Sad to relate, but long time Mountin’ Sheep Compo, aka David Elliott, set off for the great Hash Kennel in the sky just recently.
Compo joined the MSH3 in the early days when he was working for the MoD in Brecon and was living in the Barracks there – more of that later!
An ex- sailor, his first mainland Hash was Cairneyhill in Scotland, and he continued to confuse the poor souls of MSH3 by insisting on laying his trails to “Cairneyhill Rules” . We reckoned it was a Scottish way of saving flour.
In 1996, Compo accompanied the combined MS and Cardiff Hash assault on the unsuspecting citizens of Cyprus for Interhash. Being Compo, he decided to do things a little differently and, in league with your obituarist, bounced through Cyprus on the way to the pre-ramble in the Gulf! How he was allowed into this abstemious area is a mystery given the copious amounts of airline booze consumed en route!
In 1998, he was a key figure in the attempt to bring Nash Hash to South Wales. Maybe the voters were put off by his legs. For clarification, Compo is the one in the middle below
I think that actually that pic was taken at his birthday party in the said barracks, which descended into quite a free-for-all during the Mess Rugby.
He used his contacts in the forces to good effect; one recalls a Gurkha curry in an abandoned building on the Sennybridge ranges for example.
Strangely for someone who managed over 100 r*ns for the Sheep there are few pictures of him, but here’s another – he’s in the straw boater and I don’t think his arms are quite long enough to elicit that squeal from Teasemaisd.
Compo met Joan round about this time and invited her to an edition of the annual SMEG based at the Hunter’s Moon in Llangattock Lingoed. As was normal with SMEGs, the trail was an all-day affair with plenty of beer stops. Most of us were back, showered and changed and enjoying the first of the evening beers when he staggered in and ordered a pint. A couple of beers later the landlord took a phone call – “Is there a David Elliott in the pub?” “Oh heck (or something similar) I forgot that Joan was waiting for me in the B&B” I don’t think he was allowed to forget that in a hurry.
Not long after he moved with Joan to Merseyside and r*n with other Hashes in the area, subsequently helping to form the MerseyThirstdays, which managed to continue throughout lockdown with virtual hashes and quiz nights.
Not long before his passing he inveigled me into taking part in the Liverpool Lions 200 Club. £5 a month wasn’t too bad after all. Month one I won £20 and month 4 I got £30, so thanks Compo, best paying bet I’ve ever taken!!
On On Compo
Mountin' Sheep Hash House Harriers (MSH3) 