Right long story short we have a member of our Civ Com that is also married to a CI on the Sqn with a son as a Cadet. This Civ Com member comes out with a lot of old rubbish a lot of the time when I first met him I thought he was Ex Army with all his war stories but it turns out he was just a Cadet in the 70’s.
Now the point of my post…
Has anyone ever heard of a Cadet doing “P Company” with the paras then earning wings to put on their brasard? I have never heard of this and I even worked alongside No1 Parachute Training School at Brize I dont belive a word of it which has me worried about him being on the Civ Com if he is going to tell lies like this how can we trust him??
I have heard from a mate of a mate’s mate etc, of some cadets who whilst at Summer Camp at Abingdon in the 70s did some bits of the PTS ground school (that’s where PTS was then) and who then might have done one jump. All very dubious and clearly nowhere near enough to earn wings. Anyway, it may be that this chap is one of these individuals who is now Walting it up a bit!
To qualify for actual wings he would need to complete the Basic Parachute Course. There is the possibility that, if he did a jump, he would have been awarded a cadet badge to wear on his uniform, similar to the current parachute badge (which is a 100% unofficial badge!). This is not the same as completing the Basic Parachute Course and does not entitle him to wear parachute wings in perpetuity. Does he rock up sporting them or something?
I was a cadet in the 70’s and in the same Wing as RAF Abingdon was located (Oxon, Bucks and Berks) and I can categorically state that 1PTS did not offer cadets the opportunity to do P Coy OR do the full 8 jumps required for the award of basic parachute wings. As a Cdt SNCO, I’m damn sure I would have heard about it.
We did have an officer however, that wore the ‘lightbulb’ as well as a form of pilots wings that he called ‘official PPL wings’. No-one (AFAIK) ever took him to task over them, although there was the possibility that he had been airborne trained in previous service and wore the badge according to the rules. That doesn’t explain the ‘PPL’ wings though.
I vote mess revolver and a clean-up crew to redecorate the room.
[Edited to add: would there have been any possibility that he was also in the TA at the time? I did know one cadet from 211 Sqn (name escapes me) who reckons he was both a Cdt Sgt and a member of his local TA]
Talon and Gunner - I never said that cadets actually DID do P Coy or anything like the Basic Para Cse. There MAY have been some cadets who did some of the groundschool and they MAY have jumped - once. Hence my comment that if this guy is wearing wings on the basis that he MIGHT have been one of these cadets, then he’s definitely a Walt, therefore glass of port and the Mess Revolver, etc etc.
Your comment re someone being in the TA is possible Gunner and two of my friends from ATC in the mid 70s were also members of the Wessex Regt (TA) whilst they were in the 6th Form. Someone would have to be pretty keen and quick off the mark though to get their Basic TA training, P Coy and Jumps Cse done before they timed-out of the ATC. Probably not impossible, but pretty difficult to achieve.
[quote=“cygnus maximus” post=15078]Talon and Gunner - I never said that cadets actually DID do P Coy or anything like the Basic Para Cse. There MAY have been some cadets who did some of the groundschool and they MAY have jumped - once. Hence my comment that if this guy is wearing wings on the basis that he MIGHT have been one of these cadets, then he’s definitely a Walt, therefore glass of port and the Mess Revolver, etc etc.
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I never said that you said that they did. My reply wasn’t for your post.
Well this guy has never been in the TA just the ATC as a Cadet he always comes out with the war stories about how he got this and did that as a Cadet all of it complete rubbish. He even turned up one time wearing an old Combat jacket with his name on wearing a set of RAF REGT Flt Sgt rank slides then a big PTS badge on the arm which I know for a fact only PJI’S are allowed to wear and they are all PTI by trade
Actually, I suspect that members (and former members) of Her Majesty’s Corps of the Royal Air Force Regiment may wish to dispense some summary ‘justice’, that may or may not involve less humane weapons.
Actually, I suspect that members (and former members) of Her Majesty’s Corps of the Royal Air Force Regiment may wish to dispense some summary ‘justice’, that may or may not involve less humane weapons.[/quote]
Does eGoat have a walt hunting paramilitary corps similar to ARRSE? If not, may be best to leave it to them, they always get their man.
I do remember as a cadet in the early 80s being on my GSand coming across a cadet who informedme he had done a civi parachute course thrrough his sqn and had awarded himself the light bulb.
Imalso pretty sure you have to be over 18 to partake in the military Parachute course and even then cadets wouldonly havepossibly qualified for the lightbulband no wings, correct meif imwrong there has tobe ajumpin ffull ighting order, night jumps and a jump over water… cant realy see the ATC alllowing all that even in thePre HSE days
[quote=“thetopcat69” post=15090]I do remember as a cadet in the early 80s being on my GSand coming across a cadet who informedme he had done a civi parachute course thrrough his sqn and had awarded himself the light bulb.
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I wore black trousers and top once and awarded myself the SAS beret.