymnasium was transform ed into
proved to be rathe r more reminiscent of German som ething between the Hilton Hotel and B en-
tall's of Kings ton . The r e w e r e 170 prizes and 74
weather and saw us gaily tootling Jingle B ells in w inne rs. Prizes w e r e ve ry varied and of excelle nt
value. The organisation of the Draw was very
the middle of a snow storm . g ood and full praise io given to C/Sgt. Lay
a nd his Merry Men . Our praises a lso go to
There is only one word for Dec.-"Help!" Th e S .Q .M.S. Fyres and hi s minions for th e excell en ce
Band and Drums s p e nt an en joyab le three days of the buffet, a nd othe rs (too numerous to
down in Munchen G la dbach for a Church S e rvice m ention by na m e) for the effort put into the
pr e paration s.
a nd March Past, after which our days b eca:m e
One prize was listed as ''A Ladi es' Toilet";
gradually full er as w e drew nearer to t h e Chnst- t his was, however, a printing error! W e celebrated
the New Year with a Dinn er and Dance. The re
mas f es tiviti es. w e r e three m e nus a nd th e food was exce lle nt. Th e
W e s h ou ld like to w e lcome to the Band our Mess was laid out r a the r like a Night C lub, with
cand les on tables, soft mus ic in th e bac kground .
latest a rri .vaBlrs~cnklame heulrystCpfrlo. mB eeson, L / Cpl. James It was a really sophisticated atmosphere. Th e
and Bdsm the Juni or Soldier s' arrival of the New Year was counted down by
C / Sgt. Speakman a nd after the r e nd e ring of
Coy. Ca nte rbury; Bdsm. Robinson direct from ··Auld L ang Syne" the r ea l 'ootin g a nd 'onkin g
1 started . The evening a nd morning was a g r eat
D epot Training; Bdsm . Col es, H anna and Gay from s uccess. Full m a rks to the organisers a nd ''Down
with Scotland" ( not inc luding the U .P .M.).
Kn e ll e r Hall- and trust th ey ar e a ll finding Bn .
The M ess Committees a r e now changing a nd
life agr eeable. We look forward in the New Y ear we give our '. h a nks to th e P .M.C., A .Q .M.S . Barnes,
Ente rtamme nt B oss, C/ Sgt. Speakman a nd Sgt.
to the arrival of J / Bdsm. Richardson, at present Donn e lly, the Mess Cater e r . They have h ad a
very busy period, especially C, Sgt. Speakm a n,
training with the Junior Soldier s Band PI. in who h as h eld his sanity for s ix months.

Ca nte rbury. At a ll times wh en a fun ction was h e ld th ey
It is on a sorry note t h at this edition e nds r eally carried out their r esp ective roles with
with the t houghts of Cpl. Fletcher slaving away e nthus ias m and gusto . It is now put on r eco rd
our apprec iation for t h e ir e fforts. A .Q.M.S. Barnes
on his typewriter at the D epot. W e ext e nd to him , has the dist in ct ion of being th e last P .M.C. of
1 QUEENS SURREYS. Th e r e is a strong rum o ur
Junior B a ndsm en of th e Junior Soldier s' Company that h e may eve n get a pace s tic k!

and all other Bands in the R egiment best wis h es W e have bidde n f a r ewell to the followin g
m e mb e r s-Sgt s. Ri ce a nd L each, who a r e now
for the New Y ear . r es iding comfortably at th e D epot, and h ave w e l-
comed C/ Sgt. Pitch er from his tour of g lobe-
P .R.J. and Families trotting. W e hope they enjoy the ir tours. Con -
gratulations a r e extended to C/ Sgt. Silvers ide,
The Wives' Club h eld a dinn er in the Sgts.' Sg t s. Fos te r and Holland on their promotions.
Mess on th e evening of 6th D ec., '66. This fun c tion
Finally, m ay w e take this opportunity to wish
was in li eu of th e C hristmas m ee tin g, and was a ll m e mbe r s, pas t a nd present, wherever they
mu c h e njoyed by a ll those who attended as a may b e, "A H ap py a nd Pros p e rous Ne'" Y ea r."
cha nge from the normal activities of the C lub.
The C lub is mos t grate ful to the W .O.s and Sgts.,
who not onl y le nt the Wives' C lub the ir Mess, but

a lso a rranged for the cooking and ser v ing of th e

m eal.

The quarter situation r emains unchanged and
by the beginning of the New Year a bout half the
waiting list as at 1s t D ecembe r, 1966, wi ll h ave
been c lear ed . Howeve r , for planning purposes,
a llocat ion of quarte r s wi H b e fro ze n with e ffect
from 18th February, 1967, except for inte r-
co mm a nd pos tings.

On lOth D ecember, 1966, th e ch ildren's p a rty
was h e ld in the Gymnas ium. Mrs. Wilson and
m a ny other W .O.s' and Sgts.' wives did s t erling
work in wrapping and lab elling ove r 320 presents.

C/Sgt. L ay proved a splendid Fathe r Christmas-
a rol e h e is d estin ed to play for man y -a -year to
com e.

W e have r ece ntly started a Junior Ranks
Families Club in the J.R.C. of the Camp. A taste-
ful d ecor has b een c r eated by Cpls. Pratt a nd
Morant ... fishn ets and coloured g lass b a lls
scattered in wild profusion have given the Tom-
bola Room a ver y "w ith it" atmosp h e r e.

26

Why does the

Army Benevolent
Fund still need help?

For mo st of u s no·wadays the m e mori es '\Ve have of th e
two World Wars have beco m e dimm ed by tim e. But for
tho se who were le ft disabl ed- a nd f or the many b e r eaved
famili es- the trag ic afte rm ath of war is eve r prese nt.
Many a r e suffering g reat hard ships. The Army h as a lso
been in action in many parts of the ·world s ince the e nd
of World War II. Thus even in peace-lime the problem continues.
The sole object of the Army B en evolent Fund is to try to lessen this s uffering. It does
this by making contributions to the Corps and R egimental Associations and Nationa l
Service ch aritable organisations which have b een set up for this purpose. All the money,
w hich is used in this really good cause is g iven voluntarily, by m eans of donations and
bequ est s . You can h e lp by giv in g a s muc h as you poss ibly can yourself- and by r ecom-
m ending other s to do th e sam e.

Donations and Legacies should be sent to:

THE ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND
Patron : H er Majesty The Queen

20 GROSVENOR PLACE, S.W . l. Telephone : BELgravi a 5639

(Registered und e r th e War Charities Act, 1940)
(This s pace donated by: W . NASH LTD., ST. PAUL'S CRAY, Kent)

Tel.: REGENT 5915 TIME EX

HOGG, SONS Looking for your Own House in
& J. B. JOHNSTONE Chatham or Gillingham ( Medway

LIMITED Towns Area)
MILITARY and CIVILIAN TAILOR
NO PROBLEM - CONSULT US
AND BREECHES MAKER Mortgages and Bridging Loans

35 SACKVILLE STREET Arranged.
LONDON SAYE AN AGENT'S FEE

Also holds special appointments to many other Buy Direct:
Regiments , and is extensively patronised by
Officers in every branch of Her Majesty 's Service , A. V. CONSTRUCTION &
FINANCE LTO.
both at home and abroad .
TRUNDRA PROPERTY CO. LTO.
MINSBELLA HOLDINGS LTO.
LANFAVA LTD.

Co rrespond e nce - Compa n ~r Chairman:

C. E. L. Whitlock, 20 Windyridge,

Gillingham, Kent

Ex Q.O . R.W.K R egt.

27

News from the 2nd Battalion

His Majesty King Frederik IX, K.G., King of Denmark,
Allied Colonel-in-Chi ef.

AMALIENBORG,

It gives me grea t pleasure to send a message of greeting to
all members of the 2nd Battalion, The Queen's Regiment ( Queen's
Own Buffs ) . I shall always feel the same pride as Alli ed Colonel-
in-Chief of my new battalion as I have felt since 196 1 as Colonel-
in-Chief of The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal K ent Regiment,
and, for so many years before that, of The Buffs. I rejoice that Her
Maj esty Queen Eli zabeth II has honoured me with thi s appointment,
thus permitting the continuance of the much cheri shed link forged
so long ago between my country and the British Armed F orces.

I know that the 2nd Battalion, The Queen' s Reg iment ( Queen 's
Own Buffs) will always hold an honoured place in the British
Army, and I send my best wi shes to all who serve in it.

31st December, 1966.

28 have some s uccess to report. From this subject,
there of cou r se follows-on the r eally bad joke in
WRITING notes for the first edition of a any Battalion's year.
new Regimental Journal must surely be The Annual Administrative Inspection
for any amateur writer an unenviable ta sk. This
one will wait, with bated breath, until his air- This, a lt houg h sch eduled, after the usual ch ange
mail copy arrives to see what is written by the of dates, to tal<e place on 14th D ecember , had in
three other Regular Battalions. Is it a time for fact been go ing on in its under-cover way for
platitudes? Is it a time for a glimpse at the the past six w eeks. Our morale was not raised
memory of past glories, or future hopes? Perhaps by r eceiv ing the latest copy of the "Britis h Army
all. But fresh in all our minds in Hong Kong is Review" in which was a n a rti cle by a gentl em a n
the picture of the very short, but moving, parade can ed T2 on advice to Inspecting Officers. It
held on the 31st December. That one or two seem ed too near home for fun. W e were visited
eyes may have twitched a bit as the flag of the in turn by experts from the Ordnance, the
Queen's Own Buffs came down to the tune of R.E.M.E., very senior cooks, hygienists, and educa-
Auld Lang Syne cannot be denied. In spite of t ionalists ("why don't more of your Chinese O.R.s
the short life of that Regiment, over half the have their ce rtifi cates?"). Range reco rds were
soldiers on parade enlisted into it, and had served studi ed, socks counted, secret documents a nd their
all their service in it. It was to many a moment whereabouts investigated (wh y is it s till secret
of truth, of the thought of changes in the past, that we moved here over a year ago?) .
and of hopes that no more such changes will be
necessary in the future. The actual day the Garrison Commander him-
self was due to come was approaching a n anti-
As the new flag of The Queen's Regiment rose c lim a..x, but h e was known to have a f ew un ex-
on the fl ag pol e, to the tun e, which we a ll hop e pected surprises for us. And he did. Although he
will soon be abandoned, of "Soldi er s of the Queen ," stu ck to his programme r e ligio u s ly, the Assault
many thoughts went through m a ny minds. One Pioneers som eho\v found themselves, early in the
remains clear ; although Victori Frondescit Honore morning, on their way to Gordon Hard in the New
may in the future become just a not her Latin tag, T erritories, to be invigilated by highly qualified
the Battalion will go forward; we a r e still the R oyal Engineers. B Coy. found themselves in a
sam e peopl e, and the n ew Regiment, born in this different camp being subjected to tear gas, a nd
festive season, mus t flourish. C Coy., c limbing a not incons ide rabl e hill, esco rt-
ing to the top a protesting Adjutant a nd Sign a ls
It is perhaps fitting, that before the March Ofllcer. Who won? W e don 't know, but it's nice
Off of the 2nd Bn. The Queen's Regiment, our that it's over.
Garrison Comma nde r presented the L .S. a nd G.C. Future l\·loves
to R.Q.M.S. Todd, who enlisted into the Royal
Fus ili ers, served most of his service in the Royal Since the middle of November the n ews of a
Sussex, and was w ith the Queen's Own Buffs on move to Ch a tha m n ext October has been rumoured
this great day. This is symbolic of the life of the and admitted. It is inte r es ting to note that the
Hom e Counti es Brigade, and the future of The neares t to a n official notification to be received
Queen's R egiment. at "the end of the pipe line" to date, has been a
copy of a D epot P art I Order.
The Past Month Christmas
Thi s i s in a true sense writing about the past;
Again looking into the diaries of events, this
the last month of t h e "old Regiment." It is per- was celebra ted, as near as poss ibl e in this c limate,
haps made more difficult by the fact that this in a tradional style. Two children's parties were
month included Christmas. More than one Com- run, with the age of 12 b e ing the dividing lin e.
pany scribe has said, just after Christmas, "Yes, The Cook Sgt. and his minions rose to the occa-
I know we've had D ecember, but what happened?" s ion as they always do, and the Wives' Club
What did? After looking at various people's packed the many hundreds of presents . The Cor-
diaries it would a ppear the two a nnual bad jokes pora ls' _Club had, as they are now accustomed to,
were perpetuated. a very successful Draw and the Sergeants with
their usual a plomb did likewise. The Officers
The Novices' Boxing entertain ed t h e W .O.s a nd Ser geants after Church
As a Battalion we had not, through r easons on Christmas morning before getting down to the
important duty of serving m en's dinner. Afte r
o f th e m a ny moves, looke d serious ly at Edith Sum- that the dia ries seem blank, but it can be said
m erskill's favourite sport for four years. W e w ere with confiden ce, that everybody enjoyed them-
du e, we kn ew, to box aga inst 18 Lt. Regt. R.A. in selves.
late J a nuary, a nd had only a handful of know n
s killed pugilists. Major D er ek Woolstencroft, in A COJUPANY
late October, m ade one confident quip too many Orbat
a nd found himself appointed Battalion Boxing
Officer. W e then became boxing enthus iasts. The Coy. Comd.: Ma jor K . Dodson; D esignate:
outcome was that in the first week of D ecember Major P . S. L eigh, M.C.; Second in Comd.: Capt.
the Inter-Compa n y Novices' Competition was h eld. J . H . Davison; C.S.M. : W.O.II G. Brown , B.E.M.;
It was encourag in g to see the enthus ias m , and if C.Q.M.S.: C/ Sgt. R. Batchelor; 2 Platoon : 2/ Lt. S.
som eti m es lack of sk ill, that was applied over Fraser, Sgt. P . W atchous ; 3 Platoon : 2/ Lt. N.
th" two afternoons. Although the honours went to Owen, Sgt. J . J ephcott; 4 Platoon : 2/ Lt. J. Hodges,
C Coy, the efforts, and in som e cases un s killed Sgt. J. Leiper.
courage, of a ll who e nte r ed was remarked upon
by the Boxing Pundits in this Co lony. W e now D ecember is a m onth of many events, but
h ave, \Ve hop e, a r eason abl e tea m in tra inin g these a re u suall y a result of Chris tm as 11 sp irits,"
(N.A.A .F .I. break to th em is the " fruit break"), rath e r than military activities. However, a mongst
a nd it is hop ed that in the next ~d ition we w ill the activities that warrant a m ention are the two
wins the Compa ny had in th e novices' boxing com-
petition. Pte. Barnes a nd Pte. Hollands are to be
cong ratulated, as indeed a r e the other m embers
of t he team who m ade a ga11ant effort but failed
to get those few extra points over their opponents.

In the Seven-a-side Rugby Competition,
althouhg the team included the "surprise" h elp
of Major Dodson, they failed to win their m atch
a nd get into the finals.

Chris tmas mornin g saw th e "hi e rachy'' of the 29
Company going round the Company lin s with tea
and rum , on ly to find that th ere w ere more s trange P e rsonalia
faces than fam iliar ones a mongs t those w ho be- W e congratula te L / Cpl. Garry Laine on his
g rudgingly a llowed themselves to be woken for
their tea. recent e ngage m ent (to a n Englis h g irl- he is not
going native) and a lso Captain Neil P earce (ou r
In the latter part of the month the accent has last 2IC and hi s wife on the birth of their so n.
bee n on drill, as the Compa ny is to provid e a Capt. P earce, fully recovered from the attacks
Guard of Honour for the Commander-in-Chief F ar of a certain burglar, has now been posted
East, on his farewell visit to Hong Kong. to the D epot. W e have noticed that the C.S.M.
(W.O.II Alan Rickwood) has lost a tooth and
And finall y, congratulation s to C/Sgt. Batche - trust h e didn't break it trying to m end his pace-
lor, who achieved a ros ie r com pl ex ion ove r th e s tick. Private ''Bugs" Mullin s h as proved an
Chris tmas pe riod than anyone e lse in the Com- authority on Company affai rs and has even been
pany. a llo wed to s ig n Compa n y D e tail. H e has now
taken ove r the managem ent of the Arms Kot, so
B COMPANY if anyone wants a Bren Gun .. ? ? ? ! ! !
The month of D ecember has been a busy one Christmas

for a ll m embe r s of the Company. With I.S. Drill s Th e f estive seaso n ha s n earl y crept upon us.
needed for t he Annual Admin ., seve ra l m e mbers D ecorations go up in the cookhouse and bills for
can be seen crying; some literally when tear them pile up in t h e Company 2IC's In-tray. W e
gas g ets through their gas masks; others wish Pte. W adey many miles of safe motoring and
because the Ins pecting Officer didn't come to see al l our readers
the results of all their hard work. However when
w e had demonstrated the efficiency of our gas A MERRY CRlMBLE AND A HAPPY
masks a nd told the Brigadier that only s ix failed GOO LEAR !
to work, h e re marked, "What I want to know is
the number that DON'T work, not the number
that do." More powe r to our Arm!

The Battalion exercise went off w e ll, the
Company showing their usual cheerfuln ess under
strain. Under the guidance of our Company Com-
mand e r, Major D e rek Woolstencroft, all hills w e re
c limbed (well , p e rhaps not ALL ) a nd manceuvres
carried out in typical "Shiny B" fashion . The
C.Q.M.S., C/ Sgt. James, has at last found out what
the rings on a haybox are for - to lash it on a
mule!

W e take this opportunity of congr atu lati n g
our Com pany boxers who did s o w e ll at the Bat-
talion Novices' Competition . W e did not win but
th ey a ll tri ed v e r y hard .

W e w e lcom e Ptes. Hay nes and Harris to the
Company. They have a rrived at the rig h t time-
whe n everyo ne is going on leave !

Home early in D ~cel!l ber after a whistle-stop (Top): Sgts. Mess 'Driver.'
tour of Army Un.tts m the Fa.r East was Mr. (Middle): Cpls. l\less 'Driver.'
Gerry Reynolds, Minister of Defence for the (Bottom): L / Cpl. Davis (C Cov.) receiving
Army. One of his stopover s was Hong J{ong his Novices Inter-Co~·. Cup from · the Bn. 2IC.
where h e m et Pte. Michael BaJ<lock (19)'
whose h om_e is at 85 Bicknor Road, Pa.rkwood
Estate, Ma1dstone, and 'vho is serving in now-

loon with the 2nd Battalion.

Acknowledgement: Army Public R e lations,
Hong Kong.

30

C COMPANY

The Month

D ecember was a vari ed month for the Com-
pany with the accent on the Annual Administra-
tive Inspect ion. This was preceded by visits from
the Commanding Officer and a number of t echnical
ins pections. The form er w ere by the way of a
reh earsal for the day itself and helped us to get
the feel of the thing while putting ou r own house
in order; the latter did not concern us too directly
although the a rmoury, for example, was s ubj ect ed
to a two-day examination. Other events w ere
the Novices' Boxing Compe tition and,
C hri stmas . of course,

Administrative Inspection The Band g·ives a party for Chinese orphans.
The Company provi d ed the day's ove rture, so
Mortar Platoon
to speak, by furnishing the Quarter Gua rd a nd H e ll o to t h e J ourna l of the Qu ee n 's R egim e nt !
drew a well-deserved comp1iment from the In- At last th e Admin. is be hind us; th e day
s pecting C'fficer. Later in the morning h e v is ited
the Company lines, where the only upset was the w e nt w e ll a s far as w e w e re conce rn ed . The
evidence of a busy morning's work by a la rge morta rs (a ll s ix of them fo r a c h ange as the
Hong Kong spider in 9 Platoon's lines (a new lin e Admin . is t h e one day in the year that
in pets?) and then th e Compan y itse lf e ngaged everyone is present) were to be see n pe rforming
in Battle P.T. This item of th e day's set pro- on t h eir usual strip of g ro und ou tside the Sgts'.
gramme had been carefully r eh earsed a nd was Mess.
v igorously prosecuted on the day- p e rhaps too
much s o in view of what was to fo1Jow. W e have tri ed out a n ew sys tem of Fire Con-
trol (w hi ch n ecess itated th e wav ing of w hi te flags
In the afternoon w e were turned out into the - or in our case, pillow slips). The v illagers of
area of the Kowloon R eservoirs and, in the setting W ong Chuck Yeung were a m azed to see Cpl.
of a Company patrol escorting two r escued pilots Osborne craw l through the pa ddy, stand up, a nd
(in fact the Adjutant a nd R.S.O.) wer e told to wave a di rty pill ow s lip in th e a ir!
get to the top of Beacon Hill within an hour . W e New Thoughts
set off along- the catchment road at a brisk pace,
accompanied by the Inspecting Officer a nd his dog, A note came from H .Q. FARELF conce rning
and r each ed the half-way m ark w e ll within th e the ca rr y ing of morta rs in S ioux h e li copt ers -
limit. Unfortunately, the up-hill stretch told on esp ecia ll y in jun g le country. W e tried this out
those who had done Battle P .T. that morning (an d last week and it was a great s uccess. With one
on those who w er e not too fit anyway), and only h e li copter we moved a whol e section with e nou g h
the leading Platoon (10 Pla toon ), parts of Com- a mm o. for two-m inu te ''no rm a l fir e,'' in 25
pany H .Q . and th e two "pilots" got to th e top minutes. Although a bit unconventional we have
within the hour. This, together w ith a rath er p r oved tha t it is a feas ibl e id ea.
s traggling descent, got us a slight black mark and
we ended the day feeling a little bit as thoug h
w e had bee n "stood in the corn e r." However , it
would be astonishing if such a day w er e to pass
off without its " down s" as w ell as its " ups ."

Novices' Boxing Competition
W e won this Inter-Compa n y event and con-

gratulated all those who took part, w h ether they
won or lost their bouts. F ew present will ever
forget L/ Cpl, Carter's lightning win which, for
sh eer speed, put any Liston / Patterson bout in the
s had e.

Arrivals
W e welcomed Pte. Hodges from H .Q. Company

and ?tes. Parsons, P eacock, Piper a nd Vicarey as
reinforcem ents.

Departures
W e said far ewell to Captain Tay lor, our 2IC,

who is to b e a D esert Intelligence Officer in S.
Arabia ; doubtl ess, when w e n ext see him , Arab ic
as well as Russ ia n lite r ature will b e a f eature of
his office d esk . W e also s aid farewell to Ptes.
Jordan and Padgham, who were disch a rged, and
Walker and Willson, who were transferred to D
Company and H .Q. Company r esp ective ly.

Families
W e welcomed to Hong Kong t he families of

Lieutenant Board (whose formidabl e output and
input of letters will presumably now cease to be
a f e ature of Compan y r e-s upply in th e fi e ld) and
ptes. Knowles and Lowther (whose perpetual grin
is now wider than eve r, were s uch a thin g
possible). W e congratulated Pte. a nd Mrs. Thomp-
sett on the birth of their son.

Education 31
W e co ngratula t e L / Cp ls. Ol iv e r and Jon es
Hawkes
(14), Ptes. Burk e, Hi c kmott, W ee k es a nd O'Don-
n el on passing t h e 2nd Class EducatiOn Practical of
Map Read ing- it is rumoured that they can now
get from the New Piccolo B ar to the Firecracker S-avile Row
without g etting lost, even a fte r a h eavy night's
drinking. The British have regularly gone into battle
with glory and Hawkes ' uniforms. Enough
W e ha ve two budding drivers in L / Cpi. H eath have survived to keep the firm going . . .
a nd Pte. Boulen who go on a cadre in Janua ry. and on victory parades and ceremonial
W e warn a ll inha bitants of Kow loon to stay in - occasions their splendid Hawkes' uniforms
doors for the first fo rtnight of that m onth ! have always lent colour to the occasion .

W e welcome Ptes. V a le a nd Burfoot from A Hawkes of Savile Row
Compa ny a nd Pte. W a lker from C Compa ny- w e go back to the 1770's.
wish them the best of luc k in the Platoon.
Every year hundreds
Intelligence Section of people
The month was notable on two accounts;
go back to Hawkes
firs tly the Annua l Admin. Ins pection and secondly to be dressed
the Christm as F estiviti es. for the 1960's.

Th e Admin . Ins pection s aw the dwarfs You'll know our
doing their fair s hare of " Bulling," w hic h mus t reputation for made-
have paid off as no adve rse com m e nts were
passed by the Insp ecting Officer. to-measure tailoring
but you may be
The Bluff surprised at the extent
At last G rumpy got down to som e serious of our hand-made
ready-to-wear range.
work, just as t he Inspecting Officer ent.e red ~ur Drop in and see
hide-away. As his desk was overflowing with
books and diagrams h e started to compil e a Br ie f both at
on the s ituation in Israel. To hi s s urprise th e
Ins pecting Officer asked for a finis h ed copy! As 1 SAYILE ROW . LONDON . W1
fa r as w e know, Grumpy has been in deep thought
for days down our Garrison Library. Telephone : REGent 0186

Freedom Fighter 12a LONDON ROAD
To the amazement of the dwarfs, Snowwhite- CAMBERLEY . SURREY

o ur ga lla n t lead e r- after the Chris tmas recess, Camberley 3829
turned out for on e of t h e Company Rugge r T eam s.
W e wonder where he got the excess energy from , Illu strated catalogu e sent free on request
with a couple of h ectic months behind him.

Future Inte ntions
Early in the New Year we are taking part

in a Co lony E xercise in w h ich w e hop e w e w ill
retain our reputation.

Guess Who-I
One of our many fri ends leaves shortly for a

test on fitn ess for h e li copte r pilot training. Th e
best of luck B luey, but with t h e exp erien ce you
have gained with t h ose you h ave worked with
in the past d ecad e, you s hould be u sed to flyin g
by now. W e, his friends, are worried that if he
passes, his mop will g row eve n longer.

11-Cou g h Cou g h
It's not the cough that carries you off, it's t h e

coffing they carri es ya off-in. After his wi n in the
Sgts'. Mess Draw, if h e does go (w is hful t h inking)
h e will now go in style

A Corn Joke
Question : When is a n I.O. not an I .O.?
Ans w e r : Whe n h e is a D esig nate.

Annual Greeting
To our m a ny re ade rs , ce le briti es m e nt ioned in

our notes, fri e nds past and prese nt, we s in cere ly
hope tha t you all have a worse New Year than
w e do.

32

News from the 3rd Battalion

I

Her Majesty Queen Juliana, K.G., Queen of the Netherlands,
Allied Colonel-in-Chief.

Th e following is the t ext of a m essage r ece iv ed from H er Ma j est y
Queen Julia n a, Qu een of the Neth erla nds.

NOORDEINDE PALACE,
THE HAGUE,
HOLLAND.

On formation of The Queen's Regiment, I se nd my best wishes
to all members of the new Regiment.

I am very glad to continue my association with the 3rd
Battalion, The Queen's Reg iment (Royal Sussex ) , as Allied Colonel-
in-Chief.

Editorial 33

I N our final contribution to the Roussillon on televis ion, for on that day Southern T elevision
Gazette we reported our arrival in B.A .O.R. was visiting the Bn. and their cameram an , hav-
and events up to Quebec Day. We are very glad ing spent the morning photographing C Coy. at
that in future , monthly notes to the Queen's Biesterberg w as discovered taking quaint shots
Jou rnal wi ll make our contributions more up to between the legs of dan cer s on the floor. Zorbo,
by kind permission uf C/ Sgt. Wood , gave an
date. excell e nt ca ba re t . Th e Chri s tm as parti es in the
m esses and for the children were much appreci-
Sin ce mid-Septembe r Maj . Co leman has left ated and th e All Ranks D a nce was enjoyed by all.
a nd Maj. Ellwood has take n ove r as 2 I C. There For these events w e h a ve to th a nk the PR!, Maj.
was a well timed announcement just before his C ronin, who Co mma nd s H .Q . Coy.
departure that Maj. Colernan was to return as
C O in Novembe r , 1967. this e n s ured a flowing On C hri stmas Ev e the Office r s and Sergeants
excell ed th e m se lv es in th e ir fan cy dress if not
se nd off for him! Maj. Ellwood afte r a day or in the ir hockey prowess; honours go to Lt. Wood-
two in L e mgo w e nt to Warmins te r until Christ- bridge, w ho a rrived looldng his usual Nordic self.
mas, when he returned with his family . There The cooks produc ed an exce ll e nt lunch for a ll
h as bee n little change in compan ies except that junior ranks and on that note we broke up for
Capt. Mackintosh has taken over 'B' Coy. from the Christm as holiday.
Maj. Rixon, who left us to go to HQ 2 Div. W e
send Maj . Rixon our best wis h es in his n ew Vesting D ay
O n 31 st D ece mbe r we b ecam e Th e 3rd Bn.
appointm e nt.
The Queen's R egime nt. This is a n exciting new
Maj. Tarver has coupled Tra ining Coy. with venture which we a ll hope that the old co mra d es
A cting 2 I C. Eith er for thi s effort or for his will accept in the sam e eager spirit that the
effort as 2 IC of B Coy. on th e bde. exercise he se rving m e mbe rs of the Bn . have done. Th e
got a n M.B.E . on which we a ll con gratulate him . salute at the Vesting Day Parade was taken by
Thinking of Borneo, however, reminds us that we Ma].-Gen . M. Forres te r, Commander of 4 Di v.,
who starte d his Arm y career in th e 2nd of Foot.
also welcome Capt. Roger Sherrin who arrived U nfortun ately it w as a w et day but the para d e
just in time for Christmas after three years with went. w ell d espite t h e w eather . As th e Royal
the Royal Brun ei Malay R egt. (where h e a lso Sussex flag was lowered for the last tim e and
t h e Band played Auld L a ng Syn e, even th e least
was awarded the M.B.E.). sentimenta l could be excused getting a lump in
their throats. However, despite th e new words
9ur ~utumn brigad e exe rci se, "Qu een C obra," of c ommand that fo llowed, a ll seemed bac k to
normal as w e marched off to "Sussex by the Sea."
com tng )ust three months afte r taking over as Th e General v is ited the JRC a nd Sergeants' M ess
APC Bn. was quite a c hall en ge. but w e a ll for drinks, before lunch in th e Officers' Mess.
e nJoyed 1t a nd learnt a good d eal. Many we nt
out a s umpires on 1st Division's Ete rnal Triangl e A Compa.ny
a nd had to deal w ith furth e r proble m s. Maj . . Back to barrack life again- the laughs a nd
H yde and C Coy. H .Q. and s ix office r s from 17th /
21 s t L a n ce rs s p e nt te n h ecti c days with th e s p ills of exe rc 1s 1ng are ove r for the tim e be ing
Kongens Fod R egiment of D enmark a nd Maj. and now th e hard work of 'bulling,' painting,
Stephenson and a team from the Bn. w ere with account m g. and ge n erall y getting r e ady fo•· the
the 45 (NL ) Infantry Reg im e n t of Holland. C Admtnstrat1ve InspectiOn in January. But what
Coy. are lucky to be renewing their acqua inta nce has the Coy. been doing over the last s ix months?
with Denmark in May when they are to be ther e
for two weeks training. After the ex ercise season Very s hortl y a fter arriving out h e r e 2/ L t.
was over, the Bn. settled down to individual Matherson arranged a w eek end exercise "Ex
tra~ni ng on the cadre syst e m and to re pair and Signet," for his platoon. They moved off to the
mamtenance of 432s. Th e full busy life in an area of Greven on the River Ems and there set
APC Bn. is much appreciated. ·
UJ? camp a nd combined a littl e military work
We have opened our company clubs and
re marl<s on t h ese wi ll appe ar in compa ny notes. with Anglo-German relations. The loca ls were
Th ~y a re very welcome meeting pl aces. Th e ver y fri endly a nd hos pitable and on the Saturday
soc•al programme has been busy, both intern a lly mght opened th e Rats k ell e r a nd thre w a dance
a nd m our contacts with the Germans We sta rted for the m . Th e v ill age has asked th e m to r eturn
on this score with a. Bn. n;arch thrOugh Lemgo early n ext year for a soccer match .
on 14th October durmg wh •c h the Burgomeis t er
took the salute in the picturesque old square in In Jul y the Coy. motore d in 432s up to Sol t a u
the town centre. After th e parad e a ll th e loca l (a f eat In Itsel f) to ac t as e n e m y to th e Inn is-
d1gn1tanes and their 'vives were entertained at kiiimgs . This was r ea lly t h e first tactical applica-
a most s uccessful cocktail party in th e Officer s' tiOn of 432s w e h a d , a nd was thoroug hl y e njo yed
Mess. As tongues got looser (and in some cases by all. Th e Innis killings wet·e a tre mendous
they got very loose), t h e language barrie r re- crowd and threw the most wonderful bonfire
ceded. In return the Germans orga nised an party w ith band and pipes on t h e on e but last
Anglo-German D a nce on 2nd D ecember. A cross nig h.t. Dnnk see m ed to be limi t less, a nd our
soldiers took full advantag-e. U nfortunately, no
sectiOn of .all ranks of the Bn. were invited and train arrtved to transport our 432s back to
a mos t en]oyable evening it was. This a nd other Lemgo and so driving was once again the only
con tacts have h el]Jed some sold ier s to get to an s wer. D espite seve ra l minor bre akdowns all
the wagons reached their destination.
\{nO~ Gern:an. fa!f1Ih es a nd a f ew very w e icom e
Chns tmas In v itatiOns were received . Of course, before the main exercise period
s tarte d rt h e re was 'watermans hip' o n th e W eser
On Sunday, 18th D ecembe r a combined Some .remembered it for getting wet and some
Ch!JrCh se rvice was h e ld in St. Ni'l{olai, th e twin for bem g fortunate e nough to stay dry. The long
spired Lutheran church in the town. The church boat race In th e a ft ernoon was won outright by
was crowded with the Bn . a nd severa l hundred the officers team capta ined by L t. Thorpe. They
Ge_rmans for what was a memorable act of wor- managed to clear th e a rea before 'dodgem boats'
ship. start~ d! On e~ darkn ess ca m e w e did two nig h t
c rossings whiCh though w e l! pl a nned went som e-
On lOth D ece mber the Wiv es' Clu b o•·ga nised what wrong- !n the execution , p e rha ps it was just
a dance m the school hall. This w as a g r eat lack of prac tice!
success- s ome readers may have see n pa rt of it

34

So much for the exercise and military side of 2/ Lt. Bardega a nd 6 PI. ran a series of darts
it. What of the social ? competition s, and In spite of the vast quantities
of beer that was being consumed, there were
"The La.zy 'A' "-the Company Club, opened plenty of steady hands to win the prizes.
on 21st November a nd has been thriving ever
since. As yet no parties have been thrown- Lt. Beveridge and 7 PI. devised a 'Roll Ball'
though one is planned for after Chr istmas. The game on the billiard table which looked very
club is in sad n eed of redecoration but is slowly diffic ul t at first, but which was soo n mastered
but surely being improved. A darts ladder h as a nd once again large numbers of prizes were
been formed and a table soccer Jeague won. The whole evening was most successful and
to start. is about thoroughly enjoyed by all.

A month after arriving out h ere abou t 61 Our football team, captained by L / Cpl. Dube,
members of the Coy. made a n enviable vi"it to played very well and won the Quebec Day
Hamburg. A great deal of money was spen t and Knockout Competition. However, our Tug-o'-War
a great variety of stories came back concerning team simply could not match the sh eer bulk a nd
the dress of the womenfolk up there! weight of the W.O.s' and Sgts.' Mess and were
knocked out in the first round.
Sports. The biggest event was the Novices
Boxing Competition. The Coy. were runners-up to Three members of the Coy. have played
B Coy. with two winners to our name. Pte. Med- soccer for the Bn.- Cp l. Davis, L / Cpl. Mills and
ford had a good fight in the light-middle weight L / Cpl. Seacombe, a nd they are fighting h ard to
and 2/ Lt. Matheson won the light-heavy weight keep their places.
after an excellent fight. All the boxers were
highly congratulated on their performa nce, also Our Novices Boxing team did extremely well
A Coy . spectators, who excelled themselves. in the inter-Company competitions and we came
out as easy winners. Ptes. Fish er, Barron, Turner
In the inter-department cross-country run, and Pierson all won their weights. Cpl. Forward,
though not going quite according to plan, many Ptes. Rea, Blogs, Cronin and Penny, although not
member s of A Coy. being directed round the eventual winners, all boxed very well.
wrong course, we found hidden talent. Pte.
Croth ers came seventh and even Cpl. Singleton Lt. Woodbridge, who is captain of the Bn.
and L / Cpl. Cox cam e in the first 50. Squash team, did very well in the B.A.O.R.
Squash Championships and reached t h e sem i-
The soccer has been going quite well. Out final. His efforts were well rewarded and he was
of six matches we won three. lost three. Pte. selected to represent B.A.O.R. on the squash tour
Baker has been well up on the goal average, and in U.K.
Pte. Dimond since coming out of goal has proved
himself very useful where goals are concerned. In the inter-Coy. .22 competition we cam e
Pte. Foster, whom we thought we had lost when second to the D Coy./LAD team. The Coy. was
he was attached to D Coy., has been allowed to represented by Capt. Mackintosh, C/ Sgt. Butler,
play for us, and we are certainly not sorry to Sgt. Scott, Cpl. Laker, Cpl. Bull, L /Cpl. Marjoram,
have him with u s. Pte. Patterson and Pte. Gittins.

A Coy. is now in the middle of preparations W e have a very good Coy. Club run by L/Cpl.
for the changing of the R egt. to 3 QUEENS and Porter. who is assisted in this by L / Cpl. Sea-
round barrack everyday. life is drill. Even though combe All the club Jacks is central h eating in
we now ride around in 432s A Coy. and the rest the main room ; once this is installed it will be
of the Bn. are still infanteers and drill as well a first class social centre for the Coy.
as ever.
Our spiritual welfare is being looked a.fter
B Company by Ptes. Izard, Bloggs and Wickens, who are
helping the Padre in t he Bn. Church.
We have all enjoyed our first six months in
B.A.O.R., into which we have crammed an enor- The 'Squeeze' does not seem to be affecting
mous amount of activities ranging from Bde. us very much, and the row of cars outside the
Exercises to visits to H a mburg. Both equally Coy. is on the increase. Cpl. Laker, Ptes. Wickens,
exhausting! Happs and Gittins have now got cars of their
own. L /Opl. Porter and Pte. Roser share a car
After our three weeks in Sennelager during which is no longer in production. They are
August we cam e back to barracks and _prepara- keeping their fingers cros8ed that nothing goes
tion started for the Quebec Day CelebratiOns. The wrong with it, as the nearest source ot spare
Coy. organised a Casino Night in the JRC, which parts is said to be Mexico City!
was a great success. We had anxious moments
when it looked as though we might loose at the W .O.II Ayling, who is of co urse now a very
roulette table which was being run by W.O.II wealthy and eligible bachelor, can be seen pore-
Ayling, but all was well in the end. Th e main ing over various motoring magazines trying to
attraction was a South Sea Island dance. organ- decid e which of the 1967 model s to choose.
ised by Lt. Woodbridge and Support PI. They
did an excellent job in transforming the JRC Our AFV 432s keep us busy, demanding a n
into a colourful cave which, although it was a ever increasing amount of attention and main-
Fire Officers' nightmare, was most effective. tenance. However, we have a very good LAD
Hundreds of people crammed themselves into it, Sec. to assist us which is commanded by S / Sgt.
and the heat and noise was quite fanta stic . Ward. On one occasion S/Sgt. Ward asked one of
our drivers why he always revved up his engine
C/Sgt. Woodman a nd Cpl. Askem laid on before sw itching off. The driver replied that h e
some highly entertaining 'Beat the Clock' games wanted to get all the pistons to the top of the
which turned out to be far more amusmg than cylinders ready for nn easy start the next
anything that the London Palladium can produce. morning.
C/Sgt. Parnell, T., and Sgt. Silver assisted us by
running a Horse Race Meeting. It went extremely Maj. M. E. C. Rixon has recently left us after
well in spite of the fact that the course appeared commanding the Coy. for the last two years. We
to be under water or rather under beer very were all sorry to see him go, and wish him the
early on. Some of our more enthu s iastic su p- best of luck in his n ew job as GSO II Int., 2 Div.
porters also managed to trample on the fences
and upturn the water jumps on their efforts to C Company
spur on their horses. The races were eventually On our arrival in B.A.O.R. we welcomed
completed, the Tote books miraculously balanced
out, a nd the many winners were paid off. several new members, including Mai. H yde as
Coy. Commander, Capt. Goring as 2IC, and W.O .II
Martin as C.S.M. Lt. Arnold, who had been with
us with the T.A.E.R. in Aden, returned to com-
mand 10 PI. and Pte. Laker returned from his

co urse to become Coy. c lerk in place of L / Cp l. 35
Barton. who went to 9 PI.
th e 'Battle of Webbing.' It is a fact of life in
Life at first was hectic, taking over a nd L emgo t h at everyone must be able to appear,
learning about o ur Mark II 432s. During field a rm ed to the t eeth a nd s uitably dressed, at short
firing a nd som e useful tactical training at Scone- notice- even t h e Band. Mr. B edford, the Band-
lager in the first three weeks in August, we lived master, and h is musicians had other ideas, how-
in bivouac n ext to them, when we we 1·c not ever. Th e Coy. Comd. a n d C.Q.M.S. were sub-
drinking Paderbourner in the bar tent. After that jected to a brilliant example of mobile offensive/
period we f elt more confident a nd ready a lso for defensive. Eventually t he Band reluctantly ac-
the Aug ust break when 9 PI. went on a PI. cepted their operational outfits a nd weapons. but
adventure to H a mburg area and 10 PI. went to only after a h a rd and skilfully foug ht campaign.
F!ensburg near the Danish border. Both trips The sequ el occurred the other nig h t when during
practice the Band took over a task of guarding
were gay ! th e barracks. A very good job t h ey made of it,
During the Bd e. Exercise in September we too: so much for the theory that musicians can-
not be soldiers w h en t hey have to he. Still, the re
soon learnt t h e tactical s ig nificance of barn s an d is now talk about issuing steel h elm ets and
hos pi table f arm yards. C pl. Gill found his Ger- respirators. It looks as though Phase II h as. or
man was, perhaps fortun a tely, better than his is, starting.
m ap reading.
Th e LAD m ay not be members of t h e Regt.,
The last two month s, though spent in bar- but their work is essen t ia l to our efficie n cy. Under
racks, have not slowed down. With the exercise Capt. B rian R oss and W.O .I Doug las Tur n er, t h e
seaso n behind us, vehic le maintenance has taken LAD does a great job a nd a successful o n e. Th e y
pride of place in th e d a ily work but run a c lose also turn up at R.S.M.'s drill parades a nd the
second by the restocking of 'H arry's Bar' for the like. Indeed, w e r egret to a nnounce that L / Cpl.
Christmas season . Scriven is the best shot on the Miniature range
in Stornoway Barracks. To round off the descrip-
Our Coy. c lub was opened after the exerc ises tion of the virtues of t h e R .E.M.E., a m ention of
with g reat success and it is a bly lorded over by their greatest achievem e nt (th e "proof Of th e
Cpl. Harris a nd his hard working team. W e h ave pudding ." you might s ay) Sgt. Paddy Gillespie
had one Coy. smoke r, on Boxing Night, and has k ept the Coy. Comd.'s car going for weeks. It
one wives ' coffee party, which had a very good is even said th at h e can now stop it, too!
a tte ndanc e. Th e N ew Y ear's Eve buffet a nd
dance was a really fir s t c lass eve ning. D Coy. H .Q. a nd Permanent Staff h ave been
hard at work administering, training, repairing
W e mu s t w e lcome in print our LAD R .E .M.E. ranges, etc. The only s n ag is that the staff is far
Sec. h ead ed by S / Sgt. Keith Fi s h er ass isted by from 'Permane nt.' The ORBAT as t h ese notes
Cpl. K e!l e r, L / Cpl. Punch y Fryer a nd Cfns. Sm a ll , are written is:
Gourlay and Forrest. To say that they put right
all our mista k es and k eep us on the road would Coy. Comd.. Maj. C. L . T arver, M.B.E.;
only be ju st recognition of th e ir se rvices . W eapon Training Offr.. Lt. P e t er Broadben t;
C.S .M ./C.Q .M.S., C / Sgt. Ron L ewis; Weapon
W e h ave recently welcomed back to replace Training Sgt., Sgt. Mick Collins; Coy. Orderly
C/ Sgt. B e!las, C/ Sgt. Chippy Wood (newly- Sgt., L / C pl. D err ick Burnett; Coy. Clerk , Pte.
promoted ) a nd Sgt. Bailey. who is going to 12 Victor Alle rton ; Stores, etc., Ples. Dave Grayling,
PI. W e wish them and their famili es a happy Jim Cooper, Martin Mills, Ronny Tree; W eapon
stay in the Coy. Training Staff, Cpl. Phi! Mead, Cpl. Ray J enkin-
son.
Congratulations to Sgt. Stokes. Cpl. Harris,
L / Cpl. Paine and L / Cpl. Swann on recent pro- In the Gy m . C.S .M.I K e nn y, APTC. a nd his
motion, a nd best wishes to Cpl. Nobrega on his instructors manufacture muscles both day and
de parture for adventures in South Am e rica W e night. The or ig ina l staff of L / Cpls . L es T emp le,
ought to congratulate r.ew mums a nd dads but Dan Wh a ll y , Car! Foster a nd Basil T own send
s ince our arrival there have been so many it have been joined by Ptes. Ron Medford. Dennis
would be quite a chapter in itself. Foster and Martin Dunne.

A sad note was struck befor e Christm as with In th e co mpe titive e nd s porting fi elds, D Coy.
the death of L / Cpl. Mick Landells. W e were all won the Bn . .22 com p etition a nd are still e ngaged
very sorry to hear this new s and shall miss him. in the ancient struggle with the Q.M.'s Football
team. No quarter is given or expected in this
Our Football team under t he guidance of gruesome campaign. T o date the honours are
Sgt. H a r e has had some good gam es a nd h e, even with each s ide having won one gam e. How-
L / C pl. Shepherd and Pte. Bardwell h ave played ever, D Coy. managed to raise fi ve p airs of foot-
regula rly for the Bn. Our Cross-country team ball boots for the last m atch and another pair
has done well and three m embers of the Coy. or two w ill give us a com m a nding adva ntage.
run in the Bn. team.
H.Q. Company
Cpl. Graham plus his photographic equipment
is s tarting 1967 with three month s at the Bn.'s Life in H .Q . ce ntres around soccer, exercises
ski centre in Bad Tolz. For many (not quite so and parades. Our soccer team, winners of last
lucky!) there will be two weeks there or at Si!ber- year's inter-Coy . knockout in Malta, are m ak ing
hutte to learn to ski. their n a m es in the local M inor Units L eague. So
far we a r e unbeaten , but shortly play t h e un-
The year offers a lot of travelling, including beaten team B Sqn. 4 RTR. The winners of this
Ex 'Arctic H e ide ,' a week's cold weather training match are tipped for t he title. D espite t h e senior-
1n Soltau, a nd a training visit to D e nm ark to ity and- dare we say it- advan ced years of the
exercise with the Dani sh Life G u a rd s. Th e su m- R .S .M., h e pl ays a str o n g, c r e dita ble and useful
mer months include a fairly h ectic exercise sea- game on the rig h t w ing. Drummer H edges,
son. In betw een times it is always heartening a nother strong player. h as suffer ed a severely
to see individuals s tepping on to a bus for Guter- broken Jeg. W e send him a nd his wife our sym-
sloh and some w ell earned home leave. pathy a nd best wishes for the speediest recovery
possible. Others who h ave represented the Coy.
yte wish our corresponding compa nies in th e are: Sgt. W atson, Cpls, Charman, Phillips, Gill
R egiment every s uccess for 1967. and Lucas . L / C pl s. Kirk a nd Jones 77, Ptes.
Grove, Dixo n 79, C lose, Jays , Dmrs. White a nd
D Company Wi!kinson a nd Lt. Constantine.

The Coy. is now a loose bu t c h eerful federa-
tion of Coy. H .Q., the Band, the weapon t r ai ning
s t a ff . the phys ical t raining staff a nd the LAD .

Notes by the Band a ppear elsewhere in this
issue, but t h ey p robably contain no reference to

36 us ing a taxi to cross the g uarded Rinteln Bridge
over the W eser. were n ear ly caught by "Colon el"
The them e song of this year's exercises has Mowat himself, when the taxi stopped at som e
been 'We all live in an APC.' However, some had lights. Fortunate ly the green came on a s the
plenty of marching during 'Winter Escape I.' "Colonel's" hand r each ed for the door. Sub-
One Signals PI. team- L / Cpl. Picton, L / Cpl. sequ e ntl y the taxi was s topped by police. but the
Murche and Pte. H ester and a second from the team had just left.
Royal Signal s troop- L / Cpl. Rop e r. Sig. Emmer-
son and Sig. R e idie-set out with a ll best inte n - Pte. Mahon's team nearly escaped by doubling
tions and several nefarious plans for evading into the 'Gents' in a pub in which they were
capture. The teams m et at a bridge over the resting when the en emy enter ed the front door .
W eser and were trapped there by a patrol of the Unfortunately, the team leaders camouflage scarf
212 Panzer Grenadier Bn. A second escap e got g ot caught in the door, with his number clearly
th em underway again. After 36 hours of hiding marked on it.
in the backs of lorries and plugging on foot
through forests, they comple ted the 40-mile One team walked past a n en e m y H .Q. a nd,
course. The Coy. Comd.'s problem s have been on seeing that no one was about. t hey went so
different. Worst moment came when 'Exercise far as to pinch a few t ins of food left unattended.
Finished' came through with a whole crate of A pity but the Chi ef Umpire cannot r emember
beer to go. Th e crew of e alls ign 99 set to with which team it was- they certainly deserved to
a will and we reclaim ed money on that crate and do well.
empties, before joining the Bn. concentration.
'Winter E sacpe I' was a g ood exercise a nd a
Parades and parade states always come hard tough one and the m en taking part rose to t he
in H .Q. Coy. Th e tally for a s ix-man visit to our challenge by doing the job thoroughly. On the
neighbouring armoured rP.gt. read as follow s : enemy s ide, Capt. Mowat, Sgt. Martin, Cpl. Raikes
L /Cpl. Sivers, Father Christmas; L / Cpl. Seal re- (the Whip), all of the R ecce PI. allied with m en
liev ed by Adjutant; L /Cpl. Wilkins and Chambers of 212 Panzer Grenadier Bn. of the German Army
parade for Southern T elev is ion; Cpl. Gorman, and some helicopters. There was no rest for the
Sports storeman, a little late; and Cpl. Charman enemy and som e w ere heard to remark that they
attended and had a most enjoyable day ! would rather have been escap ers. F ear not, they
wilt be getting their chance during 'Winter
W e look forward to a N ew Year as members Escape II' in F eb ruary- Germans includ ed!
of The Queen's Regiment and. of course, to the
opportunity of getting in a bit of skiing. Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess

Exercise 4Winter Escape I' Our warmest wishes are extended to everyone
It was dark under the bridge but the car for 1967 and in particular those who have joined
The Queen's R egiment. It is a comforting thought
and s treet lights overhead were r e fl ected in th e that one Journal now brings us in touch with all
rushing water of the \Veser below. A cold wind our fri e nds, which ev e r Bn. they may be serving
was blowing downstream and, to Ptes . Palmer, with.
Laker and Hull, of C Coy., suspended on a nar-
row girder between road and river, it seemed It might be interesting for readers to note
that Houdini over the Niagara l''alls had never that these few lines are being composed by a
had it so good. For one thing. he was not being quartet consisting of one member from each of
chased by a ruthless enemy. Twice, as the group our form er Regiments. In fact. we a lmost feel
inched its way along the girder. they had to that w e have been the 3rd Bn. for some long time.
freeze while enemy patrols passed overhead. This
gave them ample time to consider the fifty-foot Christmas activities have filled most of our
drop below them . time in the past three weeks a nd w e feet it would
be wrong to harp on these too much. Suffice it
Ev entually Pte. Palmer's team reached th e to say that the Christmas Draw was the main
end of 'Winter Escape' without being caught-a attraction with the usual stock of excellent prizes,
good effort considering that they and 21 other mainly of course now decorating the bunks of
teams were being relentlessly persued by the the living-in members. It can now be said that
notorious "Colonel" (Capt. Colin Mowat) and his we are the only M ess with lilac bathroom sets
Recce PI. adorning the toilets, automatic teasmade instead
of duty waiter and the senior living in m ember
The exercise lasted for n early two days at wearing a gold bracelet to denote his st atus ! All
the end of November and included all th e class ic pressing for the Mess is now done by our Pay
ingredients of Escape and Evasion. S/ Sgt. who staggered away from the draw with
an automatic ironer under one arm and his wife
Prisoners w ere herded into cages in a muddy on the other. We still cannot unders tand why h e
and uncomfortable quarry while "C o 1o n e 1" wanted both!
Mowat's men searched them-none too gently.
The prisoners' morale remained high throughout Less than s ix hours after the draw our s ins
and, when a chance to escape came, they all took and excessive alcohol were discovered on the Bn.
it with speed. Thirty odd miles farther on, they Church Parad e at t he local c hurch som e 20
started a last leg across a defended frontier to minutes march away in Lemgo.
freedom and, even then, the ingenuity and deter-
mination displayed throughout the exercise con- To top this, 24 hours later, we were all again
tinued. gathering for a Ladies' Night Dinner. Needless to
say, our memories of attending c hurch are a little
L / Cpl. Jones and his team from the Drums hazy!
had to wait while a fronti er sentry tit a cigarette
bes ide them and strolled off before they could At the beginning of D ecember we made our
das h across to safety. name with 1 QUEENS who visited us from
Munster. Many old friend s w ere met and new
Cpl. Burtons team did one better by jumping ones made and w e are now looking forward
into the back of an enemy (not Recce PI.) truck , to a
which took them all the way across the frontier trip to Munster sometime in F ebruary.
and to the final RV without being s potte d .
Our changeover in the Mess has been con-
Other feats during the exercise were plentiful s iderable of late and to m e ntion a ll nam es would
and it is not possible to m ention them all, but only r esult in a greater use of the Editor's red
the professional IIJpproach of Lt. Joint, who penc il. N evertheless, our congratulations to those
walked practically all the way, showed that the newly-promoted, our best wishes to those who
modern soldier can s till march. 'l'he same team, have left, and welcome to those who have joined
us.

(Top) 3 QUEENS Vesting Day Parade; (lower left ) Pte. and Mrs. Jays ut the All Ranks' Dance on
23 rd D ecembe r; (lower right) Lt. J e ff Alie n. Royal Signals, attached to 3 QUEENS with the Com -

manding Offi cer's 432 drive r , Pte. Tony Taylor.

38 Ptes. Fos t e r, Groves and Bryant, Cpl. G ill a nd L t.
Constantine, w e wi)} finish the season on a hig h
Boxing note.
The .Bn. boxing got off to a !;"OOd start with
.In t h e M inor U ni t L e ague H .Q. Coy., with
the Nov1ces Boxing Competition held in the new t h e 1r wealth of talent, are way out in front, sti ll
Gymnasium o n the 3rd and 4th November, 1966. undefeated but with two ha rd gam es against B
C .S.M .I Kenny was k een to u se t h e re m a inder of Sqn, 4 R TR to look forward to. The three rifle
the year (and what we can of 1967) to build up a compa ni es ar e of equ a l s trength, a ll showing
team s lowly r ath e r than go for a n a ll-o ut win good form on occasions. The Band have acquitted
during 1966. H e must have been g r eatly heartened themselves well a nd will be n ear the top at the
by the display of hard fights sh own during the end of t he season. LAD, being only few in num-
Novices. The most notable bout of both evenings ber, h av e found t h e going h ard but have improved
was that between 2/ Lt. G. N. Ma theson a nd Dmr. to win their last two games.
Wilkinso n . After attempting to overpower 2/ Lt.
Matheson early on, Dmr. Wilkinson was beaten Capt. ( Q .M.) L. F. Smitherman a nd R.S .M. R.
by a knock-out blow in the third round. A. Pace, two well-known ex-Bn. players, control
football in the B n. and see that the training
Dmr. Jenner succeeded in winning the Fly- squad are kept up to scratch.
we-ight Final of the 4 Div. Individual Tourna-
m ent a nd goes forward to the B.A.O.R. In- Finally, it is hoped that t he Infant ry Cup
dividuals to be h eld in B erlin on 16th, 17t h a nd Co mp eti tion will start in F ebruary, 1967. This is
18th January, 1967. a new competition for Infa ntry Bns. only a nd the
Bn. will be out to be the first to get its name
The Bn.'s n ext match is on the 13th January, on the trophy, which has been presented by the
1967, when we m eet the Coldstream G uard s in Green Howa rds .
th e semi-finals of the 4 Div. Inter-Unit T eam
Championships. W e have plenty of guts and th e Rugger
team only lacks match experien ce. Dmr. Baker,
Pte. Fis h er (B Coy.) and Dmr. J e nner should After a somewhat negative season last year
have no trouble in rtefeating their opponents. due mainly to Bn. m oves we have good hopes for
Ve ry much up-and-coming are Pte. Butcher (A this season. W e are now quite a large Bn a nd
Coy.) and L / Cpl. Turner (B Coy.), who are both with our attach ed LAD, we have a numb er of
now blood to the Bn. Boxing t eam. W e sh all miss experienced players to draw from. Although the
Cpl. Nobrega (C Coy.), who goes out of the Army C. O. has laid down a soccer priority this winter,
in January. we have !'ound ourselves a bl e to arrange quite a
full list of fixtur es up to the e nd of April.
Next year should be our year in B.A O.R.
boxing. The m en a nd material s are there and The season was a little late starting due to
given training time, which we have been, the activities a t the end of the training season, but
sky is the limit. we have played three matches all of which we
won. W e are fortunate in having a w ell balanced
Football side with strong runners in the threequarter line
and an ex celle nt pa ir of left-backs . The L / C pl.
The C.O. decided, before we arrived in Cook brothers h ave a n excellent understanding,
B.A.O.R. that the main effort in winter sport was having played together in R .E .M.E . t eam s for a
to be directed at Association Football. The Bn. number of years . Cpl. Burton will be leaving the
XI was entered for 4 Div. Major Unit L eague Bn. soon , but h e leav es a competent bunch of for-
(North ern Section) and six s ides were entered for wards always spurred on by Ma j. Stephenson
the Minor Units L eagu e. A, B , C, H.Q. Coys. a t Joc k .
LAD and Band, find team s for this L eague.
Squash
After initial trial matches it was r ealised that
the Bn. could fi eld a u seful t eam but without any Our Squash team has been most successful
really outstanding individuals. To ens ure success and to date has not been defeated in competition
it was d ecided that the team would play to the gam es.
4-2-4 forma tion and to concentrate on fitness.
With this in mind a training squad was handed W e have entered for th e 4 Div. Inter-U nit
over to C.S .M .I K e nny and within weeks began Squas h Comp etition a nd for the 20 Armd. Bde.
to show r esults. The opening game resulted in a Inter-Unit L eague.
win for the Bn . by 2-1, at home to 4 RTR , a nd
the last gam e of the first h a lf of the season saw In t h e form er we beat H .Q. and 4 Div. Sig .
them complete the double over 4 RTR with
a noth er win 3-2 At the halfway s tage the Bn. has R egt. 5-0 in the first round, and in the second
played 9 games, won 6 and lost 3; goals for- 35, round defeated 17t h / 21st Lance rs 5-0.
goals against- 22 ; points- 12. W e are two points
clear at the top of the t a ble. In the 20 Armd. Bde. L eagu e the resu lts of
our matches are as follows:
The First Round of the Army/ B.A.O.R. C up
gave the Bn. a home tie against 4 Div. H.Q. a nd v. 4 Armoured Workshops R .E M.E Won 4-0
Sigs. and playing good sound team football they v. H .Q . 20 Armd. Bd e. Won 5-0
scored a w ell deserved victory by seven goals to
two. At this s tage of th e season the team was v. 71 Aircraft Workshops R .E .M .E . Won 5-0
really beginning to click a nd were looking for- v. 17th / 21 st L a n cers Won 5-0
ward to beating I Coldstream s in the n ext round
for a pl ace in th e semi-finals. Over 150 sp ect ators v. 3 R.H.A . Won 4-0
made the long trip to Iserlohn to cheer the Bn.
sid e on, but weakened by enforced team ch anges v. Th e Car abinier s (3DG) Won 5-0
the Bn. XI, after a spirited fight back in the Our congratulations fl'O to Lt. B . H . Wood-
second h a lf, went down b y four goals to two. bridge on getting into the semi-finals of the
B.A.O.R . Individual Knockout co mpetition, a nd
Only a w eek after this m atch we lost our for r eaching the Quarter Finals of the Army
centr e-forward with a broken leg, a n injury sus- Individual Knockout competition. He has also
tained whilst playing against the local German played for B.A.O.R. during their U.K. tour and
s id e. D espite this and the gloom after the cup
defeat, we are conv inced that we can win the has been selected as a reserve for the Army in
Major Unit L eague. The spirit is hig h a nd the the Inter-Services C hampionships,
team is very fit and we a re s ure that with more
outstanding displays from our 'sweep e r' Cp l. C har- In add ition to taking part in the above com-
m an . and more shooting power from forwards petitions, we have played fri endly matches
against the following:

v 3 R.H .A. Won 4-1
v. 24 Missile Regiment R .A.
v. 39 Missile R egim ent R.A. Won 5-0

v . R .A .F . G utersloh Won 5-0

v. B.M.H. Rintel n Lost 3-2

Won 5-0

The following h ave played for the B n . team: 39
Maj. D . P. Cronin, Maj. J. R. Stcphenson, Capt.
J . W . Flcming, Capt. M . A . J a m es, Capt. M. Coul- for a team to e n ter the Div. a nd B.A .O.R . meet-
t h a rd, R.A.M.C., Lt. B. H . W oodbri d ge, Lt. C. M . ings next year.
J oint, L t . G. N. Ali en, R.Sigs., 2/ Lt. J. K. Ross,
Cpl. J. Graham. We h ave been very fortunate to have the use
of the indoor dry Skiing School at H erford, which
S id ing 1967 h as g i ven u s a ch an ce to find our f eet. W e have
Durin g ou r firs t winte r in B .A .O.R. w e intend had one day's s kiing at Winterberg during the
C hristmas break a nd from th e en thusiasm shown
to discove r what talent there is in the Bn. To do it is evident t hat t h e n ext two or three win ters
this we h ave a rra nged five courses of two weeks are going to be t he greatest fun , t hough in evit-
d uration at Bad Tolz in Bavaria. W e h ave two ab ly t h e r e will be some ve r y so r e be hinds!
c iv ili a n instructors who wi ll s p e nd the whole
time teaching a nd this shoud g ive us the bas is For t he m ore rugged, we h ave a n umber of
vaca n cies at t h e S T C at Silberhutte a n d we
s hould by n ext year have a lmost a platoon of
"Queen's Ch asseurs."

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40

News from the 4th Battalion

1966Editorial HAS brought the end of one era Th e Guyan a D e f e n ce Force even tually to con-
s is t of two infantry B a tta lions had b ee n form ed
and the beginning of a new, The r a pidly, latte r ly wit h the ass ista n ce of a Midd lesex
Trai ning T eam , and was up to 1 ~ Batta lions in
Queen's Regiment has yet to win its own peculiar strength by October. No longer tied to our w idely
scatte r ed oper ation a l a r eas we managed to get
honours and make its own traditions, but these many m e n into th e inte rio r on foo t and boat
patrols. Movem ent was achi eved by man y m eans
will come with time. - dugout canoe, rubbe r dingh y, raft, r a il, patrol
boat w ith outboard motors, sch ed ul ed f erry ser -
Regimental Journals are essentially informal v ices a nd "s hank's pon y." Thi s last m eth od was
chronicles of a unit's life, and so that we can tell tough in t h e d e nse jung le and entail ed the c u tting
our sister Battalions something of ourselves it of " lin es" (tr ai ls). It was s low a nd onl y a practi cal
seems appropriate to mention what has happened proposition for training purposes.
to us in 1966, and especially that event which
affected all our lives for the majority of this W e carri ed out a Jo t of fi e ld firing a t T a kama,
year, our emergency tour in Guyana, for which o n e or two Platoons at a tim e . Takama is a so rt
we left Holywood at Easter. of Wild W est Cattle Station about a 100 miles up
t h e Berbice River . It is accessible by sea and
Tim e certa inl y fl ew in Guyana, it seem ed we river ferry via New Amsterdam or the dus ty
had been but a few weeks in that interesting, Mak e n zie / T a l<ama/ Ituni cattl e t r a il. H e li c opte r
hospitable cou n try w h e n we w e re a lread y making or Cess na aircraft prov id ed w e lc ome a lte rnative to
pla ns for our r eturn to Holywood in October . W e t hese other un comfortable routes. It must be one
had missed our families and fri ends at home and of the b est infantry fi e ld·fi ring a r eas in t h e world.
it ha d been a great comfort to !mow t hat our The rolling savanna h prov id es a varie ty of te rra in
fa milies had kept up a high s tate of mora le in (even some like Salisbury Plain) and there are no
Holywood w here t hey wer e m a inly based. It says firing res tri ctions w ha ts oeve r. Our A ssaul t
much for t h eir s piri t a n d n eighbourlin ess t h at Pion ee r s r ebuilt the last part of th e Ituni Tra il
t h ey h elped each oth er with t heir problems. Our inc luding two bridges. Nos. 4 PI. (3 in . Mortars)
R ear Party deserve a specia l m ention ; t hey did and 8 PI. (Mobat anti-tank guns) each fired t heir
a marve llous job in solv ing the many problem s s upport weapo n s s u ccessfull y. As Coy. Comds, par-
w hich a rose and in h elping fa milies. The assu red t ic ula rly of both "H.Q . Coys." a r e able to Jay th e ir
well-bei n g of "all at Hol ywood" was a great fac tor ha nds on everybody with ease. it seem s that we
in keeping up our mora le in G u yana. have achieved an a ll-time record w ith annual range
c lassifi cations a nd a nnua l P .E . t ests. W e are a bl e
The Guyanese of every race w ere mos t fri endly to r ecord that ove r 90 p e r cent. of H .Q . Coy. h as
and hos pitabl e. Th ey ar e a c h eerful g r egariou s been caught. R eader s w ith experi en ce of this
people with a ready w it a nd turn of phrase-an annua l problem will appreciate this fact.
even matc h for ou r s oldi e rs. The co untry is poor
econom ically but ther e are great hopes of striking In spite of the humid clima te everyone on the
o il o r othe r mine ral wealth and t h e r eby attracting whol e m a inta in ed excell e nt h ealth. Thanks to
overseas capital and investment. Baux ite is early fitn ess training in the morning befor e break -
a lready min ed a t Make nzi e (40 miles up D e m e rara fast, training, patrolling a nd sports, the g en er a l
R iver- a Cana dian Company) and K wakani (on state of fitn ess was high.
the B e rbice R iver- an Am e ri ca n Compa ny); m an-
ganese at Matthews Ridge (n ear the Venezuelan With a la rge proportion of the Bn. s pread out
border- a British Company) ; t he s ugar industry in PI. localiti es, admini s tration becam e a g reater
jus t manages to h o ld its own , s ubs idised h eav ily task than norm a lly. Rifie a nd Support PI. Comd s.
by British Commonwealth sugar pref erences, and found t h e m selves runnin g PI. ve hic les. P .O. L .
gold and diamonds a r e foun d in s m a ll quantities accounts (including A .V .G.A.S.), PI. can teen
a ll ove r the inte rior. E ve ryon e is waiting and accounts and s tock sh eets, PI. cookhouses and
hoping optimis ti call y. but r ath e r vag u e ly it seem s, rations and many other additional extras. The ex-
for the discove ry of n ew miner a l deposits. perience h as done them good (particula rly those
n ewly join ed fro m R .M .A .S. and M.O .C. S.) a nd will
It is inter esting to see h ow t h e Guyan ese a re ser ve th em in good s tead in the futur e. Tha nks
g r ad u a ll y, s om ewhat g rud g ing ly, beginning to to a n increase in strength w e were able to build
r ealise that it is now th e ir duty to s hape the up Pis. in s trength and to preserve some stabil ity
country's futur e. Many peopl e a r e a larm ed at the of command. As a r esult PI. spirit has been built
depa rture of Britis h forces and forsee unrest. up a nd m a in tain e d.
Some seem bewildered that they are no longer
a bl e to b lame th e ir t roubl es on th e Britis h Gov- Our M .O., M .T .O., P aym aste r , Q .M. and M ess-
ernm ent. One th ing is certain, the country will ing Officer h ad dual appointments in that they
continue to re ly on overseas aid for a lon g t im e acted in these capacit ies for t h e whol e of Britis h
to come. One can only hope that peace will con- Forces in Guyana. They and their staffs shoulder ed
tinue a n d t h at t h e econom y w ill gradua lly improve a trem endous load of work and responsibility
until the low standa rd of living of many of t he a bove the ordinary with grea t e ffici e n cy and cheer -
p eople is ra ised above its pr ese nt s ubs is te n ce level. fuln ess. Th ey a ll did a firs t class job a nd d eserve
a m e ntion h e re.
Ind ep end en ce D ay, 26th May, a nd th e conn ect ed
ceremonies a nd events passed in a frenzy of The R egimental Band and Corps of Drums
f everis h , even mad, activity but, most importan t a lso r efi ect e d g r eat cred it on th e Regt. In the
of al l, withou t intern a l unrest. O n ce this mil eston e various Independence Ceremonies, particularly the
was passed we we re able to settl e down to some Nationa l Flag r a is ing a nd last Beating of R etreat
useful t r a ining. W e still h eld ourselves in r eadi- by British F orces in British G uiana, they per-
n ess to come to t h e a id of t he civil power but only form ed with g r eat distin c tion and wer e s p ec ia lly
stood by as a r eserve until 4th October, when we commended by His Exce ll e ncy The Gove rn o r , Sir
ceased to be oper ational. Ri ch ard Luyt, K.C.M .G., K. C.V.O. , D .C.M. (n ow
Governor-Gener a l ). Th ey r epresented Britis h
Forces in t h e final Parade in Gu ya n a on l Oth
Septemb er. wh ich took t h e fo rm of a B eating of
Retreat. Mo r e r ecen t ly t h e Corps of Drums

41

a mazed everybod y, including the Drum-M ajo r, by Guyana- 1966
producing a magnificent Steel Band. It was no
exaggeration to say that after on ly three months '
training by their instructor, Mr. Sandtford ( now
Drummer) a local Guayanese, they were equa l to
the local bands. It is pla nn ed th a t t h ey will b e
heard at Regimental fun ctions in th e futur e. They
have yet to learn to play th e " R egim en ta l March"
on t h eir "pans," but it w ill not be long before

they do.
A hig hlig h t of the Independence p eriod was

the v is it to the Batta lion of H .R. H . Th e Duk e of
K ent. H e visited both the Officers' and W .O.'s a nd
Sergeants' Messes a nd m et a ll m e mb e rs. .

Certain indiv iduals n eed a special m ention fo r
th e ir back-stage work in running the Inde pe nd -
en ce Ceremonies-Major Pollard (Chief Ma rs ha l),
Capt. G ladden (Acting Adjt.), R.S.M. B eale, for
their trem endous work in producing order out of
c haos in the Flag Rais ing Cere mon y. Th e Un ion
Flag was lowered for the last time in B ritis h
Guiana b y 2/ Lt. J . D . Jonklaas, n ewly joined from
Sandhurst and attach ed to the G.D.F. R.S.M.
Beale and C. S .M.I. Meadows and his staff, p e rson -
a ll y d ev ised two major items in th e Di s play- Toy
Soldier Para de and a club swing ing display by
G.D.F. recruits respective ly.

Albuhera Day was observed with t h e custom-
ary prog ramm e. W e he ld a Drumh ead S e rvice on
Sunday, 15th May, which was attended by H .E .
The Governor. Many classed the functions as the
best in recent years. Th e ir estimates w ere pre-
sumably based on the absence of family control

and the price of rum.
The Queen 's Birthday Parade was h eld on

Queen Elizabeth P a rade Ground on Sa turday, 11th.
H .E . Th e Gove rnor- Gene ral took the parade a nd
the Bn. provided a d etachm ent. The pa rad e was
colourfu l, compris ing d etachm e nts from 1/ G.D.F.,
2/ G.D .F., t h e Guyana Poli ce Force and Th e Bn .
The Guyana Police Mounted Troop a lso carri ed
out an exciting and well drilled Trot and Gallop
P ast.

W e were afford ed magnificent co-ope ration in
G uyana b y th e Army Air C orps "Allou e ttes" of 25
Flig h t A .A .C. an d the R .A .F . Whirlwinds of 1310
Flight R.A.F . Noth ing was too much troubl e for
th ese o utstanding fli e rs and their c rew s. Th e ir re-
s ponse to em ergencies was immediate a nd some of
our soldi e rs ow e their li ves to this. Flying ove r
t h e poorly mapped d en se jungle is an exacting
a nd potentially dangerous occupation as there a re
f ew s paces for e m e rge ncy landin gs, but our con-
fid e nce in them was unqu estioning. Most of our
m en have flown here at some time or another.

To add spice to life we had a three-day Signal
ex. between the D em erara and the E ssequibo
- Exercise " P a rika Glory ." It was a valuable way
of reminding us of our more normal role. As we
faced the pros p ect of a Bde. Ex. w ithin seven days
of our return from leave in Holywood this was no
bad thing. Much was learnt and r eiearnt The
Signal PI. achi eved a remarkabl e fea t in m 8.nning
both our Bn. Static Com mand Net-e ig ht out-

Photos (from top to bottom):

T.R.H. the Duke and Duchess of I<e nt arriving
at the National Flag Raising Ceremony-25th

May, 1966.

H .E. the Govemor-Generai and the Prime
M!nister O!f Guyana at the National Flag-Rais-

mg Ceremony, midnight, 25th Ma.y, 1966.

The Commanding Officer, Lt.-Col. J. N . Ship-
ster, D .S.O., greets His Royal Highness the
Duke of K ent at the Officers' Mess George-
town.. '

The Corps of Dnuns sound the "Last Post"-
Albuhera Drtunhead Service, Georgetown, 15th

Ma.y, 1966.

42 a cruise across t h e Irish Sea on t h e H eysha m
F erry (the a irlines best advertisem ent ).
stations on S.R . 62/ S .R. C . ; 11 working 24 a d ay
a nd a full Ope r a tion a l V e hic le Born e Comm a nd A t th e tim e of writing t h e a fte r-e ffect s of
N et plus controls d own to PI. level. Christm as ch eer a r e be ing dissipa ted by exhil er a t-
ing periods on the squa re in prepa ration for Vest-
Our manning strength h as improved cons ider- ing D ay, which we intend t o m a rk with a Drum
ably a nd this has solved many of our problem s. H ea d Service and Flag Rais ing ceremony a nd a
Our s trength has inc reased by 115 s ince Nov., '65. lunc htim e party for a ll r a nks to toas t t h e n ew
W e must thank our Specia l R ecruiters and the R egime nt plu s a B a ll in th e eve nin g.
Bde. R ecruiting Staff for t his improved state of
affairs-well don e! Curre ntl y our Spec ial R e- LETTER FRO~l HIS EXCELLENCY THE
cruiter s are Sgt. L eat (Marble Arch ), C/ Sg t . Dive GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF GUYANA
(Hounslow ), Sgt. Willis (Acton ) Sgt. Fis her (Tot-
tenham ), Sgt. Burford (W embley ), and Sgt. K err SIR RICHARD LUYT, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., D.C.M.
(Finchley ). W e are looking forward to seeing G uyana House,
them soon. W e have a lso h a d an inc rea se in G eorge town,
Office r s trength. The n et gain of 18 has cons ider- Guyan a.
ably ea sed our probl e m s, a lthough of course n ot Augus t 18th, 1966.
all are serving with the Bn. The great est event
was the formal notification of our future trans- My D ear Colonel Shipster,
formation into 4th Bn. The Queen's R egiment. All Th e time is drawing near when both the
ranks of the 1s t Bn. wis h to r ecord their firm
r esolve to accept the change in the spirit in which Middlesex R egiment and the Governor-Gen eral
it w as introduced; and carry forward into the will b e le aving Gu y ana. It is thus sp ecially fitting
Queen 's R egiment all that is g ood from our that I should write to you about t h e R egime nt's
present che rished R egimenta l tra ditions and ser v ice in this coun t r y a nd about m y a ssoc ia tion
standards. After our stay in Guyana, as we take with it.
stock of what was a chi ev ed , th er e i s no doubt
that this short tour did a great deal to improve When the Middlesex a rrived I was- until
and consodidate our operational, s pecialist, a d - Indep endence-still Governor a nd Commander-in-
minis trative and physica l e ffi c ie n cy a fte r n earl y Chi ef of British Guiana. This put m e, much more
three years of garrison duties. Muc h practical than is u s ual in c oloni a l t e rritori es, into c lose r e-
experience was gained by everybody and in par- lationship with the military forces. For several
ticular junior leader s w er e able to exercise in- years British R egiments supported by local troops,
dep endent comma nd. have h a d to play a major inte rnal security role in
British Guiana. Without them I could not have
Octobe r sa w our eagerly-antic ipated r eturn to implem ented Britis h policy in 1964 nor would I
Palace Barrac k s, famili es a nd le ave. R e-acc lima- hav e b ee n at all happy in 1965. By 1966, with work
tisation was not an ea sy process, the precious w e ll don e, th e inte rn a l security position was ea s ier
hoards of X.M. rum swiftly disappeared in the but it r emained n ecessary for at least one British
attempts to prov ide p ersonal h eating. Battalion to b e ready with the n ecessary know-
ledge, tra ining and a bility to r esume the work of
Howev er, w eather in the "T e mperate Zone" the ir predecessors should n eed arise. I w as always
did e n s ure that th e sports pitc h es would be more sure that the Middlesex R egiment could do this
"comfortable" than those in Guyana. W e had w ith full c onfid e nce.
played a good d eal of football, both Rugby and
Assoc iation, a nd some hock ey, whils t in South Since 26th May, your B a tta lion's m a in duty
America, and in fact had finished our tour in has been to a ssist in the rapid training of the
Guyana with the Rugby and Soccer t eams both Guyan es e D e f e nce Force. From what I have seen,
w e ll up in th e top half of th e local leagu e tables . and b een told, thi s duty has b een, and is still b e ing,
In Northern Ire land the Soccer XI unfortunately w ell p e rformed . I know that the Governm ent of
los t to the 4!7th Dragoon Guards by two goals to Guyana is grateful. When w e both lea ve h e r e in
one in the third round of the Army Cup, played October, I am s ure tha t you, and all who serve
at Holywood. The game was a r eplay after a with you in the Middlesex R egim e nt, will b e abl e
previous draw. to feel tha t y our t as k s have b een p e rforme d w ell.
I, for my part, will be grateful to you, the last
It looked at one time that the Rugby XV would British Battalion to work with m e, just as I am
b e d efeated in the Army Rugby Cup by the grate ful to your pre d e c essors. Without the h e lp
weather before even m eeting their opponents. of the British soldier the success story of Guyana
Howev er, 1st Bn. The King's R egiment kindly of these last two and a half years could almost
allowed us to use their ground so w e w er e able certainly n ever have b een written . I wish all
to fight a fierce but victorious battle against th e "Die-Ha rds " e v e r y s u ccess in th e futur e .
Gloucest ershire R egiment XV on n eutral ground
at Ballykinlar. W e are eage rly awaiting th e Yours s incer ely,
quarter-final clash, again at Ballykinlar, this time RICHARD E . LUYT,
against the School of Artillery, Larkhill, on 7th Governor-Gen er a l.
January, '67. W e trust that the Rugby t eam will
not have enjoyed the V esting Day celebrations
too w ell whe n the s eventh com es around . W e h ear
that th e Gunn e r s have 350 officers alon e on pos t ed
s trength.

Th e Bde. Signals Exe r c is e began on th e 5th
D ecember , but prior to that the Bn. had "two
warmers into the bank" to prepare for it. On
these two expeditions south towards the Mourne
Mountains, gale force winds and driving rain
provided almost as much opposition a s the Atalan-
tans. Howeve r w e triumphed and all ranks par-
ticipating w e r e awa rd ed th e "C.D .M ." (Compo
Does Marve ls ) . No soon e r w e r e these t raining
and sporting ex ercises b ehind us than w e found
Chris tmas sta ring us in the face. N a tura lly the
whole Bn. could not go on leave for the festive
s ea s on but of those who could a la rge numbe r
made trac k s for B e lfas t Dock s a nd the d e lights of

43

l(aieteur Fails

THE sight of Guyana is the breathtaking Kaie-

AtKawkbhenmiaesldoioheeewtvwerteaeei.uacsrunraTtsrddohmFrmeioasasaepnolfjltmtdaoshhol,rlieeifnsttwyiVg7mha4hii1rociegeotcfshoffheoBreveinsraeatNtirrttfiiyeshrasioFeghndmpaagePrlprleloeoaestpbhotaafperarbFliiloenltvlayielpwRlrisnAhuitowvonfterkhihtnirdnhi,ceocoaehua.wwNbgnltoroooliYrrrenslgttesdeghoesst,,
in the Ayanga nna Mountains n ear the Braz ilian
border. After flowing through jungle to th e
Kaieteur Falls th e
, it then winds on through
Eagle Mountains, finally joining
jungl e-cover ed e River 120 miles fr om its source.
the E ssequibo g by a geologist
The Falls w er di scover ed in 1870 as prospecting
named Barrin ton Brown, who w
in the area for valuable min eral s.

estIonshpwoeunaIclltidlaalwhnl1y5ada2vsmeAaedttlmhlekcbeiniredaosreonspdnkposoftrBhtmHuaasn.atQeidt.eymCtheootrmhyfoe.buvebigstrahrissitoopiund,otgfitnhothteuhGereerFootaBoruglunnlersd.-,., cwartbweiiAFbonnahgiooaaatmptgauaahlsroailtgitdadetsn,mghtrssasuAieiwepstnskKwhmnovigbadraetahosaeoeFiiula1teanacpapeutctrcbhlal,yuakoyhlortcmes.nevhtc,arwgydAeaip.rFsiniltrgnStceheatnyahgtohihtelroigieloeunesnsthudnheeggpt-i-fgbugstakrmieechlnthlna<idolaleittsiocnlyhrce2arafatelao,suendwbi0rbfndsr0dioflestend0sauhrergttdetdifheeacrvaerarenerbene3b.nopder0tugeysdNag.pneshciTmoergbmnrikodtigtoheno!mhuiphalaenuiseetn.agsbnu.fcgWyottrirkUeaarvilatvsosianeionepn,tnoerroxligsarklspodtpaatthmaanekotunodeaosrdpgikndssr--tt
journey taking a (restful) s ix days. dombe(intnneeihglcltaeeeatysrouueelspdadieptwhbtaiaehtoyyen.wfwfliyajnaAiol)dasluleignracnlglslgieeemogayotrprvhgsaoeeeetnfrhoopattwthhftahheereKttirhcytjahoeo3ipe0aubtprteoomhnpufaeerirtoynaaunwcRctotaioeheuvssesledTcdrapaunrbrkTodpPeegumoirtskttheeeaesener1isnntto2-,.

lBeaftrtAiGcllaeovfriegsrietrtsyo.fwoTnllhoiewsaer"dloyctheSaeanstuagmrrdeeayyphoamuttnoedrrnn"i. npTguhteoonpuattrhttyeo
sRi teiavreeaarncdihnettodr a vwBehalilrcethdi c aai tl oitnnugrtnhtehede,l acstoaeai lsiatnfgtt oe runtphoseot rnEe. as sBmeaqruutniibct ioal
has for many years been the base from which
pros pectors (known locall y as "Porkknockers")
set out to search for gold and diamonds in the
Potaro, Essequibo and Mazaruni Rivers.

From Bartica three-ton v~hicles took th e party
er camp at Winep eru, where the Bn.
to the lumb a base for adventur e training. ahhtfsPWutllpgffiluooihnaioeripeaotgoxctrerherteztoihd.kureerareteivTeatwhrneiranenAlituotrogereoldhrswglvtky.nluyaoeltete3dFaahsvoor"io,bsitheelvgptsonvoolueoeftmleoaKiiubhrerersnwsorlklitrguelaauilfsysetaneitea,ln5ht.lnessghytacettdspht,ePeoadcmhw.ieurmvnosshieteaetaahpreeneos.ftlFlrpedevstulotkpaabaopitelegurraafnylehrgrnnertlfrydsouiriswrtiovevaaohyttdgaansevitnhptmabedaheytrtedhrdea.tdveerersrfyydtee,uototashoer.nhoavHdpriurdepeineewdIoug.sgbeorbtautmte7ahrsetIhhoty4dgeoyethitwoee07ss,mshpe5udicantastscoaffoooohsepidsteoynfgw.foeueraeradhkabitnrnerattaptaseimshdfp,nitcnstrmatnsgteopaigegaudnhdlnotnircueymeltroefiwtieitttaaaasptahitbnfisalhcoitintchdtelltnhctokrueseoheiliieegeolyd;rcsysstr,,l.
maintained party left to drive d On
Sunday the Win ep e ru own

toe Potaro trail to Kangaruma Landing. Th e trail
was mostly fairly good, the main hazard
fallen trees. Eighty miles later the trail c being
rossed

a very s mart s usp e ns ion bridge, built in the 1930's,
which s pans the Potaro at Garraway Stream . On
again a long a hilly, bumpy, ston e -s trewn trail
(punctures a re the main hazard here, and the
jack does not always st a nd as firmly under t he
vehicles as it does in the M .T . s h e d) until we
trail. " Take de raht fork
reached a fork in the Four miles la t e r- Kanga -
a nd follow yo' nose ." e lc om e resting place after
ruma guesthouse, a w
hours of lurching along in th e bac k of a three-
tanner. Qui et, roomy and w e ll laid out a nd ex-
trem ely clean, the smartness of the resthouse is
due to the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, the
care tak e r. Mr. Au stin, th e local boat owne r and
sdtohinilaiesmnttcoh,onefmdlovpwpelerastanebnnsedelKaro,hwalnivttghheuseerarnmeiemsxatpth. rotTeouhssseteiho,Penaonrtdeoasrftaof,hbtsoeewruinsigdef,itnaCannnoeddlr. to Tuk eit for breakfast.
the out-
The return journey was the same as days to
ward journey in reverse, taking three
compl e t e.
Fawcett on the Amazon can be very strong. Thus after s ix days away, those who s it at
·djmntrwuhoeaoessaamtrmkrtitfisehonio,src,gfyaos,ttiriehtonieoenmtinomnseesgiastlaiehynpneiitatncatntsihPduenaeoGretmetduaoiyttrnwhhaosgenitelolycralyrh. eashbstnt,aWroiglvitlvtihecnoioeagmrusneellmideetfssnaadsdiawnietsmgieotosahmb.rgirgneeie,tgps.hohlaiatmtnnhc-gdeee
vcsArsieatemvashresrrieEtrciirioelnianednbrgssdel ygditaaaohannwMnned.dnoboInouttedbatoqabtewmuydotaidaehpsrimnemndomgelrre;onoinnvatsigdentMreigandrp,tea.e, atthtlhtcAahheeeureefgsupbteljiarooneraauptstnrayt,ndhacekanolyenurdfedsotulefaptatxhhpafirtntoenheeigsderer-.

44

Baramita Patrol

The hig hlig ht of the tour in Guyana, as far as s till live a primitive exis te nce in spi te of the
9 PI. is concerned, came at the end of July when gen e ra l drive to open up and develop th e inter ior.
w e all bade farew e ll to th e comforts and s ophistica- '!'he flrs t to settl e in the Ca ribbean I s la nds, th e
tion of Atkinson Base a nd h ead ed for the un- Caribs have n ow withdrawn to this re mote a rea
known te rrors of the North W est frontier. W e a nd now numb er only 600. Th ey r e t a in man y of
s oon found that all those stories about fi e rce, the ir past c u stom s, s uc h as th e b e li ef in voodoo
dissident tribes w ere completely untrue and came and the practice of polygam y. W e m et up with
to the conclus ion that somebody has moved the one old Carib who sti ll keeps fi ve \Vives and who
Khyber Pass, because w e looked very hard for it impressed us with his gen era l good health and
and had no success. c h ee rfuln ess.

But this is jumping head . A c tually it all On a more serious note, it was very distress-
started at the beginning of July when th e M.O. ing to flnd that many of the Caribs w ere suffer-
s howe r ed us with table t s which h e ca ll ed P a ludrin, ing from m easles, a disease of no g reat s ignifi-
a nd the Coy. Comdr. told us w e were soon to go cance to urban communities but one which has
on a special mission. serious effects on th ese for est dwe ll e rs, caus ing
both a g en eral listlessn ess and, in som e cases,
The Paludrin puzzled u s at flrs t. One sc hool death. W e derived some satis faction from the
of thought flrmly b eliev ed they w e re the latest effort of L / Cpl. G lear , our " m edic," who did
chemical warfare device, but could offer no ideas sterling work in h elping to k eep down the fever
what w eapon they w er e to be flred from. Th e of those who allowed themselves to be treated,
more mature of us rea lised that of course th ey but r egr ettably, many of us will leave this country
provid e d the painl ess las t r e lease from fl e ndish with a picture of their suffering and helplessness
torture by the en emy. As it happen ed we w e re all firmly embedded in our minds.
wrong. They were to s top us catching m a laria,
for w e were bound for Ba.ramita whe re al1 the After four days the fir s t patrols r eturned to
malarial mosquitoes in the country gather for their base, a 11 having ach ieved the ir various aims.
a nnual summer training camp.
Sgt. Stevens complained of sore feet and
Baramita li es som e 150 miles W est of Geo rge- should have known better, for h e was whisked off
town, being only five miles from Guyana's W estern by h e li copte r to wield a pair of paddl es on another
fronti er with Venuzuela. 9 Pi. were to go ther e more dis tant s tretch of the Barama River. H e
to gether all the information they could on the re turn ed four days later with even more painful
border, the countr y and the local inhabitants in feet, h aving been forc ed to w a lk with hi s boat
the immediate area. The v ery sound of Baramita much further than it ha d b een possible to paddle
is exotic, and to th e naive it conjured up images it.
closely linked with Acapulco and Southend-on-Sea.
When, however, w e tumbled from the Dakota after Afte r t e n days a ll patrols were back a t base,
a bumpy hour-long flight, all w e could see was a a bl e to look with satisfaction at a d etail ed map
g rass airstrip with just three wooden shacks and of the area, which was entire ly due to their own
a n endless panorama of virgin jungle. This was g ood work. T a ll stori es were s w a pped, a nd even
to b e our base for the n ex t 12 days. tall er stories told to the base p e r so nn e l. The latte r
had been confined to the B aramita a ir-s trip for
W e soon b egan in earn est to fulflll our allotted the dura tion of the visit and w ere by now, expert
tasks. Local guides w ere engaged from the 20-odd poker playe r s to a man . Th ey were also ab le to
Ame rindians who li ve at Baramita, and w e were testi fy to Major Polla rds q ualities as a cook,
a ll set. Sgt. Stevens disappear ed in a North- a lthough som e were not yet recon c il ed to having
W est erly direction, h ead ed for the fronti er, and c urry powder and red peppers w ith their corn-
Cpl. Puck ey and his section did likewise to the flak es.
South. Cpl. Fros t and L / Cpl. Saunders preferred
to travel in style, and with Ples. Gardener and By 6th August, it was time to begin the r e-
Murphy and a pair of collapsible canoes, left by t urn journey to Atkin son. Coy. H .Q. r etu rn ed the
h elicopte r to b e dropp ed on the Barama River, easy way by a ir, but there were more a rduous
som e s ix mil es to the South. Th ey were to r eport plans in the offing for the Platoon. Ahead of us
o n th e navigability of th e river a nd to plot its lay a 34-mi le march to Matthew's Ridge, a large
course. Th ey soon found that in common w ith manganese mine and from there a trip on a
mos t rivers in the area, the Barama is full of manganese train to the K a ituma River. A launch
obstacles, in the form of f a ll en trees, s ubm e rged was then to tak e us by river to Mabaruma where
roc ks and swirling rapids, a nd that if you do not we were to embark on a steam er for a two-day
happen to have a pair of gills and a dorsal fin on trip to Georgetown. The march was n egotiated
y ou, y our progress is bound to b e s low. The after three days which t ested us to the full. Mile
patrol s uffer ed m a n y "duckings" but to their cr edit a fter mile of swamp, mounta ins a nd thick forest
became quite exp ert at r efloating both them selves were flnally put behind us a nd we settled down
and th e ir boats. L / Cpl. Saunde rs was even seen t o to a compl e te day's rest at the m a nga n ese min es
s urface with a cigarette still in his mouth. In the where everyone was most hospitable a nd h elpful.
m eantim e, L / Cpl. Barlow and his section w e r e
busy mapping tracks between Baramita airstrip Pte. Love h a d proved the "br ew-up" king over
and the numerous small gold mines that a r e still the past few days. W e worked it out quite accur-
being worked in the area. Actually w e now s uspect a t e ly and found that h e wou ld do 10 m .p.g. on a
that h e has tampe red with his compass, because it long run.
seem ed to lead him with s u s picious fr eq u e n cy back
to base. While a ll this was going on Lt. G r aham After two days on a crowded steam er, which
had donn ed his loin-cloth and gone a ll Am e rindian . was hard put to accommodate our hammoc ks, we
With Ptes. Love and Bird in tow h e flitted from fin a ll y tumbled ashore at Georgetown.
one Am erindian vi11age to the n ext, gath ering all
poss ibl e information on t he loca l tribe known as Cpl. Smith changed from g reen to his more
the Caribs. Th e latter we found at all times to b e us ual white, so we kn ew we w e re back to norm a l.
most helpful, fri endly, if rather s hy people who W e a ll have our own m e mori es of Baramita, a nd
Cpl. Frost is often h eard to say in his s leep
" only three mil es to g o ." O n e certa inty is that
for every on e of us it h ad been a n exp e ri e n ce non e
would have missed.

45

The Regimental Depot

USUALLY a busy month, D ecembe r , '66, exce lled Our social activities have naturally centred
itse lf. In the first week the D epot was v is ited round Christmas. A highly successful "smok er"
by a team from Southern Televlston, under pro- was h eld in the N.A.A.F.I on 20th D ece mber. The
ducer K eith Hulse, covering a feature on m odern t hree resident platoons produced a s hort act, and
training m ethods and the passing of the old style a £4 prize was offered for the best one. Mons
N .C.O . Eventually this visit r esulted in 10 minutes' Platoon, ably directed by Cpl. Clarke and Ptes.
time on the screen in which Mr. Hulse gave us Betts a nd Gordon c:lin ched the winner with a
a very good c ove rage. take off of Snow White (or was it Goldilocks?)
a nd the three bears. We also discover ed in Pte.
Social activity included a da nce a nd buffet Muldoon a s tar worthy of the T op Twenty. C.S.M.
s upper in th e Officers' Mess for m e mbe rs and Power was astonished to see that the modern
fri end s and the W .O.'s and S ergeants' Mess put recruit's capacity for beer is certainly on a par
on th e ir usual magnificent C hri stm as Draw. Th e with those of bygon e days.
P ermanent Staff Club and Junior Soldiers also
organised dances and Christmas Draws and the Sergeants' !\less
recruits held a successful "smoker." Two hundred With t h e formation of t he new R egime n t the
a nd fifty children a ttended the Christmas party
and this owed its success to the untiring efforts D epot Sergeants' Mess celebrated the New Year
of R.S .M. and Mrs . K eyton and member s of the with a n ew name, "The Queen's R eg im e nt..
c ivilian s taff were e nte rtain ed to dr"inks in th e Celebrations consist ed of "drinks a nd buffet
Junior Ranks Club a nd the pre-C hri stmas lunch" which took place immediately after the
activity ended with the traditional dinner served Vesting Day Parade at mid-day. At the "drinks"
to the m en by the Officer s, Warrant Officers and we were very pl eased to h ave as our guest s Lt.-
Sergeants . Gen. Sir Richard Craddock, the Mayor of Canter-
bury, Maj .-Gen. Piggott, Maj.-Ge n . Tarver, Brig.
Th e deck s were t h en well and tr uly cleared Ash worth, Maj .-Ge n . Man , Col. Battye, Col. Ander-
so that all efforts rould be concentrated in the son, Lt.-Col. Buckeridge and their L adies, toge•.h er
few days after the noliday on preparations for with guest s invited f rom the T .A. Battalions, Re-
the Vesting Day Cere:nony on N ew Year's Eve- cruiting Offices a nd t hose on E.R.E. of whom we
reported elsewh ere in this issu e . knew th e whereabouts. After a break in the
afternoon we all got together in the evening for
There have been few postings lately but after a grand social to see the New Year "in." At mid-
two a nd a quarte r years as Adjutant, Capt. Mark nig ht , as the Old Y ear and the Old Titles went
Tarver has left for Germany, where h e is to out, th e toast (in rum punch ) by the R.S.M., Bill
become G.S.0.3 (Int.) at H.Q. 20 Armoured Bri- K eyton, was "To Th e New R egiment. "
gade. Hi s s uccessor IS Capt. Neil P earce.
Wit h the inauguration of the n ew R egimental
At home Journal our aim will be to obtain closer links
The date fixed for the 1967 At Home, which between t he D epot and Battalion Sergeants'
Messes, a nd we shall keep yo u informed of those
wi ll be h e ld at Th e D epot, is Su nd ay, 9th Jul y, '67. who pass through or visit the D epot Mess.

Training Company In November last we entertained a large
These notes will be t he first to come from party from t he Mess at Oswestry. R .S.M. J ohn
Bing and about 25 of his m ess m e mbers had com e
Training Coy. of the D epot The Queen 's R egi- over for the Army .Junior Boxing Championships,
m e nt. Like the saying that " variety is the sp ice taking place at Dover ; they joined our social
of life" so we hope that our n e ws fl ash es will evening after the Championships, which they won
enterta in all those interested in D epot affairs. for the sixth year r unning. Flush ed with victory
th ey proceeded to 'llake the evening go with a
Th e end of 1966 has seen the introduction of s wing .
the 14-week tra ining period established. During
this time we hope that the recruits going to the During October a number of Mess m embers
four battalions will be better material and more got bitten by the ten pin bowling bug a nd, after
skilled than t heir predecessors. Due to the exten- a certain amount of practice, accepted a challenge
sion in time we have been able to teach more from the Officers' Mess to a match. It would ap-
weapons and give more tim e to fi eldc raft and pear that the Officers somehow worked in a lot
range work. more practice-sports a fte rnoon s ?- because t h e
result was that the Officer s won the m atch by
With the introduction of new techniques and 1,838 points to 1,770.
phraseol ogy we like to fe el that we are keepi n g
up with the times. Lt. David Tucker has been Promotions
trying to conv ince Q .M.S .I . Anderson, our S.A.S.C. Cong ratulation s from the Mess to Sgts. Caul-
expert, t h at the cry is "Fire a nd Manoeuvr e."
Old h abits die hard! k ett a nd Ward on t heir promot ion to Sergeant.

Much to the disgust of those who t hough t Arrivals
they had escap ed, we held the B.P.E . test for Th e M ess w e lc om e W.O .I George Cripps from
the casuals on 21st D ecember . W e have now com-
pleted this test of tltqess for the year a nd w e the 4th Bn. to take up the appointment of Supt.
know that th ere wi ll be sighs of relief from those Clerk , a nd a lso W .O .I Ge rry W ebb from E .R .E .
who will not be h ere in September. in Benghazi and awaiting further posting.
. The Training Coy. image seems to be improv-
m g som ewhat with the institution of v is its by th e Departures
recruits: parents i~ ~heir fourth week of training. Our far ew ell a nd good wish es to:-
By havmg th ese v1s1ts we hope that parents will W .O.I Ala n Martin. who has been Supt. Clerk
be able to see for them selves exactly what we
are trying to t each their sons. They can also a nd go es to M.O.D .; Sgt. "Ch lppy" W ood to 3rd
Judge for t h emselves th e standard of fo od and Bn. ; Sgt. Allan Prince to 3rd Bn.
living accommodation.

46

In clos ing w e would like all Sergea nts' M ess Junior Soldiers' Company
m embers throughout the Regiment to know that
should you wish to stay in the Depot Mess for AS the o ld year ends a nd t h e New Y ear a nd
lpelaevnetyorofvirsoiotimn.g, y ou are n1ost w elcome, we have N ew Regi m e n t begins the 136 Junior So ldi e rs
of t h e D epot (ages 15-17o; h e ig hts 4ft. 7in .- 6ft.
DEPOT STAFF LIST 2in. ) are id eall y pl aced to ce le brate- they a r e on
block leave! Howev e r , t h ey wi ll a ll (le d by th e
D e pot H eadquarters Permanent Staff) hasten to assure readers that
th is is a ha rd-earned rest, and a nyone who looks
Lt.-Col. J . Bucke ridge, C .O. back on the last t e rm co uld not dis pute th is.

Capt. N. C. P ear ce, Adjutant. Among t h e m a n y s porting triumph s, the s uc-
cesses of o ur boxe rs a nd footba ll e rs deserve
Lt. C. R. Webb, Assistant Adjutant. s p ec ia l m e ntio n . W e ente red fi ve boxe rs in th e
Arm y Competitio n op e n to all Infantry Junio1·
Major (R et'd) C. F . Cole, M .B .E ., Adm in . Offr. So ldiers' Co mpa ni es. Four of the fi ve, L / Cp i.
W .O.I R. Keyton, R.S .M. Baker , J / Ptes. B eckl ey a nd Hum p hreys a nd
J / Bds m . Robichaud, won th eir we ights in th e
W .O.I G. Cripps, Supt. Clerk . final , and our only other boxer, J / Bdsm. Hicks.
Sgt. P . Rice, Sergean t Clerk. was forc ed to reti re w ith a brok e n wr ist and
thumb w h en he was ahead on points in the
C le rks: L / Cpis. :$. C lose, C. D a ly, D . Muttock, semi-fin a l. Much of the c r edit for thi s fin e p e r-
Ptes. D. Campy, M. Dav ies, C. G lisso n , forman ce is due to thei r train e r and second ,
K . Wood. H. King, L / Cpl. B a lla rd. Our soccer tea m , ab ly captain ed
b y J / Cpl. McMan u s, s u cceed ed in win ning its way
Quartermaster's Departme n t to th e se mi-fin a l of th e Arm y C up and was t h e n
onl y narrowly defeated by th e eventu a l w inn e rs
Major A. E . F . Wald ro n , M.B.E. , Q.M. of th e c up, th e M e r c ia n B rigad e.
W.O.II R . Benson, R.Q .M.S .
C/ Sgts. T . Ross-Gower, M . P earson , Sgt. J . The h ecti c rus h towards the end of t erm be-
M eacock, Cpi s. G. Braiden, E . Samuels, L /C pi. cam e a whirl of exam s, inte r-platoon com pe titions,
S . Morrison, ptes. G. Burns id e, D . F a rl ey. R . Band and Drums engagem ents and, of course,
Hickmott, J . Nihil. parties. Th e inte r-pla toon compe tition was won
for the third term in s uccession by the Drums
M.I. Room Platoon with th e Ri fl e P latoon a ve ry c lose
Cpl. B . B each , L / Cpl. D . Griffin. second ; n ext came the Band and then Tra ining
Platoon . Th e Band we re t e lev ised re h ea rs ing
Physical Training Staff carols wh ic h th ey late r p layed at t h e an n ual
C pl. T. Ric h ardso n, L /Cpi s. J. Ballard, J . Carol Serv ice at th e Garriso n Churc h a nd a lso
by torchlig h t outside the m a rried quarters. On
Cairns, T . Saunders. t h e last day of term t h e Band and Drums played
for the P assing Out P a rade of Korea Platoon of
Training Coy. Training Compa ny, and were complim e n ted on
their good performa nce.
Major N . B. Knocker.
Capt. B . D . S . Burton A splend id Chris tmas dinn er was most pro-
Lts. D. K. Mumford, I G. Baillie, D . H . A . f ess iona ll y prep a r e d by Sgt. Moon a n d his staff
She phard, M . W . D eakin, D . M. Tuc k er, I. R. a nd far less ex p e r t ly ser ved b y Office rs, W a rra nt
Jones, 2/ Lts. J . E. Hora n . S . J . Y ates, W .O.II 's O ffi cer s a nd S e rgea nts. O n t h e final ni g ht of te rm
R . P ower (C.S.M. Training), J . L e nnox (C.S.M. we h e ld our Chri stmas Draw. ''M emorabl e'' would
Drafting a nd Holding), Sgts . J . All an, F . Boy n e, be a n in appropria te desc ription of this occas ion
A. Caulkett, J . Garton, P. McFadyen, T . Pryor, D . - next morning many m embers of the Compan y
Screene, M. Seager, A . Smith , K . Spillett. H. could rem ember nothing of the previous evening,
Ward, Cpls. D . Ambrose, M. Aylward, J . Blanch- t h ough a ll d e finit ely f e lt th ey h ad b een som e-
e tte, N . Bull e n , R . Clarke, A. Cornford , E . Curti s, w h e r e. Howeve r, d espite t h e hig h f a ll-ou t r ate,
A . Davis, W . G ittins, A. Hill, R. Jones, M . Mow- the survivors thoroughly enjoyed the evening and
bray, D . Patterson , D . P e rkins, C. Pow ell. G. w e r e twisting v igo r ously ri g ht to th e e nd . The
Price, D. Robert s S . Rogers, M . Sibley, D . Will- months -long hard work of C.S .M. and Mrs.
matt, L /Cpls. D . Ch ambe rlai n , G. H a rringto n , R . Palm e r in organ is in g t his event h ad proved wPll
King, Ptes. L. D enyer, J . Myles, T . Pepper. wort h w hil e.

Junior Soldiers' Coy. And so to leave. B efore we d epa rted for
Major J. D . Norton. Chri stm as, w e bade f a rew e ll to on e instruc tor,
Capt. S . T. W . Anderson, L t . M. J . C. Tweed ie, L / Cpl. H edges, r eturning to t h e 1st Battalion
after a s hort to ur with us, a nd to seven teen
W.O .I D . Bryce (Bandmast e r), W.O .II's J . L ewis boys who h ave r eac h e d th e age of 170 and w ill
(Drum Major), A . Paim er (C.S .M.) , S / Sgt. L . Day s hortl y b e j oining t h e ir battali ons. W e w is h t h e m
Sgts. J. R eynolds, G. Wildis h . L . Ward, Cpl s. D . a ll good lu c k.
Fis h er, K. Geeves, G. Palfrey, L / Cpls. A . Bull,
D . Cooper, A. Fletch er, A . Maso n , Pte. C. Smith. Other boys were drawing s kis from the s tores
ready for adventure tra ining courses of ins truc-
Attached Personnel tion in Scotla nd a nd in No rway, for w hich they
R .A.M.C.: Col. ( R e t 'd ) L . G. Irv in e, M.B. h ave vo lunteer ed during t h eir leave. W e hop e th ey
a ll r e turn un scath ed.
(late R.A.M .C.).
Fin a ll y, we must r eco rd w it h prid e t h at a
R .E.M.E. : Sgt. P . White. m embe r of t h e Compan y, J / Bds m . T erry, was
R .A.P.C. : S / Sgt. K. Miles , select ed to take par t in the V esti ng Day parade
S.A.S.C.: W .O.II C And erson . at the D epot on 31st D ecember, when h e h a d t h e
honour of be ing th e first to raise the flag of th e
R.A.E.C. : Major T . R. Bowles, Capt.'s C. W . L . new Queen 's Regiment.
Hankins, J . M. Donoghu e, Lt. A . E . Flatley, B.A.,
Major (R et'd ) I. C. Austin.

A.P.T.C. : S / Sgt. K . H aslam.

A .C.C.: Sgt. B. Moon, Cpl. E . Sheph e rd, L /Cpl.
J . Carter, Ptes. A. Car ter, G. Flockhart, D . Sm ith,
D . T aylor, M. Whitley.

47

News from the Territorial Battalions

3rd. Bn. The Queen's fa r as Th e Qu eens R egim e nt is co ncern ed , is
Royal Surrey Regt. outlin ed, s o the re is no need t o say m ore he re.

(T . A . ) W e in 4 Buffs a nti c ipated th e reo rgani sation
to s om e ex t e nt a nd in th e latte r mon t h s of 1965
("A" Coy. 5 Queen's Designate) th e Bn . w as res ha ped to prov id e a s trong H ead-
qua rte r e le m e nt and a vi abl e Rifle Coy., whi c h
A S with other Companies in the Bn. we in c lud ed a Support PI. It is sad t o r e late t h a t
formed our new company in the autumn ; neither of these s ub-units was establis hed fully:
this being the real test as to whether or not the re w e re ins uffic ie nt "Indian s" but too man y
prospective vo lunteers would be prepared to " Chi e fs." It was on this organisation that our
travel to the drill hall at Guildford. training up to and including the Annua l Camp
was based.
W e had to face the truth that we w er e not
fully up to strength, but already in the last As it turned out, guesswork supported by
month w e have had three volunteers. s om e a rgum e nt, proved to be w e ll found e d for,
wh e n the p lans for th e o ve rall reorgani sation be-
On Armis tic e Day, the Bermondsey C oy, of cam e known, it was found tha t 4 Buffs w ere to
the Bn was as k ed to provide a gua rd at the s pons or th e Bn . H .Q. a nd H .Q. Coy. of the futur e
Cenotaph parade, but, in fact, all the m en on it 5 QUEEN&-a tas k w e w e r e w e ll placed (at Can-
came from the new company. terbury) and organised to fulfil. It was a source
of pride th a t Lt.-Col . D . A . Willows , our present
At the beginning of D ecember we had our C.O ., wa' sele cte d to b e th e onl y Voluntee r ~ . 0.
firs t w eek end , and a lively ex e rc ise was la id on of a Volunteer Bn.
for the Support Platoon, who w e re out with the ir
full complement of vehicles and radio s. Subsequently, it w as announced that the
Band of 5 QUEEN S was a ls o to b e based a t Can-
The riflemen had a chance to c arry out the t e rbury.
bas ic section drills in 1he field and to t est the ir
individual skill in a night compass march. Hig hlig hts of 1966
It is gratifying to b e abl e to look bac k into
On 22nd D ecember, the s ocial committe e,
headed by Cpl. Browning, arranged a very plea- 1966 a nd to r eca ll som e of the s uccesses of t h e
sant evening in our modernised bar- unfor- year which establish a happy precedent for the
tunately, they had to take all the dirty plates "n ew " org anis ation to follow :-
home as the kitchen is not yet finished. Cpl. Clegg
showed the colour slides he took earlier in the 1. Winners (for the third year running) a nd
month when he went on a recce of the Black Runners-up in th e K e nt T . & A.F .A.
Mountain district of Wales to plan the route for Small-Bore Pis tol Shoot, and sixth in th e
an Adventure Training weekend next Easter. N .S.R .A . Small-Bore Matc h .

4th Bn. The Buffs (T.A.) 2. Third in the 44 (H .C.) Div/ Dis t . Rifle
Meeting for Ma jor Units.
DILIGENT and patient readers of the Invicta
wi ll be fu lly conversant with the affairs of 3. Best Infantry SkiUs T eam (our Faver-
the 4th Bn. The Buffs over the past few months s ham D etac hm ent). Winners of th e Bd e.
but for the sa ke of rhe vast new field that has Shooting Competition and Cup. Winne rs
been opened up with the initiation of this a nd Runners-up in th e Bd e. M.T. Com-
Journal it is necessary to recapitulate somewhat. petition and Cup. Second in the Infantry
Skills Competi t ion. Second in the Bde.
Reorganisation Challenge C up (133 Inf. Bd e. Compe ti-
In the summer of 1965 th e firs t announcement tions) .

of the proposed reorganisation of the R eserve 4. Winning Band in th e 44 ( H .C. ) Di v / Dis t.
Army was made and by its clumsy presentation T .A . Band Competition .
caused considerab le dis may, dis illusionm e nt and
distrust . In r etrospect, had the blow been Events of the 1\'Ionth
cushioned and delivered with tact and som e Des pite the fa c t that this is a p e riod of
evidence of salesmanship, even the most ardent
m embe r of t h e T .A . or the ir s upporte r s might trans ition or perhaps because of it this has been
have been prepared to admit that reorganisation a t horoughly busy month a s the followin g sum·
was long overdu e, and even t hat som e g ood might mary shows :
be derived from a new approach. However, that
was not to be. 44 (H.C.) Div/ Dist. Study Period. This was
h eld on the w eekend 3rd/ 4th December at Shorn-
In another article in this Journal, under the cliffe and was devoted largely, somewhat natur-
heading "Reorganisation of the R eserve Army," a lly, to discus sion of th e probl e m s facing the
the background to t h e reorganisation and the T . & A .V .R. It was sati s fac tor y to have s ome
proposed n ew or ganisation of th e T . & A .E .R. a s of the problems ironed out for us , but unsettling
and de press ing to h ear othe rs be ing introduced
of which w e had not yet thought. The Study
P eriod w as atte nd ed b y the Colone l, Trg. M a ior
and Ma jors Johns on a nd Browne repres enting
T . & A .V .R . IIA, a nd Majors Pilc h e r and T ay lor
r epr esenting T . & A .V .R. Ill .

The Band played at the Church Service on
the Sunday morning , but thanks to the very
trea cherous road conditions . was s omewhat under-
strength for the first h ymn, but had built up
impressively by the last.

The sam e icy s urface had accounted for the
ditching of Maj . Brown e's n ew car as h e w e nde d
his way back from the dinn er which was pa rt
of the Study P eriod. It says much for his initia·
tive that he was abl e to persuade s om eon e to tow
him out at 2 a .m . on a Sunday m o rning.

48

Bn. H .Q. S ignal and D e ploy m e nt Exercise. On Saturday, 17th December, there was the
The first fi e ld exer c ise for th e n ew ly con s titu ted us ual pre-Christmas pre-lun ch sess ion in th e
Bn . H .Q. incorporating m e n drawn from our own Officers' Mess . Need less to say, som e managed to
rifie coy. a nd from 5 Buffs a nd 4/ 5 R.W.K., was take lunch when most people would have been
h eld on the w eek end 10th/ 11th D ecember . washing-up the tea things. On this occasion we
s ome trials and tribulations as After h ad a n opportunity to say f a r ewe ll to our Brigade
m e n of an ra nks Commande r, B ri g. Ronni e Buc kland, w ho h as
w e re briefed- or in some cases (in the absen ce been hus tled away after on ly a year in office.
of adequate briefing) tried to find out what was
r eq uired of them -ever yth in g settled into a r e- A lso on Saturday, 17th D ecember , the re was
m a rkab ly s mooth rhythm . a H .Q. Coy. Dance, whic h was excell e ntly
Som e useful lessons were learn ed or re- attend ed a nd went with a r eal swing. Congratu-
learned, not least that it can be exceptionally co ld lations to the hard working committee m embers
in t he early hours of a D ecember morning. Indeed who h ad organised the party, not only for their
s ome officer s probab ly r egr e tted t h at the Trg. initial preparatio ns but a lso fo r th e ir fl exibility
Major kindly prevented their oversleeping in t he in coping with twice the number for which they
comfort of the Mess to turn t hem out at 2 a.m. h ad p la nn ed .
to move to R einden Wood.
The night occupation of a wooded a r ea was 5th Bn. The Buffs (J.A.l
on t h e w hole w ell don e, though the r e was some
confusion as to the s ig nifi cance of red a nd green A S these are the first Bn. notes for the new
lig hts indicating the circuit, a nd this m ay h ave Journal, it will not come amiss if, for the
accounted for the Cooks' vehicle getting com- benefit of new readers, they open with a brief
preh en sively bogged. This was the only hitch to recapitulation of the form so far as the Reserve
the cook ing a rra ngem ents, which, in the absence Army reorganisation is concerned.
of the C.Q.M .S. and A .C.C. S e nior Ranks, was
unde r the control of S / Sgt. Macal eese (R.E '.M.E .) The present 5th Bn., The Buffs (T.A.) , is
and Sgt. W a k e (4/ 5 R.W.K.) . fi nding the majority of Volunteers for B( Queen's
The Signa ls Exercise was based on a n IS set- Own Buffs ) Coy, 5th Volunteer Bn. The Queen's
ting. Th e out-stations and the acting I .O., 2/ L t. Regiment as well as being the parent unit of the
Roger Woodma n, showed great ingenuity in de- new-forming 7th (Territorial) Bn.
v ising and play ing n ew situations throughout.
The ra dio oper ator s settled down to their task When all this r eshuffle has taken place, the
w e ll a nd the only fiy in th e ointm e nt was the fin a l locations will be as follows: Broadstairs-
discovery that yet another new radio procedure B Coy. 5 QUEENS (V ); A Coy. 7 QUEENS (T ).
is to be introdu ced on our formal formation date, D eal- Bn . H .Q. a nd C Coy. 7 QUEENS (T ).
1st April, 1967. Folkestone-B Coy. 7 QUEENS (T).
The deployment side, under the control of
O.C . H .Q . Coy. (Capt. Garnse y, 5 Buffs) and th e In effect, what is happe ning is that a ll T . &
R.S.M., went well until the last position, which A .V .R. II Volunteer s will b e training at Broad-
som ewhat defeated the h a rbour party, but t his s tairs, whilst the T . & A .V.R . III T e rrito rials will
was an educationa l experience. train at Broadstairs, D eal a nd Folkestone. W e
are now truly in the middle of th e tra ns itiona l
T ak en a ll in all and considering this was our period with both Volunteers a nd T erritorials
first outing under the new organisation, it was a training s id e by s id e. E ve ntually, both organisa-
u seful and r ewarding exerc ise, despite t h e bitterly tions wi ll b e entirely separate-but no t in t oo
cold but fortunately dry w eather. watertig ht a compartment w e feel s ure! Bn. notes
until the vesting date (1s t April, 1967) will be
Band Get-together. On Sunday, 18th D ecem- based on th e present unit a nd w ill a lmost cer-
b e r , the Band N.C.O.s a nd Bands m e n s~ l ected tainly cover th e activiti es of both n ew ly-forming
for the future Band of 5 QUEENS had their first organisations.
"teach in" at the Leros T . & A.V.R. Centre at
Canterbury in the Band Practice Room, r ecently Farewell to Ramsgate ahd Margate
converted from a c inema, under the hammer and On 1s t J a nua r y, 1967, A Coy. (R a m s gate) a nd
Gaelic curses of Bandmaster Clark. The Trg.
Major briefed th e Band, which is drawn from the B Coy. (Margate) withdrew from their r espective
present 4 a nd 5 Buffa Bands, plus three loyal T .A. Centres at Willso ns Road a nd Victoria Road,
a nd willing-to-travel m embers of t he Sussex thus severing links with both towns which extend
Yeomanry B a nd who live in far-off H astings. The to 1908 a nd eve n before that. It is, p e rhaps, trite
C.O. also spoke to them and w elcom ed those to say how sad it is to have to leave the building-
from 5 Buffs and the Y eomanry, to Canterbury. w here the individual has perhaps served for 14
years. That w e h ave achi ev e d the move says
The Queen's Regiment Vestlng Day. The much for the spirit of all t hose involved a nd a
Band of the future 5 QUEENS and a detachment ready acceptance of t he "forward look" rather
of six m en w ere on parade with the D epot con- than r emaining in the pas t.
tingent at the Vesting Day Cer emony at Howe
Barracks on Saturday, 31st D ecember . One or New Appointment
two others might have been on parade had they Capt. R . J . S. Morgan , M .C., who has b een
paid a little more attention to d etail, turned up
o n time and prope rl y turn e d out for t h e Para d e. the P ermanen t Staff Officer with the 5th Bn.
This is m e ntion ed for it is su r e ly tim e that t h e s in ce S epte mbe r, 1959, is to b ecome th e Admini-
lessons of punctua lity a nd a decent standard of strative Officer of the 7th (Territorial Bn. and
dress w ere fully learned. tak es up his n ew duti es (appropriately enough )
on 1s t April n ext . In the m eantime h e will b e
Social Activities fairly busily engaged in closing-down at Broad-
It has not b een "a ll work and no pl ay," but s tairs and r e-open ing the n ew Bn . H .Q. at D ea l.

the social activities this year have been rath er
less exhausting th a n those of erstwhile Christmas-
tid es. On Saturday, "llrd D ecembe r , t h e r e w e r e
Bounty Night Socia ls at Sittingbourn e a nd H e rn e
Bay, where a good gathe rin g in each Drill H a ll
s howed that t h e r eorga nisation had in no way
lessen ed their capacity for enjoying themselves-
and for alcohol.