We duly assembled on the Friday at Pusan Area Command, where we were accommodated and fed. We rehearsed on the Saturday and the rehearsals were simple, to say the least, and took place on a grassy area. Once the UN Platoon was formed up in three ranks facing the front, the four ROK squads were placed on our right, the three US squads on our left. When we’d all been shown where to stand and had practised standing, we were dismissed to the edge of the grass. The words of command “Form Up!” sounded, the 300 of us walked back to our assigned areas, and re-formed into our squads. We did this half a dozen times and having satisfied the Powers That Be, a USMC Bird Colonel and rather sweet USAF half colonel, we were then drilled.

For this, Bird Col ordered “Attention!”, “Present Arms!” (we were instructed to salute, and told on The Day a ROK military band would play the UN Anthem), then back to the position of Attention with “Order Arms!” and we dropped our arms to our sides. We were then ordered “Right Turn!”, “Forward March!”, “Halt!” and “Parade Dismiss!” at the edge of the grass. We did all of this half a dozen times. There are, however, four salient aspects of the actual UN Day Parade at the UN Cemetery on Sunday the 23rd of October 1960. The first, a minor matter, it wasn’t United Nations Day, as that’s actually the 24th of October.

Secondly, though, before being trucked to the Cemetery, we had to report to the PAC Armory and unexpectedly issued with the US 8-round semi-automatic Garand •30” calibre, sorry, caliber, M1 rifle (and a heavy beastie, to boot). Our form-up at the UN Cemetery was excellent and we stood at ease, rifles butts on the ground, foresights for’ard. Beforehand, we’d been directed to form up so that our smartly turned out multi-nation 8-platoon battalion (ROK on the right etc etc etc), faced towards the flawlessly kept war graves, with the national flags of UN participants in the late ‘Police Action’ fluttering audibly but invisibly fifty feet to our rear. There were scrunching sounds on the gravelled area behind us, the cause of which I couldn’t ascertain but guessed it was the band forming up. After a lengthy wait, we were ordered “Attention!”

Thirdly, the fun began on the next order, “Present Arms!” All but six of the 300 service personnel on parade used US drill custom (or in one case, French) to throw their weapons up to the Present in two easy movements. We six, however, the Greek, the two Ethiopians, the Australian, the New Zealander and I, followed British practice of three movements up to the Slope (silent count of One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three, One), three movements to the Present (One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three, One) and only then, when having exhausted the Drill Manual we remained motionless, could the band, which was actually to the left of the Parade, strike up.

Fourthly, as the Anthem concluded, another wee surprise - a battery of ROK Marine howitzers (the scrunching sounds behind us) suddenly let fly with a mighty salvo in salute. After an interval to allow hearing to return, “Order Arms!” was given and, while the rest of the parade dropped their weapons to the ground in two movements, in a sort of a farewell gesture of defiance we ‘Different Six’ took the long route, travelling via the Slope and employing our British-instilled silent count of One-Two-Three, One. Pause. One-Two-Three, One-Two-Three, One.

Because we Differenters were spread throughout the UN Platoon in mid-Parade we must have stuck out like six sore and quarrelsome thumbs but, afterwards, the USAF lieutenant colonel was fair-minded enough to tell the Aussie (Pte W.J. Robbins RAASC) how impressed he – and others – had been to see “all the former British colonials” drilling in precisely the same manner and with such immaculate timing. I felt quite honoured by this praise for our worldwide military influence but am not sure how the Ethiopian sergeant major and corporal, and the Greek staff sergeant, would have taken the nationality comment. I know Aussie and Kiwi weren’t particularly enamoured.