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Memoirs from Frank Clark
Now here's a wee story for you.
When I was with 15 Para I started in the pipe band and after realising there was a big empty space between the shoulder title and Pegasus on my right shoulder that required filling with a little piece of blue and white embroidery, I transfered into the Assault Pioneers. The boss was Captain Philp. I found him to be a nice guy if a wee bitty excentric, as witness a homemade muzzleloading shotgun, with if I remember correctly a 1 1/8 inch bore, we were looking for the towing eye and wheels for the thing and taking bets on whether he would ever be game to fire it.
Anyway, now to the reason for writing this piece. When it was decided to raise a sniper section I volunteered for it ( yes I know, never volunteer for anything ) and as I had a pretty good score on the ranges I was accepted. Our corporal was a guy called Charlie Hackney. Now Charlie was one of those people you don't meet very often and when you do, you never forget. He had been a boy soldier and had been with the 17/21st lancers on the NW frontier of India in the 1930s. When war broke out they lost their horses and were put into tanks, which Charlie decided was downright dangerous so when David Stirling formed the SAS Charlie volunteered and went right through the war with them.
I went to our local library here in New Zeland and picked up a book called "Stirlings Men" and lo and behold, here was Charlie mentioned on quite a number of pages. He is now a Chelsea Pensioner, so I sent an e-mail to the hospital and received confirmation that Charlie was there and in reasonably good health, but what happened next really astounded me, I received a letter from him and two photos, which I have attached. and the surprise was that he remembered me after all this time.
As you will understand, it was a real blast from the past as the last time I saw Charlie was in 1959.
If anyone remembers Charlie and would like a contact address please e-mail the branch
I know I am safe in saying that Charlie is one of the finest men I ever knew and his experiences would fill a book on their own.
 Charlie Hackney
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