Page 24 - Demo

Editor’s Note: Colonel Ian Fraser has previously contributed to Canada’s Red Hackle with his humourous articles in Issue #3 in 2002, #9 in 2006 on LCol Bentley Macleod, & #19 in 2012 on RSM Don Reekie. He was also recognized in Issue #9 in 2006 for being named to The Order of Nova Scotia and in Issue #30 in 2018 for having been awarded Germany’s Order of Merit for his work with the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo. He is a dedicated patron of the Atlantic Branch of our Association and contributes regularly to their Newsletter. Colonel Fraser has kindly agreed to share his many stories with our journal. This one is about a Christmas many years ago when he was serving with our Regular Force battalions.
Christmas
IN THE REGIMENT
Last year, in 2019, at the annual Christmas dinner of the Nova Scotia Branch in Pictou, I promised one of those attending that I would repeat a Christmas article that was in the newsletter a number of years ago. By way of keeping that promise, the article follows...
Christmas in the Regiment It’s that time of year again.
It’s a time when we all think back to the years we spent together in the regiment during the Christmas
season.
Some of those memories are probably a little dim now.
That may be partly due to age, but more likely, it was because of those ‘two bottles of beer per soldier’ for the battalion and company Christmas gatherings that went on for the best part of three weeks in December every year. Although probably mathematically impossible, that issue of beer frequently resulted in just about everyone groping their way back to the quarters when the party was over.
How six or seven hundred soldiers could get hammered on ‘two bottles of beer per soldier’ is something I have never been able to quite figure out.
However, we always remember where we were at Christmas. In Hanover, Aldershot, Korea, Gagetown, Werl, Cyprus or any number of places in between.
The memories of those times, both with our families and without them, always seem to come flooding back at Christmas... Christmas dinners in the battalion, served by the officers, sergeants and warrant officers in the early days in Aldershot and Gagetown and during our operational tours overseas, always on Christmas Day... the visits to the outposts in Cyprus by the Commanding Officer and the Regimental
Sergeant Major... company Christmas parties... Christmas Eve and Christmas Day... Christmas leave that was never long enough... and, those soldiers with nowhere to go, who remained at ‘home’ in the barrack block.
Above all, there was a tremendous sense of family in the Black Watch at Christmas and it was evident everywhere... the visit to the messes... parties in the Red Hackle Club... Christmas dinner in those outposts in Cyprus scattered around the island between the Greeks and the Turks... in a mess in Korea... at a platoon gathering in a German gasthaus... or, simply getting together in the quarters to celebrate with each other.
Everyone who served in the Black Watch has a story about Christmas in the regiment.
The Christmas dinner when the officers, sergeants and warrant officers traditionally served dinner to the soldiers was an event marked by a few incidents.
One member of second battalion in Aldershot probably had a little head start in the quarters. Having consumed his two beers and at least another half dozen or more from those of the non-drinkers sitting nearby, he sought better service during the dinner when Lieutenant-Colonel Watson passed by. Using the nickname the troops gave the commanding officer, he demanded another serving in a somewhat unorthodox manner, in a voice loud enough that was heard by just about everyone in the mess hall.
“Hey Blinky,” he shouted, just as the regimental sergeant major was passing by with an empty tray.
“Get your arse in gear and let’s have a little more turkey over here.”
As he was being dragged off to the guard room, a half dozen of his table mates stood, raised their bottles of beer and called to him in unison.
by Colonel Ian Fraser, ONS, OMM, CD
24