Jim Torrance
My Dad Jim came from Boghead on the edge of Blackwood Estate Lanarkshire, he joined up Feb 1959 at Lanark before he was called up as his friend told him a regular had a better pay.
After training his first posting was to Kenya June 1959, straight from the lovely climes of Winston Barracks on Lanark Mair to the Equator, “not a lot of difference, the warmest rugby match I played there was Feb 2001, no snow for once”.
From East Africa he was back home with the Cams for four months before the posting to Elizabeth Barracks in Minden for four years. He always spoke of the good times, hard work, his love of driving Bedfords and friends in Germany as can be seen from his pictures - apart from getting arrested when his driving pupil reversed over a politzi car!
Returning back to Scotland for home duties, he was by this time a corporal in A Company Mt Section, instructing, maintenance and all round driving which he carried on in life till becoming ill in his mid sixties.
Whilst stationed at Ballater on Royal duties he was in charge of the MT section as NCO where he was praised for his work in his service records.
Shortly before he died he was chatting to his daughter-in-law Isabell about his time in the Regiment, Nudist Beaches? Driving down autobahns wrong-sided as the convoy leader hadn’t seen a motorway before or driven on the other side, and the general good times he had whilst serving. Though having the regret, he didn’t take his third stripe when he was offered. Though when younger he mentioned he had problems with flat feet when he left, as his sister remembered as he loved the service. He did feel guilty once when he said his mate lost a leg in Aden as he couldn’t go.
Enjoying his stories as a youngster and looking at the pictures gave me a great respect for the Regiment and all who served, or being taken to the museum at Hamilton. When we were married I had Douglas tartan Trews and dad’s Cameronian belt polished highly for the day. I always enjoyed playing sodjers with his lowlander and Glengarry hats, as do our two, though it’s papa’s pirate hat.
Sadly he went to the big Conventicle in the sky in February 2011, now still giving that service to The Cameronians.
