Soldier in the Sun

1964 Documentary footnote…

For any of you guys who posted on this subject:

Just noticed this, after printing up some images from the ‘Soldier In The Sun’ documentary. The fellow looking out of the Belvedere looking quite serious, and holding the Bren gun is my father. Who is 90 and counting………

Summer of ’64, Aden …… happy days (for a child at least).

Now I have the photo with the famous BBC logo in the top left hand corner, I’ll frame it and present it to him. Though the Belvedere was not his favourite ‘aircraft’, he felt its safety record was second to many.

Just sent the link to my father who was out there.

“I’d forgotten what a ****hole it was” 😀

Yes, I agree Pagen, it is a bit different, I love the Belvedere footage too, It sounds great!

Also spotted the cans of Double Diamond beer in the old fashioned cans! This bit of footage puts me in the mind a a video I have when Ludovic Kennedy went with the Navy in the 1960s (HMS Eagle?) It is a black and white vid, but like you said THIS footage was different, down to earth, (not too chocolate boxy if you get my drift?) liked it a lot.

An excellent little film, seems somehow a bit different from other military based docs of the time.
It, and Critters post, brings home just how serious these post-war brushfire conflicts were and indeed there does seem to a bit of history repeating itself, especially in regard of landmine threat and the extreme landscape that the services had to adapt to and fight in.
Some of the best Beverley in action footage I’ve ever seen there, when people say how inept these types were it is good to see films like this where it is hard to imagine other aircraft types of the era being able to do the same job of moving bulky loads on unprepared landing strips. Great Argosy and Belvedere footage aswel.

A very interesting film, for a number of reasons.

My late father served in Aden during this time; he was shot twice in seperate incidents (a graze, and a minor flesh wound), and finally sent home after his Land Rover struck a landmine. Of the four men in the vehicle, he was the sole survivor.

The ship at 3:10 looks very like the SS Temple Hall.

Radfan, Taliban
Aden, Afghanistan
Belvedere, Chinook
Roadside mines – nothing new then……

Interesting film though…