Warrant Officer Class 2 (CSM) B Shanks Royal Anglian Regiment

Obituary for Warrant Officer Class 2 (CSM) B Shanks

Bryan was born in Needham, Norfolk, on 29 July 1932. He began his army life at Meanee Barracks, Colchester, in November 1950. After completing basic training he joined the Royal Norfolk Regiment who had just arrived in Dover in April 1951, at the age of 18. On arrival in the Battalion he was sent to the Signal Platoon.

On 30 August 1951 the Regiment was sent to Korea. Shortly after arriving in Pusan the Regiment was moved forward into the front line. Bryan’s introduction to war occurred very quickly after this. A signals line clearance patrol was shelled by the Chinese killing an officer and wounding several others, including Bryan, whose legs were peppered with stones and shrapnel. He was patched up at the Regimental Aid Post and, on leaving, met the RSM who, having introduced himself, promptly told Bryan to sort his torn and dirty trousers and get a haircut!

A month later during an offensive operation Bryan was wounded by shellfire again and this time wound up in a Field Hospital. The Regiment continued to move in and out of the Front Line and Bryan took part in many operations; he was also promoted into the Corporals’ Mess. In September 1952 the Regiment was withdrawn from the Korean War and sent to Hong Kong. Here Bryan was promoted into the Warrant Officers and Sergeants’ Mess and, shortly after arrival, volunteered for special operations in Malaya.

In February 1953 Bryan was sent to Singapore prior to beginning his specialist training for Malaya. It was during this period that he met Rose who was also in the Army and, after months of operations in Malaya and a major run in with the Military Police, they got married in September of that year. Shortly after this Bryan was sent back to the School of Infantry in Hythe and from here got involved in a clandestine operation that saw him taking part in an evaluation of the French Campaign in Vietnam; this resulted in Bryan and his team spending time in Dien Bien Phu early in 1954, whilst it was under siege by the Viet Minh.

Bryan was sent back to the Battalion just before it returned to the UK. In October 1955 they were sent at short notice to assist in the worsening situation in Cyprus and from there, eventually, to Iserlohn, Germany, in December, where he remained until September 1959; the Regiment having just amalgamated with the Suffolk Regiment to form the 1st Battalion the East Anglian Regiment.

Bryan was then sent on his first posting to Chelsea, being posted to the Duke of York’s HQ as a Permanent Staff Instructor for two very interesting years, working with the Reserve Special Forces. Having returned to the Battalion, by now in Harwich, Bryan was then sent to British Guiana from February to June 1962 before moving with the Battalion to Aden from January 1964 until September 1965. Here Bryan helped set up the communications support from a secure base in the Radfan. He likened operations here to what he imagined they must have been in the NW Frontier. A combination of harsh terrain, difficult weather conditions and an unpredictable enemy, made for very challenging, robust soldiering.

The remainder of Bryan’s service was based in either Germany or the UK, apart from tours of Londonderry in 1970-71 and another tour of Cyprus from April to September 1972. His final posting was with 5th Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment as a Permanent Staff Instructor and he was eventually discharged on 26 February 1973 having reached the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2.

Bryan’s second ‘posting to Chelsea’ began in November 2007 when he joined the Royal Hospital. From the beginning Bryan wanted to contribute and undertook a variety of jobs, including that of a Long Ward Corporal and In-Pensioner Admin Office Clerk. He always kept a strong link with the Regimental Association, regularly attending Dinners, Ceremonies and Open Days. He was at this year’s Regimental Gathering in Duxford in September 2012 with a number of Chelsea Pensioners, as well as his son Kevin, daughter Kay and their families.

The severity of Bryan’s illness caught everyone by surprise and, having fought it for a number of weeks, he tragically died in the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 3 October 2012 aged 80. We all miss Bryan, his softly spoken manner and gentle wit hid an enormously intelligent man, of great courage and strength, who served his country loyally and effectively for many years.

RL