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"My name is Ray Bennett, or more formally, T/23548103 Cpl Bennett. (Taffy). I served in 6 Bn from 1958 to 1961 as a drill instructor in the regimental training wing and as a section N.C.O. in the vehicle wing. I was at the time the Drum/Major of the pipe band."
"One of the duties of the Bn pipe band was to meet the new intake at Yeovil railway station and play them in as they de-trained. We were trucked down and back, usually in a three ton Austin K4."
"During the winter months some of the vehicles would have a sack thrown over the engine overnight (highly illegal of course).
"On one occasion we met the new intake and were then driven back to the married families quarters where we were to form up to march the new recruits into camp, as we piled out we saw smoke billowing out from the bonnet of the lorry, grabbing the fire extinguisher we lifted the bonnet only to find that our driver (who was not a band member) had failed to remove the sack covering the engine, what I ask happened to his first parade that day?
"Having extinguished the fire the sack was thrown into the back of the lorry and forgotten, the vehicle was then driven back to the vehicle wing car park... and yes, you guessed it, the wind passing through the back of the lorry re-ignited the sack and the smoke once again was streaming from the back of the vehicle.
"Later that day Major Mills, O.C. vehicle wing, sent for me as Drum Major and asked me what had happened, I was unaware of the second fire and could not answer him, he went on to say that he blamed one or more of the band members for smoking in the back of the lorry and we could either accept his punishment or face an enquiry. Of course we could not drop the driver in it so I accepted his punishment, he made the band do an hours drill on the vehicle car park, much to the amusement of our friends who were watching from the N.A.F.F.I."