Photo Album

 My father, Major J F (Foster) Mitchell, Officer Commanding A Company, 3 PARA in 1945.

377 Platoon

Depot PARA

Feb - Aug 1972

Ptes 1,Vetier;2,Reilly;3,Turner;4,Palmer;5,Collins;6,Aubertin;7,Lambe;8,Lancaster;9,Abraham; Cpls 10,J Kyle;11,

F Pye; Lt,12 C D Farrar-Hockley;Sgt,13,T Warmington;Cpls,14, D Fenwick;15, B Greenhalgh;Ptes,16,J Mitchell;17, Innes-Grant;18, Nixon;19,Reece

Except for Pte Turner and I (3 PARA), the remainder of the platoon went to 1 PARA.

Now as a Lance-Corporal. This is at Nee Soon Camp on the island of Singapore, where D (Patrol) Company were based, during 3 PARA's jungle warfare training in Malaysia 1975.
A quick 'promotion to Lieutenant'. In the Ops Room at Finniston School, Old Park Road, Belfast, 1974.
Another Land Rover that the REME could not fix. Note that the whole of the engine compartment has disappeared.
1979. I have just been promoted to corporal with Junior Parachute Company at Depot PARA.
January 1983. As the most junior sergeant in the Mess I was 'Mr Vice' for the Dinning Out of Major 'Buck' Kernan. US Army who commanded C Company, 3 PARA. He is now a three-star general commanding the US XVIII Airborne Corps. Didn't he do well!
Fifteen months later I am an acting colour-sergeant and posted to 15 (SV) PARA. This was a territorial army battalion based in Scotland. The professionalism of the soldiers was as good as some regular army infantry battalions of the line. Sadly the battalion has been reduced to a single 15 (SV) Company and is part of 4 (V) PARA.
I was promted to WO2 (Sergeant Major) in 1988 and left the Army in 1991. This photograph was taken in Paris in September 1999 at Les Invalides at St Michel (the French Airborne Forces Day). I wore my uniform (with Pegasus) in protest at the dropping of that famous emblem as the insignia of British Airborne Forces.
Jimmy Wall and a tired Eddie Byrne (1980)
A bad photograph of me, but a better one of the Bridge at Arnhem (1977).

'Mac' French's patrol in the 'big jay', malaya (1976).

(L-R) John Sibley, Tich Whitehead, Ginge Card, Mac French (kneeling), Flapper Farmer........
.......followed on by the remainder of the patrol avoiding every creepy-crawly, tiger, wild pig, snake, spider and leech in sight!

I had this wonderful pet vulture (until Skelly bit it's head off).

 

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