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Parachute Jump Instructors Badge (Sgt. Yexley, 50th Indian Para. Brig. )


Eric Queen

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I picked up kind of a neat little photo grouping recently which is related to the RAF Parachute Jump Instructors Badge.

 

First, a published photo of what the badge looks like.

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The little grouping of photos belonged to a Sgt.Yexley who serviced as a Jump Instructor at the Air Landing School at Willingdon Airport, New Delhi. This was the school which trained the men of the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade.

 

Here is a little background on the school and one of the photos of Sgt. (then Corporal) Yexley.

 

AIRLANDING SCHOOL NEW DELHI (RAF)

On 1st October 1941 Air Headquarters authorized the formation of an Air Landing School at Willingdon Airport New Dehli, to train the newly formed 50th Indian Parachute Brigade.

The School, later called No 3 Parachute Training School trained parachutists and glider-borne troops as well as conducting experiments on their specialized equipment. The only aircraft available were five Valencias, obsolete and unsuitable for parachuting. Training for the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade, which was also set up in October, began in earnest.

Courses lasted 14 days for 30 parachutists per course until April 1943 when it doubled to 60. There was a shortage of aircraft, parachute instructors and parachutes. The first instructors arrived from Ringway with 14 static parachute assemblies or ‘Statichutes’ in their personal baggage and set up their primitive equipment in two aircraft hangars.

The first Commanding Officer was Wing Commander JHD Chapple, who was replaced by the nominated commander Wing Commander Benito in March 1942. The staff consisted of eight RAF officers, five army officers, four RAF fabric workers from Ringway, who also acted as Parachute Jump Instructors (PJIs) and a number of Ringway trained army NCOs.

In October 1942 overcrowding at Willingdon air base necessitated a change of the school’s location to Chaklala, near Rawlpindi in the Punjab.

Despite the limited output of the parachute courses the casualty rate was far higher than in the UK. There were two fatalities in October 1942, four in November and another in December and January 1943. It was found that some of the Indian X-Type parachutes were not up to specification. Wing Commander M Newnham the Commanding Officer of No 1 Parachute Training School at Ringway visited and instituted improvements on parachute maintenance. Improvements followed as also more and better aircraft, Hudsons, Wellingtons and then the Dakota.

 

 

 

 

IAB 5.jpg

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Sgt. Yexley

ss.jpg

 

Yexley (standing far left) with other instructors at the ALS Christmas 1942.

IAB 3.jpg

 

I really liked the reverse of this photo. A brief description and drawing of the badge.

IAB 7.jpg

 

Here is a clearer photo of the badges being worn. Again Yexley is at far left.

IAB 8.jpg

 

Yexley with a training group.

IAB 2.jpg

 

Another (back row, no helmet or hat)

IAB 6.jpg

 

Training

IAB 120002.jpg

 

More

IAB 120007.jpg

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Has anyone ever seen a "paratrooper" helmet like this? Looks like a kitchen utensil glued to the top of a leather flight helmet.

IAB 4.jpg

 

IAB 10.jpg

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Instructors of the ALS in 1943 after the move to Chaklala. Yexley is standing in the rear at far left.

 

IAB 11.jpg

 

The photo is slightly out of focus but I like it because all the instructors and interpreters are named on the reverse.

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This photo was with the group and kind of a nice surprise. Notice the man in the rear of the jeep wearing an SAS beret badge on this cap.

IAB 9.jpg

 

This also was included but I have not been able to identify yet.

IAB 120005.jpg

 

And lastly a Christmas card from the 2nd Indian Airborne Division.

 

The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade was used to form part of the 44th Indian Airborne Division in 1944 and in 1947 the name was changed to the 2nd Indian Airborne Division

IAB.jpg

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Ooops, forgot this one. Yexley at far left. For some reason I have a weakness for these paratrooper group photos (especially of rare units)

IAB 1 x.jpg

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Thanks Allan !! That is it. Mystery solved. Have you ever seen other photos of paratroopers using this helmet?

 

As to the last training group photo I posted, I believe those are Gurkha's not Indians. Notice the headgear. The 50th Indian Parachute Brigade included the 153rd Gurkha Parachute Bn. and the 154th Gurkha Parachute Bn.

 

Here is an (online) photo of members of one of the Battalions.

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Eric,

 

I know that you have seen this photo before. It is identified as a British parachute advisor serving with elements of the 507th PIR. As you look at the photo, you see that the British soldier isn't wearing a para helmet, but rather a dispatch rider's helmet. I have had people (who should know) that identified the soldier as Dutch and others who have said that they thought that he may have been an OSS operative who was wearing this helmet rather than the training "sorbo rubber" training helmet as it had better ballistic properties.

 

Either way, it looks to me like the British and commonwealth forces adapted whatever was available to fit the need for their troops in the field.

 

Allan

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Cool photo. Have seen it a couple times before. Always thought that was a glider pilots helmet he was wearing but must admit I have little to no knowledge on the subject.

 

But, certainly, either way, point well taken and very accurate observation from what I have seen. They used what they had on hand as necessity dictated.

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