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John
(The Military Years) |
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| That's me on the left, with my brother Jim on the right and a very good friend in the centre. Nye sadly died from a heart attack in 1997. We all joined up together in the Regular Army in 1962. (when this picture was taken) Nye and I were 22 years of age and brother Jim checked in at 26. We were all posted to the same Platoon (Vickers Machine Gun) in the 2nd Bn Parachute Regiment. I dont think 2 Para was ever the same again. |
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| I was born January 1940 in Edinburgh, Scotland and missed National Service by some two months, an experience I was actually looking forward to! I therefore felt that I had missed out on something and in February 1958, at the ripe young age of 18, I joined the "Territorial Army", becoming a "weekend warrior" with the Edinburgh (C Coy) of 15th (Scottish) Battalion Parachute Regiment T.A.. This lasted till I decided to join the Regular army in 1962. After training at the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Froces Depot, Maida barracks, Aldershot I was lucky to join a very famous Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, the Second Battalion. Taking my place in the MMG Platoon, Support Coy.
I served with the Battalion in the Middle East, Bahrain, Trucial Oman States, (now United Arab Emirates), Aden and Dhala Camp up in the Radfan. Went on to the Far East, Malaya and Hong Kong, then had a spell annoying the natives in Anguilla (Caribbean). Visited many other countries on exchanges and exercise and was now a Platoon Sergeant (11 Platoon, D Coy). During this time I also had two years as an instructor in "Recruit Company" at the Airborne Forces Depot.
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| All my military photographs were destroyed in a fire in Abu Dhabi. A sad occasion that I still find hard to come to terms with. The photograph above is D Coy 2nd Bn. The Parachute Regiment taken at Burma Camp in Malaysia, July 1968. It was sent to me by Tony Fieldhouse, who was 11 Platoon commander at the time. Note the numbers, 3 Offrs, 4 SNCO's, 6 JNCO's and 42 Privates. Being under strength was nothing new, even then and the job still had to be done! One Private in this Company, 14 years later and then a Sergeant, was awarded the DCM in the Falklands conflict.
The photograph below was taken the following year (1969), in Anguilla (Carribean) and shows me posing with two of my Platoon for a bullshit PR foto.
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| Approaching 30 now, I was on the lookout for other challenges and applied for a helicopter pilots course. After selection, I attended the Army School of Aviation (as it was called then) at the age of 30, a bit old to start pilot training I was informed? One year later, I returned to 16 Ind Parachute Brigade as a qualified helicopter pilot and joined the ranks of 664 Parachute Sqn Army Air Corps. The next three years were spent in Germany, Cyprus, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, Denmark and of course Salisbury Plain, Otterburn, Sennybridge etc., etc..My three year flying tour was now over and to remain flying I had to transfer to the Army Air Corps "Permanent Cadre". After re-badging in 1974 I was posted to Hong Kong, flying in the Colony and Borneo for the next two and a half years. Back to Britain in 1976 and RAF Central Flying School (Helicopters), at Shawbury, for the QHI course (qualified helicopter instructor). Instructional duties once again, this time at the Army Air Corps Centre at Middle Wallop.
During my time there, untill I left the Army in 1979 as a WO2, I instructed in the Gazelle Conversion Flight, Advanced Rotary Squadron and finally Lynx Conversion Flight............................. I WOULD do it all again tomorrow!
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These are the types of helicopter I flew whilst serving with the Army Air Corps |
 
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| Scout AH1 - Sioux AH1 - Gazelle AH1 - Lynx AH1 |
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