Training the Gurkhas - Part 1 of 3

Heroes Remember

Training the Gurkhas - Part 1 of 3

Transcript

A lot of the fighting was done with Gurkha regiments, and Gurkhas I have nothing but the greatest admiration, they were the little fellas, they were just, they were nice, they were fierce, and sometimes I think they were crazy, you know. Let me digress for a moment. When we're, when I was with the RAF Squadron, we were sent for one week to a Gurkha camp, the 7th Gurkha Rifles and there was an airstrip nearby. We flew in there, and this was to give the Gurkhas some familiarity with the aircraft. And I recall they were doing jump practice, roll, they jumped off of a sixteen-foot tower and that was the impact with which you hit the ground in a parachute. And they, what they were taught was that, when they hit to be in a roll position and they rolled. And I recall that one chap didn't land so well and he banged his noggin, and the rest of them, they just killed themselves laughing at his expense. They, anyway, and I don't know whether this is true, but we were told, that the Gurkhas were told, that taking off an aircraft was no problem, the aircraft lifted itself off. But getting, fighting the beast back down to the ground was a real chore and this was the dangerous part of flying. And they weren't gonna have to suffer that, because they would have jumped out of the aircraft before it had to land.

Description

Mr. Romanow talks about his experiences with the Gurkhas.

Joseph Romanow

Mr. Romanow was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in 1921, to parents who immigrated to Canada in 1911. Mr. Romanow grew up in a Ukranian community and he learned to speak English from his playmates. He joined the Air Force from a youth group, was a mechanic for two years and then trained in Canada and England. He was able to fly in India and Europe, flying many different types of planes. After his university education he returned to the Air Force and worked with the Avro Arrow team.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:15
Person Interviewed:: Joseph Romanow
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Burma
Battle/Campaign:: Burma
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 62, 435, 437 Squadron
Occupation:: Bomber Pilot

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Training the Gurkhas - Part 1 of 3

Heroes Remember