9th-12th-Lancers - Year 2004 - Page 0086
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
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84 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE 9TH/12TH ROYAL LANCERS (PRINCE OF WALES’S) John Charles John Charles was certainly a more famous footballer than he was a soldier. Born at Cwmdu, near Swansea both he and his brother Mel learnt their football in the local park. In 1950 at the age of 18, he became the youngest player to be capped by Wales. Initially he played for Leeds, then in the second division, and led them back to the first. In his sec- » 0nd season he broke their goal * ~W ' a scoring record with 42 goals. ( ,r.‘ . .5. In 1957 he captained Wales and in the same year was sold to Juventus. After a brief return to Leeds he went back to Italy to play for Roma. He was always much loved in Italy, as much for his qualities as a player as for his sportsmanship. He was a superb athlete but also very much “the gentle giant”. He went to the 12th Lancers at Barnard Castle in 1949 to train for his National Service, and not surprisingly was quickly absorbed into the regiment. He was in the regimental football team that remarkably lost to the Greys in the Cavalry Cup Final in 1951. He was also a fine boxer and according to one report was unbeat- en in 11 consecutive heavyweight fights representing the 12th , before being banned as an amateur because of his professional football status. He died in February 2004 and left a wife Glenda and four sons. Major DE (Don) Collins MBE Donald Collins passed away peacefiJlly 011 11 Sept 04 in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Donald joined the 12th Lancers in 1931 as a Trooper. He was pro- moted through the ranks reaching the position of Orderly Room Sergeant in 1937. His meticulous attention to detail and his dili- gence meant he was well suited to this position. He sailed with the Regt under the The theflSQMS COWS ON 72 Oct command of Lt Col Lumsden to 7939 outS/de the 72 Lancers Sgts’ France on 15 Oct 1939. After an M953 initially quiet start the Regt went on to patrolling the Belgium front line with Donald returning to the UK on a promotional course in early 1940. He was with the Regt when they sailed for Africa in Sept 1941 and by Nov of that same year was engaged in a period of high activity against Rommel’s Army. It is during this period that Donald worked his way up through the ranks reaching the rank of RQMS working for Lt Mabbot. He was subsequently award- ed a commission and became the Regt QM in Feb 1943 where ‘his industry, his experience and his exceptional organising abil- ity’ earned him his MBE. He was remembered as someone who ‘could do’, always able to get spares, fuel, rations to those in most need. He was with the Regt when they sailed for Southern Italy on 27 Mar 1944, where they took on the Germans who were still put- ting up a dogged fight. In quieterperiods he was able to partake in his passion for walking, enjoying the opportunities to explore the local area. Donald was with the Regt in April 1944 for the advance into Trieste and their subsequent return to the UK, going on in 1946 to work for the Control Commission in both German and Austria. He then transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corp (RAOC), where he was commissioned as a Captain, and in Sept 1950 he set sailed to Singapore where he worked in various depots in a number of different Staff appointments. He returned from Singapore in 1953 going on to work in the RAOC’s Banbury Depot before eventually moving to work for the Atomic Energy Establishment. Donald was a highly regarded man who will be remember by all of his colleagues with a great warmth of feeling and genuine respect and will be sadly missed by his family and friends. RjM Trevor Dixon Trevor was a 9th Lancer who rose to be the Chief Clerk of the regiment. On amalgamation, he went to RAC Records as WOl. In 1964, he was commissioned into the 9th/12th Lancers as Lt QM(T), being promoted to captain in 1966. After a brief spell as A/Adjt he went into the RAC Parachute Squadron in 1967 and finally retired from the army in 1970. He was on contract to the Sultans Armed Forces in Oman in 1977-1978 where he was SC(A), and later on in the National Guard in Saudi Arabia. The Rev Canon Richmond Gurney Richmond Gurney was the second of seven children. He went to Worcester College, Oxford at the age of seventeen and having stud- ied for a wartime degree in History was commissioned into the 27th Lancers in October 1943 while the regiment was in Cambridge. After a spell in Palestine and Syria, he served in B Squadron under Major The Lord Inchcape in the Italian campaign. In May 1945 he was Mentioned in Despatches after the actions around Lake Comacchio. After the war he transferred to the 12th Lancers in October 1945 with the rank of Captain in C Squadron. He served in Palestine and while there he resumed his religious studies that had been interrupted by the war, at the Theological College in Jerusalem. While standing outside his office one day he was to witness the bombing of the King David Hotel. |
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