Marne 36
Marne 36
14 Platoon of the Sovereign’s Company
Site last
Updated
20 July 2021
David Hoyle
I was Educated at Whitgift School, Croydon. In the VI form I studied A Level Zoology, Botany, Physics and Chemistry, but I was more interested in the Combined Cadet Force and a small tuck company which with three friends we undercut the school tuck shop employing 4th formers to patrol at break times with small cases of sweets, chocolate crisps etc, we shared about £12 a week profit between us. At that time a private soldier was paid £5-
Of course without the commercial distractions of the Tuck Company I worked hard, passed the exams and joined Marne company intake 36 in January 1964. I spent most of our first Summer leave as a supernumerary midshipman on HMS Londonderry, a Type 12 frigate which the Government were hoping to supply to the Spanish Navy. I joined at Portsmouth, we went to the bay of Biscay cruising up and down with another frigate which was testing new submarine detection systems, Londonderry had the current echo sounding system to compare. I spent one morning aboard HMS Tiptoe the target submarine. Although it was an unforgettable morning, it made me glad that I was going to be an infantryman. We then put in to Coruna to show the Type 12 frigate to the Spanish Navy procurement people. There was of course a cocktail party on board and we were invited to a splendid repast ashore and an evening do. The two RN Midshipmen, two USN Midshipmen and two Sandhurst cadets were invited by the Spanish Officers daughters and sons to go on a day trip to Santiago del Compostella. It was a great day out and subsequently the daughter of the Military Governor of Barcelona wrote heavily perfumed letters to me I wrote polite replies. My last letter told her of my engagement to Pam. She wrote to congratulate us, an unscented letter!
Like Charles Smethurst I had the interesting experience of appearing on College Commander's Orders and Commandant's Orders for dropping a small home made smoke bomb into Bassey Inyang's room. Like Charles a few years later, Denis O'Flaherty remembered the matter with a chuckle at a cocktail party in Singapore. After I had left the army Pam and I were invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, former College Sergeant Major Tommy Taylor, who was king pin of the Yeomen of the Guard at the event, also remembered me and pointed out the best place to stand when the Royal Party walked through the gathering.
In 1981 I was an Appeals Manager in the Church of England Children's Society. The Society's Centenary included a tea party at St James' Palace hosted by our Patron, the Queen Mother. I was co-
January 1966. Joined 1st Battalion XX The Lancashire Fusiliers at Weeton Camp near Blackpool.
Our CO was an 8th Army Veteran, a splendid Lancashire man who believed in working infantrymen hard. Platoon and Company trips to training areas all over the country. Trips to the Cairngorms when the snow was thick, 60 mile route marches leaving after muster parade and back for supper.
1966 Cyprus. This was a Battalion posting to allow the resident Battalion in the Sovereign base Areas to go home on leave. We enjoyed basic guard and patrol duties and a few exercises. One of which entailed my platoon infiltrating along the coast in 3 assault boats to make a dawn raid on RAF Akrotiri. After I had given the Orders for the dawn attack we spent the evening in Zia's Bar, a nice boozy shack with tables and benches on the beach. It was rather a cold evening and the lads gathered “scrap wood” and each section got a nice warm fire going. Then along came a Turkish Fisherman who claimed that the “scrap wood” was his boat!!! I had a chat with Zia who knew Nouman the fisherman quite well. He thought Nouman was trying it on but suggested we offered Nouman compensation otherwise he might go to the Police. Not good for young platoon commander! I paid the fellow the equivalent of ten pounds. Nouman was content and my excellent Sergeant recovered most of it from the lads. The “attack” on the RAF went well. Then the whole of D Company spent about 10 Days guarding RAF Akrotiri before moving North for some live firing exercises.
That was my first experience of coming under fire from Irishmen! The LMG section (all Irish) from another platoon who should have given us the atmosphere of being under fire misunderstood their briefing. We were REALLY under fire. It was quite exciting, but they stopped immediately when I fired my Red Verey. What fun.
NBC course, Counter Surveillance Course, Platoon commanders weapons course at Hythe and Platoon Command course at Warminster kept me busy.
August 1967 to Fusilier Brigade Depot Sutton Coldfield. I took 3 platoons through Basic Training. I met a tall attractive young lady at a Curry Lunch in the Mess one Sunday and married her 2 years later. Pam was an Occupational Therapist which has occasionally been useful. We have three children. The eldest born in Derry is a very senior Nurse, she got herself dual nationality a few years ago which has been helpful for some of her worldwide travels. The middle one is a musician, and the youngest lectures at Bournemouth University.
On 23 April 1968 the four English Fusilier Regiments amalgamated. An emotional day. Being at the depot, four different coloured hackles marched on parade. The order to change hackles was given and only Red and White Hackles marched off.
I then became Battle Camp Commander at Warcop in Westmorland where I managed the recruits final three weeks of training before they passed out.
In January 1969 the Anti Tank Officer course at Support Weapons Wing School of Infantry (with Charles) preceded being posted to Hong Kong as Battalion Anti-
4RRF returned to UK to disband. In September 1969 Pam and I were married and posted to 1 Royal Anglian based at Catterick. The Battalion was part of 6 Brigade and in Germany at the time. Great fun playing with my Mobats mounted on 432s. I was given John Meggy as Recce Helicopter Pilot. We took off from a patch of open country near a forest. John glanced at me with a funny smirk as he flew us about 2 metres above the trees then suddenly the ground fell away about 150 metres very steeply. My stomach churned and John chuckled!
On our return to Catterick we had our warning order for Ulster as the silly games got more exciting. On 12 July 1970 we went to Ebrington Barracks, Londonderry as an accompanied posting to show that all was normal HA HA. During this posting I learned that the best Infantry Battalion in the Army is the one in which you are serving.
As we were supposedly on a “normal” posting our CO made each Platoon a keep a “nights in bed” book to record nights when we were on more than 4 hours notice to move so pads could go home and single lads could go for a drink. Between July 1970 and August 1971 my platoon had 21 “Nights in bed” excluding 3 weeks leave.
Early in 1971 1R ANGLIAN was suddenly called across to Belfast to help with the cordon in a big search operation. My Platoon cordoned the end of Kashmir Road. Every so often the enemy would run out of an alley across the road and chuck a nail bomb at my cordon. As I was moving from one section to another, totally without cover, a nail bomb about a foot long with lots of 4” nails and a fizzing fuse landed in the gutter at my feet. No cover, but nice high granite kerb stones and the bomb was snugly against the kerb. So I dropped prone along the top of the kerb, fingers in ears, my eyes tightly closed and prayed that the kerb would divert the nails.
It worked, not one nail hit me, all went silent, I heard nothing as bright light came through my eyelids and I felt as if I was flying. I opened my eyes, my head was level with the top of a first floor window, in the room I saw the door to the landing, a wardrobe, a bed and a dressing table. I slowly sank down. Then as my face became level with the window sill, sound was restored. I accelerated and hit the pavement hard! My operator ran to me and asked if I was OK. My ears were ringing like crazy, but I could just hear him. I cannot understand people spending money on drugs when a massive adrenaline rush gives you such an interesting experience!! Plus when my hip needed replacing 25 years later it gave me a small War Pension which more than pays my drinks bill!!
We spent three days supporting the Belfast garrison before returning to Derry for normal company rotations. The Anti Tank platoon spent a lot of time at weekends at the Abbey Street William Street Junction preventing idiots from charging down William Street to loot Woolworths. Initially we had the thin aluminium shields which were not that good. When the Perspex shields arrived they were of two types, the 6 footers and the 3 footers. Two of my sections had the 6 footers to be a complete barrier like Roman Legionaires. The snatch section had the smaller shields so they could run and make arrests. But even the 3 foot shields made it difficult to outpace a stone thrower. We adopted a policy of individual soldiers memorising stone throwers faces. Those with a clearly remembered face went to the employment office on the next dole day, arrested and plasticuffed their remembered target. We then took a 4 tonner full of idiots to the magistrates court where they got 6 months nick under the special powers act.
Our Assault Pioneer platoon was managing the arrest operation one week when Martin McGuiness came along and made trouble. So the Assault Pioneer Sergeant arrested him under the Special Powers Act and put him in the 4 tonner with the other prisoners. Shortly after that Bn HQ phoned the OC saying that HQNI had told Brigade to tell us to let the bugger go. So I was sent to the Courthouse and disappointed the Assault Pioneer Sergeant by explaining why I had come. A couple of Pioneers got McGuiness off the four tonner. I opened my very sharp jack knife which he saw me do and he looked a bit worried as I went behind him. Then I cut off his plasticuffs and told him he was free to go. I have now spent 50 years pondering on why HQNI stopped us from giving McGuiness 6 months nick!
August 1971. A jolly incident caused a sudden posting to 1RRF at Kirton Lindsey as they went for a short trip to Ulster as things had got exciting. I remained at Kirton on the 1RRF rear party. Shortly after the battalion returned I went to Warminster for the Junior Division of the Staff College. Early in December I was promoted to Captain as were all of Intake 36 and joined 1RRF in Gibraltar as Y Company 2 i/c in January 1972.
Gibraltar Garrison duty was very peaceful after Ireland. The friendly relationship with Spain that I had enjoyed on my RN attachment 8 years previously no longer existed as Harold Wilson had upset Franco.
In the first half of 1972 1RRF in Gibraltar was posted a company at a time to Cyprus to enable 1R ANGLIAN to take a months leave in UK as they had been posted from Derry with no opportunity for home leave. As Y Coy 2ic I went with our Colour Sergeant and a handful of fusiliers to do the admin takeover from W Coy at a camp on the western edge of Akrotiri SBA. The camp was about ½ a mile from Zia's Beach Bar. Having completed the necessary admin. and been fed by W Coy I suggested that we walked to Zia's bar for a drink. As we walked along the beach I foolishly told the tale of 1966. We sat enjoying our Kio lager and after a while along came Nouman the fisherman who said,”Don't I know you”. I said that he was mistaken. My Fusiliers chuckled and rattled their glasses. So of course I bought a round and included Nouman!
When the full complement of Y Company arrived we went to Dhekelia SBA. Support Company 1 R.Anglian were there and greeted me warmly and gave me the farewell party which had not been possible when I had left them in Derry. They presented me with a gold plated cigarette lighter.
Gibraltar was not all peaceful. There was a utility workers strike. The Navy took over running the Power Station and we were back to a riot control role for a few days but the strikers were clearly alarmed by our firm action so the fun only lasted a couple of days.
I was quite chuffed when I was chosen to take a small group of Fusiliers on a submarine to Casablana down the west coast of Morocco to collect a land rover that the Navy had left behind. Unfortunately just before we should have gone there was an attempt to kill the King. The perpetrators took a Moroccan Air Force plane and fled to Gibraltar. There was a few days of confusion while Britain decided what to do, so instead of a submarine ride I was custody officer for the naughty Moroccans while our Government decided to let the Moroccans collect their naughty fellows. The Moroccans sent an arrest party in a Moroccan Air Force plane. I was told to supervise them enjoying a bottle of wine each to relax them before a heavy mob of Fusiliers took them to RAF Gibraltar to hand them to their arrest party for their flight home.
January 1973 to December 1974 71 Army Youth Team Sutton Coldfield. I took advantage of being my own CO to send myself on the RMP riding course at Aldershot.
January to December 1975. Long Armour Course Bovington. A fascinating year during which I drove every A vehicle that we had in service and a few that were being developed. We also sold the house we had bought in Sutton Coldfield and bought one a mile away from the Armour School.
1976 posted to 1RRF Oakington Barracks, Cambridgeshire as a supernumerary. Most of the year was in Belfast as a Company IO and Kenya as Bn Training officer. At Oakington I spent time as Assistant Adjutant, OC of two rifle companies as their OCs toddled off for leave and other things. My family stayed in Dorset and between Belfast and Kenya we moved house to Wimborne Minster.
1977 January to MOD Old War Office Building. Logistic Secretariat 2a as a Grade 3 staff officer. We were the branch that managed the logistics of the A vehicle fleet. New developments, replacement purchases and termination of old vehicle types. In the Autumn of 1977 there was a round of voluntary redundancies so I decided to move on.
December 1977. All Logistic MOD branches were moved to Andover forming the Logistic Executive (Army) at Andover. I then had two roles. Part Staff captain in Log Sec. 2A but mainly PA to the Administrative CO of the LEA a very decent light infantry Colonel. He told me to submit a list of resettlement courses that I would like to attend and he would say when he could spare me. He let me attend about 20 days worth!
September 1978 redundancy took effect so I left the Regular Army exactly 15 years after enlisting, and began an entertaining time as a Reservist.
First of all we took a holiday in South Africa where Pam's father was lecturing at Durban University as his final pre-
In January 1979 I benefited from the Resettlement courses in a serious hunt for an enjoyable occupation. It took a couple of months during which time I confidently refused a few job offers.
I became Area Appeals Manager for the Church of England Children's Society, covering Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Wight with a team of 6 staff and a few hundred volunteers, mainly in Church of England Parishes.
I took up the Reserve Service option which gave an annual call up of a week on full pay, a jolly way to have leave from work. 1 Year in 5 was just a kit check and a couple of updating films and lectures. 2 years would be field exercises in UK and 2 years in BAOR. All good fun.
My Office was in Wimborne. After about 10 years the Society reorganised middle management. I dropped Wiltshire and Dorset and took on Kent Surrey and Sussex with my office being moved to Tunbridge Wells. My team was increased to more than a dozen.
It was 135 miles from my home to my office, but with only about 1 or 2 days a week in the office that was fine until I had a heart attack. In the autumn of 1996 I was given a sickness pension as if I was 63 years of age so that was fine. My Army Reserve Service had ended in May of '95 so I was happy to become a gentleman of leisure and do a bit of serious travelling.
Two trips to India, then a flight to Shanghai to come home overland by bus and train. This was 6 months after the Twin Towers atrocity, so I was interested to find that Osama Bin Laden was a fellow passenger on the first three day train journey from Shanghai to Urumchi in Xinjiang. I was arrested three times between Xinjiang and Belorus. Very interesting.
I reported my fellow passenger to the British Embassy in Tashkent but the girl I spoke to seemed bored and took no notes. In Samarkand I saw a chap reading the New York Times in a coffee bar so I took my coffee to the same table and engaged him in conversation. He said he was there to “brush up his Turkic languages”. I said that perhaps he would be interested in my journey from Shanghai to Urumchi. As I told my tale he scrabbled in his brief case for his note book and said,”Would you run that past me one more time”.
I told the story again in full detail and ended saying “I expect that they will find that interesting in Washington.”
Our daughter then planned two RTW trips with me to stop me mixing with serious international terrorists. Then three RTW trips with Pam followed so now South America and Antarctica are the only Continents missing from my score sheet.
July 2021
| More news |
| Bill Legge's memories 1 |
| Bill Legge's memories 2 |
| Bill Legge's memories 3 |
| 2005 |
| 2012 |
| 2015 |
| 2017 |