Farewell to the Junglies
Five of the troop carrying green helicopters, which have carried Royal Marines into action for more than 36 years, will stage a five-hour ‘goodbye flight’ around the locations most associated with them on home turf.
As with their fellow Fleet Air Arm Sea King units which are coming out of service this year – the search and rescuers of 771 NAS and HMS Gannet – 848 Naval Air Squadron are conducting the formation fly past – and are hoping for a good turn-out.
Setting off from their base at RNAS Yeovilton, home of the Commando Helicopter Force, the ‘Junglies’ (a nickname they owe to their forebears who fought in Borneo in the 60s), at 8.30am on Monday March 21, the Sea Kings will pass over:
Joint Helicopter Command in Andover
Portsmouth Naval Base,
RM Poole
Portland
CTCRM in Lympstone
Dartmouth
RM Stonehouse
Plymouth Naval Base
HMS Raleigh
42 Commando in Bickleigh
Okehampton Camp
Commando Logistics Regiment in Chivenor
There the helicopters will take on fuel before resuming their tour at 1pm heading for
40 Commando at Norton Manor Camp near Taunton
Charlton Farm Hospice
Abbeywood, Bristol
Glastonbury Tor
Yeovil
Landing back at Yeovilton at 2.25pm.