Journal 2008 - The Journal Royal Highland Fusiliers - The Royal ...

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We have become in my opinion quite formal. All the membersare purchasing Trews, Blazer and a Badge which we are in theprocess of having made. Everyone also wears a Regimental tie,Glengarry and Badge.Our members have served in the RSF, HLI, RHF and REMEattached, all wear their Regimental insignia with great pride andwe have a great spirit of camaraderie, of belonging to somethingvery special.I believe I speak for us all when I say a special thanks goes toSammy Torrance for the effort he has put in and being the maingo-between, between General Loudon and ourselves and being,unofficially, our CQMS. We should also thank 1 RIR for theirassistance in getting us started by lending us their facilities. Wehave now moved our meetings to the TA Centre in GordonvilleRd where we are being given a great deal of assistance from theTA. We also say a special thanks to Majors Kerr and Macaulayalong with Jim McGerty for all their help. These guys don’t forgetwhat loyalty is or how deep it goes.For the future, there are many more old comrades still to be foundout there and brought back to the fold. We plan a website, andwould like to be more involved with our brothers down South. Allof these we will do in our 2nd year.Yours Aye,John HamiltonChairmanTHE ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS OLD COMRADESASSOCIATION BATTLEFIELD TOUR 2007Wednesday the 16thThe tour party, which was, as ever, organised and led by Major WShaw MBE, left Glasgow earlyish in the morning by coach (whichwas driven by David Swinton). First stop was at Fusilier Housein Ayr for tea or coffee (or both) and also to pick up the AyrshireMafia – and be seen off by Norman Rae. Norman was unable tocome with us this year but there he was this morning wishing usthe best of luck.Next was lunch at Shapwells Hotel, then a brief halt at BirchServices to pick more of us up and then another at Ferrybridge formore, including Bob Douglas, our from-now-on arch-organiser(Organisazionkönig). Here we were also delighted to see BernardMarshall – alas, he was neither coming with us nor transferring tous any of his millions to swell our Euro funds. Finally we reachedHull Docks, were joined by Peter Bowcock (which brought ourstrength up to 49) and boarded the Pride of Rotterdam. (A quarterof our 49 were ladies!)Thursday the 17thAfter a smooth crossing and an early landing at Europoort (being,of course, fervently pro-EEC we’re spelling it in Dutch), we weresoon in Amsterdam for a break of two or so hours. Alas, it was aSaint’s Day, which meant that the principal shops were all shut.Luckily the bars weren’t.We were in Cassels House not long after four, room and keyallocating was very rapid and we were ready for an early supper atfive. The bar opened early too (!!) but this wasn’t too vital at thetime. There was wine already laid out on the dining-room tables(and even the odd extra (small) bottle). Next, of course, was thebar, where we were treated again! – this time as a result of EddieTraynor’s generosity. Although unable to make this year’s tour hehad given Major Shaw a large fistful of Euros to encourage us todrink even deeper than the norm. We did.We also enjoyed piping from both Les Womack and KenMcKinney – and singing followed. (Ken is the local BranchSecretary of SSAFA Germany. His office is beside Cassels House.)Friday the 18thMost of us were off to Düsseldorf to walk and shop and drink – aswell as enjoy an hour’s cruise on the Rhine with free beer. (We hadfree beer earlier too, with our haversack rations before the cruise!)This was a very pleasant trip and in very fine weather. (What a pity itwas that one could not hear enough of the very interesting descriptivecommentaries; talking behind us drowned much of these.)The piping tonight included the 71st Quick March on pipes andguitar, the piping by Les, the guitar played by Ken. Ken alsotook part in a singing duet with young Miss Brooke Smith, Kenaccompanying Brooke not only vocally but also with his guitar.Saturday the 19thThis, our Liessel day, was unlike many in the past; the weatherwas perfect.(In fact, almost every day’s weather was as good.)At the Memorial Ground, where we met Lies and Heine, welistened to short addresses in Dutch and English (the latter by avery pretty girl) and then came presentations to Major Shaw ofscripts which had been compiled by the children who handedthem to him. (The Führer thanked them in very fluent Englische– with a rich Ayrshire accent.) We came to attention then, theMinute’s Silence was observed, Les played The Flowers andRonnie Johnstone delivered the Homily. During The Flowersthe standards borne by Arthur Mooney and Bob Douglas werelowered. (Afterwards we admired Arthur´s Colour belt; it gleamedas perfectly as might do the Sam Browne of a Coldstream RSM.)Lunch in Asten followed, where we met Lies and Heine againand also had a drink or two. (The whisky “measures” wereunmeasured – and enormous!)The trip back was smooth and after an early supper there was a lotof sitting (plus) outside. Next was in the bar and soon there wassinging there.Sunday the 20thSunday began, being a Sunday, with a latish breakfast – afterwhich we had the morning off. After lunch we were off too, toRath Anhoven to attend some of the Heinsberg Kreis Schützenfest.After getting a bit lost in and around Rath Anhoven we luckilyencountered the Schützenfest General and found out wherethe Schützenfest was taking place. We got there, debussed and“marched”, with Les and Ken piping, to join the Fest. This wasa joyous get-together of the representatives of the Brüderschaftenfrom eight of the twenty-five villages in Heinsberg Kreis(Heinsberg County). (Each village has its own Brüderschaft, agroup originally raised to defend its church (a group with someresemblance to a kind of Home Guard) and later developedinto a strictly-regulated village society, a society which may alsoTHE ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS 27
contain a shooting club and other clubs. Some of the twenty-fiveBrüderschaften of the Kreis date back to Mediaeval times.)We sat there in a large marquee, were served with beer or wine(only initially at Major Shaw’s expense) and, after the appearanceon horseback of the Schützenfest General, watched a series ofprocessions march in, one for each of the eight Brüderschaftentaking part. All were headed by more than one band, brass ortrumpet or flute (the same bands often reappearing), all hadstandards and other banners, many of the participants carriedswords (and some carried wooden rifles), various uniformswere worn (as well as various silver adornments) and so wereball-dresses and evening dress. The arrival of each processionwas followed by an award ceremony, which was the attachmentof a Wimpel to its standard. (A Wimpel is a banner-like stripemblazoned with the year of the Schützenfest.) The principal ofeach Brüderschaft, the Schützenkönig, was also presented to theSchützenfest König, the current principal of the Kreis.There was also a remarkably clear commentary (by theSchützenfest Adjutant) but as this was, of course, in German, it leftus none the wiser. Alas, we had to leave before more happened,a grand horse-led procession round Rath Anhoven (rather likebeating the bounds or riding the marches) and then a dance, thedance being for everyone in the Kreis who cared to attend.Once home we had an early dinner – and quite a few of us gotdown to the usual.Monday the 21stToday’s target being Nijmegen we were able to stop en route at theJonkerbos Military Cemetery. In it are more than 1,500 graves someof which are Royal Scots Fusilier or HLI or Glasgow Highlander.There we formed up, observed the Minute’s Silence, heard TheFlowers and the Homily and examined as many gravestones as wehad time. Then we were in the town (or city) itself to eat our packedlunches, drink and shop (and admire some of its old buildings)before getting back in time for supper – and, of course, the bar.There was remarkably tuneful piping tonight. David Moir wasthere in addition to Les and Ken – and it was David who hadtuned all three sets of pipes to more than perfection. (David isa UKBC, an MOD Civil Servant, and also a TA Royal EngineerPiper.) The singing also was even better than usual. Not only didMajor Shaw give us “Ally Bally Boo” (“Coulter´s Candy”) butalso there was beautiful singing by Ken’s lovely partner, FrauleinHelga Scheuss (before she was away – to get up rather early thenext day to start butchering in Mönchengladbach at 0630hrs).(This Helga does five-and-a-half days a week, every week.)(Ken also told us that not long after we were back home Helgawould be the Schützenfestkönigin at the Wegberg Schützenfest. AtWegberg, which is her own village, Helga will be the principal,the ruler, of its 2007 Schützenfest. (Königin is “Queen”.) Tocommemorate this she will add her own piece of silver to theregalia which she was wearing yesterday at Rath Anhoven.) (Seethe photograph inside the rear cover.) (If the new piece makesthe Wegberg regalia too heavy, the earliest piece in it at present, apiece dated 1927, will be taken off.)Tuesday the 22ndThe principal enterprise today was a trip to Rüdersheim, apleasant little town on the Rhine upriver of and on the other sidefrom Boppard. After a free drink (and free lunch) in the quiteexcellent Hotel Internationale (where the staff use “bon appetit”,not “guten appetit”) (and during a Krankenhaus (hospital) visit byone of our less fit members, the latter shepherded there by LouisWouters) some of us took the cable cars up to near the NiedersteinMonument, a monument erected to commemorate the Unificationof Germany in 1871. From the cars and particularly from theMonument itself the views were spectacular – and the weather wasstill perfect. We then crossed the Rhine by ferry so that we couldreturn to Rheindahlen by some different roads. Only then did thefirst real rain of this tour start. It lashed down all the way homeand more – but luckily for the sake of the smokers it ceased notlong after supper. Nevertheless, the bar was well frequented.Wednesday the 23rdThis started as an idle day, some back to Düsseldorf in the coach, afew into Mönchengladbach by local ’bus and a few staying in camp.In the evening some went out to dine in Mönchengladbach, butwhen they (and other celebrators) were back we got down to theusual. On this evening, however, not only did we have more pipingfrom Les and Ken but also there was a lot of solo singing. All theperformances were fairly brief but were very tuneful – and wereadded to again by Helga’s beautiful voice. Bed followed (at intervals).Thursday the 24thWe were away by 0900hrs – despite the odd person having failed tohave his luggage loaded by whatever time the Führer had specifiedthe day before – and drove to Waterloo. The original plan, wethink, had been to examine the Battle fought on the 18th of June1815 and to have a look at the battlefield, but...1. One had to pay to enter the fenced-off area around the LionMound – and presumably climb the Mound. The combination ofstruggling up the Mound’s 226 steps and forking out nearly £5 todo so was too much of a bother-cum-fatigue for most of us. (Didany other than Ronnie Johnstone attempt it?)(Oh dear, the earth used to make the Lion Mound was strippedfrom the ridge-top to its east, stripped as far as the cross-roadsabove La Haye Sainte. The “sunken lane” which ran along thefront of the now-vanished ridge and formed an obstacle thatprotected some of the Allied Line is no longer “sunken” – and thereverse slope of the ridge, behind which Wellington positioned histroops, is no longer a “reverse slope”. It’s flat.) (The earth-removaland the erection of the Lion Mound annoyed Wellington too.)2. Walking to the cross-roads above La Haye Sainte, which ismore or less the centre of where the Allied Line stood and fromwhere one could have viewed most of the battlefield, was, said theFührer, a bit far for all but the fittest (and would have interferedwith drinking-time).It is dangerous to even question Führerdiktats. We saw littleor nothing. (And Ronnie’s work, duplicating Battle Plans ofWaterloo for issue to all of us, was wasted.)The Editor had been prevailed upon to introduce the Battle, buthe (as ignorant as ever) had presumed that we’d proceed, afterhis exposition, to look at the bloody thing. His exposition was,therefore, not much more than a few(?) words about the weaponsused that day, their effective ranges and the formations used as28 THE ROYAL HIGHLAND FUSILIERS
Page 3: ForewordIt gives me pleasure to int
Page 6: Location of Serving OfficersReprese
Page 10 and 11: the beauty and isolation of this de
Page 13 and 14: contacted a number of the enemy in
Page 15 and 16: Posted to 11 RSF, stationed in Norf
Page 17 and 18: various regimental and staff appoin
Page 19 and 20: commitment and loyalty. His excepti
Page 21 and 22: PRIVATE JOHN ROSS HLIJohn wasn’t
Page 23 and 24: After a year at Aldershot, David wa
Page 25 and 26: Associations and ClubsTHE ROYAL HIG
Page 27: “The Three Amigos”.“Get me to
Page 31 and 32: At the Garden of Remembrance.Tom an
Page 33: The next function was a combination
Page 36 and 37: A Coy 2 ScotsB CoyFus Hughes taking
Page 38 and 39: The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Can
Page 40 and 41: A Coy celebrating at the ‘Last So
Page 42 and 43: oles will be put to good use during
Page 44 and 45: Commanding Officer saw the complexi
Page 46 and 47: CSgts Trousdale and McIndo covering
Page 48 and 49: A Maori warrior on patrol.Stage 1 -
Page 50 and 51: at the Accies, we played in numerou
Page 52 and 53: Bremen Pl, Kabul, Dec 07.IRs (Indiv
Page 54 and 55: WO2 C Best, Machine Gun Platoon 2IC
Page 56 and 57: The Royal Highland Fusiliersof Cana
Page 58 and 59: Officer Training CorpsGLASGOW AND S
Page 60 and 61: Army Cadet ForceWEST LOWLAND BATTAL
Page 62 and 63: Col Kelly being “pulled out”.ce
Page 64 and 65: ArticlesA DEPOT DIARY (Part Two)(Th
Page 66 and 67: have a truly devastating effect.) M
Page 68 and 69: ADVENTURES AT OXFORDAnonUp until 19
Page 70 and 71: CSM). I stayed at HQ, Cpl McDougal
Page 72 and 73: Entertainers started to visit the I

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