In a message dated 07/09/00 1:40:38 PM Central Daylight Time, iain-mckenzie@sol.co.uk writes: << I'm with you Dave. Where else on the internet can you get the flavour of a real highland natter, or a real highland argument. My highland roots are like your daughter's, diluted by being exiled from that environment (in my case to Glasgow). But my father was a Cameron Highlander, and I still remember the stories he told me of his exploits with the 2nd. Battallion in Italy and Greece. I like your stories, too, because they are about real life as it was, not so very long ago. Regards, Iain McKenzie ---------- >> Italy and Greece hell mun ask him about up the castle wynd in Inverness. I can still remember all the times ma wee arse got feel of a Cameron Highlanders boot when we would run behind the cock buggers as they strutted up the High Street with a lassie on their arm, us yelling after them Kilty Kilty cold Bum burned his bum on the lum poor kilty kilty cauld bum. On a Saturday night after the pictures let out and the pubs closed the Cameron's and the Navy from Invergorden would meet up the back of the station for a punch up and wee would all sit on the walls and grab any spare change that fell out of their pockets. The police would always let them have a go at each other for 15 or 20 minutes, to lose their energy before the whistles went and they rounded them up. Sometimes the Lovats, the Cammandos would come to town and then by God everyone cleared away they were forever jumping off the balconies at the picture houses. My uncle Dunky was with the Cameron's at Tobruk, he is the one you always see running over the wee bridge in the war movie (PATHE). I remember the sadness of the day the Cameron's marched their colours through the streets of Inverness down from the Castle and away I can tell you the tears flowed like water. The day I left Scotland the first time, at the train station in Inverness as a wee boy, there were hundreds of us leaving Inverness that day on the boat train and all you could hear were the sobbing hearts and then from Academy St. we could hear them as the pipes started to fill the air it was the Camerons off to Korea as they marched into the station the crowd cleared to the side as the band played "The March Of The Cameron Men." <A HREF="http://www.electricscotland.com/music/cameron.htm">March Of The Cameron Men</A> off they went up to the head of the train as was their position of honour. On veterans day all of the few left standing by their regiment, Inverness' regiment some with no legs, some with no arms etc., and many of the ranks open as they stood beside the next generation of Highlanders and a new generation of cocky wee buggers to walk the streets of Inverness, then that Bitch in London and all her wee Inglis lackeys cut the funds and off went the Cameron's into another fine regiment mind you, but the Camerons were gone yet Mrs. Windsor kept all her property and stuff. But that is another topic. That is Inverness, Hilton before it was a mass of houses etc. I also remember the day I was issued my kilt, not a Cameron one unfortunately but still a Highland regiment. You'll not get those memories from a cadaver. Cheers Dave