After GBG Annual Overseas weekends in France, Belgium and
Holland it was decided in 2017 to go further afield. “Scottie” Scott suggested
Gibraltar and, as it is a compact location thickly packed with military history,
John Cotterill accepted the challenge.
Thirteen Guild members and their guests flew into Gibraltar from various
UK airports late on Thurs 6 or early on Fri 7 April, some enduring a
challenging landing due to the gusting levanter wind. We stayed in three
different hotels: the Rock, the Bristol and the Eliott.
The packed programme began with an RV in the Lord Nelson pub
in Casemates Square at the Friday lunch-time. The Friday afternoon was spent in
a walking tour of Gibraltar town, nestled below the Rock. We started at a
nondescript garage on a busy avenue leading towards the Spanish border. This
was the scene of the shooting dead of three Irish Republican terrorists in 1988
in Operation FLAVIUS. From there we moved south , visiting en route , the US
and British Memorials to the Great War Gibraltar Straits Patrol , the Memorial
to the raising of the first Soldier Artificer Company in 1772 , the Gibraltar
Museum , the King’s Chapel , the Trafalgar Cemetery and the Alameda Gardens.
After supper we gathered at the Bristol Hotel for the traditionally fiendish
Guild Quiz. A team of challengers from Gibraltar Garrison took fright and went
instead to the wrong quiz at the wrong hotel. David Harvey and John Harris were
victorious.
On Saturday we were driven up to the Buffadero Training
Centre of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RGR). Access had been arranged by
ex-Guild member and Senior Tunnel Guide Pete Jackson. Whilst Marc Yates took
Assignments 5 and 6, all not involved were told about the RGR and shown a range
of old gun positions on the tiny training area by Pete. We then all walked down
to Europa Point to see the 12.5 inch Rifled Muzzle Loading Gun of Harding’s
Battery and the oddly placed memorial to the conspiracy bound death of
Sikorski. We were then driven to Casemates Square hearing about the destruction
of Neanderthal man on the Rock around 30,000 years ago from David Harvey. We
arrived just in time for the midday Ceremony of the Keys, recreated by local
re-enactors dressed in uniforms of the 68th Durham Light Infantry
circa 1812. Afterwards Chris Scott gave them a few tips on black powder drill.
After lunch we were driven to one of the entrances to the 32 miles of
interlinked tunnels that lie inside the one and a half mile long Rock. Pete
Jackson gave us a fascinating underground tour that took in truck tunnels,
generators and huge underground galleries. As we left the tunnels at Maida Vale
Chris Scott began the first of three battlefield stands on the Great Siege of
1778-1793. We drove up to the north summit of the Rock for his second stand
outside the Great Siege tunnels from where Chris described the great night
sortie and them down to the Kings Bastion for the repulse of the “battering
ships”. We all dined together that evening overlooking the Queensway Quay
Marina.
On Sunday morning we were driven to the Naval Base, where
Tim Stoneman had arranged access and told us about the historic links between
Gibraltar and the Royal Navy. As an unexpected bonus Lt Cdr James Myhill, who
commands the Gibraltar Squadron RN, took us aboard half of it, in the form of
fast patrol boat HMS Scimitar, and told us about their recent adventures
repelling Spanish naval interlopers. We then climbed nearly 1200 feet in 6
minutes on the cable car up to the summit of the Rock for windy, sunny, cloudy
views over Spain, Africa, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. From this
dominating viewpoint Tim Stoneman continued the story of the Royal Navy and
then John Cotterill talked about Gibraltar in the Second World War as the
Barbary apes scampered around to distract the audience. He covered Operation
FELIX ( the German contingency plan to capture Gibraltar ) , Operation TRACER (
the British plan to leave stay behind observation posts inside the Rock if Op
FELIX should succeed and the various brave Italian underwater attacks on
shipping at Gibraltar between 1941 and 1943. Much of the information for the
latter was provided by Guild member Carlo Larosa. We then descended the cable car for a final stand at the 100
ton gun in Rosia Bay where Tim told us that HMS Victory had anchored after
Trafalgar and on for a seafood lunch at the Dolphin in Camp Bay before
dispersal and return to the UK that evening.
Members and guests who attended were John Cotterill , Tim
Stoneman , Mary Stoneman , Chris Scott , Pam Golding , John Harris , Marc Yates
, Sue King , Bob Shaw , Richard Barnes , Ken Parker , John Greene and David
Harvey.
John Cotterill: Member
4 and Badge 10
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| Richard Barnes , Tim Stoneman and Marc Yates in one of the brief moments of relaxation outside the Convent |
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| HMS Scimitar |
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| Chris Scott passing corrects the finer points of the drill of the 68th Regiment of Foot at the Ceremony of the Keys |
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| Tim Stoneman in the barrel of the 100 ton gun in his younger days |
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