P Company Paras

Can anyone on this site actually tell me when P Company - Paras actually started.

I have a pal that is doing some research into the Paras but can't find when P company actually started.

Cheers all.

 

Mine started at 0800 on the Monday morning, it was a BFT first thing followed by trainasium and then the CFT (1hr 36) after lunch.

I'm sure they all start on a Monday morning, obviously if it's a STAB course they get there on the Friday night.

Hope this helps ...





... (if not try a Google search for 'airborne forces duxford' and there may be a decent link)

 

Um not sure but I think he meant originally as in 1940's sometime
RH

 

We had to parade at the depot at 18 00 ish Sunday evening, some nasty cnut with a miss world red sash shouted at us for cutting across the square.....

Good luck with your enquires

 

Harry, Goose and Rusty,

Thanks, we are going in the right direction. What year was P company selection born?

 

Why not try the AF Museum for the history of PEGASUS COMPANY

The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum
Browning Barracks,
ALDERSHOT,
Hants GU11 2BU.

airbornefm@btconnect.com

Telephone: 01252 349619

 

He is either a lazy fool or an idiot, try some proper research. Despite all the spotter junk on the internet the information should all be there. Failing that, Peter Harclerode's "Para" (a history of the reg and ABF) its a start.

Try the dates of selection for troops dicked/voluteered for Airborne Force's 1941... I think

Your "mate" is rather lazy ehh?

 

All Paratroopers came from line Regiments up until the mid 1950's. All those that applied had to pass P the course which lasted two weeks, if you dropped out of any thing or failed badly at any thing you were immediately RTU. The Parachute Regiment did not start recruiting directly into the Regiment till about 1955. When I joined the Regiment from a County Regiment there was a P Course every two weeks and there used to be several hundred on it every time, from that they would select enough people to fill Hastings Aircraft to complete their jumps which was about 30 if I remember rightly. If you caused problems in the Regiment and were not a good soldier they would just RTU you

 

Thanks for your input Vonshot. However, as you can see from the posts here, there seems to be a bit of variation in the DTG of P Company so perhaps you will see why my pal cannot get an exact date for P Company starting.

Mike - Thanks for the info on the AF Museum. I shall pass this on.

 

Mike,

Once again, thanks for the info you supplied.

Here is the answer to my enquiry:

Thank you for your enquiry. My archivist has found the following information:

P Company started life as training Company of DSAT Hardwick in 1941. The first reference to P Company is October 1947 Pegasus. The two previous Pegasus Journals referred to it as IT PT Company.

 

P Coy in its current form only started after the Falklands. Prior to that there were no 'endurance' events and the test phase was 3/4 days after a digging in exercise. The Falklands obviously highlighted the requirement for the endurance events. The Parachute Regiment did recruit directly in the 1950's because National Servicemen could vol to serve in the 'Reg' for an extra 2p a day or something random like that! Any other enquiries can be cleared up as suggested by the Para Reg museum in the shot (before it moves to Duxford).