MEAF – HERITAGE SITE

No. 3 PTS India 1941-1947

https://www.paradata.org.uk/unit/airlanding-school-new-delhi-raf

AIRLANDING SCHOOL NEW DELHI (RAF)

On 1st October 1941 Air Headquarters authorised the formation of an Air Landing School at Willingdon Airport New Delhi, to train the newly formed 50th Indian Parachute Brigade.
The School, later called No 3 Parachute Training School trained parachutists and glider-borne troops as well as conducting experiments on their specialised equipments. The only aircraft available were five Valentias, obsolete and unsuitable for parachuting. Training for the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade, which was also set up in October, began in earnest.
Courses lasted 14 days for 30 parachutists per course until April 1943 when it doubled to 60. There was a shortage of aircraft, parachute instructors and parachutes. The first instructors arrived from Ringway with 14 static parachute assemblies or ‘Statichutes’ in their personal baggage and set up their primitive equipment in two aircraft hangars.
The first Commanding Officer was Wing Commander JHD Chapple, who was replaced by the nominated commander Wing Commander Benito in March 1942. The staff consisted of eight RAF officers, five army officers, four RAF fabric workers from Ringway, who also acted as Parachute Jump Instructors (PJIs) and a number of Ringway trained army NCOs.
In October 1942 overcrowding at Willingdon air base necessitated a change of the school’s location to Chaklala, near Rawlpindi in the Punjab.

(PARADATA)

PJIs Willingdon 1941

APJIS 1941.jp ssg — Ken Fritchley, Stephen Smith, Raye Schofield, Allen Harden, Len Shepherd, Peter Sales. See also below

1941 INSTRUCTORS ss — See preceding photograph

The unit was designated No. 4 METS by the SAS who had formed a training detachment there; the first PJIs arrived from Ringway early in 1942. They were F.S Jim Averis and Sgts Markwell, Welch and MacGregor (nicknamed ‘The Toffs’ by the SAS). These were followed in December by Gerry Turnbull, Jack Gascoigne, Len Munden and Norman Davey. In January 1943 they were further augmented by Sgts. Robbie Robertson, Vic Kent, George Eccles, Bluey Lambirth, ‘Wullie’ Hamilton, Lofty Bowerbanks and Alf Card.

(History of Middle East Parachute Training by F.S. Alf Card)

RAF KABRIT 1942ss — RAF Kabrit on the Bitter Lakes

FIRST 4 ss2 — First PJIs at Kabrit. Sgt.Ian MacGregor, F.S.’Ginger’ Averis, Sgt.’Natch’ Markwell, Sgt Ken Welch. Photo courtesy ‘Ginger’ Averis

‘Natch’ Markwell Operational Sortie

AVERIS EXTRACT (1) — Courtesy ‘Natch’ Markwell

Information Instruction

INFO TROOPS ss — Information instruction for all ranks

Kabrit Course programme

GING GREEN enh ss — APJI Sgt “Ginger” Green, Kabrit October 1942

YOUNG AND MCGREGOR ss — APJI Sgts Sean Young and Ian McGregor Kabrit 1942. Sgt McGregor was later decorated with the Military Cross

No. 4 Parachute Training School RAF RAMAT DAVID 1943

https://www.paradata.org.uk/media/2510

The school moved to Palestine in January 1943 and, although it was in effect No. 2 PTS, for some reason retained the original No. 4 designation.

HUDSON RD enh ss — Ramat David. The local Bey shaking hands with instructor stick, see inscription below. Aircraft Lockheed Hudson. Photo courtesy Gerry Turnbull

Instructor stick Hudson emplane Ramat David 1943. Photo courtesy Graeme Card

Ramat David Staff *circa.* 1943 Timber Wood 4th middle row, Alf Card right middle row. Photo courtesy Graeme Card

INSTRUCTORS KABRIT ss2 — Instructors kitted up: Rear: Sgts. Baverbank, Hamilton, McGregor, Averis. Front: Robertson, Eccles, Seddon, Kent

Staff on Ramat David DZ. Alf Card rear row 2nd left, Fred Endersby 4th left. Photo courtesy Graeme Card

Sgt Fred Endersby. Photo courtesy Simon Endersby, son of Fred Endersby.

Magazine cover. Courtesy Simon Endersby.

Magazine narrative, featuring Fred Endersby. Courtesy Simon Endersby

Page 2 as above. Courtesy Simon Endersby

Screen Shot 2019-05-27 at 17.48.18 — School Warrant Officer Gerry Turnbull

No. 4 Parachute Training School Gioia del Colle Italy 1944

In June 1944, following Brigadier Hackett’s 4th Parachute Brigade redeployment from the North African theatre, No 4 PTS was relocated to Gioia Del Colle, south of Bari on the Italian Adriatic coast.

GDC SNOW ENH ss — Sgt. Gascoigne, Fg.Off. Anderson, Sqn.Ldr. Murphy, W.O. Turnbull

GDC 2 ss.enh — Unidentified, Sgt. Turner, Sgt. Duncan, WO Turnbull centre

No. 2 Parachute Training School RAF AQIR 1946

https://www.paradata.org.uk/unit/parachute-and-air-training-school-raf-aqir

In 1946 the final move was made to RAF Aqir (now the Tel Nof Airbase), firstly under the command of Flt. Lt. Todhunter, followed by Flt.Lt. John Saxby and subsequently Sqn.Ldr. Bernard Stannard. The School was now known officially as No. 2 PTS.

John Saxby recalls (see also SKYDIVERS):

“- it seems a long time ago when Stannard and I tried out a free fall from 10,000 feet at Aqir in Palestine in 1947 using wrist watches. I was about to hand over command of No 2 PTS and proceed on demobilisation and it seemed a jolly end to my RAF career. Group Captain Geoffrey Wood was the Station Commander and took a bit of persuading. Before I left Stannard and I took a Dakota up to 10,000 feet over the station, Aqir – bloody cold – to let them all see what a drop looked like. Our usual DZ was Yibna some miles away. At 1000 feet as I remember the school instructors did a demonstration jump with Statichutes as usual, and at 10,000 feet Stannard and I baled out wearing standard Pilot Type parachutes. I spent a lot of the previous night trying to be sure that my maths was right – 120mph = feet per second ??? = how long dare I wait ??? We used our wrist watches to time the drop before pulling the release. Knowing no better I adopted the standard exit position and reached TV in that position – surprised to feel myself ‘standing’ in the air with the wind whistling past but no feeling of falling – how naive we were. But then I began to tumble and was sick, remembering to keep my boots out of the way! Finally I saw Stannard’s parachute deploy and decided to rely on his maths and deployed my own”.

(Brevet p.10)