1st Royal Tank Regiment Centurion in Korea. Situated within the 2nd Battalion area was a troop of Centurion tanks, one located on the crest line of Hill 210, another on the crest line Hill 159, and one in reserve.

28 Feb 1984,  the leaving of the CO of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, Lt Col Mike Seymour MBE. He was an excellent officer and was my boss when we worked the "Ops Room" in Omagh in '74, even if he did send me to the Guardroom - once!  In the image L to R is Asst Adjutant Sue Mawby, Adjutant Barry "OK Ya" Green, Sgt Graham "Smeddog" Smethurst, the CO,  behind the CO could well be the Adjutant, but who it is I am not sure, and in the background WO1 Jeff Lyman. Photo: Herford West Germany.

RHQ 1st Royal Tank Regiment Herford 1981 In the centre stands the Chief Clerk, ex 4 RTR   He must have lied about his size to get into the Army.  Co is Mike Seymour, centre front. Back Row: Mick Ashworth; Me; John Galvin; Steve Greaves; Neil Hartley; John Connelly (CC); Graham Smethurst; Alan Rogers; John Hughes; Trevor Gray and Mal Long. Front row: Louise; Capt Dixon; ??; Lt Col Mike Seymour; Major Holmes; Capt Vesey-Holt and Jeff Lyman (RSM)

Honour Guard at Lulworth Camp, Dorset in February 1983 or 84 for Emirate of Kuwait or something - it was bitterly cold and we waited for ages before he whisked himself along the front and off to see some damn tank or something! I am the third from the right. If he had bought some tanks, might Desert Storm not have happened?

Nobby Clarke (Me) BAOR Triathlon Champion 1965; Capt Couzens  7 Armoured Golf Champion; SSI Robinson Basketball.England,Army, Aldershot Warriors just for a start;  Major Huggins 2 I/C Something Equestrian I think; Capt ? Regimental Quartermaster and Tug Of War Coach; Lt ? A successful fencer from memory?

Herford 1982

BAEE Bovington 84

Tofrek Kaserne Hildesheim

The Korea Bell made from the brass shell cases fired at the Communists in Korea 1953

Brian & Jason

RIP

Two Different Sides of Northern Ireland

Cpl Brian Criddle and his dog Jason were critically injured when a landmine exploded near Clogher on July 18th 1974. Brian died in hospital on July 22, in Belfast. Brian was only 34. He was married with 3 children, a member of the RAVC, attached to 1 RTR. Brian was with C Sqn doing road clearance almost on the border. Brian caught the full blast of the cowardly killers trap. I presume Jason was killed also but the "First Edition" for Nov 74, where I got this from, says nothing about the dog. Lt Tim Hall who was nearby, survived. Only part of the bomb exploded, if it had 15 - 20 soldiers would have died, and 1 RTR would have had their first casualties of the conflict which has been with us since 1969. Earlier, in July, Brian had been awarded the BEM for his brave and gallant services.

This is of a terrorist who was captured with his mate. His name Noel Sillery and his partner in crime was Charles Hoban. They were A sqn captures. These pair had been sitting on the end of a command wire for above a week waiting for us to respond to there telephone messages about a bomb in a culvert. The real bomb was further down the road where we would have to pass over. It had been decided early on that this was a come-on, so when we eventually responded it was in two helicopters. The terrorists had rifles which they abandoned when they saw us coming, they tried to leg it across the border (half a mile away). Suffice it to say they didn’t make it. The terrorist you see in the photograph was convinced that it was in his interest to dismantle the bomb, and pose on it for me. The bomb turned out to be over 1000 lb.Omagh 74. The "First Edition" for Nov 74 gives quite a graphic account of the proceedings. ATO, SSgt Beckett, "made" the terrorists defuse their own bomb after they discovered two people hiding in a bush "with their legs sticking out" and told them to follow the command wire back to the bomb where it was successfully defused. Sillery got 12 years and Hoban got 10 years.  

Sam Walker Wedding (Tiny Hart on right)

Jeff & Sue were the victims of a surprise 30th Anniversary party in Weymouth recently. Tommy Cormack kindly sent me these 6 images of the event.  Congratulations Sue & Jeff from all of us in 1 RTR. It was a good night,all the lyman clan were there including the three sons and all the grand children. A few others that you should know were Nigel Lewis,Barry Wright,Alan Mcginn,Pete Jones and of course the lovely wives of !!!!. Another name from the past was James Orm "Lt 1973 Omagh"

More images from this event follow below left:

Mike Seymour MBE

And the band played on................

Reading the DIY Tank Repair Weekly?

Standard Party prepare for the drive past - 85

Jimmy Campbell  rear, Ben right

Laughin' Jack

Graham Smethurst - I took this at his home in May 2003

Cpl's Mess Dinner Hildesheim with guests from 3 Sqn, 11th US Cavalry. RSM Alan McGinn and Barny Stirk making presentations, RSM John Deveroux 3/11 Seated and George Eastham sneaking through the door.