December 2024 Newsletter
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- Posted on 29 Nov 2024
- 04 min read
Junior Parachute Company
- Posted on 11 Dec 2017
- 05 min read
A personal journey which started August 1988 by Tom Blakey
Junior Parachute Company
This page is for all Officer’s, NCO’s and JINF’s who have served in JPC.
JPC was part of the Parachute Regiment, dedicated to training young lads from 15-17 years old. Renowned for it’s hard physical training, tough discipline, and above all Parachute Regiment tradition, JPC over the years produced an extremely high standard of young soldier. The envy of many other regiments. Many of it’s pupils went on to have long established careers in the Parachute Regiment.
Sadly no longer in today’s modern Army. This will hopefully give all ex JPC a chance to remember the good times, the not so good times ! (were there any!), share memories, and maybe meet an old mucker, or make new. Importantly learn the history of JPC.
Perhaps we could even arrange a JPC RV in the future in celebration of this once great establishment.
Farnborough, Hampshire …
This was the headquarters of the Junior Parachute Company and the boys were all aged between 15 and 17 and a half, they want to become paratroopers when they reach their 18th birthdays. The boys moves along and is given more kit including they jackets. As a paratrooper puts a helmet on the head of a young boy, two more boys are waiting in line. The boys are seen walking across the camp carrying their kit, they walk past a sign saying ‘Junior Parachute Company Depot The Parachute Regiment’. one of the boys in khaki uniform is seen wearing a red beret, he starts smearing his face with mud for camouflage. Another boy with a knife, he places it in his jacket. Two officers talking, one of them shouts “advance!” and the boys walk forward with their rifles, they all throw themselves on the floor and roll over a couple of times, one boy crawling through the grass with rifle poised, two other boys doing the same.
Boy Paratroopers
The lads in track suits (picture below) are all JPC late 1968 names:-
Pompey Norman, Squid Thomas, Norman Fairs, Skelly Skelton, Joe Mercer, Mick Butler, Anglo Eden, Ted Ferguson, Dave Jones, GG Gallop, Dave Longstaff.
Staff. front left Not known, Ian Harding, Pete Wadsworth, Harry Randal, Lugs Leslie, Goggs Morrison, Les Ratcliff. Ben Bennett. the one of the lads in uniform.
I know some but have forgot most names, some that I do remember Steve Gerrard. Snake Bowen, Dave Longstaff, Joe Merce, Eddie Hunt, Jock Sowter, Rinksy Richens.
Faces from the past
