Page 11 - Flaming Cauldron – Issue 56

ACC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

The Last Post

had the best ski boot heaters; we could cakes to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.
find anything to have a one-upmanship What comes through in all my
contest. We cut quite a dash down the memories, and hopefully these stories,
mountain. We skied from the minute is how well Dougie lived. What a spirit
the lifts opened until the sun was going of generosity and goodwill he brought
down. Having skied hard we were justi- to everything he did. I picture him
fied in putting as much effort into our now, with a big smile on his face, facing
evenings of Après Ski. Commandeering challenges with goodwill and humour.
the bar, a Lagavulin (or 3) in hand and To understand this indomitable spirit,
as the evening wore on our stories of it is essential to understand Dougie’s
the slopes grew ever more heroic and early years as he started life in the most
dramatic. challenging of circumstances. Orphaned
On a more serious note, for 4 working at an early age, he was taken into care
class boys who had come up through the in the 1950’s in harsh, smoggy, indus-
ranks and made the most of every oppor- trial Liverpool. Dougie, always with a
tunity the Army gave us, our pride and smile on his face, would recount to me
joy was introducing young apprentices the story of his arrival in Aldershot as a
to the joys of skiing, giving them oppor- 15-year-old apprentice in January 1963.
tunities to learn and have fun which was On being marched into his spartan
the highlight of their time in the Army communal accommodation in a wooden
to that time. Our apprentices competed spider block, he was confronted with
in the Army Super G and Slalom Races. sobbing, equally young, fellow recruits.
We would drive the apprentices to races Dougie, sitting down, testing the springs
Dougie was the youngest of our overnight in minibuses. On one occa- on his bed said to himself “I’ve never had
gang of four, and we tended to hold sion, we had a gruelling 15-hour trip it so good; this is the best home I have
this against him at every opportunity! across Europe for our boys to compete in ever known”.
However, in reality he was always the The RLC championships in Zwiesel in Dougie was one of only two boys
most agreeable of companions in our Germany and then onward to the Army from his intake to be selected for a reg-
cramped alpine quarters. Always the first Ski Championships in Serre Chevalier ular commission. He retired from The
to buy the beers and take on a leadership in France. Dougie, being an ex-appren- Royal Logistic Corps in the field rank
role as we worked out which plane, train, tice was passionate that the Apprentices of Major and then joined the MOD
coach, or boat we were due to be on who attended these competitions were as a civil servant in the equivalent
for our epic treks across Europe to the properly trained and equipped, and rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Elizabeth,
slopes. I must mention this little-known that they competed with distinction. daughters Angela and Nicola and his
story; one year, Joe Murison was confi- It signalled to the rest of The RLC grandchildren were the love of his life.

dently navigating us home after a hard that our apprentices were full of talent He was a kind and generous gentleman.
day’s skiing in the Aosta Valley with and courage. Extremely talented and blessed with a
frequent reference to a crumpled map Away from the Army, our four sharp mind and a boundless enthusiasm
pulled from his jacket pocket. As our families camped together for many for life. He was very special and we will
journey home grew ever longer, Dougie years in some of the loveliest spots in miss him greatly. Goodbye, dear friend.
managed to sneak a peek at the source of the UK. Every night, one family would
our great leader’s navigation device (the cook a meal and try to outdo the other Clarence ‘Jim’ Dyer
solitary map) and spotted that it was a with some exotic dishes. Even off the Jim was one of the
piste plan from the previous year for a slopes, we were still as competitive as nation’s last surviving
resort in France, some 200 miles away! ever. Dougie cooked some hard to beat D-Day veterans, a
On account of our advanced years masterpieces over the years – Braised journey that had led
and boundless enthusiasm, we became Oxtail and Jam Roly Poly (cooked to him from rural
known amongst the wider group as perfection from a recipe in the Manual Warwickshire to the
the ‘last of the summer wine’. We skied of Army Catering Service) were some of ne wl y-liber ated
together, obsessively, three times a year the most memorable. On one occasion, beaches of Normandy.
until age (and caution) crept upon in the middle of a field in the Forest Serving as a baker during World War
us. We were a competitive bunch and of Dean, Dougie and Liz took it upon Two, Jim landed near the fishing vil-
ribbed each other endlessly – Who had themselves to serve us a wonderful lage of Arromanches-les-Bains, on the
the most flamboyant ski jacket? Who afternoon tea served on bone china with western end of a pivotal area designated
had the sharpest, fastest edges? Who cucumber sandwiches and home baked Gold Beach by the Allies.
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