Page 121 - Light Dragoons 2023 CREST

The war finished with the Regiment in Bremen. They had witnessed the horrors of Belsen as they fought their way North. Stuart was now Adjutant, initially to Sim Feversham and then Vincent Dunkerly. The Regiment moved to Hannover and then to Wolfenbuttel where it seized the better barracks before The Inns of Court could get there. An awful row followed which was only resolved when Inns of Court was disbanded. Stuart now found lots of time to ride, having received much tuition from RSM Duffy Hinds who schooled all young officers daily. The Regiment then moved to Libya with Stuart still as the adjutant. He was to serve four commanding officers in that role. From there, at very short notice, it was to Malaya as the Malayan Emergency escalated. After eight years at RD and five of them as adju- tant, he went to the Staff College at the age of 29. After the Staff College he was posted to 1 [BR] Corps as SO2 Exercise Planning. As his superior officer was busy planning the first successful assault on Everest, much of the work fell to Stuart to plan the vast Corps level exercises at the height of the Cold War. He was awarded the MBE for his work. He returned to the Regiment, now back in Wolfenbuttel, before being posted to Sandhurst. Professor Sir John Keegan would later say that of all the com- pany officers that he saw instruct at Sandhurst, he probably rated Stuart the most gifted intellectually. He returned to the Regiment to command A Squadron in Neumunster before it went back to Malaya again. In 1959 he was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel at the age of 37 and posted to The Staff College as a DS. Having 3 months off, he bought a second- hand landrover in Singapore and, with another officer, drove all the way home with plenty of excitements en route. In 1962 he took command of the Regiment in Fallinbostel. The Regiment had been in armoured cars for 16 years and a completely new culture was needed as an armoured regiment equipped with Centurion and Conqueror tanks. Having fought in the war in an armoured regiment, Stuart was able to instil those essential skills. However hav- ing completed less that 2 years in com- mand, he was head hunted by the CIGS to be his MA. To be selected for that appoint- ment was clear recognition of his talents but it was a sadness to have his tour of command cut short. He was to hand over a highly trained armoured regiment to Phil Tillard in April 1964. Very sadly his tenure as MA had to be cut short after he was hos- pitalised. It is probably be fair to say that period in hospital wrecked his chance of command of a brigade. He was therefore to continue his Army career with one very demanding staff appointment after another. In one, he followed Dwin Bramell and in another Mike Carver had held the same appointment. Both officers would later be CDS and Field Marshals. He was to finish his career as the Army Senior Representative at RCDS in the rank of major general. Subsequently while holding
down two senior posts in civilian life, he was the Colonel of the Regiment for eleven years. During his tenure, there were five commanding officers, all with different characteristics but all of whom were to draw on his wisdom and guidance. He interviewed almost six hundred potential officers, each of whom would receive a let- ter explaining the way ahead. Many would receive several follow up letters. All this in the days before computers could mass pro- duce letters which only needed patching and pasting to taste. He was instrumental in the planning, building and unveiling the wonderful Regimental Memorial on top of Mont Pincon. He was Colonel when the Regiment was awarded the Freedom of Barnsley with its great parade and celebra- tions. However his greatest achievement was the appointment of HRH The Princess of Wales as Colonel-inChief. It required an enormous amount of delicate and pains- taking negotiations with The Sovereign’s Household. It was one of the proudest moments of his life when he escorted The Princess of Wales in an open royal landau with a mounted escort, to present the Regiment with its new Guidon. There is no doubt that his long tenure as Colonel of the Regiment, left the Regiment very highly regarded in the Army and did so much for a very happy and successful amalgamation with the 15th/19th Kings Royal Hussars. On his retirement as Colonel, the Regiment and the Association gave him a silver Mare and Foal and the officers commissioned a very fine portrait of him. Few regiments will see father and son both be adjutant, commanding officer and then become their colonel. Stuart was therefore justifiably proud when Angus took over as our colonel. For eighty years Stuart has been in war and in peace the Regiment’s father figure. His guidance, dedication, wisdom and personality has been the beacon for all who came after to follow. We are all far richer for having known and followed him. Stuart was to be given a whole page obituary in the Times and a fulsome one in the Telegraph.
on in Germany after the war sitting with judges at the War Crimes Tribunals, a for- mer infantry RSM and an infantry Private from the first World War who had been wounded 3 times in the trenches, patched up and sent back into action. He retired in 1985 as Chief Clerk in charge of the Melton Mowbray and Oakham County Courts having developed a disease known as Dystonia for which at the time there was neither treatment nor cure. He could how- ever continue with his hobbies of wood turning, gardening and both tower and musical handbell ringing. He completed over 70 years of tower bell ringing and was musical director and Captain of Waltham on the Wolds handbell team for 40 years. He remained in contact with 2 former 13/18H colleagues and closely followed news of others in the Dragoon Magazine. He leaves a wife June of over 67 years, a son and daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren.
W G J Nall Esq
Died: 20 Sep 22 Served: 1946-49
George Nall was one of the first post war National Service Officers arriving at Vienenburg in late 1945. He had origi- nally been destined to join the Coldstream Guards Tank battalion but opted out when the
Household Division decided to hand over their tanks as soon as the war ended. He joined ‘C’ squadron at Bad Harzburg and learnt to ski before the Regiment got together at the Herman Goring Reichswerke now Immendorf and then moved into Northampton Barracks at Wolfenbuttel. There the Regiment handed over their collection of various armoured cars and carriers for the newly acquired Chaffee light tanks. George acquired a tractor and became the Regimental Horticultural Officer. 1947 saw the Regiment posted via Aldershot to Libya to take over the KDG in Benghazi with a squadron outpost at Barce. Here with oth- ers George’s love of speed nearly ended in disaster when he broke an axle of his armoured car sparing his troop to secrecy they managed to drag the dead vehicle to Benghazi and into the workshop. The EME congratulated him on his recovery operation before George Barce for civilian life. His love of things mechanical led him via Uganda to Shropshire where he joined Rolls Royce Motors, more importantly he met Jenny, his future wife. They married in 1961 and settled in Nottinghamshire in 1963, where George had started an elec- tronics business and later switched to importing and selling Scandinavian wood burning stoves. In 1970 he invited his Nephew to watch the Cavalry Memorial Parade and attend the lunch afterwards. Thereafter, George took a keen interest in
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
Mr R M Hallifax
Died: 13 Oct 22
Served: 1950-52. Started National Service 13 April 1950 and trained as a driver/ signaller on Comet tanks at Catterick. Posted to 13/18H at Kluang, Malaya. Having been employed at a Tax Office from leaving school he was set on as NCO IC squadron pay which also took in HQ Troop. The Section Officer was Capt ‘Jock’ Bell. Admin Staff, cooks, bandsmen etc took regular turns at laying early morn- ing ambushes in the jungle edge next to rubber plantations. ‘Bandits’ regularly slashed rubber trees and a huge amount of longlasting damage could be done in a very short time. On discharge he rejoined the Civil Service but in the County Courts. In his first office the rest of the staff were a former Royal Engineers NCO who stayed
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