From Gerry Paley’s collection. Middle front and rear are Ciaran Giles and Kevin Connolly as 2 stars, who were to prove inseparable over the years.
Another Coastguard Station group
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Tag Archives: 21 Bn
Campbell family
The content of this post is taken from the May 2005 edition of Connect – The Defense Forces Newsletter, the text and photo are theirs, I found a copy on an archive of the now-defunct 62 Bn web site.
The Campbells, a family affair. (l-r) Ptes Rory (1986-90), & Stephen (1980-87), Cpl Peter(1978-86) and BQMS Peter Campbell (1957-99)
Marking time
At their annual dinner dance at the Kingston Hotel Dun Laoghaire in March, the members of B Coy 21 Inf Bn, RDF had a special reason to celebrate. This would be the last unit function prior to the RDF re-organisation later this year when 21 Inf Bn will be integrated with the 20 Inf Bn and become the 62 Inf Bn
Many former company members attended and mingled with the newer recruits instilling in them an understanding of what it meant to belong to B Coy; people like BQMS Peter Campbell (Retd) and his three sons, Rory, Stephen and Peter who between them had over 60 years service. In 1957 BQMS Campbell joined the South County Dublin, which later became 21 Inf Bn. During his career Peter Snr, a keen marksman, was in charge of recruitment for the Blackrock College Centre and at one time had some 120 men under his command.
The event organiser Lt Paul O’Donovan, himself a former member of the PDF, was delighted with the turnout and interest shown by both current and former members. He noted that it was fitting to mark time on the closure of B Coy, and to look forward to the challenge that the re-organisation posed for all in the RDF.
That’s me in the corner, that’s me in the spotlight…
First in a series of photos so people can spot themselves. These 2 were taken in the Coastguard Station, the first shows Swanny out front while Peter Campbell tries to organise the group. The second is the one for people spotting.
I see Joe McKeever, Maurice Sheridan, John Fahy and Noel Heaslip among the new names not mentioned previously on this blog. John Fahy is famous as the photographer who took the iconic photo of the 
dolphin in front of a snow-clad Dalkey Island. If you are one of the few households in Dalkey/Killiney/Dun Laoghaire who don’t yet have this picture at home, click on it and buy one from John. I met him last week in The Club and he tells me the picture is his pension fund, like those rock stars with one song that keeps getting played at Christmas time!
Mortar instructions
Following in the Hollywood tradition (as practised by George Lucas) of the “prequel” this scene is from just before the 81mm mortar shoot video posted previously. It begins with Aidan Teevan preparing the ammunition assisted by Joe Fitzgerald. Rossa also makes an appearance here but seems disappointed when the tube he opens does not contain a 12 year old Jameson single malt.
Aidan told me that he was once discussing mortar practises with a French army colleague who was amazed (étonné!) when he heard how much ammunition we were issued to practice a battalion. “Mon Dieu!” exclaimed Monsieur le Capitaine, in France they would practice a brigade with that quantity. Mortar practise there consisted of one crew firing a bomb, they were then replaced with a new crew whose number one re-laid, and they then fired a bomb and so on and so on!
35 seconds into the video Johnny Kelly is clearly demonstrating the correct way to insert the bomb in the tube, although from the previous video not everybody was paying proper attention.
After 1:08 we see Towser calling in the drinks order to Fentons, while wearing his helmet over his beret in quite a fetching manner.
Foot Drill
This video is of foot drill on camp in Tralee. There are various quite complex manoeuvres shown so they require careful studying.
At first we see The Colonel instructing a group I hope are recruits. The last guy in line begins his “about turn” early, and afterwards the rest of the guys totally disregard him and fall into step on their own, leaving him out front, on his own, out of step.
Some better examples follow, together with some arms drill while calling out the time from the recruits. Rossa also displays excellent clipboard drill during the middle sequence. We are treated to some fine double time marching with rifles at the high port, followed again by Rossa with his clipboard at the slope (under his arm) as he talks to Deccy.
The final sequence is that most complicated movement – the Concertina Stad. The front rank of NCOs stop perfectly while the remainder pile up behind them until they get the spacing correct.
Officers’ course 1985
Mick O’Toole, Sam Irwin and Timmy Doyle
After many happy years as an “enlisted man” I agreed to go on an officer’s course in 1985. Some people have asked me why I waited so long, as I had been asked on a number of previous occasions. The answer is that while at work, I was making what I felt were big decisions, like marketing budgets, and whether to give a person a dealership, or even hiring and firing. On camp most decisions were made for me! “Stand over there”, “Lights out at 11:59”, “Today you are eating stew”. It was great! I know in real life an NCO makes life and death decisions, but not on camp.
GOC South meets NCOs
This weeks video episode is from Tralee camp when the 21st Battalion was honoured by a visit of the O/C. Southern Command, Brig. General F.D.O’Connell, a former O/C. of the 21 Inf. Bn.
In this clip he is introduced to the senior NCOs of the battalion who were not on training or other useful duties. The introductions are conducted by Peter Campbell and we see many absent friends. When I got the clip there was no dialogue on it, but it did have some other (copyright) music, which I have had to replace with Youtube canned music.
Mortar Shoot 10th Oct 1987
Following training during Annual Camp in Tralee on the support weapons there was a shoot the following October. The video attached here also clears up one of the great controversies of the 21 Bn and I believe vindicates Des Fitzgerald from a vile calumny which I heard repeated last Friday night.
About 20 seconds into the video it is clear that Des actually STOPS a guy putting the bomb into the tube upside down! I heard that Des actually had to leave the country such was the slagging he took over the fact that he was about to fire a mortar bomb upside down. I also heard a name of the number two that Des corrected but his back is to camera and we will leave it unsaid.
Then and now…
The 62 Bn Christmas Dinner was held in the Royal (Starlight) Hotel Bray on Jan 4th 2013. In the bar beforehand we recreated a photo first taken in 1975 of Pat Cuffe, Paddy Maher and Mick O’Toole. See if you can tell which picture was taken in 1975 and which is now!
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- Paddy Cuffe, Paddy Maher and Mick O’Toole
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- Paddy Cuffe, Paddy Maher and Mick O’Toole
The meal must have been designed to remind us of the dining hall all those years ago and the highlight, for me at least, was the dessert of jelly and ice cream served in the stainless steel bowl. I thought the GOC was about to visit we were treated so well!
Here are some photos of the evening.
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- Pat Cuffe explaining to the young people that they have it too easy.
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- Pat Cuffe and John O’Toole
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- Tony Taaffe and Liam McNamara
Glen of Imaal – 19-20th October 1974
My notes on these photos gives the date as 19th/20th October 1974 for an overnight in The Glen of Imaal. I have no recollection of any training we did, but I do recall the night out in the The Glen Inn on Saturday. B Coy travelled in luxury by CIE coach and the sing-song on the bus included such old favourites as “An engineer told me…” and “Three German officers…”, as well as some new ones like Brendan Grace’s “The Boot Boy song”.