Page 155 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2015-16

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CAPTAIN (RETIRED) ‘LEGS’ CARRAGHER
By Terry Goulding
Legs led an adventurous and eventful life. He was a happy go lucky member of our Corps; always smiling or laughing. His achievements and the scope of his in uence were such that the task of summing up his military career is dif cult to say the least.
I recall meeting him for the rst time in SHAPE, Paris. Dressed in a very smart RMP uniform, he wielded a large light stick as he herded us newly arrived Army Basketball Team into an appropriate driving lane. Later he watched us play against stiff opposition in the annual Christmas NATO basketball championships. This was 1962.
Legs was an army standard footballer and pentathlete, but could lend a hand to most sports so I wasn’t surprised to see him journey into the APTC. In 1965 he was in the team that were runners up in the army championships for athletics and basketball.
On his initial assistant instructor’s course in Sep – Dec 1967 he was graded ‘B’, with a strong recommendation to attend an advanced course in Jan 1967. On his advanced course he also achieved another Grade B and reported on as extremely smart and capable of holding a SNCO rank.
His nal course, the Probationers course, was held in Sep – Dec 1967 where a young Dennis Martindale, the course instructor, strongly recommended him to transfer into the APTC.
He served in Gibraltar at Lathbury Barracks when the frontier was closed; Nuneaton with Junior Soldiers, Caterham with 1 Grenadier Guards; Bicester Garrison; HQ London District and the Army Apprentice College in Harrogate before he was deservedly commissioned.
His generation were caught up in Britain’s small wars such as Northern Ireland where we were constantly training for the inevitable and permanently on stand bye to meet our obligations. On one of his 4 tours in Northern Ireland, the Prime Minister, Edward Heath came out and Legs was chosen as his personal bodyguard.
On commissioning, Legs served at the ASPT as an Of cer Instructor and the Southern Command School of P&RT as the Commandant. While our paths crossed many times in his military career, it was perhaps at Aldershot in the mid-80s that I got to know him better.
As members of the staff we took part in many sporting competitions against the trainee instructors in Football, Volleyball and Basketball and guested at inter section cross country competitions as individual runners.
Legs leading Captain Bob Nicol – Gibraltar Straights
On cross country days, the CO, Adjutant, Legs and I, always entered. Legs was a good cross country runner, his long legs eased him to the front, but at Aldershot he always came in second beaten by the then Adjutant.
Not to be outdone, Legs schemed a win. At the start of a race, the students and members of the staff disappeared out of the ASPT lines along the Basingstoke canal over the tank tracks to return nearly 6 miles later.
Legs stayed behind and hid in the old Mons Of cer Cadet school wooden buildings, which were 200 yards or so from the nish line. As expected the Adjutant led, and as he passed the building in which Legs was hidden, out popped Legs as fresh as a daisy and sprinted passed him to win.
Legs left the army on 31 July 1998 and ran a taxi business with Beryl’s twin sister Marge and also became a staunch committee member of the NW RAPTC Association as Vice Chairman. He stood in on many occasions for the then Chairman Alan Duxbury. But on the onset of his conditions he retired from the post.
As his conditions worsened the harrowing experiences he encountered in NI and the subsequent hearing of the refraining sound of the ‘Last Post’ triggered memories which came back to haunt him. His mind set at times was in turmoil. But Beryl persevered, nursing him to the end.
It was nice to see so many of his military and family friends that attended the funeral, which included a serving SMI Shaun Cary. We lined up to salute the hearse as it arrived. The Branch Association Standard, held by our Treasurer, Clem McBride, led the procession into the church with ex SMI Billy Irwin.
Major (Ret’d) Andy Fisher one of his cohorts at Chichester addressed the congregation said many remembrance word.
Billy Irwin, a good friend and fellow student with him on his Probationers course is especially mentioned as he frequently visited Legs from the onset of his conditions. In his amusing style, Billy entertained Legs with his usual humorous jokes, singing (yes singing) or reminiscing. Towards the end, Billy increased his visits; a true friend and loyal compatriot; a star.
Rest in Peace Legs.
Ex SMI TOM JONES
26 February 1917 – 12 December 2015
Tom Jones (the real one) was born in Greenock on 26 February 1917 and joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers in 1933. Tom was a proud Scotsman who was extremely friendly to everyone he met, articulate and knowledgeable and always enjoyed a good “Yarn” as well as a wee “Dram”, especially when the clock hits 5 p.m.
Tom was a real gentleman who wouldn’t hesitate to help others in need, or those wishing to learn from his vast experiences. Always keen to follow his father into the Army and focused on tness and in becoming a Physical Training Instructor. This was Tom’s aim from his early school days and as a Boys Guild, where Physical Training was styled by an Ex member of the Corps; so Military Fitness was already running through his blood.
Tom eventually joined the Army Physical Training Staff (APTS) in 1938 after a two year spell as one of the Army’s rst team of Remedial Instructors (in the rank of Cpl), based in Aldershot in 1936. On completion of his transfer to the Corps, Tom was posted to the Recruit Physical Development Depot in Camberley, which later closed on the outbreak of WW2. Next came a move back to