The CLM was headed by Brigadier Stares, a senior member of the United Nations Command side of the Military Armistice Commission. British in CLM were fellow Scot Cpl Bill Sim (RE Postal - later on Reg Peacock), C/Sgt Chic Morgan (RB), Sgt Roy Southam (RAPC), Gnr Wimpey Coupland (RA), Fus Geordie Innes (RNF), Pte Bob Sebastian, from Hyderabad (later on Pete Moss) and me (all RASC). Australians were Maj Peter Cleland (RAA) and L/Cpl Aussie Robbins (RAASC), and New Zealanders were Sqn Ldr F.J. McDavitt and Cpl Owen Bates (both RNZAF). Separate but nearby was Canada’s Mission, a major and firstly Sgt Bob Moses, later Sgt Ernie Brimblecombe (both RCASC).

The CLM was accredited to 8th US Army, whose HQ was at Yong San, in Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. We were accommodated with the other Missions (France, Greece, Thailand and Turkey) in the UN Compound beside Wang Sim Ni village, five miles north of Seoul and fifteen miles south of the border with North Korea. We ORs lived in a Quonset hut (like the British Nissen) heated by two noisy but very efficient drum-like diesel burners. The US had the 1st Cavalry and 7th Infantry Divisions up front in South Korea, the Turks maintained a full infantry Brigade on the border and the Thais an infantry battalion. Other combat troops were all South Korean.

The Korean currency is the ‘Won’ but the local economy hadn’t advanced far enough then for touristy goods to be on sale. We used US Army Military Payment Certificates (MPC - like the BAFSVs we used in BAOR) to buy clothing and gifts from the American PX in Seoul and British brands of cigarettes from Bill Sim who, as well as our Postie, held an honorary ‘rank’ in NAAFI. The North-South border was mainly a closed area but you could walk on some mountains and a reservoir on the south side of the range had been turned by the Americans into a water-sports venue (with fast-food outlets and all). I tried water skiing but, instead of skimming, sank like a lead weight so employed swimming skills I’d honed in Hong Kong. Mind you, the water was a darned sight colder!

The CLM shared with the British Embassy in Seoul two cottages at Inchon for short leaves. I liked visiting Inchon but we had to go armed and in pairs and, as the cottages were very basic and 35 miles away over uncertain barely jeep-able roads, had difficulty finding partners. However most of us interrupted our 13-month tour of duty with a 10-day R&R leave in Tokyo. In July 1960 I stayed in the US Army-run Gajo-en Kanko hotel in Tokyo’s Meguro precinct, visited Tokyo Tower, the Ginza, Shinto shrines, the giant Buddha at Kamakura, Sumo Wrestling and made a friend of English-speaking Shizu Hanzawa. His catch phrase was he’d been saved by two weeks and owed his life to Thomas Ferebee. Shizu explained he’d been assigned to a Kamikazi attack on 20 August 1945 but Ferebee, bomb-aimer on the B29 Enola Gay, had pressed his button and obliterated Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and WW2 had ended fairly soon afterwards. Remembering back forty something years, I had such a good time in Japan it must have happened to someone else, not me.

I found Korea interesting, with its temples over a thousand years old and still in use. The people were so cheerful, friendly and hospitable it fair made a young soldier feel humble and I wouldn’t have missed my time in the Land of the Morning Calm for anything. I’m really amazed that industrially it has advanced so much, but then it had far to go. One tale to finish: At a diplomatic function, Brig Stares was chatting to the GOC 1st R.O.K. Army and accepted the Korean General’s challenge for a soccer match between their respective “Commands.” The 1st R.O.K Army had a combat strength of 200,000 while (apparently much to Brig Stares’ surprise) the CLM didn’t have enough to make up a team amongst its younger English, Scots, Indian, New Zealand and Australian ORs, even including Canada. Borrowing from the French Mission and the local 570 Ordnance Coy US Army, our composite 8-nation team was unsurprisingly defeated in front of 30,000 partisan Korean soldiers. Next day, however, South Korean newspapers proclaimed in banner headlines “Republic of Korea beat England 6-0!” !!!