Monty visits the blokes....

[Gil]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Meant to say.................give you some idea on timings. I went into the Land Warfare hanger on one day alone if you are into tanks and vehicles thats the place. Also the American Hanger is amazing and takes another 4-5 hours, then you have everything in all the three WW1 hangers stuffed to the Gills with great Military stuff.
Currently hoping to open on the 1st August....we'll see, but distance should not be a problem its a massive site. Watch Battle of Britain, Duxford was the site used as they blew up the centre hanger as Hienkels went over which were on loan from the Spanish Air Force for reality, and a month later in 1968 a preservation order was placed on the whole site and sold to IWM.
I have spent a lot of time trying to get a Herc on site, nearly achieved it at the start of the year, but Brize wouldn't play ball as all movers were abroad on Ops. It was a Herc that landed wheels up in 2010 and had been sat there in a hangar ever since.
£10K would have bought it but it was refused.............the movers wanted more than the buying price........typical. One day one might fly in as its last flight.....I can only wish. What a brilliant thing that would be for us as a museum!

[trubrit2411]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Meant to say.................give you some idea on timings. I went into the Land Warfare hanger on one day alone if you are into tanks and vehicles thats the place. Also the American Hanger is amazing and takes another 4-5 hours, then you have everything in all the three WW1 hangers stuffed to the Gills with great Military stuff.
Currently hoping to open on the 1st August....we'll see, but distance should not be a problem its a massive site. Watch Battle of Britain, Duxford was the site used as they blew up the centre hanger as Hienkels went over which were on loan from the Spanish Air Force for reality, and a month later in 1968 a preservation order was placed on the whole site and sold to IWM.
I have spent a lot of time trying to get a Herc on site, nearly achieved it at the start of the year, but Brize wouldn't play ball as all movers were abroad on Ops. It was a Herc that landed wheels up in 2010 and had been sat there in a hangar ever since.
£10K would have bought it but it was refused.............the movers wanted more than the buying price........typical. One day one might fly in as its last flight.....I can only wish. What a brilliant thing that would be for us as a museum!

Lets pinch one off the Yanks at Greenham Common.
We are The Paras . We can do anything. Any EX 16th Blokes can fly one ?

[Pat Harley]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

I read 'Chickenhawk' once,so am fully qualified to fly a UH1B Huey chopper,but the Herc would be beyond me!

[Gil]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

You can imagine it............loads of ex PARA's in old Denison smocks rock up in a nicked RAF low loader to collect a HERC on forged papers. We'd all probably get away with it, as they would think we were a new unit formed with new clobber in 16 AA ha ha!! Bet the girdles and beards would give us away though!!

[Dave Burgess]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Fukkin ell! String on mi stunt kite bust taday!

[bob9739]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Looks like Gerry has put a bit of weight on since then Don, Saw him at Snowdonia last year.

[standinthedoor]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

On way back from Turkey exercise (forget year-a lad had been killed on the Para drop out there) in a Herc. Just crew on board, the hydraulics went and flying the plane was an arm wrestle, we had to take it in turns trying to hold the plane steady until we got to Nice after about 2 hours flying. Knackering, and the pilots were stood behind the seat in case you made a balls of it, the important thing was to make sure that the real pilot was not exhausted for the landing at Nice. So I can claim to have driven one for half an hour but cannot fly one. Sacking around Nice for a couple of nights in jump overalls and boots attracted a few looks, but no fanny.

[bob9739]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Dave, saw some lads kite surfing in the sea the other day, tell you what they were whipping along at a cracking pace with the old wind up ! Often fancied a crack at it, trouble is it would probably lift me and and I'd end up in France without a passport !

[Don the Mod]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

On way back from Turkey exercise (forget year-a lad had been killed on the Para drop out there) in a Herc. Just crew on board, the hydraulics went and flying the plane was an arm wrestle, we had to take it in turns trying to hold the plane steady until we got to Nice after about 2 hours flying. Knackering, and the pilots were stood behind the seat in case you made a balls of it, the important thing was to make sure that the real pilot was not exhausted for the landing at Nice. So I can claim to have driven one for half an hour but cannot fly one. Sacking around Nice for a couple of nights in jump overalls and boots attracted a few looks, but no fanny.

That would have been the end of Sept 1973 Ron. The lad that was killed was called Pat(?) Barratt, the rumour at the time was that the wrong Mrs Barratt, 2 Para Ted's wife Carole, got the good news. Don't know if it was true but i asked his son Danny and he said he hadn't heard that and would ask his mother. He never got back to me about it, so i didn't push the matter.

[standinthedoor]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

That would have been the end of Sept 1973 Ron. The lad that was killed was called Pat(?) Barratt, the rumour at the time was that the wrong Mrs Barratt, 2 Para Ted's wife Carole, got the good news. Don't know if it was true but i asked his son Danny and he said he hadn't heard that and would ask his mother. He never got back to me about it, so i didn't push the matter.

I went to the lads funeral in Blackburn or near there. Killed parachuting and a parachute instructor stood in church amongst the mourners, looking for a hole to swallow me up. Poor wife was in a shocking state, think the RSM was Reg Melody, went for a pint after and he felt the same. Of course we were paying our respects but it felt bad and out of place. Understand there was a cock up with the name Barrett linked to the Falklands conflict. Better left to history, sad events!

[Don the Mod]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

I went to the lads funeral in Blackburn or near there. Killed parachuting and a parachute instructor stood in church amongst the mourners, looking for a hole to swallow me up. Poor wife was in a shocking state, think the RSM was Reg Melody, went for a pint after and he felt the same. Of course we were paying our respects but it felt bad and out of place. Understand there was a cock up with the name Barrett linked to the Falklands conflict. Better left to history, sad events!

The story was, he pulled his reserve and threw it the wrong way and it wrapped itself round the main. We were walking off the DZ and were close by, the medics were around him, one of the lads, Geordie Thompson, shouted to them, "go through his pockets". If looks could kill.

[trubrit2411]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

I wonder what is the total number of blokes killed while jumping.....since the formation of British Airborne Forces. All told it cant be many when compared to the number of blokes and jumps. I always had absolute faith in the PJI's and the RAF ....meself.

[Pat Harley]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Faith in the 'chute helped as well!!

[Gil]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Don,
I was on that jump into Izmir in Turkey right shithole of a place and I hate Turkey anyway. L/Cpl John David BARRETT, 21 years of age at the time of the pile in and it was the 27th September 1973. Knew him as Ted, along with all the other Barretts in Battalion, he was on my Lance Jacks course, great lad. Buried in Blackburn.
Cause...........parachute failed to open, sadly just whistled in!

Strange exercise...............we left England where there was foot and mouth, it was a horrendous 7 hour 200foot flight everybody puking into helmets etc including the CO. Hit the groound an a filthy little Turkish squaddie runs up and makes you standup and stand in a tray of sheep dip with your boots cheeky twat. I felt that rough I just lay there, until someone shouted "Heavy Drop".
Then I dipped and ran

[jackw102]

Re: Monty visits the blokes....

Meant to say.................give you some idea on timings. I went into the Land Warfare hanger on one day alone if you are into tanks and vehicles thats the place. Also the American Hanger is amazing and takes another 4-5 hours, then you have everything in all the three WW1 hangers stuffed to the Gills with great Military stuff.
Currently hoping to open on the 1st August....we'll see, but distance should not be a problem its a massive site. Watch Battle of Britain, Duxford was the site used as they blew up the centre hanger as Hienkels went over which were on loan from the Spanish Air Force for reality, and a month later in 1968 a preservation order was placed on the whole site and sold to IWM.
I have spent a lot of time trying to get a Herc on site, nearly achieved it at the start of the year, but Brize wouldn't play ball as all movers were abroad on Ops. It was a Herc that landed wheels up in 2010 and had been sat there in a hangar ever since.
£10K would have bought it but it was refused.............the movers wanted more than the buying price........typical. One day one might fly in as its last flight.....I can only wish. What a brilliant thing that would be for us as a museum!

A good day out