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Pull Up A Sandbag
Sandbag Reminiscences of John Burns Sandbag
The Map Reading Dog
I remember being out on a Map Reading exercise around Cader with several other J/Ldrs which was being led by our Cambria Platoon Commander – Lt Brodie (Black Watch) who was also in charge of Map Reading Training for the Company or the Regiment.
The young J/Ldr who was doing the map reading suddenly found himself lost. The rest of us had just done the usual thing and followed along behind him.
Much to Lt Brodie’s annoyance the young lad couldn’t come up with a solution so he then asked for a volunteer to lead us home. To no one’s surprise there was no immediate take up to his offer.
I, knowing he was my Platoon Commander, then felt the need to improve my junior career by taking a personal initiative and stepped up to the mark having no idea where we were either. (I thought I could bluff it for a while to get my bearings!)
After trudging along in a haphazard way for a few hundred yards I was still none the wiser.
It was then that I noticed that Lt Brodie’s black Labrador seemed to have prior knowledge of his surroundings and was intent in heading in a certain direction.
All my Junior Leaders Training came forward with a sound decision to follow the dog who obviously knew exactly where home was.
A very sound decision which led to me being awarded the Senior Map Reading prize at Graduation in 1964.
If only Brodie had known what an excellent map reading dog that was!!
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