9th-12th-Lancers - Year 1984 - Page 0097
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| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1984 |
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THE 9TH/I2TH fiovAL LANCERS REGIMENTAL JOURNAL Attachment to 1 Bn Souls Guards, Hong Kong 1982-83 In October 1982 after two weeks post, Northern Ireland leave, l departed from Gatwrck on what was a most unusual and adventurous attachment to the lst Battalion Scots Guards based at Stanley Fort, Hong Kong. Little did I realise how much travelllng l was going to do In a year, or that l would see the Far East, the Pacific and the USA The British Caledonian Charter flight arrived early the next evening at Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon and l stepped into a totally different world, The weather was cool by Hong Kong Standards, but exceedingly humid The FlCKEl'OTfICeT 1 56 met me and we departed for Stanley, a trip of about 45 minutes, despite the distance being a little over 15 rnlles. Through teeming streets, lined by high rise flats and offices, shops and cooked food stalls, all of which I was to get to know very well during the next year Stanley Peninsula is at the Southern most tip of Hong Kong lsland Stanley Fort is on a high hill at its Southern end, overlooking the fishing village and market of Stanley. The Officer's Mess, not surprisingly, is right at the top of the hill, with a spectacular view of the South China Sea on One Side and Hong Kong Island on the other. The next day I met the Commanding Officer and the Battalion Officers, I learnt that I was to become Second in Command of C Company, 'The Rabbits’ commanded by Major Edward Woods. l was also informed that Within 14 days I would be in Brunei on the Jungle Warfare lnstructors Course, just to introduce me to infantry work! After a few days settling In, meeting the Company, and exploring some of the shopping and entertainment areas of the Colony. I found myself in Osbourne Barracks, Kowloon Tong, on a fitness and acclimatisaiion week. Here I met 60 assorted Para, Marines and lnfantry, fresh back from their post-Falklands leave, who were going to accompany me to Brunei. It was an interesting week, I discovered that despite thinking I was reasonably fit, lwell by Cavalry standardsl, l was not. Despite thinking l could drink a reasonable amount with out falling over, I was out of my league. |wr|l not in this article delve further into the course, butjust say, that it was a gruelling six weeks in which! managed to lose about a stone in weight, became reasonably fit and found out what the jungle was all about, The hot house in Kew Gardens mixed in With the reptile, insect and monkey houses of London Zoo! I arrived back in Hong Kong to spend a very pleasant Christmas and a very special New Year With the Scots Guards. in the meantime, during my absence. arrangements had been continuing for an overseas exercise in Malaysia called ’Orang Utang' (Mart of the Jungle) in which my new found qualification was to play a part. The Company was to leave mieranuary by RAF VC-lO to Singapore, then onwards across the causeway into Malaysta by road On January l5 the recce party departed and the remainder, myself included, five days later Our destination the old British Jungle Warfare School, just North of Johore Bay and Kota Tingi. Since our departure in the early Seventies, Kora Tingi Camp has been named Pulada Camp, a rough translation of Pulada being ’basic training’. Little had changed in the camp, very little paint had been applied, but the grass had been cutl «y. .s Border Eagle Patrols, Hong Kong The original British range facilities in the surrounding jungle had been maintained; our training for the first three weeks relied heavlly on their use. For the remainder of the exercise we were going to use local training areas, wtth invaluable assistance from the New Zealand Battalion based in Singapore. The KiWIs not only supplied enemy, but instructors and R and Ft facilities in Dieppe Barracks, Singapore at weekends They also supplied our medical cover as I was to discover when I broke my leg two weeks into training! Not I might add. domg anything remotely dangerous or exciting, but playing football against the Malaysian Officers! The remainder of my ‘Oran Utang’ was spent hopping around Malaysia and Singapore on crutches. We returned to a chilly Hong Kong in March, and whilst the remainder of the Company proceeded on block leave, I had my plaster removed and spent my days on physiotherapy in the EMH. Sadly I said farewell to Major Woods who departed to NlTAT in Germany, and l temporarily commanded the Company before the arrival of his successor, Major Tom Fitzalanr Howard. |
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