40s and 50s Memories
There were many sport opportunities in
Gibraltar. I rowed in an all-Gunner-officer crew.
We rowed Maltese gigs, similar to clinker fours
but with six oarsmen instead of four. I settled to
the bow position. We didn't actually win our race
in the Regatta but all agreed we had the best
style! There was also hockey, road running up
and down the slopes around the Rock, sailing
and in the winter, after some rain, rugby on a
rough ground in Spain.
The Brigadier, who commanded the Royal
Artillery Regiments in Gibraltar, was revising
the light air defence sites on the upper Rock.
I was tasked to find all the old sites for static
Light Anti Aircraft guns (LAA's) on the upper
Rock. Every afternoon for a month I clambered
over rock and bush to find these. One had to
be careful on the spine crest of the Rock as, on
the east side, it was mostly a sheer drop down.
I did actually find quite a number of old sites,
one with the best part of an LAA gun still there,
half way down the low cliff on the southern tip
of the Rock.
As a result of the Brigadier's new plan I, with
most of my troop, were tasked to take a LAA
gun up to a new site on the spine of the Rock,
called 'Corsican's Lookout', an old signalling
station which could clearly be seen by ships to
East and West. There was a rough track and
steps up from a road below, where we had
parked the vehicles. Going down for a lunch
break we found that some young Rock apes
had discovered the haversack rations that
some of the less experienced gunners had
left unsecured! They were having an excellent
picnic, until we chased them off but some of the
lads went without! Anyway, we completed our
mission. Tired and hungry we returned to our
Buena Vista barracks - and tea. The barracks
did indeed have a magnificent view overlooking
Algeciras Bay.
The biggest parade in Gibraltar was when HM
The Queen and HRH Prince Philip flew in at
the end of their tour of the Commonwealth, in
1953. Waiting in harbour was the Royal Yacht
Britannia with two small children aboard, HRH
Prince Charles and HRH Princess Ann. The
official drive of the Royal party, through the city
of Gibraltar, required a route lined by soldiers.
I had a section of the Gibraltar Defence Force.
There were not quite enough troops to line the
whole route up the zigzag course, climbing the
city. So my troop of 'likely lads' had to double up
a long flight of steps to line the top of the route.
For security reasons we had to face inwards,
to the crowds. I don't think HM recognised our
backs but she must have thought it a little odd
that we faced empty pavements, the crowds
not having reached that height!
Later I and another officer toured Spain in my
car, an Austin A40, in good condition, which
I had bought from a fellow officer who was
leaving Gibraltar. We took two ten men ration
packs, courtesy of the Quartermaster and slept
rough, wherever we found some suitable terrain.
One night, towards the end of our journey, we
were driving through wild, inhospitable terrain
near the coast, at Tarifa, not all that far from
Gibraltar. My headlights suddenly brought into
view a troop of cavalry on the opposite side of
the road, riding towards us. Although we passed
the troop in a few seconds, it was time enough
for us to see the dark uniforms, crossed white
belts and bell shaped shakos, similar to those
worn by the French light cavalry, in the early
19th century. However, even if the men were
dressed for a modern ceremonial parade, 3am
was rather too early for a start time and too late
for a return time. Years later I was reading a
book called 'A Boy in the Peninsular War' by
Robert Blakey. He describes operations from
Tarifa, by the British and Spanish against the
French, in 1811. So I wonder who were those
cavalrymen my friend and I saw that dark night
in 1953?
After Gibraltar I went to Oswestry, Shropshire
to 18th Training Brigade RA. During the years
of National Service a large army had to be
maintained to fight the Cold War. At Oswestry
and other Royal Artillery locations, National
Servicemen carried out basic training in
infantry and artillery skills. Of course, amongst
the conscripts we had all types of 'the good,
the bad and the ugly'! I must say though, the
majority were good lads and though they didn't
want to be regular soldiers, they did their best
to serve their regiment and their country. It was
always very rewarding for a subaltern when he
had a squad of potential officers and technical
assistants RA. They were good soldiers, keen
12