Page 147 - The Chapka 2016

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 145
WO1 K Draper
Ken, born in 1929 in Nottingham, left school at 14, following his father onto the railways, where he started as a knocker up and became a fireman on the Mallard. He was called up for National Service in 1947 and after basic training, was posted to the12th Royal Lancers (PoW) at Bar- nard Castle; were he became a corporal in the potential Officers’ Wing; the next
year he became a Regular, on a 22 year engagement. After Bar- nard Castle the Regiment moved to Carlisle, where he remained doing various jobs, including the Provost Staff and training for the Regiment’s deployment in 1954 to Malaya. Once in Malaya he became Troop Sergeant to Lieutenant Terry Andrews, whose obituary is elsewhere in this journal; clearly a very successful Troop, culminating in a Mention in Despatches for the Troop Leader. He subsequently, in 1956, went with the regiment to Herford and then Wolfenlbuttel, whence the Regiment went to Cyprus in1959, with Ken by now SQMS of the detached ‘C’ Squadron in Famagusta, in a tented camp. Meanwhile the Regi- ment had been selected to be amalgamated with the 9th Queen’s Lancers; the Cyprus tour was shortened and in 1960 it returned to Tdworth to amalgamate in September. Subsequent to amal- gamation, came a tour in Northern Ireland, before the Troubles, as SQMS ‘B’ Squadron, this was followed by a tour as SSM in Aden and then Sharjah, as a detached Squadron. In Sharjah he learned to be a very competent Bridge player, playing every af- ternoon for 2 or 3 hours with the Squadron 2 i/c , Lord Glenapp and SQMS Adams, then having survived a Tornado in Sharjah, the Squadron returned to BAOR. He was posted to be an SSM at the Junior Leaders’ Regiment, Bovington; the first time he had left Regimental Duty. Subsequently in 1967 he was promoted to WO1 to be RSM of the Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeo- manry (PAO), which was sadly disbanded in 1967, when he was appointed RSM of the Support Regiment UNFICF at their HQ in Nicosia, whence he retired at the end of his 22years.
After he left the Army he worked for some time in the clean- ing industry. He married Liz in 1979, with whom he inherited two stepchildren, David and Helen, adding to his two sons. He subsequently moved with Liz to Portesham in Dorset. Where he devoted himself to becoming very involved in the Village, in particular as Chairman of local annual festival , raising money for local projects, including a new Village Hall and as a founder member of a Bridge Club. Regimentally, and most important- ly, along with Captain Owen Scholte and Liz he founded the Regimental Wessex Re-Union, which continues under Liz’s supervision.
HWKP
Bill Fryer did his National Service with the 17th/21st Lancers from 1950 until 1952 in Catterick. On leaving the army he joined the TA and completed nine years with the City of London Yeoman- ry (Rough Riders) and reached the rank of Sergeant with them. Little was heard from Bill until he started to attend Regi- mental Association dinners and the first
of those was in 1959 when he was present at the 53rd Annual Reunion at the Plantation House Restaurant in Mincing Lane, London. Bill continued to support the Regimental Association dinners and was presented, as a member of the committee, to the Colonel in Chief at the same venue in 1976 – a proud moment for him. He was a very active committee member and alongside his old pal Jim Wade, was responsible for arranging many success- ful raffles. Bill was instrumental in negotiating a very successful deal when the venue for the dinners was moved to the Whit-
bread Brewery. He represented the Association on the CCOCA Committee and acted as a Divisional Marshal at many Cavalry Memorial Parades in Hyde Park. Bill wrote many interesting ar- ticles for the White Lancer and Vedette and QRL’s Vedette and a particularly interesting one appeared in the 1990 edition of the WL&V that is well worth a read if you have a copy. Bill was also a regular attender at the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey and, of course, all Old Comrade’s visits to the Regiment which he, with all his old mates, thoroughly enjoyed. He had a great interest in renovating old bikes and cars and was always keen to show pictures of them to anyone he could!
Sadly, Bill’s health deteriorated quite quickly which prevented him from getting out and about and after a long illness he passed away on 23rd April 2016 aged 84. Bill Fryer’s name is one that will be remembered by many of us, for many years to come. He was a true Old Comrade to the very end.
JGA
Lieutenant K Wareham
Ken Wareham, of Darley Dale, passed away as a result of old age on 28th June 2017 aged 91. Mr Wareham, who was born in Shropshire in 1922, was head teacher at Stancliffe Hall Preparatory School, in Darley Dale, from 1961 until his retire- ment in 1984. His son, Richard Wareham, of Darley Dale, said: “He prided himself as a schoolmaster, first and foremost, and
believed in good pastoral care, sound teaching and bringing out the best in all those children in his care.” Mr Wareham joined the army in 1942 and was commissioned at Sandhurst into the 24th Lancers. He landed on the Normandy beaches on D–Day in 1944, leading his troop of Sherman tanks. During his service to the army, he met his future wife Catherine, known as ‘Cath’. Richard continued: “After leaving the army in 1946, he spent a year at London University preparatory to joining HM Colonial Service in Nigeria and the Cameroons as an education officer and latterly as principal of a leading government secondary col- lege there.” After Nigerian Independence in 1961, the couple re- turned to the UK with Richard and his brother Adrian and took up the role in Darley Dale – www.matlockmercury.co.uk
Major DR Mantell
Donald Mantell’s military career started during the Second World War at Bed- ford School where he was a member of the Officers’ Training Corps and also of the Home Guard. He undertook a short course at Queen’s University Belfast serv- ing again in the OTC before becoming a member of 99 Troop at the RAC OCTU at Sandhurst. From there he was commis-
sioned in January 1944 into the East Riding Yeomanry (ERY) who were at that time training in Suffolk and Scotland before camping in Petworth Park in readiness for the invasion of Normandy.
The ERY were part of the 27th Independent Armoured Brigade in support of 3rd Division equipped with Sherman tanks. Don- ald landed with the Regiment on Sword beach near Lion sur Mer on D Day itself. The plan had been to be in Caen that night – it took another six weeks of bitter fighting to take Caen and break out from the Normandy bridgehead. The Germans had nicknamed the Sherman tank the “Tommy Cooker” because of its propensity to burst into flames. Retrieving bodies of regimen- tal colleagues from burnt out tanks left a lasting impression on Donald.
When supporting 5th Seaforths, Donald’s troop had to leave their laager early one morning to go to the aid of a company
Lance Corporal WF Fryer