The Somerset & Cornwall Light Infantry
6 October 1959 - 10 July 1968
Osnabruck 1959/61
Plymouth Sept/61
Gibraltar/Tobruk 1961/63
Berlin 1963/65
Gravesend 1965/68
He enlisted as a Regular Soldier into the SCLI in 1961 and following initial training at the Regimental Depot at Bodmin, was posted to the 1st Bn in Gibraltar. He served at first in a Rifle Company before joining the MT. He served in all postings with the Bn including Aden by which time he had been promoted to L/Cpl. He later had further promotion to Cpl whilst the Bn was stationed in Gravesend. In 1968 following the formation of the Light Infantry, he was stationed in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland where the Bn had a two-year tour. In May 1970 the Bn moved to Lemgo, West Germany by which time he had been promoted to MT Sjt. He retired from the Army in 1983 in the rank of C/Sjt. During his time with 1LI he had three further operational tours of Northern Ireland at the time of “The Troubles”. A deployment to Belize and a six-month UN operational tour to Cyprus. He also had postings with the Bn to Colchester, Hong Kong, Tidworth and Munster, West Germany from where he retired. During his service he was awarded the GSM South Arabia Medal with a bar for Northern Ireland, the UNFICYP (Cyprus) Medal and the LS&GC Medal. His funeral took place on Thursday 1st February 2024 at Treswithian Down Crematorium, Camborne. It was well attended by his family, friends and former colleagues. Our condolences go to his wife Marcia and family.
He was commissioned into the Somerset LI as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1957 and was posted to the 1st Battalion at Knook Camp, Warminster, Wiltshire, which at that time was the Infantry Training Bn. He was appointed a Pltn Comd with A Company. In 1959, and promoted to Lieutenant, he moved with the SOM LI contingent to Osnabruck, West Germany where the amalgamation with 1DCLI took place to form the Somerset and Cornwall LI. Within a short time of arriving at Osnabruck he moved to Support Coy and the Anti -Tank Pltn. During his time in Osnabruck he was a member of the Bn Athletics Team, who were Champions of 12 Inf Bde Group, Osnabruck Games and 1st Inf Div; 3rd BAOR Championships. In June 1961 the Bn returned to the UK and was stationed for a short while in Seaton Barracks, Plymouth before moving in August 1961 to Gibraltar where he remained with Anti -Tanks. In 1962 he was posted to 11 KAR in Nakuru, Kenya and later to Nanyuki also in Kenya as the Adjutant. In 1964 he was posted as a Capt to MONS Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, Hampshire, where he was involved in training Short Service Officer Cadets. In 1966 he returned to the LI with a posting to 1DLI at Colchester. In 1968 the Bn was serving in Cyprus as part of the UN Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) he was the OC Support Coy based at Polis. On the 10th July 1968 the Bn became 4LI. In 1969 due to the reduction of Infantry Bn’s within the Army, 4LI ceased to exist when the four Bn’s of the LI were reduced to three. 4LI personnel were posted to the three remaining Bn’s. Simon however had been posted in 1968 to the Training Brigade Royal Signals. 11 Signal Regt at Catterick as the Infantry Trg Officer. In 1970 he was posted to the Berlin Inf Bde were he remained until 1972 when he was posted to 1LI in Lemgo, West Germany, promoted to Major and in 1973 becoming OC C Coy. The Bn had a further tour in Northern Ireland from July – November 1973 with C Coy based in Newry. On conclusion of the tour the Bn returned to Lemgo until March 1974 when it was posted to Meanee Brks Colchester. From 1974 – 76 he had three postings as a Trg Major, with 4LI (TA) at Bishop Auckland, 6LI (TA) at Bath, and with 2RGJ at Tidworth and Ulster. His latter postings were to the School of Infantry at Warminster as the Adjutant to the Support Unit, and from 1985 until his retirement from the Army in June 1992, with HQ UKLF, 1Inf Bde at Tidworth, as the Admin Officer Bde Signal Squadron.
His awards from service with the Army were the UN Cyprus and GSM Northern Ireland medals. He returned to his home in Gillingham, Dorset where he had a number of civilian occupations including a fish farmer, shoe retailer, car salesman and sofa seller. As per his wishes, a private family cremation has taken place. Our condolences go to his son Rupert and immediate family.
He was commissioned into the Somerset LI as a Second Lieutenant on the 2nd August 1958. He joined the 1st Battalion at Knook Camp Warminster, which at that time was the Infantry Training Battalion. His duties with the Bn was that of a Platoon Commander. In October 1959 the amalgamation took place, with the SOM LI contingent moving to Osnabruck, West Germany and joining together with the 1st Battalion DCLI, already stationed there, and forming the 1st Battalion SCLI. Whilst at Osnabruck he was a member of the Bn Athletics Team, who were Champions of 12 Inf Bde Group, Osnabruck Games and 1st Inf Div; 3rd BAOR Championships. The Bn returned to the UK in June 1961 and for a short while were stationed at Seaton Barracks, Plymouth, before in August 1961 moving to Gibraltar. During these preceding years he remained as a Plt Comd with B Company and was also involved in Recruit Training. Now a Lieutenant, in May 1962 with the presentation of New Colours to the Bn by Field Marshall The Lord Harding of Petherton, he had the honour of carrying one of the Old Regimental Colours as they were trooped off the Battalion parade. In 1964 he was promoted to Captain and was posted to 22 SAS at Hereford where he carried out duties as a Troop Comd and OC Selection of those joining the Regiment. He re-joined 1SCLI at Gravesend in 1967 which then became 1LI in July 1968. Shortly after this it was posted to Ballykinler in Northern Ireland, where it remained until May 1970 before moving to Lemgo, West Germany. By now he had been promoted to Major and was OC C Coy.
Three further tours took place in Northern Ireland whilst the Bn was based at Lemgo. The first was to Belfast from March to July 1971 with C Coy together with other Coy’s based Prospect Mill, Flax Street. In May 1972 the Bn was presented with New Colours at Lemgo by HRH Princess Alexandra. He had the honour of being one of the Officers for the Colours. The Bn’s next tour of the Province was to Belfast and Londonderry from July to November 1972. It was following this operational tour that he was awarded the MBE. He was not involved in the third tour from July to November 1973 remaining at Lemgo. In 1975 he was posted to 5LI Volunteers, the TA Bn based in Shrewsbury as the Training Major, a post he held until 1977 when he was posted to HQ I(BR) Corps in Bielefeld West Germany as a GSO 2. (Electronic Warfare) Then followed a number of staff appointments including an attachment with HQ AFCENT (Allied Forces Central Europe) before a final posting to the MOD in London as an SO 2 in the Sales Directorate.
He retired from the Army on 30th April 1992 to his home in Corton, Wiltshire. In civilian life he set up with his wife Barbara, who sadly pre-deceased him, and operated a care home for the elderly in Wiltshire. One of his passions was walking. And it was whilst on a Battlefield Tour in France that he suffered a heart attack, from which he subsequently died in a French hospital His private family funeral service took place on Wednesday 13th September followed by his interment. Our condolences go to his daughters Anna and Wendy and their respective families.
Gerald enlisted into the Somerset LI in 1954 and following training at the Regt. Depot in Taunton was posted to the 1st Bn SOM LI in Malaya serving initially as a Rifleman before moving to the Bugle Pltn. The Bn returned to the UK and Plymouth in 1955 and in 1956 was deployed to Malta and Cyprus. It returned to the UK in 1957 and in 1958 became the Infantry Demonstration Bn at Warminster. During these preceding years he had risen in rank to Cpl. In 1959 the amalgamation took place of the SOM LI with the DCLI to form the SCLI with 1SCLI being stationed in Osnabruck, West Germany. The Bn returned to the UK in June 1961 and after a short period was posted to Gibraltar where he was promoted to Sjt and became the Bugle Major. He remained in this post until 1968 when he was promoted to C/Sjt and a position of CQMS. Within a short space of time, he moved to A Coy as C/Sjt when the Bn was deployed, having become 1LI, to Northern Ireland. In 1970 the Bn was posted to Lemgo, West Germany where he was promoted to WO2 and returned to the post of Bugle Major. He remained as such until early 1977 when he was posted to Military Police in Northern Ireland as the Admin WO. He retired from the Army in June 1977. During his 23 years of service, he was awarded the GSM Malaya (1918-62 Version) GSM South Arabia and Bar for Northern Ireland (1962 on Version) LSGC in 1972, and BEM in 1975.
On leaving the Army he returned home to Bristol where he worked as a Prison Officer for a year. He then took up an appointment with the rank of WO1, with the CCF (Combined Cadet Force) of Clifton College, Bristol. He remained with the CCF until retirement, during which time he had risen to the rank of Major.
His funeral service took place at Canford Cemetery, Bristol on Friday 21st April, and was well attended by his family, friends, former Officers and Buglers from the Regt. Last post was played by a trumpeter. Our condolences go to his wife Heather and family.
Bob was called up for National Service in January 1958 into the DCLI at the Regimental Depot at Bodmin. On completion of his training in April 1958, he signed up as a three-year Regular Soldier with a further four years on Reserve. He was then posted to 1DCLI in Osnabruck, West Germany, where he gained promotion quite quickly and served in D Company as a training Cpl. He remained in D Company until he completed his three years service. On leaving the Regular Army, he continued with Reserve service with the TA (Territorial Army), serving with A Company, 502 Company, Royal Army Service Corp at Clevedon, Somerset. His service with the TA was to extend for a total of seven years until March 1968. His funeral service took place on Thursday 30th March at Bristol Memorial Woodlands, Earthcott Green, Alveston, South Gloucestershire. Our condolences go to his son Jeremy and family.
He enlisted into the KOYLI as a regular soldier in 1958. Following training at the Regt Depot, Pontefract, he was posted to 1 KOYLI in Hilden, West Germany. The Bn returned to the UK in August 1961 and was based at the barracks in Pontefract. He completed a junior NCO’s cadre and was shortly afterwards promoted to Cpl. In 1963 he transferred to 1SCLI in Berlin where he served in the orderly room. Further promotion to Sjt saw him become Chief Clerk of the Bn, a post he held for a number of years. He served with the Bn in postings to Canada, Aden, and Norway at which time the Bn’s home base was Gravesend. Shortly after becoming 1LI in 1968 the Bn was posted to Ballykinler Norther Ireland where he remained as Chief Clerk with the rank of ORQMS.
He later had a number of detached postings from the Bn in the rank of WO2 at the School of Infantry at Warminster, the MOD at Stanmore with the rank of WO1, and the LI Depot at Shrewsbury, from where in 1974 he re-joined 1LI in Colchester having been commissioned, and as a Lt, became the Assistant Adjutant. The Bn had further postings to Northern Ireland and Belize, before a posting to Hong Kong in 1976, where now in the rank of Captain, he became the Families Officer. He remained in this position for the entire tour and also when the Bn returned to the UK in 1978 when it was posted to Tidworth. He had a further posting to the LI Brigade Depot at Shrewsbury before returning again to the Bn in Munster, West Germany. Promoted to Major, his next posting was to the Army Apprentice College in Harrogate, West Yorkshire. From there he took a reduction in rank to Captain, to become the PSAO of A Coy 1Yorks. He re-joined the LI in the late ’80s and served with 8LI as the PSAO of B Coy at Batley, West Yorkshire.
He retired from the Army after 40 years service on the 27th May 1998. Amongst his medals was the GSM with bars for South Arabia and Northern Ireland. His funeral service took place on Tuesday 4th April 2023, at Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds. It was well attended by his family, friends and former colleagues. Our condolences go to his wife Shirley and family
Les, as he was always known, enlisted into the Light Infantry Brigade in 1963. Following training at the Brigade Depot, Copthorne Barracks, Shrewsbury, he was posted to 1SCLI in Berlin, West Germany. He initially served in a rifle company. He served in all postings with the Bn up until the formation of the Light Infantry in 1968. He therefore served, apart from Berlin, in Gravesend, Aden, Canada and Norway. Following 1SCLI becoming 1LI in July 1968 the Bn was posted to Ballykinler Northern Ireland in August of that year just as “The Troubles” broke out. It was from Ballykinler that Les retired from the Army in 1969 having completed 6 yrs service. During this time he was awarded the GSM with clasps for South Arabia (Aden) and Northern Ireland. He returned to his home town where he had employment with the local council as a landscape gardener.
Les never forgot his Army service which obviously had been a great part of his life, for in the early ’70s he joined the Light Infantry Volunteers, serving with ‘D’ Company (Durham). They were later to become the 7th Battalion The Light Infantry, and later still The 7th Battalion, The (Durham) Light Infantry (Volunteers). Much of his service was as an assault pioneer. He was promoted on a number of occasions during his service before retiring in 1995 with the rank of WO2. His last post was that of the RQMS of the Battalion. Les also worked tirelessly over a period of some 18 years, collecting money on behalf of the RBL Poppy Appeal. During that lime he collected a considerable amount of money in Durham. His funeral took place on Friday the 3rd March at Durham Crematorium. It was well attended by his family and friends, together with a very large turnout of his former colleagues from the regiments in which he served, and the Territorial Army. There was also five Standard Bearers and a Bugler in attendance. Our condolences go to his wife Sandra and the family.
He was called up for National Service in 1953 and trained at the DCLI Depot, Bodmin. He was then posted to 1DCLI in Jamaica, the West Indies. The Bn returned to the UK in 1955 and he left the Army that same year. Approximately five years later he re-joined the Army as a regular soldier serving with 1SCLI. His first overseas posting with the Bn was to Gibraltar in 1961. Later that same year he was promoted to L/Cpl serving in a Rifle Coy. In 1963 having attained the rank of Cpl, he was posted as a training NCO to the Light Infantry Brigade Depot at Shrewsbury. He remained in post for two years after which he re-joined the Bn in Gravesend. He completed the deployment to Aden in 1966 and shortly after the Bn returned to Gravesend he was promoted to Sjt. Whilst with the Bn he had taken part in training exercises in Canada and Norway. Following the formation of the Light Infantry in 1968 the Bn, now 1LI, was posted to Ballykinler Northern Ireland, where he had a further promotion to C/Sjt. In 1970 the Bn moved to Lemgo, West Germany. He retired from the Army in the very early ’80s in the rank of WO2. His funeral service took place on Tuesday 28th February at Holy Trinity Church, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, with his family, friends and former colleagues in attendance. This was followed the same day with the cremation at Shrewsbury Crematorium. Our condolences go to his wife Patricia and family.
Glyn was called up for National Service into the SCLI in June 1960. Following training at the Regimental Depot at Bodmin he was posted to 1SCLI in Osnabruck where he served initially in a Rifle Company. Shortly after joining the Bn he signed up as a regular soldier and almost immediately was promoted to L/Cpl. He remained with the Bn in postings to the UK, Gibraltar and Berlin by which time he had further promotion to Cpl. In April 1965 he was promoted to Sjt and posted to the Light Infantry Depot at Shrewsbury as an instructor. In June 1966 he re-joined the Bn serving in Aden. Following the forming of the Light Infantry in 1968, he served in 1LI and in March 1969 he was promoted to C/Sjt whilst serving in Northern Ireland. He moved with the Bn to Lemgo, West Germany in 1970, where it remained for four years. During this time he had a further four tours in Northern Ireland and also received the appointment of WO2. In November 1974 he was posted to 3LI in Minden, West Germany as RQMS. He was later appointed RSM of the Bn and had a further two tours in Northern Ireland. In 1977 he was Commissioned to the rank of Lt (QM) serving with 3LI. He remained with the Bn until 1981 during which time he was promoted to Capt. In June 1981 he was posted as Capt (QM) to 1LI and remained with the Bn until June 1986, when, now promoted to Major, he was posted to 1/7 Gurkha Rifles as the (QM). In 1989 he had two further appointments as (QM). First to the Light Division Depot and later that year to the Cadet Training Centre. His final appointment came in April 1991, now a Lt. Col. (QM), was to the Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham, Wiltshire.
During his service, he was awarded the GSM with clasps for South Arabia and Northern Ireland, the Queens Silver Jubilee Medal, the LSGCM, UN Cyprus Medal, a GOC Commendation and the MBE. He retired from the Army in June 1994 and initially resided in the Channel Islands before moving to Australia and setting up home in Port Macquarie, New South Wales. His funeral service took place at Port Macquarie Crematorium, on Wednesday, 18th January with only family members present. Our condolences go to his wife Fay and his son Ian, who resides in the UK.
Known as Sid, he was called up for National Service into the SCLI in July 1960. Following training at the Regimental Depot at Bodmin he was posted to 1SCLI in Osnabruck and served in B Company. It wasn’t long before he decided to become a regular soldier. He returned with the Bn to the UK in June 1961 and was stationed for a short period at Seaton Brks Plymouth before moving with the Bn to Gibraltar. He had two tours in Tabruk during the Bn’s stay in Gibraltar and prior to the Bn’s posting to Berlin in 1963 he was promoted to Cpl. During that year he moved from B Coy to HQ Coy serving with MT. He remained with the MT until the Bn returned to the UK in 1965 and Gravesend, when he then returned to B Coy. He deployed with the Bn to Aden in April 1966, returning to Gravesend in September of that year. In 1968, shortly after the Bn became 1LI it was posted to Ballykinler, Northern Ireland where he was promoted Sjt and moved to the Dog Section as a handler. In 1970 the Bn was posted to Lemgo, West Germany where he served as the Provost Sjt. His final Bn posting was to Colchester, before he moved to Bodmin as a Sjt recruiter for the last few months of his service.
He retired from the Army in 1975 after 15 years’ service. He then moved to Scotland where he worked as a self-employed engineer until 1991. He then became the shooting manager on a 25,000-acre estate at Aviemore, Scotland. He retired in 2004 moving to Dunfermline, Scotland, where, as a qualified shooting instructor, he worked part time at a local shooting school. Sid was awarded with the GSM for South Arabia and a bar for Northern Ireland during his service. His funeral service took place at Dunfermline Crematorium on Thursday 22nd December and was attended by his family and many friends. Our condolences go to his wife Sandra and family.