The Soviet Union My Part in it's Downfall [Part III]

24314100 L/Cpl Stanley MD ' E ' [HSF] Coy; 3 RRW {24th/41st Foot} retd.

When I had first enlisted in the HSF in 1984 the medical was a pukka one, held at 204 (Welsh) General Hospital Unit in Cardiff. Doctors and nurses, all TA, giving us a proper Army medical, quite a few of the candidates failed.
On my re enlistment in 1987 it was the battalion's Medical Officer, a genial Irish G.P from Merthyr Tydfil, who carried out the 'examination'. " How are ye feeling?" he enquired as I entered his office. " Fine "says I, " Sure then that's OK "says he, and promptly signed me on as A4G1 [or the pongo equivalent.]

'E' Company was now an integral part of the battalion and took part in most battalion activities. The downside was we now had to do guard duties when at summer camp. However we managed to bring some thing extra even to that chore.
At Shorncliffe our Korean War veteran would not allow a Brigadier, who didn't know the password, onto the camp.

One particular year St David's Day {a big thing in Welsh life} fell on a Sunday so the battalion was able to hold a Church Parade at Maindy Barracks in Cardiff. After the parade there was to be a Leek Eating Competition, followed by a battalion lunch; the day's activity completed with an Inter Company Choral Competition (honest!).

The parade was all that we British do best; Pomp and Tradition. The band, in Home Service Dress circa 1908 {red jackets with green collars and cuffs, the old 24th of Foot colours}; the companies in No2 Home Dress with medals. [The amount of gongs on the chests of the HSF dazzling the rest of the battalion]; The Goat Major with Dewi II, the battalion mascot [that was from the same family as Lewis IV judging by the satanic look in its eye], The Queen's, and Regimental Colours, first trooped and then leading us past the saluting dais. Band playing, Colours flying, Bayonets fixed; Bags and Bags of Swank!

After the march past and a drumhead church service the Regimental Druids {really} marched onto the square in their robes. There was some incomprehensible Welshspeak and the leek eating competition began. The youngest man of each company [except for the HSF who chose our eldest] marched out to the front of the parade and stood on a trestle table. They each had to eat a leek from a selection of the largest and hairiest bunch of leeks I had ever seen.
Once the leek had been consumed a pint of beer was likewise swigged down in quick order and the empty pint pot placed on the head, the first to finish being the winner. We didn't win, as our entrant wasn't wearing his Sunday best/sharpest dentures.After the lunch came the choral competition.

The Welsh take male voice choir singing very seriously and the company had held several practice sessions before the actual event. Each company choir had to sing "Cwm Rhondda"{Guide Me Oh Thou Great *Redeemer*, E company used the non-PC version, Jehovah} and "Men of Harlech", plus another song of their own choosing. The competition was held in alphabetical order so E Company was the last to step onto the stage. The Commanding Officer of 3 RWW had decided to scrap the third song, but our O.C, being as he said "a Man of The Law"[he was a solicitor and a J.P in Brecon] insisted the rules be obeyed. The Colonel was not best pleased but joined in the laughter and applause as we launched into our third song, the theme song from the TV comedy "Dad's Army" We didn't win the competition. The reasons given were that "we were a bit weak in the tenor line during 'Cwm Rhondda' and that our Basso Profoundo was a bit too profoundo during 'Men of Harlech' " A likely story {it is not a good idea to ignore the wishes of a Lt.Colonel!}

In 1989 the Berlin Wall came down, the charismatic Officer Commanding 'E' company was promoted and BT engineers started working weekends as part of a new working week shift pattern. I don't think these events were linked {although I bet some conspiracy theorist would make a connection} but it conspired for me to eventually leave the HSF. With the reunification of Germany the future of the Soviet Union was now in doubt, likewise the raison d'etre of the HSF. The Cold War was drawing to a close and Peace and Harmony for the entire world was on the horizon. {I wonder what happened to them?}

When "The Old Man"[i.e. the Major in charge of the company] was promoted and left to take up another appointment much of the spirit of the company went with him. He was, to a great degree, 'The Company '. He had raised it and his personality made it what it had become.
I described him as a mixture of Captain Mainwaring, Rumpole of The Bailey and Rambo. Beneath his eccentric Edwardian facade was a hard as steel character. One could imagine him leading his men 'over the top ' waving his swagger stick, but shooting any man who shirked his duty. We would have followed him anywhere.
His second in command took over but he never commanded the respect, or affection, we held for "The Old Man", who was an impossible act to follow. What with my working life changing and the change in command, plus the fact that the writing was on the wall (!) for the Soviet Union I decided to call it a day with the HSF, the fun had gone out of it. I didn't re enlist in 1990.

In May 1992 the HSF was stood down, and E Company [HSF] 3 RRW was disbanded.

When the definitive history of the Cold War is written I doubt much will be made of the HSF. That's as maybe, but when the Soviet generals and the Politburo were making their plans in the Kremlin the knowledge that a bunch of gray haired old men, dug in on a wet hillside in Wales, would be ready and willing to deal with whatever the Soviets threw at them, may have given them pause for thought,……………….. Or then again maybe not.
Something brought down The Berlin Wall and caused the downfall of the Soviet Union. People who know about these things say it was due to a combination of events; many and varied theories have been put forward as to what those actual events were, so who is to say that the HSF didn't play a part in the combination of events?

I was privileged to be part of the HSF.

I rest my case!!