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Oxfordshire
Contributed
by Danny Sails
9/12
Royal Lancers
I
joined the 12 lancers in 1958 and was posted to Wolfenbuttel.then on to
Cyprus in 1959 sailing on troopship SS Devonshire. I did many
land rover patrols with MP's around the murder mile in Nicosia in that
year before a peace deal was signed, we Amalgamated with the 9th lancers
on our return to Tidworth 1961 and then it was off to Omagh for two
years. N.Ireland was trouble free, believe it or not and a good time was
had by most .then out to Aden towards the end of 1962 on the SS Oxfordshire
which I believe was her last voyage, We had lifeboat drills when waiting
to go through the Sues canal even lowering the rowing boats and a paddle
around the Med. been a troopship we had priority going into the canal first
and a safe passage through, it was, then the overpowering
SS.Canberra sailed past us as if we had stopped and everyone cheered as
we knew the England tesk cricket team were on board. or for some other
reason who knows. Aden was to be like the year we spent in
Cyprus, trouble for the first few months, Crater the hot spot
and the eye of any storm. my journey home after that year was another first,
for me anyhow, as the Comet jet was new into servise,and we were on it
heading for blighty.Our next posting to Osnabruck,was very cold after the
middle east, the years had passed quick,i was edging into my 8th year of
a nine year engagement, to be a full corporal and driving the CO col brockbank
who is now a maj gen rtd was the icing on my cake, and to share the staff
car with capt pye .now brig pye on the return trip from our successful
ski team trip in OBERJOCK who could ask for more except there was more,
the queen mother who was our col in chief had visited the regt in
osnabruck a while earlier, not quite a hand shake but been the CO's driver
I was mighty close and im sure I got a smile. |
