55Th Birthday Celebrations
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Curabitur Vulputate Viverra Pede 55th Anniversary Edition Rhodesian Light Infantry Regimental Association February 2016 ! " 55 1961 - 2016 55th Birthday Celebrations The Trooper South Africa Rededication The Ouens look back Skydde Rowe " FROM THE EDITOR Dear Members It was a very special & emotional evening for Time marches and not even RSM Reed can a unique band of brothers in arms. Many of bring it to a halt! Pace is 140 to the minute whom had not seen each other for decades. too -surely it cant be 5 years since those Ian - we salute and thank you. momentous & unforgettable 50th Anniversary celebrations in South Africa in February 2011 and in the UK in September of that year? The strength of the bond between all of us who served together in this ‘Incredible’ Battalion is quite extraordinary. You might Such great memories. Meeting only have shared experiences for a month comrades one hadn't seen for decades, the but that bond will last a lifetime. roller coaster of emotions– joy at the reunion, sadness remembering those no longer with us. We need to treasure these reunions as we head towards the zimmer frame and the ‘ou skate’ tag depicted on Vic Mackenzie’s For those who work so hard to get us brilliant evolutionary cartoon. together we owe them a huge thank you. The SA Branch and Committee who will, as I write this, be grafting away at the double to In light of the above, the Africa Branch is to put together a great event to mark the 55th be lauded for creating a ‘Legacy’ group Anniversary in Joburg over the weekend of where youngsters are being encouraged to the 5th, 6th & 7th of February. participate in Regimental Association activities in the hope that our legacy will not be forgotten as we tiptoe towards 2 RLI. The Africa Branch will also unveil and dedicate its own Trooper statue. A historic event to be enjoyed and a touchstone for the I hope this edition brings some enjoyment to future. the reader and my thanks to all the contributors. My grateful thanks to Simon Willar for assisting with the development of Credit also to Simon Willar (founder) & Rich this e-Cheetah edition. Blaylock whose ‘Get Fired Lunch’ GFL annual reunions in Kloof & elsewhere go from strength to strength. The Nov 2015 In conclusion may I wish you all a healthy, regroup was the 29th successive GFL prosperous and peaceful 2016 and as our gathering. CEO says - Stay vertical. Highest praise & congratulations to Ian Macfarlane for his superhuman effort to firstly find, and then reach out to Skydde Rowe subaltern initiates scattered all over the globe. To persuade 37 of the 79 surviving members to come to a dinner in Durban was an incredible achievement. Neill Storey 2 " CONTENTS Page 02 Editor’s Welcome 04 RLIRA Patron’s Greetings 06 RLIRA Chairman’s Message 08 RLIRA CEO Review 10 RLIRA Padre 12 Branch Reports: 13 Africa 17 United Kingdom, Europe, United States 20 Australia & New Zealand 23 Rededication of The Regimental Memorial, The Trooper in South Africa 27 The Battalion Birthday 1961 32 First Colour Party – 50 years on 35 Skydde Rowe 45 Fraser Brown reunion 47 GFL 49 Reflections: 50 Jug Thornton 52 Simon Carpenter 56 Bruce Upton 58 Sletcher Travis 59 Neill Storey 61 Stu Grover 63 Don Price - Border Control 65 Rob Marsh 70 Dick Lockley - RLI in 1965 & 1966 74 Don Price – Saints Freefall Club 76 Digger Essex Clark - Rugger Buggaz 80 Dick Stent - MAG Gunners 81 Stu Taylor - Letter from Zim 82 Bedford Remembrance Day Parade 83 RAR memorial 84 Tribute to Lt. Col. David ‘The King’ Parker 86 Rhodesian Military Books 97 RLI Roll of Honour 91 Appendices 92 Wearing medals - Know the law 3 " RLIRA PATRON It’s hard to believe that 55 years have flown by since the formation of what was 1 Training Unit based at Brady Barracks in Bulawayo. Where has time gone? Reflecting on our elite Battalion, I recalled my own association with the unit. I had joined the army in 1959 and was sent on an assessment course at the School of Infantry in Gwelo. Our course W02 was no less than the great uncle, Ron Reid Daly. This course was as tough as they come but because I was a rugby player, I often escaped the wrath of the eagle eyed SM. During the drill phase of the course we were sent to Brady and let loose on the poor unsuspecting recruits of 1 Training Unit. The drill square was the old runway of the airforce base. I was commissioned into the Northern Rhodesia Regiment based in Ndola. On the break up of the Federation, I joined the Southern Rhodesia Army and was posted to Gwelo as Adjutant of the School. A few years later I was rescued from the humdrum of administration and posted to the RLI where I joined 2 Cdo under Maj John Cole - A giant of a man with a wonderful sense of humour. My first bush trip with 10 Troop and then Sgt Woody Williams was to Kanyemba-By-The-Sea where we did a joint operation with the Portuguese army. We were supposed to meet on the border but on our arrival there was no sign of them. We carried on our patrol into Mozambique and eventually found them either asleep under trees or listening to the world cup soccer. I was asked to stay on in the bush as 3 Commando were short of officers and did a stint with 13 troop with Sgt Tim Baker. From 2 Commando I was sent on a mortar course and on completion transferred to Support Group as it was then known. Here we did an attachment to the School of Armour in Bloemfontein to be trained on the 90 and 60mm Panhard Armoured Cars. After a spell at Army HQ, I returned as 2IC 2 Commando with my old mate Maj Pat Hill as OC. Great times, mainly in training, for what was to come in the war. Like all of us, there are so many happy memories of our time in the battalion. From the RLI, I was sent to Slnf as OC Tac Wing, then stints in Kariba, Staff College Instructor and BM 2 Brigade. You can imagine when the posting order promoting me to CO of the RLI came through. This was the dream posting and command of every officer in the army. I was stunned and apprehensive to say the least but I need not have worried because those excellent men of all ranks saw me through and gave me their total support and commitment. My command was at the height of the war and we spent more time outside the country than in - major operations were fought and won in Mozambique and Zambia. The RLI was an unique battalion made up of veterans from all over the world plus the addition of national servicemen which made a strong fighting force. To this day many foreign armies study the tactics we used and recently, I have had a request from Australia for details on the RLI involvement in Op Miracle. They wish to include it at their Tactical Training School. We were recognised as the best army unit ever to have fought with so little support and back up.The RLI Regimental Association worldwide gathers momentum to this day and thanks to a dedicated group of leaders, continues to grow in strength . This comradeship is important and as we age, families should be encouraged to join the association to prevent the memory from dying out. The 55th Birthday will be a special event and give us all the opportunity to renew contacts and share in our unique comradeship. I look forward to seeing as many of you as can make the trip. Alannah and I wish you and your families a wonderful year filled with health and happiness. The saints will go marching on. 4 Best Wishes. Ian Bate FINAL PARADE The Colours are handed over to Lt. Col. J.C. Aust MLM Colour Party: Lt. S.J. Carpenter BCR, WO2 B. Lewis, Lt. J. Liversidge " RLIRA CHAIRMAN Greetings to you all. 2016 is an auspicious year for our great Regiment, our 55th Birthday, but sadly the 35th year since our disbandment. Much ‘water has gone under the bridge’ since October 1980 and the first few years after saw many of our ‘ouens’ struggling to find new lives and careers, and sadly, some are still facing challenges. Efforts, certainly by our Africa Branch, to assist our less fortunate colleagues continues. Fortunately in the UK and Australia it is less of a problem. What has been great is the resurgence of the RLI togetherness fostered by the reformed Association from 2006. All three Branches, thanks to the enlightened leadership of their respective committees, continue to prosper and expand, and our Museum in Bedford continues to display our Heritage and Traditions, thanks to Martyn Hudson and his team. It was good to see the Osprey Book “The Rhodesian Light Infantryman” finally published at the end of last year to remind the worldwide military fraternity what we were all about. I think they know though, as in Switzerland this Christmas, I met an Ex British Army/Intelligence guy at a party and when I said I was ex RLI, his comment was “ That was a very competent and respected Regiment” – I think that sums us up? Apologies for not being able to make the South African and Australian 55th Anniversary Reunions this year, but despite retiring in May last year, I am still being called on by the Army here for the odd military duties! I will be at both venues before my tour as Chairman ends, as it is always great to meet up with old colleagues and catch up over a few ales.