Major PH Erskine-Tulloch MC Northamptonshire Regiment

Obituary for Major PH Erskine-Tulloch MC

Piers was born in 1929 in London and educated at Christ’s Hospital School in Sussex. He was part of a military family and followed his brother Pat (Brigadier Pat Erskine-Tulloch CBE) into The Northamptonshire Regiment in July 1949. He was very proud that the then Princess Elisabeth had taken the Salute at his commissioning parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He joined the 1st Battalion in Austria before moving to Trieste at the end of the year. He served in B Company under the command of Ted Kitchen, who was an experienced, brave and very tough officer who won a well deserved MC in Italy. Piers was a successful and respected platoon commander, a good shot and a popular Captain of the Battalion Rugby Team.

In early 1951 Piers was a member of a large draft sent from the Battalion as reinforcements for Korea. After two weeks at the Divisional Battle School in Japan, the draft was given about half an hour’s notice to move. Most of the soldiers were flown by the Royal Australian Air Force to Korea expecting to join 1 Glosters having heard of their battle and heavy casualties. They joined the gallant survivors the day after their major Battle of the Imjin and were included in the reforming of the Battalion that night (25th April). Piers with Sgt Kelly (not Pat Kelly DCM) and about 15 Northampton soldiers formed the nucleus of a new platoon and after six weeks retraining were back in line carrying out patrols in the area of the Glosters Imjin Battle. Piers and his men experienced deadly accurate air support from the South African Air Force, artillery close support from Canadian and New Zealand Artillery units and medical coverage from Canadian and Indian Field Ambulance units. He was most impressed by the fine Commonwealth Divisional spirit and the trust and cooperation between all, especially neighbouring units. In November, the Battalion returned home with all the Northampton reinforcements having acquitted themselves well. Piers with the regular element then rejoined the 1st Battalion in Trieste.

His next appointment was as Intelligence Officer. During the Battalion’s training at Schmelz Training Area in Styria Austria (an area built as a very modern battle camp by the Germans) Piers met his first wife Linda who was staying in a Guesthouse in one of the Valleys. They were married in August 1953 and were blessed with two girls. He then served in Germany, Korea and Hong Kong as Regimental Signals Officer. In Korea, he won the inter platoon march and shoot competition and was an energetic member of his platoon hockey team. Piers was posted next to Peterborough as Adjutant of 5 Northamptons (TA). Unfortunately, tragedy struck and he lost Linda after only three days illness with meningitis.

Piers almost immediately volunteered for service with the Gurkhas and joined 2/2nd KEO Goorkas in Malaya early in 1957 leaving his children with Linda’s friend in Scotland. Later in the year he managed to have a break and visited 1 Northamptons on the troopship Nevasa in Singapore on their voyage from Hong Kong to UK.

In 1961, his two girls Fiona and Pella, accompanied by Tessa Stevinson, joined up with Piers in the Far East and a year later Piers and Tessa were married and were blessed with two daughters Nicky and Sam (the latter also served in the Army). Service with the Gurkhas gave Piers and his family many tours in the Far East including Hong Kong, Sarawak, Brunei, Singapore and Malaya. He also had postings to Germany and UK. He enjoyed especially his time in the Far East with his inherent love of the jungle and his dogs. He transferred to the permanent cadre in 1959.

Piers proved to be a highly successful and very brave Company Commander. This was illustrated with the award of his MC in 1965 for two major operations in Sarawak during the so called ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia. On the first one, after a three day march though the jungle swamps and a three day wait in an ambush position, nineteen enemy approached to within fifteen yards, when fire was opened and all the enemy were killed. On the second occasion Piers, having temporarily halted his force near his selected ambush site, was himself ambushed by an enemy force of some one hundred. Heavy fighting took place and the enemy reached within five yards of the Gurkha force. They were forced back but still launched four more determined attacks. Eventually, after crossing thirty yards of open ground under very heavy machine gun fire, Piers, with his Forward Observation Officer, brought down concentrated artillery fire. The enemy was beaten off and withdrew, after sustaining a large number of casualties. Piers citation included a glowing tribute to the inspired handling of his force.

His penultimate appointment was as 2IC and Chief Instructor in the Brigade of Gurkhas Depot in Hong Kong followed by a staff appointment in HQ 2 Armoured Division. On retirement, in 1981, he returned to his beloved Far East to become 2IC of the Sultan of Brunei’s Gurkha Reserve for the next seven years. Tessa and Piers returned to England in 1988 and he was appointed Estate Manager of St Paul’s Court in London until 1996, when they retired to Hampshire. He led a very full life until he suffered the cruelty of cerebrovascular illness.

Piers was a very brave officer in his military and private life. He was respected by all he came in contact with throughout his career. He died on 9th February 2013. He will be missed by those he served with in his two Regiments and by Tessa and his four daughters and their families, and by his elder brother Pat.