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Thread: Borneo 1962-66
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Old 31st Aug 2010, 10:09
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Chugalug2
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: West Sussex
Age: 82
Posts: 4,765
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I was AT out there myself, NURSE, or MRT as we called it in those days. A shiny new co-pilot on Hastings enjoying the best posting on offer then or ever IMHO. Have you read:
Drop Zone Borneo, The RAF Campaign 1963-65: 'The Most Successful Use of Armed Forces in the Twentieth Century' Pen & Sword Military: Amazon.co.uk: Roger Annett: Books
written by a chum of mine, Roger Annett, similarly then both shiny and new but suffering from the disadvantage of being posted to the "Whistling Wheelbarrow"! Nonetheless he captures very well the spirit of time and place. A different world in a different time of course, but a very typical low profile British success story.
The only "Chopper" related story that I recall came from one of our skippers who was detached as ASLO or BASO to them (as ever the memory fades) to supervise inter alia the loading of troops. The Whirlwind pilots complained that they were barely clearing the tree canopy from the small clearings as they departed loaded with troops. As the troops in question were Gurkhas and not burly Brits it didn't make sense. So chum hangs sample Gurkha on Butcher Scales slung from tree. Sure enough he comes in at 2/3 standard troop weight. Next replace Gurkha with kit. Tree groans, branch threatens to break, scales go to full scale. Upon investigation of backpack, in place of socks pairs spare for the use of, etc, is yet more ammo and associated sundries!

Last edited by Chugalug2; 31st Aug 2010 at 10:38.
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