Page 132 - RSDG Year of 2022 CREST

140 EAGLE AND CARBINE Major Alexander Trotter of
Mortonhall and Charterhall CVO
The Trotters of Catchelraw, a Berwickshire family, had from the 1400s been reivers on the East March of the Scottish Borders. Their 20th century descendant, Alexander was a soldier; raced horses and on skis, in go-karts and Formula Three; was a landowner who farmed and diversified primarily into holiday parks,
initially along with Captain David Crawford, and in property development including Grey Horse Properties, with fellow Greys: Charles Ramsay, Peter Gray and Simon Cox.
Alexander Richard Trotter (ART) was born on 20 February 1939 in London and schooled privately in Berwickshire until he went to Ludgrove and then Eton.
Pending National Service led to a conversation with his father, who was carving at Sunday lunch, as to whether he should join the Grenadiers or the Greys as his father had received letters from the Adjutants of both. The idea of following his uncles, Colonels George Trotter and Frank Bowlby MC, into the Greys particularly attracted him as he felt mechanically minded having been interested in motorised model aircraft and motor racing at the former RAF Charterhall airfield near his home.
Members of the family had served with both the Grenadiers and the Greys going at least as far back as John Trotter 8th of Mortonhall, who was gazetted a Cornet in The North British Dragoons on 12 January 1770, and notably his nephew Lieutenant Thomas Trotter who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.
Call up was delayed until 13 March 1958 when ART reported to Menin Lines Catterick Camp. In an interview, the Adjutant, John Walton, dressed in hunting clothes, told ART he did not want the NCOs to see how useless a future potential officer was, and he was transferred to the 11th Hussars at Hadrian’s Camp Carlisle for basic training. He then returned to Catterick for a Potential Officers course with 3rd Royal Tank Regiment. It was then on to Barton Stacey where National Service Officers were sent for the War Office Selection Course. To his surprise, and relief, he passed and he went to Mons OCTU leaving in October 1958 with a commission and the bonus of a Hillman Minx
(as bribed by his father). He joined The Greys at York Barracks Munster Westphalia; embarking as Officer Commanding the train from Liverpool Street Station via Hook of Holland though he admitted he had not a clue what he was meant to do other than rely on a senior NCO in the Royal Engineers.
Arriving with the regiment ART was interviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Alic Lewis, the Commanding Officer and Major Aidan Sprot the Second in Command and was posted to his first troop in A Squadron under command of Lieutenant Jeremy James where he commanded a Conqueror tank.
Whilst others focused on polo sports ART preferred sailing on The Mohnesee. The Greys had enough Old Etonian junior officers that they were able to form a “Field Game” team and took on the Guards Brigade at Hubelrath only narrowly losing. Those interested in cars, of which there were many, made outings to drive round the Neurburg Ring. There was much time for other sport including skiing, karting and Rally driving with Duncan Davidson which included winning the Cross-Keys rally, much to the surprise of a lot of his horse-orientated brother officers.
Two years at Munster were followed by two years at Detmold with much the same routine. In Detmold military routine was now also interspersed with skiing for the Regiment at the Divisional and BAOR meetings at Lermos in Austria.
In 1962 ART became the Pipe President and took the band, as well as the military band with the Band and Pipes and Drums of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to The British Trade Fair in Stockholm. The visit to Stockholm was very enjoyable and they were looked after by a liaison officer from the Swedish Life Guards. Their stay included the attendance at a ball in mess kit, being introduced all round the room and then having to start the dancing with HRH Princess Alexandra.
After a spell in Redford Barracks Edinburgh ART flew to New York in September 1962, to work with the tour promoters “Columbia Festivals” in organising the forthcoming Pipe Band’s tour of America and Canada. Under the command of Major Gerry Haddow of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders the bands arrived in the USA on 17 September for the first performance in Washington DC followed by a return to New York where they performed in the Plaza attended by the mayor before a full house at Maddison Square Gardens. They went on to Phoenix Arizona, the west coast and into Canada, before traveling south through Chicago and down the Mississippi.