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Some Memories of the DCLI & SCLI January 1958 until
April 1965.
by Bob Evered
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Bob - 2007
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Some Memories of the DCLI & SCLI January 1958 until
April 1965.
As a newly conscripted just turned nineteen-year-old
National Service man I arrived at a snow covered Bodmin Railway Station
early on the morning of the 23rd January 1958, having shared the latter
part of the train journey with a “Teddy Boy” (Pte Burnley?)
who was also going to the same place. Little did I realise what a
great leveller a haircut and ten weeks or so training would be. We
were if memory serves me right the 49th Intake under Captain Petrie?
Sgt Edwards was ‘A’ Platoon Training Sergeant I found
myself in ‘B’ Platoon the Sergeant, who took the Roll
Call, was a fierce looking man with a bent nose and the coldest most
piercing blue eyes that I’ve ever seen. “My name is BULLEY.
WILLIAM ARTHUR DUDLEY BULLEY. You may have heard of me from some of
your mates or brothers”, he cried.
The Roll Call started okay, through the A’s and
B’s until he reached the C’s and called out the name “CODY”
– no answer – “CODY” – still no answer.
Then from the far end of the barrack room a quiet, tall blonde, well-spoken
lad came the words “My name is CODE sergeant” The reply
was instantaneous “C-O-D-E he spelt out, theirs an “E”
there and we’ll use it” he said. Needless to say he was
always known as “Cody” from that day on. At the end of
training this lad along with A N Other was selected for a W.O.S.B.
(War Office Selection Board) as a potential officer.
That was the first day over, for the next ten or twelve
weeks we went through the mill together, 120 assorted men (boys) from
all walk of life, thrown together by being called up for National
Service, by the end of training we were down to 90 the rest having
been rejected or transferred to other units. After the passing out
parade we were allowed to proudly wear the Green Beret and DCLI cap
badge with red cloth backing. Regimental history was taught almost
from the beginning starting with the raising of FOX'S MARINES in 1702
It was the custom in those days to call a regiment by the name of
its Commanding Officer and this Regiment was therefore raised under
the name of Fox's Marines The Regiment afterwards became the 32nd
Regiment of Foot and eventually the 1st Battalion The Duke of Cornwall's
Light Infantry. During the American Revolution or American War of
Independence (according to which side you were on!) American troops
attacked unawares on a dawn raid at Paoli in 1777. The Americans promised
no quarter to all British troops, so as to identifying themselves
the regiment proclaimed they would wear a ‘Red Feather’
as a means of identification, this gave rise to the wearing of the
Red Cloth Backing on the Cap Badge which still continues to the present
day!
A trip to the ranges far away on Bodmin Moor usually
we would be transported by truck and we would be marched home. On
one occasion we were practicing throwing live Mills 36 Hand Grenades.
Before being used the base plate / plug had to be unscrewed and removed
and the 7 second fuse fitted and the base plate replaced. Overseeing
this operation from a protected watch-tower was the officer in charge,
in case of failure he had to wait 20 minutes or so and then go out
to the grenade, pack PE (Plastic Explosive) around it, retreat and
explode the device remotely. On this day the officer was a young over
exuberant inexperienced officer. The grenades were primed in a small
alcove by two NCO’s before being handed out, two grenades were
passed out at intervals as ‘primed’ but having only gone
through the motions they remain un-primed and harmless. After the
allotted time he had to go out and deal with them not once but twice!
I wonder if he knew that he’d been had?
I recall one instance when I had committed some horrendous
act (like being out-of-step, or something similar) whilst marching
back to barracks I was dressed in faded denims, which clearly showed
where two stripes had been previously on the upper arm. Sgt Bulley
screamed at me “You’ll never get those stripes on your
arm as long as you got a hole in your ass” he shouted. But far
worse was the much-feared disciplinarian RSM (Regimental Sergeant
Major) WO1 (Warrant Officer 1st Class) Harold Royffe; he only had
to glare at you, to keep order.
One day midway through training we were told by Sgt
Bulley to fall in outside in two minutes, last man out is on fatigues,
dressed in PT (Physical Training) kit Best Boots with socks rolled
down, we were taken over the assault course by Cpl Benny and L/Cpl
Smith. On return to barracks we were told by training Sgt Bulley and
Corporal Benny “Your Best Boots are now your 2nd Best Boots
and your original 2nd Best Boots are now your Best Boots”! Towards
the end of training and on our last run over the assault course, which
had been, booby-trapped with PE (Plastic Explosive) or similar to
make it more realistic, Cpl Smith unfortunately whilst swinging over
water ditch managed to get caught up with a PE device on his boot,
which was detonated causing severe damage to his boot and part if
not all of his foot!
Towards the end of training PTI Mallet us all through
a 3 minute boxing session, we had to pair off with each other between
our selves I paired up with a fresh faced, quiet lad Pte Gill, but
Mallet decided that one or two of us were poorly matched so he altered
us about, putting me with Pte McCormack as I recall. Well our bout
came and went and we were more or less even, although I thought that
I just had the edge. When Gill’s turn came he turned out to
be a real handful, handing out a severe thumbing to his opponent to
the extent that he fled the ring half way through and Mallet put a
stop to it. On completion of training Pte Gill went off and joined
the Royal Marines, I wonder what happened to him?
At the end of basic training and the Passing Out Parade
behind us I signed on for twenty-two years with a three-year option
to come out! We were almost ready to join the 1st Battalion in BAOR
(British Army Of the Rhine), when Pte Bunney one of our number and
a nice lad went missing AWOL (Absent With Out Leave) over a girl most
likely? Anyway he later joined us in Germany having spent twenty-eight
days in the Guard Room back at Bodmin, joining us in Germany a month
or so later, he went into the Bugle Section and the rest of his army
career went without a hitch.
We caught the train to Harwich on the 22nd April 1958.
At the Embarkation Point we had supper from there we took the overnight
flat-bottomed troop ship to the Hook-of-Holland from there we boarded
the train and were given Continental style breakfast, the train took
us through Holland and into Western Germany and finally to Osnabrück.
At Osnabrück Railway Station Army transport took us to the out-of-town
Mercer Barracks near the village of Dodesheide, arriving some twenty-four
after our departure! This procedure was repeated every time anyone
went home on leave or any other business. Attached to our camp below
us was a tank regiment, The 3rd Dragoon Guards. Movement between the
two was minimal.
Cpl's Bob Evered and Joe Rowe. - 1959
On our arrival we were all posted to ‘D’
Training Coy under Capt Harvey for a further period of training before
being sent to our respective Companies; which in my case and my friends
from day one Tyrrel Francis and Ray Beeks was ‘B’ Coy.
The OC (Officer Commanding) was Major Bush. The Company Sgt Major
was WO2 (Warrant Officer 2nd Class) Cook. As we lined up out side
‘B’ Coy Office for our first roll call, with CSM Cook
taking our particulars, when he came to me I came to attention and
said “23446278 Pte Evered RJ, Sir spelling out my surname (as
most people got it wrong) “E-V-E-R-E-D”. Quick as a flash
he replied, “If you’re going to be my f****** Company
Clerk I don’t want you teaching me how to f****** spell.”
Well later, somehow I managed to talk myself out of that one and my
mate Tyrrel took my place as Company Clerk, I’m not sure if
it was willingly or not? Not too long after being posted to ‘B’
Coy I was appointed Lance Corporal and life settled down to normal
Regimental routines in barracks, guard duties and the like for the
unfortunate few and muster parades, square bashing and weapon training
etc. etc. for the rest!
As the “greenhorn” Lance Corporal my Section
Leader Cpl Harrison told that we had a new man joining our section
and that he would be assigned to my Barrack Room his name was Pte
George Bolton well George must have been nearly forty had at least
twenty years service in and was a complete ‘one off’ It
seems he had been promoted to sergeant many times and each time had
ended up being busted for some reason or other. On this occasion he
had been busted and RTU (Returned To Unit) having told a WRAC (Women’s
Royal Army Corps) Officer to “F*** off” or words to that
effect. It was soon obvious that no one wanted George because he was
seen as Trouble! Whatever, he must have seen how green I was, knew
the score and settled in with us youngsters fine, in fact he couldn’t
have been more helpful, and when I was lecturing he would always help
asking you good questions or prompts. He was certainly not like that
with everyone and could spot a smart ass from a mile away. Not only
that but he was a first rate Barrack Room Lawyer too, he once got
away with a minor charge (252) refusing to accept the OC’s (Company)
punishment and like wise the CO’s (Battalion) when asked if
he accepted their punishment? He replied No and asked to be tried
by District Court Martial, needless to say it was all thrown out long
before that point was reached.
Quite early on we had a trip over the German / Dutch
border to Enschede, Holland in the DCLI Regimental bus, an old Bedford
decked out in Regimental Colours, not too far over the border we dived
into the nearest pub eager to practice our newfound German language
skills “Guten morgan” or “Guten tag” followed
by “ein bier bitter” etc. etc. For a few minutes we were
meet with a frosty silence then as we started speaking to one another
in our native language their faces lit up “So you’re English?”
“Yes” we said to their delight. It would seem they still
hadn’t forgotten the war! All in all we had a fine day and we
even managed to meet some local nurses in the park. Exchange rate
for the Pound in those days was 10 Guilders.
Every day life in barracks was regulated by bugle calls
from Reveille to Last Post and in between Assembly (Fall in ‘A’
fall in ‘B’ Fall in every Company), Battalion Orders,
Post Call and most important the three times daily Cook House Call
(Come to the cookhouse door boys, come to the cookhouse door). Away
from camp we had frequent visits to the Rifle Range and the extensive
training ‘In The Field’ (as it was known) at Achmer. Back
in barracks the highlight of the week was RSM’s Parade on Saturday
morning followed by Barrack Room Inspection, if all went well the
rest of the weekend was your own barring Duty of course. This might
mean staying in camp and visiting the NAAFI, or going into Osnabrück,
also very popular were the two or three pub type establishments and
the Army Globe Cinema in Dodesheide, which was, shared with our Tank
Regiment neighbours.
This photograph. was taken at the rear end of D Company
block. JNCOs Cadre Jan/Feb 1959
-Back row Left to Right. - Bob Evered - Mick Brock - Burley - Joe
Rowe - John Tanner
Centre Row left to Right. XXXX - Terry Joll - Dennis Barratt - Alexander
Front Row Left to Right, Stephens - XXXX - Smudge Smith. (Old Soldier)
note his war ribbons.-
We also took part in a large NATO Exercise on Lüneburg
Heath. After the exercise we visited the former Nazi concentration
camp at Belson, with its huge burial mounds, an eerie silence pervaded
over the whole place and it was true “no birds sang here”
as if reminding us of the horrors that had taken place here some fourteen
or so years earlier. CSM Cook told us of his painful memories when
he had helped relieve the camp at that time. I don’t think that
anyone came away without a good deal of foreboding!
One very sad early on event was, whilst a group were
swimming in the canal one of the lads L/Cpl Terry ‘Ticker’
Greenacre, was pulled out of the water dead, as I recall he had suffered
a heart attack rather than drowning? He was buried in a Military Cemetery
with full military honours. I was one of the Guard of Honour chosen
for this occasion, we were trained for the best part of a week by
the RSM (Regimental Sgt-Major) Jan Passmore, this included slow marching,
and the arms drill Rest-On-Your-Arms-Reverse as well as the Firing
of a Salute over the grave. When the day came practice made perfect
and he was finally laid to rest with Regimental Bugler sounding haunting
refrain of the Last Post. It was a very moving occasion all round!
See Farewell Salute photograph.
On a more positive note a Border Patrol along the Great
East / West German Divide, an outward bound training trip to Bad Lauterberg
in the Hartz Mountains during the summer. In April 1959 many of us
went to Frankfurt to take part in the 10th Anniversary Parade to celebrate
the forming of NATO in 1949. We stayed at a USAAF Base for a week.
We certainly saw how the other half lived! Another time I went with
Bonar Featherstone and others on a Ground Crew Course for light Army
aircraft ran by the Army Air Corps at Bielefeld. After all that we
were only called on once to attend a landing, the pilot took no notice
of our markers or signals landing on his own accord. On top of all
these goings on we had to fit in 42 days Leave, plus 10 days Local
Leave!
Farewell parade / Night-time Tattoo for the DCLI resulting
in much preparation and square bashing ready for the big day to which
all the top Brass and local dignitaries were invited. On the 6th October
1959, the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry merged with the
Somerset Light Infantry to become the SCLI (Somerset and Cornwall
Light Infantry) and took the name and badge of the Light Infantry
Brigade. These changes were brought about by the Government White
Paper of July 1957 and the intention was to group the Infantry into
fourteen brigades and the Parachute Regiment. Each Brigade was to
consist of three or four Regiments so it was necessary to merge certain
Regiments and lose about fifteen. There was a certain hostility towards
this, as the Regimental system breeds a loyalty that is a distinct
advantage in terms of morale!
The tank and other ranges at Sennelager near Paderborn
were much used by the troops in BAOR us included. Here we could practice
section and platoon attacks etc, etc using live ammunition instead
of the usual blanks we used on Achmer and other places. Another popular
training set up was Sten-Gun-Alley. You proceeded down a wooded trail
with eyes peeled and armed with a loaded (live) sten-gun, out from
behind a tree would pop a man shaped target shooting at you, you had
to quickly fire at the target and move on. This would be repeated
over and over until you reached the end of the trail, never knowing
where an attack might come from. Not only was the Firing Ranges lively.
But Sennelager at night was quite a lively place too with several
bars and hotels not too far from the camp. One well-known local lady
was known far and wide as the “Ten Mark Queen”.
About this time we lost a very popular young lieutenant
killed outright in a light aeroplane crash everybody was very upset.
One chap said on hearing the news “It’s a pity it wasn’t
that bastard ****** , rather harsh I thought at the time, but I certainly
knew where he was coming from! It was also about now that we started
getting the first influx of the new SLR (Self Loading Rifle), which
replaced the Mk 4 Le Enfield Rifle – This meant the virtual
re-writing of the Light Infantry small-arms drill-training course.
Along with this came much trial and error training until we got it
right!
Not long after the amalgamation I was promoted to substantive
full corporal and transferred to ‘C’ Company. The OC (Officer
Commanding) was Major (‘Mad Matt’) Guy Matthews and the
Company Sgt Major was WO2 Lynas-Gray many new faces and friends including
a strong group from Bristol to whom I became quite attached, although
Bristol born, I lived six or seven miles outside the city limits!
Life in ‘C’ Company more or less mirrored that of ‘B’
Company or any other Rifle Company for that matter. At some stage
during 1960 I was transferred the Transport Section of Headquarters
Company. Here I found myself back with my old ‘friend’
Bill Bulley, but under completely different circumstances, unbeknown
to me he had only been acting training sergeant (A good one with hindsight)
in the Training Depot at Bodmin – On Posting back to the 1st
Battalion he was reduced to the Rank of Substantive-Full-Corporal.
The same rank as myself at that time. Bill was also posted to HQ Company
(Transport Section). And it was Bill that taught me to drive, starting
out in an Austin Champ (sort of Land Rover) and then progressed to
Bedford 3 ton lorries. I took my test (well over an hour) on road
and off my examiner was none other than Captain Petrie from my early
training days. Happy memories!
Duke Godfrey - Bob Evered - Ken Lemon - C Coy SCLI
1959
If you were good at sport you could expect special treatment
in the army or any of the armed services I expect. In our case Cpl
Rex Davies was a good rugby player who played for the Battalion and
one day when they were holding athletics trials for a BAOR Athletic
Competition, Rex decides to try his hand at throwing the javelin,
well he threw it further than anyone else by some margin and booked
his place in the Regimental Athletics Team and was relieved of all
guard duties etc to boot. I went to school with Somerset cricketer
and opening bat Mervyn Kitchen his opening partner Roy Virgin was
posted to us, no sooner had he arrived than he was promoted to Lance
Corporal and put in charge of the Sports Store, also represented the
Army at cricket. What a doddle!
As a Full Corporal and a single man on 22/3 year engagement
I was paid about £10 a week all found (No Tax). This was paid
weekly at Pay Parade the money was divided into two or three varying
parts:
BAFVS (British Armed Forces VoucherS) For use in the
NAAFI etc. This was a sort of paper money with denominations as low
as a few pennies I.E. 3d note.
German Mark (Exchange Rate was about 12 Marks to the Pound) For outside
use.
Savings (A percentage of your money as previously agreed). Some did,
some didn’t!
During the summer of 1960 I was posted with a driver
and a Bedford 3ton truck with rations to a remote Regimental Skiing
out post in the Hartz Mountains. On taking over the Post from the
previous occupant it was immediately obvious that a fiddle had gone
on because the fuel dump petrol supplies used for cooking and running
the truck were somewhat deficient. All became apparent that night
when we drove up to the nearest isolated hostelry to find the place
in almost total darkness. “Nix benzine” declared our host
with a shrug! Without going into too much detail we managed to keep
local Anglo German relations on a good footing and managed somehow
to redress the fuel imbalance overtime, fair exchange being no robbery!
One night back in Mercer Barracks whilst on BOC (Battalion
Orderly Corporal) duties which involved closing the Corporals Bar
and the Privates Bar in the NAAFI one of the drinkers a non-regular
took a dislike to NCO’s me in particular came at me armed with
his army belt, as he was about to hit me, one of the bar-regulars
punched him smack on the chin he went down like a pack of spuds slid
along the floor and came to rest with his head against a radiator,
just like something out of a film! My defender and I half carried,
half dragged my would be assailant back to his billet and put him
to bed – an act which certainly saved him from a serious charge
and maybe twenty-eight days in the Guard Room. Anyway we got away
with it, or so I thought. It was a few days before Christmas and I
was duty COS (Company Orderly Sergeant) the position was actually
held by a corporal. RSM Jan Passmore was rattling out the Christmas
duties “Guard Commander Cpl Evered Battalion Orderly Corporal
Cpl Bloggs”. Then, he stopped looked at me and said, “Change
that, Cpl Evered Battalion Orderly Corporal, Cpl Bloggs Guard Commander,
he then just carried on as normal. But I just knew that he knew and
he knew that I knew. Those left in camp over Christmas could go to
midnight mass at the Regimental Chapel if they so wished and on Christmas
morning, the other ranks would be served tea in bed by the officers
and senior NCO’s
A small group us including Tyrrel Francis and I left
Mercer Barracks for the last time on 28th February 1961 en-route for
Bodmin. After a spell of leave we finally left Victoria Barracks Bodmin
and headed for home on the 3rd April 1961!
What effect all this had on me as a young man I’m
not sure but I’m certain it did me no harm! All those who went
through the rigours of basic training together whether Regular or
National Service had a lasting affinity to the DCLI and with one another
to the very end! Just before I was called up the DCLI had just returned
from the West Indies and just after I left the SCLI were posted to
Gibraltar. So you could say I drew the short straw. One Company from
the Regiment (‘A’ Coy?) went North Africa at this time
and served as extras in David Lean’s 1962 epic film LAURENCE
OF ARABIA every time I see the film those SCLI extras particularly
in the Officers Mess scene remain frozen in time including CSM Bedser
and his men, including my would be assailant recorded above.
On leaving the SCLI, I spent 4 years on the Army Reserve
attached to ‘A’ Platoon 502 Coy RASC based in Clevedon
with HQ at Headley Park Bristol. On completion stayed with 502 Coy
until the Harold Wilson’s Government carved up of the TA in
1967/8. During one annual camp at Penhale Camp near Perranporth in
Cornwall I met a small detachment under Captain Harvey (from ‘D’
Coy days) on a flag waving exercise for the SCLI, one of the few was
an old friend Cpl Higginbottom we met up in Bodmin for a few beers
latter in the week and bumped into none- other than our old RSM Jan
Passmore, by now he was Captain QM (Quarter Master). Funnily enough
I was not the only SCLI man serving with the 502 Coy RASC. The other
one (name forgotten) was at Headley Park he had been in the SCLI Signals
Section.
After nearly fifty years of fading fond memories. Any
corrections or additions would be much appreciated. If any one featured
here in word or image should happen upon this little contribution
I bid you a fond Hello! And hope that the intervening years have been
good to you?
Robert John (Bob) Evered Cpl 23446278 (3 + 4 years)
discharged from the Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry 3rd April
1965.
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