IAIN BOWEN'S STORY Part 5

Return to PTS October 78.

I returned to PTS and was promoted to F/Sgt and instructed on 89 basic. I could hardly believe that so many courses had been put through. Even John Boynton was a reasonable free faller. I enjoyed Ian Douglas who had joined PTS. He was a mad keen free faller as well.

We soon started getting some great relative work in the skies over Sarum. By the 21^st. November we were straight into 90 basic. Wow we were just churning them out. By now we were flying 3 man and 4 man stars away from the dak as a routine. The pace was hectic with many days showing 2 lifts and some days in my log book showing 3 lifts!

PJI, and Dispatchers checking an R.L.I. Fire Force parra stick at a forward airfield about December 1978.


Wednesday 29^th Nov. 1978 Hogan and I went to M'toko and took over from Kevin. Fire force call outs were every day although the drops were not. Many times you would load up and fly out only to circle the area and just watch the chopper sticks sweep and then load up again. Then off back to M'toko for refreshments.

The old log book shows entries like: Friday 8^th Dec, 10 mins south of M'toko 1x16, 4 kills.  On the return flight Paul and I went out at 5000 feet and did a 2 man over Mtoko. I was on my PC and Hogan on his Cloud. Saturday 9^th, south of M'toko, no drop. Sunday 10^th, Rushinga, no drop. Sunday 10^th 1x12 SAS night drop 60ks into porkas.

Several more, then the big punch up at Elim. on the 15^th Dec. I was number 1 dispatcher and we had to fly to Rushinga to pick up the RAR troops we had dropped there the afternoon before. We kitted them up and got them into the aircraft.

Rhodesian African Rifles MAG (M60) gunner ready to climb aboard a Fire Force Dakota in the Op Hurricane Area. He will be jumping with his machine gun secured to his body by the parachute body band and a length of rigging line tied to the butt and secured by the reserve parachute on the upper D ring on the left hand side of the main parachute harness. Note the 50 round belt of .762mm NATO  ammunition wrapped around the breach of the gun.


We dropped 1 stick of 18 just north of Elim. We then landed at Elim airstrip and sat on the ground for some time and could hear the battle going on with the RAR. Then the wounded started arriving by chopper. One of the guys had the lower section of his right leg just hanging on after a near miss from an RPG, and I was informed that the RAR medic had been shot. So, as I had plenty of medic training, I got the gear out of the big box in the back of the Dak and cannulated the guy and got fluids going. I then bandaged his leg as best as I could.

Then the next guy arrived by cyclone 7. He had been shot in the head. He was still conscious so I asked him how this had happened, he said a terr had jumped up in front of him and they both fired at the same time. The terr. died on the spot but the RAR trooper felt this hammer blow to his head that knocked him onto his arse, where he lay staring up at the sky thinking he was in heaven, until the Sgt dragged him into cover.

I checked him out and he had this lump on the top of his skull and a small laceration about 1 inch up from between the eyes. The bullet had slid up under the skin and was later cut out and presented to the soldier. I cannulated this guy and got some fluids going as well.

Then a chopper arrived with another soldier who had been shot in the left arm and left shoulder. He was in great pain, so I gave him two shots of Sosigon, (morphine) and got a line in him. I bandaged him as tight as I could to stop the bleeding. I got Hogan to squeeze 2 flasks of fluid into him as he had bled heavily.

With these three loaded we took off back to M'toko. The soldier with the leg wound was on the floor of the Dak and looked like death warmed up and was very thirsty. I knelt beside him and gave him sips of water from my water bottle as we flew back. Once on the ground at M'toko a doctor came on board and we handed them over.

My log book shows we went back 2 more times that day. I can remember standing just inside the door of the Dak after that last flight and saying 'shit' to Hogan. What a day, we were covered in blood and the floor of the Dak was red and slippery and smelt of death. I don’t know how many we treated in the end but we had to call for more gear after the second run as we had used everything up that was in the aircraft kit before we headed back to Elim. I know I felt very old as I climbed down and headed for the showers.

Then the next day 16.12.1978, good old Hogan organises a FF demo for the Mtoko sports club that was having a function of some sorts. I think it was a golf day. The only aircraft available was a civvy Cherokee six. He organised for the small cargo door on the left hand side to be removed and we jumped out of that.

The problem was the weather. It was low cloud at 2000 feet and I was not that happy about getting airspeed that low then pulling the old PC out of the bag. The run in was good with Hogan giving the pilot directions then giving him 'cut' and then out the little door we went. Bloody hell the golf course was close. However we were both flying by 1100 feet and landed on the 18^th hole next to the club house. A quick cuppa and slice of cake and back to the airfield in case we were needed. That was my first from a Cherokee 6. Can you imagine doing that in Aus. They would throw the book at you. One could only describe life in Africa and the military as fun and hectic.

We returned to Salisbury on the 19^th and were straight into Ops loads out of there. The next day it was 2 dak loads of Scouts. I was No. 1 dispatcher and had 14 on board, my comments say 'very poor stick'.

A few days later 14 Scouts FF from 8000 feet. Then on the 28^th Dec we tried to organise a quick exit from the Dak. Mike went outside forward of the door, hanging onto the cargo door latch. I went trailing outside with my left toe on the doorsill and hanging on with my left hand with my right arm and leg trailing along the fuselage.

Dick Gledhill and Carlos Gomes had their backsides out the door and Mike Duffy and Roy were facing them bunched up. On the go we all went together. It was great but Mike missed. Still a 5 man was good. The next day we did the same again with Mike holding on a fraction longer.

This time as I pushed off from the aircraft, Carlos hit my left arm and dislocated it at the shoulder. There I was at 9000 feet doing a couple of back-flips with my left arm locked up behind me. I rolled onto my back, grabbed my arm and pulled my left hand around and grasped my harness with it. I then flipped over and had a look at where everyone else was and as best as I could tracked off towards the DZ party as I knew there was an ambulance there and I was sure I would be requiring its services real soon.

I had 35 seconds to consider how I was going to crank out of the bag without causing to0 much pain to the shoulder which I could feel already, despite the usual jump adrenaline. At just under 3 grand I tucked the legs up and got the handle out and, at 2500, dumped out and did the best one handed sit up I could muster to take as much of the shock on the leg-straps as I could.

This in fact worked nicely. I then did right hand turns landing about 200 metres away from the DZ party. Mike came galloping over straight away and I explained the situation. He said well this will hurt and grabbed it and popped it back in. We packed my rig and walked back to the ambulance and the medic insisted I have a sling and off I went for x-rays.

Nothing broken, just off jumping for a month. So I got to do No.1 dispatcher for the month, nice.

Back jumping late Jan 79. The log book shows us doing static line with Saviacs over New Sarum. 800 feet, then 600 feet, then 500 feet. A long way from 1000ft minimum height for training when I first joined!

We were also doing some of our FF now with T10 double blanks -no doubt as a cheaper alternative to TAs and UT15s if they had to be left in the bush after an insertion. In light winds the T10s were great FF chutes.

My log book also shows Mike and Frank Hales jumping with a Thunderbow rig. It was a red one. I don’t remember who it belonged to. I also have a few entries with doing FF with a captain Horizon. His name was Mike and every time he jumped he disappeared over the horizon. All three of those with Capt. Horizon were on T10 FF rigs. He was obviously good at relative work as my entry states I hung there and let him come to me.

We did 4 manoeuvres' before breakaway. Then we were onto basic course 93 already. At the same time there was a UTPJI (Under Training Parachute Jumping Instructor) course going. John Boynton was running that one. 93 basic did their first and John’s UTPJIs did their 8^th with CSPEPs. I was No2 dispatcher.

PTS Staff just waiting for the old Dakota to climb up to about 13000ft ASL to practice their free fall formations. Always good fun 

We then went up to 8000 feet AGL and Mike Duffy did a terrible spot and we landed miles away. The log book states a bag deployed T10. By now the log book is showing the pilot as Flt Lt RSA. That's what we were calling the South African pilots. It must have been that the Air Force did not want us to record their names. 14^th Feb, and 93 basic did their last jump.

The rest of the month was UTPJIs and UT dispatchers. In March, April and May, more basic courses were run. Numbers 94, 95 and 96 basic. PTS was just churning them out. Most were RLI and RAR for the fire force that was such a relentless machine now. At this stage so were all the external camp attacks that was going on. Long gone were the days of sitting around playing cards and doing general maintenance, or JGB doing the picture framing for Helens paintings?

Then on Friday the 4^th May 1979 we did a training jump with the DC7. We put out 54 static-line and then up to 12 grand and put out 9 FF then Myself, Mr Hales and Roy did a great 3 man ourselves. On landing I felt my shoulder 'pop' again. It went back in all by itself so no drama I thought. Kevin, who was Mr. Milligan by now, sent me to see the doctor anyway. He took me off jumping for several weeks and then I had an operation, and was told it would be a year before I could jump again. Just like that. The end of my parachuting career had arrived. 
Thanks Iain Bowen for a great contribution Derek de Kock