Some of you may have noticed that I have changed my avatar, it is the cap badge of The Parachute Regiment. I'm not normally the type to share this kind of post on a public forum, but I know that many of you admire what our Armed Forces do and would be sad to hear my news.
Sadly, my father passed away last month very suddenly and we were able to give him a send off to Valhalla last week with a load of his ex-Para mates forming a guard of honour for him.
Dad joined the Paras in the seventies and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Belize and Germany; but most notably, he went to the Falkland Islands with 3 Para and thousands of other British troops in 1982 to recapture the islands from occupying Argentine forces. He came home safely but many of his friends, some of them close friends, didn't. He was fiercely proud to be a paratrooper and had little time for marines or craphats. No scale of measurement has been invented to quantify how proud I am of him.
I've included some photos.
View attachment 98255
This photo was taken in Aldershot during the 30th anniversary parade for the Falklands Conflict. Dad is in the centre without his beret.
View attachment 98256
This was taken at RAF Gutersloh in 1977/8 while waiting to emplane for a battalion size jump; he's the miserable git with his arms folded looking really chuffed to be earning his para pay! He still has the old style helmet but recently introduced DPM para smock, army issue watch and even a Mae-West.
I wish you fair winds and a safe landing dad.
Thanks for looking.
Sadly, my father passed away last month very suddenly and we were able to give him a send off to Valhalla last week with a load of his ex-Para mates forming a guard of honour for him.
Dad joined the Paras in the seventies and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Belize and Germany; but most notably, he went to the Falkland Islands with 3 Para and thousands of other British troops in 1982 to recapture the islands from occupying Argentine forces. He came home safely but many of his friends, some of them close friends, didn't. He was fiercely proud to be a paratrooper and had little time for marines or craphats. No scale of measurement has been invented to quantify how proud I am of him.
I've included some photos.
View attachment 98255
This photo was taken in Aldershot during the 30th anniversary parade for the Falklands Conflict. Dad is in the centre without his beret.
View attachment 98256
This was taken at RAF Gutersloh in 1977/8 while waiting to emplane for a battalion size jump; he's the miserable git with his arms folded looking really chuffed to be earning his para pay! He still has the old style helmet but recently introduced DPM para smock, army issue watch and even a Mae-West.
I wish you fair winds and a safe landing dad.
Thanks for looking.
