| "Ian Dowson Page 3" |
A Member of
The Yorkshire Corps of Drums
The Yorkshire Corps of Drums
I took my diving gear and Northumbrian Pipes to Cyprus and although I got a Diving Course instructing Gurkhas the war saw an end to anything more.
I was posted to 4 Coy as Int. Rep. and as patrol commander, carried out patrols on the FEBA. One role was to record British and Foreign Nationals Passport Holders to assist evacuation and gain Int. especially prisoner names and condition if possible. Ten days before the end of our tour the Drums were amalgamated and we got in some good practice before our return to UK where we were posted to Windsor and I was promoted to Sgt.
Very soon after, I was posted to the Guards Depot as Drums Sgt.
The Depot Drums provided music 6 days a week for recruit training. With school leaving age rising to 16 it was decided that Drummers leaving Boy’s Coy would do a further 6 months attached to the Depot Corps as trainee Drummers, which worked quite well. We also carried out Windsor duties when required.
After 4 years I was posted to 1st Bn as Drums Sgt in Fallingbostel.
After an 8 year gap I was back in Germany and into the role of mechanised infantry as well as displays with the Corps of Drums; one display was on the quayside at Hamburg as the QE2 docked. We were pulled out of trenches at Soltau, back to camp sorted out and returned to Soltau that night.
At the end of the year I was promoted and appointed as Drum Major to 2nd Bn who arrived to take over in Fallingbostel.
Once again the 1st 12 months were busy getting into the role as a mechanised platoon and we also had 4 vehicles to maintain. During this period we retained our Drums role by performing long Reveille and Tattoos on the square once a month, training permitting. As we became proficient in our role we carried out numerous jobs, twice to Berlin, 2 Celle parades with massed bands, a KAPE tour of northern Germany and Guard of Honour for the President of Germany.
I then took the Drums to NI, after that tour it was decided that the Drums would become the Assault Pioneer platoon with all the relevant courses to be completed from mine laying to demolitions, water supply to FIBUA.
One achievement was the Drums with a troop of Engineers built a 2 span medium girder bridge in 1 night without lights and at dawn watched a battle group crossing the bridge to go into the assault.
The end of the Fallingbostel tour also brought my army career to an end.
I spent 21 years with the Drums and always found them to be enthusiastic, disciplined, adaptable and with a good, strong sense of humour. An example of this was digging in on Soltau in driving sleet. I escorted the Commanding Officer around my positions, a drummer digging his 3rd trench (due to 2 collapsing), in shirt sleeve order, wet through, knowing he was spending the night in the trench looked up and said “If I don’t find this f*****g gas pipe soon I’m going to kill someone”.
21 YEARS WELL SPENT
I spent 21 years with the Drums and always found them to be enthusiastic, disciplined, adaptable and with a good, strong sense of humour. An example of this was digging in on Soltau in driving sleet. I escorted the Commanding Officer around my positions, a drummer digging his 3rd trench (due to 2 collapsing), in shirt sleeve order, wet through, knowing he was spending the night in the trench looked up and said “If I don’t find this f*****g gas pipe soon I’m going to kill someone”.
21 YEARS WELL SPENT
At the end of the German Tour we carried out a six week live firing exercise in Canada (BATUS) as assault pioneers, putting to good use all the courses we had completed for that role.
2nd Battalion The Coldstream Guards