A Quiet Man Goes to War

This web site is Dedicated to the memory of my Father who passed away in 1987
and my Mother who recently passed away in May of 2003
Rest in Peace.

J S C Dunn
Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
1st Battalion C Company
1945-1953

Well there isn't to much that I do know about my father's service in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders 1st Battalion "C" Com. He never really discussed much on this subject, but here is what I do know. John Smith Caven Dunn Born Glasgow Scotland 3 Feb. 1928. He lived in Maryhill. My father joined the regular Army in 1945 in Glasgow and signed on for 7 years as a regular in the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and 5 years reserve. As far as I know after basic training he went to Germany through Holland. His regiment served in what my father said was called Fire picket duty as there was still pockets of resistance in Germany after the war.

My father was then sent to Palestine as the state of Israel was being created and the British were pulling out. This took 3 years as my father's service medal is from 1945-1948 Palestine. My father did mention to me that when he was there the King David Hotel was Bombed and 2 sergeants were Hanged by the jewish resistance ( Stern Gang ) while on leave one night and drinking in a local bar. My father was also on guard duty at a hospital when the Stern Gang high jacked a British army truck and ambushed them as they approached the gate. The Argyll's seemed to move around Palestine a bit as there are also pictures from Suez Port, Jaffa and Jerusalem in my Fathers collection.

From Palestine, my father's regiment went to Hong kong. There he worked in the officers club and would take care of the stock which he seemed to enjoy as he said he would go to suppliers to get stock and would be in a room which had every bottle you could think of surrounding him. My father said he would sample most of the bottles, which in turn I'm sure he overstocked the mess bar. The other duty my father mentioned was his regiment were ordered to protect an engineers site on an island. My father never said what they did but if it was attacked it was to be held till the engineers could destroy it. That's about all he mentioned on Hong Kong after this I believe they were sent back to the UK briefly.

In 1950 the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders were sent to Korea. Landing in Pousan. From what I can get from my mother and do remember him telling me he was batman there .He was assigned as a Batman to a officer who was killed in Korea but who I don't know . My father was not very talkative about his service and only occasionally would discuss certain things, such as the time he went to aid someone at a machine gun as he was burned badly but when he reached out he realized the man was dead from burns. My father did admire the Australian air force as he thought they gave the best air cover what they didn't bomb or shoot they got with afterburner as he put it. My father did mention that there was also one position the Argylls held for a few weeks that never took a shell but a American regiment relieved them and the first night they had a bonfire, the first shell took out their command tent. The regiment also received American rations and all he said as far as the reg. was concerned c rations were a little to rich for the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders which they acted accordingly as my Father said it.

My Father did also mention the Middlesex Reg., as they were together in advances or rearguards. He did hold them in high esteem as soldiers and men. When the regiment did come home I believe it was by boat and they arrived in a small english town which they turned them loose for the night which I'm sure had the towns people really happy from what he said. This is about as much as I remember my father saying.

When my father was in hospital shortly before his death he said to me to go to RHQ Stirling and also Edinburgh Castle to see if there was a fire bell outside "C" companies billet as a few of his friends rescued it from Palestine. When I did go back to Scotland a few years later, I spoke to the curator at Stirling Castle, a very knowledgeable man, who told me a few things about my father's service. The Curator told me about Hill 282 (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Major K.Muir won a V.C. posthumous) and the details of what happened at this event. The Curator also took me to the Korean room. To my surprise the regiment had commissioned a painting of Hill 282 approximately 2 years after my father's death. So to me this was a worthwhile trip and nice to learn as my father never told me about any of these events as a fair minded passive gentleman as I knew him.
Mark Dunn

My Fathers Photos

Korea

Stanley

Mark Dunn returns to
his Fathers Regiment

Korean Reunion
Stirling 2000

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