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The following tribute is
reproduced by kind permission of the
West Yorkshire Branch of The R.E.M.E. Association
DAVID EVELYN HAYTER
BORN: OCTOBER 28TH 1928 IN CALCUTTA, INDIA
DIED: FEBRUARY 20TH 2007 IN PUDSEY, W.
YORKS
David
joined the army on October 7th 1943, at Arborfield Army
Technical School
(Boys) – 43b – as a boy soldier, training for 3 years as a “soldier and
armourer”.
In
1946, he left Arborfield, and was posted to the Royal West Kent depot, in Maidstone for 6 weeks, to continue training and
teaching National Servicemen. From here he was sent to the REME Transit
Centre, in Otley, West Yorks, where he
volunteered for training with the Parachute Regiment.
His
first posting was to 13 Inf. Workshops in Tia Ping, via Singapore, and then
on to Northern Malaya to join up with the Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha
Rifles in Sungui Patani, for 3 years and his first encounter with the
Gurkhas. Whilst here, he took a course at 40 Base Workshops and passed out
as Armourer 1st Class, and returned to his unit as Battalion Sergeant
Armourer with a staff of 6 Gurkhas.
David’s
next move was to the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars, in Ipoh,
Northern Malaya as Sergeant Armourer, before returning, with the unit, to
Tidworth in the UK.
He was then posted to the Army
Apprentice School
in Arborfield for 3 years, as an instructor, during which time, in 1954; he
met and married his wife, Mary, who eventually presented him with a son,
Richard.
In
1956, he was sent to Hong Kong to join the
2nd/7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Gurkha Rifles in Fanling where he took the
opportunity to take a course in Gurkhali, and become fluent in the
language. After moving on to Kluang, in Malaya,
with the unit, his second son, James, was born.
In
1959, posted back to the UK,
to 14 Command Workshops in Ashford, Kent, he eventually found himself at
Wellington Barracks in London,
with the 2nd Scots Guards. Volunteering to return to Malaya,
he joined the 1st/2nd King Edward VII’s Own Gookhas Regt. there. This is a
name coined in Victorian times which became a tradition. Whilst there, he
became involved in the conflict in Borneo and Brunei.
David
was leaving the Gurkhas for the last time in 1964, after serving almost
half of his 22 years army service with them, to move to Hong
Kong with the battalion.To mark this occasion, he was
presented with a Kukri in gold and silver, and encrusted with semi-precious
stones, as a mark of respect. A rare honour!
Back
to the UK for some home
leave before going on to Berlin,
to join The Royal Anglians, as a WOII.
Returning
to Bordon, he bought a house in Linford, near there, and eventually, after
taking termination leave, he went to work for Vauxhall Motors in Dorking.
Moving to Pudsey, in West Yorkshire, he
bought a house and took a job in the HGV section at Lookers. He then moved
on to a bed manufacturer, in Batley to look after their vehicles and then
on to Goodman Coggins as their vehicle manager.
David
Hayter was a member of the REME Armourers Association for most of the 52
years of it’s existence. He joined the REME Association in 1986 and the
West Yorkshire Branch in 1987, becoming Chairman in 1987-8.
Compiled by his great friend and fellow armourer: Bill Hayles.
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