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ROYAL MILITARY POLICE OLD COMRADES LINK UP NEWSLETTER #157 JULY 2020 YOUR CORRESPONDENCE Continuing from last month here are more Publicity Stories. First up is another one from Cyprus under the heading of, “Hoylake Military Policeman on Duty in Cyprus”. According to Gilbert and Sullivan: “A policeman’s lot is not a happy one”. A policeman who would disagree with that is Staff Sergeant Alastair MacKinnon (33) who is serving with the Royal Military Police at Dhekelia in eastern Cyprus. Alastair would be the first one to admit that service on a Mediterranean island makes his lot a happy one indeed! Alastair’s mother lives at (address withheld) Hoylake, Cheshire. Before he joined the army in 1955 he pounded the beat as a police constable in Edinburgh, he is now a highly trained military policeman with specialist qualifications in special investigation and clerical matters, at present he is NCO in charge of his unit’s charge and reports section. He was promoted to his present rank in November 71. Aaistair chose the army as a career to follow in his father’s footsteps, the late Mr MacKinnon served as a captain with the Royal Military Police. Military police duties in Cyprus include everything from crime detection and prevention to VIP escort duties and ammunition guards - all over a ‘beat’ much bigger than you would find in any town or city. On the advantage side there is the beautiful island with one of the best climates in the world. Alastair’s home is less than a mile away from the blue Mediterranean. Our picture from Cyprus shows Staff Sergeant MacKinnon using the two way radio telephone in his Land Rover to report back to his headquarters during a routine check of road signs in his area. Alastair was featured once again in a local newspaper in Galashiels when he was a recruiting Officer. Part of the write up said, “Sergeant Major MacKinnon came to Galashiels from Germany just over a month ago. He has served 22 year with the Royal Military Police, and during that time he has been stationed in Singapore, Malaya, Cyprus, Germany and France, as well as the United Kingdom” I previously said that I had received a good response and I have two more entries from Rob Eatwell who seems to have hogged the limelight during his time. The following is the text which accompanied the photograph. The event took place in 1971 ‘Over a thousand miles of motoring in three days and nights, in tough conditions and against the clock, make the Army Driving Championships a blistering event, as Corporal Rob Eatwell of Burbage, recently discovered. Twenty-five year old Corporal Eatwell whose parents live at (address withheld) took part in this year’s Championships held at Sennelager in Western Germany, for the first time. Corporal Eatwell is serving with Sixth Armoured Brigade Provost Unit of the Royal Military Police at Soest in Western Germany.’ The second photograph, published in September 1966 had the following text accompanying it. ‘The Royal Military Police career of 20 year old Lance Corporal Robert Eatwell who parents live at (address withheld) hit a dramatic highpoint when a top-secret Russian jet fighter crashed into a lake in West Berlin’s British Sector. While a large-scale salvage operation was mounted by the British Army, to recover the wreckage and bodies of the two Russian pilots killed in the crash, reinforcements were called in from West Germany, where L/Cpl Eatwell is stationed with 1 (Br) Corps Provost Company, to carry out strict security measures. During his ten day special duty as a member of the Redcap “crisis squad”, this former pupil of Hastings High School, kept guard whilst British experts examined the wreckage, which was later returned to the Soviet authorities. After eighteen months as a Redcap, Robert looks back on a hefty share of action, and demanding assignments - but the tension which surrounded the Russian plane crash had the edge on previous jobs. Mike Newell sent in a small newspaper clipping from 31st December 1971 which was in his local paper. It read, Military Prize. A Kettering boy, Michael Newell of (address withheld) received the Commanding Officer’s Special Prize at the passing out ceremony of the Junior Tradesmen’s Regiment. The ceremony was commanded by Michael, who is Junior Company Sergeant Major, Royal Military Police. Michael, who is 17, has been training at Kimmel Park Camp, Bodelwyddan, since September 1969 and he is now passing out into adult service. He is now stationed at the Royal Military Police Depot at Chichester. On the left you see a young, almost innocent Mike, as a Junior Leader -ooOoo- Checkpoint Job - in Greece Among the thousands of NATO troops airlifted to Northern Greece for Exercise Olympic Express was a 1,000-strong British force from the United Kingdom and Malta. Corporal Roy Casson (centre), Royal Corps of Military Police, is seen with other NATO military policemen manning a check point near Salonika. Roy, whose mother lives in (address withheld) attended Barnsley Grammar School before becoming a military policeman six years ago. Since then he has served in Hong Kong, Germany and Norway. Roy also had another report in a local newspaper which just featured a small photograph. The text read, ‘Cyprus tour for Redcap. Military police sergeant Roy Casson has certainly seen the world since he joined up 14 years ago. He has left Burnley for a two year tour of duty in Cyprus after a short stay with his mother and stepfather Mr and Mrs Kendall (address withheld). During his Army service Roy, an old boy of Burnley Grammar School, has served in Germany, Northern Ireland, Greece, Norway and Hong Kong, from where he visited Saigon and Singapore. Roy, son of the late Sub Officer Alfred Casson who served with Burnley Fire brigade for 28 years, joined Burnley Borough Police as a cadet in 1959 and became a constable two years later. After joining the Military Police in 1963 he was posted to Hong Kong. He later returned to this country and spent four years at Tidsworth, in Kent, (I have not mistyped anything - I have copied it accurately) with the Strategic Reserve serving in Norway, Germany and Greece with the NATO troops. For six months he was a motor-cyclist with the Royal Military Police Display Team.’ Helen Kerridge sent the following, ‘Thanks as ever for the latest newsletter; I must have missed the call for “Local boy (girl) makes good” photos from the press, but I humbly submit the following. I ‘hit the big time’ by making the front page of Sixth Sense on 17th August 1983 (price 50 pfg) during Exercise Olive Branch ‘83. The WRAC Provost from all over BAOR were incorporated into a specially formed unit, 102 Provost Company, and were to provide backup for a river crossing of the Rhine near Xanten. An American MP company acted as enemy and we were heavily outgunned; I seem to remember a ‘fire fight’ where we were so short of ammunition we ended up shouting ‘bang! whilst they blatted us. Prior to the photo being taken for the article, which was entitled, “Unit formed for the Occasion” I had been carrying an SLR but it was deemed not ‘appropriate’ so hence no weapon. The caption read, “Cpl Helen Bentley directing one of the Foden ten tonne lorries”. Also making the front page were, LCpl Dawn Cousins, who was “manning the harbour area on the east side of the Rhine” (with SMG) and Sergeant Major Dorothy Walker “who at the ‘demise’ of her Commanding Officer took over command of the WRAC Company”. Let’s say it was an ‘interesting’ week! I also made The Evening Sentinel, my local paper in Stoke on Trent, back in June 1979, after passing out from Chichester and before heading off on posting to Berlin. That was thanks to my mother (why do they do that) but it is so cringingly awful it will remain forever buried away. With best wishes from a cooler Suffolk -ooOoo- It appears that what was our “company car” for many years is back in vogue. Philip contacted me and said, ‘The mention last month of pleats to the front of the redcap cover and of the chin strap reminded me of the need to keep about you a spare chin strap, for when it was actually needed – couldn’t run the risk of defacing hours of work achieving the right shade of chestnut (At Inkerman the colour to be avoided was apparently “mad woman’s vomit” – don’t even ask!). My personal struggle was with white webbing gaiters – the slightest touch of Brasso from the brass buckles achieved an instant black smear on the pristine white and, as for Kiwi black polish, just a speck achieved a similar result. Thank goodness for liquid polish – not usable elsewhere but here a boon. As regards the darkening between the two stripes of a full Corporal, this was never to trouble me However, when I received a copy of my Army Records, I was momentarily chuffed to find that my CO felt that I was “suitable for promotion” – until I realised that, in those days, everyone who had served two years and kept a relatively clean sheet was similarly honoured. The two Landrovers (last edition) with entirely different number plates (89BR91 and 70BP08) made me wonder how military vehicle were numbered? The attached photo taken at about the same time in Cyprus has 67BP74. Only BP in common. My redcap has the usual pleats and is worn at a conscript’s slight angle - in a style subsequently to be imitated by the cast of the TV show “On the Buses” The only other, very slight, connection between my service in Cyprus and Gibraltar is General Sir Dudley Ward, CinC Middle East Command during my time.

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