Hon Col J A Greeves


Colonel John Anthony deMaine Greeves. MA Cantab, FICE. FCIArb was born on 20th December 1927 in Crawfordsburn. Co Down, His parents wanted to call him Tony but “John” as a first name was a family tradition so that had to go on his Birth Certificate. Nothing but trouble was the outcome because it is on all his official documents and in telephone conversations he has to explain that it is really him! But his parents stuck to their guns.


Tony was educated at Rockport Preparatory School, Campbell College Belfast and St John’s College Cambridge where he graduated in Mechanical Sciences. His vacation jobs were six weeks as an apprentice fitter in Harland and Wolff’s shipyard, Belfast and another six weeks surveying a Fenland area near Cambridge.


His first job was in Scotland as an assistant engineer working on a large-scale Hydro-Electric scheme. He was part of a team charged with making sure that two tunnels through hard rock met each other in the middle. They were both about two miles long and the starting points were hidden from each other by a range of mountains. Every measurement and calculation had to be done independently by another team and then agreed to such tight limits that they often had to be re-done to everyone’s annoyance.  When the tunnels eventually broke through, the meeting point was confirmed as three-quarters of an inch out of line and three-eighths out in level. He and his team thought that this was a major miracle, The overall boss brought them down to earth by saying that it was “just about average”! 


After five years he decided to return to Northern Ireland. An advertisement in the Glasgow Herald resulted in a job with John Graham, Dromore, From being a junior engineer he suddenly found himself to be a Contractor’s Agent in sole charge of a large squad of men and heavy machinery, building roads. For three years he greatly enjoyed this work even though it was often a thirteen-hour day and six on Saturdays. It did not, however, involve any of the detailed design that he needed to get his professional qualifications. A chance meeting on site led to a post with Consulting Engineers Ferguson and McIlveen in Belfast where he finally succeeded in getting the vital qualifications.  After that, and critically for the remainder of his working life, he encountered the legal aspects of Civil Engineering. He found this totally absorbing and his skills developed rapidly. This did not pass unnoticed and at the age of thirty-four he was rewarded with a Junior Partnership in the firm. From then on, he progressed to Senior Partner, building a work force from six civil engineers to over a hundred. He also completed a part-time course at Queen’s University in Law and Arbitration that qualified him as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. After retiring from the firm aged sixty-one he continued working privately in the legal field until he was seventy-five. In the course of this he wrote more than fifty fully-detailed formal Awards, Two of these were decisions on major international engineering disputes with one being more than a hundred pages long. 


His career in military uniform started aged fourteen in the school’s Officer Training Corps. After attaining his War Certificate, “A”, he specialised as a signaller and became proficient in Morse Code. He also joined the band and learned to play the bagpipes. At seventeen he was appointed Head Piper and promoted to Sergeant. The band of pipes, drums and bugles was always very smartly turned out with kilts, bonnets, sporrans, white Blanco-ed webbing, shining brasses and well-burnished boots. Led by a tall Drum Major skilled in tossing a high mace, It was in great demand leading parades through local towns. Everywhere it went it drew large crowds with continuous applause and generous gifts for the families of servicemen.


Ten years later Tony applied to join 146 (Antrim Artillery) Fd Engr Regt RE (TA). After a stiff interview he was accepted as a Sapper/Potential Officer. Because his first Annual Camp coincided with the planned date for his wedding he was sent for two weeks watermanship training in Ripon with no PO privileges. After just ten days he was called to his OC’s office who regretted that he could not give him a stripe but would appoint him Senior Sapper…. a great compliment, particularly as his orders were fully accepted by the regulars with whom he had been equals!  Earlier he had lent a long-serving sapper a half-crown without really expecting to get it back, He was astonished but delighted and touched to find it under his pillow as he prepared to go home!


He was commissioned in 1958 as 2nd Lieutenant and allocated to 255 Field Squadron, Aged twenty-nine he was thought to be the oldest subaltern in the Corps. Two years later he was promoted to temporary Captain and acted as 2i/c of 256 Field Squadron under Major Victor Clarke TD (a very fine officer from whom he learnt a great deal). He was then confirmed as Captain and given a choice of Senior NCOs to assist him in forming and commanding a new Squadron (259 Field Squadron). This started with about sixty other ranks were drawn from the regiment and soon to reach the establishment numbers. His next promotion was to Major OC 260 Field Park Squadron. He was advised that this would be followed by an attachment to Staff HQ in Lisburn with a view to be the next CO of the Regiment. Sadly he was obliged to resign his commission in 1968 when the (TA) became (V) and the new terms of service became unacceptable to his civilian partners. 


On his appointment as Honorary Colonel of the Regiment in 1983 Tony was told that it would probably be for five years and that his duties were really “nominal”. How wrong could anything be! He visited eleven annual camps in the UK, Germany and Denmark. He attended most of the Regiment’s training weekends. When these were on an all-arms competitive basis he was very proud of the fact that his Regiment won much more than its share of the trophies. He took the salute at the passing-out parades. He had regular mid-week briefing meetings with the Regiment’s Commanding Officers. On the lighter side he upheld the honour of the Regiment at his Dining Out in Chatham by rising to an alcohol-fuelled challenge, borrowing the Mess Piper’s pipes and playing “Killaloe”! He was appointed by TAVRA as Chairman of the Employers Liaison Committee to educate employers who were reluctant to release staff for TA duties. When he pointed out that the qualities making them efficient in their civilian jobs was largely gained from their TA experience. the outcome was a noticeable improvement in TA attendance. One memorable event that he ran was an Outward Bound-type course called Exercise Stress in Scotland, Young men and women managers in civilian organisations were invited to volunteer or were sent by their employers to spend a weekend with the TA. From Friday evening until Sunday morning, it was military-type tasks virtually non-stop with very little sleep. A final raft-building competition with three oil barrels, planks and ropes resulted in most overturning to the great amusement of the watchers!  Then everyone got back into their civvies, a very good champagne lunch, and the presentation of trophies. A final bonus was a trip home by Chinook helicopter.  All the participants reported to their employers that the experience had been well worthwhile and that they had gained a great deal of personal confidence.


In spite of such a busy programme in both the civilian and military spheres, Tony still managed to have many other interests. He played rugby, cricket and most racquet games until injuries and advancing years took their toll. Luckily his golf swing was not affected and he kept playing until he was nearly ninety. For some years he was a motor-rallying navigator and co-driver. He also sang in his Church Choir, starting at the age of ten in the tenor row beside his father and in St Columba’s, Knock until he was ninety. He sang in the Belfast Philharmonic for ten years. For more than fifty years he was heavily involved in charity work for young people, including writing and self-publishing two books that were sold to raise money for good causes. He had joined the REA as a Life Member early in his military career and had always regarded it as a most important and valuable organisation.  From a personal point of view the Remembrance Day lunches where he was able to exchange so many memories with old comrades were the highlights.     


On his retirement as Hon Col of the Regiment Tony received a letter from the Chief of the General Staff thanking him for his long service of eleven years and authorising him to retain the honorary rank of Colonel.


Here Tony is pictured with fellow REA NI member and veteran, Victor Clarke.                      

 



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