15th (Scottish Volunteer) Battalion the Parachute Regiment

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Spanglefish Gold Status Expired 02/08/2010.

IN MEMORY

GARY WHITE PARATROOPER AND FRIEND OF MANY!

IN MEMORY OF GARY WHITE “MY FRIEND” AND FELLOW PARATROOPER!

By

Ewan (Jock) McGregor 15 Para & 2 REP

I first met Gary Whyte as a member of 4 Plt B coy with 15 Para somewhere in the proximity of Barry Buddon during some dubious weekend training jolly which involved a serious amount of tennents lager and an introduction to the "ladies" of the Stags Head public house in Carnoustie. A briefing was held before embarkation and a vivid description of the quality of the female “Manto Vanni” ,( never heard that before) was given by a Cpl from 6PLT who introduced himself as ,honest Jim Purvey or the “Swerve” who reminded us several times during his lecture that the price of the tail would be visible on the sole of their shoes, and on entering the establishment after peering into the darkened recess across the dubious "disco" floor i could see the silhouette of the "fairer" sex deposited at one of the tables. My eyes were immediately drawn to the female footwear and indeed there attached to the sole of "its" shoe the price of her "tail" five of her majesties pounds.

Unable to stretch the finances to the asking price I consoled my young hormones with beer.

As it turned out the UDR had been at Barry and had left behind one of their groupies, drunk and resplendent in her wildcat jeans and string vest she joined us in the flying 4 tonner back to the bivouac area she was made to sit at the rear of the truck as the smell of unwashed female genetailia required the adoption of a gas mask.

At the Bivy after frequent molestations by the senior NCO’s she decided that she was going to relieve herself behind some adjacent bushes and of course I followed her ,if only to make sure that the wildcat jeans would remain unstained from her drunken attempt at urination stood "guard". She made some noises from the region of her mouth which sounded to me like "cock" and of course I obliged and I did not complain when on all fours she raised her buttocks into the rear mating position, I was aware that in our copulation we were not alone and had now been joined by another! "Awrite mate? Came the greet from the dark! It’s me Gungy fae 6plt".

Our introductions had been made as we spit roasted our way to a gratis dose of Irish gonorrhoea, it was the start of a friendship that lasted until Gary’s untimely death.

On Saturday lunchtime in 2REP we would make our way to the “Foyer”(NAFFI) and each of us would purchase a case of regulation Kronenbourg beer and join our fellow Brits at the tables and proceed to get bladdered. One Saturday I joined my mates at the foyer to see that the new arrivals were there from the Promo, or jump course and I heard the unmistakable laughter and easily recognizable Dundee accent.

“Have you met knocker Whyte"? one of the Brits asked. That’s no knocker Whyte i replied with a smile, that’s Gungy Whyte from 15 Para, and from then on he was known as Gungy. He was sent to my Coy and my PLT and there we stayed for the next 4 yrs.

If ever there was someone who was never down that was Gungy even when he broke his back, and even when he broke his leg, and even when he broke his arm. He sure was good at breaking things but was always in good spirits, and he was genuinely liked and respected by all nationalities within the French Foreign Legion.

We jumped into Djibouti to go on patrol, and later on as we tabbed over the mountains the Lieutenant told us to set up the mortar, which we did, then he told us to get the rounds ready, which we did but we were 2 rounds short!! Gungy then reports to the LT that he has left them behind in his locker, and when asked why? He replied that there was not enough room in his bergan for a case of beer and the mortar rounds too!! “Only he could get away with it”. Everyone of those legionnaires still remember him and always will.

" Ils traversent la vie
Comme s’ils défilaient:
De ce pas sans mesure.
Et lorsqu’ils sont passés
Quand leur marche, leurs chants
Leurs fifres se sont tus
Le silence retombe empreint de leur allure."

Adieu Gary, ... Rest In Peace