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Battalion back to Plymouth, - Alderney, Belfast, Cyprus, Belfast (married 1971), Minden, two tours of Belfast with 7 Pl C Coy and a trip to Canada.. 1975/76 to the Depot, training recruits of Minden Platoon. Rejoined 3LI in 9 Pl, C Coy, Belfast and Fire Fighting (when injured).

In 1978 he transferred to the RAOC and spent two years training recruits, then to was posted back to Germany. He spent his last few years in Donnington, Shropshire, including a tour as CSM 76 (Support) Coy RAOC in the Falklands. After his discharg as WOII (CSM) in October 1986 after 23 years he joined the RAOC TA for 5 years.

One day in October 1969 I discovered that I had two 7.62 mm rounds missing from my magazine. I knew this to be a very serious situation, in the Royal Engineers I knew this might have led me being Court Marshalled. I thought it best to inform my section commander. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’ll sort it some how.” That day or the next, on 11 October 1969 we were on one of those endless patrols and ran into a patrol of armed “B” Specials, (the Northern Ireland part time policemen). During a conversation with them I mentioned my problem and they indicated they might be able to assist. “How many rounds do you want?” their leader asked, Taffy replied, “Five will do. We could keep the other three as section “spares” in case anyone else lost their ammunition.” That day there was incredible activity in Belfast, although I was not particularly aware of it at the time, the battalion was sent to ward off an advance by thousands of Protestants on the Catholic, Unity Walk Flats.

I had been on a normal guard duty, and previously had seen my girl friend. In all events I was very tired! I crawled into my sleeping bag on a camp bed in the Church Hall at the bottom of the Crumlin Road. When I was awoken I pushed my arms up through the top of my sleeping bag, and in doing so the zip slid down. I thought I was being call for my next stag, but soon realised this was something more important. Outside the Church Hall in the dark I climbed onto a 3 tonne lorry wearing a flak jacket carrying my rifle, wearing belt order webbing and steel helmet.

In this vehicle we, Support Company men, mostly of the Assault Pioneers, were driven through the night. I remember at one time we stopped and saw a group of men from the Mortar Platoon; one of them had blood on his face. We eventually arrived at Townsend Street where we clambered off the lorry. We understood there was a riot going on, and we might have to undertake the old Anti-Riot Drill we had practiced, on the streets of Belfast.

Were formed up into a “block” some six, seven or eight wide and many deep. Those men with steel helmets such as myself were put in the front. An order was shouted “Light Infantry, Quick March!” and we started off into the darkness. Then there were shouts and we were halted and turned about. The men without helmets were now at the front. In this large block started to march back, and then wheeled around to the left, into a side street. At this point those in charge were instructed that the rioters were shooting down the street (in fact Shankhill Road) and we were not to precede any further in a block. At the junction with the Shankhill Road alternative groups of men were sent across the road. Most of the Assault Pioneer Platoon lads were not sent across the road. We turned right onto the Shankhill Road, and I came under fire for the first time in my Army career.

The events of the next few hours are very jumbled in my memory, so I cannot tell in what order they occurred.

We could hear missiles striking and bouncing down the road, which we assumed to be bullets. Many may in fact have been stones sent down the road by “catapult” used by the rioters. The rioters used the bars of metal fences, and heavy elastic to propel missiles down the street. But we did not know that at the time. There was plenty of shooting going on.

All the way up the Shankhill, a newspaper cameraman was immediately behind me, as we ran from doorway to doorway, he often crashed into my back. I was very annoyed with him for getting in my way!

Whenever possible, I carried my rifle in such a way that the plastic but (the part that fits into the shoulder when firing) was held over my private parts!

The word came down the line, where possible to put any light out. One man on the far side of the road smashed his way into a small brightly lit shop. He went inside but found the light switch just inside the door. When he emerged he had an arm full of cigarette cartons. Some of these made their way across the road to us.

A Corporal from Recce Platoon near us fired up at the roof of buildings opposite saying he had seen a sniper there. I doubt very much that he had!

In one side street an elderly woman wanted to come with us, reasoning that she would be safer “with the soldiers”. We soon dissuaded her, telling her to go back into her house.

The newly devised “Snatch Squads” were grabbing rioters and arresting them. This was being done further up the road and out of our sight. The snatch squads ran their captives down the road, and many of us swore and kicked out at the unfortunate prisoners as they were scurried along.

There had been apparently no arrangements to collect these captives, a so they were made to lie down in the middle of the road, near a crossroads. In the darkness one man rose to his feet and ran past us, into a side road. Soldiers were shouting out “Stop or we’ll fire!” Three soldiers ran after him, and then they stopped in a line. Jostling amongst themselves to take aim. A Private of the Anti Tank Platoon fired. The SLR made a loud “Bang!” there followed the pattering of DMS boots and then “Ugh!” The rioter had been shot in the low back.

Stories came down the road, passed from soldier to soldier, of events out of our sight. Apparently our new Commanding Officer had been wounded and Lt Col “Big John” had resumed command. A deputation from the rioters came forward to speak to Big John. They complained that members of his battalion were too rough. Big John removed his steel helmet and smacked the man over the head and said “Like this!”. A Major standing near Big John and thought he’d join in, and tried to kick the prone figure but missed and fell over!

With the coming of the dawn things began to quiet down. The RSM wearing a steel helmet, a tight pullover and baggy trousers strode back down the middle of the road. He stopped looked in my direction and shouted, “What the f**k are you doing here?”. I stood up and standing at attention and in my best parade ground voice replied, “I’m supposed to be here, Sir! I’m in the Assault Pioneer Platoon!”
”Not you, c**t!” he snapped back “That f**ker!” pointing at the reporter who had dogged me all the way up the street. The RSM ordered him away from the scene.

It started to get light, the alarm bells of a bank were ringing and word came down the street that we were to “take to the high ground”. A group of us found our way into a school, and wandered around trying to find our way on to the roof. We had to break our way through a glass door, and then through a grey plastic “bubble” in a corridor roof. We helped each other onto the flat roof.

From various buildings in the area searchlights flashed and we were frightened that our own people would fire upon us. It was by that time almost fully daylight.

There was a helicopter flying overhead with a loud speaker ordering the people below to go into their houses.

A Private went over to the edge and looked down on the streets. There was a group of people standing outside their houses in the front garden. Keith started to shout at them, “Get in doors!” It was evident to me they could not hear him. Keith was getting very annoyed and shouted again to the people to go in doors or he would shoot them. He cocked his SLR and was about to fire. I urged him not to fire pointing out that the group were not rioting and could not hear him.

When the headmaster came into his school in the morning, he looked sadly around at the destruction we had caused, but said little. He did offer that if we were still on the building roof at lunchtime we could have a cheap meal. A couple of us did take advantage of a school meal later.

Later with other men I went down onto the Shankhill Road where the CQMS had set up a cookhouse in a building a few houses up from the school. As we arrived a TV crew were about to film those at the hot plate. I was very please with the thought of Mum and Dad seeing me on the national news. The camera began to roll when a cook lifting a container of boiling water and dropped it back onto the hot plate with a clang and scolding water splashed around! Although we at the front of the cue collected our food in our mess tins, we did not appear on the TV.

For that day’s work Big John receive the OBE, Pte James the George Medal, and Sgt Power the BEM. Twenty men of the battalion were wounded, fourteen of whom were admitted to hospital. Two civilians were killed that day. It is estimated some 1,000 rounds of small arms fire were fired, and 200 petrol bombs thrown at British troops during the riots. The battalion is recorded as having arrested seventy rioters, fired 394 CS gas shells and 68 bullets. However, I know that should read 66 bullets, because I reported firing two shots to make up for my two missing rounds.

That day or the next, a “B” Special policeman handed in a bandolier of fifty 7.62 mm ammunition at the Church Hall “for Jim”. The ammunition was passed to Support Company’s CQMS by the sentry.

A photograph of Light Infantry soldiers sleeping on the streets after the riots was published in a Belfast newspaper the next day. I have never identified these soldiers, who may have been from any of the three Light Infantry battalions in Belfast that day.