Real Lives: Soldier Dick beat the odds to live a long and full life

Published on Wednesday 6 August 2008 10:36

Lt Col Dick Vivers, a distinguished military man and devoted community worker, has died aged 84.

John Richardson Vivers, affectionately known as Dick, was born in Kirknewton on November 17 1923, the middle son of five children of James and Janet Vivers.

He performed strongly at Lasswade High School and completed his apprenticeship with the Commercial Bank of Scotland, becoming an Associate of the Institute of Bankers before being called up in 1942. After recruit training in the Scots Guards, he was selected for Officer Training and commissioned in the King's Own Scottish Borderers.

It was while serving in the KOSB that he was badly wounded near Caen in fierce fighting during the early stages of the Normandy campaign.

He was repatriated to the UK and after recovering from his wounds he volunteered for service in Burma.

He arrived in Rangoon in August 1945and was appointed to the Burma Command Provost Unit which was supervising the returning British soldiers who had been prisoners of the Japanese and Japanese soldiers who were now prisoners.

It was in Rangoon that Dick met his future wife, Monica Clement, a nursing sister with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. While Captain Vivers was in Rangoon he was critically injured in a very serious road accident.

He returned to the UK and was transferred to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

When Captain Vivers was discharged from hospital he was informed that his life expectancy had been dramatically curtailed due to his injuries received both in Normandy and Burma. Despite this knowledge Dick and Monica were married on April 19 1947 at St. Mungo's Parish Church, Penicuik.

After his wartime service, Dick Vivers served some 25 years in the Royal Artillery; a most stimulating and varied career with the emphasis on "training for war" – from the RA Training Regiment at Oswestry to the Gold Coast (now Ghana). He then returned to the UK to be Adjutant of 420 (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) Light Regiment RA TA, in Greenock, followed by an appointment as a Gunnery Instructor at the School of Artillery at Larkhill.

He once again moved abroad to be second in command of 40 Field Regiment in the British Army of the Rhine before taking command of 101 Medium Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers).

Colonel Vivers retired from the Army in 1972 and settled near Glamis. He was appointed financial director of Forfar Carpets Ltd in Alyth and quickly transferred his military skills to the business sector. Dick and Monica Vivers were active members of the local Angus community and strong supporters of the ex-service associations – Borderers and Gunners.

Dick Vivers's wartime experiences made a lifelong impact on him. His determination to live life to the full meant that he surpassed the pessimistic predictions of the medical experts 60 years ago.

He was a strongly committed family man, keen on all country pursuits and an elder in the Church of Scotland since May 1949. Monica, his beloved wife, predeceased him and he is survived by his four children Jan, Anne, Richard and Andrew.

He died on July 26.

&#149 Submitted by Mark Strudwick