Royal Tank Regiment Golf Society The Phoenix Rises Again

GRAHAM EDWARDS REMEMBERS 7RTR AT CATTERICK

Graham Edwards

On returning from Hong Kong, 7RTR took over from 68 Training Regiment RAC on 1 March 1955, as one of the three RAC Training Brigade Regiments in Catterick Camp. A Squadron was responsible for basic training of recruits, B Squadron for Driver AFV and Potential Officer training and C Squadron for training Clerks, Gunners AFV and Signallers AFV. The Commanding Officer was Lt Col J K Greenwood OBE.

The Regiment was based at Waitwith Camp in which most of the accommodation, legend had it, had been condemned since the First World War! It was not a camp as one would normally expect as it had no fence around it and so one didn’t have to pass the guardroom when entering or leaving. On one side it was open to the Yorkshire moors so sheep would wander in and occasionally end up in a barrack room.

In the summer of 1955, following IRA raids on some military arms stores, a new guard was formed, known as the prowler guard. This was very different to the main and tank park guards, where you had to wear your best uniform, were given no weapon, apart from a pickaxe handle, and had do two hourly stags (patrols). The prowler guard wore denims and plimsoles and were issued with a rifle and ammunition. After parading with the other guards, the prowler guard was locked in an old building and could only be let out by the orderly officer, whatever was taking place outside! Once a night, the Orderly Officer would call out the guard and then lead it on a patrol around the camp and check the identity of anyone who was about. It was a relatively cushy guard as you didn’t have to get bulled up, but it was very boring. In 1956, there was an extraordinary pay parade and we had to wear gas masks. I can only think this was training for a gas attack. The lenses steamed up and so there was no way you could check your pay, but you still had to say, “Pay correct, sir.” In addition, the paying officer or his clerk would not be able to recognise who was collecting the pay!

At the end of June 1956, several of us were told to pack up all our kit and parade at 0800 the next morning. We weren’t told where we were being sent except that “a bucket and spade