Carl died on 4 Dec 2011, aged 80.
Carl enlisted as a boy on 29 Oct 1946. He joined The 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards as a Band Boy on 23 Mar 1948.
The “Skins” were then in Germany and he served with them until Jan 1961. He was appointed Lance Corporal on 27 Apr 1950.
When he arrived in the UK, prior to joining a Draft to The 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars in Korea, he joined 4th Troop ‘C’ Sqn which was John Hurst’s Troop and took part in the Imjin Battle. He sailed from Pusan with the Regiment on 15 Dec 1951 and was appointed Lance Corporal on 1 Feb 1952.
Carl arrived in Luneburg on 22 Mar 1952. Promotion to Cpl came on 29 Sept 1952 and to Sgt on 1 Jan 1953. He was on parade with ‘C’ Sqn for the first visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to the Regt on 30 Sept 1953. He reverted to Cpl on 14 Dec 1953 when he was posted to ‘A’ Sqn.
He married Rosemarie at Luneburg on 11 Dec 1953.
He passed a D&M Instructors course at Bovington on 23 Oct 1954 and was promoted to Sgt on 23 Apr 1955 and passed a Gunnery Instructors course at Bovington in Sep 1955.
Carl was a great one for Peoples Nicknames. I was happy with mine “Flight”, but Fred Bailey was not at all happy with his.
He returned to ‘C’ Sqn in 1957 and became a Queen’s Royal Irish Hussar on 24 Oct 1958. His last job in the 8th Hussars had been Stable Sergeant and he also did this for a short time in QRIH.
Carl was posted to FVRDE on 3 May 1960 where he excelled as a Specialist Shallow Water Diver. He was attached to The 1st Battalion The Royal Ulster Rifles, then in BAOR, from 6-18 May 1962. During this time he was awarded the BEM for exemplary and brave service.
He rejoined the ‘Irish Hussars’ in Singapore in Aug 1963, joining ‘B’ Sqn. His Tp Leader was Lt A J Cramsie. On 13 Sept 1963, he embarked from Singapore for Kuching (Sarawak), returning to Singapore on 17 Jan 1964 and flew from Kuala Lumpur to the UK on 18 Sept 1964, arriving in Wolfenbuttel on 18 Nov 1964.
He was promoted to Staff Sgt on 1 Jan 1965 as SQMS ‘B’ Sqn. Rosemarie died on 26 Dec 1967.
Carl returned to the UK on 3 Jan 1968 and was promoted to WO2 on 5 Nov 1968 and was SSM ‘B’ Sqn. He was awarded his 1st Class Certificate of Education on 15 Nov 1968 and was posted to The Kuwait Liaison Team on 31 Jul 1969 and finally left the army in Dec 1972.
Carl held The British Empire Medal, Korea UK Medal, UN Korea Medal, United Nations Medal, and General Service Medal with Clasp Borneo and Malaya Peninsular.
He settled in Bere Regis, where he became a driver at The Signal School.
He became a Chelsea Pensioner and remained there until his death on 4 Dec 2011.
