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Gus McClay

mulgarat

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Anyone knows what became of him? Was Junior Highland Bag Pipe champion in Scotland as a kid in the early 80's. Was in the 2REP, probably came from the British Army. In Djibouti he was the CO's favorite because of the pipes, which infuriated some of the officers who wanted him to roast in the cells for being a serial drunken banane.
He was a legend in my book after he bit the ear off of the regiments most hated Sergeant, a German named Bayard, my Chef de Groupe. Gus was beaten to an inch of his life for that by about 5 sergeants and didn't breath a word of complaint about it. I believe Jeffers and Parky were in that brawl as well and paid Gus a visit in hospital after they got out of nick. The NCO's that did it were charged and the German busted down to ‘deuxième pompe’ (second class) and sent to Calvi where a lot of his younger victims had become Corporals and welcomed him home (hahaha). You could not have the regimental piper hurt, said Colonel Champeau. The French love the Scots.
Gus was a super soldier in my book. I've never seen a man who could stay up all night and parade with a skin full of booze and then do PT better than most or shoot straight and true on the range. Legend. He took a bayonet to his pipes one day to spite the CO and did his time en taule with a smile.
 

Jefferson'86

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Hello Tommo,

Last i heard of Gus, he was a ski instructor in the Alps somewhere. He did a brief stint delivering coal in Scotland and was known for dropping the 25kg bags on family pets of people who annoyed him. He was called ‘Atilla the coalman’.

Not been heard of for many years now and some rumours have him deceased. Hope they are wrong but the way Gus lived, it was almost certain that he would go before his time.

As for the scrap with the NCO's, I never knew (or cared...) what that was really about. I didn't know who they were until after and didn't give a sh:t much about that either...

They were in civies and Parky started it as usual so you just sort of follow in. Parky, Gal and Powells did the real damage as I recall. Never saw many take more than two punches from Powells and stay conscious. Parky headbutted one of them and away it went. They weren't very good though and it didn't last very long.

We used to take alot of sh;t from the PM NCO's for being Escadron and as we didn't get to town often we didn't feel like taking any sh:t from anyone much.

Parks, Gal and Gus did nick for it and escaped jail and went on the pisz in town... Crazy fvckers.

Wild times indeed... Made me laugh writing this...

Best,
Jeff
 

maim

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Had a phone call in around 1989 from Gus, he and a few lads were doing the security on the Thames for the boat race etc. Sorry I never went. Gal (Gallacher) the little piss pot that stabbed me, LOL now, was the greasy little bugger who vandalised the JCB behind the 3rd Sion barrack block. Lichterfeld KNEW it had to be a Brit so got all the Brits outside the PM's aviary at the treize, proceeded to get them to strip off their boots and rangers and get into la position with their feet on a tabouret. Then the PM's took it in turns flogging the soles of our feet with heavy duty electric cable. Gal, as I remember didn't get as far as the tabouret.
Hi brother Garty will be turning in his grave! Spent a bit of time en taule with him, McFadyen I never knew nor Slash, anyway, helluva fkn family!
 

maim

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Mate, it was in a foreign country, a long time ago! Said a crazy old bastard in DXB on his way to West Africa! Stay safe, aye, M.
 
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Martin Scott

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Mate, it was in a foreign country, a long time ago! Said a crazy old bastard in DXB on his way to West Africa! Stay safe, aye, M.
M we're still all the crazy old bastards, just a little greyer lol. First time in Chad that was wild lol.
 

SeanG

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Fcuk me, a name from the past... The last time I spoke to Gus was in a seedy bar in Glasgow, “The Grapesâ€￾, along with Jock Gallagher. We moved to another bar, “Lord Nelsonâ€￾, which had a bloody stupid fcuking parrot chirping away. McClay only tried to kill the fcuker, falling over tables and chairs in the process. The manager would let this bloody parrot fly around the bar, I think it shat upon Gus. Pissed myself laughing. This was a long time ago, I also heard that Gus had passed away...;) ;)
 

Webby170***

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I remember that bar with the parrot, it was the Nelson on the south side just across the Clyde near the Gorbals. Many a piss-up nights there.
 

maim

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Moi non plus. I'm actually in Dakar at the mo, off to Guinea tomoz, so if anyone is over this way, give me a nod. Aye, M.
 

Rapace

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Moi non plus. I'm actually in Dakar at the mo, off to Guinea tomoz, so if anyone is over this way, give me a nod. Aye, M.
Which Guinea Maim ? Conakry ? I'm due in Equatorial Guinea (Malabo) in Sep.
 

mulgarat

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Hello Tommo,

Last i heard of Gus, he was a ski instructor in the Alps somewhere. He did a brief stint delivering coal in Scotland and was known for dropping the 25kg bags on family pets of people who annoyed him. He was called ‘Atilla the coalman’.

Not been heard of for many years now and some rumours have him deceased. Hope they are wrong but the way Gus lived, it was almost certain that he would go before his time.

As for the scrap with the NCO's, I never knew (or cared...) what that was really about. I didn't know who they were until after and didn't give a sh:t much about that either...

They were in civies and Parky started it as usual so you just sort of follow in. Parky, Gal and Powells did the real damage as I recall. Never saw many take more than two punches from Powells and stay conscious. Parky headbutted one of them and away it went. They weren't very good though and it didn't last very long.

We used to take alot of sh;t from the PM NCO's for being Escadron and as we didn't get to town often we didn't feel like taking any sh:t from anyone much.

Parks, Gal and Gus did nick for it and escaped jail and went on the pisz in town... Crazy fvckers.

Wild times indeed... Made me laugh writing this...

Best,
Jeff
Howzit Jeffers. This fight broke out when Bayard starting calling Gus a gonzesse (girlie). Gus was in the Mic Mac wearing his kilt and playing the pipes. The stupid German twat said was wearing a skirt and looked like a gonzesse.
I ran into a bloke in Nice who said that Gus had fallen to foul play with some pied-noirs and was dead. That was around 91-92'. This bloke was dead drunk at the time he told us, so who knows?
 

voltigeur

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Like the good old times when a good scrap was more for amusement than settling scores. :D:D
 
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Martin Scott

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Which Guinea Maim ? Conakry ? I'm due in Equatorial Guinea (Malabo) in Sep.
What is it with you dudes and Africa? Anyway i hated the feckin place and all the bugs that went with it.
 

corvee de chotte

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Gus and I were in the Brit Paras, same platoon before we joined the Legion. He was toolpushing on the rigs years ago. A few mates bumped into him and that's the last I heard of him.
 
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