Regimental Histories - Year 1960-1985 - Brockbank - Page 0113
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M mister The death of Captain Stopford in a flying accident at Mtiddle Wallop was a bad beginning to the New Year. He became an experienced pilot in the Flight supporting the Regiment in Ulster and remained attached to the Army Air Corps when it left the Province. A happier event was the official visit in February of the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Francis Pym, MP accompanied by his wife. Mr Pym had served with the 9th Lancers during the war and for much of the time he was Adjutant. (His article in the 1986 Journal about his wartime experiences in relation to his problems as a Cabinet Minister is well worth reading.) The 1980 training season finished in September with Exercise Crusader described as “the longest, largest, and possibly the most interesting exercise anyone had ever been on”. Such exercises seldom amuse the troops taking part but this one achieved much favourable comment even in the Corporals’ Mess. Earlier in the year a detachment of 44 men from B Squadron was flown to Texas for three weeks attachment to the American Army training in the desert. Another B Squadron troop went to Suffield for a fortnight in April to train with a battle group whilst C Squadron took off for an adventure training exercise at Kongsberg in Norway. In the sporting world the efiect of the previous year’s prep- arations was becoming apparent. The volleyball team, still under the leadership of SSM Veti, won the BAOR Cham— pionships in 1980 and again in 1981 before becoming Army Champions in 1982 and 1984. A regimental Tetrathlon Team consisting of 2,-“Lt Lumsden, Lance Corporal Stevens and Troopers Haggerty and Evison defeated 14 major units to win the Corps Northern Area Competition and the BAOR show jumping and hunter trial results brought the first three places in the Royal Armoured Corps Challenge Cup to “Katanga”, “Promotion” and “Witchey” owned and ridden by Sergeant Saunders, Corporal Beadle and 2;“Lt Lumsden respectively. A first and second were also gained in the Champion Pairs. Lt Abraham led an enterprising expedition to the Nile Valley which included some lengthy navigation through the desert, not quite in the footsteps of his father, from Asyut to Bir Tarfawi near the Sudanese frontier. On return in November 109 |
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