Issue 89 Dec 97

A MISQUOTE
An apology to the contributor, Yan Moosun, and to Maj Ben Chapman, who was quoted on page N10 in B&C 88, Jun 97, as having said, after a really good Regimental Dinner Night at Dill's Corner, New Territories, Hong Kong:
'I may not know what I am talking about but I certainly know what I mean.'
The editor mistyped the last part and wishes to set the record straight.
What Ben Chapman actually said was: 'I may not know what I am talking about but I know what I am saying.'

COLLECTIVE NOUN
Years ago, when Col Paul Raywood was Hon Col of A (Royal Norfolk) Company, the Norfolk Editor volunteered a collective noun for TA Deputy Colonels on the lines of the Warden of Wadham College, Sir Maurice Bowra, who defined the various heads of colleges variously named Dean, Provost, Master etc as 'A lack of Principals'.
A memorable part of CVHQ (Central Volunteer HQ) TA Training weekends was the outdoor assembling of Watchkeepers awaiting transport to the Gas Chamber or Range. I had long sought a collective noun for us on the lines of: a sloth of bears, watch of nightingales, muster of peacocks, fesnying of ferrets, skulk of friars, wandering of tinkers, implicity of subalterns, subtilne of sergeants, drunkenship of cobblers or a truss of hay. My best offerings were: a clasp, lurk, skulk, smoke or snore of watchkeepers. An appeal was made in the Dec 96 CVHQ Christmas Newsletter to obtain the best definition with an offer of a CVHQ tie to the contributor of the winning entry.
'A vigil of Watchkeepers' was the appropriate winner.
See A lack of Principals in B&C 100 Jun 03.

SHRINKAGE
The Norfolk Editor has discovered the occurrence of an inexplicable 4" shrinkage in the waist of his Service Dress, carefully stored for 7 years in a wardrobe. This must be a phenomenon of global warming or the dry summer because Bill Holden reported a similar problem. In a recent invitation to a CVHQ (Central Volunteer HQ) dinner in the magnificent RA Mess at Woolwich, (the RA administer CVHQ Watchkeepers so there is one benefit from being with Gunners!) was a mention of the preference for our wearing Mess Kit. It added 'but black tie is acceptable where significant shrinkage has occurred.' and another invitation stated 'where moths have installed air conditioning .....'
Have other readers noticed this shrinkage enigma ?

DID YOU KNOW THESE OF THE NINTH?
Sydney Bates VC
Peter Hewison, in Devon, wrote on behalf of Tom Bates of Berkeley, California, to get as much information as possible about the life of the late Sydney Bates VC, from when he enlisted up to D-Day. He wishes to clarify something concerning a statement in a War Office letter that Cpl Bates enlisted on 27 Jun 1940 and was posted to the 70th Bn on 20 Sep 1940 and to 1 R Norfolk on 2 Mar 1942. So far he had not found anyone who had heard of the 70th Bn and wondered if it was a holding unit. This young (well, early retired schoolmaster) used the magic of this grey typing box and located several references to the 70th Bn in earlier B&C issues. Regimental 70th Bns were, according to the Britannia of Feb 1946, on grateful loan from Capt William Gaymer, Young Soldiers Battalions formed after the Battle of Britain. Also sent to Mr Bates was the account of eyewitness Mr AJ Catt 'Memories of a 6 Pdr Gun Layer' which appeared in B&C 83 in Dec 94.

I am sure Gilly Banthorpe (died 2000) and others can provide Peter Hewison and Tom Bates with more information.

Click here for a response from Maj Ernest Ridger in B&C 91 Dec 98

HONG KONG
In this year of the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese, it is appropriate we mark the event with some military anecdotes. Three tales from our regular contributor, Yan Moosun, of Hong Kong in the 1950's appeared in B&C No 88 Jun 97 on pages N10-N11. Here are some more from other sources.

AN INVENTION BY SOLDIERS
'Hong Kong could have been invented by soldiers, such was its reputation for fun and frolics. There was not much you couldn't do, buy, eat, drink or gamble on there.' Colchester Evening Gazette, 2 July 1997

HONG KONG REGRETS
'My father was stationed in Hong Kong and I last went out during the school summer holidays in 1961. I was too old to enjoy the childish things but not old enough to savour the other things.'
An SO2 in Colchester, where the Norfolk Editor was spending a fortnight as the Air Liaison Offr, sharing, thankfully, a smoking office, on the day of the handover!

BRITANNIA NUMBER 31 - FEB 1948
The Disbandment of the Second Battalion
Reference was made to the 2 Royal Norfolk disbandment, a summary of the 3 raisings of the 2nd Bn was given and the Editor wrote 'On behalf of ourselves and our readers, we say not 'goodbye' but 'farewell' to the 2nd Bn The Royal Norfolk Regiment for so long as men live so will the brilliant record of the 2nd Bn live. We cannot do better than repeat what we said in our Editorial of the No 27 February 1946 issue when THE BRITANNIA commenced publication after a lapse of 6 years. 'There swells in our hearts a surge of pride as we recall the gallantry, the devoted service, the grim tenacity displayed by all ranks who have so enhanced the already distinguished record of the Royal Norfolk Regiment.'
Click here for The Britannia Index

NORSETS
Lt Col Lummis, Suffolk Section editor, wrote concerning the Dorset/Norfolk links mentioned in B&C 87 Dec 96 on pages 9, 10, 24 and 28.
'The Cardwell reforms of 1873 which required the infantry regiments to be organised in Districts, usually corresponding to a single county, each with two regular infantry battalions, led to some difficulties in linking single battalion regiments like the 54th. As the 9th had two battalions there was no question of simply allotting Norfolk to the two regiments with Norfolk in their title, as happened, for example, with the two Essex regiments (44 and 56). In 1873 the 54th were linked to the 95th (Derbyshire Regt) with their Depot at Derby in No 26 District. Their depot companies actually joined the 95th at Fleetwood and moved to Pembroke Docks in 1875 and from there to Cork. The 54th in India received drafts from the 95th. However, the Depot at Derby seems never to have come about. Army lists from 1873 continued to show the 54th as West Norfolk with the depot at Derby still to be established. Then came the second stage of the Cardwell reforms in 1881 when Cardwell was no longer War Minister, with a different government, and the county titles came into official use in place of numbers. In most cases, the 1873 linkages were confirmed but not for the 54th which, as described, became the 2nd Bn The Dorsetshire Regiment.
CT Atkinson’s 'The Dorsetshire Regiment Vol II Part II' covers the 54th; published 1947 OUP'.
Click here for more on the Norsets, here for a Sgts Mess tale with the Dorset Regt and here for Tim Chatting's erudition with the Latin 'Primus in Indus'.

LE PARADIS AND RADIO NORFOLK
The Norfolk Editor and 'Strips' Farrow were invited to 'appear' on John Mills' afternoon programme in July 1997. 'Strips' spoke of the massacre at Le Paradis on 27 May 1940. Later that month he spoke to the Rotary Club of Watton and District. Some of his exploits are unprintable! Click here to read about Ernie 'Strips' Farrow.

A BREACH OF THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT?
I don't think this will have the Norfolk Editor guilty of a breach of the Official Secrets Act but I can divulge that a new and mystifying military term describes future operations to be accomplished ‘with smoke and mirrors.’ And the various 19 Mech Bde HQ department bosses are summarised thus by the Deputy Chief of Staff as ‘Heads of Sheds’. General Angus Ramsey described the Czechs working in Bosnia in MND SW as ‘incredibly Wilco’ and the work of IFOR under General Sir Michael Walker as having 'gone into an uneven seam in the carpet of history and stamped on it.’
See IFOR Tour 1996.

BALKANS BECKON
The Norfolk Editor has expectations of being in the Balkans again. Mobilised on 13 Nov 97 at RMA Sandhurst, assuming I pass the medical, dental, hearing, running, jumping and haircut tests, the Balkans flight is on or about Mon 24 Nov 97.
I will be away for 6 months, returning to UK on/about 17 May 1998. The home stock of ale was checked and I was pleased to note the ‘Best Before’ date on the cans of Adnams was 30 May 1998!
The job in the Balkans I was offered, and have accepted, is titled SO3 TA/Reserves. That translates as Staff Officer 3, responsible for the 800 or so TA and Reserve Officers and soldiers deployed on OPERATION JOINT GUARD/LODESTAR with SFOR (Stabilisation Force). To quote a recent job description by the present post-holder in the Balkan Theatre monthly journal, 'The role encompasses mobilisation, demobilisation and extensions of service. It also serves as an interface between UK and Theatre and as point of contact.'
Explaining that meeting incoming TA and Reservists at the airport appeared to be part of the job, our younger daughter Elfrida observed: ‘So you are going to be a holiday rep!’
And see Balkans Beckon letter sent from Bosnia in April 1998

Editorial Rule
To qualify for inclusion in the B&C there is only one rule - something described must have been said to have happened.
The authority is the Editor, British Army Review No 114 Dec 96, `If the facts don`t fit the legend, print the legend’.

However, the rules of good taste, respect and confidentiality are always applied.