Maj Mike Stewart

Hi everyone,

I joined 117 Sqn in 1969 having first served in the newly created 71 Engineer regment in 102 Sqn in Paisley, where I was a 2/Lt Regimental Signals officer. The OC was Maj David Balfour and the 2i/c Ian Macadam. I was stores troop commander for a few years and then was promoted "in the field" at camp in Germany to 2 i/c. After a year I took over from Ian Macadam as OC.
I was ably served by Maj Ted Colley, My AO. One higlight was learning offshore sailing under the tutelage of Brig Spike Barker Wyatt. We had Stores and Workshops Tp along with SHQ at Rodd Rd, Dundee and a plant Troop at Forrest Rd in Aberdeen. We were inordinately proud of being an independent Support Sqn directly under 29 Engineer Gp in Newcastle (later to become 29 Engr Brigade) and as such were used for a variety of OPMACC tasks including a bridge at Derry lodge Braemar and a section of the Droitwich canal, working out of Long Marsdon. We went to camp at Okehampton in supportof 71 regiment one year and my communicatiobns strategy consisted of giving each driver 4 old pence each morning parade so that they could phone in to SHQ if they encountered a problem. I left the Sqn when I moved to Edinburgh in 1976.