The First Battalion Black Watch leaves Edinburgh by train in October 1958 and sometimes left in October 1958. We issued a drilling order considering quilt and TOS etc. At that time I always traveled with a quilt. A long time ago I forgot the port I departed from. I think that was Portsmouth. It is certainly in the south of England. We sent in a very old slow-moving army to go to Cyprus for about 12 days. In Gibraltar and Malta there was a short stop where I went to the beach. The dress was Treu and Blue Bonnet. Most days I spent the bar drinking. Tourist type tourism is not available. A few days later, the entire battle was taken for examination to find out that we did not pick up social illness. The journey of Medo was not unpleasant. I do not do it much. Many lazy people are around. Rather it is a crowded residential area. The trick got up and washing it before anyone else.
When we arrived from Limassol, we got off to the writer who took us to the beach. I wore a drill order, quilt, TOS, and a pipe band of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. We took the bus for everything and took us to the police camp located northwest of the island.
Living in the camp. That winter, we lived in the eight tents. Somewhere in the camp there was a primitive shower I may have visited once or twice. We were washed away and scraped off from the can of confusion. I remember buying a small burner to warm the water. When I finished, the same water went around the tent. I ate the same tin. I also bought a portable radio. I think that other people think that it is a nationwide service and broke it. The salary when I started was about 3 pounds a week. When I finished, it was just over £ 5. We paid cash every Friday, but when we were driving or outside the camp, we were moved, but the tobacco and razor blades were handed free of charge. Sometimes when we were in a hill, we sometimes took ram food. Other national public health nurses got about 30 Bob at 10 celebrating marriage allowance for people with wives, there were many. They married at the age of 18 or 19 at that time. I was on a billboard platoon. On the next line there were regulation bands, pipes and drums. At that time there were still two bands. We were working 24 hours a day, so we often caught up with sleep that day.
The regiment had long been related to India, but when we arrived in Cyprus, we joined the colonial federation catering, Gulam Nhabi. This is very introduced gentlemen set up shop. His employee will do a round of tents while drinking bread and tea in the morning. I hated tea, but I did not have to go to breakfast. Those who work later on the hill may dye thirst and prohibit the use of water bottles. Gunga Ding is admired.
I replaced the light at night and remember that cockroaches that were supposed to be alive were getting thicker on wooden floorboards. In that winter camp was getting thick with mud. I suffered from terrible constipation. The toilet on the scene was used to it. One official had to drop his revolver down one and catch it by himself.
At night work, we had a blanket and probably gave up most of the time. Officers and officials on duty have never bothered us. It was poor because there was no wireless transmission. After arriving at the camp, I realized that myself was on duty the next morning, my first day in Cyprus. Messages from brigades were sent at our sitrep. I had not heard that word before. There was some confusion in the radio procedure. Our main intercompany radio was a set of Mark 19 if I remembered. In North Africa I was watching the better days with the 8 th Army. If everything else fails to boot a large amount, set it as rights. The rifle battalion switched from .303 to Belgium FN on arrival. HQ Company was still maintaining the existence of old and reliable Lienfield. A wonderful rifle that I always remember nostalgia.
The patrol team had Brengunner on the 3/4 quarter truck's open turret. He will wear a flac jacket. Nobody is wearing this. In any case, nothing was issued. We had a helmet but it was not worn. That winter dress was very relaxing and virtually no cows. There is no parade. There is no parade field. If there is an alarm at night, you will go out on urgent patrol. One company was always on standby. Others were sent to the sending station. That New Year 's Eve or Hogmany most people got drunk rather. The company stand was kept calm. Drivers and dealers, however, are not billeted with them and doubt if the driver can navigate the gate. One of our dealers was thought of in the next morning at the stretcher from the post outside. It did not reach a tough situation. The regulators issued the air suitable for the occasion.
There was operation in the Trodos mountain range. It's called Mare's nest. The first raid was sent by a helicopter. One day, we were suddenly ordered to wear a full kit with a rifle and report it to the air strip for training. Light spotter's plane will skip this time and time out our mail. A helicopter arrived. We entered, it was taken for the spin and the rope was thrown out, we were ordered to get off. The only broken legs. We were completely trained.
A helicopter was sent on the actual driving day. They were tracked by the cargo train the next morning. Except for one lucky person who started falling without having his rifle, the wind was too strong to land on the army. He stayed at the mountain in the morning before relief. Promoted to Lance Voltaire.
We went up by the road. I was in a signal van. It caught me somewhere. That night, the gymnasium and I had to spend the night to protect it. It is very lonely. I was 19 at that time. I spent several days at base camp. Very little. Because I had coffee, I was able to brew myself. This is God to hate tea. It was very difficult for me to function in the country of the drinking house. The food looked like Mutton Scotch style. Was there C food or it was K? I never can remember whether I was British or American. Russian salad, corn beef, chocolate bar. All very good. I remember deciding to take a bath. I had a flow of 100 yards of mountain from the camp, so I went and went swimming in this frozen water for a while. It must have been tough at the time. I am not wearing socks either. Sergeant hurt my socks a year ago or told not to wear anything. I was stubbornly beaten, I could not wear them. It was reasonable because our high hose did not have either leg. When I came back to the camp, I noticed that I left my rifle in the river. One of the moments of panic. Fortunately I was able to grasp it before the problem occurred. One fellow of our platoon dropped a lap to the ground of 303 when I got off the truck after driving and did not notice it. He was accused and lost payment for 30 days. Another member of the rifle firearm company lost the plug-in bayonet, not the plug-in type. And there was a court. When Brengan was lost by several unnamed regiments, it turned out that two battalions were to find it.
In Suffolk Regiment there was a small base camp next to us. It was in the small valley of the Troodos Mountains. My boss put his hand in his tent to pick up his tent's sub machine gun. Trigger caught on a man's rope, he beat his chest. Our doctor tried to save him, but he died. The company was supplied donkey for supply. At other times the aircraft will fly over dropping our supplies.
I joined Don Company. From there, I went to the outpost base where I am a physical educator, two private soldiers, I regarded me as a radio operator. At our observatory far from everyone, we were each one by one. It is an ideal place for soldiers. We wore a small Australian radio on the belt. Because I was using Morse, I had time to communicate with our headquarters in Morse. One night, there was a terrible storm. Wind disturbing the mountain, thunder crashed like a cannon, lightning blew off. We had only two small tenants. I remember having a security obligation after midnight. Under the trees, the bayonet was fixed, in the round of the room, safety was robbed and everything that appeared was shot. Have you heard about precautions to take in the middle of a storm?
Sometimes the secrets of the two rifle companies annoyed the colonel. The incident occurred at our main battalion base, but he brought them somewhere in Troodos mud. They had to display everything with quilt, white spats and sparrows in order of complete review. They both had 14 days.
In the spring we moved to tie the Royal Welsh Fusiliers with Xeros. I was in a pre-party. It was always fun to be separated from the regiment. There were several royal signals in citizen clothes at this base. When the battle arrived, our RSM, Patterson was walking in the roof with name and human giant. I always felt heavenly gods trembling when he raised a voice. There were no civilian clothes in his camp. We were still in the tent, but as we had land, we started to look smart again wearing khaki training. There are pictures of the order of review, kill and blue bonnet, white spurt, sporang and so on.
Is there a Turkish village nearby and was called Lefka? Of course, we were able to enter and leave there. Toulouse and a blue bonnet. The local money was piastres. Beer is bad, wine is bad, both are very cheap. We had not actually taken a break for 6 months so we decided to visit the company Nicosia at the same time. I was not the first company. Nicosia 's military police commander said that since that time he has never suffered huge damage by a single company during one year' s service. Well, Black Watch had a reputation to keep.
I went to the post office in several Greek towns. It was a period until independence. The Greeks marched past our posts with flags calling for independence. I do not remember about that time because the politics of that era was not really related to me. My mother passed away five years ago and we were cleaning her but we found a story about Lawrence Darrell and two old Bitter lemons of Gribas and EOKA of W. Biford Jones It was. I was not really interested but I could not. In police there was an interpreter. He is a Greek student at the University of Glasgow, and I am very sympathetic to them. The black watch was very Gung Ho, so I could not really be aware of the sensitivity of Cyprus in Greece. If I remember, Gordon let five men die in a single operation. After two British ladies were shot, Argylls disrupted the suspects of Cyprus rather captured eventually. We were quite friendly with the Turks, but one of them thought that he was a stubborn member despite one of them accidentally spit out a shotgun in the stomach of one of his colleagues. Another private person lost sight of the parade, but fixed the new FN and the bayonet. Because normal accidents were much more common than battle casualties.
Perhaps the habit of going to the church for searching and the firearms who placed Bren's firearms on the prestige to cover worshipers were overly aggressive. Once we find it, we will help with the fruits we have found. One night, we made an accident and slept in the place where it happened. In the morning, we found ourselves in the melon field of water, so we looked after breakfast. I remember taking my rifle and going through an orchard that will help myself to Orange. There was an order for the motor platoon to try to run through so many animals. I think there was competition among the drivers who saw the highest kill rate in a month. Even though I am working in the army for three years today, I can not remember seeing tanks. Battle was equipped with two armored cars of ferret and dingo.
And the archbishop Makarios and Grebus, or that was Defenis. They were concerned about generals and politicians, not ranks and files.
As the situation becomes more peaceful, the battle creates its own beach where you can stay overnight, spend the day swimming and sunbathing moderately drunk. There are no bathing suit and no woman. Apart from seeing the tank in my three years, I can not remind you of seeing a female soldier. Were they called WRACs or something? At the camp, we started at 5 o'clock and it ended at lunch time. One person was able to take a vacation. I spent one month in Turkey and the Aegean Sea. The Turks were very friendly and the Greeks were discreet. In Cyprus, there was no brotherhood with the local population. I stayed there for 18 months, I never talked to a single woman all the time. I fell in love with the beautiful Armenian in Istanbul during my vacation, but she was a chapero. In Chios of the Aegean Sea I found a greek girl in Egypt. Also a chaperon. Never alone.
At the end of 1959, the battle moved to the new British territory of Dhekelia in the southeast of the island. There was a new barrack with all the regulatory bulls incidental to it. The old colonel and RSM moved to other postings, but the problem is over and the return to daily camping landing has been more or less. There was a school nearby so I was able to regain my passion once more. I remember one incident. Our group was on board. We started somewhat wild gallop. My horse was folded first. After that, I saw a very wide groove and it was determined that it was too big to jump as it tried to raise the horse. I thought that I had to jump over it except that I could no longer control it. In the last moment, the horse saw it, digging the hooves and stopped suddenly. I flew over his head, cleaned the groove, rolled the opposite parachute, and came up to my feet without a broken neck. I tried remounts after that, but the horses were very tense and the knees were not stable either. A battle commander, the second battalion Indian army guy came and said that a fool (me) can not get on.
Authority and I have never really been on. I was much more independent. Private I remained. One of my best friends was a whole body. Ian Holden. He was sent from St Andrews University, but he was brilliant to study. He became the body that I should have done, but that would mean that I was too independent. We often went outside together. However, he always used a Christian name for each other, so he was always in trouble. It was absolutely harmful to maintain good behavior and military order that should happen. Robert Graves & # 39; "Good-night, to all". His books, of course, are reflected in the Welsh Dynasty of World War I.
Sir Mountbatten came and a Guard of Honor wearing perfect costumes came out for him. Since I am typing this, I notice that my computer queries the spelling of honor. I once wrote about the spelling of the words in the Times. They used an American honorary medal. They said that they were all the same today. disagree. I was a member of the old army. I was a volunteer for three years. More than half of those who participated in the battle were men of national service. We still had a church parade. We woke up on the 15 th of every month by a pipe and drum playing Cream Long Reveille. Drum Major Dear remembered as RSM Patterson and Gobby's name, but one of the finest men I knew with CSM who won MM in Normandy. My platoon commander, Captain McKilling also ordered battle. He was always very straight to me, and I have never tried for him again.
In 1960, I went back to the depot in Perth, Scotland. Again the slow travel of the sea. Sometimes the same ship. I kept a bottle of whiskey in my cardboard to help spend time. When that was over, I put a note on it and let it pass through the boat. A few months later, the girl came back to my house in the Bahamas, but I did not answer. Life has changed. Looking back now half a century later, there are nostalgic things in the past, but the past no longer exists. My old friend died. Brought up in 1739, its black watch disappears whose roots can be traced back to 1725. The Highland Regiment was merged because Scottish regiments are not present. To that end, there are old Ireland, Wales, and the British Union. They exist only in the history book and the memories of old soldiers.
