Chapter IV

CHAPTER V

Sporting Activities

It is in the field of sport that we have perhaps built up the greatest variety of activities. We have never had more than about 20 men of all ranks of the right age and figure for active sports and therefore, although we have fielded a very successful football team fairly regularly and, more rarely, cricket and hockey teams, our chief hope was to develop and encourage sports involving fewer people.

Luckily the weather of summer 1955 was so glorious that little ingenuity was necessary. Bathing in the Baltic resorts was unfailingly popular and nearly everyone learnt to play tennis on the then recently completed courts.

At the same time there began another sport which has flourished to the last – riding. It all started so simply. First, I went to buy a horse for myself, found two and liked them both, and so bought the second one for PRI. I acted as instructor and volunteers from the Junior Ranks’ Mess were at once forthcoming. Later, we acquired a third horse from the RA Saddle Club, and RSM John Scogings (ex rough-rider) joined me as a fellow instructor. We gradually improved our position until we had a “manage”, a paddock and a jumping field with lane and a handy-hunter course in a wood. Altogether nearly 80 junior ranks have learnt to ride and many have shown remarkable progress. The countryside round-about is quite ideal for hacking – no tarmac, huge beechwoods, sandy lanes and grassy rides. But my peace was once rudely disturbed when I was attacked by a rabid deer!

Not unnaturally, there have been many incidents – more often than not involving “Toni”, an ancient grey of immense character and possessed of a tremendous sense of humour. Having deposited his passenger in the mud, he stands and waits with a pleased expression of friendly amusement – ask Gnr Brod Lawson! “Peggy”, although always a bit touchy in the stable, was a splendid ride for those whose hands were light enough (or strong enough!) to hold her. The rocking-horse “Jumbo” – all 17 hands of him – was replaced by the far younger “Dolly” who was rather too much of a handful for most people, but was exhilarating to jump for those who ventured on her back. All four horses we have had, in fact, jumped splendidly. All of us who have ridden have had wonderful support from our friend Fritz. Mention must also be made of Gnr Jim Girdwood who has developed the splendid technique of carrying a stirrup and burnisher everywhere with him as an alibi!

The winter 1955-56 was bitter even for the Baltic and this started ideas for fresh activities in such conditions. The sea was frozen solid to Denmark and beyond to Sweden – huge ships were imprisoned and supplied by helicopter – and ski-ing was possible from January to March. By good fortune, there is a low range of hills nearby offering ideal slopes for beginners and so began our story in ski-ing. In 1956, we contended ourselves with a visit of 6 of us to Norway and then local ski-ing on return. In 1957 and 1958, however, 12 and 14 of us respectively went to Norway, after which a selected team went to Winterberg for three weeks to compete in the British, Army & BAOR Ski Championships. In both years the Patrol Team came top on the inspection before the race. That for 1957 (Lt. Col. Martin Burnett, BQMS Roy Marshall, L/Bdr Adam Pettigrew and L/Bdr Alec Melling) came in 17^th out of 57 teams, mostly from major units. In 1958 the team (Lt. Col. Martin Burnett, Bdr Terry King, Gnr Tony Payne and SAC Harry Wilson) was probably potentially as strong, but was unfortunate with the choice of wax and in any case the standard had palpably risen. The team, however, finished complete.

The individual 15 kms race in 1958 was used also to decide the Todendorf individual championship, in which Bdr Terry King beat Gnr Tony Payne by 1½ mins. Lt. Col. Martin Burnett, who came third, won the BAOR Veteran runners-up award for the second year in succession.

To return to the winter 1955-56. Some days it was too cold even to ski with pleasure and we decided that there must be a gymnasium. A wooden floor was provided by means best left undisclosed, and the gym was established and equipped as a “Physical Culture Club” rather than a place for military P.T., and has ever since been in very regular use by a small and faithful band of enthusiasts.

On return from Norway we decided that we ought to have our own “Sauna” or Scandinavian Bath in the same building. This was built with a deep ice-cold bath in addition to a shower, and deck chairs were installed in the gym for relaxation after the bath. It has been used twice a week almost without fail since it was built two years ago.

Our carpenter, Gnr Denis Milson, added a new activity when he returned from the UK with a complete set of archery equipment. Others again became quite enthusiastic supporters of the excellent .22 miniature range, built as a NATO amenity. Outside the camp, I myself enjoyed many a day’s sport with the local landowners and a shot-gun or rifle. Sergeant Joe Jackson, our Chief Clerk, also organised outdoor and indoor badminton courts.

Then in summer 1957, came one of our last brainwaves – the 4-days Nijmegen marches. At first it seemed an impossible venture to find a large enough number who could walk 200 kms from so small a team, let alone train them and run the ranges at all the same time. However, with the very warming support of the whole unit – marchers and non-marchers – we set to work. First, we covered every inch of road around the camp; then we spread further and further out into Schleswig-Holstein, often starting in the middle of the night or camping out; next, we moved the whole team to Haderslev in Denmark where the Danish Army gave us enormous help in having a full-scale rehearsal; and finally to Holland, a team 13 strong supported by our cyclist, L/Bdr Pete Barrow, and the driver of my car, Gnr Tony Payne, who together with Gnrs Bill Button and Taffy Jones had had to give up on medical grounds after covering many hundred miles in training. The whole team of 13 finished¹, thus winning the team medal as well as 13 individual medals. The individual total mileages covered varied from 400 miles to nearly 600 miles.

One last sporting activity is worthy of mention. Long before the last ski-season started we decided that we must have some means of training early without snow. Two chance factors helped us – a new cinema was built, leaving the old one empty and unused; and we had had a bumper crop of hay for the horses in summer 1957. We therefore put one inside the other, shaped it to taste, put down some Coconut matting on boards and voila! One indoor ski hill! It was first class for elementary lessons and for a bit of fun.

At the same time, we established a similar ski-run on the flat in the gymnasium, for teaching the cross-country technique. The result was quite astonishing. All the novices were able to enjoy themselves the very first time they stood on snow, and quite literally ran before they had ever walked.

¹The team consisted of Lt. Col. Martin Burnett, RSM John Scogings, Cpl. George Goddard (RAMC), L/Bdr. Adam Pettigrew, L/Cpl. Pete Edge, L/Bdr. Harold Groombridge, Gunners Terry King, Kieth Watkinson, Brod Lawson, John Lea, Jock Buchanan, Ray Richardson and Roy Gilbert.