A Soldier's Life - Mark van der Lande OBE

Of the many things that Worth gave me, perhaps the best was a love of and fascination with history. Between them J J Stanton and Father Stephen fostered what has become a lifelong interest in the subject. It is an interest that my career in the Army has complemented to the full.

When I left Worth in December 1980, minded to spend the 9 months before going up to Cambridge in The Life Guards, I had little idea that I would still be a soldier more than 21 years later, that the perceived world certainties would have disappeared, that some commentators would declare the end of history, or that I would personally have been involved in campaigns in the Gulf, Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo.

It has been a quite remarkable experience and one I would recommend to anyone in search of challenge and adventure. My intention is not to give an historical account of my life since Worth, rather to give a flavour of the variety of life that I have had. When I joined the Life Guards in Germany in 1981 they were equipped with the Chieftain tank, a remarkable beast that, if carefully nurtured, which did work but had an alarming tendency to eject oil, scream and grind to a halt at the most inopportune moments.

The Cold War was at its height and all effort was directed at preparations for a conflict we hoped would never occur. Tensions between East and West were high: the Russians were becoming embroiled in Afghanistan (it is strange how roles reverse so quickly) and the storm over the deployment of cruise missiles and development of the Trident submarines was at its height.

The contrast when I returned to Germany ten years later to command a squadron of Challenger tanks was remarkable. The wall had come down, we had just won an armoured conflict in the desert and a “New World Order” had been declared by President Bush. In the Army we were in a period of change—Regiments were being amalgamated and there was no clear threat against which we could train.

Trips to the East, which I did with Isabel and the children on several occasions, were fascinating. The world appeared to have stood still. Roads were still cobbled. Whitewashed trees by the side of the road were the only aids to night driving and everything was run down. We went to Weimar one weekend, home of Gothe and Schiller. Beautiful though the buildings were, most had suffered from years of neglect and looked dreadfully decayed. More modern contributions were generally awful prefabricated blocks of flats, sprawling belching factories or memorials reminding the population of their liberation from the fascists. Barracks, which at that stage still housed the Red Army, were plentiful. Russian conscripts milled listlessly. They had neither pay, training opportunities nor tasks and provided visible evidence of the momentous political change that had swept through Europe.

Life until that point had been reasonable, predictable and routine. Isabel and I had met at Cambridge, where we both read Law. After Sandhurst I was posted to Windsor. We got married shortly after and by the time we went to Germany, we had three children. Our fourth, George was born in Germany. Family upheaval was an increasing feature of our lives as we moved on postings, firstly to Sandhurst, where I was an instructor, and then to Germany. We are now living in our tenth house in 16 years of marriage, rather an unenviable record, although by no means the worst. Recently we have bought our own home in Suffolk to which we escape at weekends, an essential element of stability in our lives.

That first part of my service in England came to an end with the Gulf War, our first major separation and a sign of things to come. Geared for war in Central Europe, it came as a surprise to many in the Army that the first major armoured conflict since the Korean War should take place in the desert. My Regiment deployed to the Gulf in January 1991. I was at that stage on a course and due to command a squadron. At the end of the course it was decided that I should go to the British Headquarters in Riyadh as a staff officer. Our third child, Edward, was overdue. In the event he arrived on the Saturday and was christened on the Sunday. I reported to the bunker at High Wycombe on the Monday and eventually flew out to Riyadh the following Sunday.

The ground offensive had started that morning and was having remarkable success. The following day I was told to be ready to move forward to an as yet unliberated Kuwait to help establish a forward British Headquarters. I was to spend two weeks there. It was uncanny seeing at first hand the sites which only the week before had been broadcast on the news at home. The air was filthy with oil smoke and the evidence of Iraqi occupation was all about. Some buildings had clearly been used for torture...

[For more on Mark's experiences in the Gulf, and subsequently in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, and his experiences with the Household Cavalry Regiment at Windsor (where his responsibilities include performing state ceremonies such as keeping watch at Her Majesty the Queen Mother’s lying in State and standing on the steps of St Paul’s at the Golden Jubilee with other officers of the Household Cavalry) please see the next edition of the Blue Paper...]

...This brings me back to the beginning. Worth gave me an excellent foundation both for my academic studies at Cambridge and for my career. The interest in history has been a recurring feature of my life and has helped me understand better the events with which I have been involved.

Languages have also been critical. I can highly recommend Latin! It gives an excellent insight into the construction of language and grammar and makes it much easier to learn new languages (not least Albanian which has a similar structure). French has been invaluable. Being able to address someone in his or her own language, however imperfectly, helps to break down the inevitable barriers. It also shows respect.

Do not discount the value of sport either. Taking part and leading from the front both help to produce trust and confidence. Lessons learnt at Worth were valuable in this respect.

Mark van der Lande OBE (St Bede’s 1975-80)