The Coy did very well. L/Cpl Hexton led a good recce patrol and the fighting patrol which followed it up was a total success, finding the mortars they were looking for fast asleep in their pits. Overnight a signals net was set up between the sentry points which I think kept them awake as it worked all night. The CQMS supplied some good food, on time and hot. He also brought out some beer to toast the health of the happy couple.

The Coy Commander led an ambush on the second day which I think Cpl Pudney would want to forget about. Certain gentlemen got their feet wet, and we had to slosh along a drainage ditch to get to the final position. Again this was a success and we were the only Coy to get it right. Poor "K" Coy got a hell of a time from the Adjutant and this kept me amused on the journey back to our base. To spoil a good exercise the FFR broke down on the way back to camp but at least we were warm for once in a vehicle.

The next job was to lay phone lines. This was very hard work because of the distances involved but much to my amazement the phones worked during the first day but started to break down because we forgot to bring spare batteries. In fact Mr Hirlehey was going mad at the end of his phone and I didn't know for some hours.

Pte McCauley was proving to be the best platoon signaller and I am sure Mr Downie and Sgt Stewart gave him very little sleep.

The rest of the exercise was really made up of the rifle platoons being rushed off their feet. What with guard duties, road patrols, fighting patrols, sleep hardly came into it. Life in Coy HQ also became too much for Ptes White and Wilkinson who at one stage were working on automatic pilot. Sgt Major Woodall did add to CP amusement at times after spending some time on camming up. The CSM would go to sleep and saw trees for some minutes until we could find him to kick. The 2IC gave us no such problem. He slept very still and if you found him a job he would say: "Sorry got to get back to camp to pay the Coy".

The exercise ended with "G" Coy playing enemy for the rest of the Bn. It was a very hot day and I am sure most of the Bn lost a few pounds running up hills towards us. "A" Coy didn't get to us. They were shot up by "K" Coy and so saved us the bother. Some of the Coy got a lift from the Hussars in their APC's.

Well this ends a few jottings of the Coy CP in the field at camp. There are many more and if you buy me a pint in the bar I'll bore you some more.

Colin Granger

Our Camp in Germany was as advertised, spartan accommodation and hard work, but many of you made it into the local town in the evenings. In the first week all Pte soldiers were on the recruits cadre, and by all accounts worked very well as a squad. It may seem invidious to mention anyone by name in particular but congratulations to Pte Wirgman on being the best London Scottish recruit, which qualifies him for the Hollebone Tankard.

Football had already claimed two victims from 5 Platoon, Pte Mitchell with a broken leg and Pte Douglas with battered feet.

I know you all enjoyed yourselves in Hamburg as I recall bumping into some of you in a more notorious district of the city as I was hurridly passing through!

The exercise saw us digging in on gloriously sandy soil guarding a road. Cpl Groombridge's Section was attacked in his absence at night by ten enemy and were deemed to have repulsed the attack, but at some cost to ourselves.

On the final day we changed sides and found ourselves with the Coldstream Guards acting as enemy to the Bn. We forced them to deploy in an attack and quickly clambered on to two APC's which whisked us away to a reserve position, being shot up en route by our own Coy (thanks lads - that made our day!).

From our new position we heard the other two Platoons catching hell from the Bn, all this was too much for a certain Guards Captain who loaded L/Cpl Cameron's Section into an APC and proceeded to launch section attacks against the entire Bn. Pte Crane went bang happy as he fired thousands of rounds from his GPMG through the open hatch on the top of the APC, setting fire to the camm nets and showering Pte Cushing with hot cases, would nothing put him off!

Back to Camp for the sports day, and 5 Platoon certainly pulled their weight, with Pte Olaseinde and L/Cpl Cameron coming 1st and 2nd in the 100m, L/Cpl Cameron finishing 2nd in the 200 m, L/Cpl McAdam 2nd in the 1,500 m and Cpl Groombridge winning the cricket ball throw.

In all the competitions the Coy did so well that we actually won the champion company competition, the first of many I hope.

FOR the first time "G" Coy has won the Champion Company Competition.

The event took place at Camp and started with a Military Skills Competition. Proving their ability at Tactics, First Aid, Map Reading and Fitness, Lt Harry Downie supported by Sgt lan Stewart led his team to victory.

The Sports Day was the second event, not previously "G" Coy's strong-point. Despite an early elimination from the Football the Coy put up an outstanding performance winning the Volleyball, almost all the track events and revealing hidden expertise in the Field events. As well as the experienced hands, newcomers also excelled, with Pte Olaseinde and L/Cpl Cameron leaving all in their wake on the track. Captain Richard Robinson proved to be the Bob Beaman of the Welly Boot, while Pte Boyden won the Caber Toss by the simple expedient of breaking it in the course of his throw, thereby ending the Competition. Despite all these performances and by virtue of a scoring system which would be the envy of the East Europeans a disappointed and frustrated "G" Coy saw themselves edged into second place.

It was therefore in determined mood that the Coy started the third event - the Map Reading competition. Again the well- known superior intelligence of the Coy saw them home with a good team win.

This left all to play for on the last event, the Tickle Test, a three mile run at the crack of dawn. But by this stage it was no contest. The Coy had decided they were going to win and this they duly did with some amazing individual performances. Lt Keith Pearson got around in 19 minutes - not easy going with a map-case under your arm, but about three minutes under his previous best. Pte lan Robertson was so keen to have his score included that he ran in the dark before his premature departure from Camp.

The rest is history. "G" Coy won the cup, which unfortunately hadn't made it as far as Germany. However, the CO put this right at Hallowe'en when he presented the Cup to Major Layden, a fitting end to his tour as Coy Commander.