Sadly Chris passed away 20th August after a short illness.
He served in Lippy in the Air Troop.
Another Brave Soldier passes away. RIP

Sorry but the air troop baffles me, was he the gunner Snape that I remember

come on Jimmy whats wrong with your memory, dont you remember the helicopters stored in the sheds on 49 Bty gun park. When you came out the block they were to the right. There was also if my memory serves correctly, a large fire in those sheds at one time. The helicopters was for forward OP,s. As a signaller for Paddy Troughton I was taken up in one, the pilot said have you ever thought what might happen if the engine shut down in flight ? I said not really and without further a do he switched it off and we started to sink like a stone, my stomache came up to my throat and then he switched it on again and fortunately it fired and we started to fly again.
Pete Bucksey from 94 Bty went on to become a helicopter Pilot, thats why he joined the Gunners...
and the answer is no, he was already an officer when he joined the Regiment,

I remember the Air OPs - one of the pilots was Sgt John Kendrick who was an artillery clerk. the other one I can't quite remember but it wasn't Chris Snape but that is not to say he wasn't a pilot in the Air OP Tp a bit later. The other pilot I remember was also a Sgt and the name will come to me if I think hard enough.

The 2 Sgt pilots in the Air OP Tp were Sgt Kendrick whom I have already mentioned and a Sgt Ron Miles who was, I am told, an AI Sigs in one of the Btys of 42 before becoming a pilot. The OC was a Major Parsons who handed over to Chris Snapes about 6 months before 42 Regt moved to Devizes. The Air OP Tp remained in Lippstadt of course. Thanks Pete Bucksey.

Gunner Snape ( Geordie?) was in 68bty in the 50's/60's I believe.

I don't think he is the one Jim

Yes the guy on the right is how I pictured him and that looks like Mick Richardson with the light jumper and black hair. I don't know anything about Geordie Snape's deployment though.

I think Duncan became a pilot

Sgt Miles was in 94 Bty in P/dOCK, I think he handed over to Jock Mather on our move to Lippstadt.

My reliable source informs me that Capt Snape was not the Gnr Snape ex 68 Bty. Capt Snape was a 100 % Rupert - my source can't remember his parent cap badge.

"" Yes Lou you are right Jay Duncan did become a pilot--When i arrived at Plymouth in Sept 1958 he was in 68Bty in the signals section and was RSI/Bdr -he was with us also in Cyprus-and the Dock and then left us as a Sgt to go to the air corps--taught me a lot about Radios and signalling before i went to Larkhill on JSI & RSI courses ;;got a photo of him somewhere will find it out and post it also have one on the 42 Rgt board under my Name on the Photo section when we were the Regimental Police at Bisley (1959)i think also;; George Byford;and others ((All i may add hand picked by non other than Tony Heal BSM 68Bty;;))Happy memories;;

Jay Duncan once took me on his pillion from Court-y-Gollen camp near Crickhowell to Abergavenny, a most hair-raising experience at what felt like the speed of sound. I couldn't even hold on properly as I was holding on to his dog and trying to stop it going airborne!



Ron Miles was a helicopter pilot in Lippy. He offered me a flip one morning which I refused, pointing out to him that I was very well aware that he and another chopper wallah were the last out of the Sgts' Mess bar at 03:30hrs! (He later committed suicide, hopefully not because I doubted his capability to get me safely up and down again).

Blimey Big Jim when you say Ron Miles was he the guy with blonde hair in the early days,and was he once 68bty? if so I am surprised at your last comment. Most of us knew about Sgt ( Cocka ) Hawes.......as he passed on in similar circumstances in Plymouth.

It was a sad story. He was 94 bty in the dock, might have gone to 68, not sure

Jimmy Hawes, stuck his head in the gas oven; story was he spent some fund money he was holding.

Captain Snape died about 20 years ago. As I said, Captain Snape was not the guy from 68. My source doesn't know how he died so that doesn't rule out suicide. Worked in the North Sea at one time after the army.

If you read this month Gunner you will find the Obituary too Capt CJ Snape

TD it is on page 22. Martin may tell you all about him.

Sorry, but whenI said Capt Snape died 20 years ago it was clearly bollocks - it should have been Ron Miles! Sorry - senior moments again.

Tony -
With senior moments like that it clarifies after all these years why you got my leave pass and flight wrong -
I seem to remember you then called it a junior moment -

Yes i remember capt snape in 68 bty he was a gunner same time as me he went to the army air corps for 4 years his brother joined us later on.

Lt C Snape was in 53 louisburg bty 22 regt Ra in Malaya & Borneo he was a troop commander when he left 22 he went to AAC became a pilot when he left the RA he flew helicopters to the oil rigs

Barrie thanks for the update, its good to see the site is still doing its job.