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I
first met
Nevil in
Malta in August 1967. We were both
relatively young soldiers starting our careers in the
Royal Anglian Regiment. It was the start of a new
Battalion Football season and those good enough and
fortunate enough were assembled down on the Regimental
pitch ready to start training. A lot of the players had
been around the football scene for ages and you could
easily tell this by the premiership quality training gear
that was being worn! About 10 minutes later than everyone
else, this little lad with gingerish hair came down the
hill to join us. He looked ridiculous! He was wearing army
issued shorts that were almost down to his ankles, a red
PT vest, grey socks and the famous brown plimsoles that
were so painfully thin that you felt as if you were bare
footed! There were more than a few smiles and typical
squaddie comments at this point !
They
say that looks are deceiving and this was no more apparent
than was seen over the next hour or so ! He proceeded to
run rings round everyone! He’d dribble round two
players, nutmeg the third, and then somehow, disappear up
his own behind, before appearing again in the 6-yard box
to stick the ball in the net! On the way he’d also have
a few little kicks and niggles with anyone that came near
him. In fact, for a small lad, he could put himself about
quite readily and always gave back as good as he got.
Over
the next few years, Nevil enjoyed a lot of success on and
off the field, establishing himself in the Battalion and
became what was commonly known as a Gladiator. He
represented the combined services at football, but also
excelled in the boxing ring and on the running track too.
However,
his greatest success came when we were posted to Paderborn,
Germany
in December 1970.
It
has to be said at this point that Nevil was a poor
trainer! He hated training…all he wanted to do was play.
We were sent on 6-mile runs around Paderborn
in minus 10 degrees on numerous occasions and were given
heavy weights or medicine balls to accompany us! We would
all leave the gym together and run through the camp and
disappear out onto the icy roads of Paderborn
with our packages! Nevil however would always
detour slightly and go past his accommodation block where
he would deposit the weight onto his bed through an open
window and then start the long arduous
journey behind us! It wasn’t long before he came flying
past us all, looking remarkably fit and fresh! On his way
back through the camp, he would conveniently retrieve his
package and return to the gym looking suitably shattered!
He also enjoyed bouncing the ball of players heads and
driving shots into our wedding tackle at any unguarded
moment and in those sort of temperatures…well, there are
a few people out there who will know how much that hurts!
However,
the next 5 years saw us win the coveted Infantry cup both
in
Germany
and the UK
each season and he of course played a very big part in
them all. As I have said before, he became a Battalion
icon, the crowds loved him…they watched this little man
tear defenses apart with his running and dribbling skills
and naturally, he scored goals of all kinds and from all
distances. I remember him in one match going through the
defense, around the goalkeeper and then run on towards an
empty net! He
then stopped and placed that ball on the goal line, bent
down and headed it over the line as half their team
converged on him studs showing! Foolish yes…crazy yes…but
this was Nevil…Jimmy Jenks our charismatic boss’ face
was a picture of surprise, shock and relief!
Amazingly, he did it again later in the season,
this time in a cup match, he cocked it all up this time!
He ended up inside the net, looking at the
ball sitting on the line and then saw it hoofed
half a mile away into the trees, Jimmy
and a few others were not quite so impressed this time!
During
all this time off course, he was still a soldier and a
section commander of considerable respect.
We
were sent on our first tour of duty to Belfast in April
1972 and it was during this that Nevil showed us another
side of him that will be forever etched in our minds.
Belfast during those years was a very dark, dangerous and
volatile place to be, especially, if you were young
soldiers on the ground carrying out peace keeping duties
in order to create some stability in the City. There are a
few more of you out there who were on the Falls road
during early June, 1972 when Nevil earned himself
recognition far beyond the opposition penalty areas.
Over
three days and nights of high velocity activity in the
Clonard area of the City, Nevil and his section had shot
and captured a gunman whilst under intense sniper fire,
and he himself had reacted bravely under fire to extract a
young girl from the midst of a gun battle. He also found
the time to find a weapons arsenal and arrest a further
terrorist suspect in possession of ammunition. If that
wasn’t enough for him, he injured his knee quite badly,
chasing down a gunman in the City, a fact that didn’t go
down too well with our boss, Jimmy Jenks…he was more
concerned that he wouldn’t be fit for our next match!
Nevil,
for his outstanding display of Courage, Leadership and
Initiative was awarded the Military Medal and we were all
absolutely chuffed for him.
If
I could sum Nevil up in one word, it would be…Unpredictable!
Over the 9 Years that he served with us, I saw a little
man who was a quality footballer, loved by his comrades
and supporters alike, he gave the team that something
extra and something different.
He enabled us to win a lot of matches and competitions, we’d
all have doubts about results if he wasn’t playing quite
simply, he made us very dangerous and hard to beat.
I
saw a laid back, almost horizontal, fun loving individual
who never failed to give us all a talking point the
following day.
I
also saw a, courageous and professional section commander
who gained himself high esteem by his brave, unselfish and
significant actions under fire.
Nevil,
you deserve the highest and sincerest praise and on behalf
of all those that served with you in all aspects of your
Military life, you will not be forgotten.
WO2
A.J. Dent.
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