Page 125 - The Light Dragoon 2024

A F Ramsay Esq
Died: 12th December 2021 Served: 1957-1958
Andrew Forrest Ramsay was a National Service Officer who served in Neumünster and Aden/Oman.
Andrew was educated at Charterhouse and was a Sergeant in the CCF there. He was an excellent football player and was a member of the 1st XI Football team that was the most successful team since the end of WW2. Michael Seligman, who was also commissioned into the 13th/18th Hussars, was an exact contemporary.
Andrew originally wanted to join the 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7 RTR) as they were then stationed in Hong Kong which he thought would be interesting. However when he told this to Colonel John Cordy- Simpson the Commandant at Mons Officer Training School (OTS) who was visiting Charterhouse, the reply was “You ******* idiot, they will be long gone if and when you are commissioned; you better join my regiment the 13th/18th”. Soon afterwards 7 RTR became a training regiment based at Catterick which would not have been quite as “interesting” as service in Oman.
Andrew went to Mons, passed out as the top Junior Under Officer and joined A Squadron of the 13th/18th in 1956 in Neumünster. Members of his Squadron were always commenting on the fact that Andrew had a strong resemblance to Elvis Presley (as can been seen in the photo above). Sometime after his arrival in Neumünster, B Squadron was sent to Aden and Oman. In December 1957 It was decided that, because the area to be covered was so vast (over 2500 km from one end to the other), two additional troops would be needed. Andrew joined 5th Troop, B Squadron and after collecting 5 Ferret scout cars from Sharjah they had to drive to their posting at Bayt Al Falaj, three miles from Muscat in Oman. The journey took three days over bad roads; currently the average time would be 5 hours. The tented camp at Bayt Al Falaj was very comfortable and had showers and a NAAFI. Fresh food and mail was flown in from Bahrain twice a week.
The main duties in Oman were to accompany convoys taking oil company supplies from the port at Muscat to the drilling areas near Yibal, a distance of over 300 km. The road was frequently mined by insurgents who used to come down from the hills at night. In April 1958 whilst 5th Troop was out on a patrol their camp at
Izki was completely destroyed by fire. The men lost all of their personal possessions. In May 1958 whilst driving from Firq to Nizwa Andrew’s Ferret ran over a mine and sustained major damage but Andrew and his driver were uninjured. Before trans- ferring to Dhala (Al Daid) in the Western Aden Protectorate (now Yemen) 5th Troop carried out a major ‘showing the flag’ round trip from Muscat to Sharjah via Ibri and back via Sohar, a distance of about 1100 km. It was an exhausting journey with the temperatures in the Ferrets reaching 135oF (57o). Andrew’s duties in Dhala involved patrolling the Yemen Aden border and escorting convoys.
Andrew finished his National Service in 1958 and went to work at Smit Salvage BV in Rotterdam (now Boskalis SMIT) which was then the largest towing and salvage company in the world. It was fascinating work. It was not uncommon for Andrew to receive a phone call in the middle of the night about a vessel in distress on the other side of the word. He would then have to arrange a rescue under a Lloyds ‘no cure, no pay’ basis. He prospered at Smit and was offered a seat on the main board but this would have meant that Andrew and his family would have had to relocate to The Netherlands. Reluctantly Andrew decided to leave Smit and join a firm called Auto Electrics in the late 1970s. The Group comprised a very diverse selection of companies which produced cabling, fasteners and coatings. Andrew soon became the Managing Director. He modernised the group companies and brought them all together under one roof. Most of the business was sold in the early 2020’s but Andrew kept one company and continued to be an active Director until his death.
Andrew is survived by Jenny, whom he married in 1963, and his daughter Louise.
SC
Mr A F Crawford
Died 14 Jan 2023 Served 1969 – 1977
Mr A. F. Crawford passed away on 14 January 2023 aged 71.
Alan, known
to friends and comrades as “Plug”, served with 13th/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) from 1969 to 1977.
Alan served in the main with ‘C’ SQN. He was posted to Munster West Germany, during which time the Regt completed a tour of (HMP) Long Kesh.
On the Regt return to UK, Sqns were split between Warminster, Bovington and Lulworth, Alan was stationed at Bovington with Vehicle Sqn, Light Track Troop.
In August1974 the Regt returned to BAOR to Hohne, where, Alan remained with “C” SQN. From Sept to Dec 1975 the Regt once again served in South Armagh Northern Ireland and Alan was at Middletown with the permanent VCP Section. He stayed with “C” SQN until he left the Army in 1977.
Alan was a popular, friendly a “happy go lucky” person who had a go at most sports, however, he was happiest playing indoor sports, I.e. darts, crib, and dominoes. He also had the uncanny knack of being invited for Sunday lunch with his married friends most weekends.
Alan will be sadly missed by his old comrades and especially his devoted wife
The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
13/18H OBITUARIES
Irene and son John.
Mr B J Goldup
Died: Jan 2023 Served: 1955 – 1957
P M Davies Esq
Died 22 Mar 2023 Served 1971 – 1975
Philip Davies joined A Squadron in 1971 and his reputation as a sportsman preceded him. He quickly demon- strated a gift for any
sport involving a ball – rugby, hockey, cricket or indeed golf. But such was his modesty, few of us knew his school background. After early life in what is now Tanzania, at Prep School he was captain of every sport and Head Boy and in his final year at St Edward’s, Oxford he was Captain of Rugby, Cricket, Hockey and Athletics. He had the unusual distinction of playing not only rugby for the English Schools but also hockey for Wales under 18s. At the Regular Commissions Board, he set the record for the individual Assault Course that was not equalled for many years.
While he loved the life of a subaltern, finding his role in guarding Long Kesh Internment CampinNortherIrelandrathertedious, he would play the “I’m off to play rugby for the Army or Combined services” card. It was as a member of the latter team that he scored a try at Twickenham against the All Blacks. He was also selected to play for the Barbarians on the Easter tour of Wales with many players who were already household names at international level. Philip became
CB
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