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Geoff Butler

My involvement with 10 Para started when I was a 14 year old schoolboy in 1968. My schoolmaster was then 1st Lt Malcolm Brown who was then OC Anti-Tanks which in that year 1968 was based at White City. The RSM was then Patch Williams. I remember guys like Colour Sgt Osbourne, Cpl Basmajin, Cpl Shaun Hackett, and of course Slim Kelly. I remember a helicopter exercise at Stanford chasing 21 SAS around. I also remember firing Anti-Tank weapons on Salisbury Plain. The 105 then before Wombat. I remember a ballooning weekend on Wormwood Scrubs...

I then met Malcolm Brown again in 1974 in a hanger in Hullavington when I was a 2 Para soldier, jumped on the fateful night drop on the Kiel Canal where the guys in 15 Para drowned. I was last man in the stick and just about managed to land in a field on the canal bank well short of the DZ. In 1978 I joined 10 Para initially with 2 Company 6 Platoon at Blackheath which had just opened at Blackheath. I was then reunited with Malcolm Brown again this time he was Major Malcolm Brown OC Recruit Training Wing. Nicknamed (Peanuts as he could not stop eating them) I became an instructor there for three years. By now the RSM was George Collier who was my first platoon Sgt when I joined 2 Para.
The Battalion was spread out in as follows:
(Formed 1 April 1967, from 10th (County of London) Battalion The Parachute Regiment (TA).
Companies:
1 Coy White City + MT
2 Coy Croydon and Blackheath
3 Coy Finchley
November 1971: Support Company formed at Aldershot with Mortar platoon at Leigh-on-Sea.
1 April 1978: '4' Company formed at Chelsea, London from Defence Platoon 44 Parachute Brigade.
HQ Coy Duke of York's Chelsea
Signals Duke of York's Chelsea
5 (HSF) Company formed in 1982
Detachment of Anti-Tank platoon formed at Portsmouth in May 1987:
2 Company formed detachment at St Mary's Cray (KENT) in October 1987:

1 April 1992: Battalion re-organised with three rifle companies and one support company.
1 Company at White City, London disbanded.
Support Group formed Aldershot by re-designation of Support Company.

1 April 1995: Anti-Tank platoon and Mortar platoon disbanded.
1 April 1997: Mortar platoon reformed at Aldershot.

1 July 1999: Battalion disbanded as result of the Strategic Defence Review. 'HQ' Company, '2' Company and Mortar platoon amalgamated as '10' (London) Company 4th Battalion.

Note on support platoons:
This Mortar platoon existed outside the Fire Support Battalions, and was reintroduced to have Parachute trained mortar support. Other support platoons (Recce, MMG and Assault Pioneer) were common for all battalions.

Training Wing in 1978-82 was technically based at the Duke of York's but we used to do 4 recruit selection courses per year. These were based at Finchley for three weekends and then on weekend 4 we moved to St Martins Plain Camp Folkestone where we did a full week training tactics and live firing with a battle march from Dungeness to Hythe ranges along the sea front through Dymchurch. The second week saw us doing a final exercise and then on the Friday we ran P Company at Aldershot, this consisted of Tranasium Assault Course Steeplechase, Log race, stretcher race and of course the milling.

We stated Cadres on week one with about 150 applicants by the time we got to the end we had about 25 to 35 passes with about 25 left for recourse or discharges. Many left before going on the two week camp. Our Sunday morning run at 7am down the North Circular Rd sorted a few out ... read about the "Ten Miler"

The standard was high for selection and we had many arguments who was to pass or fail at the end of course selection briefing.

Geoff Butler
Ex Sgt 10 Para Training Wing and 2 Para

Geoff Butler can be contacted by clicking here

Prosper Keating

I was in 10 Para from 1982 to 1992. 4 Coy, then Sigs Plt, with a move to White City – which most of us hated – and then Intel Section. Pissed off the Head Shed so never made it past Lance Jack but was RSI and had BW wings as well. Did a stint at Training Wing in Finchley, which was 3 Coy’s location as well. Our P Coy was at Finchley, followed by a final weekend at Depot plus two weeks at Depot (Malta Barracks) and then Brize.

Shot by myself in the air of members of 10 Para jumping with 271 Fallschirmjäger in 1989. 

Lt McAlpine-Downie, OC Intel Section and L/Cpl Keating, RSI Sigs Plt, with German writer and veteran of Holland, Crete, Russia, Normandy and Brest, Erich Kuby after getting our BW wings in 1989.

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Brian Dean

Initially, I was in a Craphat TA unit (Signals) I was on Salisbury Plain and watched in awe as a Battalion drop went in. That was my introduction to Para Regt. I realised I was in the wrong mob, as I had only jumped out of a 4 tonner. I got home (Liverpool) and contacted
4 Para (v). They told me they could always use a good radio op and they arranged the paper work and off I went. I remember the admin officer, Capt Chris Forrest (Twiggy) from 2 Para, telling me you only need to bring your PT kit and a sense of humour.

After much physical abuse, blisters, strains and more blisters I got through P Coy, I loved Brize Norton; it would have been Abingdon for (most) you eh? I settled in as the OC’s radio op, and not long after lost my civvy job. The PSI C/Sgt Dave Moore ex PF Plt suggested an ‘S’ Type with 1 Para. Well it sounded like a good idea at the time. And that was me from 85 to 98.

Pete Hill

I do remember being presented with my “Wings” by a major in Abingdon he said “Welcome to the Airborne Brotherhood “ I thought I was joining the Mafia, later I realized it was something more dangerous. I join 10 Para in White City about 74 when they were still in the wooden building before we took over the RM brick building CP was OC and Staff Knox MM was there to name but a few, Mrs Cp said to me on the night of CP's Leaving Bash: "I will never forget you". Get your filthy minds out of the gutter. I came from the 10th Royal Hussars / 651 Sqn AAC I was a regular for 9 years. Now you may be wondering why a cavalry man would want to give up his nice little armoured car / tank to Tab every where.

Well after Aden I did not like the idea of brewing up in one, and Secondly I met Mike Jackson in Germany (1968) he was a Sgt (2 Para) at the time and he was running the RAPA (Rhine Army Parachute Association in a place called Bad Lippspringe near Paderborn. It was a Sky Diving School run by the Army but we had to pay I think it was about 300 marks for the course as it was not an officially recognized sport. The Aircraft we used was a DH Rapide It was made of canvas there was a little yellow square reinforced with plywood you had to stand on holding the strut if you missed the square your foot would go through the wing great fun Huh and that’s how I got into parachuting. I was living in Kensel Rise and worked in Shepherds Bush for Coca Cola as computer operator and I use to drive pass 10 Para & the BBC on my way to work in the morning one day I went in and the CSM said I could do as much parachuting as I wanted for “FREE” so I joined. I was a Cpl in the Signals Platoon as an instructor until about 78. If anyone remembers me and wants to chat email me.

To contact Pete ... Email: pete-hill@ntlworld.com ... Instant Messenger: pete-xrh@hotmail.com ... Website: www.xrhgb.com