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            On 14th October 1974, the pre-advance party arrived in Osnabruck followed at the end of the month by the advance party about 100 strong. From 20th-30th November, the Main Body moved into Mercer Barracks. December was spent settling in to the BAOR routine and enjoying the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Aerial View of Mercer Barracks

For more information about the British Army in Osnabruck go to - http://baor-locations.com/Osnabruck.aspx

            January and early February was a work up period in mild weather, interspersed with many visitors, cadres and Officers and SNCO Training days. In the latter half of February the battalion moved out en masse to Soltau for mechanised field training. This was conducted at company/support platoon level throughout, with each mechanised company undergoing a final 36-hour exercise under the auspices of a deployed Battle Group (BG) HQ. The battalion had fine but very cold weather throughout its time at Soltau and learned a lot about operating with its new "hardware".

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 1.         a                        b                            c                         d                          e                          f                         g                       h                   i                 McEwan Cup 1975

            The McEwan Cup was held over a 4 1/2 mile course in-the woods to the north of Mercer Barracks on February 4th. The going was firm and comparatively easy underfoot, ensuring a rapid pace by the 240 competitors taking part. Pte Higgins of A Coy emerged as a clear winner by 300M and created a new Bn record of 28 minutes 37 seconds.

Results                                                                                                                                                             Final Coy Positions

With only a weekend to clean up, the battalion began March with companies rotating to the Electric Target Ranges at Sennelager for personal weapon testing, while Bn HQ and Coy HQs deployed on their first Brigade level CPX. In the second fortnight of March the battalion again moved out, this time to Sennelager for Field Firing. With great disappointment the Rifle Meeting, scheduled as a climax to the month's weapon training, was snowed off. This month also saw the changeover of RSMs, on 7th March, WO1 (RSM) ‘Danny’ Nicol taking over from WO1 (RSM) ‘Jake’ Kennedy. In April the battalion managed to get a party of approximately 20 all ranks off for 10 days ski-ing on the Zugspitz. It also had an ACF party of two officers and 15 cadets from Argyllshire and Dumbartonshire for a fortnight's visit, provided D Company for a demonstration to a visiting Parliamentary' Delegation, a Guard of Honour in Brussels and began a series of specialist inspections for the FFR inspection. It also ran cadres for Cpls and L/Cpls.

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The first week of May was particularly hectic as the battalion prepared for the FFR. This took place on Friday 9 May. It started with a ceremonial parade in No 2 Dress, during which Sgt Carmichael was presented with the LSGC medal, and culminated in a demonstration by Support Company of all their capabilities. In between every platoon was tested on either Weapon Training, NBC, First Aid, General Knowledge or Aircraft and AFV recognition. Bn HQ and the Intelligence Section were tested on operating in the field and A1 and A2 Echelons were also turned out (loaded) and inspected. It was quite a day and it rained solidly throughout. Also in May both the Mortar Platoon and the Swingfire Section of the Anti Tank Platoon attended specialist concentrations, the Bisley Team began serious training and the remainder of the battalion began Internal Security training.

            June saw the "hierarchy" on two Divisional CPX's trialling the proposed new BAOR formation organisations, the EEC referendum, a week's IS training at Sennelager for the whole Bn and the Anti-Tank platoon away at their concentration.

Throughout the first six months in BAOR the battalion ran an almost continuous series of MT cadres - A and B vehicle drivers, HVG drivers. Ferret and Stalwart drivers, A vehicle instructors, and A vehicle commanders. The bands both had very full programmes. Signals cadres were fitted in here and there. Since April nearly everybody in the battalion had three weeks leave.

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During July, the battalion was at short notice to move to Northern Ireland. Tac HQ, the Advance Party (G, A and Q) and B Company (complete) eventually flew over to Northern-Ireland on Friday 11th July and went to HMS Maidstone in Belfast docks. In the proceeding four days the battalion had five full 0 Groups as forecast take-off times were announced or cancelled or changed. With magnificent help from the Scots Guards, B Coy was kitted out in very short order and despatched to the Maze Prison. The rest sorted themselves out, established an Ops Room and a routine, found where the television sets were and waited for what the day would bring. B Coy meanwhile successfully intimidated the occupants of the Maze into good behaviour over the weekend by dint of marching round the perimeter with Lieutenant Mike Wilson's pipes in good tune. As it happened, Saturday 12th July passed without incident, and after a wonderful weekend's television, (the second Test, the Open Golf final day, and a play-off on Sunday, and International Athletics at the White City) we handed all our kit in — again with invaluable assistance from the Scots Guards—and were all back in our Osnabruck beds by midnight on Sunday 13th July. With this interesting diversion over the battalion was still left with the rest of July, at short notice for service in Northern Ireland. This gave was an excellent opportunity in glorious weather, to complete inter-company hockey, battalion athletics, battalion swimming gala, inter-platoon march-and-shoot competition, Officers versus Sergeants cricket and golf, a Standard II Signals cadre, an Audit Board, a Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) by HQ 2nd Division, a Grade I Board, a Regimental Duties Cadre for Junior NCOs and hosting Dundee High School Cadets for a fortnight. There were a few more minor diversions such as staging a Brigade Officers' Study Day, sailing expeditions, canoeing expedition, inspecting all the tracked vehicles, a Board of Officers and an Officers Mess Reel Party.

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Results of the Battalion Swimming Gala 22 July 1975

The battalion went block leave on 15 August for three weeks. At the beginning of September the Commanding Officer and Capt Barclay visited Belfast for a few days and brought back with them the sort of information which was to govern the battalion’s main preoccupation for the next three months, the training for Northern Ireland. Sept/Oct/Nov were spent training for Northern Ireland and included a visit ti tin city at Sennelager. By 5 December 1975 the battalion was more or less complete in Belfast.

Northern Ireland Tour - December 1975 – April 1976.

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                 In early April 1976, the battalion having handed over in Belfast to its Osnabruck neighbours, 1 Staffords, returned to Osnabruck and most moved out again; this time headed for three weeks leave, again leaving the Rear Party to keep the deserted ship afloat.

By the end of April the battalion had reassembled to learn, or relearn the arts and practises of mechanised warfare in a limited or general war context. May and June were given over to cadres for NCO's, shooting coaches, regular radio users, Standard 2 Signallers, armoured vehicle commanders, wheeled vehicle drivers (various sorts), tracked vehicle drivers and individual training (covering fourteen different subjects as listed in the Commanding Officer's training directive) Personal Weapon Testing ("classification" to older generations), and Section and Platoon battle drills, and all the normal specialist cadres and external courses. Just in case we should find time hanging heavy on our hands we added some other items to the programme in the shape of various annual inspections, an Audit Board, a week's flotation training on the River Weser, B Company on a week's guarding of an ammunition site, a Guard of Honour for the Battle of the Somme Anniversary parades, several RSM's Drill Parades and formal entertainments by both Officers' and Sergeants Messes. Support Company complete, together with a large administrative detachment went off in mid June for five weeks, to organise and administer the Corps Anti-Tank Concentration.

            1st July the battalion provided a Guard of Honour for the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. During July most of what was left of the battalion spent the last two weeks, field firing camp at Sennelager. After a prolonged period of dry and very hot weather, the ranges were in tinder-box condition which restricted the use of pyrotechnics and tracer ammunition, but much useful firing and training was carried out.

The battalion was host at various times to Argyll, Lennox and Strathtay ACF's (2 officers and 24 cadets), Kelvinside Academy CCF (5 officers and 55 cadets) and a composite group from Strathallan and Dollar Academy CCF's (3 officers and 34 cadets).

            In August the battalion despatched a composite platoon, 33 strong, together with 17 other specialist employed soldiers to reinforce 1 GORDONS who were moving to Northern Ireland as the Belfast "garrison" battalion in November 1976 for an eighteen month tour. All 50 of them continued serve as Argylls, and maintained the Regiment's name in very good standing.

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However at one stage during the autumn a tiny rear party maintained business as normal in our nominal home in Osnabruck, A and D Companies, with Support Coy detachments and/or reinforcements, were forming the fourth companies of two different battalions organised on different establishments; they were given further "wartime" reinforcements from yet another unit, and neither of them ever actually served with their nominal parent unit, each being detached to under command a further unit. And if that sounds complicated, out in Canada the Commanding Officer with a small ad-hoc Battle Group HQ, was commanding a grouping of a squadron of 2RTR, called CYCLOPS (not allowed to be called a squadron) commanded by a US major; a squadron of 4 RTR, commanded by a Rhodesian, and none of them seen until all arrived in Canada; our own B Company, Recce Platoon (but driving Ferrets which they never normally have) and Anti Tank and Mortar sections; a company of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (mechanized — but in different vehicles from ours); a Gunner Field Battery who were not our normal affiliation, and who anyway were called Sandham's Company; a Royal Engineer troop known as the Rat Pack (officially it seems); a half-troop of RCT drivers who should have been second-line but were in fact third-line (and we never saw them either until we got to Canada); and a most marvellous mish-mash of all of them in our echelons and base support, manfully controlled by OC Support Company, the Quartermaster Technical and the EME. To add to that the tracked Armoured Personnel Carriers were petrol-engined, not diesel like we normally have, and most of our supply vehicles were totally unknown, and elderly "deuce-and-a-halfs". It will come as no surprise to anyone to hear that the whole thing worked very happily, and that in some quite appalling conditions of cold and dust, the most valuable training was achieved. One other feature of the Canadian visit must be recorded, and that is the chance it afforded to meet our affiliated regiment, the Calgary Highlanders. This was a unique occasion, and, for those of us fortunate enough to be present, made unforgettable by the kindness, fellowship and marvellously generous hospitality of the Commanding Officer and all ranks, past and present of the Calgary Highlanders.

Obituary— Sgt F J Miller, A and SH

During the training in Canada an unfortunate accident resulted in the death of Sgt Frank Miller on the 11th October 1976. Sgt Miller was killed in a Ferret scout car at Suffield Training Area in Canada. Sgt Miller joined the army as a boy in January 1964 and came to the 1st Battalion during the second Borneo Tour, in the Lundu area, in 1965. He also served with the Battalion on active service in Aden and Northern Ireland. After completing a Regimental Signals Instructors Course at Warminster in 1971, on which he received a very good B Grading, he was recommended to return to the School of Infantry as an instructor. In April 1974 he was promoted to Sergeant and posted to the Signals Wing at Warminster, where his cheerfulness and professionalism impressed everyone. He returned to the Battalion in May 1976 and was appointed Radio Sergeant. It was while carrying out these duties that the tragic accident occurred.

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            Having achieved, by mid-November, the highest level of mechanized expertise so far, the remainder of the year was fairly quiet with a pleasant, peaceful Christmas and New Year.

 1977

The main events of the first six months were annual field firing camp at Sennelager, battle group training at Soltau with 5 Inniskilling Dragoons, the handover of Lt Col A. W. Scott Elliot to Lt Col I. C. Purves-Hume and participation in the Army Jubilee Parade at Sennelager. To this was added the usual spices of ski training, command post exercise, annual inspection, Division Rifle Meeting, exchanges with the American and French Armies, competitions with the German Army, marches with the Dutch, Bisley, cadet visits, Sp weapons concentrations, Baltic Sailing, an Operational Readiness Test (Haig style), visits (including the Prime Minister) and the beginning of the training leading up to the next Northern Ireland emergency tour. All in all a frantically busy time with the usual penalty (which no one in authority in BAOR understands) which is that to do so many things in such a short time and frequently simultaneously, means that not all receive the attention they deserve. Thus the battalion remain correctly described as "Jocks of all trades and . . .".

            The Prime Minister visited the battalion on training at Soltau on the 26th April. He was briefed by the Commanding Officer and saw B Company supported by a troop of 5 Inniskilling Dragoons, REs and every other conceivable arms support make a minefield breach. Later he watched a Chieftain bridge layer in action and examined parts of B Coy, a tank, Swingfire and Blowpipe in great detail. Overall, his visit was a great success, not least because of his own approach. He was relatively uninformed about things military at our level and he showed a lively and friendly interest in everything. Questions were frequent but easy to answer, and he went out of his way to speak to Jocks. It was a good humoured and pleasant afternoon in severe contrast to the hullabaloo which went before it. The next day the CGS visited 5 Inniskilling Dragoons, who shared the training area with the battalion and with whom A Company were training, thus A Company also received an important visitor during its Soltau training.

The Operational Readiness Test. was sprung on the battalion on 14th June. This was the first time a British unit had been tested to standards laid down by SACEUR. The battalion was inspected by a team consisting of Brigadier Hopkinson, Queen's Own Highlanders, his G2. DAA and QMG and a NATO Monitor, Lt Col Burdick. After a full turn out as for war and deployment, the battalion were highly rated and very glad that it was all over.

            During the Summer of 1977, the battalion’s largest commitment was to HM The Queen's Silver Jubilee Parade in Sennelager. 4 Division were the parade troops and 2 Division provided the administrative back up, which for the battalion meant having two companies employed for a fortnight each on menial tasks. However the Colours were on parade, the battalion was much in evidence as street liners and the whole effect of the parade was such that all felt they had made a contribution to something worthwhile.

Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal

The following members of the battalion were awarded the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal:- Lt Col I. C. Purves-Hume, Maj Walker, W01 Nicol, W01 Clark, W01 Donaldson, W01 Morris REME, W02 Cairns, W02 Chapman, W02 Grant 54, C/Sgt Pollock, S/Sgt Boyd (Mil Band), S/Sgt Graham, Sgt MacGiliivray, Sgt Stubberfield, Sgt Logie, Sgt Ball ACC, Sgt Wollaston RAPC, Cpl Kennedy, Cpl McVicar, LCpl Mclntyre.

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Meanwhile however the BAOR treadmill ground on and those left over from Sennelager went on Command Post Exercises, filled special guard commitments and, especially those in Intelligence, attended a host of courses designed to fit them for the Christmas and New Year Belfast tour. Mid Aug to 5th Sept the battalion went on block leave, prior to starting Northern Ireland training, and after a brief spell on the special ranges and training facilities at Woodlands Camp, Sennelager in October, the battalion relieved 3 LI as the Springfield Road Battalion in Belfast on 28th October.

Northern Ireland Tour October 1977 – End of February 1978.

1978

End of February the battalion returned to Osnabruck, Block leave followed in March but, at the beginning of April, the battalion began retraining in earnest with eleven different cadres running simultaneously not counting the start of Bisley shooting training and the hosting of the Argyll and Lennox Cadets, who stayed some 10-14 days. Meanwhile on the admin side the battalion restructed to a new establishment in a different organisation, Sp Coy’s name was changed to C Coy the first time the battalion had a C Coy since 1959. April also contained three Garrison Study Days which were presented by the Garrison units in turn and for which the battalion’s subject was "Fighting in Wooded Areas". The divisional Rifle Meeting was not a great success, the team had had insufficient practice and only made 4th out of 11 teams which was not really as good as the previous year's result.

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                 May began with a CPX involving all of battlegroup Headquarters and some echelon staff, but the battalion had so much activity that one can only list the main events and ignore such as things as RSM's parades and audit boards:

            Sennelager Field Firing. A fortnight of very good training, which was tragically scarred for us by the deaths by premature explosion of LCpl Docherty and Pte Haughie of the Assault Pioneer Platoon.

            Rhine Area Rifle Meeting.

1(BR) Corps Mortar Concentration

The Osnabruck Tattoo

Anti-Tank Platoon Field Firing

Visit by Mr Spence Chairman of the Argyll and Bute District Council and Allan Cameron.

1 DERR Recce of Osnabruck

Entry in the Esso Lombard Scottish Rally.

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If anyone can put names to faces with companies, dates and locations.

Please e-mail with page name, row number and picture letter to ayoung287@msn.com

June included the annual personal shooting tests, training by Companies at Haltern, a special guard, the arrival of Clansman (a new range of radios) another CPX and move of the first elements to Catterick comprising the QM, Geoff Smith and the reinforcement platoon returning from 1 Gordons.

            The emphasis in July and August was preparing for a successful handover to the (TV men) 1 DERR, which involved an enormous amount of preparation and inspection of APCs and a thorough re-appraisal of everything that the battalion has used and lived in since November 1974. The McEwan Cup was run and won by A Company on 14th July; Cpl Austin came individual first followed in by L/Cpl Higgins. Participation in an Anglo-German Football Competition obtained for the battalion the Adolf Fisher trophy which was a handsome cup and also, much to our astonishment, we-won the "Fairness" trophy which is awarded to the cleanest team. The battalion moved from Osnabruck to Catterick took place in September 1978 and the battalion’s role changed from being a Mechanised BAOR Bn to being a UK Infantry Bn.

Catterick

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Updated: 05 May 2008